Superstitch

Long Time Gone

Oh my, it's been a while. I keep meaning to make a post, but then I keep realizing that I have nothing to talk about but school and work, and none of that is very interesting. But then, epiphany!

It is time to tell the story of The Scariest House.

When I drive back and forth from Lubbock and Austin I pass by this one house on 153 and it is the scariest house there ever was. It's abandoned, dilapidated, and spooky as all get-out. It sits on an empty field in a patch of tall grass and weeds, looking like no one has touched it in about seventy years.

Everytime I drive by I wish I had pictures of it, but it's usually just about dusk when I drive by, and that is just too frightening for scaredy-cat me. But then! About a month ago I was driving home, already on 153, when I realized that it was still broad daylight. Time to get some pictures. For most of them I hovered around my pulled-over car, not wanting to brave the thigh-high grass in my flip-flops and corduroys. But as I peered anxiously through my viewfinder I realized that it had taken me this long to actually stop and take pictures, if I wanted close ups, now was the time to get them.

I got close enough to take this one. I was getting confident, thinking I might get some real close ups, maybe even peer in the windows or something.... but then I heard something moving in the grass. I don't think I've ever run that fast. I jumped back into my car and didn't look back until I was at least a mile away. I don't know what it was: a snake, a rodent, perhaps a GHOST. All I know is that it scared the bejesus out of me and I probably won't be pulling over there ever, ever again. But I am glad that I got the pictures I did. You can see a few more over at my Flickr.

This is what it looked like by the time I looked back:

Oh, such a boring, lonely drive.

PS- How cute is the halter bucket? I'm so excited to get it and start using it. That fabric is my absolute favorite of the moment. I love it so much that I might even let Elizabeth teach me how to knit socks, haha. 

California, California, it's such a wonder

Elizabeth  is four years older than me, almost to the day. I decided to be born the day before her birthday, and have been paying the price ever since. We've had joint birthday parties for as long as I can remember... at McDonalds, at Celebration Station, at the duck pond, the pool, the park, the backyard. Celebrating my birthday was never something I did on my own.

When I graduated high school, I thought the rules might have changed, that I might be able to go on my graduation trip to California by myself. No such luck. My mother invited Elizabeth along, and while cruising over the Golden Gate Bridge, windows down, music blaring, Elizabeth, my mom, and I convulsing in laughter over something stupid one of us just said, I came to a realization; My birthdays were always so happy because I was sharing them with the closest friend I've ever had. Any perceived disadvantage was all in my own head. I let go and we ended up having the vacation to end all vacations. We toured wineries, I ate my first In-N-Out burger, I hugged a redwood, we found an entire store devoted soley to Legos, we drove down Lombard Street, we rode a boat to Alcatraz, and shopped until my debit card melted.

I was over at Bird In the Hand earlier tonight, and her photos of Alcatraz inspired me to share a few of my own, along with some of the other photos I took during that charmed week in California. I hope you enjoy them.

Benziger Winery:

Muir Woods:

San Francisco:

and, finally, Alcatraz Island:

So these are my pictures, my memories. It really was a great week. So sunny! It's nice to remember right now, as storms of biblical proportions have been plaguing Central Texas nonstop since Sunday.

Sun... I miss it.

AAAAEIGNWEGNWEGN!!!!!

Typepad just ATE MY REALLY LONG POST. And it was a GOOD ONE. I will attempt to recreate... but it won't have nearly the heart the first one did.

Sarafina Stops By

In this weeks episode of Top Design (on Bravo) the designers had to furnish their rooms with garage sale finds. One designer bought an afghan made by a man's grandmother for $25. I watched this episode from my bed, fingers twisted in my very own afghan-in-progress and felt very indignant on behalf of that grandmother.

Elizabeth taught me how to crochet a few weeks ago (oh patient and wise almostwin, what would I do without you?), and I have a newfound appreciation for all the time and effort that went into creating all the afghans strewn across our parents' house. I myself have three afghans all to myself, a purple and white one from my Grandma, a burgundy and gold one from my Granny, and a green and cream one from my mom. Watching their hands fly through the yarn, I always thought crochet would be, well, quick. I have proven myself wrong over and over again through the process of making my very own green/blue/purple  afghan. I vow that I will never again take an afghan for granted. Even the hideous neon ones.

Somehow my afghan, originally intended for a full-sized bed, has come to be nine feet wide. I have no idea how this happened, but suffice it to say the width is now the length, the horizontal stripes now vertical. My huge, monster afghan is very simple, as are my crochet skills, and it is worked entirely in double crochet. It is a hodgepodge of mistakes, mostly. The first few rows travel inwards dramatically because I missed the stitches on the end, and there are noticable holes where I had to change strands, and couldn't figure out exactly how to do it, so I just made it up.

I know that most people haaaate acrylic yarn (and I still don't understand why, yarn-ignoramus that I am) but I'm planning on using this afghan and I have to be able to wash it, so I am using Caron Simply Soft. In country blue, orchid, dark sage, light country blue, dark country blue, and sage.

I saw the colors and just fell in love. They're so dreamy, the light ones almost pearlescent. I'm moving into a house with some friends in August and I'm already planning my entire room around these colors. I've been having daydreams about wall colors, curtains, sheets. I desperately want these wall decals in graphite, they're so lovely. Who wouldn't want a flock of doves soaring towards their window? Actually, I can think of a lot of people (my dad, for instance) but I am not one of them.

Anywho, I'm going to try to keep the blog updated on my progress with the afghan, so I can look back, see how far I've come, and keep motivated. After all, a nine-foot afghan is quite an undertaking.

OOO (because I don't know you well enough for Xs, do I?)
Sarafina

Sarafina Says Hello

Hi!

I'm Sarah, Elizabeth's sister. I was going to write a big introductory post about who I am, what I do, and why Liz and I have decided to "co-blog," but now that I'm sitting at my desk after a six-hour drive, all I want to write about is why I made the trip.

I go to a state school far, far away from home (Texas is big), and all I ever want to do is go back. It's not that I don't like school, I actually kind of love it, but I miss doing things that I only get to do at home.

Like cooking in something other than a microwave! I made fantastic Italian Wedding Soup and even though I over-salted it, only Elizabeth complained.

After dropping my younger sister off at the docks for rowing practice, I also got to go shopping with my mom and Liz, sifting through clearance linens, looking for another score. We are in constant pursuit of our next score. Sometimes it feels like a competition: who can get the best deal on the best stuff. My mom is a Craig's List master, so she almost always comes out victorious.

My best friend and little brother, Joseph, and I took a jaunt down to the neighborhood park to swing and attempt some kite-flying (it didn't go well... but we still had fun!). After our big park excursion we did origami (he's an origami savant, I swear) and I watched about .5 seconds of a Star Wars movie with him before tucking him in on the couch and running off to watch Match Point, which I had never seen before.

And nothing feels better after a long day of familial fun than sinking down into a familiar bed, with a brand new book, while a little black dog instinctively finds his place, curled up against your knees.

So this is me, Sarah. Missing home still, but glad to be back in my little corner of campus. I'll be stopping by again soon, next time with projects and more pictures. I can't wait to see how this works out, a new way to keep in touch with my favorite sister, and the rest of the world.

I'll be back soon!