Life in Denim and Flip Flops

It’s that time again. Yay for Thursdays! Some days I miss blogging everyday, and then I remember how crazy that was. And time consuming. Wow did that take a lot of time planning and then writing or creating a blog for that day. But I’m glad I’m into a rhythm on here and doing at least one post a week. hanging out with friends this weekend : I got a chance to hang out with Megan at her apartment with her puppy Bella. Bella is a bit of a handful, but she was adorable none the less. Later that night I went to a concert on the river with Adam. I love the amphitheatre here. I've seen a few things there now and it's a really smart little space. Built into the hill behind an old brewery, the amphitheatre is situated between the river and a beautiful brick backdrop. It was fun to hang out with Adam and enjoy the bands. Some for the music, some for their humor. ;) church on Sunday : I've been bouncing around churches in Dubuque since I got here. I know more people at one across town...

So for some odd reason, my internet was out this evening, but is back for now. I'm going to write this quickly! pulling out my sewing machine : I was so excited how both bags turned out. I decided that I really needed one after seeing how cute Anne Marie’s was. Thanks for the suggestions about etsy. I’ll think about it, but sounds like too much work ;) Next one on the list is for Lora. I just need to get colors from her. If you want one let me know. I don't mind making them if you don't mind covering the cost of fabric and shipping. :) the chance to win Catching Fire : my friend Kelly tweeted about an opportunity to win a copy of the follow up to The Hunger Games . After getting to read Fire early, I would jump at the chance to get my hands on another ARC. having a chill Sunday : I did church, yummy coffee, read for a while, hung out w/ my parents, talked to Amy, took some gorgeous photos , and made a really yummy dinner on my new grill pan. A great day! people at work ...

I pulled out the sewing machine to make a bag for Anne Marie's birthday yesterday. It's been a while since I've used it. I really have to be in the mood to sew. It's usually a long time-consuming process. But was yesterday ever worth it. I've never done a quilted bag before, mostly because they looked scary/hard. Boy was I wrong. It was so easy, and results were fabulous. I had lots of fun putting it together, with only a few minor issues. (The handles are backwards and I had to redo one seam because I didn't leave a big enough gap.) Now, I want one! :) Guess who's found her new favorite pattern? Me!!

I spent part of Sunday afternoon at the local arboretum. It was gorgeous outside. Cool weather and sun. I was planning on getting some sewing and mending done today. Instead I decided I deserved to be outside doing something I love. Here's what I found. If you want to see this album in a larger version, click here . Also, if you want to use them for anything, feel free to download and use them. Just leave me a comment here telling me you're using them. (And if you're using them online for something, a credit/link would be wonderful.)

Today's entry is going to be short and sweet. I still haven't solved my internet problems at home yet. (I've been too lazy and too busy reading Fire to care.) So I'm writing this from work over my lunch hour. Fire : I got an early copy from Amy like 3 weeks ago, and I've been waiting for the right time to read it. I started it this weekend and finished it last night. I absolutely loved it. Once again Kristen Cashore entranced me and sucked me into her world. I'm excited to be able to send it along to Christina and Autumn to read before returning it to Amy! Hope you girls love it as much as I did. my selection of items at the public library : It's a little thing, but totally made me giggle when I realized I must look like I can't read. I rarely borrow actual books from the public library as I work at a library myself. I tend to only get stuff there I can't get here. So this week I checked out, one YA audio book, one YA graphic novel, 2 discs of a TV ...

For the funeral tomorrow, I painted my fingernails bright red. It might seem like an odd choice for a funeral, but I'm doing it in memory of my grandpa. When he was younger, he and his brothers made some sort of bet. The losers had to paint their fingernails red. Of course it was a Saturday, so the next morning involved going to church. Somehow Grandpa was the only one of them to actually go through with it. So there he was at church with bright red fingernails in 1930s Iowa. My grandmother happened to be sitting in the balcony of the church, looking down at the congregation below. She saw the bright red fingernails and thought that was odd and funny. She noted who it was and didn't forget it. And that's how my grandparents met. So on Monday, I'll be sitting in a different church in early 21st century Iowa with red fingernails so Grandpa can find me from heaven. :)

It's been another long week. My grandpa passed away on Wednesday night. Thanks to all of you who have send along prayers and positive thoughts. I really appreciate it. It makes this post all the more poignant, reminding me not to take things for granted. So on with the post. watching the fireworks with my sister : Watching fireworks on the 4th has been a sibling tradition for as long as I've had my license to drive us down there together. We always went super early and found the perfect spot near the fallout zone, but far enough away not to get set on fire. We'd go early and bring card games and snacks and drinks. Last year we missed seeing them together because I was at a friend's wedding, so this year was the first viewing in Dubuque. The YA church group was going to watch together so I thought it'd be fun to go with them. It was really nice. We ended up just blocks from my apt, and away from the fish flies on the river. We had cupcakes for a friend's birthday...

Like Autumn , I did not have a spectacular week, but like she said it's all about perspective. And though there were lots of things I didn't love this week, here are a few things I did! a haircut : I tend to be that girl who gets emotional haircuts. I break up with a boy---I chop my hair, I'm going on a long trip to D.C.---I chop my hair, I go to grad school---3 months later I chop my hair. I'd have a sucky week, so I cut my hair. I've been thinking it was too long and obnoxious for a while, and I've been walking past the salon on my street the last 3 days, so I said, you know what, I need a change. And this is what I ended up with. I love it!! It's totally brightened my mood. farmer's markets : I hit up our local market Saturday morning with a student worker who had never been before. I got some great produce and had a fun time just getting out and wandering around the downtown again. I spent a lot of time downtown at the library and independent booksto...