2013 Week 39: Rhymes with TEA!

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Leigh

Dinner with Rumbles @ Cumin. Follow-up for Katniss. Made cupcake stands. Shopped for shoes for Z. Wedding outing @ Handlebar with coworkers. Third fitting @ Mignonette. IKEA for centerpieces. Planted centerpieces. Jason Anderson @ Den Theater. Breakfast @ Dimo’s. Bridal high tea @ Peninsula.

Bridal tea was amazing. I just wish I could have asked every single lady I love to be there, but as it was, we were one over the number to be IN the lobby seating area. Just so lovely to have tea with great friends and eat the fanciest vegetarian food I have ever eaten. I had one vegan and one gluten-free lady apiece and they both seemed to also love their food. Jessica Manack flew in for the day from PGH and she brought favors; button sets – one of which had my face on them! It was nice to have a little break from the nonstop wedding planning world. I am super mega stressed. Just can’t wait to be done with the whole thing. REALLY looking forward to our mini-moon where we can just chill out!

Films watched 39th week of the year:

Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam *
A Call Girl ** [ Slovenia ]
Miss Representation *

* documentary
** foreign language

Actually, wow. All of my movies had to do with women. Miss Representation was the best. Z thought it ran like a PowerPoint, but I thought it delivered information I was not aware of that was really important. Only dislike is the “doing this for my daughter” the director did. Those bits fell flat and unemotional and I think the film would have been way better without them. Now that we are nearing the end of the year, I am scrambling for films from countries I have not watched yet. First Slovenian film I’ve watched and it was quite good though the content was nothing new.

2013 Week 37: Everybody’s working for the wedding…

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Leigh

Photo of the microwave vegan fudge I made from this Wanna Be Chef recipe. I used almond milk and added Dandies vegan marshmallows and everyone who had one at the Show of Hands meet & greet loved them! BONUS: It only took about 15 minutes to whip up and throw in the freezer. I definitely would not throw in freezer next time, but it was really hot so I figured they needed to stay as cool as possible, but I broke the tip of my chef’s knife trying to cut them. So, if you’re looking for something I really want off our Amazon registry? The 6″ chef’s knife we registered for would be ULTRA handy!

Wedding. Wedding. Wedding. Wedding. Now that it’s nearly a month away, I completely understand why so many go full Bridezilla. It is really hard to put together an entire wedding, you guys. I am again SO thankful for my friends, my endlessly amazing friends!

This week: Second dress fitting @ Mignonette. Bought paint and brushes at JoAnn’s for painting placecard holders. Applied for Handmade Arcade! A Show of Hands Meet & Greet! Kate got into town and we went to brunch @ TAKITO. Afterwards, LCB, Z and I painted placecard holders and later on that night we packaged our favors. Ate AYCE @ Sushi Para 2. Completed a secret mission. Ate at Dimo’s. Helped Donovan make centerpieces for her wedding next week with Grandma Club. No spin this week. So incredibly busy and there is truly not enough time in the day, but I am still exercising outside of the gym and biking to work a bunch. Muscle gain and weight loss still happening.

Katniss is recovering nicely and her stitches seem to have mostly scabbed over. When I’m sleepy and flip her over, it is still somewhat of a shock to see, but really, she is just as speedy with 3 legs as when she had 4 legs. She is probably tired, as Z and Tilda are, of me singing “CALL ME MAYBE!” Since watching the corgi parody video, I cannot get that song out of my head. It’ll disappear for an hour here or there, but then BAM, it’s back again. Government mind control by way of teen pop stars?

Films watched 37th week of the year:

This is the End
Haywire
Wanderlust
Stories We Tell *
Goodbye, Dragon Inn ** [ Taiwan ]

* documentary
** foreign language

This is the End was my fave this week. I belly laughed a whole bunch and I think that Seth Rogen would just be a really cool guy to hang out with during Armageddon. Did you see that pic of him and Lil’ Bub? COME ON!

2013 Week 36: Renegade Craft Fair Chicago Wrap & Tripod Katniss

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Leigh

Two new cards and a reprint for RCF Chicago

In a flurry of creativity, I made two new cards and reprinted an old favorite for Renegade. I present to you MalÃ¶rt Christmas Card, Chicago Dibs Love Card, and reprint of Meerkat in a Party Hat Birthday Card. Listings will go up on Etsy as soon as I have some free time to take some photos.

Katniss is just fine after her surgery. See a video here. Even with one less leg, she’s still getting around just GREAT. She was already so low to the ground, it seems she barely notices. The only bummer is that the amputation cost Z and I a bit over $800 total. We submitted the paperwork to VPI. Fingers crossed they pay a large chunk of this madness. Some think we are crazy to have pet insurance, but then things like this happen. This is where I warn again that if you are looking at getting a hedgehog, please know that the chance your hedgehog will end up having some form of cancer is EXTREMELY high. Please read the Common Ailments section of Hedgehog Central to see what you are very likely to face if you are considering adopting a hedgehog. Being a three-time hedge-mom, I can still say that I feel they are absolutely still worth it for me, but please think it through.

Also this week: biked to Neighborly and dropped off more Bean Baby onesies. On the way up there, my brakes were making a terrible screeching noise so I dropped my bike at Comrade Cycles for them to realign my wheel and decided to leave it for a complete tuneup. Love, love, love Comrade. Cannot say enough positive things about those dudes.

Renegade Craft Fair was this weekend and it kicked my butt. Lots of amazing old customers and new. My boothmate Jessica (di Palermo Body) and her friend helper Ashley were awesome and we traded, so now I have some Linger soap! Her soap and body goods are even more gorgeous in person. With all the stuff that has happened in the past week, it’s no wonder that my body gave out. I stayed home sick Monday and took two naps. I had to pull myself off the couch to go to my second fitting @ Mignonette, which luckily was a breeze. Stopped at Z and my new obsession Dimo’s and grabbed pizza. Nothing helps body aches like pizza, right?

Films watched 36th week of the year:

Rip! A Remix Manifesto *
Sinister
A Talking Cat!?!
Bamako [ Mali ] **

* documentary
** foreign language

If you are reading this post you likely have nothing better to do, right? Well, let me give you something better to do – fire up your Netflix Instant Queue and watch A Talking Cat!?!. Z and I were almost cry laughing throughout so much of it. I think it may be my runner up for Best Worst Movie of all time.

2013 Week 35: Happy 10-year Chicago-versary to Z & I !

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Leigh

Beware the pig mask.

Drinking Buddies @ Landmark. Cake tasting @ Luscious Layers. Girl dinner gone wild @ Carmen’s (see photo above). Quesadilla la Reyna del Sur during a hail storm, drink @ Violet Hour, Co-worker Devon’s band (Lights Alive) @ Double Door, drink and fried pie @ Handlebar. Spin, Daniel Clowes exhibit @ MCA, pizza @ Dimo’s. Z and my 10-year Chicago-versary midwestern potluck party [Z’s Chicago-versary was August 1st and mine is October 6th].

Wow, looking at the list of everything I did last week – no WONDER I took many naps. So much stuff is happening. Wedding blanks are getting filled in. This week I really need to concentrate on making some new stuff for Renegade and then it’s ALL wedding stuff from then until our wedding October 19th. Whoa my gosh! My boothmate I was matched up with for Renegade is Jessica of di Palermo Body from New York and we’re super excited because we scored a corner booth. Come see us at Booth 174, South side of Division at Hermitage. These things sometimes shift around, but that’s the ballpark of where we will be! Can’t wait to see my awesome customers there – I’ve got some last minute surprises up my sleeve!

There is lots of happy stuff going on, but I should note some sad news. Z took Katniss (our hedgehog) in for our vet follow-up re: mites. The mites are gone, thankfully, but she had started limping and not putting much weight on her back right leg. We feared this was a side effect of the oral ivermectin since it can cause neurological damage. Z talked with Dr. Horton about it at the appointment and she took an x-ray. As it turns out, bone cancer has taken over Katniss’ back right leg and our choices were amputation or chemo. It was a no-brainer for us because there are plenty of very happy tripod animals out there, but it is still very sad to think about our happy Katniss with one less leg. We take her in on Thursday to have her leg amputated. Hedgehogs get many different types of cancer, so for her to have lived to be 3.5 and be absolutely healthy up to this point was great news, after having two hedgehogs with cancer. This comes at the stupidest of times, right before our wedding when we are trying to adhere so closely to our budget. The cost will be somewhere between $500 – $600 and we’re not sure how much VPI (our pet insurance) will cover of it, if anything. Sucky curveball to be thrown. Silver lining: I have an awesome friend Christina who is a fellow hedgemom who will watch Katniss and medicate her twice a day for pain while we go to Alex & Megan’s wedding and then have our own and mini-moon. Hedgemoms are the best moms.

Films watched 35th week of the year:

Drinking Buddies
Waiting for Armageddon *
The World’s End
Maria Full of Grace ** [ Colombia ]

* documentary
** foreign language

I am probably a *tiny* bit biased, being a featured extra in buddy Joe Swanberg’s Drinking Buddies, but I loved it. Z and I have been watching Joe grow up as a filmmaker in the time that we’ve known him and he has really come into his own. Favorite scenes: fight scene & malort scene. Only the REAL Jeppson’s malort, of course!

2013 Week 34: Potter-twee

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Leigh

Rhoda, the famous black pug of Paper Doll

Did some wedding decoration shopping @ Logan Hardware’s new location. Cinchel @ Whistler. Takito with Jen & Stacy. ICNC boat tour @ Navy Pier. Sold @ Bucktown Arts Fest! Post-BAF dinner @ Chicago Diner.

I feel like some of the fine arts crowd at Bucktown Arts Fest literally turned their noises up at my work. I tried it twice, but next year I’ll be going as an attendee and not a craftsperson. Thankfully, I had awesome booth neighbors. Gone to Pot Art Studio made such beautiful ceramics. Jeanne is the potter and her husband Eric does metalwork display stands for her large pieces and made their booth display shelves. Watching them set-up and tear down was an artform in itself. I am thrilled with the two small bowls now in my VERY wee pottery collection. Denise Feltwerker was next to me and we had some great shop/show talks. Somehow we did not melt. It was so hot that my corn plastic card sleeves shrinkwrapped themselves in the sun – that was a first!

Films watched 34th week of the year:

Crying Ladies ** [ Philippines ]
Butterfly *
The In-Laws

* documentary
** foreign language

Even though I feel like I am a hippie at heart, I laughed out loud at some of the interviews in Butterfly. I stand for her cause, but the documentary was poorly edited and sometimes seemed like an SNL spoof. I *loved* Crying Ladies! Hiring women as professional funeral criers was a new concept to me and I loved the storyline. Very sweet little movie that felt always New Zealand-esque in its moments of extreme wackiness and I got to hear some Tagalog in film!

2013 Week 33: Buck(town) up, kiddo!

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Leigh

Me, Steff, & Heidi outside Margie’s Candies

This week: Continuation of ACA tradeshow. Wednesday & Thursday were visits to customers of my dayjob. Z picked me up Thursday night and we went straight from Midway Airport to Dimo’s – whoa my gosh mac & cheese pizza. Friday dinner with Z, Dave & Megan @ Greek Islands. Spin Saturday & The Canyons @ Facets / Trader Joe’s. Sunday I biked to an estate sale and yard sale. Brunch @ Takito with Kimmi. Dinner with Heidi & Steff @ Quesadilla and ice cream @ Margie’s Candies.

Hopefully I’ll be back to blogging regularly on Sunday. Traveling for work threw my schedule out of whack for a bit there. This weekend on Saturday and Sunday from 11am – 7pm, find Rhymes with Twee at Booth 25 at Bucktown Arts Fest! I am excited to be doing this show again!

Films watched 33rd week of the year:

Beauty is Embarrassing *
The Canyons
Touki Bouki [ Senegal ] **

* documentary
** foreign language

Beauty is Embarrassing is one of the best documentaries I’ve watched this year. Wayne White is an AMAZING artist/puppeteer/musician/storyteller and I cannot believe I had not heard of him before. Sure, I LOVED Pee-Wee’s Playhouse when I was a kid, but I never knew anything about the artists behind it. This documentary sat on Z and my Netflix instant queue for months and months and I kept skipping past it because I had watched a lot of “art” documentaries at the time. This eclipses all of them. Wacky, inspirational and worth many watches!

Speechless at how incredibly terrible The Canyons was. Picture The Room without any funny parts and even worse acting and you’ve got it! Mostly, I was offended that the “film” wasted 99 minutes of my life. Z feels even worse than me about it because he kickstarted the gosh darn POS.

I am starting to dig deep looking for countries I’m missing from my different country each week new year’s resolution. Touki Bouki was this week’s pick from Senegal. Young person angst set against a Senegalese background. Good watch, but it lost me a bit at the end when it started getting dream-sequency. You can actually watch the entire film here!

2013 Week 32: Fokken youthful!

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Leigh

Decorations @ Rani & Mark’s wedding

Second fitting @ Mignonette with Kirstie/Dinner @ Northdown. Rani & Mark’s wedding in Detroit on Belle Island. Drove from Detroit to Midway and picked blueberries in Sawyer, MI on the way. Indian food @ Kohinoor Dhaba with Alex/Cocktails at the Majestic Lounge in Del Ray Alexandria. The cocktails are stellar and they have A+ beers on tap. We had an awesome bartender named Sarah who just ruled. ACA tradeshow @ National Harbor.

It was really hard to be home without Shadow there. There was some solace found in my brother Steve’s dog, Little Jerry, who was amazing, but Shadow’s presence was severely noticed. Each day I’d come down the stairs in the morning and remember the brutal truth that she had passed. It’s been two weeks and my parents are still really tender. We’re all really tender.

Films watched 32nd week of the year:

Meet the Fokkens * & ** [ Netherlands ]

* documentary
** foreign language

This was the only time I’ve used one film to meet both of my film requirements. Because we left straight from Detroit and then I was my work trip, I was not able to watch another documentary. There are many weeks I watch multiple documentaries, so I’m still OK. Luckily, Meet the Fokkens was worthy of filling both spots because it was hugely enjoyable. It’s about twins who have been prostitutes for years upon years and decide it might be time to retire. There is some excellent footage of them in their younger days. There are scenes where they are servicing clients and they are LOL-funny. They have such positive attitudes and inside jokes and I just loved this film. Absolute must-watch.