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Conflicted about HIMYM

April 2, 2014 by Tsoniki 1 Comment

It’s taken me a couple of days of thinking about HIMYM (and watching old episodes on netflix) before deciding if I like how the series ended. And I’m still not sure.

Barney – I do love that after years of not really loving anyone, he loved his daughter. Sometimes that’s what it takes right! Kids can change people. But he did love Robin. I’m not sure I’d accept a great three years as a great marriage and have that be that. Especially after we watched them all season work toward getting married. If the series kept going, would they have gotten a divorce? I suppose so since the show ultimately ended a certain way…

Robin – why can’t Barney just stand by her, realizing that her career is awesome, and be supportive! He had to have grown up and not be so selfish, right? I like that she had a great career at least.

Lily – what happened to her painting, or her involvement in art anyway? I don’t think it’s that great that her accomplishment in the end is that she had kids. Is that great, yes, but she is more than a Mom. She and Marshall broke up because of her painting! They moved to Italy for her painting! Did she go back to teaching?

Marshall – Supreme Fudge! Kind of cool. But whatever happened to saving the environment?

Ted – Ted. Ted. Ted! What the heck. He’s stood outside Robin’s place many times, but geez. Did we really watch this show for this long to have him and Robin get together? The idea is telling stories to your kids about … how you met their mother. Not how you met your mother, but really you wanted to hook up with Aunt Robin, even after all those years. Bad form.

The Mother – she seemed like Ted’s perfect person. The bass guitar, the two kids, one boy, one girl (okay no one really gets to pick that). Their story seemed like it was a great one. But her dying – that sucks. That had to happen for Ted and Robin to hook up, the Mother was too built up to have them get a divorce. She was perfect.

If the show ended once they met, it would have been awesome.

I read that the actors playing the kids filmed their scenes years ago, since they would of course grow up as time went on. But why not have them film a bunch of different scenarios!

I think I like this alternate ending a lot.

WIP It Now

April 2, 2014 by Tsoniki 2 Comments

I have been sewing an insane amount. Seriously. Well, I was until a few weeks ago. I am in a sewing slump. I haven’t sat and sewn anything in all that time! After four or so months of sewing every single day, a slump had to come at some point right.

Anyway, moving here has changed my day. All three kids are in school (even the just turned four year old – more on French education/schools soon) four days a week, and so I am free to do whatever. Once I got a sewing machine (because I plugged my American one in here and boom, wrecked it), there was no stopping me. I love sewing so this has been a new feeling for me, I am even late on a swap! I feel terrible about that, it’s the first time I’ve ever been late.

Over the weekend I cleaned my sewing room, thinking that cleaning it would motivate me. And it sort of worked! I found what I think is my oldest WIP, here are the strips for half of the blocks –

I started this in I think 2008 or 2009. It was a class at a LQS when we lived in Texas. I love the main fabric for this. I put the finished blocks up on my ‘design wall’ (really a piece of batting stuck to the wall) to remind myself that I loved it. It worked. I am very excited to finish this.

I often download patterns and just save them. It’s like pictures that live in your computer – patterns live in mine. I decided I needed to just print one off and do it. So I printed the Cargo Duffle and forced myself to pick fabric. I love what I picked, but I need to decide if I like the flaps for the pockets. I’m leaning toward yes, but also just leaving them laying there (only since yesterday!) to decide. I cut the fabric and sewed Monday and Tuesday. I need a zipper though, I bought one but it isn’t big enough so I need to go looking again.

And I have so many projects I decided to pick one out that is close to being finished and just finish it. This starquilt (that is actually either a large wall hanging or a large table runner) needs the corners and triangles cut out before the top is finished.

Linking up with WIP Wednesday

After Six Months

March 26, 2014 by Tsoniki Leave a Comment

Flowers in a garden by the castle, early morning last week.

It’s been about six months since we have been in France. So far –

~ we eat a late dinner. Almost every single night! We don’t eat until 7:30 or 8PM. This is relatively normal for families here. There seems to be an emphasis on goÃ»ter – which means a snack – after school (or on the weekends) which holds you until dinner.

~ ride the tram or bus or walk everywhere. We love this. It’s a fifteen minute ride to IKEA, from end to end it’s probably 40-45 minutes, though we have never done that. The only problem with that is IKEA has turned into our version of Target. And we all know how easy it is to jump in the car and go to Target.

~ the kids are all speaking French. While I knew this would happen, it’s still kind of amazing to hear them having conversations with their friends or have them help me when we are out somewhere.

~ we have some friends that have already made their mark. I’ve been called Auntie, someone gave me a recipe that was from their Grandma, we have people we can call in case of an emergency (we haven’t had any, knock on wood, but I am happy to have phone numbers saved in my phone).

I was doing a photo a day on instagram, but admit I lost speed. I am getting back to that, I need to figure out what day I would be on first! Our first six months here included a living in a hotel, figuring out the bus schedule, getting used to a new way of eating, enjoying that everything is closed on Sunday’s, and so much more. Here’s to another six months, which will include more pictures, travel, friends over for dinner, birthday celebrations, and so much more.

3 WIPs for Wednesday

March 19, 2014 by Tsoniki 2 Comments

I have a few things in currently working on, and hoping to finish within the next few days.

First up are the last three of my Toes In The Sand BOM! We got the mail last weekend so I now have all three, plus the rest of the fabric to finish the top. I am all caught up with this one so a top will be finished soon.

I finally quilted the little mug rug/wall hanging I made recently. I just need to finish the binding. It took a second to figure out the hexagon binding, but that went quickly once I got started.

And last, the back for my March Finish Along quilt. This one is proving to be more difficult as I first pieced the leftover cuts, which ended up taking longer than I expected. I suppose it’s not more difficult as it’s just taking some time. This is almost all of my leftover fabric so I need to figure out what else to add to it. And the binding!

I need to finish this one so I can get it quilted and finished by the end of the month! Linking up over at WIP Wednesday.

Sewing Every Day

March 18, 2014 by Tsoniki Leave a Comment

After talking about creating every day, I am going to sew every day. This is going to be easy! I have honestly always wondered how people do it. How do people keep their houses super clean, and their kids all cute, behaved, and organized, and also sew amazing quilts. We have to carve time out for ourselves, we carve time out to create, and to make stuff.

Look at some new (to me!) fabric! We got the mail this weekend (we don’t get our mail very often, it’s a couple of hours away) and I received some fabric I bought on instagram.

I have a rough schedule that I follow every day, because when you have kids you need to schedule! So on days when the kids all have school (four days a week) my schedule is something like this:

9AM – home from taking kids to school, have tea and breakfast (usually I have water and maybe a banana while getting ready for the day, so breakfast is an orange or a croissant, not heavy (just like the French!), with a cup of tea. I am either at the computer afterward or in the sewing room.

12PM – Lunch. Because we have been here for so long, I am used to eating lunch at noon. And I don’t grab and go, I sit at the table, read a book, or play a game on the ipad. I often take at least 45 minutes, the lunch hour is an hour and a half ‘normally.’

4:10PM – Alarm to get ready to leave to get the kids from school. It’s about a ten minute walk and I set an alarm so I can get shoes and a jacket on, check the tram schedule if it’s raining and I can’t walk.

5PM – Home from school, some chaos in the getting home, putting jackets and shoes away, getting homework out, having a snack, and thinking about or starting dinner.

7PM (or 7:30PM – the French eat late. They famously eat late? I don’t know. But after the snack at 5, eating at 7 or 7:30 is normal. Okay even eating at 8PM happens.

See all of that free time in there! I have some plans for sewing and my free time needs to be organized. We are coming off of the winter holiday (that’s a two week break here) so I look forward to making a schedule for me. I’ll be back in a couple of days with a report on how it’s going. I have another six weeks before the kids have their next holiday break, so I am going to think of some deadlines for myself and get stuff done.

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