Yarn Storage . . . the saga continues

So we're almost finished painting the bedroom -- just a few touch-ups here and there. And I've been trying to figure out how to dispose of the empty paint cans. But then *BING* (that's what inspiration sounds like, btw) -- am I NOT always complaining about storing yarn?

It can't be too hard to clean them out, right?

a large version of the coffee can wall:

Unfortunately, of all the crafty things in my house, I have no pretty paper. Michaels, here I come.

Also, I overheard my dear husband discussing with his buddy the "random crap in jars" phenomenon. Apparently, all women have their random pretty thing that they insist on decorating with, and that men don't understand until they move in with a women. His buddy's girlfriend has marbles and glass stones in vases and jars (quite literally random crap in jars). Chris thinks that my random crap is yarn! I of course got all in a huff about this, until he explained that it's only because it's physically impossible to utilize all of it at the same time (his definition of random crap). The yarn that is in use at the moment is not crap; the rest is. I guess I can see his logic . . . that doesn't stop me from throwing his Notre Dame/Boy Scout/Red Sox/anywhere he's every been Mugs out the window.

Now that I think of it though . . . a jar might not be a bad idea . . .

The Versatile Blogger Award

So I have at least one reader who thinks I'm awesome!

Thanks Mrs. Kinne from "The Unstoppable Mrs. Kinne" for giving me The Versatile Blogger Award!

The Award Rules

1. Thank the person who gave you this award. (DONE!)
2. Share seven things about yourself. (see below)
3. Pass the award along to 5 bloggers who you've recently discovered and think are awesome (and be sure to let them know).

The Seven Best Things About Mollie

1) I am afraid of deli counters. I have no idea why.

2) I have a pug who is afraid of more things that I am (including deli counters), is the love of my life, and does the BEST supper dance.

3) My favorite part of the human body is the that spot on someone's lower back with the dimples.

4) I'm hoping to be knocked up within few months (if not at this moment). On a related note, I very much enjoy the term "knocked up" when it refers to a grown women. I also intend to use the term "in trouble" (as in, "Three months later I'm a gal in trouble", a la Cher.)

5) My favorite TV show is, and will always be, "Friends." I know every line of every episode. I enjoy having analytical conversations about which season was best and Matthew Perry's weight.

6) If I start eating Salsa Con Queso or Swiss Cake Rolls, I cannot stop. Literally. I will eat it until I get sick. Deep down I think that perhaps this will be the last time I ever eat it, therefore I need to savor every last ounce, just in case. Oh, and also Almond Joy minis.

7) I have read the entire Harry Potter series at least 10 times. My favorite is #5, The Order of the Phoenix.

My 5 Favorite Blogs

1) The Craftzine Blog: They are just so crafty. Plus they have super cute Star Wars crafts, which I often forward on to Mrs. Kinne.

2) The Unnecesarean: A patient-advocacy Web site that pulls back the curtain on the practice of unnecessary cesarean surgery.

3) Public Health Doula: My friend from college is a Doula, recent master's of public health graduate, lactation consultant-in-training, and feminist. She is super-smart. She reflects on her studies, other people's studies, posts news, tells stories, and invites discussion on reproductive health from birth control to birth to bra fitting.

4) Richard Lawson's Real Housewives Recaps: Ok, this may not be a ground-breaking blog (or even a blog, really), but it is one of my favorite things to read. Richard makes you look at Real Housewives in a whole new light. I laugh out loud every time.

5) Birth Sense: Also called "The Midwife Next Door". A lot about normal birth and avoiding interventions. A while back she did a great series about "What NOT to expect when you're expecting", basically debunking a bunch of stuff in the What to Expect books.

Wow, that post took a surprisingly long time. I probably should have been working. oh well.

How to forget you're on an airplane

So I hate flying. Like with a passion.

My favorite line from Titanic is:

"But this ship can't sink!"

"She is made of iron, sir. I assure you, she can."

That is what I think about every time I fly.

"But the plane can't crash!"

"It is a steal tube 30,000 feet in the air. I assure you, it can."

It probably doesn't help that I could see the Sully plane floating down the Hudson River from my office window. I'm not sure what I would have done had I actually seen it crash.

Anyway, back to knitting. So I flew to and from Minnesota this past weekend, and the only thing that kept me from escaping via an inflatable slide was my latest project.

Veronik Avery's "Lace Ribbon Scarf".

I had bookmarked this pattern ages ago, and was recently "raveling" those bookmarks and came across it. The lace pattern is tricky but very repetitive, so once I did a few rows I was able to remember it and take the project "on the road". This will be this year's "Red Scarf", for the Orphan Foundation of America. I'm actually going to host a party for all my knitter friends to encourage them to start and/or finish their Red Scarves.

Painting Craftiness

So, it's not knitting, but I think it's pretty artistic.

I've wanted to paint walls for years. When I was a kid, we were re-doing my room and I really wanted to paint. But the wall-paper that was there was so old, and when we stripped it off, it was chopping and gross, and we couldn't paint.

After college I lived in a great apartment, but the landlord said we couldn't paint. Of course, my old roommate still lives there and wore him down -- the walls are now red! ha ha!

When C and I got married, we moved to Manhattan and rented our "post-grad chique", almost-one-bedroom. It had this amazing molding, and all I wanted to do was PAINT IT!!! ARG!!!

Last month we moved into our new, "financially-stable", adult, two-bedroom co-op. And my first order of business -- PAINT!!!!

We started with the master bedroom. I said I wanted "Anne Bolyn's boudoir with fewer beheadings."

Before:

Preparation:

Coat #1:

Coat #2:

We may do one more coat in the middle of the walls (not the edges, which are dark enough), because a few spots are too light.

We tackle the trim this weekend.