Lisa: try to catch me ridin' dirty

I think I'm going to sell my mountain bike and buy a cruiser. With a basket and a bell. I'm not really the daredevil off-roading steep-hill-loving uneven-terrain type, you know?

Anybody want a practically new Diamondback Traverse?

Lisa: and stay away from my frozen burritos

In case you didn't already see it on mimi smartypants, Passive Agressive Notes has compiled a collection of real notes that is awesome in both size and content. I think my favorite is still the note from Sarah my parents found after a night out:

Dear Mom,

Sarah

If you aren't as creative as Sarah, and are stuck not knowing exactly the right words to skewer your nemesis, try these cards from Glarkware.

Lisa: You will NOT be assimilated. Sorry.

Can I just say that I hate (HATE) those little bluetooth ear-clip phone thingies? There is no faster ticket to Tooldom. If you wear one while you drive to avoid accidents, fine. If you work in a call center and your company has those instead of wired headsets, fine. Wear it at work. No one (NO ONE) needs to wear one all the time. If you must wear one while tooling around your own home, so be it--but for the sake of all that is good and holy, take it off when you venture into the public realm.

Lisa: ouch.

If they wanted a birds-eye-view diagram, they should have been more specific.

Thank you, Marci, for rescuing us. Sarah REALLY had to pee by the time you got there. Thank you, Blake, for taking care of all the insurance phone calls. Thank you, other driver, for being nice to the pregnant lady who couldn't stop crying.

Lisa: I saw the sign

I finally finished my dad's Christmas present--just in the nick of time for Jeff's farewell party Memorial Day weekend. It's a sign that will hang outside the big stone barn on my parents' property in Spring City. My dad had the shape cut out of wood, painted it with chalkboard paint, and screwed in some hangy-hooks. My job was just to paint the lettering on each side.

This side is for when there are special events in the barn--they can write in the name of the event with chalk.

This side is the side facing the street most of the time--when there's not a special event going on.

I used stencils and a special weatherproof paint. As always with a new craft project, the most time-consuming part was going to different craft stores to track down the supplies. I found Patio Paint on the JoAnn's website, but not in the store itself. Roberts had Patio Paint, but not the stencils I wanted. I went to Michael's last, and they had by far the best selection of stencils and stenciling supplies. NOW YOU KNOW.

Lisa: Why don't you give me a nice papercut and pour lemon juice on it?

The preliminary estimate for the damage on my car is $4500, so it might be considered totaled. Oh, and the other driver is claiming that his car isn't safe to drive. Awesome.

Sarah: 10 Reasons to Live Alone

1. I clean what I want, when I want. And I'm not cleaning up someone else's piles of rubble or dirty dishes.
2. My 5 alarms every morning don't disturb anyone else.
3. Falling asleep on the couch can be my little secret. If I ever fell asleep on the couch. Which I don't.
4. I never wonder if those tortillas or that head of lettuce in the fridge is mine.
5. No giant dolphin posters on the walls or resin figurines on the shelves.
6. Long showers until the hot water runs out.
7. No passive-aggressive notes from roommates.
8. My apartment is the perfect size for one person.
9. Friends can drop by whenever they need to.
10. Saturday mornings, hoodie and underwear. Enough said.

There are many more reasons why I love my life these days, but my little apartment is near the top of the list.

Sarah: My Personal DNA

How About Orange gets me hooked on quizzes. Today it was PersonalDNA, which has an interesting take on a personality test. Apparently I am:

You can read more about me here if you are interested.

Try it for yourself. It's a fun way to spend 10 minutes.

Lisa: upping our Google count for "knobs"

I've been working on painting our hand-me-down crib and dresser white to match the new side table for the baby's room, and I wanted to get some knobs for the drawers that would tie everything together. I decided on some cut glass knobs from Anthropologie, and while I was there I couldn't resist these letter hooks.

I am afraid buying decorative knobs might be addicting. Now I want to replace all the drawer pulls and doorknobs in our house.

Lisa: state of the nation

I kind of can't believe how much bigger my belly has gotten in the last three months. (for comparison purposes)

Sarah: Don't call me listless.

Wishing:
That my living room was five feet wider
That the spiders would stay away
There were more hours in the day for me and my cruiser.

Wanting:
an Airstream trailer
a Vespa. Still.

Making:
a fabric-covered bulletin board (pictures to follow)
baby gifts
wood cuts for our letterpress class
thumbtacks. I may be selling a set or two soon.

Eating:
field greens
nine-grain bread
Mt. Rainier cherries
Pastries and sandwiches

Wandering:
the Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings
the Arts Festival with the girls on Friday.

Coveting:
Andrea's good taste
Lisa's knobs
wall decals

Liking:
my brothers. I miss them.

Working:
on my company's annual event. It's in three weeks and I'm freaking out a little.
fighting the good fight against apartment squalor.

Sarah: MDFriday night craft

Using some MDF leftover from another project, I decided to create a fabric covered bulletin board inspired by these homasote and fabric bulletin boards (found by way of Not Martha, Craftzine, and shiso mama).

I first used spray adhesive to add corkboard to the MDF. Although MDF is soft enough for a tack to penetrate the surface, I didn't want the bulletin board to be stronger than my matching fabric-covered tacks.
Corkboard attached, I was ready for fabric. I wanted my bulletin board to have a pocket, so the bottom strip of green is the top of the pocket. See?

Attaching the fabric was an easy excuse for buying a staple gun. Just staple the fabric to the back of the board, and you're done.

The little circles on the bulletin are my matching fabric covered tacks, which I made using this tutorial. They were easy and fun to make.
Thank you, internet.

Sarah: Bargain Bras

It's not my fault. Everything was on sale.

Sarah: Well-shod

The importance of summer footwear should not go unnoticed.
This weekend, I honored the summer shoe. And by honored I mean purchased.
On my feet for the next three months:
one
two
three
four (silly site is hard to search)
shoes to keep my feet happy this summer. Look ma, no flip-flops!

Sarah: Eavesdropping

I hope I am never the person who, after being introduced for the first time to a new aquaintance, does not follow the introduction with "Oh, was your ancestor one of Brigham Young's bodyguards?"