Happy New Year to you!!

And... so ends my third day in Pennsylvania.

What an adventure I've had so far!

We arrived late on Sunday night to our temporary apartment. Practically immediately, I managed to get my car stuck in 18" of snow. It stayed there, stranded, for about 48 hours!

For whatever reason, the heat didn't work in the apartment so we slept in layers and under layers with  beanies to cover our heads for warmth. It felt a bit like camping indoors...

We had a few snafus with the moving truck, ice, and huge snow drifts... but eventually, they were able to deliver our belongings to the new house.

Then, today, I managed to fall flat on my back in front of my new colleagues after slipping on some ice. I'm nursing a swollen arm as I write this.

Geez. Have I paid my dues yet?

Upon returning to my office, I had a little package with a note awaiting.

The note read... "This gift was handcrafted for you by my husband. It serves to both welcome you and remind you that springtime will come."

And inside...

It was really hard not to cry. I was so touched and this heartwarming, handmade gift could not have come at a better time.

What a blessing!

I was also greeted by this rockin' banner that our student team made for me.

Despite the challenges that the last few days have presented, I'm feeling pretty lucky!

My oldest son started chattering about making a teddy bear a few weeks ago. I'm not sure what inspired him, but he was insistent on making one!

How could I say no?

We used Simplicity 9524 for the pattern.

So, I found a few small pieces of fabric that I thought he might like and he set to work. He cut. I sewed. He stuffed. I sewed.

He's pretty darn cute - even without a nose and eyes - so we might leave him this way. What do you think? Should I add them or leave it as is?

Sound check... testing... 3, 2, 1...

Is anyone still listening?

Whew! What a time I've had!

Allow me to briefly fill you in on the last several weeks.

I... accepted job in Pennsylvania... gave two months notice at work... put house on the market... sold house in THREE weeks... took a quick vacation to Disney World...

...hopped a plane to PA... negotiated contract on purchase of house (more on that in another post!)... finished graduate school... spent every possible moment finishing work projects in hopes to leave everything in great shape for my replacement (who happens to be one of my BEST friends!)... packing... packing... packing...

And somehow fitting in Christmas shopping and wrapping in between all of that.

I wish that I could say this was a handmade Christmas, but it's not. You know how I love a handmade gift!

However... my friend, Kellie, and I collaborated to make something special for a mutual friend... who happens to be a hero to both of us.

Chris exudes light and positive energy. He's quick witted, hilarious, and insanely intelligent. He knows more about pop culture than anyone I know.

He's an amazing baker and always makes it a point to whip up something special for his friends to celebrate their special occasions.

So, we wanted to honor him this Christmas with something from our hearts - a superhero apron!

We teased him with Facebook & Instagram photos for several days while, but I'm pretty sure he had no idea what we were doing.

I couldn't find a man's apron pattern so we altered a simple pattern from Simplicity.

At Kellie's brilliant suggestion, I used mixing bowls as a template for the rings of the shield.

Genius!

We were so proud to give it to Chris!

And, he seems like the kind of guy who appreciates something handmade from the heart.

I know that I say it often, but I praise God every day for the special heroes he has blessed me with in life.

Hope you are all doing great! I have truly missed you so much!

Boy, my life has been taken over by "grown up" decision-making these days.

First the major news... I'm moving! If you've followed my blog over the past year, you know that we completed construction of our current home last summer. The idea of a move may seem crazy.

Well, I've never been adverse to change and I've never been one to form attachments to material things – like my house. A great opportunity has come my way to move to Pennsylvania and my husband and I have decided to pursue this new adventure.

I'll still be working in marketing and communication in higher education - joining an amazing team at one of our nation's oldest universities. I'm super psyched!

But Pennsylvania?! I've never lived outside of the south and I don't know how to prepare for the snow! I've been sending out SOS signals to friends... asking for advice... please feel free to share, too!

Also... I'm in the final month of my graduate program! Yay! It's been an overpacked year and a half, but the end is finally here!!

All that I lack is a final paper–which I am having TREMENDOUS difficulty completing.

I'd rather be here. Hanging out with all of you amazing friends. Talking about life and crafting and bad hair color...

Alas... I realize that I cannot get this massive paper completed if I don't pack away a few distractions.

So, I'm going to hibernate for the next month, but I'll be back! And, I hope that you'll take the journey with me to Pennsylvania. A new house means a new onslaught of projects!!

I'll see you very soon!

Repeat after me.

"I will never make a yoga bag out of oilcloth."

Trust me. It's for your own sanity and the health of your sewing machine.

Having said that, look at how cute this turned out!

My friend, Kellie, and I have joined a yoga class that meets during the work day. Neither of us has ever participated before so everything was new to us! We didn't want to invest in our own mats until we knew we were going to commit.

Well... we committed, bought our own mats, and now we feel like proper yogis. That is... until we fall down during practice, start giggling uncontrollably, or go on strike during the moves that are waaayyyyy too advanced for our novice status.

I'm sure we're the instructor's worst nightmare...

We were due for a sewing date so we decided to make the Nigella Yoga Bag, a free pattern designed by Amy Butler.

We had a lot of fun digging through my fabric stash. I settled on oilcloth for the exterior of my bag, paired with a cherry print cotton for the lining.

Kellie found some a cute decorator-weight fabric and elected to use the same for the inside and out.

We didn't deviate from the pattern so I won't provide you with a step-by-step, but I will tell you what I would have done differently.

1. No oilcloth! The pattern requires you to turn the bag right side out, inside out, and right side out again. In addition, there are steps that require you to sew through several layers of fabric. The oilcloth made these steps much more difficult. The round bottom nearly broke me - but I persevered!

2. Pocket depth. I'm not sure what you can really put in these pockets. They are too tight for flips-flops and too deep for a cell phone a keys. If I was to make this bag again, I'd build in more give to the pockets and make them shorter.

Otherwise, this is a great bag and simple to construct... And a huge "Thank you!!" to Amy Butler Designs for providing this free pattern.

Now, Kellie and I can focus on becoming the serious yogis that we're meant to be.

**giggle**

Namaste.