The sun came back, but we still have quite a few weird smells and standing water. Algae and moss are growing in every pool, even in the streets.

As the daughter of a football coach and Nebraska native, I tend to take football a little too seriously. I cried last year when Tom Osborne and the 1994 National Championship team ran into the stadium. Listening to the audio broadcast of the games was a tradition while working out on the farm. Through my last 6 years at Rising City, someone always had a radio on the bus to Saturday marching band competitions or volleyball tournaments.

Yesterday after listening to the Nebraska/San Jose St. game, I received a mysterious package in the mail.

My dad sent me three ears of seed corn for decoration. They used to bring me ears with the husks tied in a bow to hang on my door, even when I lived in the UNL dorms. One year I even gifted the ears to Tori Amos, but as they say in Conan the Barbarian, “that is another story.”

I tied up the husks with a piece of yarn. I’m not sure where to put it as my husband has a warm/cold relationship with the corn.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Finally, I’ve got a problem with my sugar snap peas. We’re having some cooler weather, which should be great for them. The bottom old-growth part of the plants are yellowing.

The internet says to make sure to fertilize, which I did last week, but they’re still yellowing. Any ideas? Obviously they’ve had extra water this week, and less sun. Fertilize more than once every two weeks?

Here it is in its shiny glory. haha. PIPING detail!

Stitched closed the pillow last night. Final shots going up as soon as Sara sees the results. Hope the last picture with all of those greens didn’t get everyone too excited. The brown/green brocade fabric was a little to busy to add too much. Until then, another teaser:

click through to enlarge!

Next picture: crocheted ribbon edging w/picot to hold the rings! Showed it to Tyrone, and he is very strongly against asymmetry. Had to figure out a way to keep the lace I had worked on for an hour, yet “balance” the piece a little more.

Got some stitching done this weekend. Here is a little update:

I need to clean my lens. Looks like it got a little dirty at the Nebraska game this weekend.

Time for something exiciting! A friend of mine, Sara, is getting married in a month!

She approached me to help craft the Ring Bearer pillow for the wedding. I was very exited by the challenge. The colors for the wedding are green apple and coffee bean brown.

On Thursday, Sara dropped off the materials she favored:

We both dig the brocade fabric. Thinking about doing a 12-14 inch pillow with piping in the dark brown. Possibly embellishing the flowers with crewel or embroidery. I’m going to ruminate on it for a few days and see what comes to me. One of the coolest parts about this whole challenge is that I’ll be using the sewing machine that our mutual friend Sarah got Tyrone and I for a wedding gift (hahah). So in a way, the gift is also a gift for Sara’s wedding.

This challenge makes me want to have “odyssey of the mind” craft challenge with my girlfriends one night:
“you have two toilet paper rolls, 5 used (but clean) socks, some yarn, and some floral wire…make the coolest lampshade you can.” You get the picture. hahaha.