cats and dogs, living together...

points for the reference. ^

and brace yourselves, it's going to be a long post today.

so here's what's going on at our place right now, in reference to the title of today's rant:

that would be lucy and clarisse, apparently getting along. it seems that if i am present, and we can keep the dog out of the cat food and the cat out of the dog food, we will have peace. it's not so bad, really. they're adapting well. besides, it was easier and cheaper than letting the poor pup stay in a kennel for a week and a half. now, instead of laying around in her crate all day, she can lay around on the couch.

christmas, i think, was a smashing success, although i didn't get a few things done on time. the one person (my loving hubby) was very gracious about it and i turned the other one into a christmas/january birthday present. so i have a little more time, though the damn thing is sucking my life away.

here's a funny story for you though... the 23rd of december, i was sewing away on a practice reusable shopping bag in preparation for making one for my brother, because it had been a long time since i had worked the pattern. well, it turned out pretty well, easy, and fast, and apparently i got a little cocky because this is what i did next:

what you see on the right is a proper pattern piece. the handles are on the sides, and the space is in the middle. what you see on the left is, well, not. the handles are in the middle and the space is on the side. i could've dealt with this mistake, but there was one major flaw.

no matter what, the pattern pieces have to match. which means i either need two of the one on the right (preferable) or two of the one on the left. there ain't no workin' it any other way.

and i didn't have enough fabric.

i never thought i'd say this: wal-mart to the rescue! they had 1 yard left on a bolt on the clearance table. talk about christmas luck!

i didn't get a picture of the finished rams bag - it even has a pocket it can fold itself into, but here are the ones i made for me, at various points in the past.

the veggie one on the right is the first one i made, a looooong time ago, but i cut the fruit one out at the same time. the kitty one was the practice bag and i just finished the leaf one the other night when i was bored out of my mind with this stupid soul-sucking crochet project i'm working on.

and the linings:

i think i'll make one for everyone next year. they cost about $5 each, so i'd still have some money to play around with for everyone, but they're sturdy, quick to make, and environmentally responsible.

i've invented other chores for myself to avoid this crochet project i'm working on, but i think it can't be helped anymore. i must return to it, for 40 minutes at least, at which time i will be eating lunch and preparing to embark for work. whoopdeedo. love you all!