What I did on the Fourth of July.

Sort of sounds like those essays you have to write after summer vacation is over.

Anyhoo, we had a busy Fourth. My uncle Kenny threw a graduation party for my cousin Lauren, who just finished high school.


Uncle Kenny and Piper

Mom was feeling well enough to go and cuddle with my cousin's newborn baby, Jewlian. Don't ask me about the spelling of his name. I don't understand it either.


Wonder who made that blanket? Heehee


Mini me and I.

We left in the middle of the party, hoping to make the fireworks show at the Hudson River. On the way there, we noticed the Empire State Building was decked out in red, white, and blue.

Because of the graduation party, we got to the fireworks later than we had hoped and weren't able to get a good spot. We were able to see some of the fireworks from an avenue (and a tree) away. That's about the best shot we got. Oh well, we tried!

Hope you all had a great Fourth of July!

Jo Jo the Giraffe

Jo Jo is the latest stuffie to fly off the hook. Jo Jo is a pattern by Andrea at Knits and Knots. Isn't he adorable? I love the way he turned out!



I'm generally wary of intarsia, but the chart was super clear and very easy to follow. The way the mane is worked is really clever too. I think Jo Jo will be a project I make on a fairly regular basis for baby showers from now on.

Jo Jo has a matching blanket too that is really cute.

I might be posting sporadically over the next few weeks, because we have 5 parties in 4 weeks and Pi's day camp starts next week. It already seems like the summer is going to fly by. I'll try to be as regular as possible, though.

Tuesday's Tribue

Tuesday's Tribute is to one of my favorite things ever: Epic Fail.I squealed with girly delight when Hubby noticed this.


Even if the double L is supposed to be a play on words, its plain stupid.Misspelling words on purpose: Epic Fail!

Deal or No Deal Casting Call

Anonymous Hubby and I heard that Deal or No Deal was going to be hosting a casting call for their new daily show in CT. Pi already had plans to spend today with my sister, so we decided to go on a whim.

It was held at a car dealership in East Hanover, NJ. Thank goodness it was done in a place with as much space as this, because the amount of people that showed up was crazy...easily a few thousand. It would have been mayhem on a NYC street.



Anonymous Hubby staying anonymous.



We arrived right before 8am and there were about 600 people in front of us. It was a pretty good spot, considering we hadn't camped overnight like some people did.



This was about the midway point. 95.5 PLJ hosted the casting call and did an awesome job making sure everyone was taken care of. They handed out bottles of water, protein bars, peanut butter bars, and played a ton of music.



This picture was taken right before we went in to get interviewed. At that point, we'd been on line for 4 and a half hours. Look at all those peeps who are probably still there now.

The Deal or No Deal peeps take groups of 10 inside to meet with a producer who interviews everyone. By interview, I mean you get 30 seconds to describe yourself and make a good impression. At that point, the producer picks the people she likes and those people get sent to a second set of producers for another, longer group interview (like 1-2 minutes).

They were casting for both Season 1 and Season 2. Season 2 is going to be career oriented, so they separated people with specific careers for that season after the 2nd group interviews. Everyone else who made it to the second interviews is considered a possible candidate for the show.

I made it past the first interview (Hubby didn't though) and went on to the second interview. Woot woot! Now I just need to be patient and wait to hear back from them. It can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 4 years (!!!) depending on when/if they want you. I'm hopeful but not getting too excited. There were thousands of other people there, so anything can happen.

It was a really unique experience. I can cross "try out for a game show" off my life goals list. ;) heehee

And we're off!

Hubby and I are leaving to the Garden State for the Deal or No Deal casting call. Yep, we're nuts, I know.

Wish us luck!

Francisca, the Butterfly Girl

This toy is lucky number 13 for the toy drive.

This is Francisca, dressed as a butterfly. She is one of Owlishly's creations, the same lady who made the Sleeping Sarah pattern. The pattern was ROAKed (that's a Random Act of Kindness for anyone not in the know) to me last November and figured the toy drive was a good reason to give her a try.



The detailing on the wings made me feel like when I was a little kid in art class. You look at the teacher's example and try to make it that pretty, but the skill just isn't there. Embroidery is going to have to be my next crafty lesson, lol. Hopefully whatever little kid get Francisca won't wonder about the lack of symmetry in the detailing.



She's a hodgepodge of yarn...black is Caron Pounder, blue and white is RHSS, the brown and tan are unknown. The tan is a ww and the brown seems to be a DK or sport. Those are both over 15 years old with no bands. I wish I knew what the tan was, as its almost finished. Its the perfect shade for skin and I've yet to see anything that even remotely matches it now.

And just a random thought...before adding the wings and the antennae, she looked like a burglar to me. Just one more sign I've lived in this neighborhood too long, haha!

Tuesday's Tribute

Today's Tuesday's Tribute is to one of my co-workers who should keep his questions to himself. Yes, I'm aware I've gained back 8 pounds since the Biggest Loser challenge ended. Yes, I'm aware that I've been too tired, stressed, and generally drained to exercise regularly. Yes, I'm aware that I'm comfort eating more than I should, especially with my recent stress. But dear nosy, curious co-worker... NO, I AM NOT PREGNANT! Good Grief!