So, I normally try to avoid being to martha stewart ish, craftiness is often associated with her, and I really think that I am cooler, so damn her for having all the staff on her side thinking up things first.

Anyway, I get her Kid's magazine, it is so cute, helps me come up with good ideas to use for programs and this holiday season: gifts. So these are pictures of my button ornaments. it would have been cooler if I were 80 and had a button collection of my own, but I made due with some day camp and purchased buttons. Pipe cleaners really are under-rated you can do so much with them.
It is really hard to pick a favorite. The pictures are pretty cool.

Janet took them for me at the nature center's solstice event, my buttons were up on our lame silent auction. they were a hot item!

So it is the biggest eve of the year. I think that i will just be drinking with my hubby at home. Wow are we lame... no we still are cool we went out last night. Fat city was happening, with orange and blue sprayed all over and Illini fans coming in after the game. Man do they have bad beer there and they got rid of all the good bar food. I ate shitty nachos with iceburg lettuce, jared salsa, gross cheese and not enough jalepenos. At least the shuffle board table was fun and I got to meet the infamous Smoke and Joe, who dominate on Friday nights. Sweet outfits, cigars, and their own finger towels really made for some competitive shuffle board-- I think Smoke, was starting to flare up a bit when Eric took the lead on him. He was hitting the wall at one point when he failed to block his puck, I wanted to assure him that I sucked and wouldn't ruin his game, but there is only so much you can say to a 5'4" man with a finger towel attached to his belt.

Tomorrow is the day of roast pork loin, and our countdown to the honeymoon. As much as it sucked on not going on one in September after the wedding, it is going to be so awesome to go away now. Our friends that just moved to Australia will be meeting us at the airport for 5 fun days there and we have our first few hikes planned for New Zealand. I packed last night- the trial run as I am only allowed 6 tops, 2 pairs of shorts and 2 pairs of pants. I have to take things that I really like and am okay wearing a lot over the course of the trip. It isn't as easy as you might think.

The Wine Stash

I don’t think that I ever gave due props to the most amazing gift that my college roomates, their significant others and Fran gave to Ben and I on our wedding. I just uploaded the rest of the pictures from Connie and Dale and just had to post these for all to see and appreciate.

First off the vessel that it came in. Check this out, not only did it weigh a lot, (just ask my uncle john who moved it into our house) but it was completely hand crafted and designed by Dale, with recycled timbers some of which came from an old(ish) chicken coop (very appropriate for our home). So they brought it all the way to the wedding and then actually used the golf cart to transport it to the art center. Some good shots of this.









Then you can see the double-hinged doors, revealing all the coolest little compartments, which are latched with nails that were bent and also recycled from old wood. there are a lot of hinged on this thing all intricately placed. what a great design.
Then inside each of those, more presents. We were given the best twist on the wine of the month club, the wine from your most favorite people, with hand made cards for each month. See the bottle sticking out. With each is a scroll describing the wine and there is a bottle of red and a bottle of white for each month up until our one year anniversary. The gift that just keeps giving. We have enjoyed some great wine and sampled quite a few that were actually made in Wisconsin... I was suprised how good these were- you know Wi being known for cheese than wine- but hell they go great togehter. So we have really enjoyed the first 3 months. Each time giving us a chance to reminice about the wedding and how perfect it was. Thank you to everyone who made that possible.

Here we are reading the most thoughtful card that went with the gift. I don't know where this idea came from, but I was so honored to recieve something that obviously took so much work I was crying everytime I thought about it. Holy crap do we just have the most amazing people in our lives.

I love everyone today.

I have been working on the coolest presents and am swamped with holidays, but I love these rushes!

Later

Kate

New Zealand

So I just met with Eleanor who is one of the coolest people I know. She brought me a map of New Zealand and a couple of books and I am so so excited to start planning. We really have a lot of work ahead of us, but it is going to be great. Her biggest advice, which is like my motto, was don’t plan too much. Things in this country just flow. I am so excited to meet all the Kiwi’s and hang out. The huts that I was imagining to actually be huts are completely enclosed building with kitchen and all. She recommended some cool towns, great day hikes and all that. I am thrilled. It is so cold here today and the prospect of having summer again in January is awesome!
In other news, we have heat in our house! Ben was able to replace the pipe for the radiator he removed and clean our other radiators, and our house is warmer than ever. We put up a cool new corner shelf in the bedroom and went to menards this morning to pick up the wood stove and chimney. We are going to be grouting tile this evening! The tile is beautiful, we laid it out last night and it just looks so good! This wood stove thing is going to rock! Too bad we will be having second summer in New Zealand and not be at home to use it! No bother, we will use it plenty before we go.
I get to get outside today and do some orienteering with my homeschool group. Damn it is cold. I don’t know if we will last long out there. I may be having them make their own scavenger hunts inside for the other group to follow. I actually think that that is the best idea yet. Thanks blogging for helping me get there!
My day is complete.

28

So my birthday this weekend was swell. I had a fabulous time. Went out in Madison with the gang, had great food at an indonesian restaurant, had fireworks set off in the city for my birthday and was overjoyed with my first experience in a smoke free city. I didn't know it when we arrived but Madison went smoke free in July. Just another reason to love the best city in the nation! It was so rewarding to see the smokers suffering in the shitty weather outside (cold and rainy) and to walk into a beautiful bar and feel like it was the first time being in such a clean bar. The air was fresh and my asthmatic lungs that were overrun with a phlemy cough last week were grateful! Hooray, I know I have family members that smoke, but I am so happy that people are finally thinking that people's right to breath clean air is more important than an individuals right to get their nic fix. It is hard to believe that someone smart is actually making policy! Congratulations to the world.

Today is going well enought although I would like to curse out those godforsaken central illinois winds. My bike ride to work this morning was hell. Just when you think the winds have died down, you round a corner and it is there to greet you. Not to mention this freaky weather that we are having. not that I am complaining but I dress warmer than need be and sweat, yet if I remove, the wind gets me. I will take perfect fall temp (minus wind) anyday of the year. Plus it make's ben's days working out in the fields harvesting much more enjoyable for him and therefore for me!!

Interesting things of note:


Been working hard on getting wedding pictures in albums. I have been making my own albums that are incredibly funky and have made me proud, who knew that quilting batting, funky fabric, cardboard, ribbon and page refills from Michaels could work together so well. I am a little bit scared of becomming a scrapbooking obsessive, but as a control freak I just can't help doing everythign myself. No one had albums that I liked, unless I wanted to spend a hundred bucks, and as a farmer's wife, environmental educator that just isn't happening!

On a wierder note, I was checking up on ms. natalie's blog and hit the next botton and was directed to this girl's blog who I think is me only with a better fashion sense and more metropolitan. She is my idol, I love her. She got married the same day as me and just has so many similarities. I love this whole blogging thing! Although I do feel a little like an obsessive. I guess that describes me though.

I also woke up with some wierd hive bumps on my arms this morning, in case you were wondering!

I am off to another frickin BIOBLITZ meeting. this is truly the event that will never end.

Wedding Bliss

I am thrilled that we have almost all of our pictures together. This exit from the ceremony was snapped by Ben's uncle Ben. It is one of my favorites, because you get a sense of the whole event. I am going to post more pictures on the wedding website. It will take some time though because the computer here is just too slow!

I will have to wait until I am elsewhere. Just thought I would share with the few people who check this site.

Kate

Mrs. Lubchansky

So I have had some time to reflect, attempt to catch up on all the sleep that I missed out on this past summer and understand this new feeling of making a home with Ben. Yes we have lived together, pretty much since we met and shared a motel strip, him right next door to me, with our shared kitchen, living space and of course our desk (with a line of tape to divide it so my stuff wouldn’t intrude on his.
Nothing prepared me for this… the feeling that we are indeed one, that our lives are completely entwined and that we have promised ourselves to one another until the end of time. We didn’t include "til death do us part" in our ceremony, because we want to travel together beyond the plane of this existence. It is an amazing journey and it is different when you are married despite living together… so pooh on all those people out there who say, "If you live together before marriage, then marriage won’t be a big deal" I have to say I think that those people just didn’t understand what marriage was or is.
Onto the name thing though. I have been hesitant to go by Kate Lubchansky… it is just so weird. It makes me feel like I am abandoning my family, like they will no longer see me as one of them. I am the only one from our immediate family that is supposed to abandon the last name… I have a really, cool and great family and don’t want to not be a part of it. It is like they are kicking me out, and what kinda sucks more (not that I am not happy about the addition) is that there is a new girl Zomboracz coming in right behind me! I did receive the marriage license official copies in the mail yesterday, so we filled out the forms right! Good work Tanya! I can go and change my name at any time, well when I am not working, so I am going to do it legally but may refer to myself with my new first and middle name… so for the time being I am still going by Kate Zomboracz, it is just weird still to do otherwise.

Reclaiming our Crafts

So, many of you have heard of this womans weekend that I am planning. Initially it started out as a plot (an evil one) to get my old college roomates to actually drag their asses down to Urbana before I leave this place. The majority of them missed my kick ass home in New Jersey and I thought I needed someway to actually get them down here to Illinois and seeing as it is closer than across the country it is actually feasable for them to make it. Anyway... as my obsessive compulsiveness kicks in, I needed to organize, I didn't want to make a big deal for everyone to travel down here and then not have anything to do. So I have planned a weekend for women to get in touch with thier feminine side.

Alright, not really -- the Mary Kay party isn't necessarily my form of feminism, but knitting, quilting and craftiness is. I read, perhaps in the stitch and bitch book something that really stuck with me. During the feminist movement, woman rejected the familiar to find equality... we know this side... but now as women, the crafts and trades that were perfomed by women are being lost and in this next wave of feminism there are now those of us who are looking to preserve those arts. I don't care if a machine or for that matter a child in India can make clothing faster than me, the fact that I can knit, crochet and sew all matter. I am a self supporting woman and ready to reclaim more of our female crafts...
Back to the point, my woman's weekend has turned into an event, full with a fun brochure and all: Reclaiming Our Crafts. I have created some workshops, which aren't really old school crafts (that will be next year) but more, utilizing the talented woman around me. Look for the brochure in the mail soon. I am still waiting for a couple confirmations, but hopefully all is a go. Next year I think I will do this again on the farm, quilting, knitting and some surprise with be featured... so be prepared for Reclaiming Our Crafts 2006.

Hope you are excited!
Kate

Workshopping

So here I sit, not at my home, but at my uncle's because I am "traveling" kind of on a business trip. This is as about as professional sounding that my job will ever sound... well perhaps second to the exciting and prestigious business card. I have been attending a workshop on this very cool prairie curriculum. The women working on it are fabulous and while I don't really know if I am learning anything new, as we are their test dummies, it is fun to be with a bunch of creative EE'ers, (for those not in the know that would be Environmental Educaters...duh). So anyway it is refreshing to be in the world beyond mine, to know that there are creative people out there attempting to do inivative things. It is just nice. For those out there who have an obsession with developing programs and curriculum this is of very high caliber. I am continually impressed with the more I learn of it and hope that I am able in my life to offer such an amazing thing to EE. I will integrate EE and agriculture and successful help people connect with their food... it will happen!

Wow, I sound a little cultish. I need to blog more.

I think that I will publish this and do another.

Kate

Crazy Quilters

So, the stitch and bitch group has been emerged in quilting projects. It all started out innocently enough… the sweet Rachel Peinhart Dawsey made an amazing baby quilt for her friend and since Francine is prego we thought it would be great to make a baby quilt for Joules (her unborn daughter). Well if you are cutting just one quilt you might as well cut a bazillion. I am an obsessive crafting person and when I get things in my head, they just don’t leave, I dream up patterns, visits to the fabric store… it goes on. For those of you who don’t know, Ben told me when I started knitting baby things that once I had 3 years worth of clothing made for our children we would start having kids. So I figured I would make a quilt for my first child… it went quickly I soon found the most efficient way to sew squares and voila it was pieced. I found the double bed quilt I had cut 3 years ago and voila it was pieced! It continues
I currently have 2 quilts ready for hand quilting another almost completely pieced and yet another ready for cutting. When will it stop… I do not know. Soon I will have my garden to occupy my time, but till then- Quilting it will be.
Everything else is going great!