6/30/10

Desk


NiftyTable, coming to you from this desk. Yep, that's my set up, and my chair is a wooden folding chair. I got the desk before I got the computer; it is a Target MDF desk with one alteration - I added the pretty knob from Anthropologie. The desk is okay -It's narrow and the perfect length to sit under the window in my bedroom but not get in the way of the bed or the closet. The espresso finish matches the bookcases and dresser, so that's good. One challenge I do have is keeping the computer away from the part of the window that opens. I've been known to forget to close that window, so I don't want to put the computer at too much risk during an afternoon rainshower.

All that being said, I've started to look for a new desk. The bones of this desk are good, but the top is not holding up to the wear. It's wearing down where I use the mouse and there are a couple of bubbled areas where I've left glasses of water. I want a small, solid wood desk that I could refinish. Since I live in an apartment, there are a couple of limiting factors: I'll have to do the sanding and painting on my balcony, so it can't be too big nor can I wait too long (don't think I'll accomplish much outside after about October); whatever work needs to be done should only require sandpaper, a paint brush and maybe a screwdriver because that's all I have; it needs to fit in about the same space as my current desk.

I've begun stalking craigslist, and there have been a couple of promising desks, but like Goldilocks, I'm looking for the one that is just right. After spending a while perusing craigslist last night, I turned my attention to cleaning out my Google Reader. And, that's where I spotted this blog post by decor8. I love all of those desk/chair combinations, especially the second from the top. So, I might up the search and head to Goodwill this weekend in hopes of finding my new desk. I've got a couple additional things to keep in mind, too, after reading this ergonomics guide from the decor8 blog.

6/28/10

Wreck 'em, Tech

Okay, so I had to google that one - sorry Megs and Whit. And, for all the Bears out there, I'm not changing allegiance. Instead, I'm congratulating Whit on her upcoming attendance to Texas Tech. Thank goodness the Texas schools are still together in the Big 12. There are still more years in the family rivalries. This year, Bears face Raiders on October 9 at the Cotton Bowl during the State Fair.


Whitneyposter

I'm not sure that I'll be traveling down for this game. And, Whit, if your stuck up in Lubbock, then you'll still be surrounded by family. Above is the poster that I gave Whit for graduation. I hear her dorm will have a big bulletin board, so she'll have plenty of space to hang this.

Have a great time at Tech!

6/27/10

Malai Nepali khanna man parcha

That means "I like Nepali food". This is a general statement, and generally, I've liked all of the Nepali food that I've tried. I did have some Curry Lamb yesterday that almost negated this general statement, but the rest of the good food at the first annual Madison, WI Bhutanese Picnic more than made up for this one dish.

More than a year ago, my lifegroup at Church decided to host a family of Bhutanese refugees that have lived for almost two decades in a camp in Nepal. More families have come to join our community with the help of other host groups and families. Here is a recent news story of the resettlement activities that involve seven countries around the world.

In addition to celebrating the addition to our community, we also had the chance to celebrate Abraham and Kamala Khan, Christian missionaries from Nepal and the Fishers of Men ministry. This meant more Nepali food and hearing Abraham's message of spreading the word through Bible distribution, street ministries, Christmas and Easter services, and riding his motorcycle from one village to another.

Thank you to everyone who came to hear the message, eat the food, and give to the Fishers of Men ministry and the Bhutanese resettlement.

Now, I'm going to eat my leftover Aloo Gobi. This was probably my favorite dish of the day. When that's done, I think I'm going to have to make my own. I think I'll try this recipe, Easy Indian Aloo Gobi. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Pheri bhetaunla.

6/26/10

Way back in Texas

iPhoneTexas

I've escaped the pull of the black hole! So, I'm circling back around to all of the things that I've wanted to share with you over the past few weeks. Above is a quick photo story of my trip to Texas. I took pictures on my iPhone of many of the things I did over the weekend. Some events aren't fully represented because, well, I was an active participant.

I'm not going to give you a play by play of the photos, but I will tell you that the calf at the far left is named Buddy, that's my aunt and uncle in the mural next to Buddy and the pies in the picture are rhubarb and squash.

This was a nice trip to Texas, covering many of my favorite things. I enjoyed being back down there and seeing family and friends. It definitely recharged my Texas batteries, and seeing these pictures has topped off that charge. I might even wear my cowboy boots to the picnic later today.

Expect more posts over things that I've done in the past two weeks. Then, I guess I'll have to tackle new projects.

6/19/10

Black Hole


No, I haven't been in Texas for the past two weeks. The reason that you haven't seen any new posts is that I've been sucked down a black hole. And, traveling. Last week, my resolve broke and I purchased Sims 3. That is the black hole. While I will argue in favor the game play serving as a creative outlet, I didn't figure any of you folks who read Nifty Table wanted to read about that.

Follow a week of addictive game play with travel, and I find myself with two weeks free of posts or anything to even write about. Well, I do want to share with y'all photos of my Texas trip. And, I'm trying to resist the gravitational pull this weekend so that I can work on some things that I'm excited about. This means a couple of posts over the next few days.

6/4/10

Congratulations class of 2010

Gradboots

I'm down in Texas celebrating my cousin's graduation. Actually, a couple of cousins graduated this year - one from high school and two from college. Congratulations to all of you!

At the left is the graphic I did for the graduation party invitation. It makes me wish I'd've brought my boots along. But, it's hot down here, so I'll stick with shorts and sandals. Plus, the best part about this vacation is traveling with only one carry on and a purse. I'm a compulsive over packer in general, and when I travel for work, I have to take a computer, powercords and all kinds of other tech.

It's been great to see the family and some of my friends down in this neck of the woods. I've even missed the Texas heat!

Well, I'm off for barbecue and margaritas.

6/3/10

Happy Birthday to a dear friend!

Carriegirl_bday

Happy Birthday to a wonderful friend! I hope that your day is extra special.

I have word via text that my friend received her card last week. It went in the mail early because I was concerned it wouldn't get there in time otherwise because of the holiday and, well, the girl on the card was just looking at my begging me to send her to her new home.

For the card, I started with a hand-drawn figure. It took me quite a few tries, and I'm still not sure how I feel about her hands. Then, I scanned the drawing and removed the eraser smudges. I printed the design on cardstock and glued on the fabric triangles.

I'm going to keep working on my figure drawing, and maybe I've come up with a signature card look. Tell me what you think.

6/2/10

Spring pictures

A couple of weeks ago, I got to spend time with a friend from work and his family taking pictures in the arboretum. This friend bid on the photo session in a silent auction at our work anniversary party, and proceeds from this event went to Second Harvest Food Bank. Thank you for supporting the food bank and for letting me take pictures.

Here is one of my favorite pictures.


It took me a couple of nights to go through and edit all of the photos. It's been staying so light up here, and I prefer editing photos when it is dark, so I couldn't get started until about 9 p.m.

I realized that I need to work on taking pictures in bright light. I had several photos that were too dark because of the sunlight. But, I will say that I am thankful for digital when it comes to baby pictures. It seems most babies want to look down, so most of my pictures were of the top of his head.

6/1/10

New Etsy favorite

Do you get the Etsy Finds daily email? (If not, sign up at Etsy) Each email is a gathering of Etsy wares based on some theme. This means that some days I love everything and some days nothing stands out.

On Sunday, something stood out. I visited DazeyChic's shop and came across this beauty, and it's on its way to brighten my home.