Business Unfinished

Glasses

2010-05-16T10:56:00.000-06:00

I thought maybe this was just becoming a holiday blog....a place where I pretend it's enough to just post "Happy [holiday]" pictures every month or so. Then yesterday I felt the unfinished business bug again when my mom noticed the large collection of glasses on the dresser in my room. "Is that part of the display?" she asked. Um, no....they're just glasses that get left in here, and there are so many of them sometimes that it's hilarious. It's good and bad that we received about 54 cups as gifts when we got married. Sometimes things get out of hand.

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T08:36:00.000-06:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T11:25:00.002-06:00

Hearts

2010-03-10T22:52:00.001-07:00

They're still up. It's March and they're still up. Valentine's decorations. Siiiiigh.

MAS*H

2010-02-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

Simon brought the TV show M*A*S*H into our marriage. To me, it was just that boring old show that was always on when I wanted to be watching something cooler as a kid. Oh, how wrong I was. We proceeded to slowly collect all 11 seasons (we didn't have cable, so we had a TV-on-DVD bill every month instead). I was pregnant when we watched the episode where Radar leaves, and I sobbed and sobbed. Eleven seasons is a lot of TV, and we tried to spread it out...taking breaks to wait for seasons to be given as birthday gifts.....and to have a baby and deal with that adjustment. Then after about 2 years, we arrived at the last disk of the last season. That was eightish months ago, and we're frozen. We can't bring ourselves to finish the quest, and I wonder if we ever will. There's no guilt for me associated with this unfinished project....just sadness. And if we ever do watch the end, I bet we'll just start right over from the beginning.

Chalk-It

2010-02-16T00:19:00.002-07:00

I bought this strange spray chalk stuff in February 2007 with plans for writing a huge happy birthday message for Simon on the driveway. I forgot. So the next year I planned to use it. I forgot. Next year, same thing. So THIS year, I'm totally going to remember! Hah.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

Etsy Shop Again

2010-02-12T09:58:00.000-07:00

This is business unfinished and finished. A story with a happy ending, hopefully. I opened my Etsy shop, Annilygreen, to sell handmade books. I sold one then it was over. It took me two years to get it going again (this time with pillows...all of which I'm in love with), but I did....for you...and your friends....and anyone you know who needs some throw pillows with silly names.

Sewing Things

2010-02-10T16:23:00.001-07:00

You're probably wondering what a cake pan is doing with my sewing stuff. Me too. I don't know how things get so out of hand and jumbled, but I do know that I'm always avoiding the task of organizing this stuff so it's actually useful and not an eruption. Maybe later.

Backup

2010-02-08T09:15:00.002-07:00

Hey there, little external hard drive...hiding there behind stuff on my desk....begging me to use you to save precious files. I know you've been there since Christmas, I know you're dusty, and I know the laptop is almost completely full and in need of emptying, but I'm still me. So you'll probably have to wait a bit longer.

A Hiatus

2010-01-31T21:27:00.000-07:00

Simon is on a No Procrastinating kick, so you have him to thank for my lack of posts. I had all sorts of stuff lined up to write about the last couple weeks--hoards of things to take out to the storage room, yet another box of Christmas stuff that's still sitting around, more and more dishes, and of course there were all the piles...so many piles...always with the piles! But he had to go and take care of just about everything or motivate me to do it. So....yeah...lots of finishing going on 'round these parts. Not a lot of unfinishing. I can't really say I'm too sorry about it since I'm sure I'll have a steady stream of blog fodder soon enough.

What are you finishing these days?

Barbie House

2010-01-13T00:52:00.001-07:00

My grandpa was the bomb dot com. I can apply that modern and totally still trendy title retroactively because of this incredible Barbie house he built for me and my sister when I was 5ish. That's right....my Barbie house had molding and shingles. What, yours was pink and cardboard and plastic? Sorry.

My plan is to update and repaint and make fabulous this relic of my childhood, and I've done lots of staring at it and a little contact paper removing, but really the only thing that's changed so far is that the balcony has become even more of a storage area. Shame on me.

Stuff for Storage

2010-01-08T10:05:00.000-07:00

Is there a limit to how long I'm allowed to have my Christmas decorations packed away and stashed in the corner, waiting (along with a chair with no place to go and an old car seat) to be taken out to the storage room? I give myself till the end of January. My mom left our tree up that long once because she loved it so much. "Mom," we whined. "Tomorrow is February! This is embarrassing!"

I guess those are the words I have to eat because this pile is also embarrassing.

Laundry

2010-01-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

How does it get out of hand so quickly? My sister-in-law who is living in China said the people there wear one outfit all week, and they are shocked when her family wears different clothes every day because of how much laundry she must have to do. So I think I might adopt the Chinese solution to not wanting to start a load of wash. It's not a hamper...it's a closet!

Sewing Machine

2010-01-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

I am not brave, it seems. I got a sewing machine from my in-laws for Christmas--an incredibly generous gift--but I can't bring myself to use it...or even sign up for the class to teach me how to use it. Remember how I broke my old machine over and over? What if that happens again?! Maybe I'll just keep looking at it, reading the manual, and dreaming up projects to not finish. Help!

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T09:04:00.001-07:00

Maybe THIS year I'll eat better, read more, be more organized, and be all those things I've always wanted to be. What are your resolutions?

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T15:17:00.005-07:00

I hope no one had any problems finishing all their unwrapping today.

The License Plate Game

2009-12-16T09:21:00.004-07:00

We started this list in July (on the inside page ad of the phone book in our car) after we realized the giant road trip we'd planned was an impossibility. Luckily we live in a college town with lots of out-of-state cars. Is it cheating if you find most of them in campus parking lots? It's been a while since we've gotten any new ones, and we're still waiting to run into cars from Mississippi, West Virginia, and Rhode Island. I give us until next July.

Baby!

2009-12-11T09:58:00.001-07:00

I'm way behind on the task of nibbling the cheeks of my newest niece, Sarah. And she has plenty of chub to be squished.

Etsy Shop

2009-12-07T13:11:00.002-07:00

I make a lot of throw pillows because it's something basic that I can sew, and it's a good use for all the fabric I collected before I knew how to use a sewing machine. I figured they'd be a good way to breathe life into my dormant Etsy shop (one whole sale!), but of course they've just been sitting in a pile for months--unphotographed, unposted, and unsold.

If only there were a single person in my family who liked the same things I like...then I'd be set for presents this year.

Just Kidding

2009-12-05T09:53:00.003-07:00

We're holding out to use our tickets for this:

And now, back to our regularly scheduled procrastinating...

The Results

2009-12-03T08:35:00.003-07:00

Well, it's unanimous. And by that I mean that Simon and I agree on what movie we should use our tickets to see. Leah, you win...the random.org in my brain has selected The Blind Side. I promise that The Fantastic Mr. Fox is on the list, but I just have such a thing for sports movies. Leah, your prize is that you get to babysit for us while we go to the movie! And thanks to everyone for the suggestions.

Book

2009-12-01T09:45:00.002-07:00

Each lady at church was supposed to read this book in a day or two then pass it on to the next person on the list until everyone had read it. What if I'm interpreting that instruction as more like a WEEK or two?

Not My Stuff

2009-11-27T00:24:00.003-07:00

This is unfinished business within unfinished business. I've been meaning to post about this since I started my blog. See, this book and these tapes aren't mine. They belong to a teacher I had at BYU, but I just kept forgetting to return them. So when the semester ended, I did what any normal unfinisher would do: I proceeded to hold on to them for 3 years. Now that this professor is retired and off campus, tracking him down will be a job in itself....a job that will probably be on the list until I have a personal assistant.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T10:15:00.002-07:00

It's an unfinisher's paradise...leftovers!

More Registration

2009-11-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker. It was only $13 to buy the protection plan for my stroller (including free replacement!), and it seemed worth it. But they don't tell you that just paying them isn't enough; you have to go home and register your stroller. That means remembering to actually call and remembering to actually keep the receipt long enough for it to last through an Annie-sized round of to-do piles. It didn't. I bought this stroller and the plan forever ago, and I've never registered it. Corporate America is smart. And now they have my $13 but owe me nothing. Fail.

Registration

2009-11-23T09:03:00.001-07:00

Somehow it became Not October, and we've yet to get our car inspected and registered.

Free Movie Tickets

2009-11-18T09:54:00.003-07:00

When a condo company offers free movie vouchers for coming to see their model condo, do they know they're asking for it? Did they really think we were interested in buying anything at all? When we said, "Oh, what a great club house! And so many options for counter tops!" did they feel hopeful? If so....silly condo company. That said, it's been about two years since we got these vouchers (which luckily don't expire), and we still haven't used them. There's just so much pressure to use them on THE movie...the best one. And how can we choose? Simon thinks we should just give up and go see 'New Moon.' Hah.

So, basically, I need your help. Leave a comment with your suggestion for the film we should see for free in a real theater, and I'll randomly select one. If yours gets chosen...well, no one is sponsoring this post, so I can't really offer anything but my sincere appreciation for your assistance in this endeavor.

Social Security Card

2009-11-17T14:45:00.002-07:00

I don't believe that my daughter has the longest name in America, but her card still came with part of it cut off. I figure I have till she's 16 and trying to get her first job to sort this out, right?

Chairs

2009-11-16T12:16:00.002-07:00

When I find cool old chairs for $2 a piece, I cannot be held responsible for how many I buy. And while my daughter loves the jungle gym of chairs lining our walls, eventually I'll have to get around to finding permanent homes for all these lovely places to sit.

Washing

2009-11-12T22:56:00.002-07:00

I believe that eventually I will remove this sheet from the DI bag and wash it and use it for the project it was intended for. I really believe that. I just don't believe it will be any time soon.

The Dishes

2009-11-10T13:00:00.002-07:00

I'm not posting a picture because there's no way to make this mess look cute. Plus the sink smells like poop, so I don't want to go near it. I don't understand how things can get so out of hand in just one day.....help!

Showering

2009-11-09T14:47:00.001-07:00

Is it really almost 3pm? Sheesh.

Repainting

2009-11-09T09:34:00.004-07:00

My awesome sister gave me this awesome folder for my awesome birthday an awesome amount of time ago. It sat forever waiting to be put on the wall (because that's what I do with awesome stuff), but then I decided I wanted it to be blue. So I've been in the process of painting over the orange for...I don't know....two months? It was recently moved out of the kitchen counter pile and into the bedroom pile, so I'll probably never look at it again.

Sunglasses

2009-11-04T11:26:00.006-07:00

This 2mm split in the frame of my sunglasses causes them to sit super wonky on my face. I already have uneven ears, so this is not something I need. What I do need to do is hunt down my old sunglasses and just wear those instead of continuing to sport the broken ones...goin' on a week now.

Costumes

2009-10-30T22:44:00.003-06:00

Speaking of candy corn, that's what I'm planning on our family dressing as for Halloween this year. You know...my husband is the tallest, so he'll be the yellow stripe, I'll be orange, and my daughter will be the white tip. Somehow it became Halloween Eve, and I've yet to gather a single part of this costume. How much you wanna bet that we'll end up wearing plastic table cloths from the dollar store as ponchos?

Happy Halloween, fellow non-finishers!

Candy Corn Hair

2009-10-29T10:59:00.003-06:00

I'm getting all that multi-colored grossness chopped off tomorrow, but I feel I have to document a hair situation that fits the theme of this blog. Look how long I've been living with that yellow stripe! It's ridiculous. And I ask for your support in taking the lazy way out and basically buzzing it all off instead of taking the time to dye it and grow it out properly. Thank you.

Batteries

2009-10-26T09:03:00.001-06:00

This clock died weeks ago, and for some reason, it just feels too HARD to pull a battery out of the drawer and get the thing ticking again. It might even be the main reason we hardly ever hang out in our sunny living room as much as we used to. After writing that, I feel kind of dumb. Who deserts a room in their house because they can't tell the time in it and are too lazy to do anything about it? Me. Silly Me.

Laundry

2009-10-23T09:11:00.004-06:00

It's going on four days since we hung these clothes up to dry in the middle of our living room. I figure at this point we'll end up wearing everything off the rack instead of putting it away first. Does anyone else do this?

Another thing in this picture that I haven't done yet is stain that cream couch in the background. That's right, Mom...you were wrong! I believe the word is BOOYAH!

Light Bulb

2009-10-21T10:46:00.001-06:00

I'm calling it mood lighting, but really it's just dark in our kitchen because we haven't changed the burned-out bulb yet.

Book

2009-10-19T10:32:00.004-06:00

The finishing of this project has perhaps been hindered by the fact that it's completely useless. What would anyone do with a 2.5-inch cube book? It sounded cool in April 2006 when I started sewing this text block together, but now I think I've forgotten even how to do those stitches, so it will probably continue to sit in a box. I forgive myself.

Rug

2009-10-16T23:22:00.003-06:00

Would you believe me if I told you this was a new trend in floor coverings? A throw rug...yeah, that's it.

The truth is much more disgusting than that. Maybe Maren went all Jackson Pollock with her milk the other day (and by the other day I mean a week ago) on my favorite rug, and maybe I still haven't gotten around to soaking it (and praying that the black doesn't run). I promise it doesn't smell like you would think a milk-soaked wool rug would. Does that help?

Sweater

2009-10-13T14:51:00.002-06:00

I really just shouldn't buy clothes that have to be hand washed....unless I find something I'd prefer to just wear once then leave in a wad waiting for me to get around to soaking it....like that's so difficult to do or something. Gosh, I'm lame.

Junk Basket

2009-10-09T12:45:00.000-06:00

My birthday was 5 weeks ago. That means 5 weeks ago I cleaned up my apartment in preparation for my birthday party. That means 5 weeks ago this basket was filled with odds and ends to deal with later. That means 5 weeks later I'm wondering....when will 'later' be, exactly?

DisCARDing

2009-10-08T11:41:00.000-06:00

I've had this nifty little conversion card for years. In theory, it's a useful thing to have around, but I've never referenced it even once....mostly because I have all this information somewhere else...you know...on the INTERNET. Why can't I bring myself to throw it away? I didn't live through the Depression, so really, there's no excuse.

Cleaning

2009-10-01T12:51:00.000-06:00

Say hello to the dried milk and crumbs on my coffee table. I always told myself I wouldn't be one of those parents who left it totally obvious that a toddler lives here, but I just choose not to keep up with all the finger prints and smudges or the cheese that gets smeared all over my couch. Maybe someday she'll be a string cheese painter, and I don't want to stifle her creativity. THAT'S why I don't keep it spotless around here.

Dressing

2009-09-23T12:58:00.000-06:00

Maybe I should get this kid dressed at some point today....or at least button her onesie.

Fabric

2009-09-21T11:56:00.000-06:00

This roll of 30s-inspired fabric was on my Things I Covet list for a long time. Then, thanks to a little luck, a gift card, and a sale, I got the $60 bundle for only $20. Too bad I lost all my crafting mojo and haven't made a single thing out of it in the months since I got it.

Shirt Return

2009-09-18T10:18:00.000-06:00

I'm just hoping I get around to returning the contents of this Target bag before my 90 days are up. Do you think they'll still take it if it smells like my house instead of the store?

Silly Me

2009-09-17T19:48:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I feel pressure because it's been so long since I posted anything here, but then I remember that pressure is the opposite of the point of this blog! So I just thought I'd check in. Don't worry....I'm still out there....not finishing stuff.

Loves...Annie

Boxes

2009-08-31T12:46:00.000-06:00

How long is 'we just moved' a legitimate excuse for having unpacked boxes in the living room?

Cords

2009-08-28T21:40:00.000-06:00

The sight of this mess makes me want to scream and run to the nearest store to buy every tool they sell for taming tangles of cords. But I haven't yet. Are you surprised?

Clamshell Box

2009-08-27T14:43:00.000-06:00

I think it's been almost two years since I brought this book (with its extremely high level of sentimental value) home with me from Texas, promising Simon's dad that I'd return it with a spiffy clam shell box to protect its withering spine. I had just finished a bookbinding class, so I was excited to keep working on my new skill. Of course, since I wasn't in the class anymore, time and motivation to make a box was harder to come by than I had planned. Do you think he remembers that I have it still? Does it bother him that I took it and never brought it back? This could get awkward.

Curtains/Sewing Machine

2009-08-24T09:01:00.000-06:00

This one has been on the to-do list for a few weeks now. I have to pick up my sewing machine from the repair shop (yeah, I just got it fixed and it broke back here) so I can sew bigger openings at the tops of these panels. Till now they're draped and painful to look at, and I'm left fuming at our curtain rod for being too big to fit through the opening and at Urban Outfitters for selling curtains with what really is too small of an opening. And if I were a sewing machine repair shop, I'd have the option for delivery.

Returns

2009-08-19T10:13:00.000-06:00

When we moved into our old house with a driveway and a spigot, Simon got really gung ho about washing the car. So we went to Walmart to purchase all the necessary items (and some unnecessary ones). It's been like five months, and look how gloriously unused they all are! I love it. It's a major I-told-you-so topic for me. Too bad we moved somewhere without a driveway and a spigot and they've been on my to-return pile for a while now. Maybe today's the day I'll get this taken care of.

Painting

2009-08-19T10:07:00.000-06:00

I started this little piece five or six years ago. The title was 'Industrial Fireflies,' which is awesome, I thought, but I could never decide if the dots should be in the shape of the oil refinery that inspired it or just random or in the shape of the buildings with random up high for stars. Plus I got totally bored after seven rows and three random dots. I guess that means it's a lame idea, and I'm ok with that.

One-Year Shots

2009-07-23T11:49:00.000-06:00

If I had a picture of this undone task, it wouldn't be undone. Our baby turned one over a month ago, and we still haven't dragged our bums down to the Health Department to inoculate our little one. She has been sick a couple times and teething a couple times, and I wasn't about to subject her to molars slicing through her gums and diseases being jammed into her legs at the same time, so I'm telling myself I have an excuse, but still.

Movie Return

2009-07-21T23:40:00.000-06:00

This movie belongs to Simon's old roommate. It was left in their apartment when they all moved out (right before we got married), so Simon rescued it from wherever they take stuff that gets left in apartments. You'd think after three years we would have gotten around to giving it back to Old Roommate, but...come on...have you read this blog before? We run into OR all the time--probably more than anyone else from our BYU past--so I think I'll just start keeping it in my bag. Hey, it worked eventually with the camera I carried around in case of a certain mullet siting.

Closet

2009-07-15T11:03:00.000-06:00

We've lived in this apartment for four-and-a-half months. This isn't long when you think about the fact that we have to move in two weeks, but when it comes to organizing the closet, it's forever. Sure, the clothes are hanging there just fine and neat, but they're not in order by type and color, which is important!

To Read

2009-07-13T20:06:00.000-06:00

This is my tidy stack of borrowed or purchased books that have remained unopened or unfinished, some for longer than a year. Now I'm in the middle of the billionth summer that has started with a goal to read more, and I haven't.

Punch Needle Embroidery

2009-07-10T11:53:00.000-06:00

This is one of those projects whose intended beginning date is so far in the past, I can't even remember its context in my life at all. Maybe I should work on it before the appeal of a crow and a tree is entirely lost.

Framing Art

2009-07-08T19:45:00.000-06:00

This print was a Christmas present. That means it's been almost 7 months, and I still haven't had it framed. It's one of my most legitimate pieces of art, and I'm taking the worst care of it. Does my guilt make up for that at all?

Shelves

2009-06-30T09:16:00.000-06:00

We've been moved in for four months, but this built-in in my room remains woefully unorganized and underutilized, and it's definitely not pretty. "All this amazing storage space....wasted! You ungrateful girl!" says my conscience.

Embroidered Bag

2009-06-02T22:39:00.000-06:00

You're probably thinking I got the title of this wrong, but alas...'tis true...this excruciatingly blank bag was supposed to be embroidered for my lovely friend Kaitlin. I'm pretty sure this unfinished project represents a birthday present AND a Christmas present that she never got, and I'm sorry for that.

More Art

2009-05-29T09:35:00.000-06:00

If it weren't for existing nails, I'm pretty sure my daughter's walls would be bare.

Hanging Art

2009-05-26T18:18:00.000-06:00

The problem here is that the only time I think to hang this stuff on my bedroom wall is when the kiddo is asleep and I can focus on a project involving nails, but her room is on the other side of this wall. So it remains a pile on a shelf whose only purpose is to house this pile.

Quilt

2009-05-24T11:53:00.000-06:00

This is my quilt top right after I finished it....a month-and-a-half ago. I'd had the fabric for almost two years before that, so I guess I'm right on track. Two years from now, I'll quilt it and bind it!

The Dishes Again

2009-04-17T13:04:00.000-06:00

We moved here partly so we could have a dishwasher. When it broke last week, my heart broke too.

Bird Mobile

2009-04-16T09:55:00.000-06:00

I have high hopes that eventually I'll make these into the mobile that they're meant to be. I started sewing the birds before my baby was interested in things hanging above her, and now that she's over that, I have very little motivation to make her a mobile. So we just have little birds and scraps of birds waiting to be perched somewhere.

Quilt

2009-04-13T21:28:00.000-06:00

Would you have finished this quilt if you were piecing it by hand?

Hot Pad Pillow

2009-04-07T09:14:00.000-06:00

I know, I know....who makes a pillow out of a hot pad, right? Well, clearly I don't, so it's ok. I think this one will stay in the box where it's been for months and months. "Any opposed, by the same sign. Thank you."

Place Mats

2009-04-05T21:12:00.000-06:00

Christmas 2005, I couldn't think of anything to give to my grandma. I was getting into embroidering bags, so my mom pulled out some (ugly) denim place mats she had in her gift stash and suggested I stitch something on them. I should ask her why she bought (ugly) denim place mats in the first place.

I'd like to think these would have turned out better than they look like they would have.

New Music

2009-02-26T01:09:00.000-07:00

This is a stack of CDs full of new music I got from the lovely Alyssa during an evening of music sharing. I was still pregnant when this event occurred, and I have yet to put it all on the computer and listen to it. I'd feel worse if this project's presence didn't remind me every day of a wonderful girl with great taste in tunes.

Bag of Who-Knows-What

2009-02-18T17:27:00.000-07:00

Early in 2004, I stuck a pile of junk in this bag to get it out of the way. The plan was to go through it later, but I've been carrying around the bag, untouched, ever since.

Martinellis

2009-02-13T22:29:00.001-07:00

We've had this bottle of sparkling cider since we got engaged and the Glenwood gifted it to us. So it's been almost three years now that I've been carrying it around, meaning to drink it. Too bad it doesn't get better with age. Clearly, I would make a great wine drinker.

Emails

2009-02-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not mega-ultra popular; I just chronically save emails as new and tell myself I'll respond or deal with them later. The oldest new email in my inbox is from my birthday...in 2006...

The Dishes

2009-02-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

Goin' on three days now! We've only run out of cups and knives.

Knitting

2009-02-09T19:37:00.001-07:00

My aunt showed me how to knit months ago. I came home determined to practice every night so I wouldn't forget what she taught me. I never practiced and have completely forgotten how to start again.

Embroidered Bag

2009-02-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

I started embroidering this bag approximately three years ago. Sometimes I think about opening an Etsy shop to sell canvas bags with dumb logos that I've covered up like this, but yeah right.

Maybe I'll Stick With This...

2009-02-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

Lots of people have blogs these days, and lots of people post on those blogs about the things they make. Some even post tutorials. These posts often include phrases like, I just threw this together or It's so easy! or All you need to do is...

These blogs used to send me straight into a shame spiral. Just thinking about all the projects everyone else was finishing made my soul hurt. But then I realized that I, too, am prolific at something: The number of things I DON'T finish could fill Bloggerville...or at least one hut in it.

So this is a blog for celebrating the ghosts of projects past. Maybe they'll leave me alone once I share them with the Internet.