July 2008 Activity -- Craft Grab-Bag

July 5, 2008
11:00am-1:00pm
Amy's house -- Arlington, VA

Parameters:
1. Maximum cost $25-30
2. Can be completed in 1-2 hours
3. Does not require any materials other than what comes with the box/kit/etc (e.g., no glue guns) unless you bring these yourself. You CAN supply a frame or pillow if appropriate (I'm assuming all of our crafts will be suitable for framing).
4. Bonus points for holiday (4th of July or otherwise) or religious themed items
5. Extra bonus points if the craft can be completed with a cocktail or beer* in one hand.

We will exchange the crafts when we get to Amy's (through some complicated process like grabbing names out of a hat), so no one will do the craft they brought.

Please note the hilarity of this activity. None of us are "crafters" (and frankly, I cannot even type that word without rolling my eyes). However, due to Amy's "condition" (*she will complete her craft with an O'Doul's in one hand), most physical activities are going to be impossible for the next few months, so we're trying to find things in which all of us can participate.

Anyway...

Craft Grab Bag -- What We Learned:

1) Nicole likes to craft pantsless
2) Amanda will likely be struck by lightning, based on her adding the pipe cleaner/champagne grapes appendage to her marshmallow Jesus, Mary and Joseph craft (not to mention deliberately gluing in the baby Jesus upside-down)
3) Hook rug tools are clearly impossible to figure out. Hand knotting is where it's at. Especially when the crafter has an apparent acid flashback during the knotting.
4) If one Jesus, Mary and Joseph marshmallow Christmas ornament kit is good...12 are fantastic
5) There was no possible way we could live up to the "Schirmer's Kentucky Home" craft

June 2008 Activity -- Evening at the National Press Club (with speaker Helen Thomas)

An Evening with Helen Thomas
June 26, 2008
5:00-7:30pm
The National Press Club
Cost: $45

The invitation read, "Helen Thomas shares her insights about the presidential campaign and stories from her career as a White House Correspondent."

We were so excited to see legend Helen Thomas speak, that we almost excused the ONE HOUR DELAY in this program getting started. However, as the host of the event finally approached the podium, she told us that Helen was in the ICU and could not be there and that Kathleen Matthews would be speaking instead.

Kathleen Matthews is very accomplished, but she is no Helen Thomas. So, it was kind of hard to not be really, really disappointed. Kathleen talked about some of her most memorable experiences as a reporter and anchor in this area, shilled for Marriott numerous times and then got on some tangent about potting and repotting and a big global pot (snicker). Also, we found out that her hubby, Hardball's Chris Matthews, mows their yard himself. (Kind of a physics feat, considering his tremendous melon.) (Why am I so mean?) (Because it's funny.) (Is the reader even needed for this discussion?) (No, not really.)

After the question and answer session, where we learned that Kathleen has a Facebook page, we headed over to Butterfield 9 for dinner and drinks. Our waiter seemed none too pleased that we were ordering small plates. However, once we had bread and a delightful blended arugula amuse bouche, we were all pretty happy we did order small.

Overall, an anti-climatic night...but always fun, thanks to the dilettantes.