Gorgeous Mess

What have I been up to?

2011-03-06T18:33:00.007-06:00

Oh, nothing much, you know, just starting a business, finishing my 40+ page thesis, and learning every single bone, muscle, tendon, ligament, nerve, artery, vein, and bump on a bone in the human body (Oh yeah, and their functions, exactly where they attach, etc). I spend my five minutes of free time out of every 24 hours sleeping. LOL.

In the free time that I make (you know, when I should be studying or crocheting or writing or sleeping) I've been doing some regular fun things.

Like going over to Megan's for delicious hot chocolate and even better conversation.
Or going to the last home hockey game of my college career. We tied. :(
Or just going out to eat with some of the boys I live with.
But mostly I've been making time to crochet. If you haven't already, check out my website at http://www.facebook.com/craftingjoy/. You can see it even if you're not on Facebook, Mom! Here are some of the orders I've been completing.

Apologies?

2011-02-10T21:16:00.008-06:00

Never. Okay, maybe. I'm sorry that I've been so ridiculously busy that I haven't posted in, um, forever. I'm not promising to do any better, but I thought I'd share my life via iPhone since my last post.

Last party in Chicago. :(

I learned how to make Oreo truffles!
Last dinner in Chicago. We all split fried ice cream and sopapillas.
Home with the kiddos. :)
Daniel showing off his wink.
Becky's college graduation.
Loving cousins.
Awesome trail of lights.
The military tribute.
Christmas morning.
I let the kids color on my phone and somehow this one got saved to my pictures.
Ella and I sewed together the chick Ari gave her for Christmas.
My going away party.
Quesadilla buffalo sauce extra pickle burger at Denny's. Now why isn't this on the menu?
Building up my earring collection.
All packed up for Colorado.
At the movies with friends.
Parmesan encrusted chicken. Seriously the BEST thing I think I've ever made. I'll share the recipe if you want!
The heater in my room.
Me acting cute. ;)
Frying up some chicken...
...and making some homemade buffalo sauce... (don't mind the disgusting stove- I didn't do that. It comes from living with four boys.)
...so I can have a buffalo chicken sandwich! So good! It would have been better with a bun instead of white bread, but oh well.
Superbowl Sunday special at Borriello Brothers. Any XL pizza with any toppings for $10. Mine had double pepperoni, double bacon, and double cheese, and I ate it for four days.

One more...

2010-12-11T16:19:00.001-06:00

For a little comic relief!

Flashback...

2010-12-11T16:09:00.002-06:00

I was going through some photos today, and I came across this one from our trip to the San Antonio Zoo over the summer. It was the very first picture of the day, and I love it.

Who can resist that face? And his hair...

I can't wait to see everyone in Texas next week. You know I'm missing y'all and now the end is in sight!

Fall in Millenium Park

2010-11-16T17:01:00.007-06:00

First, I made this apple pie for my professor's birthday. Delicious!

Downtown Chicago has this giant park named Millenium Park. Right now it has the most gorgeous trees. Trudy and I visited it while she was here. It has this thing called "the bean".

This was at the Art Institute. That place was AMAZING! And it's free on Thursday nights, so I might just go back!

Six weeks left...

2010-11-03T10:22:00.006-05:00

And I can't believe the time has gone by so fast. I'm still having a great time and really enjoying every day, even though it seems like we just keep getting busier! But since I last posted, a lot has happened. I'll try to recap some of the highlights here.

I went to the Harold Washington Library Center, which is like the biggest library in Chicago. It's one square block and eight stories tall. I was in heaven. This bookshelf holds only knitting and crocheting books.
I discovered the Art Here. Art Now. project. One of the artists involved creates sculptures using only recycled plastic bags and packaging.

I went to Union Station, hopped on a train and somehow got to Grandma's Girls, where I surprised Mom. This took a lot of help from Aunt Lisa.

I spent a day with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Penny. Grandpa took us for a ride to enjoy the fall foliage and picked me an apple to eat on the train back to Chicago.

I chopped off all my hair.

I went to a super fancy Target. It's even got an escalator for you AND you cart.

I had Thai food for the first (and second) time, and drank a delicious pomegranate martini.

I went to the northern suburbs of the city for a day with Amanda, another student in the program who lives in the suburbs. We attended a hilarious play, a charity event that included a cocktail hour afterward and a raffle. I won the raffle! (It was two tickets to an upcoming show, but I'll be back in CO then, sadly.) We then went out to eat with Amanda's family and basically just had a great time. Here's a shot of the fall foliage here.

Robert came to visit, and we checked out all the coolest museums, like the Field Museum. It was Rob's favorite.

We went to a 3D show.

We met Sue, the most complete T-Rex skeleton ever found.

We went to the Shedd Aquarium, where we saw a 4D show.

And this awesome octopus. We also got to see a tegu (think giant lizard) up close and personal and watcxh him eat some bugs.

I hosted an enchilada dinner for my program. Delicious!

Rob and I went up in the Sears (now Willis) Tower, to the sky decks. They were terrifying.

Here we are, 100+ floors above the street.

Pretty Chicago.

I made chicken and dumplings.

I made ranch cheddar burgers. I'm really getting good at this cooking thing. :)

I tried to be cute every day. It worked out occasionally. :)

I really have done so much more than just this but these are the basic highlights, not including school stuff. This at least gets me sort of caught up.

I'm planning another train ride soon, to Quincy again, so I can be in Missouri for Thanksgiving. The round trip ticket is only about $50, while a plane ticket home is $400. You know which one I'm choosing! Until then I'll just be working frantically on my Independent Study Project and trying to stay on top of all my school work. Wish me luck!

A busy week? More like a busy month.

2010-09-29T22:29:00.009-05:00

And I don't have time for editing pictures, so what you see is what you get. Straight off my phone camera, my little camera, my big camera, or stolen off of Amanda's Facebook page. I have no shame. These first pictures are in a randome order and of random things...big events are clumped together towards the end.

My roommate Alyse with the stray cat we wanted to keep. He was so sweet, and would cry outside our window all day long. We think his owner must have found him, because he hasn't been around for a few days.
The view down the highway from the 47th Street Red Line Station. We don't generally take the train from Hyde Park to other parts of the city, but when we do, it's this station. It's easier to access Hyde Park by bus, but some places are very convenient to get to by train.

This is the kind of weather we've been having. Sunny, but cold. Jackets are necessary, closed toed shoes are not. Yet.

This morning after my interviews, all dressed up.

We attended a peace rally here. You may have heard of Derrion Albert, he was an honor roll student who was dragged into a fight and beated to death on his walk home from school last year. They held this rally on the anniversary of his death to try to stop youth violence.

The view down the Chicago River from the top of the giant Whole Foods in Lincoln Park.

Didn't someone say they wanted a picture of my hair blowing in the wind? Here you go. Believe me, it happens every day.

One of the last buildings left of Cabrini-Green, a notorious public housing development in Chicago.

The buildings going up right next door. Selling from the low 300s, the signs say. It's an ideal location close to downtown, and no one is talking about the tens of thousands of people in public housing displaced by this. Chicago is eliminating all of its high rise public housing, and replacing it with basically nothing.

A building in the process of destruction.

My birthday! A very cool lunch box I got from Trudy and her family.

A homemade friendship bracelet in my choice of colors by Amanda, another girl in the program who lives above me, planned my birthday, and was the director of a summer camp this past year.

My surprise from Robert.

Sooooo delicious! Everyone enjoyed them. I tried both flavors, but loved the spice cake the best.

Cupcakes and champagne before we went out to dinner, and everyone sang happy birthday.

Dinner at Dick's Last Resort. My hat kept falling off, and it almost caught fire when the waitress lit an entire book of matches in my sundae.

Meagan's birthday! She also lives above me, and turned 20 on the 27th. I made funfetti cupcakes with rainbow chip frosting.

I left frosting off of two because she doesn't like most frosting, but she liked this kind so I later frosted those two naked ones.

We had Giordano's deep dish cheese pizza for dinner. They're a big name in Chicago, and we demolished the pizza. Meagan enjoyed her cupcake.

She even meditated with it.

Alyse is interning for a new non-profit organization called Barrio Bonito, which is basically a career building group for at risk youth with artistic talents. They were having a fundraiser at the Crimson Lounge, with all kinds of spoken word poets and rap and hip-hop artists, including some youth artists. Some of us girls volunteered to help Alyse out, and it was a good thing we did, because we were basically the only people working the entire event. It was crazy and long and a ton of fun.

Me, Meagan, and Amanda.

Maureen, me, and Meagan, and some creepy guy in the back.

A youth artist who is part of the program working on a piece in the silent auction room.

As you can tell, it's crazy busy here right now, and it doesn't seem like it's going to let up, especially since I'm starting my internship next week. I interviewed at two places today, and have decided on a position working in a school health clinic. I'm excited to get started.

Scandals, politics, and film.

2010-09-20T16:34:00.006-05:00

For those of you who seem to think all I’m doing in the Windy City is having fun…well, you’re right! But I do actually have classes, even if we do fun/interesting things during them, like go on a boat tour, go to a town hall meeting, etc. I have readings for each class session, and we have a lot of writing, as well. After every seminar (usually twice a week) we write a 3-5 page reflection. This is in addition to any other writing homework assignments, like the 4-6 page paper I had to write for tomorrow (which actually ended up being 8 pages). It’s a lot of work, and a lot of fun and I feel like we always have something to do. It’s stressful and a lot more difficult than the block plan is at CC, because we’re doing everything all at once. The work isn’t necessarily hard, it’s just that there is a lot of it and not a lot of time to do it in.

This past week in Precept we met with John Keller, campaign manager for Toni Preckwinkle, the Alderwoman of our ward. She’s running for the Cook County Board, which is evidently really important. We’re going to meet with her directly soon (maybe this week?). In our other Precept session we met with one of the founders of the Urban Studies Program, Jody Kretzmann, and he talked to us about Asset Based Community Development.

We only had one seminar session last week because Miss Dorothy, who teaches it, was recruiting at CC. Funny, huh? That class was at Northwestern University Law School, where we attended the Human Rights Forum about the Jon Burge/police torture scandal going on now. Earlier in the day (Thursday) we went to a protest rally put on by victims of police brutality and their families.
Friday was our fun day, our core course day. Core course goes from 9:30 am until 4 pm, and all the students from all three programs meet up. This is the only class we do this for. This past Friday we spent the morning talking about Chicago politics. We met with an alderman, and he showed us around the mayor’s office, his press conference room, the city council’s chambers, and other cool places.

Then in the afternoon we went on the Chicago Film Tour. This is a bus trip with a film critic tour guide. We traveled around the city looking at all the places that had been featured in films, and then we’d get to see the film clips on little TVs. It was really cool at first, but then it got a little repetitive, since it was 2 hours long.

Me on the film tour with some cool sunflare...

We have lots of big plans for this week (including my birthday!) and I know it will be a lot of fun. But at the same time, we have four seminar meetings this week, which means four 3-5 page reflections, plus two assignments due for core course, plus readings for every class, PLUS a new big project for precept. And I haven't even started my internship yet. It's fun, but it's school too, and a lot of work.

A trip to Wrigleyville, and the beginning of a new week...

2010-09-13T17:05:00.005-05:00

On Friday all the programs (Urban Studies, Business, and Arts) gathered together for our first core course. We'll meet each Friday, and spend the whole day together. In the morning session, we discussed various things, went over the syllabus, etc, but in the afternoon session we went to Wrigley Field! We spoke with a professor from Lake Forest College who is an expert on the Chicago Cubs about what the ballpark means to the neighborhood, and the interaction between community and place/space. Wrigley Field is in the middle of a neighborhood, and apartment buildings line the sides. Many of these buildings have built rooftop bleacher seats that they sell for outrageous prices. We had our "class" on one of these rooftops.

I had a very restful and relaxing weekend, and this morning we headed out to the Chicago History Museum. Along the way, while standing at a bus stop, I noticed this 7-Eleven. It's tiny, but can you see it? For some reason it really made me laugh.

This is the fountain outside of the museum. The wind was blowing water all over us as we sat next to it, waiting for the museum to open.

The museum itself was very cool, but we were sort of rushed through it, and I know I missed a lot. I would love to go back and take my time exploring the exhibits.

This week has slowed down a little from last week, and we're starting to get into our regular routine. I still haven't nailed down an internship, but it's more in the hands of the internship coordinators now. Hopefully that will get settled soon.

Busy days, Part 2 (you know, the pictures!)

2010-09-10T07:17:00.005-05:00

The outside of our apartment building. We're the middle and right set of windows on the first floor with windows.
This is inside the Rockefeller Church on the UNiversity of Chicago campus. It was gorgeous.

Here are some flowers for Mom and Ella!

The boat we rode on...

A lighthouse just for Mom.

Busy days...

2010-09-09T22:40:00.003-05:00

They've been working us like crazy and sending us all over the city. Today I had a morning class (my precept) in Hyde Park, then had to ride the train downtown for our afternoon class (our seminar). Then I met with the internship coordinator about my internship opportunites, before everyone met up to go on a river and lake architectural boat tour. It was fun and hectic and windy and cold!

Our morning class toured the University of Chicago campus and spoke with a representative about how the college works within and with the neighborhood of Hyde Park. It was a pretty neat campus.

The boat tour was by far my favorite part of today. It was especially cold out on the water, but seeing all the giant buildings from the perspective of the river was awesome. It was also interesting to hear about the history of many of the buildings. It made for some pretty cool pictures, too! However, I've been taking pictures on my phone, and it's not wanting to upload them right now. I'm too tired to fight with it, so I'll post the pictures sometime tomorrow.

Day 2

2010-09-07T20:22:00.005-05:00

I'm already out of super cool titles. Sorry.

This is the view out of our front windows into the courtyard of our apartment complex.

The living room. We have another sofa, it's just not in the picture.

The dining room.

The tiny kitchen.

My gorgeous bed. I love my sheets.

The view out my window. Not exactly promising.

Today we had a very long day. We came down to the program offices for class at 9 am. The door to our building is right under the edge of the Chicago Theater sign.

We did a lot of pretty boring class stuff, met the other people in the Business and Arts programs, then ate lunch. I took leftover pizza. After lunch, we were split into groups and sent on photo scavenger hunts. Each group was sent to a different neighborhood. We had to figure out how to get there, taking the bus down and the train back. Once there, we had to find a list of landmarks or addresses and take pictures of all of those places. Before leaving, we had to go to the last address on our list and pick up the preordered food. We then all brought it back and had a giant potluck dinner.

My group was sent to...

Chinatown! It was so cool. We went into a ton of little shops, selling all kinds of crazy things. One was a martial arts store, and they had swords and knives and playing cards with razor edges to throw at people. It was nuts!

This was one of the landmarks we stopped at, Nine Dragons Wall. You can't see the whole thing because I couldn't stand back far enough without getting in the street.

The potluck was great, with all different kinds of food. Mexican from Pilsen, Swedish desserts from Andersonville, ribs from Hyde Park, sandwiches and Italian ices from Little Italy, and even more. It was so delicious. We finally got out of there a little after seven, and the theater was all lit up.

I've met so many really fun people, and I'm really having a blast. Thanks to everyone for your nice comments.

The beginning of a Grand Adventure...

2010-09-06T20:24:00.004-05:00

This is it, y'all. I'm in Chicago now.

I flew out early this morning. The view of the sunrise out my window was amazing. It was sad to say goodbye to the summer, to Austin, to afternoon naps with Trudy's kids, late night games with Christin and Brandon, delicious food Mom (and Dad) would cook for me, and spending time with Robert.

But the summer couldn't last forever. The first thing I noticed once we started descending into Chicago was the lush, vibrant green of everything. There were lakes and ponds all over the place, and green grass and trees and blooming flowers. Totally different from summer in Texas!

Once I arrived at the apartment, I had some time to meet my roommates, settle in, and go grocery shopping. I'm sharing a room with one girl, Alyse, who is from northern Minnesota. We began the orientation for the program, and I met the rest of the eleven Urban Studies program participants. Seven of us made the trek down to Lake Michigan. It's not too far, less than a mile, and has a gorgeous view of downtown Chicago.

You can see that some crazy person was swimming in that cold water! I think this might be the biggest lake I've ever seen- you can't see the other edge of it, and it almost feels like you're at the ocean.

We walked back down to our apartments, picked up another person, then headed out to dinner. I had my very first Chicago deep dish pizza, from a restaurant voted one of the top two places for it in Chicago. It was pepperoni and cheese, my favorite.

Let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS! I loved it. However, I filled up on so much bread before it came out that I only ate one slice.

I brought home the rest of the small (yeah right!) pizza I ordered to take in my lunch the next few days. No one was hungry for dessert except for Jeremy, the only guy with us, who also happens to be from CC. He ordered tiramisu, and the waiter brought him two giant pieces, one for free to share with us. I had never had tiramisu before, and it was good.

Today has been a crazy long day, and I'm exhausted. I still have some reading to do before I can go to sleep, and I have to be at the program office downtown at 9 tomorrow morning. I'll have my first experience with Chicago public transportation! Wish me luck!

It's closing time...

2010-05-12T23:04:00.003-05:00

So I'm all packed up, my room is clean, and I'm checking out with my RA first thing tomorrow morning. Robert arrived around 8:30 p.m. yesterday, and he's been a great help (when I can pull him away from his computer games!). We're headed over to Megan's for a last friendly get-together before summer in just a little while. It's sad to think I won't see her (or any of my other friends) again until the end of January.

Robert and I went out for a special dinner tonight. He said he wanted to take me out to celebrate the beginning of my senior year of college. I had fajitas, which made me so happy! In addition, we ordered the margarita sampler tray. After tasting all of them, I drank the red one and the blue one. The red one was pomegranate, and we agreed that it was the best. I'd never had a margarita of my own before, and it was TASTY!

By the way, this picture was taken with my brand spankin' new camera. It's tiny and perfect to slip in my purse for occasions such as this. As you might be able to tell, I'm still figuring out the settings as far as focus points and such. I'm so used to being able to choose every setting that it's a little hard to get used to.

I hope everyone is doing as well as I am. To my Texas family, I'll see you in just a few days! I come bearing gifts (as long as they fit in the car :) ) and I can't wait to see everyone. I love you guys.

To my mother...

2010-05-09T13:49:00.003-05:00

and every other mother I know, happy Mother's Day! I hope that you are all able to relax and have a wonderful day.

I'm horrible at keeping secrets, so I told my Mom about half of her Mother's Day present. Here it is, a gorgeous handmade single serving teapot made by a super cool CC student. (Sorry, not me!)
I traded for it yesterday at Llamapalooza, and got a super great deal. The price on it was 1.5 times more than the price of one of my animals, but the guy traded me for just one octopus. So I'm happy with that!

The coloring on it is gorgeous, and it looks way better in person. Here it's reflecting everything in my room (the light from the window, the lights in the room, the brightness of the fabric under it, etc), so you can't really tell how gorgeous the coloring is. But just trust me, it's gorgeous. :)

I love you, Mom, and I hope you love it!

Oh, Llama.

2010-05-09T13:32:00.005-05:00

Llamapalooza was fun, but the selling wasn't great. I made about $100, and paid $30 for the booth. So that's kind of disappointing. But hey, at least I have a bunch of animals made and ready to sell now! The day itself was cold and windy. It was sunny for a while, but then the sun went away and never came back. One of the bands (a really awesome jazz group) joked about how somebody promised them it was going to be warm and sunny. "Well," he said, "somebody lied." It didn't get out of the 50s, and I was freezing the whole time. Plus the wind kept knocking over my animals, which was so annoying.

But anyways, here's my table. This was right after I first set up, and I did fix the uneven table cloth things. (Hey Trudy, recognize them?)

Here's a closeup of some of the animals, including my best sellers- the llamas. They were the first three things I sold.

Here's my view of the stage.

Okay, just kidding, that was the zoomed in version. Here's my actual view of the stage. I took these pictures before a ton of people showed up.

Here are the people! And, as you can see...no sun. There were free cheeseburgers and veggie burgers, but the line was so long that I didn't get one.

Here's another crowd view. You can see the graffiti mural they were making. You can also see the huge variety of seating that people brought in. There were at least fifty couches, and I also saw computer chairs, lawn chairs, recliners, futons, mattresses, and one blow up pool (with no water, of course).

There were a ton of fun things for people to do, including a huge bouncy house, a slip 'n slide (which no one was using because it was so cold), frisbees, sidewalk chalk, slacklining between trees, horseshoes, kite flying, and face painting. The face painting booth was right next to mine.

So, overall, Llama was fun, but I don't know if I'll sell there again. I like my nice, climate controlled, indoor sales. I did, however, trade with other crafters for some really awesome stuff. A little more about that next.

Llamas for Llama

2010-05-05T16:31:00.004-05:00

When I turned in my sign up sheet for selling at Llamapalooza, a girl asked me what I would be selling. I told her crocheted animals. She asked if I'd have llamas, since that would be just so perfect for Llamapalooza. Having never made a llama before, I just kind of smiled and laughed and said something like, "yeah, that would be cool".

The thought got stuck in my mind, so I decided to try to make a llama. Here's my first try. I think he's pretty cute.

His head is a little big for a llama, though.

So I tried again. Here is llama 2.o. What do you think? Which one do you prefer?

And here's just a quick snapshot of my "work station". I've been putting together animals as fast as I can, while watching TV or listening to music on my computer.

So far I've got 47 completed animals. My goal is to get five more done tonight, then finish putting together all the animal pieces I have completed tomorrow. Then I'll use Friday and Saturday morning to get everything ready, find some things to set up a nice table front, and gear up for the sale. Wish me luck!

Blowing money at the C-Store

2010-04-30T14:11:00.004-05:00

As most of you know (since I called you yesterday) I had a large amount of dining dollars left. Since it's getting so close to the end of the semester, it's use 'em or lose 'em time, so I decided to spend it all at the C-Store. When I went there today, I had a list of things everyone wanted, and I think I did pretty well. Everyone got something- Mom, Dad, Trudy and her family, Christin and her family, Becky and Dustin (well, mostly Becky), Robert, and Robert's Mom. Not to mention me! In this one trip today I went from $450 down to $7. (Just to show you how high their prices are, I only had three plastic grocery bags and a backpack full of stuff.)

Thank you to everyone who helped me spend my money! Now, can you guess whose bag this is? I'll give you a big hint: it has AA batteries, AAA batteries, 9V batteries, a Butterfinger, Peanut M&Ms, Reese's, and Double Stuf Oreos. (The answer will be listed beneath the photo.)

If you guessed that it was Dad's bag, you are so right! I'm sure I'll be asking him for some of the batteries this summer, though. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Are you sick of them yet?

2010-04-28T14:40:00.003-05:00

I'm not! Here are a few more of our engagement pictures, probably the last set I'll post.

Rob's favorite pictures...

2010-04-27T00:35:00.003-05:00

So these are our funny pictures. These are the only pictures I specifically requested/brought anything for. I thought they would be funny and cute and very true to our relationship (You know, because I'm always saying "Rob, stop playing and pay attention to me" and "Rob, put down the controller and talk to me" and "Robert Barnes, are you choosing video games over me AGAIN?". You know. That's how it is.)

Anyways, I think they turned out hilarious, mostly because of the crazy faces he was making. And Robert loves them, too.

Finally, engagement pictures!

2010-04-26T15:04:00.003-05:00

After taking our e-pics over a month ago, I finally got to see them all today! I got the cutest package in the mail with a CD of edited pictures- all the way from Canada. Here are a few of our favorites.

Spring on Campus

2010-04-21T15:11:00.003-05:00

It's just gorgeous on campus this time of year. All of the trees are budding or blooming, the grass is coming up lush and green, and flowers are popping up all over the place. On my walk downtown yesterday I saw so many gorgeous flowers and trees, but I have to say that the most beautiful blooming trees are right here on campus. (Again, sorry for the camera phone pictures...I really need to just start carrying around my camera.)

Unfortunately, we're getting spring weather, too. It's been rainy and cloudy the past two weeks or so with only a few nice days. The temperatures aren't super low, though, and it's not snowing, so I'm happy with it!

What was in your Easter basket?

2010-04-20T23:29:00.003-05:00

I know Easter was a little while ago, but I just got around to taking these pictures off my camera. I had a wonderful Easter. I missed seeing everyone, but I got a few surprises in the mail that made me smile.

First, I got these:

Brand new tennis shoes! I so needed them, because my others were so old and worn that they had holes in them. You could see what color my socks were through my shoes. I love these shoes. They are so comfortable and nice. I've put them to good use with my workouts and other activities (like walking 2 miles to get a money order today).

I've been making so many animals that I ran out of stuffing, but Robert was sweet enough to buy some and send it to me. What I didn't know is that he stuck some other things in there, too! When I opened the box, there was a card and six large plastic Easter eggs full of Hot Tamales, Cow Tails, and little packets of Kool-Aid that you mix into a bottle of water. And the best part? A $20 gift card to Pizza Hut so I could have a break from eating in the cafeteria. Over block break I had this:

A large, thin crust, Pepperoni Lovers pizza with extra cheese. It lasted four meals and was the most delicious thing I've had in a long time. (I think Rob must have missed the memo about me trying to eat healthier and stuff. Oh well, I love him and his gifts anyway.)

It was a great Easter.

Mary had a little lamb...

2010-04-18T14:00:00.003-05:00

And now, so do I! I have been diligently working on animals for the booth I'm going to have in the Artist's Row at Llamapalooza on May 8th. I made this little guy by modifying a Japanese pattern. I particularly like how the fuzzy off-white yarn looks.

Sorry for the crappy picture quality- they're from my phone. I'm too lazy to get pictures off my camera. Once I do, however, I have a couple of very cool things to share.

It's the last day of the last block break of the year. I've had a very relaxing block break, and it has been so nice. Tomorrow I start Southwestern American Indian Music. I've had the professor before, and she's a sweet lady, as well as a pretty easy grader.

More than anything, though, I'm looking forward to coming home for the summer in just 3 1/2 weeks. Here's hoping they pass by quickly!

Ella has the best present-opening faces...

2010-04-15T15:46:00.003-05:00

I came across these when I was going through some photos earlier, and I just had to share. Hopefully they will make you smile as much as they made me. For those of you who weren't at Ella's birthday party back in March, she was this shocked/excited over every present. What a goof!

Can someone please have a baby...

2010-04-09T18:13:00.001-05:00

so I can crochet this?
Isn't it so cute? I found it in a crochet magazine and now I really want to make it. Except I have no one to make it for. And I'm supposed to be making animals for the craft fair. Oh well. Maybe someday.

Spring Break Fun

2010-03-24T15:07:00.007-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted these sooner. I've had them ready (edited, resized, etc) for a couple of days, I just haven't had the time to sit down and post. I've been crazy busy with a new class, getting things ready for the next craft fair on May 8th, and starting my new workout program.

Robert bought me Wii Active More Workouts, the sequel to the 30 day challenge I completed before. It has all new exercises, including some for your abs, which the other didn't have at all. After the first two days, my abs are killing me! Last night I woke up every time I moved in my sleep because I was so sore. This program is 6 weeks long, and I'm really enjoying it. It has fun things like water skiing and obstacle courses and squash.

Also, I've quit Project 365. I realized that all the pictures I've been taking here at school are boring and silly. I mean, who really wants to see a picture of a paper I wrote? Not me. I did get a ton of great photos while I was home, however. Here are a bunch of my favorites.

I did it!

2010-02-17T19:58:00.004-06:00

Today was my last workout of the Wii Active 30 Day Challenge! I'm so glad to be finished. If you know me, you know that I hate exercise. Unless, of course, it comes in a fun package like basketball or ice broomball or something like that. And as much as EA Active likes to pretend like it's a really fun Wii game and not just a workout, I think it's more of a workout. I completed the challenge on medium intensity. I'm taking a rest day and then starting the 30 day challenge again, this time on high intensity. Wish me luck!

On to P365...I've been crocheting, sometimes. I think this looks kind of like Bones from all the Mario games.
I've also been watching the Olympics! It's fun to sit and crochet and wish that I could figure skate or ski or bobsled or something.

I got these on Monday. They were supposed to be delivered on Saturday, but I wasn't home when they came by, so it was delayed. By the time I got them the ice pack had melted and the chocolate was about to start melting, too! You can see them sweating.

On my walk towards my last crochet lesson yesterday, I came across two deer in the middle of the road. They then jumped over a fence into someone's front yard, where they were eating birdseed that had fallen from a feeder onto the ground. They didn't even run away when I came right up beside them on the other sde of the fence. I got pictures on my phone of both of them, but this was the best one.

And here is the bones head in a completed project. It is a dog that I was making for Becky to give to someone. I hope you like it Becky!

Block break is here!

2010-02-12T23:26:00.004-06:00

Finally! It's been a very busy last week and a half or so. But now State and Local Government is over, and I'm enjoying a little break. I wrote something like forty pages during this block, with two essay tests and a major research paper, so I'm hoping next block won't have quite so much writing.

So now, let's catch up on P365. This should be my best friend, my favorite thing in my room. In case you can't tell, it's the controls for my heater, and in Colorado in February, heaters are needed. In this picture, it's turned up all the way, even past 5, but my room is STILL cold. Always. I can tell a difference between it being on 1 or 5, but it's just not enough. So I cuddle under blankets and wear socks and my comfy slippers.

I've spent a lot of time lately running around campus trying to get signatures for my off-campus study applications. This is in Barnes Science Center, where I was finally able to meet up with my advisor to get her signature. She teaches chemistry, but is also the head of the Southwest Studies department, which makes her busy and hard to find.

This is the best sight in the world for a college student- a care package addressed to them! I got this amazing package from Aunt Robin, and it was full of yummy snacks and other, more useful things.

Ugh. This is how my crocheting has been going lately. I'll translate a pattern, start working, and then become unsatisfied with how it's working out and just stop working on it altogether. I have probably five projects that I haven't completed just sitting on my desk. Some just have a few pieces complete and others are almost finished, like a duck that just needs her beak sewn on. I just have no motivation.

This is a typical night in my room- doing reading for class while sitting bundled up in my blanket in my comfy chair.

And the now typical outdoor scene- snow, snow, and more snow! This was Monday morning as I left class.

The best thing about being on the meal plan is being able to go by the C store and pick up anything you want. I had a big shopping trip on Tuesday, stocking up for block break in case the weather gets bad and I don't want to leave my room. I'm thinking about making bacon and egg tacos for breakfast tomorrow.

Getting ready for next block, I checked out my only book from the CC library. I've been very lucky this year and haven't had to buy many books. Instead, I check them out from the school library or request them from public libraries around here. Next block is Southwestern Arts and Culture, and our book is The Anguish of Snails. I'm a little put off by the title, but hopefully it's not too weird.

A few days ago, I got a call from a lady I'd met at the craft fair. She asked me if I'd be willing to come to her house and teach her and her two kids to crochet. Of course I said yes- I'm broke! Plus I love crocheting and kids. They live just down Tejon, so on Thursday I walked down there and we had our first lesson. It was much harder than I thought, but everyone seemed to enjoy it! I'm going back for a couple of hours Saturday morning, then again Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon. The family has the most adorable cat named Sneakers. He's black with white feet and is so sweet. It's really nice to be around kids and animals again.I got these in the mail today. Well, actually they were delivered to my building. Rob had told me he sent something, but that they would call him when they got here and he would call me, so that I could go outside and get it. They didn't call him. I heard some kids in the hallway walking past my door talking about a package outside at the front door, and I just KNEW it had to be mine, so I ran out there and sure enough, there it was propped up against the building. I'm so glad someone else didn't take them, and I have no idea how long they were out there. Once I opened it, I called Rob and was telling him how pretty they were. I sent him a picture and he called me back and said that they weren't what he ordered, so he's going to get in touch with the company and try to get some sort of refund, since he paid more for the other arrangement that I didn't get. I still think they're very pretty!

I'm excited to come home in only three and a half weeks. You guys should be ready for good times and LOTS of picture taking.

Full of energy...for now.

2010-02-02T15:05:00.004-06:00

[January 29] I adore this peacock. He took forever to make, and I lost my motivation a thousand times, but now that he's done I love him.
[January 30] This is how I spent my Saturday. Ever heard of Hidden Object Games? It's kind of like interactive I Spy on the computer, and I get sucked in for hours at a time. It's a bad, bad habit that will keep you (and by you I mean me) from getting anything useful or productive done!

[January 31] I should be doing something productive like digging myself out of the mountain of paperwork that is piling up around me. Class paperwork, applications, notes, tests, request forms...it just keeps stacking up and it's driving me crazy!

[February 1] As far as weather goes, it's been cold but beautiful here. Mornings are especially chilly, but it warms up a little by the time I get out of class and you get gorgeous views like this one. Those lights are the stadium lights over our soccer field. So when you're sitting in the stands, watching a game, you can look up and see this:

[February 2] So I did actually get something done...I sorted and detangled my yarn. I found this Sterilite container by the trash can here at the Inn, in perfect condition. It has the box that it slides into, too, I just thought you could see my organized yarn better this way. It's a big container and it fits all of my "good yarn" perfectly. Just seeing this makes me happy.

I hope everyone's doing well. I've got a ton of things to do in the next week and a half (and then this block is OVER!) so I might not post again until block break. I really need to finish up my two applications and figure out my Senior Capstone Project plans, not to mention a twenty page research paper and a huge final exam. Oh, and Megan's 21st birthday is on Sunday. Hopefully my energy will last until block break.

Snowy weather...

2010-01-28T22:14:00.004-06:00

I have a little time to spare, so I thought I'd get caught up. I don't really have any fanciful notions about posting every day or anything, but I figure the more I post the more I make some people (I'm talking to YOU, Mom!) happy.

Because I'm not on the meal plan, this is a view I see very often as I walk to Worner for dinner at night. The sun goes down behind the mountains around five, so it's always dark on my walk to dinner. And as much as the food in Rastall isn't amazing, they do have really yummy rolls for their "sliders". Instead of making full-size burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches, they now have a "slider bar" every day. I think it's pretty awesome. (Sorry about the crappy cell phone picture, I didn't have my real camera with me.) (January 27)
And this is what I woke up to this morning. It snowed over night and continued snowing off and on all day. It was very cold, as I'm sure you can imagine. This picture was taken from the steps of Palmer Hall as I left class around 12:00 pm. (January 28)

I met with the director of Off-Campus Studies today just after lunch. She was super enthusiatic about the Chicago program and about me going in my senior year. She said she thinks that is the best time to go because after spending so much time learning in the classroom you get to apply your knowledge in a real life setting. She was also very excited about the fact that I want to be a midwife, and gave me a lot of suggestions on things to read and places to check out to help with my Capstone Project for my major. Basically she was just amazing and so helpful. It makes me even more excited about everything!

Fuzzy headed...

2010-01-26T23:22:00.005-06:00

I have been busy lately, but my real reason for not posting sooner? I'm lazy. I just never want to take the time to actually post. I have been taking my P365 photos, though.

But, finally, here is the promised vegetable photo!

Right now, these may be my favorite Christmas present. (Or second favorite, actually. For a minute there I forgot about the computer. Oops.) But I'm constantly wearing my cozy new slippers because it has been so cold in my room!

And yep, I'm crocheting on a regular basis again. (Which you could probably tell by the cool Etsy sidebar I put up. Neat, huh?)

A little winter weather photo. I didn't realize until after the fact that the camera on my phone had a big smudge over it. Oh well.

More crocheting. I feel like this little puppy need a nose and mouth, but I can't decide what color they should be.

And I'm back to doing my Wii workouts! (Finally.) I'm not ashamed to say they're kicking my butt, either. I've been crazy sore from all the squats and lunges and, worst of all, inline skating. You crouch down and hold in a squatting position until a jump comes, and then you jump up, landing back in a squat. Over and over again. I hate it. But the rest of the routine is usually fun!

And a little twist on my usual crocheting- I've been using a bunch of free patterns I found. The only problem is that they're Japanese patterns. Written in Japanese. Which is where the fuzzy headedness comes in. However, they have charts with symbols, and once you memorize the symbols, it's not too difficult to translate. I've just been writing the patterns out in my pattern journal as I translate them. They're SO CUTE though, so I'll go through the effort it takes to get them. (I did add the heart in on this one. He was supposed to be holding a carrot.)

So that's basically all I've been doing. Except, you know, the super exciting news I have only told a few people. I'm applying for a domestic study abroad program (What an oxy-moron, huh?) in Chicago for this coming fall semester. It's an Urban Studies program and it just looks AMAZING. You can check it out at www.acm.edu/chicago. I really hope I get in, and if I do, I'll be a Southwest Studies major and an Urban Studies minor. Plus I'll spend four months living in Chicago. The application is due on Feb 10 on campus and March 15 at the ACM office, so I won't know for a while, but wish me luck now, anyways, if you'd like!

Settling in...

2010-01-19T23:26:00.003-06:00

It's good to be back on campus. Well, kind of. Of course I miss everyone at home, but it's good to get back into a more organized, scheduled pattern of life. Not as much fun, definitely, but less exhausting! So here are my P365 photos since my last post.

January 12- Rob and I celebrated his cousin Juanio's birthday with Juanio and his family and Pancho Villa. (Not a good idea, let me tell you. Almost everyone who drank it got sick, with the exception of me and Juanio's brother Justin.)

January 13- I ate this delicious, ginormous candy bar. (Ok, I forgot to take a picture until really late, and this is all I could come up with!)

January 14- Rob and I ate at this really yummy and unique restaurant in San Antonio.

January 15- Going away party at the Banda house.

January 16- Frozen pizza party at Mom and Dad's house.

January 17- My flight got delayed and I missed my connecting flight in Dallas. I had to take a later flight and I finally got to my room around 5 pm.

January 18- First day of class! I decided to get out of Foundations of Nonviolence and into State and Local Government.

January 19- Before class every morning we are required to read the New York Times. Luckily they have free copies in the building my class is in.

So that's basically how my life has been. I'm all unpacked and have started crocheting again because I'm in need of money. I've decided not to stress over getting off the meal plan and just stay on, which has prompted something crazy. Something you might not believe. I'm eating vegetables. Really, between yesterday and today I've had 9.5 servings of fruits and veggies. And only 3 of those were fruits! I've discovered that fresh baby spinach has no taste. And broccoli isn't THE most disgusting thing in the world. And I really do like carrots.

See? I told you that you wouldn't believe me. Just wait until tomorrow's photo of the day. I'll show you.

A new month...

2010-01-12T10:53:00.008-06:00

(And somehow I completely skipped December!)

A new month, a new year, a new decade. A time for new beginnings and great hopes. Here's mine.

Complete all aspects of P365.

What is P365? Well, it's a goal to take at least one picture every day, then scrap a layout of those pictures every week, so that at the end of this year I'll have 52 layouts that detail how my year was spent. I realize that interesting pictures will be more difficult to find once I return to school, but that just means I'll have to be more creative!

And since I have a little bit of time and a reliable internet connection today, here are my first eleven pictures of the year, beginning with January 1st, 2010.

A wonderful trip...

2009-11-29T19:39:00.006-06:00

So I'm back on campus after an amazing trip to Missouri. I flew into Kansas City on Tuesday evening and was met by Mark and Alex. (My flight got delayed for engine problems, and we had to get a new plane, so I got in around 11:30 pm rather than the projected 9:30 pm arrival time.) We drove to Gallatin, where Alex gave me her room for the duration of my stay. Do you know how good a comfortable bed feels after sleeping on a dorm room bed for three months? It was great.

On Wednesday I hung out with Alex and CJ all day, watching TV, playing Wii, and playing board games. Then we got up early Thursday morning and headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone was so surprised and happy to see me, and it was so great to see everyone. The food was awesome, too. We stayed there all day and then Alex and I headed home with Lisa.

We got up super early on Friday morning to go Black Friday shopping. We hit Walmart first, which was crazy packed. We ran into Aunt Penny, Cody, and Michelle there, which was kind of funny. I bought a new winter coat, since I don't wear the huge one I have. It was $15, but it's actually an outer coat and an inner coat (and the inner one is reversible) so you can wear it in pretty much any weather. We stayed in Columbia shopping all morning, and when we finally got back to Lisa's house we all took naps.

Friday night, we headed over to Tina's house for game night. I took this picture outside of Lisa's house.

It was an incredible sunset. Especially when I haven't seen a sunset in over three months. Here at school, the sun goes down behind the mountains, which is pretty, but doesn't really light up the sky with gorgeous colors.

At Tina's house, we had a ton of fun. We played games and talked and laughed and took pictures.

I met this sweet little girl. She's Brian's sister's daughter, and she was too cute.

(Can you believe how big Jacob is? I think he was still a toddler last time I saw him.)

And then Lisa with a halo. (I was pretending she was an angel. It did take a lot of imagination.)

On Saturday we got up and got ready to head back to Gallatin.

On the way, we picked up Madison, Tisha's gorgeous baby girl.

We also stopped by Andy and Michelle's house for another family get together/Thanksgiving dinner, with more great food. Then I said goodbye to everyone and we got on the road to Gallatin. Saturday night we played games, went out and ate fajitas for dinner, and took pictures of Madison.

(The face she makes for Lisa.)

(The face she makes for me.) :)

I think Madison looks a lot like Travis, but in this picture I think she looks a little like Grandma, lol.

This morning, Lisa, Madison, and I got up really early and headed for the airport. I had an uneventful flight home and am now back in my dorm room, not wanting to go to class tomorrow morning. Oh well. Only three weeks until I come home for Christmas! The craft fair is this weekend, so I'll be very busy this week.

I really want to thank everyone who made my trip to Missouri both possible and amazing, especially Aunt Lisa. I love you!

A crocheted cheeseburger?

2009-11-21T14:24:00.004-06:00

With the craft fair coming up so soon (only 13 days!) I really need to step up the crocheting. One reason I haven't been blogging so much lately is because I've been doing so much crafting. I did take a little break from craft fair stuff to work on some crocheted food that I'm trading to another crafter for some christmas gifts. First, a bowl of blackberries...
A bowl of strawberries...

A bowl of eggs...

A bowl of chicken nuggets...

A plump, juicy hot dog...

And the coolest part, in my opinion, a cheeseburger...

And here are all the pieces of the burger...

I still have some craft fair stuff to show you, though. These snowmen just make me smile. Their faces are so sweet!

A cool jellyfish...

I've actually made several jellyfish, but most of them look more like this guy with curly tentacles.

I created this little toad pattern in the dark while analyzing a movie in class one day, and I didn't know how he would really look, but I like it! His fat little belly is so cute.

Two colorful fish...

And a reindeer ornament. (See the yarn hanger?) I've done a snowman ornament, too.

So you see, I have been busy! I start a new class on Monday, a sociology class titled Inequality. I'm not super excited, but there really weren't any classes that excited me to choose from. With the budget cuts here on campus, many of the more fun classes or classes in smaller departments have been cancelled. So if I wanted to take a biology class, I would have lots of options, but if I wanted to take a Southwest Studies class, I only have one choice. (I thought about taking that class, but I've had the professor before and I didn't really like her.) Hopefully this class will turn out better than I'm expecting, though.

New hair...

2009-11-05T13:38:00.001-06:00

Tell me what you think because I still haven't gotten used to it!

(But don't you just love my posed picture fake smile?)

Back to writing patterns...

2009-11-02T14:03:00.003-06:00

I hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween! I know I did...there was a Halloween video dance party in the student center here on campus with free pizza and candy and two djs, karaoke, and five gazillion people all dressed up in crazy costumes. I saw at least 7 people dressed up as swine flu. :)

In addition to the Halloween festivities, this weekend I continued crocheting. I get bored with making the same things over and over, though, so I decided to create a couple new patterns. This dinosaur is a little bit of a remake of last year's dino, just improved (I think) and a little smaller. I was smart and wrote down the all the steps of the pattern as I went along, so I can make him and the other two again and again, exactly the same! I'm contemplating bright blue spots, what do you think?

He just looks like he's missing something...

Even though he is happy! (I wasn't sure how the pattern would turn out, so I didn't waste any of my safety eyes, I just used yarn. It doesn't look as good, but it's cheaper!)

I also whipped up this cute little butterfly. I think I want antennae, I'm just not quite sure how I want to do that.

And then this guy. He's my favorite. Maybe my favorite EVER. I just adore his sweet little face. He's the cutest thing I've seen/made in a long time.

Don't you think he's adorable?

And his cute little upturned tail...so sweet!

Ok, I'll admit it, I'm a little bit obsessed with him. (Do any of my brilliant nieces or nephews want to name him? I don't name everything, but he deserves one.) I almost want to keep him and not sell him. I'm already imagining all the different color combos I could make.

And lastly, the box is getting more full! I keep all my completed creations stuffed in this box. (Yes, there are some things in there that I haven't shown you all, like three little birds, six eggs/chicks, two lambs, two koalas, and more. I just can't update the blog every time I make something, or I would be posting every day. We wouldn't want that, now would we?)

Wish me luck this evening and tomorrow...I'm writing my first paper for this class, a 5-pager. Plus my professor is an English professor when he's not teaching Westerns and other film studies classes, so it needs to be a very well-written paper. Ugh. :)

If you thought the hedgehog was cute...

2009-10-30T14:40:00.004-05:00

Then you might think this guy is, too!

In case you can't tell, he's a beaver. And he is much cuter in person.

I also have two birds for you today, one little duckling...

And one fat penguin...

And two more cup cozies. I just really like making them. It goes fast, and I get to use the sewing machine!

We've been having cold, snowy, windy weather all week- hopefully it's nicer where you are! I started my new class, and I'm loving it. I enjoy the Westerns we're watching and my professor is hilarious. Also, he lets me crochet during class, and then I crochet when I'm watching the movie later on (normally in my room), so that's five hours of guaranteed crochet time five days a week. It's really helping me make some progress on my goal for things made for the craft fair.

What are everyone's plans for Halloween weekend? There's a ton of stuff going on around campus, and I'm sure I'll do some of it, like the free bbq's, three different haunted houses, and the big dance party tomorrow night. Everyone really goes all out for Halloween on campus, even if I don't. I'm meeting with Megan later to try to figure out cheap and easy to make costumes. We'll see. I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween and a great weekend!

Major happenings over Block Break...

2009-10-24T15:23:00.003-05:00

So, second block is over! I had a fabulous time mentoring kids at Harrison Alternative Schools, and I'm hoping to continue if I can get a ride over there a couple of times a week. Robert came to visit for block break (he actually just got in a cab to go back to the airport) and we had so much fun.

Wednesday night we hosted a little get together here at the CC Inn for some people from my class and whoever they wanted to bring. We had a taco bar and talked and watched tv for a while. It was really great. Then most of us drove over to the movie theater where we watched Zombieland. I don't like scary movies, and I thought it was going to be scary, but it wasn't at all. It was hilarious. We were all laughing through the whole movie.

Thursday night Rob and I went out to eat with one of his video game friends who lives in Denver. Chris drove down to meet us. I thought it would be weird since neither of us had ever met the guy and Robert just plays Final Fantasy with him, but it was great- really comfortable and fun. He seems like a really cool guy. We went to Phantom Canyon Brewing Company for dinner, a semi-fancy restaurant downtown with the "best billiards hall in town" on the second floor. The guys ate huge steaks and I had pork chops and then we went upstairs to play some pool and talk. It was a really fun night.

Yesterday, Rob and I met my friend Megan for lunch and we walked to Panino's (yes, Mom and Trudy, Panino's like we went to on vacation, only the one by campus). The food was great and we decided that since the weather outside wasn't too bad, we would go hiking. The three of us and Megan's friend, Bridget, piled into Bridget's roommate's car and we drove up Gold Camp Road. Gold Camp Road kind of winds up a mountain, and has tremendous views. You drive through tunnels built into the mountain and it was really cool. There was a lot of snow up there, too, and I was wishing I had brought my camera. After driving to the top we hiked up a trail to a gorgeous waterfall that had a bridge and overlook at the top. It was so pretty. You could see all of Colorado Springs in the distance. After heading back, we all separated for dinner and then met back up to go to a CC Tigers Hockey game. We beat Michigan Tech 4-1 and it was pretty loud and crazy the whole game. I was glad that Robert got to go see it. When we got back to campus, Rob and I hung out with Megan in Mathias (the upperclass dorm where she is an RA) and played pool. Then we walked back to the Inn.

Robert and I were just sitting around talking, I was whining about him having to leave so soon, and asking why he couldn't stay longer, when he pops out a ring and says, "Look, crybaby, will you marry me?" Evidently he had been planning this whole romantic thing, but since I wouldn't shut up and stop complaining, he just went for it. It was the most hilarious thing ever. No, we won't have some sweet story to tell our kids, but it was perfect for us. We're not some sappy, romantic couple. We're always joking around and making fun of each other, so why shouldn't his proposal reflect that? It makes me laugh every time I think about it. So, anyways, here's the ring. (You know me, I can't pass up the chance to play around in Photoshop!)

It's actually just a little big, so I'm currently wearing my other ring on top of it, turned around, so it won't slide off. In case you can't tell from the picture, it's white gold, not yellow.

And then here are a couple of things I've made since I last posted. I've actually made way more than this, but most of them still need a little finish work, like embroidering the mouth or cutting out felt for the face. I'm really behind now because I haven't made anything since Robert got here. I'm going to try to catch up today and tomorrow. Two adorable little piggies...

And one sweet turtle.

(Oh, and in case you were wondering, I'm taking "Topics in Film Studies/Southwest Studies: The Western" starting Monday.)

(By the way, happy first birthday, Daniel! I hope everyone had a great time at his party!)

Crafty Goodness

2009-10-11T14:39:00.003-05:00

In case I haven't told you yet...I adore my sewing machine. I love the idea of sewing and the process of sewing and the results of sewing. I love trying out new patterns and making up my own patterns and experimenting to see what I can make. I made this little apron yesterday. I'm not entirely sure on the sizing, but it's supposed to fit the 3-6 age range. Since I'd never made an apron before, I didn't use my most beautiful fabrics. It ties at the top and back.

This is what the pattern looks like.

It's completely reversible, but the back of this one is very plain.

I also made this pretty thing yesterday.

Doesn't it look nice? And it's lined with a coordinating color.

And this is what it actually is, a cup cozy. It's meant to be used on coffee cups, like from Starbucks or something, so you don't have to use the cardboard sleeves. You can just reuse this instead.

And I'm still popping out the animals. A trip to Hobby Lobby last week set me up on yarn, so I'm just working on making stuff for the craft fair in a couple months.

Aren't these little guys cute?

And who can resist crocheted food? Pumpkin pie with whipped cream...yum!

And lastly, a simple ice cream sandwich.

Happy First Birthday, Nico!

2009-10-02T19:48:00.003-05:00

I can't believe Nico is already one, but he is! I'm so jealous of everyone who gets to be at his party tomorrow. I'll be thinking about all of you!

So, because it's Nico's birthday, I made Ari a skirt. :) Really, I just wanted to see if I could make a skirt, and I had some purple fabric, which just happens to be Ari's favorite color. I called an expert for some advice on what to add to the skirt, and Ella suggested I make a rainbow skirt. That sounded a little more complicated than I'm capable of, so Ella said I should just put a butterfly about to land on a bow. Well, I got the butterfly, at least! The fabric is really a nice purple color, it just isn't showing well.

I made this tote/purse a few days ago, I just hadn't taken pictures of it yet. The white dots are actually hearts.

Inside it has a pen pocket...

...and a regular pocket!

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and whether you're at Nico's birthday party, Will and Megan's wedding, or hunting at Mom and Dad's, know I wish I was there, too! (Okay, maybe not actually hunting, but hanging out in the house.)

Stuffies, Plushies, Softies...

2009-09-26T14:00:00.002-05:00

They have many names, but really they're just sewn stuffed animals. Here are a couple I made last night and this morning.

One sweet owl.

One cool robot.

I've found tons of really awesome free patterns on the internet, but most of them are for more complicated animals that require a printed pattern, ironed pieces, and lots of exact measurements. Well, I don't have a printer or an iron, and I HATE measuring, so I just made these guys! I really just drew on the fabric and then cut out the shapes, so they're nowhere near perfect, but I love them. They're much larger and faster to make than my crocheted animals, and they're super cuddly.

I bought something really cool...

2009-09-25T15:17:00.005-05:00

but before I get to that, let me just say that the show on Tuesday went great, and then on Wednesday I had an amazing birthday! A ton of people showed up at the show, one of them being the head of the Studio Art department. After seeing all of our work, he told Jeanne (my professor) that we really need to do an actual exhibit. So for the first week of fourth block, our work will be displayed in Coburn Gallery, which is on campus in Worner Center. I didn't realize how big of a deal Coburn is, but evidently it's pretty exclusive, so we're all really excited.

Here are a couple of pictures of my final project. The outer panels are gold and orange cotton thread woven in a honeycomb pattern. I dyed the gold myself. The inner panel is Italian silk, which I dyed gold and brown (ish) in a pattern using a Shibori resistance technique. I then embroidered stems with brown yarn onto the woven pieces by hand. The piece is approximately 2 feet by 2 yards. I really like how it came out. It is viewable on both sides, and the honeycomb pattern creates a really cool raised pattern on the other side.

You can really see the honeycomb pattern in this picture, plus, you can tell that I was continuing the stem from the silk onto the weaving.

On my birthday, I went to class in the morning to clean the studio and do our final critique, then went home and took a nap! This block really sapped my energy. I met up with a few of my friends, and we went out to Red Robin for dinner (This wasn't my choice, but it was still yummy!). I ordered a plain cheeseburger and got one with EVERYTHING, so I had to wait a really long time for them to make me a new one. That was kind of annoying. I ordered my very first drink, and Ashleigh took a picture with her iPhone of me and it. (Sorry for the horrible quality!) It was called Sand in Your Shorts, and it was pretty good.

The Red Robin people came and sang to me, and brought me a TINY ice cream sundae that we all shared. Then we went back to Susanah's apartment and watched So You Think You Can Dance before going over to Bemis to watch Glee with a bunch of people. After that we went out to Mimi's Cafe for dessert. Megan and I split the really huge triple chocolate brownie and vanilla bean ice cream. We went back to Ash's house (she's the RA for Ticknor, the sub-free house), and watched a scary movie. By the time it was over, it was super late and cold and I was creeped out, so I slept on the couch at Ticknor instead of walking all the way home.

Yesterday I was browsing the Craigslist Arts and Crafts section when I saw that someone had posted a ton of fabric and sewing stuff for $27. I emailed the lady, and she emailed back saying it was still available. So I called her and asked if she could possibly deliver it since I don't have a car. She said she could do that for $5. We were talking about how I was just starting to learn how to sew, and I said I was looking for a cheap used sewing machine. Surprisingly, she was the owner of a thrift store, and they had a machine she thought would be perfect. So last night she brought over all the stuff and the machine, and after seeing it I decided to buy it because it is exactly what I was looking for and was only $35.

The boxes of sewing stuff had been donated, but not sorted through at all, and there was all kinds of cool and crazy stuff in there. Some things I found: pictures from a wedding in 1984, artificial sinew, a Singer sewing machine buyers certificate and receipt from 1939, a child's tooth in an envelope that says "Ian's tooth, Age 7", fabric paint, sequins, buttons, elastic, tons of supplies to make earrings and dream catchers (and dream catcher earrings), fabric, embroidery hoops, glitter, measuring tools, and basically anything you could possibly need to start crafting. The only things missing and that I still would like to get are oil for the machine, a nice pair of sewing scissors, interfacing, and a seam ripper.

Everything came in these nice plastic storage containers, too.

My machine is a Singer 1120, which is a very basic model, but I love it. It's perfect for what I need it to do and it works great so far.
Since Christin asked me a few days ago to make her a little wristlet purse, I thought I would get some practice in. I made this little envelope clutch last night. It has a strap I could attach to make it a wristlet, but I forgot to sew it into the seam and now I don't think it would look great sewn to the outside.

The inner fabric is light blue with bows. If anyone wants this, just say so and you can have it. Also, if you want the strap sewn on I can do that.
This morning I was browsing the internet looking for free sewing patterns, and I found one that promised to be a one hour purse, so I tried it. I really love how it turned out, even if it did take me longer than an hour.

Yes, it is the same brown fabric as the other one, I just really like that fabric for purses. In this picture you can really see the bright pink pattern of the lining and the buttons on the straps.

Inside there is a little pocket, and my phone is demonstrating how it works. The phone isn't pushed all the way down into the pocket, if it was you wouldn't be able to see it. Oh, and Mom has already said she wants this purse, so it's hers.

So, does anyone else have anything they need sewn? I'm trying to practice as much as possible so I can get great very fast.

I hope everyone has been having as great a time as me the past few days. I'm enjoying my block break and I start my next class, Mentoring At-Risk Youth, on Monday. Sorry this was so long, I guess I just had a lot to say!

(Christin- I forgot to take those pics of different fabrics that I said I would, I'm so sorry! Also, if you want to send me some pictures of styles of wristlets that you like, that would be great.)

No pictures today...

2009-09-22T10:16:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to post really quickly before class. Tomorrow is my last day of this class! I'm so sad. I wish I could just do this every block. Our final projects are due today at one, because we're having a show tonight from 5-7 pm with a couple of other art classes. It will be fun to show other people our work. I've been spending incredible amounts of time in the studio working on my project so I'll be happy to finish it up this morning. Yesterday I was in the studio from 9:30 am to 11:15 pm with only a 2 hour lunch/resting break.

In other news, it's COLD up here! Yesterday the high was in the 40s and it was sleeting on my way to class. In class it actually started snowing a little. It's supposed to be cold for the next few days, so send warm thoughts my way! I hope everyone has a great day!

Only a week late!

2009-09-17T20:28:00.006-05:00

I know I promised these pictures a week ago, but somehow it never happened until today. (And you can thank Trudy for me actually posting today!) The pieces are a little out of order.

This was actually my third woven piece, my first attempt at tapestry weaving. This is the technique used for most Native American rugs. Believe me, it takes FOREVER. Much longer than traditional weaving.

This was my second piece, a twill sampler. We were experimenting with different types of twill and the color effects they produce. Here's a close up of the twill pattern.

This piece and the next one are one yard long. This was my very first piece of woven fabric. I was thrilled with how it turned out. This is a close up of the pattern in one of my batiks. Here's the whole thing, with unfinished edges because I'm not sure what I'm doing with it yet. Batik #2, a close up of the design. And I have been crocheting, too!

Since I took these pictures, I've also completed a surprise for Mom, a surprise for Dad, two marbling samples, and one shibori sample. Right now I'm gearing up for my final project, a 2 foot by 6 foot wall hanging. I have an amazing plan and I can't wait to share the results with you.

For my final project, I'm going to incorporate some more Shibori resistance dyeing, and I've started practicing on silk scarves. They're about 12 inches by one yard. If you'd like a shibori dyed scarf, tell me what color you want and I'll make you one! Tell me quick, though, because I hope to finish up all my dyeing in the next two days.

I hope everyone's having as much fun as I am!

Old Pictures and New News

2009-09-09T18:28:00.011-05:00

Here are some of my favorites from Garden of the Gods...

Trudy liked to carry Nico around all day. (Or maybe not.)

Mom and I liked to look cute in a picture together.
Egan liked to play in the dirt. Trudy liked to take pictures of herself like this.

Now for the news...I got off the meal plan! After an entire summer of trying, it finally happened. And I'm not entirely sure how. I still kind of think it may be a mistake. But hey, I'm going to take advantage of it! I'm going grocery shopping this evening for actual food.

I've been very busy with my class lately- like 6+ hours a day. It's alright though, because I love it, and I don't have a job (yet). I'm making all kinds of cool stuff, both in class and out. Trudy mentioned that y'all haven't seen anything lately, so I took some pictures. I'm hoping to get them posted here tonight or tomorrow.

I'm enjoying the nicer weather...most days it's in the 70s and sun shiney. My friend Pidgeon and I are sort of, kind of planning a birthday celebration (we share a birthday). We've talked about it a tiny bit while weaving side by side. I think I'm going to try to crochet her a pigeon. Speaking of birthdays, Robert turned 21 last Thursday! So happy late birthday to him.

I'm still loving my room, and tolerating the long walk to class. Tomorrow is a work day, with no actual class, so I plan to be in the studio all day long. I'm working on a very special surprise for Mom, and I love how it's turning out already. (By the way, if you don't already know this, the studio is in the basment of Worner Center, and we don't have cell reception, so if you call and get my voice mail, please leave a message so I know you called.)

I hope everyone else is doing just as well as I am.

Happy Birthday, Christin!

2009-08-31T17:19:00.006-05:00

I hope you have a wonderful day! Enjoy playing with your present!

Here's a little guy I made before class this morning. And just to get a sense of how tiny he is...

It's sushi!

No, wait a second...

It's a fish! Lol. I had a lot of fun making this cool toy.

My first day of class went very well. I still can't quite believe that it's a class. It's just fun, I think.

Now that I'm back at school...

2009-08-30T13:20:00.007-05:00

I have time to catch up with the blog! Here are some pictures from the past few weeks.

Robert and I vacationed in Houston for a few days, going to the zoo, all kinds of museums, and NASA, among other places. We had so much fun.

Here are a few pictures from the Colorado vacation...I have hundreds, so this is really just a start.

(That's my hand, lol.)

I spent most of the day yesterday settling in to my room. I really love it. The room itself is HUGE, so much bigger than anything I've had so far at CC.

This is my entry way/closet area.

Notice the AC unit! And the giant fridge! Okay, it isn't really giant, but it's twice the size of the ones I've had in the past two years. This is my super comfy recliner that I bought at a thrift store for $9.99. I set up my yarn on one side and my stuffing on the other, so I'm ready to sit down and create! This is the view out my window. No, it's not mountains, but it's still pretty cool. Can you read it?
And then this morning I sat in my comfy chair and made this super cute little guy. He's a baby harp seal, and he could use a name if you feel inclined to make suggestions! (Sorry for the not so great pictures of my room and the seal, it's cold and rainy and overcast outside today so I don't have very much natural light coming in.)

I need all the good thoughts/luck you can spare this week...classes start tomorrow, and then I have a job interview on Tuesday, so throw me some good wishes, please!

Birthdays, Photo Shoots, and Parties...

2009-08-05T09:57:00.007-05:00

Here are some pictures from the last week. Hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

On Saturday, before Egan's party, Ella and I took a break for a little photo shoot. I got mostly crazy, silly faces, but in between all of those I got a few sweet smiles.

Trudy made an incredibly cute dinosaur cake for Egan's birthday. And we all pitched in to make this yummy and very photogenic fruit salad. Ella is showing off the volcano that we used for the "Pitch the Dino into the Lava" game. During Egan's party, the bigger kiddos were brave enough to go down the slide into the kiddie pool, but they all had pretty funny faces! Daniel loved the water, too. Egan opened a gazillion presents.

And then, yesterday, for Egan's birthday, we had lemon cupcakes. Here he is waiting patiently...

Still waiting... And then the happy birthday boy with three candles in his cupcake. Blowing out the candles... Finally, eating his cupcake. A perfect ending to a great birthday.

What I've been up to...

2009-07-13T08:28:00.009-05:00

I've been doing so much fun stuff lately that I haven't had time to post on the blog. But here are pictures from a few of our adventures lately.

Nico went caving with us at Wonder World.
Robert got expensive new glasses. (Check the brand on the side. They're Burberry. Lol.) We all fed the deer at Wonder World. (That's Ella's hand.) We saw this baby deer at Wonder World, too. Nico got cuter and cuter every day. And cuter. And cuter.

Ella got sillier and sillier every day.

And sillier. And sillier. (She gets that from her Aunt Lisa.) I saw some pretty cool fireworks with Mom and Dad in Bastrop on July 3rd. The show wasn't very long, but it seemed like everyone in Bastrop showed up to watch. I hung out with Trudy's family at the farm on July 4th. Nico showed off his crazy face.

Then Trudy and Nico decided to pose for me.

We all swam in the kiddie pool. Ella and Egan really loved it. (You can see it in the background of this picture.) We shot off fireworks in a big parking lot. And Nico slept right through most of it. Even when my flash went off in his face.

Dijar was the fireworks coordinator, and we all just sat and watched the show.

We all enjoyed the extra large sparklers. The kiddos...

...and the adults.

Christin and her kiddos came over for a play date last week. Daniel really enjoyed this photo shoot. Egan was mean mugging me. But he made up for it with this sweet smile.

Ari and Ella posed for me.

And Daniel just kept smiling for the camera. I even got Robert to pose for a few minutes. Last Saturday, Mom, Dad, and I went out to dinner with Christin's family, then all went out to the Quicksand Farm Squaredance afterwards, where we met up with Becky and Dustin, Trudy's family, and a couple hundred other people. Daniel was still grinning.

Becky and Ella smiled sweetly for me.

And made crazy faces just for Aunt Lisa. Becky couldn't resist Daniel's cute smile, either. Ella took this nice picture of Becky. She is one talented 4 year old photographer.And of course, another crazy face from Ella.

I hope everyone else has been having as much fun as I have! Enjoy the pictures.

And even more...

2009-06-22T09:20:00.002-05:00

Layouts, that is!

Kit is Outside the Lines by MandaBean and Robin Carlton, available here.
Kit is Cinemania by MandaBean and Lauren Grier, available here Kit is Passing Notes by Double Dutch Designs, template is from Digital Scrap Cafe's template challenge. Both are available here. Kit is Believe by Sabrina's Creations, available here. Kit is Colorful Summer by Anita's Designs and Sabrina's Creations, available here.

Catching up on some scrapping...

2009-06-19T17:33:00.003-05:00

I've been busy with some amazing kits from my creative teams lately, here are some of my latest layouts.
Kit is Girls Rule, Boys Drool by MandaBean, Lauren Grier & Shawna Clingerman, available here. Kit is Slice of Summer by Amanda Heimann and Megan Turnridge, available here.

Kit is Pixie Perfect Designs' Doodly Spring, available here.

Kit is Pixie Perfect Designs' A Lil Bit Rock, available here. (I actually got Layout of the Day at Enchanted Studio Scraps with this one!) Kit is Digital Scrap Cafe's June Designer Collab, Birthday Girl, available here. Kit is Xtreme Lil Dude by Amanda Heimann and Tracie Stroud, available here. Kit is A Princess and Her Pet by MandaBean and Lliella Designs, available here. Kit is Easy, Breezy, Beautiful by MandaBean and Libby Weifenbach, available here.

I'm a bad, bad blogger.

2009-06-11T09:07:00.003-05:00

But every now and then I'll actually post! Here are a few layouts from the past little while.

Kit is Amanda Heimann and Ziggle Design's Surfer Dude, from the Beach Collection, available here.

Kit is Amanda Heimann and Ziggle Design's Hula Princess, from the Beach Collection, available here.

Kit is MandaBean and Julie Billingsley's Children at Play, available here.

Okay, so this isn't all of them...

2009-05-27T09:21:00.006-05:00

But here are some super cute pictures from the past couple of weeks. I'm not posting any of Ari's birthday yet because I want to steal some of Mom's pictures first. I think she got way more great pictures than I did.

Just hanging out at the house:

At the park:

On the monkey bars:

Layouts today, pictures tomorrow.

2009-05-26T08:11:00.004-05:00

Maybe. We'll see. I do have tons of adorable pictures from the past little while, including from Ari's Birthday Splash Party. But until then, here are the layouts I did last weekend.

This layout uses Pixie Perfect Designs' kit, Summer Love, available here. The picture is of Ella pulling Egan and Nico in the wagon at the park.

This layout uses Pixie Perfect Designs and A+ Designs collab kit, Enchanted Sea, available here. The pictures are from the morning of Ari's birthday party when she and I were playing in the pool.

This layout layout uses Digital Scrap Cafe's May Collab, My Mother, available here. The picture is from a Nico photo shoot I did over Spring Break.

This layout uses Cintia Tavares' Moment kit, available here. This picture is from a Nico photo shoot last week.

This layout uses Minicake Designs' Spring Time kit, available here. The pictures are from a trip to the farm a couple of Sundays ago.

This layout uses Laurie's Scraps' Summer Fun kit, available here. These pictures are from Ari's Birthday Splash Party.

The layout uses Minicake Designs' Sleep Tight kit, available here.

This layout uses Cintia Cafe's Under the Sea kit, available here. The word art is from MandaBean's new wordart pack, And I Quote...Smiles, available here. This picture is from the day before Ari's party, when we were getting everything ready outside.

Heading home today...

2009-05-13T12:15:00.002-05:00

I can't wait to see everyone. Don't be surprised if I show up on your doorstep in the next couple of days!

Nico

2009-05-12T16:28:00.009-05:00

And this is the last of my favorites! Hope you all have enjoyed them!

Ari

2009-05-11T12:57:00.006-05:00

Today is Ari's day! Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T13:24:00.006-05:00

Today is Ella's day, but first I wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers I know, especially my own. I hope you all have an amazing day and realize how much you are appreciated and loved.

(Kit used is Digital Scrap Cafe's May Collab, My Mother, available here.)

And now some pictures of Ella.

Daniel

2009-05-09T14:32:00.009-05:00

Today is Daniel's day, but first I have a few layouts from the past few days. This one uses Amanda Heimann's collab with Eve Kipler, A Mojito Kinda Day, and her Polka Brights paper pack, available here in Amanda's store.
This one uses Ju Oliveira's This Life Is Fun, and Amanda Heimann's Linen Closet paper pack. Ju's kit can be found here. Template is from Pixie Perfect Designs' Lil' Bit Layered Template Set, available here.

This layout uses Laurie's Scraps' Life's a Beach, available here.

This one uses EliNa Designs' Mother's Day kit, available here. This layout uses Ladybug Pages Spring Fling kit, available here. This template is also from Pixie Perfect Designs' Lil' Bit Layered Template Set. And now some more pictures of Daniel. :)

(Becky, I got your pictures fine, and I know that Mom did, too. I just didn't reply. Sorry! But thank you so much for sending them, it was great to see more recent pictures of the kiddos.)

Egan

2009-05-08T19:18:00.008-05:00

I know I haven't posted much this week, but I've been busy. (Isn't that always my excuse?) I do have some layouts to share, but I'll probably do that tomorrow. I've had a lot to do lately, since the end of the year is next Wednesday. I still have to clean, pack, take everything to storage, do a ton of homework, write an essay, take a final, and create and perform a 5-6 minute skit in class. Once I get all of that done, though...I'll be home!

We had room selection this past week, and I officially have a room for next year. I'll be living in the CC Inn, which is just off campus and is a converted motel. In the summer it is a motel, actually. The best part about the CC Inn is that the rooms are huge, and each room has it's own bathroom. My room next year, including the bathroom, is 220 square feet. I measured my room from this year, and it's about 110 sq ft, so next year my room will be double the size.

I have more pictures (like a ton!) so I've decided to feature one kid a day and post what is left of my favorites of them. Today is Egan's day. His was the very first picture when I opened the folder.

(I'll be home in 5 days!)

I'm a winner!

2009-05-04T14:53:00.005-05:00

Holy moly! This past weekend was fantastic! A lot of digital designers were hosting giveaways for NSD, and I completely scored. Here are some of my winnings...

This adorable kit: The Cow Jumped Over the Moon by Pink Peacock Designs.

I won two different $5 girft certificates to Julie Marie's store. Here's some of what I picked up from her.

Rain Rain (a collab with Paula Duncan)

Spring Is Coming

Earth Wings #2

I won a $10 gift certificate to Connie Prince's store. I'm still waiting for a code, but I think I'm going to pick up these guys...

Spring It On

Desperately Seeking Spring

Mr. Roboto

This super cute collab by Pamela Donnis and Amy Sumrall, Lottie Dottie.

The ScrapDish May '09 Collab, Tropics Hideaway.

Miss Tiina (yes, with two i's) gave away her store to SIX incredibly lucky winners. Sadly, I was not one...but she surprised everyone and gave a $10 gift certificate to everyone who entered the giveaway. Here's what I got from her.

Hooty Coo

Splendor Pop

I won my choice of kits from Dunia Scraps, and I chose Mixed Emotions.

I also won my choice of kits from Ariane Rezende, and I chose Lovely Garden.

I won my choice of kits from Gina Miller Designs, and I chose Hop! Skip! Jump!.

Do you see a common theme in most of these? Lol. I love bright colors. I think that's everything I won, but man, I also downloaded SO MANY freebies. I mean, like gigabytes. Yikes!

Now I just have to find time to scrap. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Can I just tell you really quickly...

2009-05-01T11:52:00.001-05:00

How excited I am about this class? I was just looking at my schedule for next year and realized they had posted a description...does this not look like the coolest class ever?

110 Topics in Studio Art. An introduction to studio practice through the study of some specific aspect or topic.

Block 1:
Topics in Studio Art: Fiber Arts. Basic techniques in fiber arts with an emphasis on such concepts as transparency, texture, form, pattern, and color. Exploration of both on-and-off loom processes: weaving, dyeing, (including Batik and Shibori), basketry, knitting, felting, and stitching. Prerequisite: Materials Fee $30. 1 unit — Steiner.

I can not wait!!

National Scrapbooking Day

2009-05-01T09:35:00.004-05:00

It's tomorrow! Although I think it should really be called International Scrapbooking Weekend, as scrappers from all over the world are celebrating, and the celebration lasts all weekend.

What is the celebration? Well, in digi-land, there are sales and crops and contests and freebies galore. Pretty much everyone is celebrating with a sale, and every major digital scrapbooking site is hosting contests with all kinds of amazing prizes. Many digital designers have new items all set to come out over the next few days. (You want to know what's going on this weekend? Check out Michele's blog. She was kind enough to create a running list of all the events and sales going on this weekend.)

So now it's time for my news. I've been asked to join the combined creative team of Robin Carlton and MandaBean! These chickies just rock my world with their designs, and together they are releasing three new products tomorrow, for NSD. But I got to work with these earlier this week, and let me tell you- they are AWESOME! Here are the layouts I was holding out on you.

(The above layout uses Robin Carlton and MandaBean's brand new, as yet unreleased collab Once Upon a Toy. Yes, I stole the pics from Trudy's blog. They were perfect!)

(The above layout uses Robin Carlton and MandaBean's brand new, as yet unreleased collab Life Bright.) (The above layout uses Robin Carlton and Christy Lyle's brand new, as yet unreleased collab Fresh Cut Blooms.)

All of these kits and many, many more will be released tomorrow at Sweet Shoppe Designs. (Also, I've heard some hints about an amazing sale at SSD...)

Okay, I'm off to take a test and finish off my school week. Have a great weekend, everyone!

(p.s. I'll be home in 12 days!)

Two for the road...

2009-04-30T09:45:00.002-05:00

Just a couple of layouts for you this morning, before I head off to class.

This layouts uses Brooke's Designs and Kiki's Designs collab, Circle Crazy, available here.
This layout uses Cintia Taveres' Garden Kit, available here.

Egan + Cupcake + Ice Cream = Funny Pictures

2009-04-29T09:26:00.003-05:00

A funny post...

2009-04-28T13:36:00.007-05:00

I know I promised pictures every day or something like that, and I have plenty of pictures, I'm just too lazy to post every day. Anyway, so today I'm going to post my favorite funny pictures from over spring break. I hope they make you laugh, too.

Enjoy!

(^^I asked her to make a serious face.^^)

(^^I asked him to smile.^^) (^^Could this picture be any worse? Or any more hilarious? Just look at their faces!^^)
Tomorrow I have a hilarious pictorial for you. I left out all of these pictures because they are all funny, and they'll be even better by themselves.

Have you seen Becky lately?

2009-04-27T23:06:00.002-05:00

Because I have...and she is bee-you-tee-ful!

(Okay, I haven't really seen her lately. This is a picture from Ella's birthday party.)

What I accomplished over the weekend...

2009-04-27T09:45:00.003-05:00

Besides a ton of homework, I did quite a few layouts. Here are some I can show you today. (There are a couple more that will have to wait until Friday...and come along with a fun surprise. Did you know Saturday is National Scrapbooking Day?)

You may not notice, but these layouts have a much more clean and simple style than I normally do...and I really like it. What do you think?

(Kit is Little Wonder by Kiki's Designs, available here at Digital Scrap Cafe.)

(Kit is Digital Scrap Cafe's April Mega Collab, Jungle/Safari Fever.)

(Kit is a collab between Kiki's Designs and Brooke's Designs, A New Spring Fling.)

(This last one was my favorite. I really love it. Kit is Scooty's Designs' Fresh Spring.)

TGIF, y'all.

2009-04-24T13:20:00.003-05:00

No, seriously. I am so thankful that it is the weekend! This week was difficult. Adjusting to a new professor, with a new accent, and a new way of teaching...plus we were learning new things that we hadn't had any experience with, which is something that hadn't happened for me yet in this Spanish class. We had a test today, and I don't think I did very well. I meant to get up early this morning and study, but in my sleep deprived state I turned off the alarm and slept for another 40 minutes, so my studying time was shorter than I wanted it to be. Oh well.

On the other hand...I joined the creative team for the Digital Scrap Cafe, an awesome digital scrapping store full of great designers. Their forums and challenges are also amazing. I still have plenty of pictures to scrap, but if you all want specific pics that you have scrapped by me, just email them to me and I'll do it. I'm having so much fun with this lately.

Amanda Heimann released a super cute new kit today, Short and Stout. It's the perfect kit for tea party pictures, but I didn't have any of those! When you buy the kit, you also get templates for card, tea box and tag hybrid projects and layered tea set shape templates. Here's a layout I did with this kit last night.
p.s. I'll be home in 19 days!

Brothers

2009-04-21T14:14:00.002-05:00

Here's a little bit of happiness to cheer everyone up after yesterday's glum post! (Layout uses Amanda Heimann's Magical Vacation and I Sea.)

Know what else makes me happy? Pam Tillis. "Maybe It Was Memphis", "Spilled Perfume", "Let That Pony Run", "All the Good One Are Gone"...I love it. That's what I'm listening to right now! Have a great day guys!

Do you know what is annoying?

2009-04-20T16:05:00.004-05:00

Applying for job after job after job and never hearing anything. Nothing at all. Not even, yes, we received your application. Not even, I'm sorry, we've already hired someone for this position. It's so frustrating, because then I have to start looking all over again.

Seriously, every day I look on the internet for a summer job. Every day. Why is this so difficult?

If anyone knows of a someone that's hiring, let me know. I'll take just about anything, FT, PT, weekends, whatever. I just need money.

Crazy Colorado Weather...

2009-04-17T12:07:00.003-05:00

I know everyone says that where they live has crazy weather. And I think that's because weather is so unpredictable- there can be crazy weather everywhere. But Colorado weather is something else. It's the extremes that get to me.

Two days ago, it was beautiful and sunshiny, in the low 70s. A perfect spring day. Yesterday, it was drizzly, and we had 2 hours of very loud thunder, but no real rain. And then, out of the mostly clear blue sky, it started hailing. The hail kept falling for quite a while. After the hail, it started really raining. And this morning? I wake up to all kinds of snow everywhere and more snow still falling. I'm telling you- Colorado has some crazy weather.

I'm just sitting inside watching it out the window, though, because I have no reason to leave my rooom! The crocheting is going well, but I still have a lot more to do. I did one layout yesterday, using Pixie Perfect Designs' Toddler Time: Boy, which is brand new and will be available here in Holly's store soon.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

I'm addicted...

2009-04-16T12:29:00.004-05:00

to jigsaw puzzles. Online jigsaw puzzles. I keep playing and playing and playing.

Today is the first full day of 7th block break. I plan to just hang out in my room and crochet and rest for the whole break. I'm working on some finger puppet orders, and I hope to have 20 puppets done by the end of Sunday. Right now I have 4 done! Only 16 more...

So Amanda Heimann has teamed up with Ziggle Designs once again to create a GORGEOUS collab. It's available here in Amanda's store, and is called With a Cherry on Top. Here's a layout with this great kit! I love this kit, this layout, and this picture. Just fantastic.

Oh, and guys? I'll be home in 27 days.

Today is...

2009-04-14T11:59:00.002-05:00

my oral final for this block! I'm a little nervous, but it's not too bad. I think I'll do well.

Here are some more pictures from March 12 (I edited all of these the other night, but none from any other day- that's why all I'm posting are from March 12!)

Happy Belated Easter!

2009-04-13T10:52:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Easter! I'm excited about this week...only 3 days of class and then BLOCK BREAK! Not that I have any plans, I really don't, but it'll be nice to get a little break from school.

Here are a few layouts I've been working on lately. This one uses Mandy Mystique's kit Peachy Keen, available here. It was for a challenge at ESS- I had to use the word "Family" somewhere on my page. I really like the picture, too.

This one uses Amanda Heimann Designs' collab with Eva Kipler Designs, I Sea. I Sea was just recently released at Scrap Orchard, you can check it out here. I love this kit. It is perfect for beach pics or swimming pics or Sea World pics (which is what I have!).

This one is for another challenge at ESS- we had to use these lyrics on our page. I'm kind of iffy about this layout. I'm not sure I really like it. But anyways, it uses Pixie Perfect Designs' Hopes and Dreams kit, available here.

And now a few pictures! These are all from March 12 and are all of Egan and Nico! Hope they make you smile!