Warning: Picture intensive 05.10.2009

So, I’ve had the camera out since I got a huge pack of AA batteries and I’ve been snapping pictures of everything to try and get caught up.  So, here we go!

First, the craft room.

So this is from the door to the room.  On the wall with the window with lovely homemade curtains, I plan to put a shelf for all those totes of fabric you see.  Then I have my eye on an antique rocker I saw at a shop and will put that in the empty corner. And this picture shows my laptop and also the cabinet that stores my patterns and my sewing machine when not in use.

And finally, my yarn storage.  It’s still a bit of a mess at the moment, as I need another cube kit to have enough cubes to go up another row, but still it works for now.  100 points to everyone who spots the rump in this picture.

I promise, no porn, I just have no control over where Magnus decides to roam when I take pictures.

Now, on to my latest sewing creation.  An apron!  I did not understand the power in an apron til I made on.  I didn’t know how much I would get done wearing one!

Next, my gardening!

So, first is my three rows of vegetable garden.  It’s just been tilled, is full of rocks, roots, and pieces of brick from the construction of the house and needs a lot of work.  Instead of figuring out where to toss all of this, I’m simply lining it up along the edge of the beds to make an edging.  Actually doesn’t look half bad either.  As of yesterday, I have some Salad Bowl variety lettuce and spinach coming up.  No word on the sunflowers, peas, zucchini, or cucumber, and due to an abundance of nonstop rain, my tomato plants are still in a pot. But you will see in the second photo that my lavender is coming up now!  There are actually four plants now.  Also I have one teeny Stevia plant coming up.  It’s too tiny right now to get a decent picture, but as it gets bigger, I’ll take a photo.

Finally, I now have a writing desk.  I feel so wonderful at it, like I’ve stepped back in time.  Austin and I have had this secretary desk for a couple of years and it originally filled its purpose as a computer desk.  But now, it’s solely for reading mail and writing letters and notes and mailing items out.

OK, I promise, I’m out of pictures.  I won’t take anymore until . . . maybe tomorrow.  Actually, it’s now after midnight.  I could take more pictures!  OK, just kidding.  I actually do have more pictures but I believe, in order to keep me awake til Austin gets home, it’s time for Monarch of the Glen Season 1.  Til next time, I’m signing off.

Rock Climbing 101 03.29.2009

So, I found out what kind of bug I had.  Bronchitis.  Talk about nasty, I literally thought I was going mad at one point.   I finally got over that and was gearing up to get to working out again, when something happened yesterday.  I took a Rock Climbing 101 class at Fire & Water, and I have been so excited about this for weeks.  I went through the class on knots, safety, and the history of climbing, learned a lot and did really well.  Then I got suited up in a helmet and harnass and went second to this really experienced guy.  I got about a third of the way up the easiest wall they have, which is a 5.4, and my left knee went out.  Looking back I realize I actually handled it really calmly, since I couldn’t let go to put it back in place.  I did get it right back in, though I’m not sure how, and they let me down.  Luckily I was toproping, so it wasn’t like I had to climb down.  I’m hooked on climbing, both so I can get up that wall, beat this challenge, and also because it’s really intellectual to see where to go next, which to grab next, what would work best.  So the dilemma is how to climb, and keep climbing, and not have to worry about my knees.  My first step is to talk to a doctor I work for to see if they make a flexible knee brace that will allow me to climb but also keep my knee in place.  I want to have a doctor order it for me so my insurance will pay.  Then it’s going to be, from what I can tell, several months of intense training.  I need to strength train my legs, upper body, and my wrists and hands.  I need to do some serious stretching to get some flexibility back.  And simply to try climbing til I get it.

I have my thrummed slippers half done, as in I have one done.  I will start the second one this Tuesday.  The felted slippers that were supposed to go on the outside ended up too big after felting.  I have the idea to cut the sole from that slipper and stitch it to the bottom of my thrummed slipper to add padding and protection.  Started a lace shawl last night.  I really just felt the need to knit some lace.  I’ll probably set it aside for a few weeks though so I can hopefully work on my felted bag and my mom’s capelet.

Blogging challenge 02.26.2009

Over at Reclaiming the Home (Rav link), they have set a blogging challenge.  Blog every day until the end of March.  Not only to set the habit and help us all be better friends to our blog but to also stir those creative juices.  I mean, afterall, this is more than my vent, and back when I posted all the time, I covered my crafts, my life, and my loves and really enjoyed it.  Currently this challenge brings to mind something I’ve been pondering a lot lately.  My very busy schedule.  Currently, my schedule actually means that I have Tuesday nights off every week, Thursdays every other week and sometimes on Saturdays.  Considering how involved we are at church, that takes up Sunday mornings, every other Saturday afternoon, Monday nights, Wednesday nights, and every other Thursday night.  Then there’s going to martial arts/workout on Friday nights.  Working 40 hours a week.  I sometimes wonder how I got to tomorrow so fast.  But I’m beginning to feel the first tinges of burnout.  I really really need to simplify things in my life and slim down my schedule.  That seems to be a lot easier said than done.  With church activities, especially in leadership, you have a nagging feeling that if you step down from something, somehow you’re letting everyone down.  I’ve been praying a lot about this lately.  I currently am being attacked by some nasty nose crud and I can’t help but wonder if it’s due to the fact that I simply am run down physically.  Of course, some part of my mind tries to cook up some daydream that when I’m a SAHM and all, somehow the schedules will be calmer and simpler, but that’s simply not true.  I just won’t be driving to work and work can extend longer since work is at home.  One thing I used to do in college would be to make a color coded excel schedule sheet, very visual, so that I could see how my time was blocked out.  I’m going to try and do that now though I think the results will probably scare me.  Plan to post on my progress tomorrow!

An awesome service 01.28.2009

So, I’m here at church.  We’re ending up our Winter Campmeeting, and tonight has been awesome!  Right now, our guest speaker is praying for the youth, which is quite a lot of kids.  Just wish everyone I know could be here.  I’ll fill you in more on what an awesome half-week of services it’s been this weekend.  But just so you know right now, how much Jesus loves you.

Happy New Year! 01.4.2009

Well, I’m still a horrible blogger.  First post since when . . . October maybe.  But things are going well.  In terms of the Days of the Office, I have pretty much had enough.  I’m sick of changing alliances and changing rules.  If it weren’t for the sweet patients that come through, and of course the thought of my DH, I’d probably scream.  I have applied for another job, thankfully.  It’s an entry-level chemist position at King Pharmaceuticals.  I am excited about it but I can also see myself working in this for a long time, and working my way up. 

In terms of knitting, I just finished my first Clapotis with the crack of the knitting world, Malabrigo.  And I have a few scarves that are ready to sell, and I have my etsy shop setup.  Just have to try out and take some glorious photos of my items and I can list them. 

I also have more bead-making supplies, including my torch.  Fire! Fire! Fire!  Yay!  Yeah, I know, most of you think I’m a pyro, and should probably not have a torch.  Too bad.  Got one anyways!  Hehehehe. 

Magnus is  now the big 1.  Still has some puppy tendencies but he is so sweet.  I love my son so much.

Hopefully, I will update again later next week.

Thanksgiving . . . yeah 11.30.2008

So, I pretty much think that the first holiday of the season was uneventful.  DH and I survived my family.  Magnus wore himself out from the excitement of an overnight trip, but he handled himself really well.  At least I can pretty much count on him behaving himself away from home.  Personally, I feel like I’m drowning in laundry and housework.  I kinda understand how Yarn Harlot feels.  I want to just sit and knit.  I’ve almost finished my swap scarf.  Let’s not forget I’ve also managed to finish a stranded hat as well.  I don’t want to do housework, or clean except when absolutely necessary, like when I have no more clothes to wear.  Nudity is not an option.  It’s not that I’m lazy, I know that’s not it because I would simply lay and do absolutely nothing ever.  But no, I’m knitting.

In other news, I had a brilliant idea for an invention and I’d really like to experiment and work it out and patent it.  Now I know why you would need to sell your patent or really market it.  You’ll end up going into debt for half your life to pay the fees to apply for a patent.  Not actually receive a patent and maintain it, no that puts you in debt the other half of your life.  No wonder Nicola Tesla had no money despite all his inventions.

AWOL and I’m sorry 10.18.2008

OK, OK, bad kitty, I know.  AWOL for over a month.  Left everyone wondering of my existence.  I really really am sorry.  Let’s start at the beginning.  First, I’m trying to deal with the UFO/WIP syndrome I seem to have (though it hasn’t gotten to the point of being a terminal illness).  Serious treatment involved a lot of knitting on the couch while DH plays Call of Duty 4 on Xbox Live.  Next, I had a great dawning moment of brilliance that I was unhealthy, and personally felt like a slob.  Now I know those of you who know me will probably scoff or even not care, but whether you are a slob or not, if you feel like one to me it means you might as well be one.  So I discovered SparkPeople and that is as addictive as Ravelry.  A lot of things to play with over there.  Basically its a website where you can track you’re fitness and nutrition and it tries to convince you to be healthy.  It’s actually doing a good job with me.

So I’m back.  It was kinda circular, but SparkPeople allows me to set “Other Goals” and knowing that I had left the blogosphere for a while, I added a goal to get on here at least 3 times a week.  Aaaaaand – I also have a ton of batteries now for my beloved camera, whom I have raised from the dead.  Pictures!

This is a Finished Object!!  Yes I know, it’s rare for me to see one.  Like a Yeti or something.  Anyways, this is for a darling new baby in my church.  It’s made with Swish DK from KnitPicks and its superwash but oh so soft and warm.

Also, I will be at homecoming next week, so if anyone else plans to be there (Go Tribe!) leave me a comment.

An unexpected absence 09.1.2008

OK, I promise that I have been meaning to get on here more, write more, and not leave people hanging.  But I honestly have not had time.  The friend we are letting live in our basement is on here a little, and I won’t pull the whole, get off cause I pay for it routine.  There has been a little hanging out with friends.  And surprise, I’ve also been trying to stay on top of housework, so my house is decently presentable.  Plus trying to clear out the horrendous landscaping mistakes of the previous owners.  My mom visited this weekend, and wanted to “hit the town”.  Can’t say hit the city really.  I still don’t think of Bristol as a city.  A lot of the people here do, but it just seems like a larger town to me.  And finally, I have been knitting a lot!  I’m on the back of the baby sweater.  At this rate, I’ll finish in a month, and so I decided to take a detour into Swallowtail Shawl territory.  This is a big undertaking for me.  Lots of charts and lace.  And it is working up extremely fast!  No one told me that lace would be this addictive.  When it’s finished, which should be soon as I’m to the Lily of the Valley border, I’ll pick up the baby sweater again.  Sorry for no pictures, again.  I really need to remember those batteries.

And the VP choice is . . . 08.29.2008

Sarah Palin!  Gov of Alaska, with real executive governing experience.  She is a lifetime member of the NRA, is pro-drill here drill now, pro-life, pro-guns and pro-God.  She was raised in a small town in Alaska and only left there during her life to go to college.  Wow, she sounds like one of those “bitter bible-thumping, gun-toting small town Americans” that Obama was talking about.  And now race is not the issue in this race.  She’s a feminine woman that can hold her own.  She’s young and makes up for what McCain lacks.  Not only that but every person upset over Obama’s comments about Hillary should be thrilled to still have a woman in the running.  I am thrilled with this choice and it definitely rounds out McCain’s ticket.  This is what I’ve been hoping for, not Obama.

Some humor before bed 08.4.2008

Here’s a great video clip.  Warning!  You might want to relieve yourself before watching.