Just another day...

Not much new and exciting is going on here (unless you count the weather). More snow, more ice, more sleet, more freezing rain etc... Most likely no school again tomorrow. Hopefully they will cancel it BEFORE 8:30 this time!

Here's what the wonderful plows left behind for me to clean up last week!



Nice huh?!?! That's 6 FEET between my car and the plowed lane that I had to clear all by myself. Yes, I AM whining. I ended up hurting my back while I was doing it too. :(

I really want to scrapbook again, but that means I have to find my desk. I know where it is, but I can't see even 1 square inch of it's top. One of these snow days I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and clean it off. I'm not allowed to buy any more stuff until I use some that I already have, so I'd better get a move on and do something!

School is going well. So far I have A's. It's not hard, just time consuming.

That's about all for now. Hopefully I will have something more exciting next time.

2 Hats and a Scarf

This week while still working on Mom's bag, I also ended up having a birthday gift to make. My daughter's babysitter's birthday was Sat, so I needed a gift. She had commented on a crocheted hat I made for K, so I decided to make one for her. Well it wasn't finished in time for the party, but I'll see her on Tuesday.

Here's the hat I made for K:


It's kinda reminiscent of the Flapper hats, but a bit different. I LOVE the giant flower, so does K!

Here's the hat I made for Erin. Of course I couldn't stop with just a hat, no I had to make a scarf to match too!

It's hard to see in the pics, but the hat has ridges running down it, kinda gives it a neat texture without being too much. I also added a crocheted rosette, which I think just makes it!


Here's the scarf. If you need a quick and easy scarf, this pattern is perfect. I was able to finish it in one day.
Here's them both together. Her coat is a light turquoise color, so I thought the mixture of colors in this yarn would go nicely with it. Please excuse the horrible pictures of me. It's really hard to take pictures of yourself and have them turn out ok.

Back to School (again)

Today I go back to school (again). This fall I went back to college. It's been 16 years since I set foot in a classroom for the purpose of learning. I needed a change, I needed something more for my life (and my daughter's life), I needed to better myself, so off to school I go.

I am going for Medical Assisting. So far I have had 4 classes, Medical Terminology, Keyboarding, Medical Office Practices and Intro to Computers. I got A's in all of them :) I guess going back with a purpose and with focus really does help.

This block I have: Supervision (whatever that is), English, Medical Billing, and ugh Math. The only one I'm worried about is Math. Although I already spoke with the teacher and he said he doesn't teach any of that "New Math". So that's a good thing.

More Crocheting

I'm still working on the bag for my Mom. Seeing as it needs 36 hexagons and then a bunch of finishing work, I'll be working on it for a while. After the crocheting is done I'm going to make a lining for it. I want it to have a couple of different compartments so Mom can keep her needles separate from the work in progress.

Then comes the needle holder. That's actually where this project started from. Right now all of Mom's knitting supplies are in Ziploc bags and she has to shuffle through them to find anything. I was just going to buy her a knitting needle holder until I cam across a few patterns online. Of course homemade is always better than store-bought, so here we are. Oh yea and it was supposed to be a Christmas present (Christmas 2010 that is) oops!

Football

I love Football! I really do :) My team? The Steelers!!!


At work we do an office pool for the Super Bowl. Last year I was 1 point away from winning. I'm gonna do it again this year, but I'm not sure if I'll do as well.

I'll keep you updated :) Wish me luck!

Books, Books, Books

I am an avid reader. I LOVE books! I read every night for at least 30 minutes, but usually it's more like and hour (or 2). I really enjoy Paranormal Romance, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction in general, anything with Vampires or shape-shifters, um some SciFi, some mystery, some crime drama etc... Usually I like escapist reading. I want to fall into the story and stay there for however long I can. I tend to imagine myself right there along with the characters living the story with them, so the more details, the better. And considering my love life is pretty much non-existent, that's where the romance novels come in.

So along with everything else I want to do this year, I want to try to keep track of the books I've read. I tried this a few years ago and I got to March before I gave up. LOL I really hope to do better this time.

Right now I am reading 2 J.R. Ward novels (yes at the same time). I am re-reading Lover Eternal and I just picked up Lover Mine. Both are in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It's a fantastic take on the Vampire myths. These Vampires drink blood, but only from another Vampire, but of the opposite sex. I really do recommend the series.


I've also read her Fallen Angels series, also a very good read.

If you have any suggestions for other books in this genre or any that you think I might like, please LMK. I'm ALWAYS on the look out for the next book or series.

Chai has grown up!

So if you scroll down a couple of posts you'll see our tiny little kitten Chai. Well she's not so tiny anymore. She's about 8 months old now and I'm sure she's not done growing. LOL

She loves to carry things around. Unfortunately she really likes thin plastic wrapped objects. Especially certain feminine hygiene products (unused) but still. She also cannot figure out why the kitten that looks out of the drain cover in the tub won't come out and play with her. She will sit at stare at her reflection forever! LOL It's been so long since I had a kitten in the house that I almost forgot how fun (and frustrating) they can be. Last night she got up onto the shelving behind the toilet and knocked a bunch of stuff down. No biggie right? Well kinda, it was 3 AM!

And after a few months of protesting, Maki has finally taken to her. She treats Chai like she was her own kitten.

Here are a few of my favorite pics of her.

My word for 2011

Explore

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ~Mark Twain

Wiktionary definitions: To examine or investigate something systematically. To (seek) experience first hand. To travel somewhere in search of discovery.

To examine or investigate something systematically - well that includes me. I do plan on examining myself more closely this year. What things do I like about myself, what things might I change. I'm not talking about things like weight (although I know I could lose a few *cough* pounds). I mean deep things about who I am, what kind of person I am, what kind of mother, what kind of friend.

To (seek) experience first hand - I want to experience everything I can. I want to learn as much as I can. This year will hold many huge changes for me and I will make the best of them.

To travel somewhere in search of discovery - There is SO much to do in this world, but I want to start right here at home. I want to discover new places right here in my own backyard that I might have forgotten about or never even heard of before, or even those places we pass by everyday saying "I should stop in there someday." This year I will actually stop in! I will take K to new places and we will explore them together.

Welcome 2011

Happy New Years to everyone out there in blog land. I know its literally been half a year since I posted anything on here. Sorry about that.

I refuse to make New Years resolutions, but I saw a challenge recently to be creative everyday. I'm going to try to do just that. I can't say that I will succeed, but I promise to try. Here's the link for anyone who might be interested. Creative Every Day

So for Jan 1, 2011

I am working on a crocheted bag for my Mom. I plan to make a holder for her knitting needles and such to go inside the bag. I won't see her until Easter, but I hope to have it finished before then.