Wednesday WIPs!

Woot and Woohoo, it's Wednesday WIPs!

Wow, that was kinda lame.  Sorry about that.  Anyway, I had lots of hooky time this last week so I finally got some work done.  So right to it!

Finished the first set of squares for the blanket:

As I mentioned before these things curl like mad, so it's hard to get a good photo.

Got started on the 2nd color.  It's a Tunisian Knit stitch which works up a bit slower, so these will take a tad longer, but I just LOVE this stitch!  It looks lovely, and very thick and warm.

I stretched it out a bit so you can see it.

The Ugly blanket is chugging along too:

Pax #2, nothing.  It's been sitting dormant.  The lace weight yarn is really finicky to work with so I haven't been enjoying it as much as I should.  I'm sure I'll get back to it soon, though.

Journaling is going quite well.  I've been writing at least a little every day.  And that whole getting up an working out before work...yeah, hasn't happened since last week.  Heh.  It's gonna be a struggle to really get back into it, but I have faith I'll get there.

So that's about it for me.  I hope everyone else is well.  Anyone have great plans for the long weekend ahead?!

Monday Dragging

I meant to post last night but I fell asleep rather early.  I'm not entirely sure what I had intended to post about anyway.

Overall the weekend was...ok.  The weather was too hot for me, my S.A.D. is kicking in earlier than usual.  I had a pretty big blow to the self esteem too, and I'm not being very mature about it I must admit.  So I was pretty blah all weekend.  Already sad and then feeling stupid/guilty about feeling blah.  It was/ is a pretty shitty cycle.

I did get a lot accomplished at home though.  So that helped a LOT.  I got my closet and dresser cleaned out.  Got rid of another big bag of clothes.  Cleaned out my desk a bit and got rid of some old crap there, too.

Theonlyboyfriend and I got all domestic yesterday and did ALL the yard work together.  Mowing, edging, trimming, weeding, cleaning.  Looking quite nice out there.  We got in a nice long walk last night.  It had cooled off a lot, but was still muggy and gross.

Picked up my hooks a couple different times and got a few rows in.  But that's about it.

Yeah.  Not much else to report really.  I'm guessing I may not post a lot this summer.  If it's anything like last summer was weather-wise, I probably will go into hibernation until October anyway.  We do have a couple great trips planned so that will be a nice little break.

I hope you all are having a better Monday than me.  Much love!

Friday Five

It's Friday.  After being down to about $1.29 in my account, I got paid today.  But I'm just kind of in a funk today.  I think maybe my SAD is setting in already.  It's sweltering already an it's only May.  I have a bad feeling about this summer.

Meh.  Anyway, I'll move on to today's list.

The Nervous Friday Five:

1) What are you like when you're nervous?
Kind of annoying.  I talk a lot.  Pace.  Sweat.  And I have a bit of a nervous colon, so....other things happen too.  Heh, sorry.  I'm seriously not fun to be around backstage before a show.

2) How do you deal with nervousness?  Especially nervousness about something that's going to happen several days later?
I don't typically get nervous about things too far in advance.  Except flying.  I'm pretty much a wreck from the day I buy my airline tickets.  How do I deal with it?  I don't know.  I just do.  I guess I just let myself freak out and then I'm ok.

3) In what circumstances are most people nervous, but not you?
Probably up high somewhere.  A large percentage of people have a fear of heights, but it just doesn't bother me so much.  I don't mind being the one to run up the ladders at the theatre.   I work 22 floors up and sometimes I lean on the window.  Scares the living hell out of some of my co-workers, doesn't bother me too much.

4) What conditions seem fine for most people, but make you nervous?
Grocery shopping.  Seriously, I cannot pinpoint what the hell my problem is, but the only times I have massive panic attacks anymore, it's at the grocery.  It seems less so when I'm at the small store close to our house.  I've tried making better lists, going at odd hours....something about shopping just gets me all freaked out.  Mall shopping is even worse.

5) When did you last feel nervous about something that turned out completely fine?
Uh, almost every time.  Except the last time I was on a plane.  Ask theonlyboyfriend, even he was scared.  Worst flight EVER.  Most times I get worked up about something it turns out to be no big thing.  I think that's kind of normal really.

That's about it for me.  Sorry it's kind of brief, but my head is pounding and I'm kinda busy so I gotta get to it.  Have a wonderful weekend!!

Thursday Apologies

Missed my WIPs post again.  Bad Nikki!!!

Just a quick update then.

-Ugly blanket.  No work this week
-Tunisian squares blanket.  Finished 2 more squares, completing the first of 9 colors.
-Pax #2.  A few more rows added.

Side note, I'm getting better about journaling.  I've had a few things happen in the last few days that have been difficult, so I've had a lot to write about.

And, just so you're not photo-less; here's a little project I did last week when I was home every night and kinda bored.

Put down some shelf paper and cleaned out the pantry.  Obviously this was done right about when a trip to the grocery was sorely needed.  It's a bit fuller now.  :)  But I have dedicated areas now for things.  There is yet one more shelf at the top, but there's not much up there since I can't reach it.  And yes, that's my Mystery Machine lunch box up there.  :D

Ok, see you all tomorrow for my Friday Five!!

Aaahhhhhhh

I had such a wonderful morning I felt the need to share it with you all.

I have a very busy evening coming up.  I won't be home until 10 or so, and so I knew I'd have no time to get my workout in after work as usual, so I knew I had no choice but to get up at 5 and do it before work.  I used to workout before work every day!  But I slowly got away from it and getting up before 6:15 felt impossible.  But I knew this had to happen no matter what and so my brain woke me at 4:30.  Half hour early even!  The cat had made her way into the bed and under the covers with me.  So instead of getting up another half hour early I decided to spend that last bit of time just snuggling her in my nice warm bed.  She was a big warm pile of purring fur.  When the alarm finally went off, I had to pry her away from me, but we both managed to get up and stagger downstairs.

After my workout I went about my usual routine, getting myself ready, packing up my lunch that I made the night before, watching the weather, etc.  Once I got myself all ready to go, I was shocked to see the clock reading 6:25.  I don't usually leave home until 7!  I suddenly found myself with 35 minutes to spare!!  (I admit to only doing a half hour workout instead of the usual 45-60 minutes though.)  Normally when I have extra time in the morning I sit on the front porch and enjoy my coffee, but it was really chilly this morning.  So I sat on the floor and pulled out that journal I keep promising myself I'll write in every day.  Wrote a couple pages of thoughts and pet the cat some more.

Grabbed my phone next.  I had downloaded a new app the other day that I've been enjoying.  It's the bible.com app, which I can access on a computer too.  They have really great daily reading plans that last anywhere from 3 days to a year.  I finished a "faith and fitness" program the day before, so I looked for a new one.  Found a great one on self-confidence, which we all know I sorely lack.  So I read through that and then wrote some more in my journal.  (When I get braver, I wanna try the one year plan!!)

Sipped my coffee in the living room where the sun was just starting to finally peek up.  Did some nice long and deep stretches, then went upstairs to harass theonlyboyfriend who was still dead asleep.

All this done and I still left the house about 10 minutes early.  And I felt great!  I really, really need to remember just how wonderful it feels to get my workout in and this time alone n the quiet of the morning so I can get my butt up for this every day!!

The only downside to this is I'm sure I'll be asleep by 8:30 tonight.  Heh.  Worth it.

I know you, Friday Five

Friday!  We made it.  It's been an interesting week, but we're at the end of it now.  I'm looking forward to a nice, albeit wet, Mother's Day weekend.  The temperatures should finally be wonderful so I can be comfortable for a minute.  I think Sunday's high is 58.   Ahhhhh, delicious.

Anyway, enough of my blatherings, let's get on with today's:

Knowledgeable Friday Five

1) What's something you know about constellations?
They're in the sky.  Honestly, my knowledge of astronomy is sadly lacking. It pretty much ends with common knowledge things.  I know that sailors used to use the stars to navigate the ocean.  But I still have no idea what they did if it was cloudy.  I know ancient civilizations made all sorts of folklore over shapes they found in the night skies.  And I know that stars are so friggin far away, my tiny human brain cannot comprehend the distance.

2) What's something you know about bugs?
Gross as they may be to me, they're mostly necessary.  All part of this massive ecosystem of planet Earth.  I'm one of those billions of people that would rather pull out a toenail than touch a spider, and have quite the knack for throwing shoes at them from across the room while perched on a chair making high pitched squealing noises.  But I also know they eat the other bugs, so they're kinda good.  I know centipedes should really just stay the hell away from me for all time.

3) What's something you know about a car's engine?
You don't actually need to get an oil change every 3 months/3000 miles.  Total misconception.  You do need oil changes, yes.  But not nearly as frequently as you think.  But it also all depends on the vehicle, and how it is used.  Seriously, look into it.  You could be saving yourself a lot of time and money.

4) What's something you know about wine or beer?
I enjoy both greatly.  And both give me a headache.  I'm really more of a vodka or whiskey gal.  My ex husband worked at the brewery so I got to see how beer is made more than once, and I gotta tell ya it is a STINKY process.  Seriously, beer smells pretty bad to begin with, but even worse before it's actually beer.  Bleh.

5) What's something you know about the Pacific Ocean?
It's the biggest ocean on the planet!!  It's vastly un-explored and there are things living in it that we don't know exist.  And it's downright terrifying.  At least to me.  Anything that vast and unknown is scary to me.

Well unfortunately those were 5 things I have very little knowledge of.  But maybe that's a good thing.  No one likes a know-it-all.  :)  And had they picked one of the things I'm very knowledgeable on, you would have been bored to tears reading this because I am an expert in all things boring.

So that's it for me.  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and a lovely Mother's Day!  Don't forget to pamper that special lady in your life and tell her how much you love her.  Much love!

Wednesday WIPs!

Wednesday once again!  And I've been doing pretty well with keeping my hooks moving.  Then again it's been tech week for the next show at the theatre, so I've been home alone while theonlyboyfriend puts in ridiculous hours there.  So I've been keeping really busy to keep from getting too lonely.

The Ugly Blanket it plugging along.  I only got maybe another 2 rows on so I did not take a photo.  Next week for sure!

Pax #2 is barely moving.  I haven't gotten much work on that one done at all.

Started a new WIP this week!  I think I mentioned making a new blanket for theonlyboyfriend's family.  Found a great pattern that's just squares of different Tunisian stitches.  Got a good start on that.  Unfortunately Tunisian curls like mad, so until they're sewn together at the end, they're gonna be really hard to get photos of.  See what I mean?

But you get the idea.  9 different colors, 4 squares each.  Went and got a couple more colors today.

A non-craft WIP, I'm taking a stab at making my own vitamin water.  I found a list of different ones to make at home, and they're pretty easy with only 3-4 ingredients.  So here's my first try.

6 organic strawberries, a thinly sliced lemon and 12 fresh mint leaves diced.  Then just let it sit overnight.  Ta-Da!!  I'm excited to give it a try tomorrow.

So that's about it for WIPs for me.  I'd stay and chat more, but my hooks are calling.  Have a wonderful week!!  Much love and happy creating.

Friday Five

Ok, I'm back on the blogging horse again and getting in my Friday Five list!!  I've been feeling better lately and trying to get back into the swing of things.  In fact I think I'm going to base my list on this very topic.  I'm getting back into things I've set aside for a long time in my never-ending process of bettering myself.  Or simply enjoying life more.

Self-enjoyment/betterment Five!!

1) Piano.  There was a period of time when I dreamed of being a concert pianist.  I played all the time.  Almost as obsessively as I crochet now.  And I was good.  Not concert pianist good, but I was good.  I have a 72 key keyboard at home that has sit barely used for years.  I've wiped the dust off and started playing again.  I am rusty to say the least, but I'm playing almost every day again.  And it feels so natural. I never realized how much I've missed having those keys under my fingers.  It's like when I don't ride my bike all winter and get back on, I feel like I have my legs back.

2) Journaling.  I suck at writing regularly in some form of journal.  I have this blog and that's kind of where it stops.  I used to keep a diary for YEARS and wrote every day.  (I still have all my old diaries and it's kind of amusing to read them now.)  I'd started a gratitude journal a couple years back and decided to just expand on that.  I've been writing on my prayers and thoughts.  My goal is to get more detailed.  My biggest problem is finding a consistent time and place for this.  Sometimes I write at night, sometimes in the morning, sometimes at work.... I don't like the idea of carrying a journal with me everywhere for a lot of reasons.  I'm sure I'll figure something out, but I'm open to suggestions.

3) Broader fitness.  I work out a lot already.  270 minutes a week minimum.  However, January-March I got bad about both that and my diet.  I put back on some weight, which is annoying, but I really don't care about that.  What bothers me most is my body is struggling to get through my workouts now and struggling with some daily activities.  So I'm trying to get back into the swing of things and on top of that try NEW fitness activities.  I'd really like to try pilates at some point.  I just want to broaden my scope and be more active in general.

4) Cooking.  Sort of.  I hate cooking.  Never enjoyed it and still have no delusions of becoming any kind of kitchen diva.  But I would like making some things on my own at home.  To save money, be healthier and hopefully be a little more green.  Things like making my own salad dressings and fresh vitamin water from fruits and herbs.  Little things like that.  I still have no desire or need to "meal plan" and grocery shopping gives me panic attacks, so I'm trying to keep it simple.

5) Spending more time with others.  When I started cutting back on theatre it was for this purpose.  But I found a trend of me just being horribly selfish with my time.  Granted the time was spent on fixing up the house, cleaning  and doing fun things that I enjoy, but I was neglecting family and friends.  And that is a regret I do NOT want to leave this earth with.  So I'm going to make an effort to stop being a homebody so often and get out and do stuff with other people.  Which is honestly not that easy for me.

So there it is.  On the interwebs for all to see, so now I NEED to stick with this.  Heh.  I hope you all are well and doing a little something for yourself every day.  Much love!!

Wednesday WIPs!!

Sorry for missing Friday Five, but I've been in a real funk since Chris died.  It's taking some time, but I'm slowly getting back to normal.  There are ups and downs and Friday was a definite down.  Then I've been at the theatre helping theonlyboyfriend get things ready for the next show for the last few days, so it's been kinda busy.

Tonight though, I'm sitting all snuggled up on the couch with theonlycat, laptop and my trusty hooks, in front of an open window with the most wonderful cool breeze coming in.  If I get a spurt of energy I might go get a glass of wine.  :)

Ok, so on with the WIPs.

The Ugly Blanket is coming along.  I wound a couple more magic balls for it the other night.  (Term for balls of scrap yarn)  I'm actually almost through the second ball!  I may have to put it in hibernation again if I run out of scraps.  I don't think will be an issue, but we'll see.  Anyway, here's what I got as of now!!

Pax #2 has come off to a very frustrating start.  I'm using lace weight yarn and my eyes are proving to be getting older.  I'm having the worst time seeing my stitches.  But then I realized, now that I'm about 10 rows in, I've been doing something wrong the whole time, so I need to start all over again.  Thankfully I'm not that far in.  * sigh* And I think I might break out the reading glasses for this one.

Started yet one more project.  I made a blanket for theonlyboyfriends's family for Christmas 4 or 5 years ago and last time I was out there it was looking a little ragged.  (I made it from Homespun so it was bound to look awful after awhile anyway)  So I'm using a sturdier, yet floofy and soft, yarn to make a new blanket.  I figure get started now because it will probably take me until Christmas to finish.  Heh.  Anyway I found a really cute Tunisian square, so I'm going to make squares.  So far, so good!!

Ok, well that's about it for me.  I'm gonna go back to relaxing and hopefully get to bed early.  Allergies have been kicking my butt so I kinda feel miserable this week.  Bleh.

Wednesday WIPs

I spent all day thinking I already posted this.  Sheesh.  Well at least I got it in on the right day.  That's improvement at least.

Ok so the 2nd Pax is underway.  I'm only a couple rows in though.  I'm not going to post photos of it since it's a gift and I think the recipient reads this from time to time.  Sorry.  Once it's gifted I'll gladly post photos for sure!  (You can always check my Ravelry projects page if you're on there)

So, as I mentioned in my last post, I pulled a project out from a seriously long hibernation.  It is...... *drum roll* THE UGLY BLANKET!!!  That's right, the ugly blanket is back and uglier than ever.  Basically it's a scrap-ghan.  So I'm just using small leftover bits that are too small for anything else.  Here it is in all it's ugliness.

Wow.  Yeah.

I'm just past halfway, so I'm coming back in to the other corner.  Then I'll put and equally ugly border on it.

That's all that's on my hooks for the moment.  I have another scarf pattern that I've been dying to try for the longest time so I'm gonna see what's in my stash that I can use for that.

That's it for me today.  I've been having some severe pain in my upper back and shoulder, so I don't think I'll get much hooking done the next couple days.  But I'll get back on it soon enough.  Much love!!