Good morning everyone!  I am back...well temporarily and I will touch on this in a second.  I have been preoccupied with school work.  Right around the time I last posted I had just started my last term for my Associates Degree.  This term kicked my A$$!  I completed my final paper last night and finished up the last couple bits of homework.  So today I am clear and free and I feel amazing.
 I do hope to go back sooon for my Bachelors, because well I have to and I cannot get a job with out it!

My mom has been here in NJ since April 21st and it has been great having her here and sadly she leaves today.  I like to think of myself as a fairly organized person.  That has not been so true for about a year now.  She luckily has helped me de-clutter a bit, clean my room and organize a few other aspects of my life.  I am so happy to of had her here, but look forward to the next time and pray that I am not in school at the same time.  It is so hard to work, concentrate on finals and entertain.  I did manage to take her to Long Island to see her grandkids/my nieces and nephews.  They were adopted by a phenomenal family over a year ago.  It was the first time she had seen them since they left Oregon.  J in the bottom left hand corner was signaling "call me" to her grandpa!  The five of them had also just finished haircuts, so they were all fresh.

 I say I am back temporarily only because next Thursday I leave for a nine day cruise with A.  It is our first time ever going on a cruise.  We are stopping in Bermuda, St. Maarten, San Juan and Labadee.  I will be on vacation with no worries and there will be no electronics or any type of technology except a camera.  I am hoping to be inspired by the colors I see for a blanket!

During the craziness of this term I did manage to crochet to keep my nerves calmed.  I started a blanket for a family member for Christmas.  I would say but not sure if that person has found my blog.   I plan to probably start another blanket while on vacation.



Stay tuned...

Crazed

I cannot believe that it is already February 8th and I am just getting to my first post of the month.  Every month I have the intent to post more, but do not want to post something senseless.  I have been extremely busy with work, finishing up this term with school, helping out a family for a week with overnights, going to the gym and I am sure there is something else!  Oh I know I have been trying to get a few crochet projects done and completed.

I am done with the the scarf I am making for my swap partner in Spain.

 I started lastnight on my 1st of 2 squares I have to make for my swap partner in England. I have since finished both since I started this post the other day!

 I have not worked on my ripple since my Mom & Gram were here a couple weeks ago.  I am waiting for yarn to be delivered for another swap project that I will be starting.  Making 20ish squares and sending one to each of the ladies all over the world.  That will be awesome to be able to put together another blanket!  It really is a brilliant idea.  Make a square send it to someone else and get enough in to make a blanket for yourself, since some of us never make anything for ourselves!  I already know which square I am making and sending out! I cannot wait! I have made about 4-5 so far.

Oh and I almost forgot that I am also working on a blanket for my niece that I have not touched in sometime. 

It's not like I have anything else to do!

Ripple update...at a stand still!

I am up to the aqua, photo is not up to date...sorry!

Gram time!

For anyone who knows me they know that my Gram means more than anything in the whole world to me.  She has always just been there in my life.  When I was a little girl she called often, she sent cards in the mail, she would often send packages of all sorts off goodies.  The packages were always filled with clothes that she had made anywhere from panties to night gowns, to skirts and sweaters.  She also always included fun stuff that she would pick up when she was out.  Whenever she traveled to the Valley for business she would come and visit.  This usually included a few overnights in a hotel and eating out and followed by a shopping trip of some sort.  Whats not to love about the best Gram in the whole world. 
I often think about our relationship and wonder how it evolved into what it is today.  Without trying to complicate or confuse anyone who is reading this, all I can come up with is that some of us are born with strong family ties and some are not.  I am the type of person who is welcoming of everyone and anyone and my motto has long been more the merrier.  I have strong family ties and always cherished my time with my aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents. 
My Gram has always been "that" person.  She has always been there for me and I know that I can go to her with whatever it may be.  Not many can say they have their own personal cheerleader.  I can and she is my cheerleader.  In all of my adventures and any place I have ended up she is the one person who has always come to visit me.  I saw her a year ago when I was home in Oregon and she is in New Jersey until next week and I am looking forward to making some more memories with her.  She has never been to Amish country and I am taking her this weekend.  We are going to take the train into NYC.  IShe is so easy going and up for anything.  She is the one who taught me how to crochet and for that I am thankful. 
I want to thank my gram for being who she is and for guiding me and at the same time letting me be me!



Happy New Year!

I cannot believe it is 2012 already.  This past year seriously flew by for me.  The start of a new year is generally a time for everyone to make their resolutions.  I personally do not make resolutions anymore, I was tired of letting myself down.  I guess in a way I still kinda do it that but do not refer to them as "resolutions."  The famous one everyone has each year is dieting.  Not this gal, I'm not dieting.  I am going to redirect my eating habits, learn to include more vegetables into my diet along with everything else.  Last night I made yummy turkey burgers.  I shredded a zucchini, red onion and chopped mushrooms, little pepper and less than a dash of salt. I mixed it altogether, cooked them, topped it with some shredded cheese and on a multi grain bun.  It was delicious!  I plan to make some zucchini gondolas next with ground turkey and other yummy stuff.  I will post recipes when I get the chance. 

Along with my eating healthier and not depriving myself of anything good I plan to volunteer more this year.  Over the past year and a half I have been unable to do anything.  Unfortunately work and bills take precedence over being a good samaritan.  I hope to do something new each month if not just stay with one or two organizations.  More details to follow... 

Another wonderful thing that will be happening this year is that I will be completing my associates degree and I cannot wait.  I will be partaking on my first cruise ever and I will be going with my boyfriend.  More details to follow...

I would like to dabble in recycling other peoples unloved furniture. 

I plan to visit my family in Michigan after the new baby is here.

I plan to finish my afghan that is for ME....almost there!

I have to make a minimum of four(goal is 12) blankets for intended christmas presents. 

I would like to plan a trip to Oregon to see the rest of the family.

I would like to participate in a 5k.

I would like to become more fluent in spanish.

I hope to purchase a bike that I will be able to ride to work when it gets warmer.

I would like to take control of the clutter that has engulfed me. 

I hope to have found a school where I can pursue my Bachelors!

I hope to make more handmade gifts.

I hope to post regularly here on my blog.

I will add to this as more things enter my mind.  Oh I would love to know how to customize the look of my blog.  I welcome anyones suggestions!

So much to do...

I really like the idea of blogging and I hope to become more involved, but time is not my friend these days.

I got through my papers and ended up with an A in both classes.  This means I have made the Presidents list for the second time and the Deans list each other time.  July cannot come fast enough.  Here are some of the things I have been up to lately.

A little bit of this and that!

It has been too long!  I apologize, life has been crazy busy.  Between work where I have taken on another persons job and the school term in its last wk I am crazed. I have two papers to write this weekend.  After this term I have 3 more to go and then I am done with my associates. I want to be an adoption and fostercare social worker. 

There are a few more things I wanna mention.  I have reached out into the crochet community this year.  I found a local knitting and crochet group and have met with them twice now.  I am so excited to be among fellow yarn lovers.  I have not surrounded myself like that before.  I look forward to the new conversations and friendships that I will be developing.  Not to mention new skills I hope to pick up.  I have also signed myself up for two swaps on Ravelry.  I am still trying to figure out how Ravelry works.  That has been an adventure. I finally just today figured out where my message box was other than when I have one and it tells me at the top of the screen...lol!  I am so excited to make something for someone else and send it to them.  My first swap person is located in the UK...yay!   For her I have to make 6x6 squares.  I made two already and hope to include a couple others and send it out soon!  I have not found out about the second swap yet, hopefully any moment.  My partner for this one could be overseas as well.  The thought of this truly excites me.  I look forward to the different treasures that she or he will be picking for me!  I too cannot wait to send some goodies!

I have not been in the holiday spirit the past few years.  As I have gotten older it has changed as I have not spent it with my family as they live in Oregon.  I really think that children make the holiday.  I am not yet a mom, one day.  This year I get to spend Thanksgiving with my two nieces and two nephews.  They were given a second chance by a wonderful family in Long Island and were adopted.  The family has invited me as well as my boyfriend to spend that day with them.  I am elated!  So I have been christmas shopping and enjoying it.  I love being so close to them, building a relationship with them and being able to see them whenever I am able to.

Ripple Progress and other yummy things

Here is my Lucy Ripple so far...I may have messed up my flow of colors. Grr...oh well.
It makes me smile and happy.  I do not know why I waited to make myself a blanket.  I think I was trying to fight the color urge.  Ever since I was a little girl these colors have always drawn me in.  I cannot wait until I can wrap myself up and be cozy warm. That makes my heart happy.  I have nine more colors to go and then start it all over again.  That should be plenty big enough. 

I did it, I did it, I did it!  I bought my first big girl yarn!  I say this because I have never really spent to much on yarn.  I never saw the point of it and honestly could never justify spending more than $5 dollars on a skein of yarn.  The picture does not do this yummy yarn justice.  I decided last weekend that I wanted to make lucys hand warmers and kept thinking do I do them in a happy rainbow? or do I make them out of something else.  Then I came face to face with this yarn and I knew this was going to become my hand warmers.  A little about the yarn, it is called MANOS silk blend, it is from Uraguay also known as the hands of Uraguay.  They are a non profit organization which assembles over 400 artisans in cooperatives scattered throughout the countryside of Uraguy.  Their aim is to bring economic and social opportuniites to rural women.  I like that!  I cannot wait to share my hand warmers...so stay tuned.

   

                                                                         This past saturday we got a snowstorm.  I love not having to go anywhere and any reason to bake.  I also go to use my awesome kitchenaid mixer that is also in my favorite color!  It is so pretty I could just stare at it all day long.  So I crocheted on saturday and made a double batch of chocolate chip cookies.  They were super fantabulous!!!