2012 books!

Well clearly it is 2013, and sadly I did not read the full 30 books I wanted to in 2012. But here is my list of books I successfully completed:
The Hunger Games , Catching Fire , Mockingjay  Suzanne Collins
The Color of Water James McBride
Ender's Shadow Orson Scott Card
The Phantom Tollbooth Norton Juster
Uglies , Pretties , Specials  Scott Westerfeild
Night Road Kristen Hannah
Water for Elephants Sara Gruen
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake Aimee Bender
Always Something There to Remind Me Beth Harbison
Man's Search for Meaning Viktor E. Frankl
Knitting Under the Influence Claire LaZebnik
A Clockwork Orange Anthony Burgess
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe Fannie Flagg
The Art of Racing in the Rain Garth Stein
Life of Pi Yann Martel
Never Knowing Chevy Stevens
Middlesex Jeffery Eugenides
The Time Traveller's Wife Audrey Niffenegger
What Came First Carol Snow
Too Far Rich Shapiro
The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood
The Secret Life of Bees Sue Monk Kidd
Daughters of the North Sarah Hall
Bossy Pants Tina Fey

28 out of 30 books accounts to a 93% finished goal. Not too shabby.
2013 I am also aiming for 30 books. If I reach it, I'll raise the goal but until then I'll just keep aiming for 30 (and getting my library books back on time).

A year in review

Baby Blankie #1

after a very long weekend, it is finally Christmas Eve, and I am so ready for the two and a half days off work. Hooray!!

Blankie #2, green and purple

Blankie #3

accomplishments this year: four completed baby blankets, one finished fall lap-ghan (only a year late), read 28 books and counting, couple of little wooden name boards
 (one failed :-( due to typo), wedding monogram, key to good marriage framed, five vases, bouquets, and I'm sure more.

The pictures are not the best, my color appears to be off. But the baby blankets used a majority of the same yarn. Started with a yellow yarn that I am working with for Blankie #5 still. Moved on to a green/purple mix. This blanket was one of my favorites. Very easy pattern and forms a neat little look without all the ends hanging off from changing colors (which I hate).

Blankie #4, white with a little green

After this I used only the green for a lacy type blankie, with a big bold seed stitch border. It drove me crazy, but in the best way possible, and I'm sure only I will see the mistakes ::rolls eyes:: (the lies we tell ourselves)

Blankie #4 used up nearly the rest of the green (mint) yarn, and a nice "white" (has mixed in colors) baby yarn. Still have more of that to use up before the move happens if I plan on following through on my 5drawer plan.

Healthy baby boy @ 7lbs

The baby name boards are fun, and I still love doing them. Some how the artist in me has developed ESP and I can read the minds of pregnant mommies I've never met. Baby Gage's daddy works with us, and says the board matches the nursery perfect! Usually I at least stalk the registry for ideas.

Like Brady's board:

I panicked when I saw a facebook post from the mother talking about little Bradey coming soon. Since I would not be able to attend the shower I didn't want there to be an awkward exchange of gifts where mine was a giant mis-spelling of the baby's name. Tried to fix it, but ruined it more. So I just gave the registry items without the craft.
((Advice from this, always trust your instincts, and the Grandmother!))

A big event this year was my own wedding! And of course I had fun planning that :-) and all the great crafts that came with.

wedding flowers

wedding vase, pre frosty spray

monogram pre-scrapbook

beginning of project

My fabulous Maid of Honor was in London leading up to the wedding. And in an adorable shop she found the "key to a happy marriage". So of course I had to frame it! 

finished project

Now I am lucky enough to be helping her plan her wedding! Don't know if I can top her speech, but maybe an already crafted key to happiness or something before the speech will help. ;-)

A few more random crafts/projects:

card for a coworker

set of 4 frames

And that is my year in pictorial review. I hope I have kept you entertained. And/or given your creative juices something to enjoy. Hopefully before the end of 2012 I will update my books of the year. But as hectic as times are no promises ;-)

So enjoy a cup of cocoa and a VERY Merry Christmas :-)

finisher

forgot to mention in my rambling post, I finished two books off the 30 before 30 list!!
plus another baby blanket!
Secret Life of Bees, saw the movie first, so the book was a quick read. I think the movie did well at living up to the book.
Handmaid's Tale, not sure what I feel about this book. I got involved with the character, but then cliffhanging ending to the book... so lame, now I have no clue what happened or why the story was important because it just....stopped. So she made no progress, or amazing progress and got out of there? but not either... ugh
pictures to come on the blanket, ends still have to be woven in

ramble ramble

it seems the waiting game is maybe possibly, almost coming to a close. Hubster has had multiple phone chats with corporate, and after another voice mail yesterday, all seems to be the stars are lining up. Guess that means I better really start cleaning that second bedroom. Still waiting on at least two more check marks before any dates and cities are discussed. Tricky part there is OF COURSE its the holidays, busy busy season. So maybe when these other check marks get taken care of they'll tell us it'll be closer to Valentines Day before anything happens, which is okay, and not okay.
So, meanwhile my own waiting game... they finally made me a bartender! woo now instead of $2.65 I'll make something like $4 an hour (plus tips) hahaha...
also less than two weeks until exams, lots of studying being avoided in this household... errr, happening? My tutoring students were still all A's in Algebra and Chem before Thanksgiving (woo hoo!)
and I'm going line dancing tonight :-D
this was supposed to happen at the beginning of the month, but then I got called with another student to tutor, but she didn't like me, and then I had a test, and then it was Thanksgiving, and finally the LAST wednesday of November we are going! I get to wear my boots, and I'm stoked, pictures? that could happen...
and now I'm rushing out the door to get to campus...

early resolutions

I know I know, its only November, we haven't had Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years, why am I already making resolutions? simply because I can. and I found this on pinterest:
http://www.ludlowandco.com/2012/08/bookaholics-anonymous/
while I may not be in a quarter life crisis at the moment, sometimes I wonder :-P
Reasoning pro:  a lot of these were already on my "to-read" list, 2012 I set the goal of 30 books without starting in January
Reasoning con: next spring will be my first semester as a full time student since 2008, and I feel like I don't have time as a part time student.
But, we are going to try it, because... I LOVE reading!

So here is the list of 30 books suggested,
1. Confessions of a Shopaholic – Sophie Kinsella
2. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
3. Girls in White Dresses – Jennifer Close
4. The Girl’s Guide to Hunting and Fishing -Melissa Bank
5. Bitches on a Budget: Sage Advice for Surviving Tough Times in Style – Rosalyn Hoffman
6. What I Know Now: Letters to My Younger Self – Ellyn Spragins
7. The Joy Luck Club – Amy Tan
8. What Did I Do Wrong? – Liz Pryor
9.  20-Something, 20-Everything: A Quarter-life Woman’s Guide to Balance and Direction – Christine Hassler
10. Single: The Art of Being Satisfied, Fulfilled, and Independent - Judy Ford
11. The Awakening – Kate Chopin
12. Daughters of the North – Sarah Hall
13. Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
14. Gone With the Wind – Margaret Mitchell
15. The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Milan Kundera
16. The Portable Dorothy Parker – Dorothy Parker
17. The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
18. The Edible Woman – Margaret Atwood
19. A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life - Bethenny Frankel
20. The Secret Life of Bees – Sue Monk Kidd
21. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) - Mindy Kaling
22. Bossypants – Tina Fey
23. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) – Jenny Lawson
24. Me Talk Pretty One Day – David Sedari
25. Night - Elie Wiesel
26. Heartburn – Nora Ephron
27. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
28. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea – Chelsea Handler
29. Mother Night – Kurt Vonnegut
30. The Rise of Enlightened Sexism: How Pop Culture Took Us from Girl Power to Girls Gone Wild

I've already read: 1,2, and 4.
In the process: 20

Edited Jan 7th:
Read 1, 2, 4, 12, 17, 20, 22. In process: 3, 6

Edited Jan 27th:
Read 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12, 17, 20, 22. In process: 21, 24

the ultimatum

well I would call it a goal, but there isn't a definite end date.

three crates of unfinished projects

Alright, it appears I've started at the end of my story. So here's the beginning... I'm messy. Very messy. And I'm addicted to yarn. Therefore, my stash has grown, and grown and grown, and quite possibly is out of control....

drawer of yarn from completed projects....

a tub full with extra on top in the closet

lots of new yarn... seriously, I might be addicted

 So, the decision today was to buy this 5 drawer tower. All of my yarn will go in it... if it doesn't fit I need to get rid of it. I must knit with it, or get rid of by the time we move out of this apartment, or need the second bedroom closet...like for a baby, or a long-term house guest. Since there are no plans to move, and no babies on the way, really I have forever to get rid of the yarn... but I'm going to try to at least head that way, and TRY to stop buying it every time it is on sale.

When I get that going I will buy a second set of drawers to contain COMPLETED projects (or unfinished in the top drawer only?) and if I'm not selling/giving it away, then there is no room to knit more. And I will have made a nice stock for selling without cutting into my profit.

So that's the plan... but I'll get started tomorrow ;-)

ponderer

seriously thinking about selling my crafts again
so working on building up a collection of knit blankies, and pondering better storage for my other craft supplies. I need an area to create if I'm going to supply for paying customers... so cleaning, organizing and knitting while contemplating how/where/what to sell
I made a knit hat with a Tigers D on it in less than 24hrs with a shift at Logan's in that same day, with them playing in the ALCS it would be a great time to sell them, I could charge $10-15 and make a nice profit, but I don't have any ready to ship... hmmmm
Personalized wooden signs for baby gifts (or sorority big/little even) are easy and quick to make, but a little hard to ship...
many pieces of the puzzle have to fit together, but... knitting, studying and staying busy