mild winter

well, looking out the window today, it seems that winter is over. Gorgeous day for some wedding crafting too!! Taking pictures, but items are still drying, so no full post yet.

here's the rest of what has been happening while I've been blog-less

January
Lots of school, and working on a lap-sized afghan for my sister that was supposed to have been finished in 2011. Started in the fall, and therefore it is layered in fall colors. Love entre-lac but may have bitten off more than I could chew. Still an in-progress project, but slowly gaining. When I get the chance to pick up the needles.

Sister who the gift is for, requested I start on another project. And I'd agreed. It needed to be done before February when she was returning to the tour she was on (more to come in my next update) and I had planned to see her in the end of January. So I set down the lap-ghan and started a Tigers hat!
I've shown one before on this blog, so I knew I could knit it up quickly.
Took less than a week (closer to 24hrs really) with knitting nearly non-stop. Liked the end result, but still don't like working color block much.
Double knit is my favorite way to make designs, but then they are so thick! Not great for a hat, unless you are walking through a blizzard.

February
It started sinking in that the wedding was right around the corner. Invites had already gone out, and I was starting alterations on the dress. I'd had so so many diy ideas for money saving and cuteness for the wedding, but time was getting short!! I'm still hoping to get some/most of the ideas done, but I'm learning to let go a little (gotta control that stress level). Using a fabric swatch for my accent color I went shopping for flowers.

These are the bunches I found. Luckily Hobby Lobby has sales every other week, so I can shop and stock up as needed. I wasn't sure when I started how many flowers each bouquet would need. But I knew my colors.
It was tricky at first. I searched pintrest and google, and looked for do-it-yourself helpful tips. Most of the tips were for using fresh flowers. I wasn't going to be able to make these last minute. The week before the wedding is going to be BUSY enough already. Plus the school work that would be building up about the same time. Fresh flowers require completion JUST before they are used. Can't stock up and get to it when there is time.
So silk flowers it was. I have since created three bouquets. But the picture on the left is the first attempt. So far it has been the best. I'm not sure how to get myself back in that mindset, or pick out the exact right sets of flowers.
Crafting for today has to do with the flowers. I am painting vases. Rubber-bands and frosty paint. Couple other little bits and pieces too.
Thank goodness the weather is nice today, the paint needed it, and I need time in-case I hate them. (but i shouldn't)

Lets see... that should about wrap up the highs of what I didn't blog about for six-ish months. Paint drying on the balcony, paint drying in the living room, and scrapbook paper that needs cutting. Next update will have a lot of wedding craftiness!! :-D

2011 Resolutions

Lets Review: I wanted to...

* Put money in Savings Account
* Read more Classics
* Have ME time

the only one that I did GREAT at was reading. I read Little Women, Pride & Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, To Kill a Mockingbird, and started in on two more that I still try to keep reading...just can't pull me in the way I want books to
That brings me up to 15/100 on that list. There are a lot on that list I still want to read, but I have a lifetime to get back around to that.

Money in the savings account. I put here and there a little, but mainly I just spent well, and then realized I needed ME time, and spent some on FUN. I got more pedicures, and new dresses, and things that I usually wouldn't budget for. I let myself get rewarded for saving well in the past. This year I will continue to work on putting money away and not spending it, but I'm comfortable right now with where my finances are.

I think 2011 was a really good year for me. I was responsible, did pretty well in classes, and still came out sane (mostly). There were a lot more things I wished I'd had time for, but then I would not nearly have worked enough hours to make sure rent, car insurance, electricity, etc were paid monthly.

Speaking of working enough hours... double today, then spring break is over and its time to get back to bed early with those dang alarms waking me up for school. :-)

Long overdue

Lets start off by saying "Sorry followers!!"
I'm busy... I love it, but you miss out on all my fun multi-tasking. So trying to recap the last six months may take more than one post. I will try to remember everything and let you in on what happened.

September
School started back up, I was taking CalcIII (Multi-variable), Bowling, and Boxing Conditioning. It was SOOoo much fun. I started my school days with bowling, had a great team that was able to just relax and wake up with an hour of bowling. Loved it, and I was actually getting better which helped :-)Boxing was AMAZING!! at first it was sweaty and gross, and I was weak and tired. But I got my strength back, and could finally feel some ab muscles!Joey won a trip to the Tigers game on a MillerLite sponsored bus. No driving, no parking fees, and free tickets. We made sure to ENJOY it


October
no fun Halloween pictures to post, I didn't even make a costume :-(
Halloween crafting is some of my FAVORITE because you craft yourself, but I was working, and not looking for a party to jump to right after work. So I relaxed and studied, and used facebook to post my old childhood costumes (some of which are Legen--wait for it--dairy!!) it was a good time.
Instead I was working on crafting some baby blankies!! Because of my busy-busy-ness I have started making much smaller blankies. No longer do I knit large over-sized blankets, but focus on "car seat size". Not only does it help me, but for the new parents there is less to get caught in seatbelts, or bunched up when you try to snuggle with that little bity one.
Two coworkers were expecting, so my needles were burning. I did similar weave patterns, but different enough that I didn't get bored and unable to finish.


Novemberclasses, are winding down. I was baking (a lot) and I was starting to STRESS!!
one of my bestest friends was moving from Ohio to Tennessee. She'd gotten a job, and had a few weeks to pack up her entire life and transfer it. I made two quick weekend trips with 5hour drives each way to help pack and party with her. Lots of miles, lots of gas, and not a lot of sleep. But I love this lady, so WORTH it.
She wanted me to apply to the company, and since we have the same undergrad degree, I understood what a good idea that would be. But I didn't feel I had the time. I knew the holidays would go quick, and after that we would be headed quickly towards wedding day. I felt like I had NO time at all.

December
Found the time to improve my resume, and sent it off to the company. Within the week I had gotten a call back. I knew that Bestie had given them my name, so things would be sped up, but DANG that was fast, and intimidating. Luckily I must have come off as confident because I was put on the calender for a follow up in February.
Exams, holiday hours at the second job, and visiting two families. When I said busy, yea...no exaggeration. Spent New Years Eve at work. When we finished closing went home, changed and just cuddled up on the couch. Midnight passed with a kiss, woo!

January
New semester. Calc IV (Differential Equations) and Quantitative Analysis.
More to come on 2012 in a later post!!