On Monday, I started knitting lessons. They’re very informal as a friend of mine is teaching me things beyond the knit stitch (the only thing I could do really). I’ve managed to catch on to purling pretty well, and I’ve started combining my colors a little bit. My first little project was going to be what I had named the Citrus Scarf due to the colors. It was a K1 P2 rib stitch in green, yellow, and orange and it was coming along swimmingly.
And then I messed up. And guess what I don’t know how to do yet? Fix things. My friend showed me how to do it, but I learn by doing things repetitively. Not only could I not figure out exactly where I messed up, but when I tried to fix it, I messed it up even more. Then, because I was tired and a little out of it (I really shouldn’t try to knit new things after giving plasma), instead of waiting to take it to her for help, I just frogged the whole thing. Then I was depressed.
Not wanting to deal with it, I tried another project. Had to frog that too. It was not a good knitting night for me at all. However, I’m feeling better today and ready to tackle it again tonight. Unfortunately, I’m also having issues with my camera, so I’m not sure if I’ll have pics up on the blog for a few days. I think I’m getting a newish one off Craigslist this coming weekend, but it depends on a lot of things…money, whether the person sells it to someone else before I can get the money, and whether they even get back to me about it. So we’ll see.
I’m going to tackle that citrus scarf again. It will not get the best of me!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Wedding Planning Commenced
While sitting at work the other day (working hard of course), it suddenly hit me that I’m getting married in less than a year. While I can’t wait to be married, I’m not a fan of the wedding planning. Unlike other brides, I’d just as soon elope or have a quick ceremony with no fan fair. However, that’s not going to be the case. Jon wants to have some sort of ceremony and though I don’t like the stress of planning a wedding or having an ultra huge soiree, I do like the thought of sharing a special day with loved ones.
So we’re doing it simply and frugally with the help of two of my co-workers who’ve offered to help with the wedding planning.
I’m happy to say that our venue has been chosen. One of said co-workers is offering up her property for both the wedding and the reception. I realize this means we’re going to have to a) pray for good weather and b) keep it small so as not to have to cram a whole guest list into her house like sardines if it rains. The area is pretty and out of the way. Her husband is going to set us up a sound system and the reception is going to be a potluck/BBQ. While I know many people look down on this sort of thing, to me it signifies good, laid back times and a low drama get-together.
I’ve also found a dress. The trick is to find someone to make it cheaply, to my size, and with a few tweaks to make it suit me more. Until I get it made, I’m going to hold off on posting pictures, but hopefully soon I’ll have an idea of what’s happening with it.
Jon’s doing invitations and a guest list in progress is being worked on. Keeping it small will be the trick here. I don’t want people to feel slighted, but our budget is very low and the “venue” is relatively small.
My goal? Keep this whole thing as stress free as possible.
So we’re doing it simply and frugally with the help of two of my co-workers who’ve offered to help with the wedding planning.
I’m happy to say that our venue has been chosen. One of said co-workers is offering up her property for both the wedding and the reception. I realize this means we’re going to have to a) pray for good weather and b) keep it small so as not to have to cram a whole guest list into her house like sardines if it rains. The area is pretty and out of the way. Her husband is going to set us up a sound system and the reception is going to be a potluck/BBQ. While I know many people look down on this sort of thing, to me it signifies good, laid back times and a low drama get-together.
I’ve also found a dress. The trick is to find someone to make it cheaply, to my size, and with a few tweaks to make it suit me more. Until I get it made, I’m going to hold off on posting pictures, but hopefully soon I’ll have an idea of what’s happening with it.
Jon’s doing invitations and a guest list in progress is being worked on. Keeping it small will be the trick here. I don’t want people to feel slighted, but our budget is very low and the “venue” is relatively small.
My goal? Keep this whole thing as stress free as possible.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Let's Try this Hot Pot Thing
After several weeks of not being able to make it to the writer's group meeting I was invited to in the spring, Jon and I finally made it to our first one this past Wednesday. Jon just got dragged along, but we ended up having a really really great time and plan on going back.
Our first meeting experience also gave us our first hot pot experience. While I'd heard of the concept, I'd never actually done it. I'm going to say here that I am a finicky eater. I don't like most vegetables and I hate seafood. Ethnic dishes take a lot of courage for me to try. So when I was told it was a Chinese Hot Pot, I was...cautious.
For anyone not familiar with hot pot, you basically start with a base then throw all kinds of things in. For example, they started with a chicken broth base and added spices, seaweed, noodles, pork, dumplings, zucchini, and tofu. After letting it all cook together, everyone picks out what they want and adds their choice of sauces and dressings.
Our first meeting experience also gave us our first hot pot experience. While I'd heard of the concept, I'd never actually done it. I'm going to say here that I am a finicky eater. I don't like most vegetables and I hate seafood. Ethnic dishes take a lot of courage for me to try. So when I was told it was a Chinese Hot Pot, I was...cautious.
For anyone not familiar with hot pot, you basically start with a base then throw all kinds of things in. For example, they started with a chicken broth base and added spices, seaweed, noodles, pork, dumplings, zucchini, and tofu. After letting it all cook together, everyone picks out what they want and adds their choice of sauces and dressings.
Not only is this tasty and fun, but it's pretty cost effective too. We were informed that it's fifteen dollars per person at the local restaurant that does it, which for us wouldn't be cost effective because "all-you-can-eat" isn't that much anymore. But when you're feeding several people in a gathering, it's pretty cheap depending on what everyone brings.
Talk was that we're doing it again before the next meeting, and I've already got an idea of what to take for it (chicken and sausage). Of course the meeting was great too...definitely not a bad way to spend two Wednesday nights out of the month.
Saying Good-Bye and Moving On
My grandmother passed away a week ago. It was sudden, but almost not surprising. Not that she was sick. When it happened, it was a huge shock. But the truth was that she was lonely and really missed my grandfather. She died of a heart attack about a month before my grandpa would have been gone a year.
Naturally, I didn't handle it well. Once the shock wore off, there was the numbness, and then it hit and it hit hard. When I grieve, I think of little things, like how I won't have her to call anymore on Sundays and how she won't be at my wedding. I repeated conversations with her in my head, especially in the past few months when I said "I'll talk to you next week" and "I'll see you next time in Michigan." Just a reminder from the man above that you can say that, but there are no guarantees.
On Tuesday I woke up feeling better, realizing that my grandma was in a better place with my grandpa. There will always be moments I tear up, but there's nothing else to do but move on. I have to admit that being in Kansas and not going home for the funeral probably helped. The sadness in Michigan was most definitely much worse.
Now I'm working to get back in the groove. This past week I went to a writer's group meeting and made plans to meet up with one of my friends for knitting lessons. Tomorrow we're going to a co-worker's for a party. I'm trying to be more social and I'm trying to get back into my normal routine. I'm not doing too bad on that either. I've been writing some, reading some, getting addicted to Luxor, and trying to get back to blogging.
The day my mom broke the news to me, I couldn't believe the world was still going. I wanted it to stop. But it's a good think it didn't, because I still have some life to live, and since I don't know when my time is, not staying in limbo is probably the best thing to do. But I'll always miss and love my grandmother. Always.
Naturally, I didn't handle it well. Once the shock wore off, there was the numbness, and then it hit and it hit hard. When I grieve, I think of little things, like how I won't have her to call anymore on Sundays and how she won't be at my wedding. I repeated conversations with her in my head, especially in the past few months when I said "I'll talk to you next week" and "I'll see you next time in Michigan." Just a reminder from the man above that you can say that, but there are no guarantees.
On Tuesday I woke up feeling better, realizing that my grandma was in a better place with my grandpa. There will always be moments I tear up, but there's nothing else to do but move on. I have to admit that being in Kansas and not going home for the funeral probably helped. The sadness in Michigan was most definitely much worse.
Now I'm working to get back in the groove. This past week I went to a writer's group meeting and made plans to meet up with one of my friends for knitting lessons. Tomorrow we're going to a co-worker's for a party. I'm trying to be more social and I'm trying to get back into my normal routine. I'm not doing too bad on that either. I've been writing some, reading some, getting addicted to Luxor, and trying to get back to blogging.
The day my mom broke the news to me, I couldn't believe the world was still going. I wanted it to stop. But it's a good think it didn't, because I still have some life to live, and since I don't know when my time is, not staying in limbo is probably the best thing to do. But I'll always miss and love my grandmother. Always.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Speaking of Garage Sales…
We’re having one this Saturday.
I love having garage sales. Some people don’t feel the amount of work you put into it is worth what you earn, but I’ve always liked having them, even when I haven’t made an insane amount of money. In this case, the money isn’t even going to me. It’s part of our Relay for Life Team’s fundraising effort.
Already we have several boxes of things for sale. Tonight and tomorrow is pricing and planning, then we’ll be up early Saturday morning to get things rolling. I have some team members helping me out, and several people I work with have been great about donating items.
The fundraising effort has gotten off to kind of a slow start, but we’re getting there. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Saturday gives us good weather and a good turnout.
If you’re in the area, come check out our sale at the corner of 9th and Moro in Manhattan, KS.
I love having garage sales. Some people don’t feel the amount of work you put into it is worth what you earn, but I’ve always liked having them, even when I haven’t made an insane amount of money. In this case, the money isn’t even going to me. It’s part of our Relay for Life Team’s fundraising effort.
Already we have several boxes of things for sale. Tonight and tomorrow is pricing and planning, then we’ll be up early Saturday morning to get things rolling. I have some team members helping me out, and several people I work with have been great about donating items.
The fundraising effort has gotten off to kind of a slow start, but we’re getting there. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Saturday gives us good weather and a good turnout.
If you’re in the area, come check out our sale at the corner of 9th and Moro in Manhattan, KS.
Craigslist Spammers Go Away!
Craigslist has always been one of my favorite places to browse for free and cheap stuff. It’s also been one of my favorite places to try to sell stuff because it’s so easy (I’m generally too lazy to take out a paper ad, and a garage sale only works if you have a lot of stuff to sell).
Unfortunately, while the process is still easy, it’s gotten more annoying. Spammers have started replying to my “For Sale” ads with emails saying “Do you need help?” or some variation thereof. One said “I can help you. Give me your number so I can call you and tell you how.” Sure dude, it’s 1-800-GETALIFE (my first response wasn’t that nice, actually). I didn’t actually respond to that one, but out of curiosity I did respond to another one. I got an automatic reply that linked me to somewhere I didn’t bother to explore because I don’t care for spammers and scammers.
Seriously, the only way you can help, jerks, is by handing over a wad of cash and buying my stuff.
Unfortunately, while the process is still easy, it’s gotten more annoying. Spammers have started replying to my “For Sale” ads with emails saying “Do you need help?” or some variation thereof. One said “I can help you. Give me your number so I can call you and tell you how.” Sure dude, it’s 1-800-GETALIFE (my first response wasn’t that nice, actually). I didn’t actually respond to that one, but out of curiosity I did respond to another one. I got an automatic reply that linked me to somewhere I didn’t bother to explore because I don’t care for spammers and scammers.
Seriously, the only way you can help, jerks, is by handing over a wad of cash and buying my stuff.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Crafting for Charity
My big plans to try to sell things on etsy have been postponed in favor of trying to sell things to raise money for the Relay for Life this year. I’m not sure if anything is going to sell to tell the truth. My stuff isn’t all that exciting…it’s actually pretty basic…and because I’m still a beginner, there’s a lot I have to learn. But you have to start somewhere, right?
These are the three scarves I have finished so far. I can kick one of these out in about two days if I work at it. I love extra long scarves that can wrap around a couple of times and I like working with different yarns and colors.
I also tried my hand at a couple pairs of earrings last night, and while the finished product isn’t perfect by any means, I’m kind of proud of myself for just doing it.
Hopefully I’ll be getting some tutelage from a friend of mine on how to enhance my knitting skills very soon. I also have an idea for a knitted purse which I think I could do with the right material, small needles, and my need to try different things. I wonder if my friend could teach me how to read a pattern too…I know it can’t be that hard, right?
If you see anything you like, let me know. While I’m officially selling things at our in-town fundraisers, I’m always happy to take a Paypal payment with shipping and handling and mail it for anyone out there.
These are the three scarves I have finished so far. I can kick one of these out in about two days if I work at it. I love extra long scarves that can wrap around a couple of times and I like working with different yarns and colors.
I also tried my hand at a couple pairs of earrings last night, and while the finished product isn’t perfect by any means, I’m kind of proud of myself for just doing it.
Hopefully I’ll be getting some tutelage from a friend of mine on how to enhance my knitting skills very soon. I also have an idea for a knitted purse which I think I could do with the right material, small needles, and my need to try different things. I wonder if my friend could teach me how to read a pattern too…I know it can’t be that hard, right?
If you see anything you like, let me know. While I’m officially selling things at our in-town fundraisers, I’m always happy to take a Paypal payment with shipping and handling and mail it for anyone out there.
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