...xyz

And so the April 2011 Blogging Challenge has come to an end.

I am not a writer like the majority of the bloggers that participated, but I still had fun with it. It really got my mind thinking on things other than work and school.

It has been a long time since this blog has had any type of regular posting and after a month of almost daily blogging, it is pretty much a habit again. But now the challenge comes in trying to find something new to post about. Writing a post based on a letter of the alphabet actually made finding something to write about easier.

I will most definitely have to attempt this challenge again. Count me in for next year!

W

1. W, 2. W, 3. Capital Letter W (Takoma Park, MD), 4. W, 5. W, 6. W, 7. W, 8. W is for Gabriel's Wharf, 9. W, 10. W, 11. W, 12. W, 13. W

Verdigris

ver·di·gris/ˈvərdəˌgrēs/
Noun: A bright bluish-green encrustation or patina formed on copper or brass by atmospheric oxidation, consisting of basic copper carbonate. The green of Greece.

1. verdigris wonderland, 2. 5 centimes on nail!, 3. Verdigris, 4. orb of verdigris

Unfinished

project started 9/2009

When it comes to crafty things, I leave a lot unfinished. I can't work on them because I feel guilty that there is something else that needs to be done. I always tell myself that I will work on my projects, after. 

After, I finished my class. After, I clean the house. After. But after never seems to arrive.

project started 11/2010

Currently, on my desk I have 2 unfinished scarves (one that only requires a few more rows to make it complete). An unfinished birthday card that only needs to be glued together. An unfinished scrapbook page with all the items I want to use on the page stacked right on top.

These are only a few of my projects, the few that I have out where I can see them. There are countless others that have been stored away (out of sight, mostly out of mind).

I usually try to make myself feel better about it by calling them works-in-progress and not what they really are, which is....unfinished.

Television

T is for Television.

There are a few shows that I find that I must watch each week.



Rules of Engagement. I didn’t think that I would like this show all that much but I find that it makes me laugh more than any other. The character Adam (played by Oliver Hudson) is simply the funniest. Did you know his mother is Goldie Hawn?



The Big Bang Theory. This is a show that I can kind of relate to, what with all the superhero t-shirts, action figures and plethora of comic books. It is just like my house. Plus it is quite the funny show.


Then there is the good old Doctor. I didn’t think I would like the new Doctor (he is no David Tennant) but he has grown on me, or maybe it is the combination of the new Doctor and Amy Pond. Either way I like it. The new season (Doctor Who in America) started last Saturday and I am already looking forward to the next episode.


This week I just started watching the first season of Glee on the old Netflix Instant streaming. I saw the pilot episode when it first came out but then missed a few so I stopped watching. Now I can watch them one right after another. So far, I find it to be a good show and it is a great way to spend my lunch break.

Sunset

S is for Sunsets

Ravelry

Do you Knit? Crochet? Like to play with yarn?

Do you know about Ravelry?

Ravelry is a place for knitters, crocheters and other lovers of yarn. It is a place to keep track of your current and finished projects, yarn stash and tools. There's also a ton of free (and paid) patterns available. I am amazed at the amount of creativity and information that I find on this site. It has grown so much over the years and it just keeps getting bigger (and better). Oh...and did I mention it was free to sign up?

My Ravelry Page

Quick

Q is for Quick Post.

 

Now, you read it. Now, you don't.

Pinterest

I have a habit of saving links to websites and  photos I find online. I am also guilty of sending lots of emails to myself of pages that I come across and don't want to forget. Thing is, once I save the link or send the email, I pretty much forget all about that webpage or photo that I was so keen on remembering.

This is where Pinterest comes in. Pinterest allows you to create a page of visual bookmarks. If I come across photos or ideas that I want to remember, I can pin it.

Pinterest allows you to create different pinboards to better categorize your awesome finds. Not only is it a place for me to keep all the visual ideas I find online, but it is also a place to find things I would not have found otherwise. I have discovered quite a few new sites by looking at what other people pin.

Pin·board (pĭn·bôrd): n. a visual collection of things you love

Here are a few lovelies that I have found on Pinterest:

tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com

kotijakeittio.fi

beautyineverything.com

I even came across a picture of mine that someone pinned! :-)

Source: flickr.com via Secretly on Pinterest

A bit a of a warning though.....it can become addictive.

Oops!

O is for OOPS!

O is for OVERWHELMED.

O is for OUT of ideas. OUT of time.

O is for this day is OVER and it's time to get myself to bed.

Nope

No such luck at locating my driver's license and debit card, and now it looks like it may be awhile before I can even get new ones. The debit card should be no problem to replace, the driver's license is a whole nother story.

Normally, I could order a duplicate license online and receive it in the mail within the week. It is a very quick and easy process that I have done many times for the husband and myself either because we moved or the husband needed a duplicate copy of his license. My license doesn't expire for another 20-years. But since my photo "expired" I am required to go to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) to get an updated license. If I go in person I am required to take identification with me. I checked online to see what I forms would be acceptable:

• A driver's license...nope
• A passport...nope
• A military ID...nope
• A birth certificate...nope

In order to get a copy of my birth certificate I need to mail in a form with a copy of my driver's license, which of course is not going to happen. I do have the option though of getting my signature notarized, but then again I would need ID. It will take approximately 15-20 days for me to receive a copy of my birth certificate. The cost for the certificate is $15.00. Or if I would like to expedite the service I can go with another company that will charge me the $15.00 for the certificate and an additional $30.00 to mail it. There is an option to go in person to pick up the birth certificate but since I was born prior to 1990, that option is not available to me.

I am still keeping the faith that they will show up. Hopefully sooner than later.

Mushroom

M is for mushroom.

Lost

I have lost my driver's license and debit card.

I last used my debit card on Wednesday afternoon. I know I had it Thursday evening but when I went to pay a bill on Friday afternoon they both were missing from my purse. There are only a few places they could be, but when I looked they were not there.

I hope that once I post this I will find them. Actually I am positive that once I admit to the world that they are gone, that they will suddenly show up.....or does that only happen AFTER you replace them?

Kitties

Have I really gone halfway through this project without talking about my kitties? Well that's just not acceptable.

First there is Cleo.

Fat. Loving. Demanding.

She is set in her ways. Has a daily routine. Only eats dry food, which she won’t even let you watch her eat. Is a huge scaredy cat. Does not like to be held. Oh, and she really likes feet. People feet, that is. Just don’t you dare try to touch her furry kitty feet.

She is the biggest (and furriest) cat I have ever owned.

Then there is Cairo.

Skinny. Loving. Nosey.

Loves, loves, loves boxes. Will turn anything into a toy. Loves to eat French fries, chips, anything she can get her sneaky little paws on. Uses me as furniture. Follows me everywhere.

She has always been skinny but is even more so since she got sick. I feel so sad that there is nothing that we can do for her.

.j.j.j.

jovial, jerk, jump, January, July, juniper, juxtapose, jinx, jaguar, jeep, jersey, jeans, jimmies (you know, the chocolate sprinkles you put on ice cream), joyful, jerky, jive, juice, java, Japan, jammies, jackwagon, jolly, Jumpin' Jack Flash, jolt, jaundice, jocky, jazz, jumbo, Jello, joule, Jewish, judge, justice, jury, jelly, journey, jog, jay, jiggle, jingle, jester, jambalaya, jellyfish, janitor, jejunostomy, juror, jackrabbit, jumper, jest, joust, jungle, junk, jealous, jagged, jugular, jets, jointly, jukebox, jetset, jewelry, jeopardize, junior, jacquard, just, jejunum, job, jade, June, jitterbug, Jamaica, jersey, jars, Judge Judy, java, junket, jogging, jetpack, Jupiter, Juggernaut.

Inappropriate

Yesterday at work there was a baby shower thrown for another employee. As is usual for my work place, the invite was printed on a sheet of paper and taped to the door. It had all the usual items one would expect to find on an invitation:

* Who the shower was for.
* When the shower was to be held.
* Where shower recipient was registered.

And printed on the very bottom:

"For those who bring a gift, you will be entered into a raffle for a special prize."

What????

I found this to be quite odd. Tacky even. I believe that attending a baby shower (gift or not) is a way to celebrate with others that a baby is soon to arrive. Nothing like a little bribery to get lots of gifts (although, I cannot fault the recipient as she was not the one in charge of the invite).

Is this the way things are now? One brings a gift to a party with the expectation of compensation?

Am I the only one that feels this way?

H...

Hat

Heart

Hinge

And last but not least, the Husband's favorite...

HeroClix

Goals

I am not one for making long term goals. Something always comes up and throws a monkey wrench into the works. I have learned to only make short term goals, like daily, weekly and monthly.  A year is just too long.

My goal for the month is to finish my current online course.  Or hopefully have at least have 75% of the coursework completed.

So…..

My goal this past weekend was to study. I had high hopes of completing a large chunk of the course lessons. I did manage to sit my butt down for over 5-hours straight on Saturday but I only managed to make it through one lesson. This course is a lot more labor intensive than I thought it would be. I only have 5 weeks left and I haven't even gotten to the 2^nd quiz (there are 6).

My goal for the week is to finish filing my taxes. Yep, I am one of those people.  I have until the 15^th right?

My goal for today is to actually make it through the day. Monday is always the longest day of the week for me.  

My goal for the moment….to finally write a post for the letter "G".

Flowers

Last Spring was so different. It was so green. So pretty.

This Spring, on the other hand, has been brown and dry. The desert is still trying to heal from record freezing temperatures that we got back in February. It was only a couple of days of freezing temps, but that is all it took. The plants that did survive are just now starting to grow back.

Last week the temperature got up into the 90's. This weekend the temperature is supposed to drop down into the 50's (30's at night).

I miss seeing flowers. I hope the plants survive.

etc.

Diary

di·a·ry /ˈdīərē/ Noun

1. A book in which one keeps a daily record of events and experiences.

I received my first diary, a Christmas present from my parents, at the age of 10. Being only a child of 10, my entries were short and to the point and not really what one would deem important. What I ate for dinner. What movie I watched. Are just a couple of examples. But that wasn’t always the case.…the first space shuttle landing, Ronald Regan’s inauguration and the freeing of the hostages are just a few historical moments that I have come across.

By the time I reached Junior high, I was writing down every single thing I did each day. I would start with my 1^st class of the day and pretty much go on from there. There were daily entries concerning whatever current boy I had a crush on and lots of entries about Duran Duran. Lots and lots of Duran Duran.

I didn’t really have a diary in high school. I did have a journal which I allowed others to write in as well. Written on the first page, it says:

“This is a book of abstract feelings and emotions.”

And that is EXACTLY what it ended up to be.  The book is filled with lots of song lyrics, doodling, code words and favorite phrases that I no longer have any memory on their meaning. Oh…and apparently I wrote poetry. Looking back I wish I had kept more of a personal journal during those years. There is so much I don’t remember. It bothers me that I didn’t preserve those moments.

I did keep a journal for most of my first year of college. It has so many memories that I am very happy to have captured. Not just memories of what I did each day but the feelings and emotions that went along with it. That is the one I keep safe. The one that is just for my eyes only.

I have tried to keep a journal as an adult but my entries always end up being more about feelings and emotions, mostly written during times of frustration, sadness or anger and not about actual moments that I would want to remember. That is probably why I don’t really write just for me anymore. It got to be too complicated.

That’s where this blog comes in…

It’s short and to the point. It’s what I had for dinner, what movie I saw, and few historical moments thrown in between.

Clouds

I have a thing for clouds.

Blanket

B is for blanket.

In particular my Spumoni {ripple} blanket which I am happy to say is finally finished. It feels good to be done. This is the first blanket I have made that is not a gift for someone else. This one is staying with me. I look forward to taking it to work where I hope it is does a good job at keeping me from freezing to death at my desk.

Now that I have finished my ripple blanket I can spend more time working on my starburst granny blanket. I like to call it Something Scrumptious. I fell in love with this blanket the first time I saw it and just knew I had to make one for myself.

Even though I actually started working on it last July I haven't gotten very far with it. I put it aside to work on Christmas presents and haven’t worked on it since.

The pattern is a circular starburst granny square and if all goes as planned the finished blanket should hopefully look something like this.

Gorgeous afghan & photos by: sandra juto

an Adventure

I came across a blog today.

A blog with a challenge.

A challenge for April.

A challenge to write a post each day for every letter of the alphabet.

I thought "Hey, I could do this." Of course I always think that regardless if I have the time for a project or not. I am always up for starting a challenge, it is the finishing that I need to work on. (Well that's not technically true anymore. I did manage to complete 3 years of taking a photo-a-day. But I still haven't finished sharing all the pictures yet so in my mind I didn't really finish).

After I signed up to participate, I started to think of what I could write about but at that exact moment the computer decided it didn't really want to work anymore. It kept talking back and showing me the blue...screen that is. I spent the entire evening putting it in time-out.

And now here it is after 11:00 p.m. BUT it is still April 1st. I am still in time to begin the challenge. 

You know what... forget that. I changed my mind. I will no longer think of this as a challenge, but as an Adventure!