B is for Blue

To add to your enjoyment of today's BLUE post, here's some music to get you in the mood. That's right, today's post has a soundtrack!

    2013 A to Z post :: B is for... Belonging  2011 A to Z post :: B is for... Blanket

A is for Anything

It's that time again! Time for this year's Blogging from A to Z Challenge. YAY!

I am not your typical A to Z blogger. I am not a writer.

When I first did this challenge back in 2011, I winged it and didn't have a theme. Last year, my theme was All About Me. Oh, that really sounds conceited doesn't it?

This year, I was really leaning towards posting only photos for the month, but I wasn't too sure if I wanted to have a specific theme of photograph. Plus, I couldn't make up my mind if I only wanted to post photographs and nothing else.

I debated having NO theme. But in the end, I decided that a theme was really important to me and so that theme would be...... Drumroll please......


ANYTHING.


That's right! I am going to post about ANYTHING. ANYTHING!


However, that being said, my posts will most likely be more photo than text.

And since I chose to write about ANYTHING, here’s a picture of my cat that I find to be Amusing. You know, just because I can. Because you see, my theme is ANYTHING.

2013 A to Z post :: A is for... Anticipation

   2011 A to Z post :: A is for... An Adventure

from where i stand

Spring is here!

After one of the warmest Winters on record, Spring has arrived!

Technically, Spring isn't until March 20th, but the Desert has never been one to follow the rules. Spring actually started arriving last month, in February, and every day there is something new to look at. I love seeing all the green! It's all so pretty. I will have to make some time to get out and look around because soon, it will be too hot and nothing will be looking very pretty around here.

How is the weather where you are? Has Spring arrived?

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Don't forget to eat your Lucky Charms.

bad clusters

I had big plans to post a new blog post last night, but something kind of came up.

"Windows replaced bad clusters in file." Many many bad clusters and scan is only at 24%. sigh.....
— Stefani (@dreamsofnyssa) March 12, 2014

Windows has now replaced bad clusters in one of my personal picture files. It's getting serious now. 25% complete....
— Stefani (@dreamsofnyssa) March 12, 2014

Good-bye many many picture files. I will miss you. Still holding at 25% complete. :-(
— Stefani (@dreamsofnyssa) March 12, 2014

Windows, you leave those Depeche Mode songs alone! Scan disk 26% complete.
— Stefani (@dreamsofnyssa) March 12, 2014

The scan was still stuck at 26% when I finally dragged myself to bed last night. Or should I say, early this morning. I don't yet know the extent of the damage, but at least the computer turned back on this morning.

Currently...

Saying... goodbye to my Big Orange Purse (BOP). I am so disappointed. This is the most expensive purse I have ever owned and it didn't even last 10 months. The stitching on the handles started pulling apart after just a few months of use and then last month, one of the handles ripped apart from the body.


Loving... my new LOVE necklace.




Organizing... my new Raskog cart. My first ever IKEA purchase. I have never been to an actual store. I finally bit the bullet and placed an order online. This cart is just so cute. I am in love with the color.




Looking... at all the Spring!




Tossing... around (in my head) a few A to Z post ideas. I plan to participate in this year's Blogging from A to Z challenge. The challenge doesn't start until April, but placed my name on the list and signed up back in January. This is the earliest I have ever signed up. I usually don't throw my hat into the ring until the night before or maybe even the day of. I have done this challenge twice so far. Once back in 2011 and then again in 2013.

One year ago

It's so weird how things can happen a certain way one year and then be so different the next. 

On this exact day, one year ago, it was snowing. Snowing in the desert. 

So far, this month it's been in the high 80's (almost 90 degrees some days). 

I like the warmth, but I think I like the snow just a little bit more. Okay, maybe A LOT more. Maybe it's because for me, snow is very rare. You have to understand that when I say snow, I mean desert snow. Desert snow is awesome! Desert snow is quite a big deal around here. 

Last year, as you can see by my flurry of Facebook posts, I think I may have gotten just a little bit excited about the falling white stuff.

I wonder what will happen next year? 

Because this year? So far, this year has been pretty boring.

Monthly scrapbooking kits...

I think I might be doing it wrong.


In the spirit of full disclosure...there are 2 boxes missing from this photo.


I honestly didn't think it was all that bad. So, I had a few unused monthly Project Life scrapbooking kits. It didn't hit me just how bad it really was until last month when I realized that I had a year's worth of boxes just sitting there. It's embarrassing.

Soon after this photo was taken, I got busy and started unpacking those boxes and putting all the scrapping goodies some place where I would see them.

They look much better outside of the boxes then they did just sitting in the boxes that's for sure. I still have a long way to go to get everything organized, but for now, at least, they are all out of the boxes. Now, all that's left for me to do is to take care of that giant pile of now empty boxes.

Crochet Mood Blanket 2014

Back in December 2013, way before Christmas, I came across an Instagram photo asking if anyone wanted to join in on a crochet along.

I have been wanting to crochet a plain granny square blanket for awhile now and this sounded like the perfect opportunity to do so. Plus, it's kind of cool that it is another daily 365 project. I really seem to be drawn to those.

I really love the look of plain mini granny squares so I decided that that was what I was going to make. Since the squares are much smaller (only 3 rounds), I am pretty sure that I will have to crochet at least 2 granny squares a day in order to make a blanket big enough that will fit on top of my bed.

Since I am expecting this to be a large blanket I didn't want it to get too heavy. My grandmother once crocheted for us a king-sized bedspread with worsted weight yarn and it was so heavy that you could barely move when you were under it.

So, I decided to use a DK weight yarn. This gave me a great excuse to finally try Stylecraft yarn. The only bad thing about using Stylecraft is that it is not available in the United States. But thank goodness for the Internet, I was able to place my order online. Then came the wait.....Royal Mail (and Customs) sure are slow when it comes to shipping to the U.S. It took 15-17 days to get my orders. Normally, the wait probably wouldn't have been so bad, but I was impatient to start.

I was so excited when my first order of yarn got here. I really do like the Stylecraft and I am glad that I chose to use it. The colors are so pretty and the yarn is really soft. I was so happy when I finally got to start crocheting those squares.

But, since I am joining the squares as I go, I have had to put a hold on working on my blanket for the past few days. The main reason being that I was waiting for the remainder of my yarn to arrive and also due to me failing in my quest to find yarn in a muted, vintagey mustard yellow. Who knew finding an acrylic DK mustard yellow would be so hard?

But luckily the last 3 skeins of yarn arrived in the mail today, YAY! All that is left now is to find that mustard yellow. Any suggestions?

Currently...

Playing... with mini camera lenses. For Christmas, I got some iPhone lenses for my iPod Touch. I have been having a lot of fun using them. I even started a new iPod only 365 day photo project just so that I would have the perfect excuse to use them.




Caring... for a sick kitty. I am so happy that she is so much better than she was at the beginning of the month/year.




Eating... Lemon Oreos.

Crocheting... lots of squares. I joined the Crochet Mood Blanket 2014 365 day project. I am crocheting one granny square every day for a year, with the color based on my mood. Or in my case, whatever color I feel is pretty that day. My yarn arrived late in the month so I have a lot of squares that I need to catch up on.

2013: A year in scrapbooking

I started 2013 excited about Project Life and ready to scrapbook my year. But now 2013 is over and I didn't manage to scrap more than one weekly spread. What I did manage to do was collect monthly Project Life kits. 

I scrapped the first week of 2013, but then put everything on hold in order to study for my certification exam. But once the exam was over (in March), I just couldn't get back into the groove.

I never even shared my first layout because I couldn't decide if I wanted to upload the photos to blogger or just use Flickr, like I do with all my other photos. I still haven't decided which option would be better.

Then, I got to thinking that maybe no one would want to see them. I mean, there are only so many ways a person can dress up a page protector pocket.


Even though I didn't really scrap this past year, my scrapping supplies did get some use.

For the second year in a row, I participated in the Index Card a Day challenge. I managed to create a few index cards this year but only shared 8 of them on the blog. 

I just didn't seem to have it in me to be as creative as I was when I first did this challenge back in 2012. I do enjoy the project and I plan to do it again. Not only to try to get myself to be more creative, but also because it is the only time of the year that I let myself buy some of the supplies that I have always wanted to try. Like Distress inks and spray mists and stencils, oh my!




I do see a lot more scrapping in my future though and not just because I need to do something about this giant pile of cardboard kit boxes that keeps growing taller and taller.

Here's looking forward to a scrappy 2014!

2013: A year in yarn

I worked on lots of yarny projects this past year, but only managed to complete two yarny projects in 2013. Yep. That's right. Only two.

My first completed project in 2013 was a knitting project. I finally finished knitting my first pair of socks. YAY! And to think it only took me 1.5 years to do it. I finished the first sock back in 2012 but since a pair of socks is not considered finished until there are two, these socks were not officially done until 2013.

: : DETAILS : :

Pattern: A Nice Ribbed Sock by Glenna C. 

Yarn: Patons Kroy Socks Jacquards in Aqua Jacquard

Needle size: US 2.5 - 3.0 mm

My Ravelry link: The sock attempt

My other yarny project for the year was another crochet ripple blanket. I guess I should just call it my annual ripple blanket, as I plan to continue to make these until I run out of nieces and nephews, and since that will not be happening any time soon, I see a lot of ripples in my future.

I finished crocheting this blanket on Christmas Eve but to be honest I still have to weave in the ends. So technically, even though it may not REALLY be finished, I am going to say that it is.

For this ripple, I used KnitPicks Brava Worsted and I have to say that this is my favorite acrylic yarn so far. It is so soft and I really enjoyed working with it. I think it even makes my crochet look better. I had originally planned to crochet a border on this blanket but the ends of the rows ended up being perfect. I have never had such perfectly crocheted row ends on a blanket. Ever. There was no way I was going to cover those up.

: : DETAILS : :

Pattern: Neat Ripple Pattern from Attic24

Yarn: KnitPicks Brava Worsted in Peacock, Cornflower, Dove Heather, Brindle

Hook size: US 5.50 mm (I)

My Ravelry link: ... {ripple}  

I look forward to being a lot more crafty in 2014. I have lots of new (and old) yarny projects already in the works.

2013: A year in photos

It's January, so that must mean it is time for my annual year in photos post.

2013 was a bit different when it came to photos. It was the first year that I had my iPod Touch camera. So that is where most of my photos for the year came from. The ease of downloading and sharing these photos, compared to the hassle of getting my computer to even recognize my DSLR, made the iPod Touch the best choice.


In January, I submitted my application for the CTR certification exam.

In February, it snowed!! In the desert!!!!! Really, it did!




March was super special. I passed the CTR certification exam! No more studying. No more worrying. I feel so grown up having letters that go after my name.




In April, I started using my new purse. It sounds silly but it was a pretty big deal for me. My Mom bought me this purse for my birthday in February and it took a couple of months to get myself used to the idea of using it. It is big and it is orange. It is so big that it needed a name. I call her BOP (Big Orange Purse).




In May, it was Spring time in the desert. 




By the time June came around, Spring was gone and Summer had arrived. And boy was it hot! We had over 10+ days of 100 degree temperatures (at least 40 days by the time the heat wave ended). 

One Saturday morning, I found myself awake early enough to watch the sunrise. Pretty big deal for a person who loves to sleep in. I am a huge fan  of the sunset but the sunrise sure is pretty too. I probably should try to catch the sunrise more often.




In July, I was back to watching the sunset. 




Long August days meant that I got out of work while the sun was still up.




In September, the husband and I took a vacation. We take one every year around this time. We didn't go anywhere. We just stayed home. For me, staying home is one of the best ways to spend a vacation.




In October, the sun started setting a lot earlier which meant I missed a lot of sunsets. Sometimes though, I was lucky and left work just at the right time. The desert really does have the best sunsets!




November was full of blue skies, rainy skies and whiny kitties. I worked a lot and got home way too late to catch the sunset or even the sun for that matter.




December was a busy month. I went to a baby shower, trained a new employee, got things ready for Christmas, took time off from work and then of course, there was the actual celebrating of Christmas. The last month of the year just flew by. By the time December was over, I was ready for a nap.




Well that was my year in a nutshell. I thought that 2013 was a pretty great year!

Happy New Year!!!

2013 was a pretty great year! I sat for and passed the exam for my CTR credential (Certified Tumor Registrar). I finally finished knitting my first pair of socks and it snowed. Yay! For desert snow!

It was all over in just a blink of an eye

Christmas has come and gone and I am left wondering, where did it go?

When I was younger, I remember Christmas being much much slower. This year it just sped on by.

This year, Christmas Eve was spent with my family at my parents' house and Christmas Day was spent with the in-laws. It was nice being able to visit with everyone but all the visiting was over way too soon. I remember Christmas Eve used to last past midnight. Now people stay for just a couple of hours.

But I can't complain. I'll take any time that I can, no matter how short, to spend with my family. So even though I only had a couple of hours, I still had a good time.

So how about you? Did you have a good Christmas?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Santa pj's, fuzzy socks and twinkly lights

Currently...

Listening... to Nightmare and the Cat. These guys opened for 30 Seconds to Mars last month and they put on a fantastic show. They are a pretty talented bunch and quite polite too. I met the band after their set and they were very kind to chat and pose for a photo for me.

Thinking... of doing a new 365 day photo project. I wonder if I can do one but only use my iPod? I know that I can, but will I be happy with the results? Plus, I still need to finish uploading my project photos from 2009 and 2010.

   

Worrying... that I may be running out of yarn for my Christmas ripple. The bad thing is if I do run out of yarn I will have to order more online and with it being so close to Christmas it may not be delivered to me on time. So, my response to this is to work on the blanket as little as possible so that I can put off running out of yarn. I am sure I will post many more times in the near future about my upcoming yarn shortage emergency.

Needing... to go Christmas shopping. I haven't started. I haven't even started thinking about it. Next week isn't too late is it? Have you finished your Holiday shopping yet?

Watching... Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23. It's on Netflix and I found myself needing something to watch. It was actually pretty funny. That James Van Der Beek is quite the funny guy! Too bad the show has been cancelled. I would have liked to see more.

from where i stand

Announcement

There are only 20 crochet days left until Christmas.