31 March 2013

Currently


Anticipating: The Detroit Tigers open the 2013 season tomorrow against the Minnesota Twins and I can't wait! It's been a long, baseballess winter and I am ready for the season to start. It's going to be an exciting season.

Organizing: Now that vacation is done it's time to get back on track. I spent a lot of time thinking about my blog while I was gone and where I wanted to go with it. I didn't come up with any concrete answers beyond the notion that I am not a "niche blogger". I'm too scattered to focus on one thing, which kind of made me feel a bit better. It took some of the self induced pressure I had put on myself to have regular themes that I posted about off and made the idea of blogging fun again.   

Loving: Sadie snuggles. She has basically been my little shadow since coming home from vacation. 

Reading: It never fails. I finish a book and then struggle with what I should read next. I read Shantaram over vacation (all 900+ pages of it) and am feeling a bit stuck with what to read next. I tried reading Beach Music but it just didn't grab me. I'm thinking I need something light and airy or at least something I'm not going to have to think too much about while reading it. A couple friends suggested reading The Host, which I am going to start this afternoon and am hoping will do the trick.

Learning: I've toyed with the idea. I've bought the supplies. I've created a playlist of tutorials on Youtube. I'm teaching myself how to knit dammit. As much as I love to crochet, there are some other things I'd like to be able to make and knitting them is the way to go. So, I'm going to once again give it ye 'ole college try and bust out my knitting needles. My first project will most likely be a scarf, because even though I'm bound to mess it up, it's the easiest thing to fix once I do drop a stitch or two. 

What have you been up to lately?

30 March 2013

Knotted Headband

One of the things I missed the most while being on vacation is that I didn't have my yarn and crochet hooks with me.

Weird, I know.

The first thing I did once I had a moment to sit down and relax, was pick up some leftover yarn I had from a hat project and whipped up the knotted headband for this months crochet along project with Alicia over at Habitual Homebody.

The project came together really quickly and turned out really nicely. The headband is warm enough to keep my ears safe from the cold and is super cute!

I've already started a couple more with some warmer yarn so that I can wear them while I am running. It's going to be a great alternative for when it's a bit too cold for my baseball cap but not cold enough for my winter hat.

Happy crocheting!


  Habitual Homebody

24 March 2013

Currently....

Loving: The beach! To say I am I having a grand time relaxing with my book in a lounge chair on a beautiful beach in the Dominican Republic would be quite the understatement. It is absolutely gorgeous here! So much so I could see myself becoming a total beach bum 24/7 if the opportunity ever presented itself.

Reading: Shantaram. I brought a couple other titles with me in case this one didn't hold my attention, but I am completely enthralled with the life of Linbaba and his Indian friends. As I told a friend the other day who has recently finished reading this book as well, it is a title I wish I would have read years ago.

Listening: I think this is the first time in a long time I have left the iPod behind while on the beach. Not listening to the waves and breeze through the palm trees would be missing a huge part of the experience.

Writing: I haven't written a complete anything since I arrived last week but I have lots of ideas flowing which is almost as good. It's been a wonderful feeling putting pen to paper again and the fact that it is happening so freely/easily is proof enough for me that this vacation was just what the doctor ordered!

18 March 2013

Music Monday: Vacation

The time has finally arrived.

My bags are mostly packed.

And tomorrow morning I'm headed out for some fun in the sun!

Bon Voyage blogosphere!

17 March 2013

Sunday Confessions

Well Crap: I'm feeling like a pretty shitty person right now. Or more specifically, a pretty shitty daughter. My moms currently in the hospital and here I am still planning on going away on a tropical vacation. Yes, I've been assured by my dad it's perfectly fine for me to leave and have fun but still doesn't make me feel any better.

Tumblr Along with Me: I rediscovered my love of Tumblr this week. It's like the blackhole of blogging, kind of like Pinterest is the blackhole of crafting.

Playing Catch-Up: I'm a wee bit behind in Rachele's Fat Bitch E-Course which can I just tell you all, the title makes me giggle every damn time I read it. I don't know why. It just does. And I'm also behind on Jes's 25 Things Fat People Shouldn't Do list. BUT, even though my heart isn't totally into it right, my vacation is going to give me a number of opportunities to accomplish tasks for both. Bring it Dominican Republic!

16 March 2013

Currently....


Freaking Out: I have what seems like a ridiculously long to-do list before I go on vacation and not nearly enough time to get everything done. Between packing, making sure Sadie is all set and other various "housekeeping issues", I'm not even sure where to start. I have a feeling there is going to be very little sleep until my plane takes off.

Hooking: Part of the reason I'm short on time is because I decided that it was "impractical" to buy myself a new beach bag when I could just make myself one. Yeah.....not the best idea I've every had, especially since I ended up not liking the first bag I made. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought the yarn. I don't really like the color baby blue anyway, so why I bought yarn that had that color in it I'll never know. BUT, the colors in the second set of yarn are fantastic and I'm already really happy with how the bag is turning out.

Thankfully, the "pattern" I am using comes together really quickly once the bottom of the bag is completed, so the second one should be ready in no time.

Reading: I have had to take a step back from reading Infinite Jest. Good grief it was making my head hurt. I am grateful though that Nikkiana shared this post: How to Read Infinite Jest. I'm going to following some of the suggestion and see if that helps. One thing for sure, it certainly can't making reading the book any worse.

Listening: Since I can't be at SXSW in person, I've been listening to the playlist that was put together on Songza for the occasion  New Artists at SXSW 2013. If you have a chance, check it out. There are a lot of great bands featured on this playlist including Savoir Adore, Pacific Air, Rival Sons and MS MR.


13 March 2013

Weekly Reads

This has been a good week for books! I must say, it has been quite refreshing to read a couple of titles where I didn't hate the lead character. Trust me.....it's an ongoing issue and I'm happy to see that it is resolving itself.

This week I've read.....

My Liege of Dark Haven by Cherise Sinclair: Meh. It was o.k. I definitely preferred the characters in her Masters of the Shadowlands series more than the characters in this one. But I think it is mostly because I have finally reached my fill of this genre.

Take the Monkey's and Run by Karen Cantwell: This was a fun book to read. It's the first book in Cantwell's Barabara Marr Murder Mystery series. It was really well paced, the writing was good and I adored Barb, the heroine of the book which was the best part. She was a character that I felt like could be my neighbor and someone I could absolutely go sneaking around the neighborhood with in the middle of the night. 

Citizen Insane by Karen Cantell: This is the second book in Cantwell's Barbara Marr Murder Mystery series. Like the first book. it was really well paced. There were a number of laugh-out-loud moments at some of the over the top hi-jinx Barbara and her friends find themselves in, but all in all another fun read. 

11 March 2013

Music Monday: Ear Worms

Ear worm (n)
Definition courtesy of Urban Dictionary: Most likely originated around the time of Hanson's "Mmmbop"; an ear worm refers to any song that is so catchy, and at the same time extremely annoying, that it feels like a worm has crawled into your ear and eaten the intelligent parts of your brain so that you hum the song all day long, no matter how much you hate it. 

This happens to me all the time. I hear a bit of a song and then BAM! It's stuck in my head and I'm humming it (or part of it) all day long.

Over the last couple of weeks, the following songs have been ones I've been singing to myself none stop.

Thrift Shop: I will admit, musically this song is pretty catchy. So much so that I've dumped my Sherlock Holmes ringtone for it. Don't be judgy. It makes me want to get up and dance every time someone calls me.

Informer: One of my bar tricks is that I can "rap" along with this song. Word for word. It's all kind of awesome.

Am I a Muppet or a Man: I watched The Muppets last weekend and then proceeded to sing this song for a week. It's super catchy.

10 March 2013

Sunday Confessions: You Could Say I'm a Little Frustrated

Lazy: I've missed the last couple of weeks of Alyx's link- up due to simple laziness. As with most of my posts, I hand write everything out first (I'm totally old school like that) but just never got around to typing them up. What can I say? I was taking the idea of a lazy Sunday to heart and enjoying them to their fullest!

Infinite Jest: Have ya'll ever had a book on your "to read" list that every time you flipped through the pages of it at the bookstore you thought to yourself, "Someday you'll be mine. Oh yes, you will be mine and I will read you and it will be awesome!" For me, that is the book Infinite Jest only I finally decided to take the leap and buy a copy only. Yeah......I'm not sure I'm cut out to read this book. It kind of makes my head hurt, but I refuse to give up even if reading/finishing it is only to impress someone (don't judge!).

Vacation: The last thing I want to do is wish my life/time away, but goddammit...next week needs to get here! I need a break from everything right now and that is exactly what is happening next week. No work. No email. No Facebook. No Twitter. No nothing. I'll be completely disconnected from everyone and everything and I cannot wait.

Digital Cleanse:  This is pretty much a "see above" entry. It's happening next week. I just can't take all the "if you don't believe in God, don't own an arsenal of weapons, don't want to save every unborn baby regardless of the repercussions for the mothers health and if you don't wear your religion, patriotism  etc. on your sleeve you are a bad person" posts popping up all over the place when I log into my newfeed anymore. I have unfriended and/or hidden more people over the last week than I think I kept. I'm over the smalltime, "it's my way or the highway" style of thinking.



07 March 2013

No Stress Bookclub: On Repeat

I must confess, I marvel at the idea that folks can read the same book multiple time. My friend Jen does this all the time. I don't know how she does it. Usually by halfway the second time through the book I'm bored and ready to move on.

There is, however, one book that is the exception (isn't there always an exception to the rule?).....

Pretty Little Mistakes by Heather McElhatton

Description via Goodreads: There are hundreds of lives sown inside Pretty Little Mistakes, Heather McElhatton's singularly spectacular, breathtakingly unique novel that has more than 150 possible endings. You may end up in an opulent mansion or homeless down by the river; happily married with your own corporation or alone and pecked to death by ducks in London; a Zen master in Japan or morbidly obese in a trailer park. Is it destiny or decision that controls our fate? You can't change your past and start over from scratch in real life--but in Pretty Little Mistakes, you can! But be warned, choose wisely.

This may be cheating a bit, but who didn't love choose your own adventure novels as a kid? Trust me, it's even better as an adult.

I love this book. I have lost track of how many times I have gone through this book. It is such a good time. some of the twists and turns the stories take are absolutely ridiculous but 9 times out of 10 I end up laughing at the predicaments I find myself in. Let's just say, this book has taught me that I'm not very good at making decisions.


Bassability No Stress Book Club

06 March 2013

Weekly Reads: Kingdom Series, One Step Too Far

I've been a wee bit of a slacker with my reading this week. I found a ridiculously cute crochet pattern that I just had to make (more on that in another post) which literally sucked up all the time I had set aside this weekend for reading. Even though the end result was totally worth it, I did miss spending some quality time with my books.

Regardless of the crochet project, I finished reading One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis this week (thank you Netgalley for the download!), which you can read about here: One Step Too Far.

I also finished reading books 2 and 3 of the Kingdom Series by Marie Hall.

They were both o.k. Quick reads. Nothing terribly exciting or noteworthy happens in either one. The writing and stories were, however, much better than the first book in the series (Her Mad Hatter) which was a definite plus.

Gerard's Beauty by Marie Hall
Description via Goodreads: A not so classic retelling of Beauty and the Beast, as seen through the eyes of the villain... Betty Hart has had it with men. Jilted in love, her life now consists of shelving books by day, watching too much Anime by night, and occasionally dressing up like a superhero on the weekends with her fellow ‘Bleeding Heart’ nerds. Men are not welcome and very much unwanted. Especially the sexy Frenchman who saunters into her library reeking of alcohol and looking like he went one too many rounds in the ring. Gerard Caron is in trouble. Again. Caught with his pants down (literally) he’s forced to seek asylum on Earth while his fairy godmother tries to keep Prince Charming from going all ‘Off with his head’. Maybe, messing around with the King’s daughter hadn’t been such a great idea after all, not that Gerard knew the silly redhead was a princess. But his fairy godmother knows the only way to save his life is to finally pair Gerard with his perfect mate, whether he’s willing or not. From the moment Gerard lays eyes on the nerdy librarian he knows he must have her, but Betty is unlike any woman he’s ever known. He thought Betty would come as willingly to his bed as every other woman before her, but she is a woman who demands respect and even… horror of all horrors… love. Is it possible for a self-proclaimed Casanova to change his ways? 


Red and Her Wolf
Description via Goodreads: Long ago there lived a beautiful child. Her name was Violet. Fair of skin, with blonde hair and large blue eyes. Born of wild magic, she was a woman with a child’s heart. Innocent and lovely, but not at all what she seemed--you see Violet went by another name: The Heartsong. She was the child of fairy magic, the physical manifestation of all fae kinds unbridled power. Cosseted and pampered, she grew up in isolation, never knowing who she really was, or why there were those who’d seek to harm her. Ewan of the Blackfoot Clan is a wolf with a problem. He’s been sent to kill the Heartsong, but the moment he lays eyes on the blonde beauty he knows he’ll defy the evil fae he works for to claim Violet as his own. This is the tale of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, as it really happened.


I'm now bouncing between a few different titles. I'm still making my way through Starvation Lake. I will finish this one even if it bores me to tears. I also started Infinite Jest which is turning into an infinitely annoying book. I just can't wrap my head around it, but again I'm not giving up. I think I'm going to save it for vacation, which I can spend hours giving it my undivided attention.


04 March 2013

Music Monday: Laura Marling

I've apparently been living under a rock as I have just discovered the brilliance of the Songza app for iPhone. Umm...yeah.....LOVE this thing.

It was pretty fantastic not having to decide what tunes to listen to today at work. Plus, it introduced me to some new-to-me tunes which is a double bonus and reminded me of some songs/musicians I really dig but don't listen to enough.

Case in point......Laura Marling. I adore her sound. Her songs make me want to rethink my decision to not learn how to play the acoustic guitar.

Devil's Spoke


The Captain and the Hourglass

03 March 2013

February Crochet Along

Whoops!

I'm a little behind schedule, as per usual. But as they say, better late than never.

February was crazy busy with crocheting. By the time it was done, I think I made at least a dozen hats for friends which kind of put all personal projects on the back burner for the month. Thankfully though, I did find time to work on a little project for myself via The Curious Pug's February CrochetAlong link-up!

I am CONSTANTLY misplacing little odds and ends that I need for my projects. Yarn needles. Measuring tape. Snippers. Snaps. Buttons. Stitch markers. If it's small and needs something to keep track of it, I'm going to lose it.

One of the three projects selected for this month was an envelope to be used for a small gift or note. Besides being completely adorable, it was a practical! Is there a better gift/project out there? Adorable and practical? I don't think so.




I ended up making a couple of these badboys. One for myself for all my odds and ends and one that went off to a friend. This is definitely a pattern I will come back to time and time again. They are easily customizable (size, color, etc.) and did I mention adorable?





01 March 2013

One Step Too Far

One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis
Description via Goodreads
An apparently happy marriage. A beautiful son. A lovely home. So what makes Emily Coleman get up one morning and walk right out of her life to start all over again? Has she had a breakdown? Was it to escape her dysfunctional family - especially her flawed twin sister Caroline who always seemed to hate her? And what is the date that looms, threatening to force her to confront her past? No-one has ever guessed her secret. Will you?

One Step Too Far was full of twists and turns right from the start. The story alternates between the past and present Emily's life: life in Manchester vs. life in Lonon. Admittedly, I had a hard time connecting with Emily's character. I could not imagine there being anything that would/could make a mother leave her family. But like "real life", we aren't always privy to the intimate details of someones life behind closed doors. Even when the big secret was revealed (which  might I add, getting to this big secret was a bit tedious).

Seskis did a wonderful job of creating a cast of characters that seemed genuine in their flaws. A mother who couldn't quite find enough love for both daughters. A father who wasn't quite ready to take on fatherhood. And twin girls, opposites in every respect trying to figure out their place in the family.

Up until the last quarter or so of the book, I really enjoyed the story, even if I wasn't really rooting for Emily in the end. Like I said, the big build up to the reason why Emily left was a bit much after awhile.  I just wanted to know why she left and in the end just wanted to be done with her (this was mostly from my lack of connecting with the character from the start) and found myself disappointed in the ending. It wasn't an ending I would have chosen.


Thanks for reading!

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