quality literature: water for elephants

 

now that i'm really reading again, it's been nice to finally pick up some of those books that i'd heard were awesome back when i wasn't really reading but ones i would have read when i was the reader that i once was.  that sentence amuses me.  this was one of those much talked about and recommended reads 5ish years ago.  i borrowed it from a fellow reader at school who teaches junior english - american lit (my fave); her loaners are quite perfect for me.  and double bonus, when i'm finished i have someone to gush and critique with.

 

water for elephants is set on a circus train in the u.s. during the great depression.  for the first two-thirds of the book, i basically thought it was raunchy and sad.  i kept reading though as it was fairly readable despite that.  the double fairy tale ending and unexpected plot twist in the last third made it totally worth my time.  solidly recommend.

menu plan: honduran chicken noodle soup

the title of this post is pretty much false advertising.  this is doris soup, not honduran soup.  no recipe.  just dumping stuff together.  you know how i do it.  it must be good though as gabriel ate leftovers of it THE VERY NEXT DAY.  that's a seal of approval right there.  the one thing that is honduran is the poached egg.  i had never had poached egg in my chicken noodle soup until i lived in honduras for a year.  i quite like it!  i think i'll be making a few more soups this month as according to tami's "got glue" class, january is soup month.  this totally makes sense too with the current climatic conditions affecting my beloved south.  i do think a page on my favorite soup recipes will make a fine addtion to my "one little word" mini-album too.  anyhoo, here is the soup recipe should anyone care to try it and this week's menu plan brought to you coutesy of the florida state seminoles . . .

honduran chicken noodle soup:
2 bone in skin on chicken breasts
1/2 bag of frozen diced onion
25 baby carrots, sliced
salt, pepper, dried parsley (to taste)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 bag egg noodles

cook chicken, onion, carrots, salt, pepper, and parsley until the chicken is done.  be careful to cook it at a soft boil so the chicken doesn't become rubbery (it's just that sometimes i forget).  remove chicken from pot, shred, and return to pot sans skin and bones.  add can of soup and gently crack in enough eggs to feed the masses (one per person. you can add more eggs when you heat it up for leftover day).  i believe i boiled my eggs in the soup for ten minutes and then served.  tasty!

this week's menu plan:
sunday - chicken noodle soup
monday - buffalo wings and muffin tin pizza for the big game
tuesdeay - leftovers
wednesday - dinner at church
thursday - french toast and bacon
friday - open
saturday - taco salad

project christmas 2014: christmas crafting all year long

did christmas sneak up on anyone else?  i think it had something to do with thanksgiving being later than usual and christmas hitting midweek.  i teach high school and was all caught up in state testing, final exams and projects, and getting my grades in.  we went to school all the way to friday the week before and then, bam!  what do you mean christmas is in five days?  ack!  of course, this is probably just an excuse.  christmas gets away from me every year.  i always want to do a december daily and then there are always so many other home decor and gift ideas that i have, but simply not enough time.  i have decided that 2014 will be different.  this year i am christmas crafting all year long.  i did declare "holiday" as my one little word after all!  it's perfect!  does anyone else out there do this?  i know you do!  you're probably all way smarter than me and have been preparing in advance for years.   so do share.  what are your christmas crafting plans this month?

my january christmas crafting plans are:
december daily days 13-18
five christmas cards
a minion tree ornament
tunesian crochet dishclothes

these pages are a few more that i've gotten done in my vintage inspired journal your christmas (not so mini) mini-album.  it's so nice to work on them without the stress of "oh my goodness i'm SO behind!"  it's january!  i've got twelve whole months to finish, lol.  :)

project life: thoughts on my first year

i was led into project life last year kicking and screaming (in my own mind, at least).  and this after poking fun at the whole process for several years prior.  i had always been a "moments" scrapbooker, so the thought of project life simply did not appeal.  not to mention it also sounded incredibly overwhelming.  i am here to report that i was wrong on both counts.  project life is easy.  it's a joy and a complete treasure.  i am thrilled to bits to launch into a new year of recording our memories in this format.  here are a few things i've discovered in my first year . . .

i do not work in a week by week format.  what works for me is to print and slot my photos every two weeks or so.  i simply go through my cell phone pics and make a list of the ones i want to include.  i then go through my camera pics and fill in those where they fit chronologically in the list.  from there i make little pencil sketches of the pocket pages i'm using and fill in where the photos will work best and try to remember to leave pockets empty for pretties (i'm notorious for going heavy on the photos!).  when i get to the end of a month, i reserve a pocket to use as a marker denoting a new month starting.  that's it.  and then i go back to my old ways of NOT scrapbooking chronologically.  that's right.  i flip through my pages and scrap where the notion strikes.  for example, this spread is from june and i just finished it last week.  it was the last holdout in the first two albums.  i have two albums completely finished.  JANUARY THROUGH AUGUST OF 2013 IS COMPLETELY RECORDED.  i can hardly believe it.  it's so awesome.  gabriel enjoys it tremendously.  it's fabulous.  and am i stressed about september through december not being done?  NOT AT ALL!  i mean, gosh.  what am i going to do when he goes off to college?  i'll need something to keep me busy!  i will say that i have my photos printed and slotted all the way through december 12th.  and the rest of december is edited and awaiting printing (i'm just low on ink, so soon.  very soon).  so basically all of 2014 is available to look at and enjoy.  this is way more than can be said for any other year.  i say i am more "caught up" than ever before in my scrapping history.  wowzas!  (btw, sorry for the less than stellar photos.  i've been trying to do better with that, but i was experimenting photographing in my craft room.  it didn't go as well as i had hoped.  i left my feet in the photo as they amused me and i thought they might amuse you too.  i did go back and redo the 2014 intro page at the top this morning, but was too lazy to do the rest.  ;).

here is another shocker.  PROJECT LIFE HAS TOTALLY REJUVENATED MY URGE TO CREATE LAYOUTS.  i bet you didn't see that one coming.  it's true though.  in july (i can't even remember what prompted it) i decided to mix my layouts in with my project life spreads.  it was a lightbulb moment.  it's truly a perfect union for me.  project life provides the timeline (it has a fun, fast-paced comic book feel that my son loves) for the "moment" layouts that i love. 

since i began mixing the two after the fact, there is some duplication with layouts and project life pockets during the first six months of the year.  that's okay.  life is an evolution, right?  ever since my lightbulb moment, i've been making layout choices at the same time that i'm printing and slotting my project life photos.  whenever i come to a set of photos with more than i'd want to include in the project life pockets, or with larger stories or deeper thoughts that i want to share, well, i decide to make a layout.  i add in a 12x12 page protector and throw the pictures in there till i'm ready to scrapbook them.  the only hang up is that i need two layout ideas close together in time, so my pockets will be evenly filled.  this is no big deal at all.  i can always think of something else to say.  another perk of this is that i don't have to edit and print pics when i'm ready to scrapbook.  i just flip through my albums and find a page i want to work on.  i love it!

i've begun adding tabs to the pages, so it's easier to find the months.  a nice touch i think.  next i need to figure out something that works on the spine for easy identification.

i ended up with three albums for 2013 once i merged the layouts with project life.  at one point i really stressed about having too many albums for g to handle when he's an adult.  then i realized it just doesn't matter.  i love creating them and i love flipping through them.  it's all good.  the fourth album is one i've started for 2012.  is she crazy?  no!  it's fun, i tell you!  i've already gotten october and november done in that one and have the pictures printed and slotted for december.  rock on! 

my plan from here is more of the same.  the two finished albums will move to the living room for g and his little friends to enjoy.  i will continue plugging along at 2013 and 2012 as i begin 2014.  i definitely need to buy some more albums.  at some point i'd like to analyze previous years.  but like i said, when g goes to college i'll have way too much time on my hands and will be ever so thankful for scrappy endeavors to keep me busy.  :)

how about you?  any project life planned for 2014?

challenge: six word memoir

 

the heart of winter holds grace.

2014 is going to be a great month for challenges at get it scrapped!  we've got a fun and varied list of photo/journaling prompts each month and i'm looking forward to all of them.  to kick things off, for january we're doing the "six word memoir."  this is my first entry.  i'll be back next week with another.  you can find lots more information about the topic HERE.  we'd love for you to join us!

52 weeks: 104 + 4 granny squares

oh!  i have been so excited about this project ever since i discovered it back in the early summer.  i have been dusting off my crochet skills and collecting cotton yarn ever since and anxiously awaiting the new year so i could get started.  the idea is to crochet a granny square each week, choosing the colors based on the season, a holiday, or a major even that might be happening at the time.

i finally began practicing squares in earnest in mid-december.  the one on the right is a vintage granny square pattern from 1891.  i crocheted it in the lighter weight cotton-ish yarn as i thought i might make a little doll blanket for my niece.  it is lovely and delicate, but i decided i wanted to go with the traditional granny square for my 52 week design.  the cammo square to the left is my practice square for that one.  the patterns i read didn't really make sense to me, especially since i wanted to be able to make some rows continuous (without cutting my yarn and starting with a new color), so i modified it just a tiny bit.  it seems to be working well for me now.  and i guess you noticed that my 52 week project has quickly turned into three projects.  ha!  that's usually how it works with me.

next i had to think about dimensions.  in the background you see one of my grandmother's granny square afgans.  she used acrylic yarn and a larger crochet hook than the one i use.  her squares measure 9 inches across while mine measure 6.  hmmm.  ok!  so i'll make two granny squares a week!  problem solved and project made bigger!  hurrah!  and then i'll have to make four extra in the end as 52 x 2 = 104 which does not work well for aligning rows and columns of granny squares so the completed afghan turns out perfectly rectangular.  52 x 2 + 4 = 108 and 9 x 12 = 108.  yes, that will work nicely!  by my calculations, my afghan should be approximately 4.5 feet x 6 feet.

i chose my colors this week based on the weather.  we had a chance of snow.  i was thinking winter whites and blues, but then realized that pantone's color of the year would be perfect!  the finished square reminds me of my beloved pansies.  i've decided my second square each week will be an exact reversal of my original color choices.  isn't it amazing how different the two squares look, even though they were made from the exact same colors.  that seems like a lovely analogy for life in general; how the smallest decisions can effect the pattern that our life takes.  profound.

top squares are made from 4-ply 100% cotton with a size E crochet hook.  sugar n' cream cornflower, grape, and white, and bernat seaspray.  bottom left is also 4-ply 100% cotton with a size E crochet hook.  sugar n' cream renegade.  the small square is light (3) weight 55% cotton/ 45% acrylic with a size D crochet hook.  cotton-ish by bernat in cotton gin, grey t-shirt, spinning ginny, and cotton field.

traditional granny square pattern (modified by me):

round 1: chain 6, slip stitch to form ring, *chain 5, 3 double crochet in ring, chain 2, 3 double crochet in ring, chain 2, 3 double crochet in ring, chain 2, 2 double crochet in ring, slip stitch to opening formed by chain *chain 5.

round 2: (either continue with same color, or slip stitch a new color to a corner hole) chain 5, 3 double crochet in corner hole, chain 1, 3 double crochet in side hole, chain 1, 3 double crochet in corner hole, chain 2, 3 double crochet in same corner hole, chain 1 . . . continue this pattern around square.  in the end you will again just need to put two double crochet in the corner you started and slip stitch onto your chain 5 to complete that round.

rounds 3 and on:  more of the same!

and look!  my granny square forecast was correct!  we had snow flurries this morning as i was completeing the second one.  :)

one little word 2014!

happiest of new years to you!  i picked me one little word for 2014 . . . holiday!  i'm excited about the idea of celebrating all the fabulous people and moments in my life this year. 

have you chosen a word to guide your year?  this is my fourth year with this tradition.  in 2010 i chose "focus."  that was pretty much a dud.  i'm a deep thinker to begin with, so a word that made me even more somber was just too much.  the next year i went polar opposite and chose "joy."  that was a little better, but ironically it lacked focus.  ha!  i did try to start an art journal with that one, but it didn't really take.  last year i tried once more and picked "details."  that one was a winner!  i started project life, did two months of haiku challenges, and two months of photo-a-day challenges.  i also rocked valentine's day and my christmas mantel among other things.  these last two gave me the idea of this year's word, "holiday."  i want to remember birthdays and send christmas cards this year.  i want to do some decor projects for the holidays and host a few parties.  things like that.  i think it's a fun way to be present and make the days, weeks, and months more special.  i decided to try giving my word it's own home again this year.  instead of the art journal, i'm going with a handbook/mini-album style.  i'm not sure yet what all i'll put in it, but i'll keep you posted!

the foundation of the book is a basic grey handbook that i got in a recent jbs mercantile mini-album kit.  i also took the guts (dividers, page protectors) out of a pink paislee handbook i had (from another previous mini-album kit).  most of the bits are from the january jbs mercantile artisan and antiquarian kits.  i simply adore those large die-cut numbers - sheer perfection for the start of a new year.  and vintage bits always add so much charm to a page.  the little flatback is exclusive to the main kit.  i can't wait to really break into that one.  the exclusives this month are fabulous.

this spread has a little note about my word on the left and my first "6 word sentence" on the right (more on that next challenge week!).

and here i've printed a calendar to put birthdays and obscure holidays on (i got my holiday list from tami's "got glue" journal class) and a pocket full of quotes from my pinterest quote board.  i chose quotes that set the tone for my new year.

those are the ideas i have so far.  i'm sure more ideas will come to me as the month progresses.  :)