D.E.A.R. *ETA*

I'm not sure if DEAR was something that was implemented around the country, I just know it was in all my schools when I was growing up in Montana.  DEAR stands for Drop Everything And Read.  Not to be confused with DARE which was the Drug Abuse Resistance Education classes that I'm pretty sure every school did.

Anyway, my kids and I practice DEAR every day because I want them to get as much reading in as possible.  My kids, especially my daughter, get really excited about reading.  I have started doing a three hour quiet time DEAR session every day.  From noon to three there is no TV, no video games, no iPad, and no phone calls.  We all sit around and read.  They can't read to themselves yet, so if they bring me a book I'll read it to them and they know that even when it's not DEAR time, they are welcome to bring me a book and I will drop whatever I'm doing and read to them.

I love reading and I hope that they do too.

Switching subjects.  I uh...I'm a jerk.  I accidentally stepped on my dog's foot this morning and broke his little toenail off.  He yelped and I feel so bad for doing that.  He seems to forgive me though.  He hates the stuff I had to put on his little toe to stop the bleeding.  That probably hurt worse than the actual break, to be honest.  Thank God I have a dog first aid kit.

I have a blanket WIP today.  I'm starting to really cruise through this blanket.

I already have another row that's crocheted I just haven't attached it yet, so I'm actually one more row further than this picture.  I have patterned a blanket for my daughter and one for myself.  My husband says he doesn't want one, but if he ever decides he'd like one, I'll make it for him.  I was really surprised that I truly enjoy crocheting.  I had my doubts because I didn't like it as a kid which is why I only ever learned how to do a single chain.  My poor mom probably hates that I learned from youtube instead of from her.  

Anyway...so, my geisha had to take a back seat for a bit until I can get more threads because I ran out of a couple colors which has never happened to me before.  I will have a WIP soon though because I am working on an area that doesn't need the threads I'm waiting on.  It won't be much, but it's still something.

Happy stitching, everyone!

ETA:  I finished crocheting the next row and instead of making another blog post I'm adding it to this one!

Don't mind the minion.  She wouldn't let me get a picture without her in it so she's modeling my half of a blanket.  Time for bed now, happy stitching, everyone!

Dumb Ways to Die

My daughter is ruining my life with the song Dumb Ways to Die.  I've heard it probably forty times in the last few days.  I should have never shown her the app because the video is right there on the menu.  She plays it over and over again, so it's almost always stuck in my head.

I have another row done on my son's blanket!

I think I need to sew in the tails because they really bug me.  I didn't mind them being loose in the beginning, but as the blanket has started to get further along, I hate them.  My daughter is sleeping in the room with all my craft supplies right now otherwise I'd be looking for my darning needle.

It's coming along, though!  You can see his adorable little Hylian 8-bit face!

I'm off to go drink some coffee and then clean my house.  Maybe do some stitching...or crocheting.  I don't know.  Happy stitching, everyone!

Dropped the Ball

Oops, I meant to post last night but I uh...kinda fell asleep.  So here's the WIP I was supposed to post last night!

I am getting ready for a Halloween party with my friend soon.  My daughter and I are going as Wayne and Garth from Wayne's World.  There's a costume contest, so I'm hoping we win lol.

Off to work on my son's blanket in the meantime.  Happy stitching, everyone.

Coloring "therapy"

I read something a few days ago about how coloring actually calms people down and is good for stress relief.  Something about how you are focusing on coloring and therefore whatever's troubling you can't be forethought because the coloring is taking over your mind.  I brought this up to my therapist the last time I went and he said that it is indeed a good way to relieve stress.

Later that day, I talked to my husband about it and he told me that his mother used to force him to color when he was having an anger outburst as a kid.  He said that it worked wonders for him.  When I told him I would like to try it, he bought me this:

Not only is it a coloring book, but it's a Mandala coloring book.  Mandalas, from what I remember from my sister, are used for meditation and you're supposed to color them to calm your mood.  So it fits right in with what I want to accomplish.

I received the book in the mail this afternoon and as soon as I realized what it was, I busted out the markers, opened the book to a random page, and colored the Mandala on that page.  It really was pretty relaxing, and while I was coloring it, I couldn't help but think about doing another one.

Not sure if it's my inner child wanting to color, or if it is really helping.  Who knows?

I should have a WIP later hopefully.  I'm off to go color some more, so happy stitching everyone.

Another Blanket WIP

I have a massive headache, but I have this WIP of the blanket.  I finished the fifth row a few minutes ago.

The next row is the exciting one for me because it's finally the start of his face.  

I'm still dealing with blurred vision and a massive headache, so my Geisha is still taking a back seat right now.  Hopefully I can work on her a bit tomorrow after I clean my house.  I'm off to bed to sleep off my headache.

Happy stitching, everyone!

ETA:  I forgot to mention that I found a sketch book, so my 30-day drawing challenge will be starting soon!

Top Gear is my "I'm sick" friend.

I adore the show Top Gear (UK).  I love the banter, I love the guys who host the show, and I love the cars.  Such a funny show to watch.  Every time I'm not feeling well I watch one of three things:  House M.D., Top Gear, or an anime.  Today's choice was Top Gear.

I started taking an antidepressant and this side effect I have from it is NOT fun.  Every time I move my eyes, they go out of focus for a few seconds and so stitching has been a no go today due to that and the headaches the lacking of focus causes.  Though I was able to crochet because I can do that without looking, so I have an update on my son's blanket because my yarn came today!

So now I'm off to bed because I can not stay awake anymore.  My head hurts too much and I am just exhausted.  So good night and happy stitching, everyone.

Loot Crate October 2014 and the end of the photo challenge...and other stuff, too!

Wow, it's been a whole month already!  They just sent me the tracking number this morning and BOOM it was in my mailbox this afternoon.  It's LOOT CRATE TIME!  I love this...

Okay, so this month's theme is FEAR!!  Because of October and Halloween.  Admittedly I was expecting something from the F.E.A.R. video game series or from Silent Hill (Bubble Nurse, anyone?), but no such luck.  That's okay, though because there were some other great items.  Ready?  Okay, here we go!

First up, THE REVEAL!

So of course I notice there's a shirt.  At first it looks like the shirt and that smaller box are the only two things in there.

The shirt spread out:

This shirt is called "Death by Cats" and it's really just that.  It is a skull made out of cats.  I am in love with this shirt.  Though I don't think I've gotten a shirt from Loot Crate I didn't like, so there's that.

Next up:

The little box that was in the reveal was this.  This is a Sledgesaw Hammer pen from Dead Rising.  I don't think I'll ever use it.  I have a feeling this is going to be one of those things that just stays in the box because I'm notorious for losing pens.

There's a movie coming to DVD...or came out on DVD:  Sharknado 2!

Naturally this Loot Crate would honor that and include the How to Survive a Sharknado book.  I haven't read it yet because I just haven't yet.  Today was busy.  Anyway, the other item pictured is a SuperEmoFriends art print of The Walking Dead.  I wish my flash hadn't ruined the picture, but any other angle made it even worse and, again, the lighting in my house is terrible.

A Walking Dead comic!

Again, sorry for the flash.  This is a Walking Dead comic with a Loot Crate exclusive cover on it, a sheet of various horror wound temporary tattoos and a Smite gift card which I will probably never use, sadly.  Maybe will have to pawn that off on my husband.

The little stuff in the crate:

Here we have a pair of 3D glasses that go with the Loot Crate Magazine.  Horror movies are always more fun in 3D right?  Even Silent Hill in 3D was fun and those movies are just goofy (I love a good B movie).  We also have the monthly button which I forgot to put on my lanyard and a piece of Toxic Waste sour candy.  I haven't eaten it yet, but I'm assuming it's like a Warhead.

Lastly, the inside of the box:

Don't mind the baby legs in the picture, my daughter was throwing a tantrum because I wouldn't let her play with the box until after I'd already taken a picture.  So she's mad and kicking it while I'm trying to take pictures.  The inside of the box is something I look forward to every month now that they started decorating the inside with the theme of the month.  I'm loving the horror movie drama.

Alright, so that's all for Loot Crate.  I will have  WIP probably tomorrow or the next day, but until then, happy stitching, everyone!  And if you want your own Loot Crate, you can subscribe HERE!

The last of the Legend of Zelda Photo Challenge!

Day 29 - Best Opening and Best Ending

Best Opening:

Windwaker

I loved that this was the history of Hyrule.  The beginning of this game held my attention and was much more interesting than the other games.  Personal opinion, I suppose, but I loved it.

Best Ending:

A Link to the Past

For me, the reason for this is only because of nostalgia.  This was the first video game I had ever beat on my own.  It was the very first one.  So for me it is the best because it was the very first.

Day 30 - What Scared You Most

Dead Hands (Ocarina of Time)

This enemy just...ugh...the way it MOVED was even creepy.  Everything from how it looked, to how it attacked, to how it moved.  It was creepy.  This game came out when I was still a kid and it freaked me out like you wouldn't believe!  I remember having to put the game down for a bit and come back because I was freaked out.

Alright, I'm done with the photo challenge!  My next photo challenge will actually be a 30-Day Drawing a Day challenge where I will be drawing a random picture every day for 30 days.  I draw a lot of anime, so bear with me on that.  I'm not sure when I'll start that one, but it will be soon.  The only reason I'm doing this is because I haven't drawn anything in over a year and I figured what better way than to get into the habit again?

I'm off to go work on my Geisha.  My yarn should be here tomorrow for my son's blanket, so I'm going to get to work on that a bit tomorrow as well!  WIPs to follow :)  Happy stitching, everyone!

Whew, that was a lot of pictures!

And I'm living with monkeys

Phineas and Ferb is one of the goofiest kids shows I've watched.  I do like it though because it's got at least one song in every episode.  It's a cute show.  The title is actually a lyric from one of the songs.

Anyway, I have a WIP!

Sorry about the light.  For whatever reason I couldn't get it any brighter.  That's alright, you can still see the water(?) that is being stitched :)  That part's already half done and then I'm moving on to her kimono.  That's all the updating I have for today.  Happy stitching, everyone!

Legend of Zelda photo challenge

Day 27 - Favorite Sword

Great Fairy Sword (Majora's Mask)

You didn't need this sword to complete the game, but it definitely helped.  You got it from putting together one of the scattered Great Fairies and it was stronger than the sword you already had.  I think finding all the fairies was my favorite part of every temple.

Day 28 - A Song You Can Play

The Song of Healing (again...Majora's Mask)

I play violin and figuring out music is one of my favorite things to do.  The Song of Healing is translated to violin beautifully.  Definitely a haunting melody.

Happy stitching!

Bzzzzzzt!

One of my outlets in my living room buzzes every time you plug something in, and today my Wii U zapped me so bad that my hand went numb.  Guess it's time to block it off and call housing to come fix it.  Maybe my outlets are the reason my electric bill is so high.

Anyway, I have been having a rough couple of days, but I did get a little bit done on my Geisha project so without further ado, here is my WIP!

The umbrella is done!  I moved my hoop and am now working on the water.  

I ran out of black yarn for my son's blanket, so I am waiting ever so (im)patiently for Hobby Lobby to ship my yarn to me.  I would just go there myself, but it's a 2 hour drive to the nearest craft store and it's just cheaper on gas to order it.  Plus I had a free shipping coupon and a 40% off coupon.  How could I not?  I'll probably have the yarn in a couple days and then I'll have the WIP a couple days after that.  So roughly a week or so before I can update on my son's blanket.

Well, I'm off to stitch and watch Once Upon a Time.  Legend of Zelda photo challenge below.  If you're not wanting to read, then happy stitching!  :)

Day 23 - A character you would want as a friend

Impa (any game)

Impa started off as being the nanny to Zelda in earlier games, then in Ocarina of Time she was not only Zelda's nanny, but she was her guardian.  She was a much more formidable character and she looked like she could kick through a tree.  All the games from Ocarina of Time on have kept this same aesthetic for her.  It would just be nice having someone like that because it might encourage me to be more of a fighter and less of a "flighter."

Day 24 - Favorite Instrument in any game

Fairy Harp (any game)

Only because the harp is one of my favorite instruments anyway.  I love the sound of a harp and I am definitely jealous of anyone who can actually play one.

Day 25 - Favorite Dungeon/Temple

Stone Tower Temple (Majora's Mask)

I LOVED THIS TEMPLE.  You had to solve puzzles that involved turning the entire temple upside down.  I loved it even though it frustrated me to no end to have to keep coming back and re-flipping it because I missed something.  The puzzles were just fun.

Day 26 - Least Favorite Dungeon/Temple

The Shadow Temple (Ocarina of Time)

I only hated this temple because I found it to be rather boring.  The graphics were cool, but the Shadow Temple was just lacking for me.  Very straight forward and extremely easy.

Alright, I think that was it.  Happy stitching!

Blanket WIP

I have a blanket WIP today, but not one for my Geisha.  I have done more on the Geisha, but not enough that I think would be noticeable.  So here's the progress on the blanket!

I'm extremely amateur at this because I've never crocheted anything but a few chain stitches, so this is a huge undertaking for me.  I have three rows done and I've already finished off one skein of black and I'm almost done with my skein of green.  Unfortunately I am out of black completely, so I need to buy some more next time I'm in town.

I'm thinking of doing a green stripe around the blanket, then a black stripe, then a green scallop edge.  I haven't decided yet.  I'm really loving how it's coming together though!

On to the Legend of Zelda photo challenge, and if you're not interested, then happy stitching!

Day 22 - Something you want to change in any game
Travel time

Windwaker was the WORST with this!  The traveling is fun, don't get me wrong, but when you're spending 20+ minutes just navigating through the world without any actual game play, it can get a little boring.  I was not a fan of this.

Alright, off to go cook dinner.  Happy stitching, everyone!

Two WIPs

I'm currently working on two projects at once.  One for me (my geisha) and one for my son.  Recently my son has become obsessed with Link from the Legend of Zelda.  Hyrule Warriors has an 8-bit Link vs. Octorok animation while any screen is loading.  My son LOVES that little animation and will come running from whatever room he's in to come see it if he hears the music.  This is all relevant.  I'm making my son an 8-bit Link crochet blanket because of his interest.

Nothing really exciting has happened in my life lately except that I'm working on recipes again.  I'm working on a copycat Olive Garden breadstick recipe.  So far I've got the bread part of it, I'm having a hard time balancing out the butter glaze that's on them.  I can't get the portions right for whatever reason.

Time for my unpopular opinion:  Pumpkin spice is gross.  Don't get me wrong, there are some things I like that are pumpkin spice (love the Oreos), but I despise the coffees.  I thought maybe it was just Starbucks, but I've tried other coffee shops PLUS I made my own and I just can't drink it.  I'm forcing myself through the half gallon pitcher of iced coffee I made, but it is rough.  I didn't like the M&M's, I don't like the Hershey kisses, and the pumpkin spice pudding was horrid.  Maybe I'm just not doing it right.  REAL pumpkin spice stuff made with real pumpkin and spices is awesome, I think I just don't like the weird chemically taste of the fake stuff.

Alright, time for WIPs.  The first up is my son's blanket:

Don't mind the unevenness.  It's not stitched together yet, so it looks a little wonky.  I'm working each row and I did both of those rows yesterday.  Also, I leave my tails until the end, so those won't be gone until the blanket is done.  I figure I'll do them all at once because it's just easier.  

Next up, my geisha:

Not too much is done since the last time, but the purple is almost done!  I'm kind of sad because the colors on the picture of the finished kit are different than what I'm stitching with.  Kind of disappointed because I wanted those rich blues and greens and instead I got purples and different greens.  Ah well, it still looks nice in person, this picture makes it look washed out.

Alright on to Legend of Zelda photo challenge!  If you don't want to continue on, happy stitching!

Day 19 - Least Favorite Legend of Zelda game

Phantom Hourglass

It's not that I didn't like this one, it's really just that in the list of Legend of Zelda games, this one comes last.  I have liked ALL the Legend of Zelda games, this is just the least favorite.

Day 20 - Favorite Battle

Fighting Dark Link (any game)

I like the idea that you're battling with yourself.  It's not exactly a new concept, but it's still one of my favorites.  Hyrule Warriors implemented Dark Link and made me fall in love with the fight even more because of what happened.  It just showed that even the Hero of Time isn't perfect.

Day 21 - Favorite Goddess

Din

The Goddess of Fire.  She seemed a bit more spunky than the other Goddesses and therefore I thought she was more fun.  Nayru and Farore were just boring compared to her.

Alright, I'm off to work on the last few squares of the second row in the blanket.  Happy stitching, everyone!

Crash and burn.

My anxiety has been extremely high today and I'm really sensitive.  It's weird.  I've not had a day like today since I was a teenager, and it was bad.  So, since I'm feeling a bit down, I'm going to just do the Legend of Zelda photo update...and then I'm going to go crochet.

Day 18 - Favorite version of Link and Zelda
Skyward Sword

I loved how this one they seemed to have grown up together and were life friends.  Like Windwaker, Zelda wasn't a "princess" until it was revealed further in the story.  I love how they make Zelda basically just a normal girl in this game.

Been Busy

Sorry, I haven't updated in the last couple of days, I've been really busy running the kids to play dates and with pay day having just passed we were plotting and planning Halloween costumes, so not much stitching, though I DO have a WIP!

Sorry the picture's so dark, my iPad was dead, so I ended up using my phone to take the photo.  It doesn't look like much has been done, but it has.  Oh, it has.

I am also embarking on a mystery project *WoooooooOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...*

It is crocheted and it IS done with granny squares.  I've only ever made like 5 granny squares in my entire life, so they tend to look pretty amateur.  Sorry about that.  Everyone has to start somewhere, right?

HA!  I had a picture but it decided not to upload, so sorry you get to miss out on my four granny squares of the same color.  Exciting, right?  We really need a sarcasm font...

Anyway, happy stitching, everyone!

Legend of Zelda Photo Challenge
Day 15 - A scene that makes you cry
The death of Mikau (Majora's Mask)

This didn't make me cry.  In fact, NO scene in the entire series has ever made me cry, so instead I decided to choose the scene that I deemed to be the saddest of them all:  The death of Mikau.  You don't really meet the character much because you meet him already on death's door.  Mikau defended his bay against the pirates and was severely injured.  Link, playing the Song of Healing, lead Mikau into the light so that he might find peace.

Day 16 - A character you can relate to

Tingle (Any game)

No, really.  Hear me out:  Tingle is that young at heart, never wanting to grow up, man-child we all have somewhere deep down whether we admit it or not.  I tend to be immature...a lot.  I would think that most everyone sometimes thinks, "I would love to be a kid again."  Tingle, at 35(?), is very much still a child.  Keep living the dream, Tingle.  Shine on, you crazy fairy man!

Day 17 - Something from the game you want to exist in real life

Fairies

As a child, I always loved the idea that little sprites could be around and we don't know it.  I would have loved for fairies to exist and I would love to have had an actual vocal conscience that was hard to ignore (much like Jiminy Cricket).

Alright, that was it.  If you made it through, again, happy stitching.

Excuuuuuuuuse ME, Princess.

There was a Legend of Zelda TV show that came out the same time as the Super Mario Brothers cartoon.  Cheesy lines, sound effects from the original 8-bit video game, and animation that always makes me think of the Ninja Turtles cartoon.  Link acts like a spoiled brat and is a little weasel.  The show irritates me to death, pity my son loves it.  He's three, though, so he likes most cartoons.

I haven't stitched much lately as I have been playing Hyrule Warriors.  So no WIP, but I am going to be stitching while my son watches this God awful show.  In the mean time, here's the Legend of Zelda photo challenge pictures.

Day 12 - Favorite Sidequest
The trading sequence (any game)

I love that the trading sequence is in almost every single game.  It's fun to figure out people's needs by their hints (if they don't outright tell you what they need).  I always loved that part of the game.

Day 13 - A character I would cosplay

Midna (Twilight Princess)

For one, she's super cute.  I am not the skinniest of people, so cosplaying as her would not be super awkward.  I'm not saying she's fat!  I just think that it's easier to cosplay someone without a normal body shape when you're a little overweight.

Day 14 - Favorite part in any game

The mask transformations (Majora's Mask)

Majora's Mask came out and it was (at the time) the hardest game I'd played.  The transformations were so creepy to me that they just kind of stuck with me to this day.  The sound of agony at the transformation just gave me the creeps, but it was still one of the more interesting thins about the game.

Alright, off to stitch with this stupid show playing in the background.  Happy stitching, everyone.