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!