2015 Goals

Do you have any goals in 2015?

            What are they?

Tunisian Crochet update 1

Throughout this year my friend Lindy and I are going to be attempting to make a Tunisian crochet blanket from lion brand. I began this year knowing nothing about how to Tunisian crochet. A few days before the new year I went to my local craft store and picked up my needle. I am hoping to use up lots of yarn from my stash to make this project, I may towards the end need to buy some, we'll see how the year plays out. Anyways, the throw consists of nine different stitches. I have begun with the basic Tunisian crochet, which thanks to youtube, I picked up fairly quickly, my gauge isn't exactly what it should be according to the pattern but apparently according to the reviews lots of people have this problem.

Serious rollage

finished square number 1 only 35 to go

First thoughts and lessons learned from the first square:

• relax - the tension must be fairly loose
• the ends curl - it seems 99% of people have this problem
• I am going to need a border
• Ending a square is not hard but not as easy as I would have liked at first
• I have a year, I can do this. It is only 36 squares and 9 stitches. I have a year.
• Yes, this is me giving myself a pep talk, thanks for listening
• I am loving having a project to challenge me, sometimes I get bored with doing the same projects over and over again
• 35 squares to go, I can do this

Anyone else taking up a year long project?

Are you learning anything new this year?

Any random goals for the year?

Crochet

I LOVE to crochet. I love the way the yarn feels in my hand, I love the repetition of the stitches as the pattern emerges, I love the way whatever I happen to be making at the time slowly evolves. I love making big projects (blankets) and little projects (hats) and nearly everything in between. Growing up I always thought crocheting and knitting (which I have no clue how to do) were something for old ladies. I love the familiarity of a pattern I know by heart and I love the confusion of a new pattern or one that has a particularly challenging stitch to it. I dream of having a massive yarn stash to pick from when I am creating things, I would love to have a shelf dedicated just to yarn and have it all nicely organized by color and weight. (Also I guess I would need the money to buy a ton of yarn.)
I love giving away things that I have crocheted to family, friends, hospitals, and other organizations. I also get to sell some of what I make at a local shop and it is fun to see someone wearing a hat or scarf or something I made while walking through the grocery store. I love to make kids and adults hats all the same. It is a spiritual practice for me for sure. I pray as I crochet, I pray for the person who will be receiving whatever I happen to be making, even if I don't know them, I pray for the world, I pray for family and friends, crocheting (much like running) allows me the time pray in ways that I can't if I am just sitting still. I am the person who carries yarn and a needle with me wherever I go, given ten minutes waiting at the doctor's office I am bound to pull it out, or if my stress levels get too high at work, I pull out my ball of yarn and my needle and crochet and pray for ten minutes. I give thanks for the woman who taught me to crochet when I was in fourth grade, I think I am going to write her a thank you note to let her know I appreciate her and what she taught me.
I LOVE to crochet.

Lately I have been creating these monster hats
they are selling like crazy and lots of friends have
requested them for their kids. It is great fun.

Easter

Easter week was crazy nuts and marvelous all at the same time. This first year in call has been wonderful and a crazy learning curve, the people at Bethlehem are outstanding. The picture above is Marc, Dakota, and I after Easter services. We had a great time playing outdoors with my family, it is hard to believe that there is snow on the ground as I type.

I just got back from a wonderful road trip with my mom to drive my grandparents car back from Florida. We spent a few days on the beach and then a few days driving back. I had lots of crocheting time (which was amazing).

Another Tuesday

This winter has been crazy, a serious lack of snow. This picture is of my sweet (not so little any more) Dakota and myself out wandering through a local state park on an attempt at a "snowy day." Life has been good, winter has semi-disappointed me with the inability to use my snow shoes.

In the midst of work and other such fun I have managed to continue to make a wide variety of crock pot soups (which I have learned to love cooking in the crock pot, now if only I could figure out how to make crock pot recipes so I wouldn't have so much leftover), do some crocheting, take tons of pictures, read (Hunger Games, my latest favorite, and many other books), and run. It has been wonderful to be able to get outside and run.

I also have been taking photos every day. It is kind of a fun challenge, some days I wonder what in the world I should take a photo of and other days it seems so easy. Although today, I missed out, I got to go to the hospital to snuggle a new baby and totally forgot to take a picture. He was very cute for sure. I think it has required me to be a little bit more intentional with my camera and has allowed me to see moments as picture worthy beyond the big trips and special holidays/events, although I must admit I do have a lot of photos of my sweet puppy.

In other excitement I am running the Fargo Half Marathon and am super jazzed about it! I would like to say I can't wait, but truth be told, while I have been running faithfully since the new year, I am not yet ready to run the half.

Oooo.... I have also discovered www.pintrest.com and it is soooooo much fun finding all sorts of random projects and recipes!!! Now if only I had time to make all the recipes and projects that I find or could actually re-do my house like many on there. However it does continue to give me ideas for the ongoing house projects I am doing. Currently I am learning how to re-do my kitchen, I am working on taking down a horrible backsplash in my kitchen and will figure out how to relay the tiles. I am planning on painting my cupboards after the backsplash gets done. I am loving home ownership 98% of the time.

I keep thinking how nice it is to have no major things happening this year: no moving, no graduating, no getting ordained, no call process, and it is a beautiful thing!

Fall/Winter Project

This fall/winter I have decided that I need to take on several projects for a few reasons:
1) it gives me a sense of variety and purpose
2) I know I'll be cooped up in a building a lot of winter so I need projects to keep me going
3) Fall/Winter always seems like a time for projects indoors when I can't be outside playing

One of my projects this fall/winter is I am going to try making a lot of different soups. I love soup but I really dislike most pre-made soups from grocery stores because I generally find them far too salty for my liking and they never quite taste quite as good as if it is homemade rather than store bought.

I started yesterday with Cheeseburger Soup. My friend Lynneskies recommended it to me originally. She said to not put in the parsley or the basil and left it out and don't think I'd put it in either after tasting the soup. It is even fabulous reheated. If you click on Cheeseburger Soup it should bring up the link with the recipe of where Lynneskies found it originally. I am already beginning to look for soup recipes for next week. I can't wait to make a variety of soups. I know it would be possible to get in a massive rut of eating sandwiches and other quick foods with my schedule so it is fun to be able to crock-pot some of the soups and some to make on the stove.

I am off to play with a very happy puppy! I love my Dakota! I have her enrolled in beginning dog training classes (I guess we are both technically taking the class) and so far it has been super fun. I love watching Dakota learn new skills and I love learning how to help her learn new skills. I am excited to see what else she will learn. While I miss my classmates at seminary, I don't really miss going to class yet (I know people say I will eventually), I am liking the ability to choose what classes I want to take and to take a wide variety of random community education classes, I am hoping to get into a crocheting class this winter since I am a self taught crocheter it would be fun to take the class, it is an hour and a half for two nights, which I think should fit into my schedule.

What about you all, do you have any fall/winter projects planned?

I'm back.........

Alright, it has been far far far far too long since my last post, I'll be the first to admit, and time slipped away from me and I know that I haven't posted in forever. I kept thinking to myself that I should have posted but life happened and posting didn't. Now that life is semi-settling down I think it is time to get back on the horse and start up again.

Changes in life:
May 15, 2011: I graduated from WTS with my Masters of Divinity degree
May 21, 2011: I ran my 2nd Half Marathon (I am excited to run another)
May 28, 2011: I was ordained to word and sacrament
June 4, 2011: I got a golden retriever puppy, her name is Dakota
June 21, 2011: I bought a house
June 26, 2011: I began my first call as an ordained minister in the ELCA

Ahhhh it has been nuts and I give thanks for my family and friends who have loved me and supported me through this all.

I have a few projects (a couple practical and a couple fun) I am working on and some fun ones to try that  I have found. My project list at the moment:
-take down the wall paper in my bedroom
-paint the bathroom my house
-unpack boxes
-continue working on a crocheted blanket for a friend
-coasters -I saw some coasters that someone had made and I can't wait to try to make them myself
-continue to train Dakota (I LOVE HER)
-train for the Oktoberfest run in Fargo

Life is good.

Infant Hats

Amy, Julie, me, Molita

The two hats that I made. (Sorry about the poor picture quality, I took it with my phone.)

Yesterday at St. John's Lutheran in St. Donatus, Iowa the women of the church had a "project day." A few folks brought their own projects and a few folks made cards but the majority of the group learned how to loom baby hats. There were a couple women and girls who knew how to do it and taught the rest of us how. It was humbling to have girls probably 8 and 6 teaching me how to loom hats, but they were amazing teachers for sure. I was a skeptic at first that I would be able to figure it out. But I ended up making a hat and a half during the morning and finished my second hat last night. They were very easy to make once we got started, Molita was even able to do it with her arm casted, she only needed help with one part.
      Today I decided to see if I could jazz them up a little bit and add a flower and a button to each of them. I had never tried to crochet flowers before, but with the help of the internet and someone else's blog I learned how to make little flowers and then inserted the button for the center. I am excited to think about all of our little hats going to a local hospital to keep new little babies heads warm. I am particularly excited that my hats are not pink but with the addition of the little flower and button I was able to make them a little girly. I also am particularly fond of Molita's orange hat. Amy got a little fancy and made some type of a rimming on hers. I am excited to try and make a couple on my own and either give them to friends or donate them to the hospital. I love being a part of God's mission in the world and being able to give a gift to people I don't even know.
  I am thankful for people who teach me new skills, share new patterns with me, are patient with me while I learn how to do something, and teach me how to do particular things in order to create something new. I pray I am able to pass on some of these skills to others as well.