summer bounty

all from generous friends who shared the abundance of their summer gardens. yes, that is a sink full of green beans. good thing andrew likes green bean casserole!

Remembering Blessings

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. -- Job 8:21 (NIV)

On my desk at work is one of those verse-a-day calendars that you can reuse from year to year. I bought it when I started working because I wanted to have something to help re-center my thoughts and meditate on throughout the day, especially working in a secular environment. Up until a few years ago, working in Christian businesses was all I knew, and this transition into secular employment has been both exciting and challenging.

The past two and a half years haven't been the easiest transition for me. Struggling to fit in and find my place in a new town and congregation has been very challenging, and not without tears of frustration many times. Moving to a community that, for the most part, has a very small-town, closed community mindset often leaves me feeling like I'm on the outside looking in. Of the friends I've been blessed with here, most of them are transplants themselves, which provides a great community of shared experiences and companionship. I cherish each and every friendship, and the richness they bring to my own life.

We aren't promised days, months, or years without struggles and heartbreak. Yet God promises to work all things for good (Romans 8:28) for those who trust in Him. What comfort this provides during seasons where everything seems upside down and "normal" is no longer peaceful.

In spite of all these stresses and frustrations (sometimes on a daily basis), we are blessed. This verse from Job reminds me that in the midst of all the stress, frustration, worry, heartbreak, and yes, even hopelessness, the Lord still fills our mouths with laughter, still blesses us daily and provides reasons to shout for joy. They may not be blessings we see immediately; we may not even realize them for years to come. But still our Lord daily and richly cares for us, providing everything we need to support this body and life.

Sing praise to God, the highest good,
The author of creation,

The God of love who understood

Our need for His salvation.

With healing balm our souls He fills

And ev'ry faithless murmur stills: 

To God all praise and glory!

(LSB 819:1)

Christmas Break Plans

Tomorrow marks the fourth week in Advent. Advent. Such a busy time, but one of my favorites for the whole year. A time of preparation, planning, anticipation, and hope. A time for reflection, renewal, and comfort. A time for longing, peace, and joy.

Now that I'm officially on Christmas break (and an extended one at that!), it seems that, in a microcosmic way, much of this preparation, planning, longing, anticipation, and hope has been fulfilled. I now have time to reflect, renew, be filled with peace, comfort, and joy. What a blessing to have this time off and enjoy it with family and friends.

I can't wait to get started on all my crafting plans for the next few weeks...

• I've got plans to meet up with some friends for some quality girlfriend coffee bonding time.
• I've got plans to meet up with some friends for some quality girlfriend crafting bonding time.
• I've got plans for working on inventory for my Etsy shop to finally get it up off the ground!
• I've got Christmas presents to finish knitting and crafting, and need to get those out in the post.
• I've got sewing plans, movie watching plans, copious amounts of coffee and tea drinking plans, and enjoying my Christmas present plans (D and I decided to go in on one big gift to ourselves this year, so I already know what I'm getting and it's on its way!).
• I've got RELAXING plans. Oh, sweet relaxing, I've been waiting all year for these few weeks.

We've got a nasty-sounding wintry mix storm going on this weekend. This morning we woke up to a nice thick layer of ice covering the stairs and car. It should hopefully melt off this afternoon, just in time for more ice and snow tonight. I'm so thankful I don't have to go to work next week so I can just stay inside and work on projects.

Pardon me while I go look for my comfy pants and pour myself another cup of coffee.

A Christmas Carol Cup of Tea Swap

 

This holiday season, I participated in a swap on Ravelry based on the legendary Dickens' classic, "A Christmas Carol." The three categories were (you guessed it!): past, present, future. Our mission was to include tea, yarn/knitting-related, and other goodies based on these three times in our life and our swap partner's life. 

Look at all the wonderful treats waiting for me!

Past:
- a family recipe for Hermits, which are a type of chewy, spicy cookie/bar. Yum! Can't wait to try them.
- Sleepytime tea, which is one of my swap partner's (and my) favorites
- Tea pot stitch markers

Present:
- Earl Grey tea, because seriously, you can't go wrong with it!
- knitted necklace/bracelet. Have a few outfits in mind already, and the button on it is so pretty.
- Embroidered tea towel, so precious. How did she know that was perfect for me?!

Future:
- Vanilla caramel tea- can't wait to try this out, sounds so perfectly mellow and desserty
- Yarn that my swap partner hand dyed. The colors are absolutely gorgeous and remind me of the magical fall season where the leaves are so rich and colorful.

She also included some tea candies, a soap, candy canes, Yule Ale, and a cute Christmas spatula. I'm also getting a pattern of my choosing. An excuse for shopping? Haha, doesn't get much better than that!

I'm so tickled by all the wonderful goodies my swap partner Cait decided to include. Thank you, Cait, and happy swapping!

my new pottery!

At our church auction/ice cream social last night, I bid on and won this beautiful, hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind pottery bowl. I was thrilled!! I think it looks so pretty holding these colored spools of thread, just waiting for my Sunday afternoon sewing projects. This bowl will be so useful and look so pretty around the house!

Julie's Clay Creations has wonderful, high-quality craftsmanship, and Julie's a delight too. :)

For more of her beautiful pottery, check out her Pinterest board: Julie's Clay Creations

*This post was not sponsored or endorsed in any way by Julie's Clay Creations or anyone else.

my favorite time of year

Fall is officially here. My favorite time of year, and I'm so excited that the temperatures are cooperating today! Windows are open... decorations are up... I even made some muffins this morning to celebrate!

Fall is when I feel most creative with my crafting, decorating, cooking, and adventure planning. I've got some exciting FOs to share in the next few days, some things in the works, and my Christmas shopping is (almost) done -- thanks to the State Fair earlier this summer and the Sedalia Area Farmer's Market yesterday!

Phew! What a month it's been...

Well, things have been quiet around the blog, and that's not necessarily a bad thing! Lots going on, and very busy days turn into very busy weeks, but I'm thankful for this weekend to relax and catch up on some things around the apartment (mostly, laundry. yuck).

The past three weekends have been full of family activities and events.

Weekend #1: Brother-the-Younger graduated from college (summa cum laude, whoo!!), so of course we made the trip back to my old stomping grounds to help celebrate. We enjoyed an absolutely delightful weekend with my family, a delicious celebratory dinner, and the chance to finally go home for the first time in over 6 months.

Weekend #2: Brother-the-Youngest graduated from high school! Not. Allowed. My baby brother is not allowed to grow up yet... because I'm not ready to admit that I'm getting older. He obviously didn't get that memo, haha! He's off to college in the fall, and I've already got some friends lined up to take care of him in college (he doesn't know that yet...). One of the most memorable events of that weekend: Brother-the-youngest trying coffee. His critique: "Very strange. It's like it's trying to be water, but just can't." Haha! This kid cracks me up.  My grandparents also came to visit us on their way home that weekend, so we enjoyed a nice dinner out with them and church in the morning. :)

Weekend #3: This was the weekend I've been looking forward to for almost an entire year. We finally got to meet our niece, and this may be the auntie pride speaking, but she's a cutie! D remarked that he's pretty sure she liked hanging out with me more than him, to which I responded that I'm E's aunt, and as such, I'm automatically cool. :) I've got some great ideas already for her Christmas and birthday presents... this kid sure is spoiled already... and not just by me!

Now it's back to work and house hunting, which is taking up most of our time (plus, you know, the 75 other things we have going on at the same time). Hopefully we'll find something and move in this summer! I'm excited and nervous at the same time. That's natural, right? The hardest part has definitely been trying to plan for our future while having absolutely NO IDEA what that holds. We could get a call that we decide to take in a year, or we could be here for 15 more years. And that makes it more challenging to know what to look for in a house and plan for the needs of our future family. What I do know is that God already knows what we need and what is in store for us, and he's taking care of us each and every step of the way. Not always easy for me to remember, but it's truly the most comforting thing ever!

Oh, P.S. I made this delightful Strawberry Almond Coffee Cake a few weeks ago (I substituted strawberries for the raspberries the recipe called for), and it was a hit! Just looking at this picture makes me want to make it again.

Just Kidding, May...

Today is May 3. Tomorrow is Star Wars Day! (Which is totally awesome, but beside the point...) Spring is half-way over. And today, I woke up to snow. Not just a dusting.. a full-on, winter-weather-advisory, cars-in-the-ditch-on-the-commute-to-work snow. I am wearing a sweater, wool socks, boots, and delightfully soft, comfy, and warm handknits. Missouri in May. Somedays, you just have to laugh and love the weather, no matter what it brings.

6:30 am. Look at all that snow falling from the sky!

As a result, today is a slow day. (Oh studious students, where are you?! Finals start Monday, and the library is eerily quiet...) But wait! I have reasons to make it better and find the joy and gratitude in today:

1. Leftover Kehde's for lunch. Because seriously. There's not much better than that. In fact, I told D last night that if/when he gets another call that we decide to accept, Kehde's has to move with us. It's not an option in my book.

2. Coffee and tea. Yes, please!

3. Warm, delightfully wooly knits. Comfort at its finest.

4. A relaxing weekend to look forward to, with only a few errands and chores planned, and maybe an event or two to attend.

5. A chance to work on some bigger projects at work without too many interruptions.

6. My renewed love of reading for pleasure. I've missed reading what I want, when I want. During the past two and a half years of grad school, and the four years of college before that, I found myself with little time to read anything other than textbooks and scholarly articles. And now that that phase of my life has come to an end, I'm SO HAPPY to have the time and energy to read fun things again! Last night I finished The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat and it was delightful. Witty, funny, painfully honest, realistic... everything that makes a good story great. (Plus, I'll be honest. I laughed out loud at all the fun poked at Lutherans throughout the novel.) The only problem is now I have that all-too-familiar "book hangover," where I'm not ready to move on to something else yet, but want to keep reading. :)

7. A tasty, relaxing dinner out with my husband. It's always nice to reconnect after a long week, isn't it?

Snowy Fridays in May maybe aren't so bad afterall...

Happy Snow Day!

When I left for work this morning, the snow was just barely starting to fall. By the time I got home an hour and a half later, we probably already had somewhere between 1 and 2 inches. It's so pretty out, and peaceful. Thankful today to be safe, warm, and have an opportunity to work on some knitting projects. And very thankful for the moisture this snow brings!

The doldrums of January

Well, here we are. Almost halfway through January (really?! It feels like just last week was Christmas!), and I'm not sure how much I have to show for it. All in all, it's been an eventful year so far. I've survived the nasty noro virus going around, started my new job, adjusted to life with said job (but really, that's a work in progress), and ... yeah, that's about all I have to show for it.

Christmas decorations are still up, because surprise! I'm too tired and have too many other things to do when I get home from work. And honestly, I like them up. There's something comforting and peaceful about coming home and seeing a Christmas tree in my living room, displaying our favorite ornaments from years past. I rather like it. :)

Work is going wonderfully well. I feel very much at home and really think this position will be a good fit for me. The early mornings and commute are worth it, and that's a wonderful feeling! D has been so supportive during this entire process, and I'm so thankful he's there to help pick up the slack as we make all these adjustments as a couple to our new post-school life.

This week should be a somewhat normal, albeit busy, week (when is a normal week NOT busy??). I'm starting shifts on the reference desk, and very much looking forward to it! I've got one meeting this week after work, a few things to research and put together for an upcoming Helping Hands event, and of course, Knit Night! To be honest, though, I don't exactly have much to show off this week........ hoping to get a chunk of D's vest done tonight though. I'm ready to be finished with that project, and of course have more things waiting to cast on!

I'm not someone who typically makes New Year's Resolutions, and I didn't this year either. However, one of my goals this year is to try and be a bit more organized around the place. I've been looking into various methods for organizing bills, important paperwork, appointments, recipes... you name it. A few things look promising. Not that I'm in really bad shape right now, but there's always room for improvement, right? And with my loan payments in the near future, I figure it can't hurt to be proactive about this sort of thing. So add that to my mental list of things to do. (Soon to be physical list of things, thanks to a helpful tip I got from my friend Raelynn's blog. P.S. See that adorable sheep mug she made? It's mine. She got my name in our Secret Santa gift exchange. :) )

Reflections

It's the end of an era. Literally.

Shortly after noon today, I submitted my very last final project for graduate school.

It's such a weird feeling. I'm done. With a Master's degree. But it hasn't fully sunk in yet. It will. Probably this weekend when I walk across that stage and receive my fake diploma, shake some important people's hands, and get my picture taken multiple times.

Wow.

I run in two polar opposite circles these days. On the one hand, it's very much expected that grad school is normal.... like it's very natural that I went on to graduate school right out of undergrad... and in a way, I feel like a quitter for not going on to get my Ph.D, or another master's degree, or... something.

On the other hand, it's a huge deal that I'm receiving my Master's, much less right after college. Being in the academic bubble for so long, I'd honestly forgotten what an accomplishment this is, because well..... it's what I've always expected from myself. I mean, I've been talking about getting a Master's degree since before college started.

And this past week, as I've completed 20 years of formal, fairly rigorous education, I've been so incredibly thankful for those who reminded me that yes, this is a Master's degree, and yes, this is really impressive.

It's been a long road these past two and a half years. Full of tears, anxiety, confusion, exhilaration, purpose, and questioning. Add in all those personal life changes, and it's been quite a ride.

Landing my first post-college, rock-your-socks-off-awesome, career-related job.
Getting married.
Quitting that fantastic job (and the heartbreak to go along with it).
Moving to a different city.
Meeting new people. Finding my place in the adult world.
Adjusting to my husband's somewhat public-eye career.
Community volunteering. Fieldwork. Comprehensive Exams.
And all those little things in-between.

But you know what? Now that I'm through, and stepping out of academia into the working world, it's been worth it. The memories and experiences, good and bad, have all helped shape me into the librarian I am today.
The librarian that will continue to encourage people to research, study, be the best scholars they can be.
The librarian who will still not-so-secretly nerd out about cataloging and metadata.
The librarian who will continue to connect people with the vast world of information and help them navigate it.

But really, I'll still be in academia. Because home is home, no matter where I am or what I'm doing.

Swap Packages!

A few months ago, I signed up to participate in a swap on Ravelry. I always enjoy participating in these, and it's always a fun and exciting adventure. Shopping for someone you've never met on a pre-determined budget, trying to make things as fun, useful, unusual, and/or practical as you like.... and then getting a mystery package in return!

This swap was a small, simple 6x9 padded envelope swap. Basically, what you can fit into the envelope is fair game. We had to include a recipe and a handmade item, plus whatever else fit the budget and the envelope.

I had so much fun shopping for my assigned partner. Here's what I came up with, which I sent off to my new friend, Cati:

Halloween stickers, stamps, and notepads, fall teas, hot cocoas and ciders, some chocolate, lotion, mock cable mug cozy, and a recipe for caramel apple cookies. I was amazed at how much stuff I could find for under $10 total!

Mock Cable Mug Cozy. I never did a proper finished object post on this one...

Today, I received my surprise package in the mail. Such fun things awaited me inside that envelope!

A handmade jar opener!! I'm always having trouble opening jars and constantly asking D to open them for me, so this will definitely come in handy. Why have I never thought of making them before?!

Cute bicycle themed recipe cards! Perfect for writing down Tasty Thursday creations, or sharing recipes with friends.

Pretty notecards, which are perfect for all those times I want to send snail mail to my dear college friends.... and perfect to add to my notecard collection!

A recipe for Pumpkin Curried Soup! Yum! It sounds tasty, and I can't wait to try it out on one of these cool, fall nights. I bet it would be great for a dinner party, too.

And finally, two skeins of recycled sari silk yarn! In the prettiest fall color-- reddish orange! I've got project ideas floating around already... but clearly this is license to spend time on Rav looking up more patterns. :)

Thanks so much for the awesome swap package, Peg/LadyLisetta!!

{Also, I just realized that November 6 was officially 4 years since I've joined Rav. Many, many thanks to M and Nicole for convincing me it wasn't just a Twilight-themed fan club and that my life was not complete until I joined. They couldn't have been more correct.}

Happiness

Happiness is reading a blog, seeing a cardigan pattern you like, searching for it on Rav, and not only discovering that it's already in your Faves, but also free. :)

Happiness is a quiet evening and good cup of coffee.

Happiness is realizing people are willing to help more than you originally thought.

Happiness is knowing people in stressful and often thankless jobs haven't forgotten how to have fun and laugh.


What makes you happy today?

Monday Love Letters

Monday. The day everyone simultaneously dreads... I'll be honest. Lately I've found myself enjoying Mondays. Not because it means a new school week, and not because it means another week where I have multiple projects, meetings, and errands every single day. Monday means I've survived another incredibly busy weekend and I can once again restore a little order to our apartment. Seriously, every weekend in October has at least one thing planned both Saturday and Sunday -- it's busy, and although we all know how much I love being busy, it's also exhausting.

So Monday. I can ease into my day, finish up the laundry from the weekend, pick up from the weekend (because although I love my husband, the apartment's always messier by Monday morning), finish up any last-minute discussion questions/homework assignments, and of course, Monday means Knit Night. :)

In the spirit of Mondays as my juxtaposition of weekend and week, I thought I'd take the time to write a few love letters for the awesome things in my life right now.

Dear Husband, although we're both busy, I really appreciate you making supper the other night while I was finishing up an assignment. And for putting up with my random chatter about metadata and digital library things you don't understand or care about as much as me.
Dear wool socks, thanks for keeping my feet warm this weekend now that Fall is here. You know I always love you.
Dear Percy Grainger Pandora Station, lots of love for you. Every time I listen to you, you not only play excellent study/knitting music, but transport me back to my high school and college band days. You're my favorite recent discovery.
Dear Autumn, thanks for arriving. The incredibly hot and dry summer wasn't much fun, and I love all the opportunities you give me to wear sweaters/scarves/hats, not feel guilty for knitting with wool, decorate with adorable pumpkins and owls, and make delicious crock pot meals. Oh, and you're awesome because you bring back the pumpkin spice lattes.
Dear Crock Pot, you know I rely on you more than ever once school starts, and thanks for making supper easy, mess-free, and being the cause of my entire place smelling delicious. I don't know what I'd do without you. P.S. I'm featuring your latest wonder later this week on Tasty Thursday.
Dear Friends who Randomly Text Me, thanks for letting me know you're thinking of me and appreciate me. Your unexpected messages always bring a smile to my face and make the study sessions more bearable.
Dear Knitting Friends, thanks for helping me adjust the first few months we lived here, and for giving me something to look forward to every Monday night. I love our conversations, our creativity, and the support we have for one another.

Just a few photos I took last year on our conference trip to Tan-Tar-A.

One of those days.

Today was one of those days. You know, the ones where you don't have motivation to accomplish anything, even though there are things you need to get done? Yeah. That was today. {I'll be honest, I have these days more often than I care to admit, but not often enough that I'm concerned there's something going on...}

For me, this is part of staying home, being a housewife, and taking online classes. It's so easy to stay in my pajamas until the afternoon, piddle around, and before I know it, most of the day is gone and I have little to show for it. Oops. {On the other hand, there are also many perks to this season of life.} Of course, it's second nature to be my own worst enemy and biggest critic, allowing the guilt to creep in all too easily. And so we receive grace and forgiveness from the Lord.

Today, I've needed an extra helping of those two gifts, not to deal with others, but with myself. Grace and forgiveness to realize it's ok to not be as ridiculously busy as the rest of the week. Grace and forgiveness to move past my insecurities and worries and rejoice in the blessings of today. Blessings that come in disguise, and that smack me in the face.

-- A random text from a friend asking my advice on a purchase.
-- Suggestions from friends for a final project topic. {The assignment currently plaguing my mind. Another post for another day.}
-- A brief walk to run some errands that turned into a chance to clear my head.
-- My husband bringing home dinner, with options!, because I hadn't the mental energy to come up with a supper plan of any substance on such a busy night.
-- A quick phone call home during a culinary crisis that led to a cathartic chat with three different family members. {My brother actually wanted to talk to me. What?! Crazy!}
-- Fuzzy polka dot socks, a silly plastic Halloween wine glass, and the anniversary issue of Vogue Knitting.
-- Baking apple oat muffins and enjoying a mug of tea at the end of the day.

So yes, today was one of those days. We all have them. Days of blah and meh. Days of grace and forgiveness. Days of blessings. And the promise of tomorrow.

"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." - Lamentations 3:22-23

Hard work pays off

The grades for this past semester have slowly been trickling in. Just got word today that I earned an A in Cataloging and Classification!! I'm super excited about this -- it's one of the classes I was looking forward to taking most in the program, and one I definitely had to work at to keep up and with it. But so worth it in the end!!!

Now I'm just waiting on one more grade for the semester, and I'll be set for my next (and final!) semester.

In the mean time, I've been enjoying some luxurious reading time. What with a recurring bout of tendonitis while writing final papers and plans and portfolios, I decided to take a painful week off of knitting and most things that strain my wrist. Hopefully I can get back to some knitting soon, but in the mean time, I've been thoroughly enjoying reading for fun and not because it's required for class.

I'm currently working my way through Distant Dreams [Ribbons of Steel, no. 1], and it's quite enjoyable. I've always preferred reading historical fiction, and Judith Pella and Tracie Peterson's first novel in their Ribbons of Steel series has not disappointed. I get ridiculously excited about the railroad (locomotives, as they call them in the novel), making me feel a bit like Sheldon and his love for trains. And I've also rediscovered why I have a love-hate relationship with reading... ironic for a librarian, right? I love exploring different times, cultures, and situations through reading, but hate that I get so caught up in the story. It means I want to stay up to finish the book (even if it's 2 am), I can't think of much else but the book when not reading, and often have dreams that reflect what's going on in the plot.... but all these minor annoyances aside, I'm glad to have a chance to get back into reading -- not for class, but for myself.

What have you been reading lately? I'd love to hear your book suggestions!

Perfect... just as we are

Perfect. I've always struggled with the concept of perfect. And let me tell you, it's exhausting, trying to be perfect. The perfect wife. Daughter. Student. Employee. Friend. Pastor's wife. You name it. It's exhausting, and no matter how hard I try, I always fall short.

Whether it's assignments that are flawed, falling behind on coursework because I've got so much on my plate, a burnt dinner, not making time to be with those I love and cherish, or balancing the public and private life that comes with a husband involved in the ministry, life isn't perfect -- in fact, it can be downright messy. There are days when I feel like everything's falling in place, and days where I struggle and feel at the end of my rope. And many, many days in between.

Thankfully, it's not up to me to be perfect, because perfection has already been attained through the life and death of Jesus. And as a baptized Child of God, I have been clothed with Christ's righteousness.

God already sees me as perfect through Jesus.

What a blessing that even on days when I fall short, Christ makes me perfect. And one day I will be completely perfect, in both body and soul, joining with all the Church Triumphant in praise to the One who makes us so.

But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting form that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

-- Hebrews 10:12-14

In which there is light at the end of the graduate tunnel!

Today, I registered for the next round of grad classes. The LAST round of grad classes! That's right, friends, come December, I'm done. :D (And believe me, I'm so ready to be done.) Passing the Proficiency Exam was the last huge hurdle toward graduation, and now all that's left between me and the glasses-on-a-chain library degree is finishing out my credit hours (or, as the case may be, exceeding them because I find it impossible to pick just one more class to take).

So, as it stands, I will be taking Metadata and Digital Libraries next fall. These are both classes that I've been interested in partially from personal interests and partially from past work experiences (a huge thanks to the St. Louis Fed for introducing me to the back end of digital libraries and the wonderfulness they contain!). They're also both very popular classes in my program, and I'm very thankful to have secured a spot in both for my last semester. As they're both forward-looking classes in terms of the future of the profession, it seems fitting that I'm leaving the program on such a note, and I have suspicions that these two classes will be particularly helpful no matter where I find employment, be it libraries, archives, or anywhere else the Lord places me in the coming years.

And as I was reflecting on the past two years of this program on my drive home this afternoon, it really sunk in just how many changes I've been through in these two short years. My first public sector job in a place I never imagined myself (and wound up loving it), marriage, a new (much smaller) town, new friends and family, and multiple new vocations.... it's exhausting just thinking about it, but so rewarding at the same time. And even though I still remain worried about finding a job (you know, because we all think we need the perfect job right out of school, even though it rarely works out that way) in my chosen profession, I need to remember that it's not what I choose, but what God has already prepared for me to do.

"Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. ... So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God."
- 1 Corinthians 7:17, 24

Thankful Tuesday

Friends, it's been a busy past two weeks. With proficiency exams going on, I've been busy writing, writing, and writing some more. Until I thought I was going to go crazy with all the information crammed into my brain. Exams ended Monday (well, I turned mine in early, yay!), so I spent the last part of this weekend catching up on all the homework that didn't get done during exams. And now I've got a group project due today that needs a few finishing touches. Can't wait to get that done, and maybe finally relax for a bit!

I've got a busy weekend coming up, one that I'm very much looking forward to. Movie night, parents visiting, friends visiting, and game nights. It'll be a blast, but definitely busy. I've been craving some down time, some me time recently, and I'm so looking forward to capitalizing on that time.

Until then, I've got laundry to wade through, an apartment to clean and make presentable, and bars to bake! Bars!! How I love them... I'm currently deciding if I want to venture out to a new recipe or not. Either way, I'm hoping they turn out delicious and satisfying. Speaking of satisfying, today is Oreo's 100th birthday. They've released a special Birthday Cake flavored Oreo in celebration, but I've been unable to find them here in town. Sad, sad day. They're SO good! (And so much for trying to eat healthier today!)

Last night at Knit Night, we enjoyed some maple cream cookies (also delicious!) and ice cream bars... you'd think we ladies like desserts or something! I also finished this neckwarmer for my brother! He requested one quite a few months ago, even bought me the yarn and everything. And now that it's almost spring.... it's finished. (In my defense, I had a blanket to knit in the mean time....) Don't mind the flowers, it's the closest thing I had to a model available today. Although it does remind me of those felted flower vase/pot covers. :) I've got a few exciting projects picked out for me coming up next... but first a trip to the LYS to find just the right yarn!

Despite all the stress, uncertainty, and general overwhelming feeling that comes with grad school and life, I'm thankful that things are getting accomplished, the weather is gorgeous (albeit windy), and I've got events to look forward to!

Finished Object: Baby Blanket!

Can't believe I forgot to post about this!! After months of knitting and deadlines popping up in the mean time, I finally finished the baby blanket for my friend! And just in time, too, as is fitting for all baby-related knitting. Everyone knows that babies can't be born until the knitting is finished.... or that's what we tell ourselves. :)

One finished baby blanket -- just in time!

I think it turned out quite beautifully, if I do say so myself! I picked this free pattern up from a Jo-Ann's display on a trip back home toward the end of summer. I loved knitting this pattern. Intricate enough to keep my attention, but simple enough that I had it memorized a few repeats in. And well-written. Who doesn't love a well-written pattern??

Here's the link if you'd like to knit it yourself: Little Girl Pink Baby Blanket.

The Rav page, for those interested in additional project notes, suggestions, etc.

I've got a few more big knitting projects coming up, but nothing that's officially cast on. In the mean time, we're focusing on some UFOs that I owe brother-the-younger. I'll just say this: I'm thankful it's been a mild winter so far. :)