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Torn…
So yesterday I went grocery shopping, and as I was passing by the book section in our Wegman’s (love Wegman’s) I ended up spending literally 10 minutes fighting with myself about whether to buy and read The Fault in Our Stars. I kept picking it up, and putting it down again. Picking it up, reading the back cover, and putting it down again. Picking it back up, putting it in my cart, walking three steps before shaking my head and putting it back. In the end I ended up leaving without it because I remembered my no-book pledge and forced myself to just walk away. But I’m still torn about…
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Quick WIP Check In: Liesel
Just a quick check in on my current WIP: My Liesel Scarf in Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica 110 – Stellar. I’m almost done with the first of my two skeins, and the scarf is only about a foot and a half long (it’s shown with my 6 inch sewing gage for scale). I’m still worried that both skeins are not going to make a scarf long enough for my preferences – even once blocked, and despite being more than the yardage called for in the pattern. But I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Progress has admittedly been slow now that the weather has warmed,…
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Mani Monday – 4th(ish) of July Edition
Just a quick look at the mani I did for the holiday weekend. It’s pretty much the accent nails from my Winter Olympics Mani, only on allllll the nails. Overall it was not a great idea – I’m clearly not as adept at keeping lines straight and making sure the tape is properly sealed when I have to do every single nail instead of just the accent nails. The colors I used also required much thicker coats to be opaque as well. Overall doing this mani was a MAJOR pain in the ass, honestly. And with the humidity and heat the way it’s been, took for-freaking-ever to dry. But in…
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Mid-year New Years’ Resolution Check-in
Well, we’re officially in July. Six months have passed; I’m not really sure where the time went. It feels like it was only yesterday when I was making my New Years’ Resolutions, and already we’re halfway to new ones. So I guess it’s about time to check in and see how I’ve been doing. Let’s start with #1: (I’m going to do this from least successful to most, so ignore the numbers in the images.) So far, not so good. I did a great job in January, but as soon as the semester hit, that was the end of that. That said, I’ve decided to be realistic and just accept…
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Quick Dinner: Egg Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Caps
Just a quick meal for you today. This one is really easy to throw together. All you need are portobello mushrooms, eggs, oil (or whatever you use to grease a pan), some salt and pepper, and if you like it, some shredded cheese. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and grease your pan. Cut the stems out of the mushrooms and then put them aside, and then put your mushrooms in the oven for a few minutes until they let out most of their moisture. After they’re pre-baked, crack an egg into each of the mushroom caps. Then dice up the mushroom stems and sprinkle them on top with some…
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Mani Monday After An Accidental Vacay…
So I accidentally took a vacation from this blog. Whoops. The past week my allergies have been truly horrendous… it’s been migraine city. Add that to some crazy work stuff this past week, and I have basically been avoiding screens and computers like the plague. I never thought it’d last a whole week, and so never announced anything here. So that’s my bad. But for my triumphant post migraine week return, I have the first Mani Monday in a while, and it marks a kind of special milestone for me. Not only are my nails long enough and healthy enough to paint again (finally! No more cello gigs for a…
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DIY Adjustable Wire Charm Bracelets
One of the (non-career related) benefits of teaching college students – adjunct though I may be – is that it helps keep me on top of fashion trends. Some I’ve by far already aged out of (apparently midriff shirts are a thing again?). But others I’m totally still young enough for, and the wire charm bracelets I’ve been seeing everywhere are right up my alley. Bonus, they are TOTALLY DIYable. Which is great for me, since most of the actual brand name bracelets are hella expensive (for my budget anyway) at about $30 a bangle. That said, the actual bangles (I do own one – Jim bought me one for…
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Gridtastic Egg
Another pysanka for you today. I’m not so pleased with the front of this one – it’s a little boring. I had some blobbing and sort of ran out of ideas about how to cover it up because I was concentrating so hard on the plan I had for the long band around the egg. As for that, I like the idea and think it came out alright, but next time I try it I’m definitely going to implement it differently – it turned into a huge pain in the ass, and I didn’t quite keep track of where I was putting what color like I should have. I’d also…
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Library Book Sale Day is a Very Dangerous Day
This post is majorly late in the making – library book sale season is the end of April – but belated though it may be, I can’t help but want to share my haul from this year. I know my spending fast rules specifically outlaw book purchases, but I had stashed $20 away months ago just for this purpose. Afterall, where else other than a library sale can you get antique books for a buck a piece AND support your local libraries? This year I ended up finding some real gems. Or at least some real gems as far as a book nerd like me is concerned. First we have…
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Pysanka Wednesday
Today I have an egg that I actually made last year, but never got around to sharing anywhere. Last year I didn’t really make enough eggs for my lines to fully even out, so a lot of the line work is a little wobbly and uneven – you can really see it in the close-up. Overall though, I’m fond of the design. Not too busy, but also not too simple. I also really like how the vine around the egg came out. The orange band through the middle of the vine was actually a mistake, but I ended up really liking it. Now if only my lines had been a…