In the Sunshine state!

Here we are in Florida for almost a week now. It's been great fun, but man... it's easy to get homesick these days! At least I have wonderful little nephews to keep me occupied and the weather has be excellent! I won't lie, I've done some shopping (but I'm really waiting for the post-Christmas sales!!). With the hustle and bustle of little boys and getting stuff done, it's been hard to get into the real Christmas spirit. I can't believe it's just a few days away!!

Here are some vacation snapshots!!

My sister has a lot of cute little plants in pots on the patio.

Bougainvillea in various colors.

 

Frodo, the loud Siamese.

Sunset and pelicans on the intracoastal.

 

Dragon roll... yum!!

 

Hopefully I get back here before too long with more photos. 

:)

HI YA'LL!

Hiiiiiiiii!!!!

Remember me?

I'm Anneli, the crochet/baking/gardening/photography blogger...

Oh, yeah. The one who hasn't posted in over a month?!?! 

*shhhhhhhh*

I seriously don't know where the time has gone. Well, I do, but let's just say it was work. No, it was school. No, I was a little under the weather. Ok, so I was a lot under the weather. 

But things are getting better! I have even managed to catch a cold, which is super typical since we are flying to Florida for Christmas on Friday...and I have never flown without being sick. It's just a thing I do apparently. Trans-Atlantic flights might be too enjoyable otherwise. 

(heavy dose of sarcasm there if you didn't catch it)

So you're wondering, what has she gotten up to in the past month? How could I have kept you in suspense? 

Well, not much has really happened here craft wise, baking wise, or even photography wise. (I cringe when I think about my grand plans for my 365 photo project). I've just kinda...been. And mostly glorious it has been. 

I guess you don't realize you're running on fumes until you're forced to rest. 

But fortunately, things are getting better and I am finding my inspiration again for all things I love to do. And energy to do it!!!

The main project I've been toiling away with when able, is the granny square blanket for my godmother. If you're the praying type, send one her way as things aren't looking good. And if you're not the praying type, send mental good vibes :) Every bit helps, I'm sure of it!

In these hard times, making this blanket for her has become incredibly sad but therapeutic. I so badly want her to be wrapped up in something I have made for her with every ounce of love tied into every stitch. 

That's the beautiful thing about crochet, if you're making something for someone, you can't help but think of that person and what they mean as you make it. Literally crocheted with love.

I suppose I ought to get to crocheting the squares together if I plan on finishing it before Friday!

Thanks for popping by and hopefully not forgetting about me! 

I'll try to make more of an appearance in the coming months. :)

Ponderings

Oh me oh my.

It seems this fall, I'm in a funk.

It's not a bad funk, I am actually quite happy... but I just can't seem to get anything done.

So very tired!!

Honestly, I'm looking forward to our trip to the States SO much that I am just counting down the days (41, if you were wondering). :)

I know why I am looking forward to our trip... can't wait to see special people, do special things, eat special foods etc etc. 

So, I am hoping time will pass quickly but painlessly. I can't wait for November to be over! (a sad thing to say on only the 3rd!) :D

It's stressful graduating and having to take care of all these final things and tests and such. Let alone, find a job!! We're gonna be fudged come January if things don't work out... and for some reason, I just can't find the energy or enthusiasm for job hunting. I suppose going to school for "the wrong degree" might have some effect on my mood. :P

Coulda, shoulda, woulda. 

Consequences are what they are... I just hope it all works out in the end.

So now that I have vented my frustrations and worries, I can focus on more "fun" things. :)

Like cleaning the house! Brushing the poor knotted mess of a dog! Cleaning the fish tank! Doing the dishes!

AHAHAHHAHAH!!!

It's a miracle I got out of bed before noon. ;)

I don't want to make this a pictureless post, so these are some pictures from last Sunday. I did a two year photo shoot of my friend's daughter and took some sweet family pictures of them too. :)

We went to the arboretum... which was still then covered in snow. Fortunately (?) the snow has since melted.

 I totally can relate to these roses covered in snow.

Thanks for stopping by, despite my glum mood. 

:)

Hope your weekend is a happy one!!

 

What I've been up to....

Oh my goodness!!

I've been a BAD BAD BAD blogger!! I can't remember when I last went so long without blogging!

I promise I've been busy though! I've even worked!!

But mostly, I've been preoccupied. It happens. Oh well.

Oh, and I realize I've been working a lot. Since about April, it's been long clinical training to summer job to long clinical training... no wonder I'm exhausted!! Lol! I guess I have been in need of rest and relaxation!

So I've been sleeping. A lot. 

I've been lazing about when I feel like it. A lot. 

And, I've been crocheting. A lot.

I finished a small granny square baby blanket for a friend due next month.

I crocheted a little baby hat for another friend due in December.

 Pattern here.

I've been crocheting the granny square blanket for my godmother. Up to 44 squares now!!

 I've started adding the row of ivory around the edges so that I can slowly start joining rows instead of storing a billion little squares. ;)

But oh those little ends... I've been bad this time around about sewing them in!

I've also started another baby blanket project. This one for a friend due in February... but don't want to show a picture until it's done in case she reads this ;)

I don't know where time is going but I am happy and excited and looking forward to it all! Lots of changes coming my way... the first being graduation in December! And only 50 days until we go to Florida!! Woohoo!!

Thanks for stopping by! I'll try to make it back before long!

Possibly the last garden post

Funny thing happened...

My wisdom teeth appointment WASN'T today after all.

It was tomorrow. 

Tomorrow I have a big test... so I had to reschedule until NOV 6th!!!

Woohoo dodged that bullet!

Makes me wonder if I should just leave the little buggers in. ;)

So instead of being tortured, we went to the garden and took a looksies. 

My camera battery died (!) mid-visit so here's a picture of my dad planting tulips for spring and a picture of the lone sunflower. There was a bud next to it, but it's gotten colder out so who knows if it will make it.

We also walked away with the second large pumpkin. A few SMALL zucchinis and one larger one, a posy of snapdragons and a couple of roses. 

We just have to go with better time one sunny day and clean the place up a bit and build the compost properly. 

Can't believe another summer came and went.

I wish I'd have had more time, although what would it have mattered with all the rain? 

Hopefully we get a good summer next year!!

fun with friends

"Every woman should own a blowtorch" in the wise words of Julia Child. The authenticity of that quote can't be backed, as I believe I picked it up from pinterest, but it's funny anyway.

My friend's mom has a blowtorch. And she made creme brulee for my friend's birthday dinner party. SWEET!

Orange flavored. YUM!

Earlier that day, we took a morning walk in brisk fall sunshine. 

Koda bear insisted on getting in the water... cold!!

 He paddled around for a few minutes and tried looking for a stick but only found a little twig. Weirdo dog. :)

I'm in denial that the weekend is almost over. 

So not looking forward to getting my wisdom teeth removed tomorrow, a retake exam on Tuesday... 

Hopefully the rest of the week will be better! 

...and the rain could stop? 

:D 

Have a nice week!

It runs in the family...

The love of yarn runs deep in this family...

I've spent the day at my parent's house enjoying the company of my mom and aunt. My aunt is an avid knitter and has helped me build my yarn stash quite generously since I started crocheting in 2010. 

(WOW! Has it really been two years already?!) 

Her favorite thing to knit is socks. And believe you me, this woman is a sock knitting MACHINE! 

She knits a lot for different local charities for all ages and reasons. 

These are the socks she's worked on/finished while at my parent's house this week. 

Amazing, eh? :)

These are little girl socks. Cute!! 

I spent my time crocheting a few squares, helping my mom remember how to work pinterest (lol), and making and early dinner (roasted chicken with roasted sweet potato chunks and brussels sprouts). 

Hello weekend!!

...oh and guess what...

I RETURNED MY THESIS!! 

☺☺☺

hope your weekend's off to as good of a start as mine! ;)

Crochet, crochet

Ah, a crochet post. Again.

How refreshing after all this time posting about everything but. :)

I've had a crochet weekend.

I've come to find that I always get really excited and inspired to crochet in the fall. I suppose it's the cool weather combined with the rain. Nothing better than sitting back and enjoying some color therapy via yarn. 

I picked up some Novita Puro (my favoritest yarn ever!) yarn on Friday from the clearance section. I guess the color "aallokko" (=waves) is going out of production. 

Needless to say I snatched up two 50g skeins...

And then decided after my fall foliage post that I need fingerless mittens for photography purposes.

Voila!

 Pattern loosely followed from here. 

Then I decided that it's probably wise to sew the ends in for my godmother's blanket. I hate sewing in ends. I know most crocheters do, but ugh. 

I figured I'd better sew them in before I crochet another round of 12 squares.

 

I've also been a bit stumped by how I should arrange the squares. I've laid them out many times but have come to the conclusion of doing dark-light-dark patterns. It's just so hard to envision the final product without the white borders, I guess.

(yarn shopping, yay!)

Then I started another baby blanket. I seem to have more and more friends with buns in the oven. I'm loving it! :) 

 This is using the leftovers and the most boyish colors I had in my stash of the softest merino wool (Viking baby ull... or something like that).

 I'm going to make a big granny square because... I'm obsessed with granny squares. STILL.

While looking for the yarns above, I did inventory on my rainbow granny baby blanket. I have 40 squares already! Holy moly! 

I started making this blanket for whatever offspring bless us one day... but the more I look at it, I think my other prego friend would love it just as much as I do.

And hey, I can make myself another. ;)

Laying this one out and deciding on a pattern is a challenge too. I rather like this diagonal pattern.

 I should add the final row of gray and sew them together. Looks like I'm missing just a few more squares till it's complete!

♥ Colors ♥ Yarn ♥ Crochet ♥

Today, I'm trying to focus on my thesis. 

This is the fuel, along with coffee.

I'm almost out of fuel. :(

(--> ending up here!)

Hope your Monday is off to a good start. :)

Don't forget to check out my other blog 

www.projectliveandbreatheit.blogspot.com

It's hard keeping up with two blogs!!

 

Fall and Koda

I couldn't believe it when the sun poked out from the clouds briefly today... it meant I had to take the camera out and try to capture the gorgeous maple trees in the area! The sunshine didn't last long (shocker) but at least it didn't rain!

Koda Bear had his 2nd birthday on Thursday. We celebrated yesterday with his best friend, Elvi (a frenchie), and by liver casserole cupcakes with bologna fondant. 

It was fancy. ;)

Hi, I'm Anneli. I'm ridiculous!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend where ever you are and whatever you're doing! 

See ya around soon!

Crochet catch up

Wow. What a week. It's my last week at clinical training. My last clinical training before graduating in December.

It's a bizarre feeling to be so close to the end. So many challenges we have had to overcome...and we are finally getting to the end. 

Yeah, bizarre.

In between clinical training, adding finishing touches to the thesis, life, and the likes...

I've had time to crochet a square or two.

I figured I have been holding out on crochet pictures so here's one I snapped today.

:)

I've been crocheting 12 variations using these colors.

And I really love the way this is looking!

I just need to add a white/cream/light colored border and start joining as I go. 

Maybe. 

I know a lot of crocheters swear by the join-as-you-go method... but I like having a million squares to arrange and play with. And I worry about what happens if it starts to unravel!! 

This blanket will be approx. 100 squares large... Already 1/4 of the way done!

I'll be working on this more this fall when school etc let up, planning on getting this to my godmother in time for Christmas. 

She's been having a tough year, really really tough, and I'd love to cheer her up somehow. :)

Thanks for stopping by.

Just a reminder: have you checked out my 365 day photography project?

http://projectliveandbreatheit.blogspot.com

Hope the rest of your week is great!! :)

New blog alert!

I've done it again. 

...and started another blog... 

Go visit!

www.projectliveandbreatheit.blogspot.com

(and no, I'm not ending this blog... just diversifying)

:)

 

I think I've done it!!

I'm in slight disbelief, but I think I just finished my thesis. 

I still have to make some slight changes and write the abstract... but I think I'm done. 

What is this feeling?

........a sense of accomplishment?

 I've been working on it ALL DAY.

It's taken me literally over a liter of coffee.

Half a bar of mint chocolate. 

Several cuddles with all three animals. 

A long phone call with my mom.

An apple. 

Breaks of just laying on the couch. 

Breaks with taking pictures of my workspace.

Encouraging myself. A LOT.

I've been promising myself a lot of things. 

(Like I'll never have to do this again!)

(oh yeah, that's our new couch I've been meaning to show)

But, I think I'm almost ready to return a "finished" thesis to my teacher.

I hope she suggest and big corrections.

Because I don't want to make them. 

Lol. 

Holy cow.

This is such a r-e-l-i-e-f!!! 

I still can't believe I'm so close to the end. All of a sudden. Outta the blue. 

WHAT?!?!?!

Go me!

(yay!)

posies

I have taken the morning off from clinical training because I have school in the afternoon. I have every intention of working on my thesis. 

So far, I've walked the dogs, drank coffee, done laundry, put away laundry, spent time looking for a new apartment, talked on facebook, eaten an apple. Wow, all this with my thesis doc sitting open on the computer. I'm really efficient. :D 

Don't be me. 

Do enjoy the photos of flowers I've had gracing my home.

I have had little vases of calendulas in the living room and on my nightstand. Pictures of these you have seen before.

I have had a little vase of zinnias that I have changed out over the past month. Those are some hardy flowers! So pretty, too!

I have had lilies next to the TV in a tall Iittala carafe.

I have also had a large branch of roses in the same carafe in the same spot.

I have had a little vase of roses that I have changed out over the past month.

Hubby loves that I let them sit there till the petals all drop off and they look ridiculous.

He hasn't said as much, but I know what he's thinking. ;)

I have had snapdragons in my little Iittala Aalto vase.

I think it's the best vase I own.

Perfect size and so classically Finnish.

I think I'm going to miss the abundance of fresh flowers this fall and winter. 

No word on my sunflowers either. They totally let me down this year. :(

Now I think I should work on my thesis.

Maybe.

I could also make lunch. 

...I'm going to regret my laziness in about 1 week...