Blog Moved!

I've moved my blog! Please update the links on your blogs to www.thebloggingbunny.com.

Don't worry, I am still linked to all your blogs on my new site ;)

Adios, blogspot.

Blah...

I know I've been really lacking in the blog updating department. I know my layout/theme is very out of season and lack lustering. Because of this I have not wanted to update my blog much because I am in the process of designing a new layout.

I started dabbling with squarespace.com. It is a website that builds a blog for you and makes designing your templates very easy. The best part about it is that I can transfer all of my blog entries from here to squarespace at the click of a button.

So, please pardon my absence while I continue to mess around with that. As a fair warning, you all will need to update your links to my blog once I make the official "move". However, I am still debating if I will even "move" from blogspot yet. Decisions decisions. Please be patient while I think all of this through... :)

Arnold Classic

My dad attended the Arnold Classic this past weekend. He was not there to watch all the crazy body builders or Expos (but I'm sure he didn't mind oogling at the ladies!). Instead, he was there to represent the art organization he is president of, the Ohio Plein Air Society. He spent the weekend painting and was later judged by Arnold and Sly Stallone.

Here is a pic to prove it!



While his art did not place in the finals, I am still very proud of him! I wish I could've been there for all of it, but I sadly had to work the entire time.

Go, dad!

Hello March...

Well, sorry for being M.I.A. February totally flew by. I cant believe I haven't updated this blog in so long. Here's a run down of what I've been up to:

* I finished my 4 week knitting class. Yes. I graduated! You are now looking at someone who can knit scarves. Only scarves.... I have yet to conquer something bigger.

* I'm in the middle of knitting a cable scarf with my beautiful Lorna's Laces yarn. Finished scarf shall be posted here. Maybe I will finish it before Spring...?

* Babette Blanket is slowly coming along. I'm only averaging 1 square per week... which is really pathetic. Between my month long knitting lessons and all of the projects that came along with it, I simply ran out of free time to crochet. But don't worry... I'm getting there...

* We booked our Disney vacation! Thank you, Southwest Airlines and your amazing Valentine's Day special! You can't beat $77 one-way tickets...

* Speaking of Valentine's Day, I saw the movie of the same name with my mom. Wow, talk about a poor excuse of a movie. Lots of Hollywood stars and no meat. I guess the whole isn't greater than the sum of its parts...

* I have a weird allergic reaction to something, which has caused these odd, flesh colored bumped on my palms. Went to the derm and he gave me this cream that's in an industrial sized tube that much resembles hemeroid cream. Thanks, man.

* We found a new love for Netflix and internet streaming via our PS3 to our HDTV. I discovered the TV series 'Dexter' and I am in love with it. Go, serial killer, go!

Wow. After reflecting back on my previous month, I realize now that I have no life. I'm so burnt out from working that when I come home, I feel completely numb and brain dead. I am counting down the days til our vacation...

Side note: What is up with The Office? It's so not funny anymore. Michael Scott has gone from funny impromptu man to boring and annoying. I say we kill off someone to make it more interesting.

Oh another side note: Grey's Anatomy has been so much better without Izzy. God, I hate Katherine Heigl.

So Much Snow...

Columbus got up to 10 inches of snow. I'm not one to go play in the snow because I hate getting wet and cold, but Maddie got to have a little adventure.



The snow plows in our neighborhood also decided to clear the streets, thus totally blocking in half of the driveways with huge mounds of snow. We (read: Vinny) shoveled both of our driveways (we have two separate garages). It still hasn't changed the fact that Maddie can't distinguish the difference between snow-covered grass and snow-covered road, so she's been doing her business in the middle of the street.

Yep, she's on her way to becomming a drunk college student.

Knitting Gone Bad

My coworker Andi and I started our first (out of four) knitting classes today. We learned the basics: how to cast on, how to knit rows, how to purl, and how to bind off.

I was about to take a picture of my ugly practice piece I made in class, when I realized it looked way too much like a penis.

I'll keep this blog PG today and not post the picture.

New 52" LCD HDTV has arrived!!!

Sent from my iPhone

Posted via email from Amy's posterous

They're Here! They're Here!

My beautiful new yarn and knitting needles have arrived! I'm taking a knitting class in February with my friend Andi, and our first project is a scarf. If you know me, you would know that I have a trillion scarves in all different kinds of materials and in all colors of the rainbow. Even my coworker Jesse calls me "Scarf girl" (and my caller ID on his phone comes up as "Amy Scarf").

SO, this first project is quite appropriate and I decided to go all out and buy some sweet yarn. I went for Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted Yarn, which I found at Jimmy Beans Wool. At first I wanted to purchase the yarn from Purl SoHo, but they did not have the color ("Vera") that I wanted in stock.

I'm so glad I purchased from Jimmy Beans, though! Their customer service was awesome. They shipped my stuff the same day I placed the order and they even included a cute smiley face on my receipt and jolly ranchers! Hells yeah.

Jackie suggested I try Brittany knitting needles. They are wooden needles made out of birch hardwood, and 100% recyclable! I opted for size 7 and 8 needles since that's what I hear are the best to learn on.

I'm so excited to start this class! Now I just need to find Vinny to help wind the yarn hanks into balls. I am still refusing to buy a swift for $70. Booo hisssssss.

50 little ones

Check out these babies. I did it! I got through the first 50 squares. I had to make 50 two-round squares, and now I am on to making 49 four-round squares. I'm still learning to not crochet too tightly, which is really impacting the look of my squares (it's looking a little lop-sided in the center and I'm not too happy about it).

I've come a loooong way. I remember just around Christmas time I was cursing my way through youtube instruction videos and going through endless yards of yarn...

I deserve a drink.

Progress

I forgot to mention that I will be posting my Babette Blanket progression on my Flickr photo page. I made a specific album for it, and it'll be categorized by month. At first I was going to categorize it by week, but let's get real; you won't be seeing much progression in just 1 week! Ha!

You can find the album here.

The little ones

My amazing yarn ball winder arrived and I have finally been able to roll all the skeins I bought last week! (read: Vinny rolled my skeins. I have no clue what seemed so appealing to him about rolling yarn but I wasn't going to argue).

Before:


After:


I purchased 3 different types of yarn, both of which are 50 grams, fingering weight yarn. One large orange skein is a 100% superwash merino wool made by Malabrigo Yarn. My white, brown, and yellow skeins are made by Regia, which is 75% superwash wool. The rest of my skeins are by Happy Feet, which is 90% superwash merino wool and 10% nylon. My favorite to work with is Happy Feet, because it's so soft and easy to control on the hook. I wish I could've purchased the beautiful hand-dyed wool from Purl Soho, but I can't cough up $15-$20 per skein. All of my skeins cost between $6-$6.95 (except for the orange, it was $18. But it's double the yarn amount).

Here were the original colors I was going to work with. The green was going to be placed very sparingly throughout the blanket to give it some extra "pop"...


But then disaster struck...

Stupid ol' me didn't know that you had to roll the yarn from the hanks (the long-twisted skeins of yarn) into balls, or else they would end up in a tangled mess. So what would have been beautiful green yarn for my blanket (pictured below)...


... we ended up with this monstrosity:


I was able to salvage as much as I could, but the rest is doomed. It is so tangled and knotted in a bajillion places it can no longer be recovered.

So, no more green for my blanket :(

Luckily while I ordered my yarn ball winder, I also threw a few skeins of Palette Yarn into my shopping basket. I found a pretty shade of purple, called Hyacinth, that will substitute the green. For only $1.99 per skein, how I could I resist? I don't enjoy it as much as Happy Feet, but it'll certainly do.

Here are the colors I am currently working with, all rolled up into cute little balls:


As for actual progress, I've only made about 14 little squares ("two-round squares"). I have made more, but those ones were not good enough and have been thrown into my rejects pile. It is tedious to make sure you have the correct gauge, so that's been slowing me down a little. Luckily I'm really starting to get the hang of it now, so I'm sure I will be speeding this up pretty soon. Also, I'm having a great time doing it! Here are the little ones:



My cousin Jaime is also visiting this week, so that's put a bit of a halt to my crocheting. However, she's been quite a dear and has given me some time to squeeze in a few squares here and there. More updates to come...

2010

Happy New Year! Wow, Christmas really flew by. I'm surprised I didn't post a Christmas blog, but I've been pretty preoccupied with work and making my Babette Blanket. After much turmoil and screaming at Beth, the Crochet Youtube Lady, I finally have this crochet thing down!

Sadly, my blanket project came to a halt when I realized all my yarn was useless because most of my skeins didn't come rolled into a ball. This makes it very difficult for me to crochet because the yarn would get stuck or tangled after every few stitches.

Commence me buying a ball winder from the Internet.

Commence it being stuck at the FedEx center since it's New Years day.

So, until that ball winder ends up on my front door step, I've just been practicing with some of my "practice yarn" (as I like to call it), and have been making great progress in terms of technique, pattern reading (and memorization!), and even adding new yarn colors. Ho ho ho... I just aged 30 more years!

And, Eileen Cook was right! She told me that yarn is very addicting, and it sure is. I ended up purchasing a couple more skeins with my ball winder. I couldn't help it! The colors were dazzling and hypnotizing! I can't wait to finally start on my project! I'm also signed up for a knitting class in February.

I guess I'll also take some time to reflect on this past year: I got a dog, moved in with my boyfriend, showed him the magical wonders of Disney World, saw the STS-125 shuttle launch, spent time with my family at the beach, got my motorcycle license, went to Niagara Falls for the first time, started my first book, managed to not get laid off work, and now here I am starting this huge crochet project.

As for the past decade as a whole, I graduated from high school and college in that time span. I got my first job and am living on my own. All of these are great milestones.

Hope you had a happy new years eve, and that your hangover today is slowly getting better!

Yes, A New Hobby

I've been dabbling in many new projects these past few months. This summer I did the unimaginable and got myself a motorcycle license; last month I started writing my first book; and now this month I am taking on a brand new project... crochet!

I was inspired by stumbling upon this Babette Blanket at the the purl bee. I purchased the pattern for $6 and have since been oogling at all the pretty yarn colors that I can use in my blanket.


photo from the purl bee. I am interested in following this color scheme.

The problem was, I knew NOTHING about the art of crochet. I always wanted to learn how to knit, but I never thought I'd pick up something like crochet. Being the impatient bastard that I am, I refused to wait until January to sign up for crohet/knitting classes. I figured, what the hell, I'll just google crochet tips, watch youtube videos, and skim through a couple of books.

Surprisingly, it worked. However, I think I raised my blood pressure and about had a few brain aneurisms here and there. It was incredibly tedious to watch poor-quality youtube videos where the women would crochet so fast I had trouble hitting the pause button in time! I recommend you watch the videos only if you already know the basic crochet technique. I am still hoping to find an actual human being to guide me through a few things, but for now the almighty internet will do.

I'm finally getting the hang of making the basic 'granny squares' required to make the blanket. My largest obstacle right now is reading the "crochet language" in the pattern itself. I know the terms and what the abbreviations mean, but I am still second-guessing myself if I am doing it right or not. This is where I need someone to help me out...

I've been disclipining myself with this whole 'self-taught crochet thing'. I started out making foot after foot of single crochet stitches, then I upgraded to teaching myself how to make the ring, then on to making rows of single crochets, double crochets, and then ultimately the square. Now I just need to perfect the square needed in my blanket pattern, then it's time to learn how to add different colored yarn!

If anyone in the Columbus area knows of a great yarn store, please advise. I am not a huge fan of JoAnn fabrics because their yarn selection is very poor and the quality is too generic. I would like to find a small, local mom'n'pop shop.

I've been practicing with two types of yarn blends, and I am not a huge fan of either one. But they were cheap (around $3 per skein), so they were ideal for practicing.

Here are my FAIL pieces:
(well, all FAIL pieces except for the big blue square at the top-- that one was a single crochet piece I did that turned out really awesome)

My semi-successful pieces (still trying to figure out where I'm messing up):


The crochet hooks set I purchased. Comes with sizes F-K (3.75mm-6.5mm), made by Susan Bates:


I will keep updating my progress as the weeks go on. Once I dominate the effing square, I will finally begin making the real squares to go in my blanket. I'll be on a yarn store hunt this weekend to purchase the real yarn I will be using (also? Koigu 100% merino wool yarn is, like, $15 per skein! Holy crap! What's a good, cheaper substitute?). Wish me luck!

Poor Maddie...

Maddie got "sick" the other day. Before I go any further, I will let you know that she is fine now. But she sure gave us quite the scare...

On Tuesday night when I came home from work, I was sitting on the couch with Maddie. I was heavily engrossed in watching youtube videos on how to learn to crochet. (Yes, it is a new hobby I am picking up and I am beating my brains in trying to learn how to do it!)

Maddie was laying on her side when all of a sudden she sat up and began shaking. It was almost seizure-like, except not as violent and there wasn't foam coming out of her mouth. Instead, she got on all-fours and arched her back up really high (kind of how a cat looks when it's scared). Then she tried to walk, all the while still shaking uncontrollably. Her hind legs had stiffened up and she couldn't move. She looked at Vinny and I for help, and there was nothing we could do.

After about 30 seconds the shaking stopped and she layed back down in her spot. Her legs were still stiff, and she was really scared. After about another minute she reverted back to her normal self, and ran around outside in the yard and ate, drank, slept normally.

This was so puzzling and scary that I had no idea what to think. What the hell would cause something like that?

The next day we took her to the vet where they did a physical examination and blood work. The vet said she could have had a "partial seizure", but we wouldn't really know until the blood work came back.

Today we received the results and everything came back normal.

We also found a gift under the tree.

Maddie's vomit.

Since we have no clue when she vomited under the tree (don't worry, the gifts are okay!), we assumed it was there from the night she had her little 'episode'. After inspecting it, I found that it looked strangely like her raw-hide chew toy she's been working on for the past week or so.

I explained all of this new evidence to the vet and she believes this may have been the culprit. When dogs have severe stomach pain or discomfort, they may arch their backs like Maddie did. We think she bit off a large chunk, and with its coiled texture, we think it was trying to digest and pass through her intestines.

So, $188 later, and a puke stain on my floor: mystery solved.

Well, we're about 95% sure the chew toy caused this. If it happens again, then we'll seek more help and find out if she's really seizuring. She didn't have all the main signs of a seizure so we're really hoping it was just the chew toy and that it's passed. (literally.)

And now, a sad and pathetic picture of Maddie after she had blood drawn. Look at her little bandaides :( (they're almost leg-warmer-like!)

Longaberger

Ohio may not be the most exciting state, but when you see people obsess over expensive handwoven baskets, well, that's gotta strike your attention.

Or if you see an office building in the shape of a basket.



I've been exposed to the Longaberger frenzy ever since I was little. My best friend's mom took us to one of their huge events, and I never quite understood why anyone would obsess over a freakin' basket.

Until I got older...

And let me tell you, those baskets are to die for!

The Longaberger company is located near Newark, OH. More specifically, its factory center and shopping facilities are in a smaller town called Frazeysburg. Thousands of people will travel from across the country just to see this place. Bus loads of tour groups flood through the Longaberger Homestead just for some baskets!

I am guilty for this as well. Today I went to Longaberger to make a basket. For $67 (which is ludicrously cheap for a Longaberger product) I was able to handweave a basket (under the instruction of a Longaberger technician) and sign my name under it. I had such a great time! Vinny was a very good sport and stood beside me during the hour it took me to make the basket. I don't know what was more painful for him: to wait for me to finally pick out which color strips I want on the basket, or the fact that he was in a basket factory in general.

This is the second basket I've made at Longaberger, and I can't wait to make more! I think I'll make it a yearly tradition ;) Here are some pictures from my little adventure.

Pups

I'm visiting my parents' this weekend since I had made an eye appointment in Athens (I'm still not willing to change specialist doctors). This means I spend way too much time on the internet since I have nothing else to do other than stare at the dog, or yell at the cat for hitting the dog.

So, I was browsing my Flickr photo album and realized I never posted pictures from when Vinny and I babysat our friend Julie's dog, Marley. Marley is about 6 years old and looks like he's a mix of German Shepard. He's about 100 times larger than Maddie, and seeing the two interact was so funny. There was much butt-sniffing and running around going on. The best part was when Marley decided to squeeze into Maddie's little doggie bed.



Well, Maddie wasn't too happy about that.


"Somebody please do something!"

In all fairness and retaliation, Maddie decided to dominate Marley's bone...


So then Marley chomped up Maddie's tiny bones...


The funniest part about this whole thing was that Julie compensated us with candy and 4 bottles of wine. Ho ho ho Merry Christmas!! ;)

Holiday Stuff

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, it's time for me to bust out the Christmas cheer! My family hasn't really kept up with many family traditions; between living in Thailand, Grandma passing away (dad's mom), and cousins who live out-of-state, I've always had a rather low-key holiday season. My dad was never a Clark Griswold, my mom believed making Thai curry was a good enough holiday dish, and we never went crazy with the Christmas decorations.

Well, folks, now that I am old enough where I have my own place and a job, I'm going to change things!

First of all, since my job owns my life, I ended up having to work on Thanksgiving. No biggie. Vinny and I went to Athens the weekend prior to Thanksgiving and spent two nights with my parents. It was awesome. My best friends Jackie and Chelsea came over for brunch, where we got to catch up on our lives. I miss them so much and wish we could see each other more.


Then, my parents went all out and cooked us a feast-- on both nights! Our first night was more casual, with a beef roast and veggies. Then mom busted out the egg roll making, where Vinny rolled his first egg roll! Then Night #2, they cooked us a huge Thanksgiving feast. Left overs? Yea, still have 'em in my fridge.




We then got out the good ol' fake Risner tree and put it together, strung the lights, then hung up the bajillion ornaments. Maddie got in on some of the action, too.




I wish we did the whole tree farm thing, where we would go cut one down. But my parents are way too lazy for that crap.

While in Athens, Vinny and I decided to buy a fake tree as well. We went for the pre-lit one, which was totally worth it! This weekend we finally decorated it, and it looks wonderful!


Of course, it would look a lot more wonderful if we weren't idiots and realized that when we bought our star, it doesn't light up. Dammit. It really bums me out but I'm going to suck it up and leave it alone. It's still a pretty star. I just don't want to waste money buying a new one, so maybe I'll leave that up to next year. We had a great time decorating, and watched Home Alone while doing it :) We even bought a couple of cute snowmen decorations and I painted our names on stockings!

It would've been awesome if the two of us could have bought a real tree, but I think we'll hold off on that until we have a real house. Our apartment has really annoying stairs, and I just couldn't see the two of us hauling a 6 foot spruce up the damn steps. Plus, it's kind of nice not watching a tree die in your living room.

Now, my next mission is to purchase the leg lamp ornament from the movie A Christmas Story. I want the tackiness!

And now, behold, our gourd ornament that we bought from Pumpkin Show, in action!



So, while I may have the shittiest work hours possible, and my family doesn't go balls to the wall with Christmas, I'm taking matters into my own hands to make my own traditions happen. I hope Vinny's ready, because when we have a house, I am going to go ape shit the Christmas lights and decorations. Bwahahaha....

Happy Thanksgiving

While I am thankful for many things each day, I guess it's that time of year where I should list all that I am thankful for:

My family: My mom and dad have given me everything. I don't know where I'd be without their love and support!

Vinny: we've been together for one year and I'm looking forward to many more. It's been such a fantastic year. We've been on some great trips together, have a wonderful apartment, and share our little bundle of fur (aka Maddie). We are so much alike in so many ways, he has a great family, and I am so thankful for that.

Maddie: my little jelly bean. We adopted her in February and we're constantly learning new things about her. She may not be an exciting, large, rambunctious dog, but she is our little doggie. She is quiet, sits still when you want to play with her, doesn't chew on anything, is house broken, and is a great companion. I am so thankful to have an obedient dog!

My friends: I may live hours away fromy my dearest friends, but I am thankful that we still keep in touch, and that our friendships are still going strong.

My job: Um, don't know if you have heard on the news, but NetJets went through some massive layoffs. Let's just say I am so thankful to still have my job!

My health: Ok, I've already been sick twice this winter, but I am thankful for my overall health.

Nanowrimo: it's amazing how one little website can make a huge difference in my life. So many people say "I want to write a book in my lifetime," yet they never do it because things like writing a book get put on the back-burner (ie: work, kids, school take priority). While I may not make the overall 50,000 word count (shame), I have made it so close, nearing the 40,000 mark. I am going to bust my ass these last few days, but I may not make 50,000. But you know what? I am okay with that, because I did what not many have done, and that was I sat down and started writing a book. I granted my own wish. I started a book that I know I will eventually finish. Nanowrino gave me the inspiration and encouragement to begin it. Thank you!

(ok, now that I've said my thank you's, I better get back to nanowrimo so I can make the said 50,000 word count by November 30th!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Weekend

I will going to Athens! I never thought I'd be this excited to visit home, but it's been way overdue. I haven't visited my parents since the end of August. I normally try to go home at least once a month, but with the craziness of moving, getting settled down, and then getting sick... well, I've put it off long enough. I'm so excited to finally go home! Vinny will be joining us for our first family Thanksgiving. (We have to celebrate early since we're stuck working on the actual holiday... this is what happens when you work in the aviation field).

Tomorrow morning Mom is going to cook breakfast and a couple of my really close friends will be joining. Then it's egg roll making time (this is obviously a Thanksgiving treat), then trimming the tree at night. Monday will be the Thanksgiving feast, and then sadly I'll be back to work on Tuesday...

Anywho, if you haven't noticed, I'm uber excited about going home! Hopefully I'll get a lot of down time to work on Nanowrimo. (Nano update: I'm over 30,000 words now, yipee!)

(too bad my book really really blows)
(oh well, that's what months of revisions and editing is for, right?)

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving week!

This Blog Sucks

Since I am distracted by:

A) Nanowrimo

and

B) being deathly ill (yes, again, but this time it's a feisty cold, and I can't stop blowing my nose every 5 minutes. There is a deforestation problem because of all the tissues I am using.)

You should go check out Jen Lancaster's hilarious reenactment of New Moon; complete with all of the Twilight dolls! Enjoy.