Speakin' Up Now

The Universe Loves Me Right Now...

2011-12-05T19:45:00.001-05:00

I don't know what's up with the cosmos, but life is pretty good. I keep winning free stuff lately, and all I can say is, can I win a car next? That's what I REALLY need. Or enough money to afford a car. Or a job. Yeah, a job is also something I really need. Anyway, thought I'd list what I've won recently so others could share in my joy (one of the contests is ongoing; go win yourself some cool stuff!)

-Free blogging course from Blogelina.com, which includes free web hosting with GoDaddy!
-Free domain name from Domain.com. (thesinglegalscookbook.com)
-Free $100 Paypal GC from Swagbucks.com (Just got the money today, boy did I need it!)
-Free $100 Amazon GC from Domain.com.

Two of those are from the same place. They're still giving away awesome prizes on Twitter. Follow them @DomainDOTcom and simply retweet the messages with the #TweetMe hashtag at the end. You'll get entered into a drawing and can win a $100 GC to different places! Check out this link for details. The contest ends on Dec 14.

ETA: Oh, I'm also getting a holiday voxbox from Influenster.com. It sounds like the products are going to be very awesome so I'm very excited to see what I receive. Looks like Christmas has already begun for me...

My Secret, Not So Secret Anymore Project

2011-11-19T10:45:00.001-05:00

I promise I haven't been neglecting this blog on purpose. I'm just very busy living my life, and working on a new project!! It's a new blog dedicated to finding and providing readers with single serve recipes! Check it out below, and sign up for the newsletter to be one of the first to see the new site when it launches!

http://singlegalscookbook.com

Goodblogs

2011-07-16T11:30:00.002-04:00

Recently, I discovered the site, Goodblogs.com. It’s a site where bloggers can write about whatever interests they would like and if your post is voted to the front page you earn $20 for the post. I’ve been considering writing something for the site for a few months now but couldn’t think of a thing to write. This morning, I found something to write about:

http://www.goodblogs.com/view-post/I-Hate-Spiders

Feel free to join (as either a writer or a reader) and vote for my post if you like it. Don’t feel obligated though. I’d also appreciate if you shared the post on Facebook/Twitter if you do enjoy it!

The Eagle's Back!

2011-06-08T10:35:00.003-04:00

I have been taking this guy out again and am making tons of progress! He's not frustrating me as much as he used to which makes me think taking a break from him was definitely a smart move! I've finished all of the black in his right wing; just got to finish all of the combined colors.

In other news, my roadtrip with Esther may not happen until the end of July. It's still happening though, that hasn't changed. I am also going to be learning to sew and crochet this summer. I've wanted to learn to sew for YEARS and I'm excited to finally get the chance. Esther's going to take the class as well. I haven't wanted to learn to crochet for as long but as soon as I learned what it was I wanted to do it myself! I'm excited to finally have the chance to learn; hopefully I'll pick it up as easily as I picked up cross-stitch but we'll have to wait and see on that one. Hope everyone's having a great summer so far!

A Finish and A Return

2011-05-25T20:20:00.003-04:00

So I've finally finished See Hear Speak Love and I am absolutely thrilled with how it came out. I decided not to do the backstitching because a) I wanted to be done with it and b) the chart doesn't really specify which colors are supposed to be used for the different areas requiring backstitching.

Since this is done I've gone back to working on "Majestic Eagle" for my mother. I'll post periodic updates on his progress but I make no promises.

See Hear Speak Love

2011-03-04T17:04:00.003-05:00

Sorry for not updating the blog more often...I really don't have an excuse but I am going to try and do better at updating. No promises, though.

Back in October or November I saw this pattern on abcstitch.com and fell in love with it. I knew it'd be perfect for my pastor and his wife (who are expecting their fourth child), but didn't want to order from abcstitch.com due to poor customer service reviews I read at crossstitchforum.com and elsewhere...but that pattern was not easy to find anywhere else! I finally found it at theartofstitch.com and it arrived on Monday, about two weeks after I'd ordered it.

The chart is named "See Hear Speak Love" and is, presumably, an OOP* Janlynn pattern. (Not certain about it's OOP status, but it isn't on their official site and was so hard to find that I assume it must be OOP.) I have only managed to put in about an hour and a half of stitching thus far since I had a little trouble doing the math as to how much fabric I needed, but it is coming along quite quickly! I also think I'm using it as a distraction from the fact that my uncle is in the hospital with liver failure, so prayers for my family would be much appreciated right now.

*OOP = Out of Print

Procrastination

2010-12-03T18:40:00.001-05:00

Today's Reverb 10 Prompt: Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it? (Author: Leo Babauta)

I'm changing writing to art because I don't consider myself a writer. I'd describe myself more as an artist who likes to write, but I'm definitely not a writer. And at the moment, the biggest thing keeping me from my art is an infection of some sort. A month ago I thought it was just a simple sinus infection, but now I'm not so sure and neither is my doctor. It's kind of hard to pick up a pencil and a piece of paper when your nose is running every five seconds. Mucus dripping onto a sketch is...well, it's not pretty. Other than illness, I would say Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr/etc. are very distracting as far as my art goes, although recently I've found myself really craving some drawing time. Or maybe some time for cross-stitching. I'm really hoping the meds work this time so I can get back to it but only time will tell.

One Word for 2010...

2010-12-01T18:55:00.000-05:00

So I've decided to participate in Reverb 10 this year. Maybe it'll help me get back into writing, maybe it won't. Maybe I'll remember to do it everyday, maybe I won't. But I'll never know if I don't at least attempt it, right? Anyway, below is the first prompt and my response.

Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?
(Author: Gwen Bell)

Horrible? Terrible? Ungreat? (Is ungreat even a word? I'm too lazy to check.) But yeah, it wasn't a good year for me..my dad threatened to kick me out twice this year, and my family just makes this living environment very hostile. I've come so close to packing a suitcase and boarding a bus to anywhere that isn't here. I don't feel welcome and just dream of the day I can afford a car so I can drive away from here and live on my own (maybe sharing an apartment with Esther).

As for 2011, I would love to have a way better year than this past one. I guess the word everyone wants to encompass their year is wonderful, terrific or some other happy word. Not bad ones. I think I'd love to finally say that I was able to be 100% independent in 2011, but it's too early to tell at this point. I really feel like it's going to happen though; I don't know how much more hostility I can take and if my sister (who is married) doesn't move out soon, I definitely will.

Quick Update

2010-07-06T17:58:00.001-04:00

How was your holiday this weekend? Mine was ok, I got to see my baby cousin CJ who is starting to crawl! The next time we see him he’ll be starting to walk and talk. One of the lady’s at church also gave me a beautiful Thomas Kinkade Cross-stitch kit that I cannot wait to get started. She also bought breakfast for me and her daughter on the way to church since we were making good time, and I found I really enjoy Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.

Yesterday was my parents 30th anniversary, so we met a few family members at Sonny’s and had a little bit of a celebration.

Sorry I don’t have much else to post, I’ve been fighting off a nasty cold that is determined to keep me in bed. (So far it’s winning, but I think it may finally be wearing off.)

I <3 Psych!

2010-06-23T18:11:00.001-04:00

So, I was sitting in my room today, just chilling and reading some of my favorite blogs when my mom came in with a huge box from UPS. It was prize pack from Are You Screening? for one of my absolute favorite TV shows, Psych!

I am now the proud owner of a Psych pineapple t-shirt, Shawn and Gus bobbleheads, a Psych novel, a Psych bag, and the complete third season of the show on DVD. I’m going to go make some dinner now, and then put on my new T-shirt and watch the Season 3 DVD. Hope you’re having as good a day as I am!

Dimensions ‘Majestic Eagle’

2010-06-15T22:14:00.002-04:00

This is a cross-stitch project I started about a year ago. I’m hoping to have it finished by November/December in order to surprise my mother for her birthday/Christmas. (Which will depend upon when I finish—her birthday is in mid-November and we all know when Christmas is, right?)

I still have quite a bit to finish, but it is coming along. (You can see what the completed piece should like here.) The white parts of his head and tail are hard to see, I know, but that’s what backstitching is for, right? Once I’ve finished the eagle’s wings I plan on finishing the backstitch around him before moving on the background.