Easter with Will

No, I didn't make a new friend, I have been watching "Wild Wild West" this evening, starring one William Smith. I never saw it when it came out...didn't actually want to see it now, but it was sitting in my Netflix instant queue for months and I gave into watching it just so I wouldn't feel guilty removing it without. I wish I liked the movie. It is a weird feeling; its the same way I felt about "The Last Airbender" movie. I wanted sooooooo bad for it to be good. I wanted to like it. I like "Avatar: the Last Airbender" cartoon, I wanted the movie to be awesome...but both it and "Wild Wild West" were consumed with such undeniable suckiness. This is me ^^^ up above this fine evening. No makeup! I wanted to post about my recent creations, including the hat in the picture, but I wasn't about to get all gussied at 1am. So I guess you get what you see. MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Exactly as I am right now. There really isn't anything to the hat. I just wanted a slouchy, beret/tam hat. It was an extremely easy pattern on Ravelry; just made it to put my hair in sometimes. Not all the time though...that would be ridiculous.

 

This is actually something I am quite proud of. I think it turned out amazing. First time for me making a hat with a brim and/or strap. Pattern here, for those with Ravelry accounts. I also choose to make it in with Lily's Sugar and Cream 100% cotton yarn, because, here in Baltimore at least (sorry you folks in the north country) it is almost summer and I wanted the baby boy to be able to wear his present with out getting over heated. The brim will keep the sun out of his eyes, the hat will keep his head from getting sunburned, the cotton will keep him cool... I put alot of thought into it. But I feel like you have to when it comes to baby stuff...if you look at baby head circumferences they grow from about 13 inches to 18 inches in the first year. So if I just willy-nilly make hats (I know from experience), the baby will out grow the hat before the right season to wear it comes around. I actually don't know who this hat is going to, it was for a co-worker's friend. I wish I did though so I could see it in action. Cordillia just doesn't do it justice the way a living, male baby could.

Now I am working on a full size blanket with some cuddly Lion Brand Homespun I got for Christmas. It will take a few more skeins than what I got as a gift...about 12 total. I can tell already it is going to be really cozy. 

I think I might want to add in some blue though...it is a little too...purple and green.

Making a Dish and a Dishrag

This is a little uncommon for me to post so soon. But I had a day off, and felt like attempting few feats. Actually, I felt like doing nothing today. I got up to eat breakfast and then went back to sleep. By will power, and some encouragement from Chris to leave the house, I got up and went to The Book Thing. For dinner I made the vegan shepherd's pie I have been planning, following the directions directly from the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World comic book. Technically, it wasn't vegan though; I couldn't find the vegan gravy mix. I bought the onion gravy, but the list of ingredients includes beef.

It turned out pretty good. I think I might make this again. The only thing is, I am not sure if I like soy milk on it's own, so I am questioning what to do with the rest. I don't mind it in coffee or on cereal, because the other favors mask it pretty well, so I guess I will try and use it up like that. Luckily soy milk has a longer shelf life than regular milk, so I have some time...

Basically just cooked veggies for 15 minutes, then added fake meat, gravy mix, and soy milk. All the while, boiling the potatoes... 

Mashed up the potatoes with soy milk, and layered over meat mixture in a casserole dish with a layer of frozen corn in between."Mmm, Mashy"

I baked it at 350 for 30 minutes, which was supposed to crisp up the top. It didn't do that, but I felt it was necessary anyway to make sure the corn defrosted. My only critique is that I definitely needed the salt shaker to eat this, mainly for the potato part. Other than cooking, I made a dishcloth today. This one is for my future mother-in-law. We had lunch the other day and she mentioned that she used to get some from a friend in North Dakota, and I happen to be in between projects. This one was made from a pattern I found on Ravelry, and I used some Lily Sugar 'n Cream 100% cotton yarn which I had in my stash from a project I never finished about a year ago. Since I don't think I will be getting back to that project I may just take out the whole thing and use all the yarn I have of this kind to make a set of 4 or however many I can.

 

Stuff for Boys

So my projects this time are repeats, but I felt the need to blog a little bit anyway. Today I had a day off and finished up a project for Lori, my manager at work, for her son. It is pretty similar to the one I made for Roz, but I made a few changes. The first version was a lighter blue and had all three colors in the braids. This one I made darker with just red braids because it is for a teenager, who probably wouldn't want to wear it if it looked to young. I hope I achieved something that a teenager would wear.

  

I also made another bunny like the one I made for Alisen for Christmas. It is for her brother, Greyson. Apparently he kept taking it and chewing on it, which I am sure Alisen thought was no fair at all. So I made a blue one for him. In hindsight I wish I had made it light blue with dark blue ears and toes, but it can't be helped now and reports are in that he chews on the new one, so it was a success. Because it was made for chewing on by and infant, I replaced the plastic eyes with yarn eyes.

I took a picture of Bucky the cat the other week, which I will post here since I mentioned him in the last post. We have been getting along pretty well, except for his preference for Christopher's company and some extreme early morning meowing.

Also I have a picture of Bailey in the hat I made for her birthday, as seen in my last post. So cute...

I haven't really been crocheting much, if you can tell from how often I post. I have been getting stuff done for school. I was wavering a bit, not sure if I should go back to school. I was just afraid that I would start school, get into a lot of debt and not be able to finish. There is no reason I shouldn't be able to be successful, I am just not too confident in my science skills, and competitive skills and test skills... basically horrified. I am afraid dental hygiene studies might be too far out of my skill set. But I have decided to give it a try. I am glad I did, because after filling out the FAFSA, it turns out that I finally have independent status and my financial aid will be based on my own income! I have been supporting myself for years, and now finally school will be affordable! It almost makes me want to go full time and take french and art classes and just take it all in, but I still have to work and pay bills, so part time it is, for now. Plus I have wedding planning to do. The date is set for June 9th 2012, so I have a little over a year to figure it all out and save up. Maybe I could sell hats as a wedding fundraiser...hmm. That would take a lot of hats. Also with my free time I have been reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and watching "Avatar: The Last Airbender" cartoon. Both of which I am now obsessed with. Very different genres, but I love them! I am also planning to make vegan shepherd's pie, using the recipe from the Scott Pilgrim comic book. I have the ingredients, just need to make it happen. Not today...

Owls and Butterflies

Been doing some new patterns by request and have come up with a lot... thus lots of pictures today. Life has been kinda dramatic, which feels better than boredom even though things are worse. Good things are happening too, one being my sister came to visit me in Baltimore with her family. Just for the weekend, to bring me my new kitty, and we made it down to Washington DC to see the monuments and museums. They are moving to Arizona in a few weeks and needed someone to take their cat. His name was Danger, but that sounded a little menacing to me, so I renamed him Bucky, which I believe has the opposite effect. Named after William F. Buckley and Buckminster Fuller. I can't explain it, I barely get the reference myself, they are some authors that Chris reads.
 

 

This is my first attempt of a new pattern, the butterfly hat, and took the opportunity of having my niece's little head around to see how it fits. Soooo adorable.

Made one for myself too, which is one of the only hats I have made for myself.

I have also been working on an owl hat. It seems to be the trend this winter, animal hats. At work I see college kids in the store all the time with hats with ears or horns or eyes. I made a black and gray one first, and tried it on my niece too. Too bad I didn't get a picture of that, it was so cute I had to make a purple one for her birthday present. Her birthday was February 28th, and I am starting to realize I am very bad with deadlines for presents arriving on time. I reconcile it my head like it might be nice getting them late, just when you think there are no more for another year, surprise! Bailey probably won't know the difference though.

Scott Pilgrim Hat - The Mock Up

A day off work means a day to craft and the first version of the Scott Pilgrim Hat is currently done and on my head. I have this much to say: I am NOT starting in on version 2.0 with the fancy Sublime Merino. I kinda HATE knitting. Maybe that is extreme, and I may take that back later in life should I change my mind. All I know is for now, I am ready to pick up a crochet hook. 

Also, I finished this hat 5 days before my BFF's birthday, and if I am not too lazy, I may be able to get in in the mail on time. I am also considering wearing it to work tomorrow, but I am trying to gauge how goofy I would look. We are required to wear hats, but I am not positive of the boundaries of what is acceptable. 

Oh yeah, I got in touch with an online yarn shop owner out of Canada, and she agreed to special order for me the exact color/brand yarn that the pattern specifies for my Scott Pilgrim hat. Which means, in the end I will have made 3 hats, all of which are knitted, of which I am sick of doing. Also, besides myself and my BFF Cory, I don't know anyone who wants one...not even my fiance. Oh well, I plan to put off making the next 2 anyway, I'll just save the yarn and the pattern for later, until the knitting weariness wears off. As for now, I crochet! Or play some WoW...or go to sleep...we'll see.

Hat for Roz

Good evening everyone!  Watching Seinfeld tonight, which would be nice if the heater weren't so loud that I can't hear it really. Sometimes I try to crank up the volume so I can hear the TV over the heater, but that just results in headaches-ville. Don't really want to turn off the heat either, it sure is chilly tonight. Here is my most resent achievement in crochet: 

I made this for Roz, my friend from work, for her grandson. I think I am doing better with the masculine hats, you kinda have to change gears when you are used to making girly things. But I can really see the improvement from what I used to make. I started the Scott Pilgrim hat last week. Right now I am making a sort of mock up "first draft" version of the hat using regular acrylic yarn: Caron Simply Soft. I bought the pattern from Lulu Bee, but it is a knitting pattern and I am not so good at that, so I want to have a trial run. The pattern calls for Diamond Yarn Luxury Collection Fine Merino Superwash DK in Middle Brown and Blue Grey. This yarn is nearly impossible to find online. When I finally did find it, the seller didn't ship to the United States. Another site only sold the brown and not the blue. Unless I take a road trip to Canada, I really don't think I'm getting this yarn. Poor business strategy if you ask me. So I went even FARTHER and ordered a similar yarn from the UK, Sublime Extra Fine Merino Wool DK in the colors Clipper and Fruitcake. It was actually kind of cool receiving a package with Royal Mail postage on it and a customs declaration. Yes, I am easily thrilled. I should order from overseas more often. I was really worried about the color difference, but I really think after looking at the yarn that it will work out alright. If you check out the link on Diamond yarn you can compare for yourself. 

My fancy European yarn. In two different poses...just in case you didn't quite get the full effect from the first one. Now I am just afraid of using it and messing it up. 

Hats for Twins

This week I finished a couple hats for a friend with 2 year old twin girls. I used a different brand of yarn than I usually do, Vanna's Choice by Lion Brand, which is a little thicker than my usual Caron's Simply Soft. Really the only reason for the switch is that I needed to find a really great burgundy. I personally think burgundy and pink look really cute together, although I have heard some objections. What do you think?

Usually I use a five petal flower with a yellow center, but this time went for something different: the Irish Rose, a pattern I got from Lion Brand Yarn. The Irish Rose was actually supposed to be one round bigger, but due to the thickness of the yarn and gauge, the flower was getting huge, so I stopped short. As for all hats for babies/kids, I just hope, hope, hope they fit. I threw in a hat for her older daughter too:

I have been watching the Scott Pilgrim movie this evening. I love it. I got it from Netflix and am kinda thinking about not returning...for a while at least. There is a hat Scott wears towards the beginning of the film, when he is picking up Knives Chau from school. I am thinking this will be an upcoming project; the original maker of the hat sells the pattern online. I sure hope Jo-Ann's has a similar yarn to what the pattern specifies. I am not too interested in special ordering expensive yarn from Canada.

Yay New Year!

So Christmas is over and my so is my crocheting/crafting marathon. I wouldn't say the whole thing was a total failure, but pretty close. The presents that I made weren't done in time for Christmas, but the people who I decided to buy presents for (due to time shortage) did get their presents on time. Thank you, online shopping! So about a week ago I finally made it to the post office and sent out the finished projects. I kind of hate the feeling of going to the post office now though. I go in there with these things that I care so much about and worked so hard on and leave empty handed. I know they should be getting where they are going, its just psychologically weird, paying someone to take your stuff. Anyway, here are a few things I whipped up for presents:

This is a bunny I crocheted for my niece, Alisen. I got the pattern from Lion Brand Yarn, and it is called Best Bunny. This is the first toy I've crocheted, if you don't count the D20 I made, which I don't really. D&D players are so serious about the game I think they would be insulted a bit if I said they are playing with toys. Speaking of a D20...

I made another D20 for my brother, who is also a player of the game. Tried a different color than Cory's. I actually liked the way this one turned out better than the first, I think I crochet it a little tighter. These two got sent, plus the blanket for Greyson, and for Selina I made a blue version of the purple hat I had made Myc'keeta. I also sent out some homemade place mats for my mom and a black knitted scarf for my dad, both of which I forgot to take pictures of. Oops. Now that Christmas presents are over and done, I can get to work on some custom orders for hats. I had been asked by a few people for specific things way back in November, but haven't had a chance to work on them with my own projects in the works!

All day craft day

I had the whole day off so I got to work, which wasn't really work, because crafting is one of my favorite things to do. I finished the Big PROJECT I have been working on for about 2 months! For being such a big project, it turned out a little small...smaller than I expected.

 

This is yet ANOTHER baby blanket I made for Greyson, for a Christmas present. I got the pattern out of the book that I originally used to teach myself to crochet The Easy Learn To Crochet In Just One Day. It is, by far, the biggest thing to date that I have crocheted. The one thing I regret is that the colors I picked don't make it look like a baby blanket, the combination is not cutesy enough. And that it is ultra tiny. Oh well, if it had been much bigger I might have given up on it, because blankets take forever, especially when you are using a small hook and a single crochet. I think this is the first and last blanket I will be making for a while, but it was a great learning experience. 

I am so glad this one is done, I still have a lot more projects I want to make for Christmas presents. Even though I got a lot of crafting done today, it feels like I have been such a slug. I suppose it is because crafting often forces you to sit still for hours. Plus I had the TV on to entertain me while I crafted. Nothing like the old tube to make you feel like a slug. I tried to kick the feeling by doing some dish washing, but the satisfaction was short lived. I bought the first season of "The Vampire Diaries" on black Friday for $12 and watched a few episodes today. I hadn't seen much of it before I bought it; it was recommended to me. Quite dramatic I must say, I definitely want to see where this show is going.

Denver and Back Again

I haven't written in a while. I am actually a little tired, and wouldn't be blogging right now if it weren't that I have been wrapping up some of my projects and don't want to get behind. This month has been pretty eventful. Lots of exciting stuff going on. Earlier this month I got to go to Denver with my parents to visit my brother's family and see his new baby. We had a great time, I even had a little spare time to crochet a hat for their daughter Alisen. 

It turned out pretty good, but I couldn't get Alisen to put it on, so I am not too sure if it fits right. Maybe I should have just sneaked up behind her, I am pretty sure 2 year olds can't hold grudges for disobeying their will. The trip was so much fun, we went to a restaurant named Casa Bonita, which I found out later, was featured on the show South Park. Also did a lot of shopping with my mom and went to the movie "Unstoppable" with my brother. The hardest part was coming home. It was terrible, I got off the plane in Baltimore at 12pm, went to work from 2pm-9pm, then worked the next morning. Ouch. On top of the physical toll, I missed my family so much after leaving them. Colorado was beautiful! It was so hard to come home after such a greaty-great trip.

This is me and my momma. Its craaazy how much we look alike in this pic. Since the trip, Chris and I had a great Thanksgiving, and I made the whole meal myself. Success! And for the post-thanksgiving shopping, this afternoon we went out and got a few seasons of TV shows for super cheap. Now its time to watch some with my Chris!

Boy Hats

Today I put down the big project and started working on a few hats that my mom asked for ages ago. She knows a few families in her church who have baby boys, and she wanted a few hats for baby shower gifts. Hats seem so easy now in comparison to "the big project", much easier for sure. I just realized in the past couple days how many requests I have to fill, and how many presents for Christmas I have to make, I have a sinking feeling that not all of it will get done. I supposed I should just be glad I never got around to setting up and etsy.com shop, or else I would be in big trouble, having to fill orders too.

I like the ways these turned out, although I think one of them looks a little John Deere or Packers or something. I was trying to make some that weren't all blue, just to rebel against the cliche . I feel a little out of touch with masculine baby things, and I wish there was a male equivalent to the crocheted flower detail. In other news, I got into UMBC today! Yay! I am both relieved and terrified. I am glad that things are going well, and I have been approved for instate tuition, but I am afraid that trying to remember/relearn all the chemistry and biology and math will be killer. I can only do my best. I want to try to get into the Dental Hygiene program at the University of Maryland medical campus in downtown Baltimore, but first I have to finish the prerequisites.  

I worked with a dentist in Honduras this year and it really inspired me to get back to school. Chris and I went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant to celebrate. I feel like everything is happening all at once. I made it to the Rally to Restore Sanity, made it out to vote, got into school, next week I am going to visit my parents and my brother's family. Good thing I made it to the rally so I could stock pile some sanity to last me a while. Actually, although the message of the rally was sanity, and everyone behaved very politely and courteously, the crowd was so huge, and filled with people in costumes (maybe due to the event's proximity to Halloween, maybe just people getting into the spirit of comedy), the whole thing wasn't the really relaxing or sane. I am glad we went though, it was so worth it!

I AM crocheting...but

So I have nothing to show today. I AM crocheting, but the project I picked out is a big one. I am, maybe, a fifth of the way done with it. I do like a big reveal blog post, so I am not even going to hint about it. However, I can't sleep tonight either, and I feel like writing a little bit. Today was a day off work. Every day off, I think I am going to do so much, or have a big adventure...but end up wondering where the day went. How did I waste so much time and do so little? I keep dreaming about going to the renaissance festival or finally finding myself a furry companion (kitty). I actually did go to pet smart today to see if they had any adoptions available, but they only had a few that were older cats. I know abandoned cats need a good home too, but baby kittens are pretty much the best thing in the world. I should probably get on it with going to the ren fest though, I think next weekend is my last chance for the year.

I had so much fun last year that I sewed my own costume. I really like the top pieces, but I think maybe I chose the wrong material for the skirt. Maybe if I ever get more into the ren fest thing I will re-do it. But for now I just need to get my ass over there so that making the whole costume wasn't a waste of time. Instead of my very interesting options for today's activities, I went to Walmart with Mr. Chris, aka my man, aka the best around, aka the best thing since baby kittens. Not that Chris is anything like a baby kitten, in that case I don't think it would work out... Anyway, we drove up to the Super Walmart outside of town, which is inconveniently far away, but conveniently cheap. Besides stocking up on groceries, Chris and I both got a present for ourselves. I got what I have been waiting for! CANISTERS!!

I realize this is not that exciting, but I have been keeping my flour and sugar in their original packaging, which makes a mess every time you need to use some. I was also completely unwilling to spend $30 on ceramic or stainless steel ones, so I am pretty thrilled with my purchase...or, I suppose Chris's purchase since he picked up the tap on that one. I bought him Taco Bell though, so were even maybe... He got himself a weight lifting set...which...I hate already. It's probably my fault I hate it, it weighed 100 pounds in the box, and I was all "Oh we can just carry it together" when he wanted to just take it apart in the car and carry it up in pieces. We made it to the end of the ally before I couldn't take it anymore and started getting needlessly upset. Poor Chris had to carry it the rest of the way down the street and up the stairs. I also have fears of tripping over the weights in the dark...fear and loathing... But it's not for me, and Chris was really excited to have it, and I want him to have nice things. We also got a bookshelf, which I think was way overdue, because his excess books were piling up on the floor, and I haven't even unpacked my two boxes of books from the move. BTW does anyone have any suggestions on good TV shows to watch that are available via netflix instant stream? I actually got through all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and am really sad that it is over. I used to watch it while crocheting, and I kind of linked those two activities in my mind, so crocheting without Buffy feels a little empty...I could start over on season one! Anyway, any suggestions?

D20

This is the first Christmas present I have made this year, and it is something, I think, that is specific enough to Cory's tastes that he can't be disappointed. The only disappointment I will allow him is that he cannot have this immediately. It took long enough to make. I started this some time ago; it was the project that required all the little black triangles that I showed a couple posts ago. TA DA!

I bought this pattern online from Needle Noodles. The designer was a vendor at Pile Of Craft this year, and had one for sale. Unfortunately I didn't realize what it was until someone else decided to buy it. So I made my own. It is a D20 for dungeons and dragons. I have played once, so I am not an expert. But I think Cory will like this. Days have gone by since my last post, and I so far I haven't any ideas for my next project. I have been a little busy, I had my friend Marina over the other night to make cookies, so I cleaned my living room/work space a bit.

It's weird how much cleaner a space looks when there is less stuff in it. It kinda makes me never want to go furniture shopping again. I finally found out today that I got the day off work for October 30! I hope you know what that means...I am going to the Rally to Restore Sanity in Washington D.C.! I am so lucky I live so close!

Back from Virginia

Just got back last night from Virginia visiting my sister. Over all the trip was really good, all though, I have to admit it was a bit exhausting. Bailey just turned 7 months old, and is VERY active. If I set her down in her play area, she would be crawling out the door within 10 seconds. Lucky for me that I have infallible vigilance...at 6 am...not. Fortunately, I never let her get too far, and nothing bad happened...except exhaustion. I'll have to keep this in mind next time I wish I had a baby.

She is still super cute though.  Other than playing with Bailey and watching children's television, Joy and I worked on a blanket for Greyson, our new nephew. It was hard finding the right fabric. It's so hard looking material for boys when there are so many cute options for girls. Especially, I think, because most boy fabrics are taste specific. What I mean is, the patterns on masculine fabrics are usually dinosaurs, robots, superheros, monkeys, sports, etc. It makes you wonder what the boy actually likes, like "what if he doesn't like sports or superheros?" With girl patterns, it seems to me that picking a pretty floral or paisley pattern is less taste specific. Maybe I am thinking too much. Or maybe, because I am a girl, I am more aware of what is attractive to girls than very young boys, thus my hesitations. ANYWAY it turned out really cute, and we did end up choosing a superman fabric.

 

G is for Greyson. And for Gross Domestic Product- which does not include the value of women's work. Some of which was expended on the making of this blanket. (Does working outside the market economy with no means of exchange make me a communist? Heavens!)

Oh well. Considering Greyson just barely over a week old, I think I can safely assume he has yet to form a solid opinion on superman. I also did a little crocheting while Bailey was napping; made a sweet little hat for Greyson, and then made Bailey model it for me. As you can see she is thrilled.

Happy Birthday Greyson!

I am so happy to announce that my brother and my sister-in-law had their baby boy Greyson this morning! I am so excited to crochet some things for him! I haven't tried making a baby blanket yet, I am a little intimidated by the size of a blanket. At least with hats, they are small enough to finish within a couple days. They don't just sit there staring at you with those sad "unfinished project" looking eyes. If hats had eyes...which I hope they never do...because that would be creepy. Speaking of finishing hats...

These two I finished today. These I made for my sister-in-law to give as gifts for a friend's daughters. Making these reminded me a lot of when Joy and I would get semi-matching things when we were little. The pink one is the unfinished one from my last post. I am very happy with the way these turned out, but I am a bit frustrated that you can tell they are significantly different. I suppose it would be called normal variation expected from handmade products. The purple ear flaps look way shorter to me. I suppose that is what I get for not writing down a pattern to work from.

Here is the baby boy! Isn't he just perfect? I am so happy for them, I just wish I could be there to see him. I'll have to plan a trip soon. I am hoping to go this fall, because when spring semester hits I might be back in school. Speaking of which, I was disappointed today to find out that the school I am applying to changed their application, and it no longer has a box for an admissions essay. Boo! I thought my essay was really good and would have given my application a little extra oomph. Also, according to FAFSA, I am still a dependent, and I don't really see any way around that. So, my application process is all disappointment, and I am wondering if I should just wait until I am not a dependent anymore to go back to school. I dunno. I had fun today though. Myc'Keeta and I went to the mall today, it seems like so long since I have gone shopping with a girl friend. I had such a great time just hanging out!
 

Crochet Slacker

Its been a couple days and I feel like I have been all over the place, getting things done. As far as crocheting, however, I have just been starting projects and not finishing them. Booooooo.

These are my works in progress. One is a partial hat, and the other is a surprise involving black triangles. I am feeling quite conflicted. On one hand, it is nice when presents are a surprise. On the other, I love sharing my projects on here. I think what will happen is that I will share the projects on here and if the person who is receiving the gift is loyal enough to me to read my blog, they will be rewarded by getting a sneak peak at their gift. I suppose I should open this up for debate then. If any family member is completely determined that their gift should be a surprise, let me know and I will not blog about it. I don't know. Can't I give my cake and blog about it too?

  

I made apple crisp the other night, which was delicious and I haven't had it in ages. Instead of crafting I have been baking a bit more, now that I have the basic flour and sugar stuff. Unfortunately, Chris doesn't really like desserts and baked goods so I have to eat this all by myself :-) I think will have some right now with vanilla ice cream, because I need more dessert on top of my dessert. Besides baking, I have been applying to UMBC. I want to get back to school and get a degree as a dental hygienist. On my sister's blog she posted her application essay and I thought it was cool. What do you think of mine?

In middle school, I was captivated by my English teacher’s stories from her time serving in the Peace Corps in the Czech Republic. Ever since, international aid has been a great interest of mine. This summer, July 2010, I experience it first hand when I joined a medical brigade in Honduras for a week. Our team was formed of both doctors and regular volunteers. Having no real medical experience beyond nursing assistant training, I worked in the dental area teaching children how to brush their teeth. It was an amazing experience, and at the same time it was heartbreaking. There was so much joy in working with the people of Honduras. They were so happy to see us and welcomed us with open arms. The hard part was looking past the smiles, and seeing all of the serious dental conditions these people were suffering from. So many people came to me pointing at back molars that were completely decayed. I had to rely on a translator to explain to them that I wasn’t a dentist and I couldn't pull their tooth, and that there was nothing I could do. I didn’t know cleaning teeth could be so emotionally difficult. I was upset that I couldn’t do more to help them. Upon returning, I immediately started looking for schools to study at to become a dental hygienist. The people in Honduras have such terrible dental conditions because they were never taught preventative care. I want to study to become a dental hygienist so that I can help people in America, and especially where it is needed the most, in third world countries. After graduating from UMBC and the University of Maryland Dental School, I hope to one day join the Peace Corps and be involved in other medical volunteer programs.  

 

I am pretty nervous about going back to school, and I super hate the application process, especially the prospects of trying to prove residency and financial independence. I have just been hanging out on the couch today. I am watching a neighbor's cats, one of which requires an insulin shot every 12 hours. I had two days off in a row, today and tomorrow, but can't really go anywhere, like to my sister's. It is nice to have some down time. Chris and I did go out tonight to see the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World which was AMAZING. I would describe myself as a giggly mess the whole movie. It made me so happy most of the movie my mouth was hanging in an open smile and I kept tapping Chris's shoulder as if that would ensure that he caught the jokes. Every once in a while I would start bouncing in the theater seat due to excess enthusiasm. It was that good. I was a giggle mess. And I am so glad that I didn't miss it, because I don't think it will be in theaters much longer.