Jakk's Pacific Maleficent Coronation Doll Review, plus How to Remove Her Wings

I'm sure everyone knows what this doll looks like, she makes quite an appearance in the stores! I decided to do a quick review of her, mostly because I had searched everyone online for a how to remove her wings, so that I could hopefully do so, without ruining the doll. All everyone says is that the wings are not removable. Well, those in the doll world know that is not true. It may not have been the manufacturers intention to have the wings be removable, but since the doll and her wings are not molded in one piece, it is possible.

 First onto the doll:

Merry Christmas from Maleficent! A free crochet dress pattern

I was lucky enough today to have a little girl of mine desiring so badly to give me her gift, that she wore Dad down, and I was able to open it! I am absolutely in love with this Maleficent doll, which I have been wanting for some time. I decided today that she needed a Christmas dress...
This dress does fit Barbie dolls, however, I would probably make the smallest waist area maybe 2 or 3 extra stitches, it was a little snug there to get on (though was still possible). The open back for Maleficent's wings is also fine on a Barbie, it does not look odd, simply looks like an open back dress, and does stay on just fine!

Created by paperdollmom, Copyright 2014

 

Materials needed: Red Heart Shimmer yarn in red, variegated Christmas colored crochet thread, and a size H and F hook.

 

Starting from the bottom of the dress, using the Read Heart Shimmer yarn and a size H hook:

I hide in the darkness

I hide in the darkness,
his power hunting me
like a whisper in the night.
His white fangs pierce my skin,
draining my soul;
my red blood staining his
savage teeth.

Written by K, Copyright

*Written using my magnetic poetry sets.

his vampire blood

His vampire blood
courses through me.
Black fire kisses my soul,
whispering lies of death
as the raven calls
to the creature within.

Written by K, Copyright 2014

*Written using my magnetic poetry sets.

winter wonderland

I step out into the cold,
my naked feet deep in snow.
I wiggle my toes,
raise my head,
and inhale the winter winds.
I know it is cold,
though I don't feel it.
I don't feel the numbness
on my toes or on my face.
I don't feel the chill
on my skin.
I feel nothing but
the peace of such beauty.
I see a growing light up high,
almost blinding.
A light that wants to consume me,
so I walk towards it.

Written by K, Copyright 2014

*Written in response to one-minute writers prompt "winter wonderland".

The Whistle and the Timepiece

     Once upon a time, when the Earth began, the Creator bestowed special gifts upon the world. He wanted the Mother to create the landscape with beauty and sustenance, so He gave her a whistle to create the much needed movement upon the winds and the waters. He wanted the Father to keep watch over time, to cradle the precious moments in his hands, so He gave him a timepiece to cherish all that passes.

     The Mother and Father graciously accepted these gifts and their respective responsibilities. The Mother tied back her long tendrils, careful not to disturb the leaves and sticks nestled within, to attend her duties. She took up the whistle and blew across the mouthpiece sending the winds in motion. Seeds flew from her mouth and out the end of the whistle to be caught in the wind and whisked to all corners of the Earth. Soon the lands were covered in trees, bushes, berries, flowers, fruits, nuts, grasses, and all that cloaks the world with beauty. Once the Mother was pleased with her creation, she turned to the oceans and again blew into the mouthpiece of her whistle across the surface of waters. She was in awe as she watched the wind slide across the waters, pulling it to and fro, into a calm rhythmic motion. The water slinked up the shore and curled around her ankles, leaving her feet a blue iridescent shade as the waters rolled back to the ocean. The Mother wiggled her toes, pleased to see what she had done.

     “What a splendid beauty, Mother,” the Father spoke as he caressed his long white beard over and over again. He rotated the timepiece in his palm, looking over all the intricate details etched upon the metal.

blogging break...

I just wanted to write up a quick post here today to give a bit of an update. We got back from Orlando, Florida not too long ago, a vacation that was absolutely wonderful! We went to Disney's Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot. My girls had such a blast meeting so many Disney characters, and just simply being surrounded by so much Disney.
Since being back I have been reflecting on a lot of things, and have had a couple of social media interactions this past week that have just left me slightly depleted, so I have decided that I am taking a break from internet thingies. I know I will no longer be blogging for a while on blogger, and will be most likely backing away from Facebook, Twitter, and all that good stuff. I have started a few personal projects that I am really excited about to foster more of a focus on positivity within myself and to just break out of some funk. This blog will of course remain up during this time, especially for those of you who visit to utilize my free crochet patterns I have shared. I hope to be back soon!

The Original Fold and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm book review

The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm: The Complete First Edition by Jacob Grimm
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was given this book to read and review through Net Galley upon request. This is not really going to be a review of the brother's Grimm tales, but more on this specific edition. I am a lover of all things fairy tales, so I was immediately drawn to this book. This edition is divided into two volumes within, each containing the stories that were printed in 1812 and 1815 editions, which contains over 150 tales. I was surprised and interested to read that some of these tales did not follow the original Grimm stories I read a while back, such as the Little Red Cap tale. I recalled the wolf being cut open and filled with rocks, which was not present in this book, even with two endings to the story provided. The table of contents was very messy for me. I am not sure if it was just an e-book copy or what, but the listing of each tale was numbered on a new line (how most table of contents are), but then about midway through each volume in the table of contents it became a paragraph jumbled together and was quite hard to read. There was also random small words and numbers written throughout the book that appeared to be more like organizational notes. They were a bit odd and jarring, but does not necessarily hinder the reading of each tale. I did really love the style of the illustrations. They were all black and white, as if paper cut out silhouettes, like the cover. Some were quite whimsical and really beautiful to look at, while others were very strange and almost horror story-ish to look at, as if the most gruesome part of the tale was chosen to be depicted. For example, I came across an illustration depicting a decapitated unicorn with blood spurting and collecting on the ground. That was a bit strange to me, even though we are talking about the harsh original Grimm tales. It should be noted that there is not an illustration for each story, which made the choices of the illustrations at times all the more strange for me, thinking there could have been a more whimsical beautiful illustration created instead.
Overall, it is not a terrible edition, but not necessarily my favorite. I cannot compare to other original Grimm books I have read in the past in regards to the number of tales included, as I cannot recall from previous books, but this book does contain a lot of tales to enjoy. I think some minor issues could be cleaned up to make the book more put together, and would definitely opt for more whimsical illustrations over grotesque, but that is my personal opinion when it comes to fairy tales. If you like reading the old original tales, this book definitely has many for you to indulge in!

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sunday reads #8: vacation style

I had a lot of trouble trying to decide which books I wanted to bring with me on vacation. I was hoping to get a little reading in on the drive, as my hubby will be driving, and also I really enjoy reading a tiny bit in bed every night before I fall asleep. I decided I was in a Doctor Who mood, so I settled on packing two Doctor Who novels and a book of quotes (which I love reading in bed at night). I am thinking one novel for the trip down, one for the trip back, and the book of quotes for my nighttime reading. I am sure once the trip gets started my reading wont go as planned, so I am sure it is quite ambitious for a week that will be filled with four days of Disney World, a day at Sea World, and other fun stuff. I foresee exhaustion beyond abilities to read!
Though I am posting this (a tad early) for Sunday Reads, this is basically what I will be diving into every now and then all week when I find some down time. So my Sunday Reads will consist of one (or a little bit of all three) of these novels. Doctor Who is just plain fun, which will help get me into the mood for lots of family time!

Ivy in Bloom book review

Ivy in Bloom: The Poetry of Spring from Great Poets and Writers from the Past by Vanita Oelschlager
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an electronic copy of this book through Net Galley upon request, and was excited to dig in! It is apparently quite short, as it is a children's story book, with beautiful illustrations. I could not get over how clean, crisp, and bright the illustrations were. The story itself is basically a poem about a young girl that is waiting for spring to come, and then how lovely spring is. My first opinion reading through it, was that it felt very disjointed, almost as if it wasn't the same style of writing throughout the book, aside from the first few pages. Apparently I was right! After the story, there are several pages listing full poems by many writers (such as Dickens and Longfellow), with lines or phrases within each poem highlighted in green that was used within the story. The first few pages seemed to be a full poem written by the author of the book, which explains why I felt the first few pages flowed and the rest seemed disjointed and not of the same pen. I am not quite sure how I feel about it overall. The illustrations are beautiful as I mentioned, and I did like how the story was going in the beginning, but I think all the different writers smashed together doesn't make for a nice flowing poetry story book. I did, however, like reading through all of the poems in the back of the book that most of the lines from the book came from. I think it may have sounded better if the author had written the entire thing, so it felt more cohesive. I also liked seeing a bunch of poems by many authors with lines highlighted to match a certain theme. Together though, not 100% my favorite.

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The Antigone Poems book review

The Antigone Poems by Marie Slaight
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I was very excited to receive this book on my Kindle from Net Galley, as I very much love the Sophocles plays. I have to say though, I really didn't much care for it. I have read Antigone, but it has been a long while since, so I don't know if having the play fresh in my mind would make a difference or not? But I keep thinking that for it to be considered well written, one shouldn't need to know Antigone at all, for it to be a stand alone piece of work. The poetry itself is very gothic like to me, dark, and I had a lot of trouble even fully getting what each poem was about, basically because it was written a lot different than poetry I am use to reading. There were chapters, which I didn't get, as there wasn't that many poems to need to divide into chapters, let alone the actual common theme amongst the poems under each chapter were not clear for me. The poems didn't have names, but were numbered, and the numbers didn't make sense either. The poems went up to ridiculous roman numerals, skipping many between poems. It made me wonder if I really had a full copy? It really just didn't make sense how they were numbered. There was also a weird font thing going on in my digital copy, where there was a space within words after the letter "f". I get it is a typo, but it almost seemed intentional, as it was only when specific letters followed the letter "f". It really made it hard to read, and I wonder how much that affected my ability to appreciate the poems more. I did, however, love the illustrations within the book, which I understand to be chalk drawings. They are very interesting, a distinct artistic style that will have you going back through the book just to stare at the images longer. I think the artist should create more of these chalk drawings and put together a book of them!

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beowulf

I have been thoroughly (still) enjoying my Beowulf book. This tale fascinates me. I will be doing an actual review once I finish the epic poem, but for this post I will just say it is amazing.
Last year I did a Vikings unit with my youngest daughter, which left me slightly obsessed with this culture. It took me a bit to put together that Beowulf was part of this culture, which lead me to do quite a bit of searching online about this character. Apparently it has been agreed that Beowulf himself is a made up character, but other characters and events in the tale are real, written as early as 700 AD. It was breathtaking to view a photo online of the actual original manuscript. Just wow. Also, apparently it is possible that archeologists have discovered the royal hall that is written about in Beowulf. I am just a sucker for those fairytales/folktales that have been around for so many years, falling to the ears of every generation. It is just such a connection to people from long ago, I just love it! 

* This post will be shared with Book Inspired over at Mom's Book Banter.

Florida!

We will be leaving Thursday to head off to Florida for our family vacation. It kind of crept up on us, as the availability of units in our time share on such short notice, landed us checking in on Friday. I am a tad stressed, as I am leaving so much stuff undone in our house due to the short notice, but we are all overly excited to enjoy some Disney World and Sea World, and whatever else we can find to do there! So I may be scarce on my blog this upcoming week. However, I have had books running through my mind lately. I am wanting to put together a post about my all time favorite books, books that have greatly impacted my life, and what I find to be comfort books. I have never really put down on paper books that fall under those categories for me, so I am struggling a bit to figure out what books I would list. I am interested to see what I ultimately decide, as my taste in books have changed greatly over the past several years. I don't think I even 100% understand what books I prefer at the current moment, so it should be interesting. I am hoping after I get back from vacation I will be able to think a bit more on these topics and put together a post.
I hope you all are enjoying the summer sun before school and regular routines start back up! Any fun plans for this month? Let me know!

sunday reads #7

Well, this week has been extraordinarily busy for me. Both of my girls auditioned for a play on Monday, both receiving a part in the play that was performed on Friday. That means the week was filled with rehearsals, rehearsals, and more rehearsals. The play was Blackbeard the Pirate, though probably not the Blackbeard we all know, but a much more fun (child friendly) Blackbeard, who learned the important lesson that the best treasures are not found in a box. After the week being saturated with the high seas and mermaids, I was very much desiring a good nautical adventure book. I browsed the library, and even our small local used book store, leaving both empty handed. Either I am terrible at finding what I want in a room filled with books, or finding a lighthearted pirate/sea adventure is hard to come by. Either way, I was a tad disappointed until I returned home and realized I already own a few books that revolve around the sea. I picked up 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, a tale I have started (and loved what I read), but have yet to finish. I restarted the book on Friday, and am being flooded with how wonderful Jules Verne can share such an adventure! Most of us know the general plot of this story, whether we have read it or not. It is one of those tales like Pride and Prejudice, where everyone knows the story. Everyone knows who Elizabeth Bennett is, just as they know who Captain Nemo is. But I love how the very beginning of this tale is told in a way that pulls you into all the excitement and wonder of this unknown large creature propelling through the waters, making you forget for a while that you already know what it is. This book is just beautiful, from the colors of the covers to the illustrations printed here and there. There is even a beautiful shell printed at the beginning of each chapter! Needless to say, this will be my Sunday read...

mini American Girl doll short tank crochet pattern

 

Created by paperdollmom, Copyright 2014

 

Materials needed: size 10 crochet thread and a siz 2 hook

 

- Chain 41, DC in the third chain from the hook and across, Ch 2 and turn

 

- DC across each of the 39 stitches, Ch 2, turn (repeat this step again, bringing it to a total of 3 full rows of DC)

 

- DC in the first 7 sts, Ch 5, skip the next 5 sts, DC in the next 24 sts, CH 5, skip the next 5 sts, DC in the last 7 sts, Ch 2, turn

 

- DC in the first 2 sts, combine the next two sts, continue to DC across while combining 2 sts over each armhole and combing 2 sts (twice) in the middle of the row; also combine 2 sts when there is 4 sts left, and DC in the remaining 2 sts. This means you will be combining 2 sts for a total of 6 times throughout this row.

 

- repeat the previous step, though using SC rather than DC

 

- finish off

 

-cut a longer piece of crochet thread and just lace the back closed, similar to tying a shoe (after you put the shirt on your doll)

 

* The skirt is also easily sewed, and can be adapted to any length. I simply cut a small strip of stretchy fabric that does not need to be hemmed because it does not fray, and stitched 4 pleats across the front. I did not pleat the entire skirt because I simply stitched the entire back of the skirt closed. If pleated all the way across, the sewing would prevent the fabric from stretching (which is needed to put it onto your doll without Velcro or snaps). For an easy tutorial that helps to explain how I sewed this skirt, please check out this lovely YouTube video created by Disney Ever After that opened my eyes up to how simple it is to sew doll clothes. 

The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans

The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I finished the first story in the trilogy, which is really quite short (around 85 pages). This was a reread for me, and I remembered most of this story, which I still love just as much as the first time I read it. It is a lovely Christmas tale that reminds readers what is important around Christmastime (or any time)- your family. A father of a budding family is reminded to spend more time with his young child through a new friendship that will impact his life forever. I can't really say too much more about it, as it is short, and I don't want to give spoilers. But it is a very heart touching story that will have you tearing up in a few parts. It is very nicely written; a tale I will reread many more times!

View all my reviews

American Girl mini dolls on sale

If anyone is interested, Marie-Grace Mini Doll, Caroline Mini Doll, and Cécile Mini Doll is on sale for only $10 each at the American Girl online store.

Meet Molly: An American Girl

Meet Molly: An American Girl by Valerie Tripp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been trying to get into several American Girl books, as we have quite the collection. I started a few that just didn't grab my attention, but Meet Molly pulled me in from the first paragraph. I really loved this book, it reminded me so much of the Ramona books that I use to read as a kid. She is mischievous, getting into trouble with her brother, and has a silly fun personality that is revealed to the readers through her actions and thoughts. This particular book takes place during WWII, and during the Halloween season. Basically her and her friends are trying to decide how to dress up for Halloween, angering her brother in the process by teasing him about a girl he likes. He declares he will get even, and even he does! His revenge involved a lot of freezing cold water and soggy Halloween treats. The revenge planning doesn't end there, for Molly that is. Now she needs to get even with her brother, which involves a lot of her brother's socks and underwear, and a whole lot of embarrassment! It is a really short cute book that had me chuckling in a few spots. The illustrations within the book are detailed and very nicely done. There is also of course mention of the war and a section at the back of the book that explains into more detail what it would have been like to live during Molly's time. It is very informative without getting too dry, which is spot on for kids. I really enjoyed this book and will be continuing on in the series of Molly books.
My only complaint about this book, and really any of the American Girl books, is how heavy each book is. The books are printed with extremely nice quality, but the pages being so much more thicker than usual, it makes for a heavier book. In my opinion they are each too heavy for a small chapter book for children, especially if you have a small stack that includes entire set of one American Girl. Every time I stack up the American Girl books in our house to move somewhere else, I am always in shock of their weight for such small stories. Seems wasteful, and possibly unpractical for what they are.

View all my reviews

Saige

I have been so much enjoying the American Girl movies and books lately, I couldn't resist buying a doll for myself, although I only caved in on a mini doll. I found this Saige set at Sam's Club for $22.99. It included the Saige mini doll, which is adorable (especially the boots!), and two Saige books (Saige and Saige Paints the Sky). I don't know a lot about this girl, but I did end up snatching up the movie while I was at Toys R Us today, so I plan to give it a watch sometime soon. I am wanting to try crocheting some clothes for Saige using crochet thread, soon I hope. I am really busy this week though, as both of my daughters auditioned for a play on Monday, and both walked out with a part! My oldest daughter will be a beach bum in Blackbeard the Pirate, and my youngest daughter will be a sailor. They are both super excited and having a blast this week. I've been taking them to practices (pretty intense practices considering the play is performed on Friday), so after that and running errands every day so far, I am exhausted when I get home. But for now, I will just admire my new pretty doll!  

American Girl movies

I recently stumbled upon a collection of 4 American Girls movies at Walmart for only $9.99. The set included Kit Kittredge, Samantha, Molly, and Felicity. I also purchased the newest American Girls movie Isabelle, and with a coupon on the DVD, I got the McKenna movie for only $2.50. If you have any little girls that love anything and everything American Girls, you know why these movies are a must! Most of the movies were new to us, and we've been watching a new American Girl movie almost every night lately. I am a sucker for historical fiction type of movies like the 4 pack, especially when they are suited for kids to enjoy. I love watching how being exposed to these stories literally opens up a new world for my girls...well, historical worlds that brings a whole new understanding and appreciation for the things in our world now. While I can't wrap my mind around dolls that are so costly, no matter how well they are made (even though my daughters each own one), I applaud their efforts in teaching young girls about our history through young girls their own age that they can relate to, through books and DVDs. History is a hard concept to grasp sometimes, it is nice to see a company dedicated in trying to share the stories of many who have lived so long ago with our young ones today. Love it!

sunday reads #6: Christmas Tales

This week I have had Richard Paul Evans The Christmas Box trilogy sweeping through my mind. My husband gave me a  nice paperback copy of all three books in one on our very first Christmas together, almost 13 years ago. I then went on to pondering a lot about this book, as this is a book that comes to my mind a lot, and I've noticed it always seems to during the summer. So I was asking myself, why is that?
I realized that I love Christmas stories. I am drawn to Christmas stories (I've even manage to acquire a lot of random childrens Christmas chapter books). There is just something about Christmas tales that attract me. I've noticed a lot of avid readers go through a phase each year where they desire to read middle grade books. Apparently I have discovered for me, it is Christmas tales. Of course I love them at Christmastime. For many years I even created my own tradition of writing a new Christmas short story to pass out to family and friends for Christmas. But, I also always seem to crave some sort of a Christmas tale around this time of the year. And as Richard Paul Evans' trilogy is a special book to me and always available on my shelf, that is the book that is pulled down to fill that need (and the book I always shove into my purse when we evacuate for a hurricane). I admit that I have read The Christmas Box many times, but I have yet to reread the entire trilogy as a whole. I am sort of in the mood to do that right now. (I always get so ambitious when it comes to reading books, but so many books grab for my attention all at once). There is just something magical about Christmastime, and how the focus of tales revolve around the good nature of people and tending to those around us. It is just one of those moments every year that leaves me thinking....anything could happen. It is a time when adults and children connect and break through that age barrier and when the lines of reality and imagination are blurred. I think for me in general, Christmas isn't necessarily anything religious, but more spiritual in how it is a reminder that realities can be more than what we think, and simply that people matter. I think that tends to be a message that I love hearing and being reminded of, that tends to be fulfilled through movies and magical tales in books. So, I am thinking I will be enjoying some nice hot chocolate today while I dig into The Christmas Box, and maybe work on a jigsaw puzzle with my daughters.

my new little mermaid puzzle

 

I took my girls out for some lunch and craft store shopping today. We each picked out a new puzzle (I've been craving to put together some puzzles lately). My youngest picked out an adorable 100 piece puzzle with a puppy and kitty under an umbrella, and my oldest chose a 100 piece Star Wars puzzle with assorted Star Wars characters. I stumbled upon Thomas KinKade Disney puzzles, that are absolutely adorable. There were 4 available there, Pinocchio, Bambie, Snow White, and The Little Mermaid. I fell in love with The Little Mermaid (although the others were very lovely as well). Click here to view it on Amazon, though I only paid $9.99). I can't believe how Thomas Kinkade was able to put almost everything from the movie in the puzzle picture! It is 750 pieces (which is more than what I was looking for), so I am thinking it will take me a while to tackle it. I have already had my youngest volunteer to help me put it together, so I'm sure it can be done! I am also kind of loving the pieces, as they are black on the back and the picture itself is a unique matte finish that gives it a very soft look, I haven't seen that before in a puzzle. Can't wait to start it!

Marie Antoinette

I have restarted a biography of Marie Antoinette, one that I barely dug into before that I have been wanting to read. I have the historical looking version on my Kindle, though I would love to have the movie cover version in my hands. It is so beautiful! I have seen the movie and loved it, and have been fascinated by this women. I feel like no matter what I have seen or read about her, I always still feel like I know almost nothing about her. So I purchased this book a while back, hoping to actually learn a lot more about this woman. It is quite a lengthy book, but I hope to actually make it through. Not sure if it can be done without a break to read other things, but I am determined!

sunday reads #5

This weekend has been a pretty slow, non-productive weekend. After my daughter has her Remicade, we usually just have a slow indoor weekend to allow for some relaxing and resting. So this Sunday I will be continuing to enjoy The Official Quotable Doctor Who (which I am in love with), Beowulf, and I may slightly dig into the first book in The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Other than that, I think I will be joining my husband and daughters in a little online Star Wars gaming fun and possibly a movie. I've been craving to watch Chocolat lately. Here's a trailer of this lovely movie:

doctor who books

I had noticed in Barnes and Noble a few weekends ago (the one that I got to visit in Baltimore) that there were Doctor Who novels out there. I decided to look further into them and see if I might be interested. I ended up ordering three Doctor Who books on Amazon last night, along with a pretty awesome Tardis bookmark. I am kind of anxious to receive these, as I think they sound pretty fun. Anyone else read any of the Doctor Who books? What did you think of them in comparison to the shows?

remicade day and crochet bag

Tomorrow is a Remicade day for my oldest daughter, which consists of a 1-1/2 hour drive to the childrens hospital and an IV for about 3 hours (along with everything else that encompasses the preparing and phasing) to receive the medicine that helps keep Crohn's Disease in a more calm state. They can sometimes be pretty rough for my daughter (there has been times the process lasted 7 hours), and it is definitely mentally draining for me. This is something we do every 8 weeks, so it is well within our routine at this point. So that means today my daughter is drinking lots and lots of water to make the IV insertion and blood work go smoother, and I am just simply trying to relax so that I can tackle the day tomorrow with gusto. I finally finished watching all 7 seasons of Doctor Who on Netflix, so that is now sadly off the table, but I think I will be enjoying The Official Quotable Doctor Who book, along with watching some movies. I have grown to understand a do-nothing-day is kind a requirement for me right before a Remicade day, so I try to restrict myself from doing anything that stresses me out or makes me tired. 

One thing I will work on today is a little crocheted bag I am making to hold crochet thread in while I crochet. I felt inspired to create my own doily pattern after looking through 99 Little Doilies and realizing a lot of them were a little over my head! Once I started on creating a doily, it morphed into this bag. Funny how one can be inspired by something in a book and end up creating something so different. Love how inspiration works in this world... 

* This post is being shared with Book Inspired over at Mom's Book Banter.

sunday reads #4

I will most likely just be reading some more of Oedipus the King in my Barnes and Noble Sophocles edition, crocheting some snowflakes, and watching some more Doctor Who. I am a bit on the tired side today, so not planning to do too much. I may dig into The Official Quotable Doctor Who as well.

simple crochet snowflake pattern: REVISED

Created by paperdollmom, Copyright 2014

Materials: Size 10 crochet thread and a size 4 hook (any yarn or hook should work, but will create different sizes)

-Chain 5, slip stitch closed to form a ring

-SC in the ring (this will be the original SC of the current snowflake "petal"), chain 4, work cluster, [chain 5, slip stitch in 5th chain from the hook] 3 times, the last time you slipstitch into the 5th chain from the hook, also put the hook into the same stitch of the first one to connect them together, Chain 4 and slip stitch into the original SC
-Repeat the first step around for each of the 6 "petals" of the snowflake, then slipstitch to the very first SC you ever made in the ring
-finish off

Cluster: [yarn over twice, insert hook into the original SC, pull yarn through, yarn over and pull yarn through 2 loops three times]

Sophocles

I have been thoroughly enjoying Sophocles' plays lately. I finished Oedipus the King, and am now reading Oedipus at Colonus. I absolutely LOVE these plays. This week I was inspired to do a really quick search online to learn a little more about Sophocles (though I will eventually do more extensive searching about this intriguing man). He is known as a Greek tragedian and apparently he wrote a total of 123 plays during his lifetime, only 7 have survived in their entirety. That amazes me! Also, the two most known plays by Sophocles (Oedipus the King and Antigone) were actually each written as part of a different tetralogy (which I learned means a compound work made up of 4 distinct works, thanks to wiki). For some reason I am always just in awe of these play writers from years long past, such as Shakespeare and Sophocles. I am always so drawn into their writing and the fantasy of seeing it played out before my eyes as it was while they lived. This further inspired me to search and see if our area holds any type of Shakespeare or Sophocles plays, and discovered there is a Shakespeare Festival going on RIGHT NOW! This is the last weekend we are able to go, but already have plans for our family day to go to a carnival. They are performing Hamlet, which I would totally LOVE to see. I may have some convincing to do on everyone else in my family!

* I am sharing this post with Book Inspired over at Mom's Book Banter.

baby dolls clothes

My youngest daughter has been having a blast crocheting clothes for her baby doll! A little basket bassinet is next on her list.

three options, Earth revolving, and optimistic quotes from The Official Quotable Doctor Who

I decided to open up this book and read a bit today. It is really a lovely book, and I've barely made a dent in the pages! There are some quotes within that I think, eh. But others I absolutely love, such as these:

"'Look, three options. One, I let the Star Whale continue in unendurable agony for hundreds more years. Two, I kill everyone on this ship. Three, I murder a beautiful, innocent creature as painlessly as I can. And then I find a new name, because I won't be the Doctor any more.'"

"'Do you know like we were saying about the Earth revolving? It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it. The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles and hour, and the entire planet is hurtling round the sun at 67,000 miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go...That's who I am.'"

And my favorite so far:

"'I am and always will be the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes and dreamer of improbable dreams.'"

I may have to retract my statement about this book not being worth $20! I am glad I purchased it.

mini crinoline lady easy crochet pattern

Created by paperdollmom, Copyright 2014

Materials: Size 10 crochet thread and a size 4 hook (thought smaller hooks will produce a smaller lady)

*works up to approximately 3.5 inches tall


Starting at the back of the hat:

-Chain 7, DC in 3rd chain from the hook, DC across the row, Ch2, turn

-DC across the row, Ch2, turn

-DC in 1st stitch, ch2, DC in same stitch, continue to DC across the row with ch2 between each DC, last stitch: DC, ch2, DC in same stitch

Continue on, now at the neck of the dress:

-Ch1, turn, SC in 5 stitches, work a cluster, turn

-DC in the last DC you created, ch1, DC in next stitch, repeat pattern across, ch2, turn

-DC across the row into each stitch, ch2, turn (should end up with 9 DC stitches)

-DC, ch2, DC, repeat pattern across, ch2, turn

-DC across each stitch, ch2, turn

-Skip the first 2 stitches, [DC in next, ch2, DC in next] repeat pattern across, ch2, turn

-DC across the row in each stitch, ch1, turn
SC in first 5 stitches, work a cluster, skip 3 stitches, work SC in remaining stitches

-Finish off

Cluster: ch4, [yarn over twice, insert hook into the 4th chain from the hook, pull yarn through, yarn over and pull yarn through 2 loops twice] repeat [ ], yarn over and pull yarn through remaining 3 loops on hook 

sunday reads #3

I will probably be crocheting a couple of snowflakes today, using patterns from 99 Snowflakes, but will also be dipping into a couple of new reads I purchased at Barnes and Noble last night. I love reading Sophocles, however, my copy is not the one pictured, but is the Barnes and Noble classics. After getting more into this copy, I am not 100% pleased with it. I think I misunderstood the type of translation reading the first few lines in the store, as it is really a translation that wipes out any old feel from it, which I don't like. It does not come across poetic or beautiful in the way it is written, but is, of course, readable. I will most likely replace it with a better copy suited to my likings sometime in the future. I am finding this whole array of so many translations for all of these ancient writings to be very frustrating! I do have a copy on my Kindle that I love, though it is not spaced how it should be, and many lines are jumbled together in paragraph form which makes it harder to read. Plus, I can't seem to find in that book who actually translated it to make it easier on me! I also got The Quotable Doctor Who. I really thought this book would be fun, but did not realize when I handed it to my husband for him to checkout (while I took my girls to the rest room), that it was $20. It is hardcover, but after leafing through it at home, I don't believe it is worth that much. I wish I had taken more time in the store to figure that out, but after our long day we were having, my mind was a bit scattered. O-well. I have it now, and a copy of Sophocles Theban plays, which I will still enjoy reading both!

supplies

Well, I searched high and low for some liquid starch and ended up empty handed. Walmart apparently no longer sells it either. While I was still at Walmart, I did a quick search on my phone to see what else I could use. I grabbed an Elmer's Glue, though most instructions say to use white glue. Not sure if the clear will work? But I thought I would give it a try if Epsom Salts don't do the job. I was a little more interested in trying Epsom Salts, as that sounds a lot less messy and sticky than most of the others. Today though after doing more searching, I discovered a few other things I can use for stiffening snowflakes, so I should be able to figure out something. First though I will try the Epsom Salts. I now have everything I need to stiffen and block snowflakes: pins, clear plastic wrap, cardboard, and Epsom Salts (or maybe glue?). I also found a lovely thing of crochet thread at Walmart that appears to be a type of Christmas colors variegated thread. I have never seen these color combinations together in a crochet thread, so I grabbed one! I will share a photo of that eventually...

a day in Baltimore

Our family drove to Baltimore, Maryland yesterday to take in a bit of the surroundings and visit their aquarium. It was probably one of the longest, most exhausting days I have had in a very long time. I didn't get to curl up in my own bed until after 5am, and did so with a pounding headache. However, I did have a lot of fun and we all enjoyed the day. We first relaxed outside and ate from Hard Rock Café, then walked through the aquarium, visited a very large Barnes and Noble, then ate at Friday's in a nearby town. Very lovely family day! It is always hard to capture some good phtoos through the glass in an aquarium, but heere are some of my favorite photos from the day:

 

  

Dr. Who: The Doctor and Donna

This has to be one of the funniest things I have ever seen in a long time. It had me rolling! Hilarious.

floppy snowflakes

Today I wanted to try to create a snowflake necklace. I used a pretty variegated summer colored thread, and crocheted 4 snowflakes all in a string, then continued on by crocheting the chain. I used my 99 Snowflakes book for snowflake the pattern. I think it turned out nicely, although I am partial to the bracelet I made for the 4th of July. I think I will try to make more bracelets in the future. I also got started on making some plain white snowflakes, and this particular pattern I decided to try, (again from 99 Snowflakes), was brutal! It was really a simple pattern, but either there was something about how it was written that was confusing, or my mind was not in a place to follow the pattern easily. I had to take apart and redo this snowflake probably about 10 times. After the first couple of times, I was determined to complete it! Now I just need to get some liquid starch to block some flakes. I am having a tough time finding any, does anyone sell liquid starch anymore? Last time I got it at Walmart (I still need to check there). I actually still have that bottle of liquid starch, with plenty to use, but it is trapped within my laundry room. My laundry room is a huge OCD trigger for me, and there is no possible way for me to remove that bottle from my laundry room and use in other areas of my house without slipping into a downward spiral of endless OCD, germs, contamination, and all that goodness. It is a room in my house that I cannot fully break a contamination association with, and have to shower after stepping foot in there. So there it sits, as I continue to look. And this little snowflake stays floppy...
I may have to find something else to use if I cannot find it at Walmart. That will require some research, as I have never used anything other than liquid starch. Anyone else use something different to block your snowflakes?