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!
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!
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:
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?
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.
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.
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]
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.
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.
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
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!
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...
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?
Underneath the canopy, My space Beneath the dripping rains- Remembering nothing but Endless puddles before my Longing solemn gaze; Losing myself Amidst the wet hazy maze.
So, my second book I purchased for myself at the lovely Barnes and Noble this week is The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a volume with all five novels in one! This is a book, specifically the all five novel version, has been in my hands many many times throughout the past 10 years. I've always looked at it, wondered about it, my curiosity wanting to dig into it, but never actually purchased or borrowed a copy to read. I was told several times by my husband that he really thought I wouldn't like it, and as a reader, I probably shouldn't have listened! But I did. Why now? I recently started watching Dr. Who for the first time, deciding to figure out what all this raving was about, and absoultely LOVE the show. I find it funny and whimsical in a sci-fi kinda way. It is a super corny show, which I find commical. So while I was at the book store Monday, I once again found myself holding a gigantic hardcover copy of all five of these novels bound up together, once again wondering. I called my husband to ask him why exactly he thought I wouldn't like the novels, and his response, "well, now that I know you like lame humor like Dr. Who, you probably will like it." Ahhh. What he refers to as lame, I call innocent! I have always been someone that kind of dislikes jokes that are making fun of people or serious issues, and rarely enjoy any comedians that rant about vulgar things that leaves everyone else rolling in laughter. But Dr. Who, that makes me laugh out loud! Needless to say, I snatched up the book. Well, not exactly. The book was hardcover an weighed about a ton. I hate books like that for personal casual reading. I can't stand a book that is so large or so heavy that it is uncomfortable to sit down and read with. I kept my eye out for a softcover edition, and of course, I found a stack of them hidden in the store behind other things on an endcap. Even though they were inconspicuous, the stack popped into my vision almost instantly, just as this book seems to be over and over again throughout the past years. So, I guess you could say that my experience of this book trying to find its way permanently into my hands, and my new found love of Dr. Who, I was inspired to finally purchase this lovely book (or five books). I started reading it immediately when I got home and found myself cracking smiles instantly. I am guessing I will love these books!
*This post is being share at Mom's Book Banter for Book Inspired.
I finally was able to find a relaxing moment last night to dig into this book. Wow! It has so much more in it than I previously thought. There is a large beginning portion that dives into the culture and lives of the Anglo-Saxon and also in depth article about translating Beowulf and how they pronounced certain letters and such in their language. I am intrigued with these sections and hope to read them soon. But for last night, I couldn't hold back starting in on Beowulf, and here are some beautiful quotes I almost immediately stumbled upon:
"... His men set up A bright banner to proclaim his coming, Then let long waves take their treasure- No sound but the ship's sliding into water And the heart's keening ..." This quote was about their king being placed in a ship and sailed out onto the waters after his death. I know this is a translation of an original that is hard to be exact and still turn out poetically beautiful, but man these words are wonderful!
"... He ordered his ship built, A great wave-walker, and said he would seek Over the long sea, the swan's road, The well-known king needing brave new men." Umm. Wow. Wave-walker? Swan's road? Can you even find other words to describe the ship and the sea anymore intriguingly? I'm already loving this book so much. It is slowly creeping up my list of favorites.
We received a lovely box from my mom in the mail yesterday. She has a hobby of finding some nice treasures at garage sales, and sent us hardcover copies all 5 of the Leven Thumbs books and all 8 of the Charlie Bones books. Apparently she got each book for $1.00! They all look brand new and sound like very nice books that I hope to eventually get to sometime soon. My daughters don't seem that interested at the moment, but I am sure they will come around. I am thinking about starting one of the series as read-aloud books before bedtime. I really love reading to my girls before tucking them in at night, but I seem to always get out of the habit of it. I need to start that up again. I think these series would be really fun for that.
Today my youngest daughter and I accompanied my oldest daughter to her GI checkup appointment. It has been 6 months since her last (actually more like 7 months due to having to reschedule her appointment because my girls were both sick), and I was super happy to hear that she doesn't need to return for another 6 months! These are literally the only two times we have been able to wait so long between appointments. After four years, it is a wonderful feeling. It is good news, means my oldest is doing well, her Crohn's not carrying on so wildly inside her. Whenever we have an easy GI checkup at the childrens hospital, I like to take my daughters to their local Barnes and Noble (as we don't really have a bookstore that nice, or that large). It is a rare occurrence, as most appointments we have there are pretty rough and leave my oldest just needing to go home and curl up in bed. But today, it was a good day, so Barnes and Noble! I wouldn't have ordered that Hunchback of Notre Dame book this weekend if I had realized I was going to get to go to a good bookstore. I tried to cancel the order the very next morning after putting it all together, and of course, this was the order that Amazon was right on top of and could no longer be canceled. O-well! I shall enjoy the book anyways. Now onto my lovely new book I picked out today, Beowulf. I have always adored the Beowulf story, loving everything about it, after I watched the movie. I had never heard of this story prior, never even knew the movie existed, but stumbled upon it one day while I was browsing through the TV channels, and become engrossed. Here is the trailer:
This story just fascinates me, even more so when I learned how ancient this tale really is. I have gotten a few of the free versions for my Kindle, and browsed a few books in bookstores before, but never fully liked the translations provided. It just didn't captivate me, and I felt if I was going to buy one, the translation has to captivate me and do the tale justice. I was about to leave the poetry section of Barnes and Noble, empty handed, when my oldest daughter suggested Beowulf. I was ready to shrug my shoulders and say nah, but decided to open up a few of them and compare the translations. I did decide that I really liked this version, and especially liked the added bonus of more Old English poems. How wonderful! I may have to read a bit before my mind can wrap around the style of this writing, as it reads even older and more cryptic than Charles Dickens, and even Shakespeare (though it may be tied with Shakespeare, I haven't yet decided). I am very excited to finally have a copy of this tale, and I hope that I will love it just as much as the story I saw in the movie. I still don't even know how accurate the movie was to the book...so it should be great fun to discover! I have really been wanting to invest in a nice poetry book of some kind, as I only own two, and I think this fits what I was looking for pretty perfectly, on top of it being Beowulf!
Now I want to watch the movie again...
My daughters and I each picked out two books (I will share my second one another day). I have somehow managed to get them interested in classic books, so my youngest happily chose children adapted versions of Pinocchio and Peter Pan. My oldest daughter was happy they had children adapted versions of the two books she wanted: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I can't wait to hear what they think of them!
Today I am trying to make sure to relax, as tomorrow is a childrens hospital day. Luckily it is nothing too stressful, just a regular GI checkup; she wont have her Remicade infusion until later this month. So today I will probably just work on a doily I started crocheting yesterday, the pattern from 99 Little Doilies. I have also been greatly enjoying Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poetry through a free e-book on amazon. His poetry is beautifully written, I am surprised that I haven't come across his poems more often. What are you reading or crafting this Sunday?
I read an article today, 10 Signs You've Found Your Calling. This is something that I've been pondering for a really long time, a couple of years actually, on and off. I believe this is something that I struggle deeply with, as I had pretty much known my calling since birth, and had been living a life accordingly, up until my oldest daughter was hospitalized in January 2011. Since then this topic has been greatly confusing to me. Before, I knew I was meant to be a mother, and that was my soul purpose. Everything I did, from even a really young age, revolved around this. I knew, at a very young age, I would be married to a military man, living in military housing, and raising my children. I worked jobs as a child day car provider, managing a before/after school program for kids in an elementary school. I worked summers as a councilor at a day camp for kids. I went to college and graduated with a bachelors degree in elementary education. I have always been so much more comfortable in general being surrounded by children over adults. I just knew that was my calling, my purpose, anything children related. After January 2011, all of that became muddled. I think I was in such shock and heartache at seeing someone so young, that I love so dearly, crying out in so much that could not be helped. Knowing that someone of such innocence, so new to this life, could be so riddled with pain and grief that she was begging to just be let go. For the first time in my life, I found myself standing before a scene, realizing so much of what I had thought about the world was so very wrong. That even though there is so much beauty that is entwined throughout our planet, there is equally just as much sadness and darkness. I had no idea what to do with this information, and I still don't. I am still very in love with any and all children, but my heart has been exposed to the harsh reality that so many of them suffer greatly, simply because of their own bodies. And so many are forgotten. I remember laying in that hospital room in 2011 after my own daughter finally fell asleep during those 6 nights, hearing the many other children on that GI floor screaming out in pain, crying. Many of them alone. This knowledge has scarred me, and changed me, and left me confused. I no longer feel satisfied in my purpose that I once felt so strongly about. I no longer feel that it applies to me. I now feel that I have things I want to do to make a difference and help these children, but such thinking, thinking other than simply being a housewife and mother to my own children is so foreign to me, that I have no idea what to do with it. I also know that my current purpose is to continue to raise my beautiful girls and continue to help care for my oldest daughter in the way she needs. But I wonder a lot about what my next phase will be, as my whole life is not clearly before me as it use to be. I can sense my soul searching and searching, trying to pinpoint where I need to be placed. It is a disconcerting feeling, not knowing a large part of who you are. Not being able to point your finger and say, that is me. How about you? Have you thought much about this topic? What did you think of the article? I did not 100% agree with all that was shared in the article, such as you will not become homeless, or money and things will just fall to you type of thinking, as I don't believe the writer acknowledged that those hardships of being homeless or struggling to get what you need to accomplish your purpose, could very well be a huge part in your purpose. But it was a thought provoking article to read.
Today I went through and posted a bunch of crochet patterns onto this blog from another, in my efforts to combine the two blogs into one. I was finding lately that I had things I wanted to share on both blogs, and just decided, why not? Since I had more poetry posts on this blog than crochet patterns, this blog was the winner. I think maybe my very narrowed blog niches make it harder for me to keep them up, so now I have this one blog with all my favorite things to share: creative writings, journaling, poetry, books, and crochet! You can easily click on any of my labels in the right column near the top for a more precise view of what you want to look at. I fixed all my links on www.ravelry.com and re-pinned all the photos of my crochet patterns on pinterest, so I think it is all set to go. If you discover a link that is not working properly, please let me know so that I can fix it. I have now broadened Haunted Verse's horizon!
My youngest daughter has been working on a Barbie blanket these last couple of days and finally finished it today. I finished off one end of the yarn for her, and when I went to finish off the other, I could not believe my eyes. HOW? Is all I can think of to say. For those of you who are not familiar with crocheting, you will finish a simple project with 2 strands of yarn to hid within the piece, one strand is where you started, the other where you ended. On a simple flat piece like this, they should end up each on a corner on the opposite ends. Her beginning strand somehow ended up closer to the middle of the project, and I checked, that is actually where it started (so it was not accidentally worked up to that spot). Again, how?! I cannot figure this one out! This is not the first time I have helped finish off one of her projects and discovered something never seen before! She cracks me up. One of these days I am just going to sit and watch her to see how she creates such fascinating anomalies!
I crocheted this new dress for Sofia using my party dress pattern, I simply crocheted more rounds to turn it into a ballgown! Click here to view the original pattern.
Spreading Crohn's Disease Awareness is dear to my heart, as my oldest daughter was diagnosed with this terrible disease in 2010.
Created by paperdollmom, Copyright 2014
materials: Craftsmart Value Yarn (very similar to Red Heart) in Orchard Mist and Purple, and an H hook
Dress:
-chain 16, SC in the first chain made to create a loop
-SC around the rest of the round
-SC around the next round while increasing 1 stitch 2 times near the front
-SC around for 1 round
-SC around while decreasing 1 stitch 2 times near the front of the dress
-SC around for 2 rounds
-SC around this next round while increasing 1 stitch 8 times throughout the round
-SC for a total of 12 more rounds
-finish off
Crohn's Disease Awareness Ribbons:
-chain 12, cut the end of yarn long (you will be using it to stitch the ribbon onto the dress)
-while the dress is on the doll, place the purple ribbon chains on the dress where you want them and stitch them onto the dress
-finish off
*You can also get different colors for the dress and ribbons to create a Barbie awareness dress for a different disease or disorder that is dear to your heart...
Materials: Patons Stretchy Sock Yarn and a size 1 hook
-chain 28, sc in first chain you made to create a loop
-continue sc around for 14 rows total (plus the original chain of 28)
-sc around, decreasing 1 stitch (3 times) near the center of the back of the skirt
-finish off
*It should be noted that this pattern has not yet been tried. I originally created the skirt using a Monster High create your own monster doll, and discovered that the skirt turns out quite loose for a regular Monster High doll. The skirt in the photo is the skirt that is slightly too loose. The pattern provided has been adjusted to what I think will work better, but I have not yet tried it to be certain. If you give it a go, let me know how it works out. Plus, if you want the original pattern for the skirt that will fit the create your own monster doll, it is exactly the same, though you start out with 34 chains instead of 28.
%22%20src=%22https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404613595m/13.jpg%22%20/%3E%3C/a%3E){kind=link}