• Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 78 other subscribers

  • “Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers” — Isaac Asimov

  • Recent Posts

  • Pages

  • Categories

  • Archives

  • Blog Stats

    • 195,671 hits

Things That Have Kept Me From Blogging

Posted on June 28, 2014 by auburnchick

It would seem as though, despite having much more time to blog, I have chosen, instead, to do other things.

A pictorial explanation follows…

Did someone say World Cup?

Shout-out to my main soccer squeeze for helping the U.S. advance to the round of 16!

My OWL (three-month project)…halfway finished…

A return to the gym…

Zombiesrun.com – GREAT way to keep my Zombies Run C25K app synched (that’s the playlist I used one day this week)

Best workout app ever (former iFitness)!!!! Sure beats carrying around a notebook, which I used to do to keep track of my reps!

Sixteen cans of tomatoes…for about thirty cents each after BOGO and a $1.00 off of four coupon (shout-out to Coupon Queen for sending me extra coupons!!)

Infinity Cowl

Two of my loves…

Southwestern Socks – A quick, five-day project!

Southwestern Socks

Online Shopping…courtesy of shophopes.com

Another shophopes.com dress! Please excuse the hair (freshly washed and, obviously, unfixed) and the background (must invest in a full-length, over-the-door mirror)

Teacher Training

Tweeting with one of my favorite authors…and feeling star-struck when she followed me…

Chatting it up with one of my favorite shows (please note that THEY tagged ME in this conversation!)

What’s kept you busy of late?

Filed under: Knitting, Saving Money, This-n-That | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Showering in the Hodgpodge

Posted on April 30, 2014 by auburnchick

Can you believe that it is the last day of April?????  I sure can’t!  In fact, as I am getting ready to tear this month off of the calendars in my room, I am absolutely amazed.  We have four and a half more weeks of school left.  I have no idea where the time went!  But alas, I do still have four more weeks, so I must hurry along so I can focus on my lessons.  Let me answer Joyce’s questions before returning to education-minded tasks.

1.  April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Are you blooming where you’re planted as we begin the month of May?

Bloom where you are planted.

This was on a plaque my high school English teacher’s kept on her desk, and it’s always stuck with me.  I blogged about the motto, and her impact on my life, here.  I also blogged about this theme as I was getting my very first classroom ready nearly five years ago.

So, am I blooming where I’m planted?

I can answer with a confident YES!  In fact, it’s been the motto for my life.  In every job I’ve held, I have excelled.  That’s not because jobs have come easily for me, but because I’ve worked very hard to learn how to complete my responsibilities to my fullest ability.

My mom was never happy with shoddy work.  It didn’t matter if I was cleaning the house or fixing my hair.  Perfection was her goal and, thus, mine.

I have found teaching to be a difficult skill to master.  I’m not sure that I’ll ever quite master it, but I am most definitely blooming as my roots grow deeper into the soil of professional development, gentle nurturing by the mentors in my life, and a personal demand for excellence.

I can see the results on my students’ faces as they enter class each day…when we have discussions about their learning and my teaching…when they share their deepest concerns with complete trust in me.

Yes, I am blooming, and I give God all the glory for His sustenance and love that fertilize my soul every day.

2.  On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being no big deal, and 10 being full scale panic, rank your fear of spiders.

A picture paints a thousand words…

3.  May is National Salad Month (who knew???)…besides lettuce, what are two must-have ingredients in your favorite salad?

I really like almond slivers, for the texture, and tomatoes.  I just love salads, so pretty much whatever you put on one (vegan-friendly), I’m good to go!

4.  I mentioned on my blog last week that my Daughter1 will be moving to Washington State after she is married. Of the following sites in the Northwest, which would you most like to see in person-Crater Lake (Oregon), Seattle (Washington), Vancouver (British Columbia), San Juan Islands (Washington),  Mt. Rainer (Washington) Oregon Coast (Oregon), Mt. St. Helens (Washington), or Olympic National Park (Washington)

I’ve seen Mt. Ranier, from the air, and it is gorgeous!  I’ve also seen Vancouver and Seattle.  Lovely cities!!!  I think I’d enjoy seeing Mt. St. Helens…especially after wondering about it many years after the volcanic explosion during the 80’s.  I remember reading stories and seeing news reports about the mountain’s healing.

5.  This coming weekend marks the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby…when did you last race (literally or figuratively) to cross a finish line?

This past Sunday, I worked feverishly to finish a blanket for a coworker.  We had her baby shower on Monday.

The blanket, hats, and wash cloth were much appreciated.

6.  What is something little you love?

I love my little Ravetar…my robes, so to speak, for the new Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup term.  Remember that I am a knitting nerd.  This term (the next three months), I’ll be one of two moderators for the Eye Candy thread.  I was asked to do this after someone noticed that I’d been giving positive feedback to the finished projects people had been posted.  I guess that’s just my teacher self coming out…wanting to kudos whenever possible.

7.  Would you say you are more of a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner? Elaborate.

I am definitely a kinesthetic learner.  I learn best by doing, as evidenced by my many how-to posts.

8.  My Random Thought

Need further proof of my HP nerdiness?

Take a look at the picture I edited using pixlr.

I’ve also decided that I MUST have the following pair of shoes…

Sorry.  The new term officially starts on the 1st.  I’m overworked and desperate for some non-teacher fun!

Filed under: Knitting, This-n-That | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Spring Break Shenanigans

Posted on March 25, 2014 by auburnchick

Let’s do some math, folks.

What do you get when you add together one teacher plus Spring Break plus a beautiful day?

I realize I’m only a Reading teacher, but even I can tell you that the things listed above equal out to M-I-S-C-H-I-E-F.

Although I’d stayed up until 3:30am watching the last few episodes of Prison Break (anyone remember this WONDERFUL series)?

Yeah.

I cried.

Then I discovered that there was one other episode I’d never seen.

Seriously.

The two-hour finale.

How in the heck?

I’d boo hooed so badly over what now appears to have been the second-to-last episode that I guess I’d assumed the series ended on that note.

The last episode was two hours long.

I think I already said that.

Michael Scofield, I will always love you.  Four seasons just wasn’t enough.

But I digress.

Ok…so I wasn’t sure if I’d be doing anything except for sleeping on the couch.

The beautiful day beckoned me, though, and I gladly heeded its call.

I jumped in the car and began driving…

As a reminder, I live a few miles from the beach, and today’s drive was a long one.  The sand dunes were everywhere the condos weren’t…

I make this drive a couple of times a year and never tire of the views…

My first destination was Yarn Store #1, where I found an empty parking spot waiting for me.  Guess they’re into telepathy.  An hour later, I walked out with these goodies in tow…

The purple is Malabrigo Sock, the two round piles in the middle are Mini Mochi, and the aqua green on the right is 100% silk.

Lovely.

I continued driving, reaching Yarn Store #2…my favorite…a bit later.

There’s just something wonderful about yarn shopping.  I’ve shared my musings before, but they bear repeating.

When a crafter walks into a yarn store, the door shuts out the rest of the world, and the senses go into hyper-drive.

All of the worries (except for how much one can get away with spending) temporarily disappear as the colors and textures take over.

I had one particular project in mind and hunted Ravelry for others to use for yarn I spied in the store…trying to justify the ogling I was doing.

An hour or more later, I walked out with these goodies…

The top three cake patties are Cascade Alpaca Lace, which I will use for my Harry Potter OWL next term…a rather large and detailed project, which you know I’ll post about eventually.

The bottom skeins are Madelinetosh Worsted in Maple Pecan.  Perfect for the South, eh?  I’ve got a project lined up for this yarn too.

I drove toward home with a huge smile on my face and quite a few dollars lighter.  I had nine new skeins of yarn…

I still had one more errand to run.

I’d purchased a lovely blue dress a few days ago and needed a white sweater to wear over it to make it appropriate for school.

I found one, online through Facebook, at a friend’s boutique.

While there, I tried on a few other things and found a strapless dress that fit me perfectly.  The sales lady suggested I pair it with a shawl.

I chuckled.

You know me and my shawls.

Here’s what I bought at the boutique.

It had been a fine day of shopping, and this girl was T-I-R-E-D.

I’m making the most of my Spring Break.  There’s still more fun to go.

I’m going to enjoy every single second of it!

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Baby Gifts for Maegan – The Great Reveal!

Posted on March 21, 2014 by auburnchick

I am so excited because I can finally share some projects I’ve been working on for the last three months!

First, the back story.

My friend, Maegan, who I teach with, found out she was expecting a baby last August.  She’d been wanting a baby ever since she got married.

In January, I began knitting for the little boy she found out she is carrying.

First off the needles was a Baby Cabled Hat, knit with the Martha Steward Wool Blend…

This was a super-fast knit, and the yarn was very soft and easy to work with.

The next pattern, Sneaker Booties, was made was with the same yarn…so she’d have a matching set…

These were deceptively easy to knit.  I think I made both booties in one evening’s sitting.

The next thing I knit was the Tail a Wagging baby bib.  I used Lily Sugar’n Cream.  It, too, was a quick knit!

The last item, and the one I’m probably most proud of, is the Soothing Ripples blanket.  I began knitting it in January and probably could have finished it that month.  However, I paced myself, knit whenever I could, and finished last weekend.

The fringe added the perfect finishing touch!

I loved knitting this blanket.  It was, basically, the same two rows…over, and over, and over.

I used Caron Simply Soft for the blanket.  The drape is beautiful!

I’ll share one funny story before I end this post.

During her shower, I sat beside her, writing down the names of the people who had brought gifts so she could write thank you notes later.

When she got to my present, she unwrapped the smaller box.

Here’s the box she saw (not the bottles)…

https://i0.wp.com/www.masterspersonaltraining.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/juice-plus-order1.jpg

She smiled and started to set the box down…

WITHOUT OPENING IT.

I casually asked, “Aren’t you going to open it?”

“Oh,” she said.  “I figured you gave me a juicer for the baby.”

HA HA HA HA HA!

My vegan reputation precedes me, I fear!

I’m glad she opened everything, and I’m thrilled that I could do something nice for her.  She’s become a good friend…listened to me cry my first year I worked at the school I’m at (it was my second year of teaching…first year teaching reading…and I was overwhelmed)…gone on escapades with me.

I love her to bits and cannot wait to welcome her little guy into the world when he makes his appearance next month.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Lucky 4-Leaf Afghan Block

Posted on March 3, 2014 by auburnchick

Last week, I finished a quick little project for my Harry Potter fiber community.

This is the Lucky 4-Leaf Afghan Block, a free pattern you can find on Ravelry…

The class prompt required students to choose one of the flags of a country participating in the Olympics and knit a project with all of that flag’s colors in it.

I selected Canada’s flag because I was, after all, born in Newfoundland and am a naturalized American citizen.

I used red and white Sugar’n Cream cotton yarn on size 5 needles.  It only took me an evening and a half to knit this.  I could have done it in one sitting, but by the time I started one night, it was already late.

I love this pattern because it’s knit from the center outward…in the round.  It was much more interesting than knitting flat.  If you’re a knitter or crocheter, you’ll understand what I mean.

I’m going to donate this block to charity because it’s nearly 12″ square, and I can’t see using it as a dishcloth.  It would be lovely, if put together with a number of similar squares, as a blanket.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

A Sweater for Gambit

Posted on February 23, 2014 by auburnchick

As you know, I’m a member of a Harry Potter Knit/Crochet forum on Ravelry.  It’s a fun way to craft items and compete against others for points.

One of the fun Ravelry traditions involves a spinoff of the Olympics.  Ravelry’s version is called Ravellenics.  The more items you knit that fit in various categories, the more medals you earn.

I challenged myself by setting a goal of knitting three projects worth a total of 750 yards to get maximum Quidditch points for the Harry Potter forum and Ravellenics medals for that section of Ravelry.

The first project was my pair of socks, which I blogged about a few days ago.

My second project was a sweater for Gambit.  He was in desperate need because all he had was a Christmas sweater, which fits him perfectly, and a Disney one that isn’t really the correct size.

I found a free pattern on Ravelry, took some of Gambit’s measurements (that was real interesting, let me tell you), and got to work.

I used size 5 needles and Caron Simply Soft yarn.

We had several fitting sessions, and being the easy-going dog that he is, he acquiesced my requests…

My gauge swatch lied to me, and when I checked while working on the sweater, I noticed that I was getting more stitches per inch.  I had to adjust a bit but didn’t start over.

I wound up finishing the sweater Saturday afternoon.  It fits fairly well, but when I make another one, I’ll make the belly a lot longer and keep the back wider when I begin the shaping.

He seems to like it though!

I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Filed under: Knitting, Pets | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

Hermione’s Everyday Socks

Posted on February 18, 2014 by auburnchick

On Saturday, I finished another project.

These are Hermione’s Everyday Socks.  The pattern is free on Ravelry.

The yarn is Austermann Step.  I don’t know the colorway because I lost the label.  It’s probably been in my stash a long time, which is why I’m thankful for the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup, which is giving me a reason to knit often and from my stash.

I selected this pattern because it looked easy.  I needed something quick to knit because I have a goal of knitting up to three projects that total 750 yards.  I’m trying for extra bonus Quidditch points.

This project used 390 yards!

The yarn is self-striping.  I desperately wanted to make each sock match and pulled out a bunch to try to get to the same starting point for sock #2.  I think I accomplished what I wanted.  They are pretty much dead-on.

I used size 0 needles…oh so small but necessary for my loose gauge.  I knit these using my favorite method…two circs.  If you’re not familiar with this, Google it.  It’s the quickest way to knit things in the round.

The yarn was not soft and a bit itchy to knit with; however, when I have the socks on, my feet are toasty warm, and I don’t notice an itchy feel to the socks.

In case you’re wondering, I am the sock model.  I took my camera outside, set it on two books, turned on the timer, and ran back and forth to set up each shot.  I’m sure I was quite the sight.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

Heart Dishcloth

Posted on February 11, 2014 by auburnchick

I thought we could do with a non-teaching post, how about you?

Today, I want to show you a project I recently finished.  It’s my Heart Dishcloth…

This is a free pattern you can find here.

I really, really enjoyed knitting this up.  It was fast, but it turned out so lovely.

The pattern instructions include an option for knitting a bunch of these and putting them together for a blanket.  I may, at some point, do that…only with worsted yarn.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

As Tired as this Picture

Posted on February 7, 2014 by auburnchick

What a week.

Oh, it wasn’t bad, mind you.

It was simply a week…the first full one where we actually attended for five straight days in a row.

I’m beat…more so because I know my lesson plans, while shaping up nicely, still aren’t finished for next week, nor is my grading.

I spent a glorious two hours (yes, I did use the correct adjective) with my mentor after school methodically picking apart my student-created rubric plans, and I gained a lot of clarity.  I think my students will be very happy when I present a revamped lesson plan next week.

Still, I am worn slap out and feel like Molly looks in this picture…

I think I’ll sit on the couch and knit for a while and watch the Olympics Opening Ceremonies, which I DVR’d so I could attend my students’ basketball game…

Tomorrow, I plan on sleeping in.

Don’t call me.

Or.

Else.

Filed under: Knitting, Pets, Teaching | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

Despicable Me Scarf

Posted on January 24, 2014 by auburnchick

Chicky’s birthday was on the 22nd.

Last Saturday, I got up a little earlier so I could mail her package…

I had to send her a corny card…

One of those wrapped gifts was this…

The Mr. had seen the cup one day when he was out-and-about, and he knew that Chicky’s favorite flower is the sunflower, so he thought she might like it.

Meanwhile, I had been working on a special project, which I can finally reveal.  I worked on it from October until January.

I had originally tried to finish it by the end of October, but I was very busy with my classroom and the ESOL classes I was enrolled in, so I just couldn’t get it done by my goal.

My goal then became one of trying to finish it in time to give it as a gift to Chicky for Christmas.

I even took it to her house when she had surgery, but I didn’t get to work on it because she didn’t sleep as much as I had thought she would.

At that point, I was hoping to finish in time for her birthday.

I was happy to bind off the thing with just enough time to spare and mailed it off to Chicky.

This, my friends, is the Despicable Me Scarf, which Gru wears in the movie.

I had a bit of a problem with the mail carrier (you might remember that post), but Chicky finally received it and tweeted the following picture, which I edited to cover up her face…

When I packaged it up, I sent along a picture I’d printed of Gru…hoping she would see the connection between one of her favorite movies and the scarf.  She’s not much into my knitted items, but I thought this would okay.  It’s thin, as seems to be the style these days.  It’s also long enough to be wrapped a couple of times.

Here’s a close-up of the knitting…

I am completely loving the Harry Potter knitting community I joined on Ravelry (Go Hufflepuff!).  It’s been a wonderful motivator to get me back to one of my favorite past times…one that allows me to give homemade items from my heart.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

« Previous Page — Next Page »
  • January 2026
    S M T W T F S
     123
    45678910
    11121314151617
    18192021222324
    25262728293031

  • Currently Reading

  • Books I’ve Read