April 30, 2013

I felt the urge to blog tonight

Mostly because I'm bored and have little else to do.  Please, dear readers, don't take offense.  I mean nothing against you.  Look at it as away for you to profit from my boredom.  I am providing something to fill your time/waste your time/aid in any procrastination you might be doing.

I'm bored because right now I don't have a book to read.  Sad, I know.  Over the last few weeks I've been tearing through The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.  Excellent, excellent series, especially if you love Sci-fi/fantasy stuff.  I suppose technically this would be fantasy.  Best part of the series?  It's set in Chicago. BOOKS ARE NEVER SET IN CHICAGO.  Honestly, my two favorite parts were when Harry Dresden (main character) ended up in the Bass Pro Shop that I've driven past (and ended up driving past that same day) and someone else was from a town 15 minutes down the road from where I live.*  Anyhow, I'm not reading that because I'm up to the most recently published book which I haven't been able to get from the library yet.
*Obligatory note that this is adult fiction, contains some language etc. etc.

Let's see... I've also been looking for a full time job.  I love where I work now, but it's part-time and that's just not working out anymore.  So far no real luck with that.  Le sigh.  All I can do is carry on with searching and trust that God will give me the perfect job when the time is right.

I just had several more ideas to ramble about in this not more than five minutes ago, and are any of them in my head anymore?  No! Of course not.  So very well, I will come up with new topics for you to waste time reading.  I've been watching The Voice online this season!  Love that TV show, and there are so many talented people on it.  Also - Blake Shelton is a judge, and he is so funny.  I remembered today that I saw him in concert back in '11, opening for Brad Paisley.  Sadly, I wasn't a huge BS fan then like I am now.  Which simply means I'll just have to go and see him again now that he has his own tours.

I shall end now, sweet reader, and leave you to other, more profitable forms of procrastination.  Before I depart though, I must beseech you and listen to "Hey Pretty Girl" by Kip Moore. If you do nothing else tonight, do that.  Such a sweet song.  Here, I'll even give you the link so you have no excuse not to.  "Hey Pretty Girl" - LISTEN TO THIS

April 19, 2013

We need to laugh

"Oh, dear, I cannot tease you about that. What a shame, for I dearly love to laugh."


I once met someone, whom after knowing me for only 5 minutes, said that I reminded him of Elizabeth Bennet, citing the quote above.  In response, naturally, I laughed as I realized that it was true.  I dearly love to laugh.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized the depth of my love for laughter and what a gift it is.

I can't imagine anyone going a day without laughing, though I suppose there are some who do so.  To the best of my knowledge, that has never happened to me.  Even on my grumpiest days, even when I am determined to remain stone faced and cold, something always occurs that breaks down my walls and causes me to smile.  I've often been teased about the fact that I frequently laugh at my computer.  Usually when I say "lol" in response to a funny picture or something on the internet, I really do laugh out loud.  What can I say?  I dearly love to laugh.

They say laughter can cure diseases and make you live longer, and I am inclined to believe that.  Laughter certainly is necessary for survival.  Just look at the events of the last few days.  A bomb went off in Boston and the city is in lockdown to find the culprit.  A day later, a factory exploded in Texas.  Not a day after that, Chicagoland was hit by torrential rains and record floods and the Governor declared a state of emergency.  In times like this, we need to laugh.

Laughter as a response to tragedy seems cold and unfeeling, but everyone needs something to lift their spirits.  Something to make them smile and give them the strength to carry on for just that much longer.  No matter how dark and depressing things get, we need to find that little ray of sunlight and laugh. 

When I'm depressed - yes, sometimes I seek out equally sad and depressed movies or books to sympathize with.  But more often I head for the comedies, the silly anecdotes that can distract me and lift me up.  Often the thing that breaks a crabby mood is the utter sillyness of some of my siblings that I just can't help but laugh at.  Sometimes when the laughter is finished, I slide back, but I've found that if I laugh long enough, everything gets better.

We need to laugh.  We need to allow the joy and the beauty of happiness lift our spirits for just that one, carefree instant.  We can't fix the world if we are stuck in the gloom of sadness.  We can't even help ourselves in that state.  There is a time for solemnity, and there is a time for sadness   But when that time is over, don't drag it on.  Find a reason to laugh.

April 12, 2013

A little update with a sewing project

I do realize that I haven't been posting terribly frequently as of late, other than the fabulous favorite five things link up and such.  I will try to remedy that and get back into posting other things on a more regular basis.

Back in March  I stumbled across a tutorial for a laptop sleeve.  The first one I sewed was an epic Batman sleeve for my boyfriend.  Not too long ago I discovered - miracle of miracles - a Wal Mart that still carries fabric!  I went back and picked up a few squares of fabric from their quilting collection and made myself a case.









It's not perfect, but I'm happy with how it turned out.  All I have left to do is to remember that I need to take out the basting stitches long enough to actually go back down there and do it....

I got the pattern off from this blog (via Pinterest of course!)  It was fairly easy to follow along with the directions, and having the pictures to go along with the text definitely helped.  I added onto the design a little by adding in a pocket on the back side to stick my laptop cord or a book or something else in.


Only drawback is the unevenness when you set it down....


But if you're carrying it along with you or use it at the bottom of a stack of things to carry it should work out fine.

April 4, 2013

Five Favorites - Vol 3


It's time for five favorites again!  

1.
Libraries.

Libraries are wonderful.  Libraries are awesome.  Did I mention how much I love libraries?  Whenever I visit a new town I can almost always end up finding the library, and frequently gasp in admiration at the size of the building and how many books must be inside.  Today libraries are currently coming in handy by providing a peaceful, quiet place to chill with my laptop in between destinations when it would take far to long to drive home and then go out again.

2.
This Mug


Is this not the coolest coffee thermos EVER?  It will be mine in just another day or two once the FedEx truck delivers it to my door.  Got it for $12.  Yep.  With free shipping.  You can get one too HERE.

3.
I Drive Your Truck
 

This song gets me every time.  It's a beautiful ballad about a guy who lost his brother in the Army... really pulls at your heart strings.

4.
Laughter
Reading funny things while in a library where you are supposed to be quiet is one of the hardest things to do. Don't believe me?  Drive to your local library, open this link and try it for yourself.

5.
Rapunzel Let Down


The new book by one of my favorite authors, Regina Doman, is available to order from Chesterton Press!  I had a chance to read Rapunzel prior to publishing, and it was the best book I've read in a long time.  It's based off the fairy tale of - you guessed it - Rapunzel.  Not to be confused with the story told in Disney's Tangled.  In the original Grimm's story there is an out of wedlock pregnancy and people falling out of towers and getting their eyes poked out with thorns and then wandering around in a dessert.  Yes, this book follows along with that plotline which makes it appropriate for an older audience then the rest of the Fairy Tale Novels.  But for the more mature readers, this is a book you do not want to miss.  It deals with chastity and the consequences of sex outside of marriage in a way that, honestly, no other novel out there does.  I'll say no more for now and save the official review until after I read it a second time so for now... go buy the book!


Want more Five Favorites?  Jump into the fun over at Moxie Wife.com!