27 July 2010

Bribing my co-workers

I made some delicious hummus last week. It was my first time using my new food processor and it was amazing! I got the recipe from my former roommate and friend. She used to make it often and we would devour it's delightful goodness with toasted pita and vegetables. I took my hummus to work with some carrots, celery, and peppers. There are about 18 people in my office. I've been working here a little over a month, but I haven't had a chance to meet everybody yet. This was a good ice-breaker. I put the bowl on my desk and let people come over and enjoy a snack with me. It made for a nice afternoon break.

13 July 2010

Joann Fabric Adventure

This is not intended to be a plug for Joann Fabrics, but my exciting adventure there last night supplied me to start some new projects. I had been to Joann's website and noticed some great deals they were having, including 50% off a single regularly priced item, 50% off pillow forms and home decor fabrics, 70% off summer items, and 15% off anything for college students. Please don't tell them that my University ID is no longer valid. I intend to use that thing as long as I possibly can. Anyway, I came home with a 1/2 price cutting mat and rotary cutter set. I am VERY excited about this. I hope to start a second quilt this fall and I am considering making my own wedding veil. I also got some pillow forms so that I could make some throw pillows for our new couches. My sewing machine has not made the move yet, so I'll have to wait a few weeks to do that. Additionally, I picked up some nice bamboo-fiber sock yarn and some cute kitchen decorations. I bought the matching soap dispenser (below), hand towels, and dishcloths, but I opted not to get the rug. It was adorable, but it was a little too pricey for how cheaply it seemed to be made. My kitchen has become unintentionally bird-themed. I have a toaster cover (really who owns these things? THIS girl!) that is hand-embroidered with lovebirds. I picked it up a couple of years ago from a garage sale for 50 cents (Awesome!). Also, we received some kitchen towels from our registry that have swallows on them. Here is my new soap dispenser!

So, the point of this post is I'M READY TO START SOME NEW PROJECTS! Stay tuned to see them completed.

09 July 2010

Thomas Hardy

Since I am currently without pictures of the projects I am currently working on, I will tell you about what I am reading. Several weeks (or months?) ago, I was voicing my disgust and distaste to my father about the quality of writing in contemporary literature. I had recently begun reading a few books on recommendation, and I was very unimpressed with the use of language in them. The quickest way to ruin a good story idea is to write it in a way that the reader stumbles through it.
I would consider myself somewhat of lexophile. I have an appreciation for vocabulary and proper grammar, and I love new words and the games that can be played with them. I'm no writer, but I appreciate those who can put words together in creative and compelling ways. My father encouraged me to return to the classics to satisfy my need for quality of writing. He lent me Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy and I have been enjoying it very much.
In Far From the Madding Crowd , Thomas Hardy takes the reader into the life of an up-and-coming shepherd, Gabriel Oak, in the English countryside. It is a story of rural life, the pursuit of love, and the struggles which come with the aforementioned. I really appreciate the depth of the writing in this book. Hardy's use of complex metaphors and creative allusions makes the writing multi-dimensional and unique. In chapter 22, I came across this quote:

"Men thin away to insignificance and oblivion quite as often by not making the most of good spirits when they have them as by lacking good spirits when they are indispensable." Chapter 22, Far From the Madding Crowd.

This line really resonated with me. It's almost like Thomas Hardy summed up my entire existence. Lacking motivation when one needs it is problematic, but what is worse is when one has motivation and does not make full use of it. This is why I have projects!

Hello World!

Welcome to my new blog! I had a travel blog when I was studying abroad in Switzerland, but that kind of fizzled out after awhile. Now that I've graduated from college, I hope to have more time to devote to this. I really enjoy reading knitting and cooking blogs, so I thought I'd start one of my own. Having the brain of an engineer, I find myself needing to have "projects" to do. Some people might call these hobbies, but I think they differ slightly. In my opinion, hobbies are activities you enjoy doing just for the sake of taking part in them. Projects are activities which you do for for the enjoyment that comes with completion. I'm always juggling a few projects at a time, so I will keep this blog pretty general. I will post about training my puppy, reading, knitting, sewing, cooking, gardening, painting, and any other projects which find their way into my life. Enjoy!