Music Monday!

Goodreads

Extras by Scott Westerfeld

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I think Specials is more of a stand alone book, rather than part of a series. It just felt disjointed from the rest of the books, to the point that I was probably 1/3 of the way through it before I really picked up on the pace of it, and on the fact that we weren't HUNDREDS of years in the future, but only three. Once we got the the point where Tally, Shae, & Fausto reappeared, however, I got right back into the swing of things.

All in all? I liked this book quite a bit. It was an enjoyable read, and kept me moving at a good pace. There was never a time where I wanted to stop reading it.



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The Declutter Zone

That's where I found myself early on this morning. Really early...like 6:20AM early. I looked at the stack of old magazines and catalogs and just freaked out. Suddenly I was sorting, throwing away, separating by date. In other words it was ON!

Once I had purged the main living area of the house, though, the sinus pressure I had woken up with had reached a point where my head was throbbing along to the beat of my heart. Suckage, right? Still in purge mode, but needing to rest, I had an epiphany! Stuffed in my bedroom closet were a quartet of lap-size afghans, all in different WIP status.

The first (the bottom one pictured) is finished, just needs a home.

Number 2 is a stack of 10 squares I received in a swap. I got discouraged when I was flaked on by 2 members, and the moderators chose to tell we that didn't receive all of our squares to just make them ourselves, rather than them finding angels. So I have to knit 2 squares, then join all 12 together and border it. This one will be the most time consuming.

The third is my Scrappy. It's just a rectangular Granny square afghan to eat up all of those little balls of yarn we all have left when we finish project. It's almost large enough, so I'm going to stash bust a couple of bits and bobbles (enough for about another 10 rounds), then border it.

The last is complete save for crocheting & joining 2 squares, then bordering the entire thing.

So that's what I'll be doing in my downtime this weekend, trying to propel as many of these to finished status as I possibly can. After that they'll all be given to my local Ladies' Auxiliary, who will in turn hand them out at local veterans' homes this autumn.

Pet Portrait Wednesday - The Secret Lives They Lead

Music Monday!

Three out of three!

I finished today, and will be sending all three hats off in the post in just a bit when the post office reopens from their lunch break.

I've posted pictures for the recipient, and she's excited...always a good thing when making things for people, huh?

Now to move on to other projects. I have about a zillion pattern ideas running around in my mine...I'm thinking it's just about time to start getting them transferred to a physical environment!

Music Monday!

Two Out of Three!

That's right. I'm almost done with my Op Tops! I just, this morning, finished Op Top 2 of 3 - Tori's Op Top.

I'll be casting on lucky number 3 tomorrow, more than likely.

Pet Portrait Wednesday!

Pet Rule #23: Cuddle are mandatory.

If you'd like to see the other Pet Portrait Wednesday pictures, and maybe upload some of your own every Wednesday, you can do so here!

Ally's Op Top

First off, the Op Top pattern by Alexis Winslow (available on Ravelry here) does NOT get enough attention. No way. It's a total show-stopper, and a mid-difficulty knit. Perfect for the novice who's ready for just a bit of a challenge.

Need proof? A friend of mine saw mine on facebook and messaged me asking if I could make her 3 of them, all in different colors, for her and her two daughters. See? I told you it was a great noggin topper!

Well, I've finished the first of the 3 this morning, and wanted to share it. Here is Ally's Op Top. I'll be casting on the second, Tori's Op Top, later on this afternoon.

Music Monday!

It's Strange...

this state that I live in. West Virginia is rugged, no doubt about it. We're rural. We (very proudly!) still have miles and miles of untouched mountains. White water rafting. It's a state made for extreme sports of all kinds. The winters are brutal, with below freezing temps and an abundance of ice and snow.The summers are hot enough to melt the skin right off your body. Often in the low to mid 90s, with exceptionally high humidity. At the peak, in mid-July to the end of August, trying to be outside and work, you find it difficult to breathe from the pressure the humidity puts on your chest. All through this we grumble, gripe, and complain. We all talk about leaving this state, going somewhere where there's more to do, milder climates, less humidity...ANYWHERE...but then comes September. Ah, the beginning of West Virginia's glory days. It never fails. You wake up one day, always near the beginning of the month, and you realize that all around you is perfection. Mild temperatures, bottomed out humidity, almost constant light breezes, and the most beautiful skies that you could imagine. A deep blue reflective of the sapphire that represents those born during this month. Suddenly we crave that first frost, because with it comes a piece of artwork from our proud mountains that would rival anything Monet could ever have come up with. Nothing can compare to the autumn foliage, and with it a continuation of the mild weather that glorious September has ushered in. All too soon winter will arrive. The thought tickles at our brains. For now, however, we will all be content with the rugged beauty that surrounds us.

What brought this on, you ask? Well, my favorite month of the year delivered this morning. It was around 90 yesterday. This morning, though? I woke up to this!