mmmeeeeeeeehhhhhhh…

I’m sick.  I think it’s allergies.  My brain is all foggy from multiple medications.  I can’t muster up the energy to to serenely work on my Citrus blanket or my garter stitch blanket; all I can do is stare at them (and I wouldn’t want them to get covered in snot, anyway):

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I’m also staring at the TV while Chris plays a game, Kleenex in close reach:

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Might try to take a nap and sleep this off, but it’s kinda hard to fall asleep when your head feels like a mysteriously heavy balloon (super uncomfortable).

In other news, Chris, Mom and I are making progress with wedding plans.  It’s for realsies like 3 1/2 months away, so it’s way past time to get busy!

Also, coming up on Friday are our yearly staff evaluations at work, and I’m nervous.  The executive director of our organization is going to be there this year, and even though she’s super sweet, it’ll be a bit intimidating; I feel like I’ve worked hard this year and I want my boss and the executive director to think so, too.

As far as the summer goes, last week had temperature highs in the 100s, but this week it’s cooler — the highs are mid 90s.  Is that bad when mid 90s feel cool?  We’ve had lots of strong late afternoon/evening storms, too (typical for summers here):

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That’s out our front window.  My car says hi.

Well that’s all for today.  Hopefully I’ll get back to crafting when I’ve stopped being sick.  See you soon (and happy 4th of July)!

last chance for that Etsy coupon code for Ruth Plus Two!

Ruth from Ruth Plus Two has generously given readers of Not Your Average Crochet a discount coupon for her Etsy Store!  Use the coupon NOTYOURAVERAGE10 at ruth plus two for a 10% discount on purchases over A$30 (approx. US$24) until midnight 30 June (AEST).

Thanks Ruth for the coupon code!

needle gauge pendant from Debra’s Garden

I saw someone on Instagram who had one of these from Debra’s Garden and I immediately went to get one.  Much more handy and portable than those giant needle gauges I had before.

needle gauge pendant

 

I think it’s really cool, it kind of looks like a shell to me.  I got the Champagne color with the heart key ring.  Maybe it will end up on the necklace that holds my thread cutter pendant.  It’s too small to have metric numbers for each one but since I’m an American I’m used to the alphabet sizing.

Just wanted to share that with you guys.  There’s more cool stuff on that website too so click above and check it out!

Thanks for stopping by!

hat pincushion appearance in Simply Crochet!

The magazine Simply Crochet has recently released a special edition, the Amigurumi Collection!

Simply Crochet Amigurumi Collection

There are so many cute patterns that it’s more like a book than a magazine, and I definitely want to make a few of the items inside!

I’m honored that my hat pincushion pattern that Simply Crochet published back in Spring of 2014 made it into this new publication:

amigurumi hat pincushion

 

Thanks, Simply Crochet!

**Edit: click here to be taken to the Revelry pattern page.**

a day in my life

If you were ever curious about what my days consist of, this will not be a very good example.  I picked what I thought would be an average day to do this, not realizing that it wouldn’t be an “ordinary” day at all…

I get out of bed at 7:00.  To me, that’s early, and I need tea to wake up properly.

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The dog is usually laying on my feet when I wake up:

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After I quickly get ready, my ride to work is usually about 13 minutes, unless this happens:

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And in Columbia, SC, that’s a common occurrance.  Especially near my house, which is close to a major train yard.  The worst is when they stop on the tracks — I always feel guilty when I’m late to work because of that.

I can’t really show pictures of what I do at work for confidentiality reasons, but I’m an LPC-I (a licensed counseling intern, which after 2 years will become a full LPC license) working at a clubhouse style day program that focuses on psychosocial rehabilitation for adults with serious mental illnesses.  It’s a hard job sometimes with the overwhelming amout of things to do (we’re currently understaffed) but it’s also rewarding in its own ways.

Most days when I get home it’s just me and the dog because my fiance works late, so I’m trying to spend that time productively by taking care of myself physically (I’m starting to jog) and mentally (using coping skills).  This is my corner of the living room:

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I like to watch movies or TV shows or listen to audiobooks while I knit & crochet, or sometimes I’ll sit here and read or take a nap.

This day was special — in the evening Chris made homemade biscuits and whipped cream and we had strawberry shortcake with strawberries straight from a local farm that my mom gave us:

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This was essentially my dinner, and we ate while catching up on one of our favorite TV shows:

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A few rows of blanket knitting were accomplished, as well:

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And the day continued to get more unusual… Roofers had been working on the back half of our roof the previou week — just some routine maintenance — but they dropped a pallet of shingles through the ceiling in our back room (where we keep the fridge, washer, dryer, 3 bookcases full of books, my sewing machine, a big wooden desk, & Zero’s kennel).  Strips of ceiling and insulation are hanging down a bit from the split the shingles made when they fell, and while I was knitting happily, Chris informed me that the storm outside was causing water to leak into that same back room.  He poked holes in the ceiling in a few places so that he could catch the water in buckets rather than it just rolling down the walls onto the floor, and we moved all of our books and bookcases into the dining rooom:

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We’ve called the landlord multiple times about the leaking water but he didn’t pick up and hasn’t responded to our messages (he already knew about the hole in the ceiling and is sending someone in a few days, but we need it to be quick now with the water damage added on — it’s super humid back there and smells awful).  I’m getting pretty mad about it, to be honest.  In the meantime I’m just taking lots of extra allergy medicine so that hopefully the mildew and mold from the water damage won’t get to me too much.

So, that was a not-so-average day in my life! Hope it didn’t bore you to tears — I know I’m not that exciting but sometimes I really like it that way.  🙂

Thanks for stopping  by, hope to see you soon!