Things I Like About Not-Quite-Spring.

If you have ever spent more than an hour with me and/or you have ever read this blog, you probably know that I like categories, and I really, really like lists. Readings lists, to do lists, lists of synonyms, lists of favorites, lists of my favorite things to do, etc. I could go on.

Anyway, today, I was going to make a list about the many, many things I love about spring, since it's almost here. But since it is still cold and gross outside, I thought pining for spring would be a little depressing. Also, as a person notorious for looking for clues in the past and planning elaborate things for my future, I should probably spend a little time just appreciating today, including the current weather.

It's a little tricky, because it isn't bitterly cold anymore (not that it really ever was in Carbondale), but it isn't exactly pleasant either. It's windy, and it rains about once a day, and I feel like I haven't seen the sun in weeks. But this is a list of the things I like about the current weather situation, so I'll stop complaining and get to it already.

Things I Like About Not-Quite-Spring

1. I can still wear all of my cozy winter scarves. This is a big deal because I have a very cozy blue infinity scarf that I probably wear three times a week because I love it so much. Actually, this is a picture of me wearing it this morning because my house is cold, and we never turn on the heat.

(That's my "I-would-look-more-excited-but-my-house-is-cold-and-it's-morning" face. Right, not complaining. Anyway.)

2. No allergies yet! Hurray! I have terrible seasonal allergies triggered by all kinds of pretty stuff that grows during the spring. So, no flowers yet, but at least I can still breathe!

3. It's chilly enough that I can wrap up in a big cozy blanket anytime of day for no reason and just contemplate life. I can contemplate life anytime of course, but the cozy blanket is definitely overkill during the summer.

4. Still cold enough for hot chocolate, which is officially out-of-date when the song birds start showing up again.

5. Boots of all kinds are fair game, but it's pleasant enough outside that I can wear my nice boots without fear of ruining them.

6. It's still chilly and grayish, but it's finally March and spring is right around the corner!!!!


Alright, that's the best I can do. Maybe it's not the best time of year, but I suppose it's not the worst. I even saw the sun for a little bit today! Now if it would just warm up enough so I can wear a sun dress....

Til next time, kids.

Little Successes.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about all the things I want to do on a regular basis. As usual, the moment I made all these grand plans, life changed up a whole bunch of things, and my unregulated free time was the first thing to go. But, I am a stubborn woman, and I am proud to report that I have pretty much stuck to my list. My house has been surprisingly clean (by our standards anyway), I've painted my nails religiously, I've been super crafty in the past few weeks, and Rjjr gets exercise everyday!

Sure, I've dropped the ball on a thing or two, but I don't worry about it too much. Still not great at the dishes, and my husband is way more into knitting than I am. How could that be, you might ask? After all that huffing and puffing about being productive and getting stuff done and not making resolutions you won't keep, now I don't even care?! Well, that's not quite it. I certainly do care. It's just that my list is full of things that I like to do, my hobbies, if you will. If I worry too much about checking them off a list, it sucks the fun out of everything.

The logic behind "my list of things I started doing last year and would like to continue in 2013," was that I would make time to do all of the things I enjoy, regardless of what life throws at me. Which was good (er, maybe, unintentional) planning on my part! So, if I feel like writing five letters one week, and drawing a lot of things the next, I consider that to be a success. I took time off of worrying about work and school and finances to do focus on my list, and I can say with confidence that I have enjoyed it.

So, without further ado, here are a few of my "list" successes so far:

I made lots of cards! And I've even sent a couple of them so far!

 

I made this necklace! But I did not put it on Etsy, because I like it, and you can't have it. (Just kidding. But maybe not.)

 

I've been practicing my mad typography skillz, yo.

We even got some new pets!!

And, perhaps most impressively, this is the view of my kitchen, at 11:06 this morning. Please take your time noting how tidy and dirty-dish free it is.

Also, I wrote this blog post this morning. Bam. 

Alyssa's Continued Attempt To Have An Orderly Life.

Let me preface this post by noting that I think New Year's resolutions are dumb. People make them, promising themselves that they are going to keep them for this month, this year, or the rest of their lives. But we all know, in the back of their minds, somethings says "But it's okay if you don't, because none of your friends will keep theirs either."

And it's true. Think of one person you know who has kept all their New Year's resolutions for a whole year. Maybe you can, maybe you can't. But can you think of ten people who didn't keep their resolutions for even a month? I can.

The idea is flawed. You can't change everything about your life and your habits and start a whole new life just because it's January 1st. But you can make changes in your life gradually, for the better. So this is my list of things I started doing last year and would like to continue in 2013. Granted, the knitting I only started on December 29th, but it's still 2012!

1) Repaint my nails before they get chipped every week.
2) Draw one new thing every week.
3) Craft one new thing every week.
4) Knit one new thing every week.
5) Add two new items to Etsy every week.
6) Do the breakfast dishes before noon every day.
7) Tidy the house once a day.
8) Play with Rjjr every day.
9) Write letters every three months.
10) Study my class notes after every session.
11) Write on my blog once a week.

This might see like a silly list. After all, most people do all of their dishes immediately, and some of these things seem pretty trivial. But as for the dishes, I just really, really hate doing them, so this is really the best you're going to get from me.

The thing is, I have an irregular work schedule, and I only have four hours of class total each week, and being a generally unorganized person, I really struggle to be productive if I have large chunks of time to myself, but no discernible goals. So having a list to check off is the best method for me to actually organize my free time. And aside from the dish thing, I've done pretty well so far. (Three weeks in January and three blog posts! Woo, I'm a champ!)

So here it is, after school, work, and general bill paying, this is what I will continue to get done regularly! Anyway, it has been decreed. You all saw it. Guess I'm stuck with it now. Just don't ask me about the dishes...

Weekend of Fun #1: Carbondale Street Fair

Hello, loyal readers (all three of you)!

I was hoping to get around to writing this sooner, but it's been pretty busy around here lately. I started work, had a couple eventful weekends in a row, and got another pet (RJ jr, but more on that later). But alas, Sam has to go to a dinner with his advisor, so now it's just me, my computer, and a glass of my favorite cheap moscato. What else is a girl to do except blog?

 Seriously, it's Barefoot Moscato. Sorry to all the wino's who are rolling their eyes right now.

So to catch up on all of the goings-on, two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of selling at my first craft fair ever! I spent whole week doing nothing but making mosaics from the show. Making earrings, necklaces, window mosaics, and business cards all morning, day, and evening! Sam was ready for it to be all over. My house fell into disarray; I stopped showering and sleeping; I started talking to myself and even making up alternate realities and storylines for all of my pieces!! Okay, that last sentence was a lie, but my house did get really messy.

And this was just my workstation. Imagine what the rest of the house looked like!

We finally got there, and it was a... learning experience. There were quite a few "less-than-ideal" things about the show, but they were mostly balanced out by something good. So, in typical Alyssa fashion, here's my list of the bad/good things about the show:

1) Not very many people came to the show, and most who did were there for the wine, BUT I did make over twice my entrance fee! Plus, everybody wanted to touch my mosaics, so at least I know they are interesting!
2) There was a weird giant metal wine glass in front of us, but all of the drunk people loved it and took pictures with it.

It's just a big wine glass! I don't get it!

3) The music was local and the first band consisted of high schoolers, but those kids were seriously talented.
4) It was extremely cold, but one of the wineries gave us warm sangria for sharing our power strip!
5) It was also super windy, but none of my displays blew over because they were just open frames!

 So there it is. My first craft show. All in all, I wouldn't trade it for the world. In fact, it was so not-terrible, I signed up for another show in November! All for now, later, kids!

Welcome Home, Comango!

This weekend Sam's parents came to visit. It was super great for several reasons, 1) they are fun to hang out with; 2) they made of lots of good food and also filled our fridge; and 3) THEY BROUGHT OUR PETS!!!

Granted, our pets are a fish and lizard. Not super cuddly, but they are still pretty cute, and I LOVE having animals around.

So, my friends, meet I Don't Know, Finn (Finn for short) and Comango.

As you can see, I Don't Know, Finn is a beautiful betta fish. He currently lives in a lovely little dish on our kitchen table. His hobbies are floating around in his bowl, eating fish pellets, looking at people as they move around the room, and occasionally making a bubble nest at the top of his dish.

 So regal.

He also seems to enjoy spending time with his fake plant and traveling from one end of his dish to the other. He's truly a joy to be around. His name is a story I'll tell some other time. Or maybe I won't. I don't really know.

 

 He loves that plant.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for: Comango! He's an excellent desert gecko. He has fatty stores in his tail, and it looks like his head. Hence, Comango. Say it out loud, if I have to explain it to you anymore, it's not just worth it. Well, dear Comango enjoys sleeping in his cave, sleeping in the sand, sleeping near his rocks, and once in awhile, moving.

 Comango's Crib.

 He's a little cuddly!

His moving often involves crawling slightly outside of his cave and eating crickets. Unless the crickets wander in to his cave, in which case, he does not leave or really move at all. He's just the greatest lizard. He also has adorable feet.

What a sexy lizard!

The cutest feet!

Welcome home, guys! It's great to have you :)

Wall Hangings: Glimpses of Eccentricity

That title might be a little bold. But as I was looking around the house this morning, it occurred to me that we have some weird things showcased on our walls.

It started out innocently enough. I just wanted to make the house seem more lived-in, but Sam and I (okay, mostly me) like some weird things. Also, the whiteness of the walls has caused me to compulsively cover them with anything and everything I can find. (In fact, I ran out of 3M poster hanging tape today. I even put it on my grocery list, although it's probably for the best right now.)

Anyway, as I started going around and actually looking at all the things I have taped together on the wall, it started to get a little strange. Sure, it started out normal, but the typical "crazy cat-lady"only started with one mild-mannered cat too. Before you know it, she's covered in scratches, she can't find her tv remote under the fur shed all over, and she's got seven cats that sleep in her bed while she's demoted to the couch, (not unlike the girl who lived in this house before us.)


Exhibit #1: The Normal Things
Not everything on my wall is weird. I have some very typical things. Like this nice clock, or this picture frame full of people that I love.

Exhibit #2: Nature Things
This isn't weird either, not by my standards anyway. My husband is a fisheries major and we do to do things outside! It's perfectly reasonable that we would have a scientific fish poster, a witty "Fisherman Lives Here" sign, and a sentimental paper cut of a great outdoor scene. 

Exhibit #3: Alphonse Mucha?
Here we start to digress from the previous theme. Yes, I am an artist, but I get that an Alphonse Mucha design study doesn't really fit the mood we set. Weird? Not necessarily, but perhaps it is a little out of place. 

Exhibit #4: Old Winking Man?!
Seriously?! Where did this guy even come from? Why did I agree to hang him on my wall right above my computer? Why is he looking so seductively at everyone?! 

Exhibit #5: Pandas. There are pandas everywhere.
This is perhaps the most disturbing trend because I didn't realize it until recently. Yes, I have a lot of panda things, I always have. But I really did leave a lot of things at home when I moved! I only have two panda wall hangings. 

But as I started looking and cleaning, I discovered my walls are not the only place the pandas are lurking. On my night stand, my panda necklace....

Under my craft desk, a panda trash can....

And in my closet!!! The horror!!!!

Okay, so maybe the stuff on my wall isn't that weird. But the title says "eccentric," not weird. And it is definitely eccentric. Plus, the winking guy is totally weird. And I do have a potentially unhealthy amount of panda things. (Actually, I'm pretty excited about having the cute little guys with me all the time.)

Until my next update on the status of my house, (or whatever catches my fancy next time I feel like writing) I hope my pandas brightened your day :) 

Home is where the Pandas are (No, I don't mean China.)

As usual, I'm pretty much the worst at keeping a regular journal, blog, or really anything of the sort. But until I get my professional life all figured out and now that our apartment is pretty much settled, I suppose I have a lot of free time on my hands.

So, this is for you guys who've been asking for updated apartment pictures. Aside from just unpacking and putting things away, we've been trying to get as much color as possible into the place. The carpet is tan and the walls are white, and at first glance, it just feels... bland. But I think we've done pretty well since our move-in on August 17th. Here's a sampling of our space.


Exhibit #1 - The Breakfast Nook (currently the puzzle table, but we eat food here too):
It may not look like much, but it has a big window and lots of natural light. The best way to wake up in the morning!

Exhibit #2 - The Kitchen:
If you are thinking to yourself, "Wow that's a lot of stuff and not very much counter," you would be correct. But at least we have all the appliances we need for modern convenience! Plus, the cabinets are pretty new, and Sam and I don't take up too much space anyway. I like to think its cozy.

Exhibit #3 - The Living Room (a.k.a. the Nerve Center):
This is where I spend pretty much all of my time during the day. There are a bunch of window doors around so we get a lot of light, and the tv/couch is here. If you notice to the right, my craft table is also located in this area with my computer. So more specifically, that corner is where I spend most of my time during the day, either job searching (Meh...) or crafting (Yay!).

 
Exhibit #4 - The Bathroom (or "Room with that orange counter):
Yeah. this one didn't change much. The counter is still orange, and the walls are still white. But we did add a shelf! And it's much cozier with a rug and a panda towel.

Exhibit #5 - The Bedroom:
This room is still the least colorful one in the house. But that's because the bookshelf in the room is white and I haven't put many things on the walls. I like to think that the absurdly colorful comforter makes up for it though.

Exhibit #6 - Panda Rug:
It really ties the room together.

Alrighty, well, that was fun. I hope you enjoyed your visit to our humble, but homey abode! Now my mom can stop complaining about not having enough pictures :)