Now in Color!

I just discovered how to change colors on my template!! Please note that I'm not done, but I just don't have time to finish at the moment. I know it looks like an Easter basket at the moment, but bear with me.

Felted Tote Bag Update

"Hi. My name is Bethany, and I'm a perfectionist." I admire those people who are comfortable with posting pictures of WIP (work in progress) projects (for examples, see: Betty's great series on designing knit patterns or Jen's many lovely socks). I hate letting people see the not-yet-finished project. I also feel like I work very slowly since I'm still learning, which only adds to the frustration. No one wants to see pictures of a 58 row project on row 8, row 12, row 30, row 42, row 50 and row 58. So I'm never sure when to post pictures and when to wait until I've gone "just a little further."

But here goes...

This is the progress I've made on my felted tote bag so far:

And here's a close-up of the pre-felted WIP (I'm really loving this color!):

The next step will be to add this yarn to the two strands of wool, so that it gets felted in by the wool and forms a band near the top of the bag:

Moving Day???

The apartment I have my name on WAS supposed to be ready for me to move in on the 28th of July. However, I got a call yesterday that the people won't be out by then, so it is now opening about the 22nd of August. But I'm not holding my breath this time. And I'm not writing it on any calendars unless it has at least 3 questions marks after it: Moving Day???

I guess, on the upside, I have more time to consider paint options. On the downside, I could possibly be moving on the day my Katie flies to England. Which seems sad, even though it's not like we live together (or even in the same state) now.

Why does stuff like this matter so much to me? I keep thinking I'll grow out of letting things like this disappoint me so much. So I'm now moving in about 2 months, instead of in 1 month. It's not like anything about my schedule changes in August--I'm not on a school-year calendar. Why am I so disappointed?

Warning

Just a quick reminder that you should be careful in the hurry to catalogue all your yarn on Ravelry. Remember that SPIDERS LIKE YARN! Even yarn you've touched less than 2 weeks ago. Even yarn stored in an open, fabric-lined basket in your living room next to your favorite chair. Since the scary s-word above has been plural lately, the exterminators are coming today.

8 Things About Me

Not so recently, my friend Kyleen tagged me in a meme...however, I am just now getting around to actually answering it. So here goes.

Eight random things about about me:

1) I still have two baby teeth. I had three until I got one pulled during my freshman year of college. My adult teeth have already grown in behind the two teeth that are left, so the dentist says there's no point in pulling them now.

2) I am afraid of bowling alleys. I have no idea why, but I'll tell you right now that repeated attempts to "overcome fear by facing it" have NOT worked. When I get there, I don't think I feel afraid, but after 45 min to an hour, my chest starts aching from being tense. I know everyone loves bowling, and it's a great family night, date night, youth group outing, etc...but I just can't handle it. I'm not sure if it's the darkness, the loudness, the smokiness (of most bowling alleys), or the fact that my feet never grew, so I still have to wear the hideous neon orange Velcro shoes, rather than just the ugly lace-up red and blue ones...but the point is I'd rather do just about anything else on earth.

3) I have been fascinated by geology my whole life. Yes, I have a rock collection.

4) I love looking at all sorts of mail-order catalogues--everything from Dell to J.C. Penney's, to Victorian Trading Company to Smith & Hawkin to catalogues of classes offered at community colleges. Did you know that even Target has a catalogue? They're full of gorgeous pictures of rooms filled with Target home furnishings. They come addressed to the guy that lived here before me (with a first name like 15 consonants long), but I figure if I bring it in from my mail box, it's mine. : )

5) I tend to kill about 1/3 of the plants I try to grow....despite my mother's green thumb, I apparently lack the ability to water on schedule.

6) My favorite flowers are the miniature-yet-highly-fragranced daffodil-type wildflowers that grow rampantly along the country roads in East Texas.

7) I am allergic to acetaminophen--yep, that's right--to Tylenol. However, I do not have any food or seasonal allergies.

8) I am one of those exceedingly lucky people who got chicken pox not just once, but TWICE--once when I was 4, and once in 2nd grade.

Edits:

I'm supposed to tag some people who haven't done this meme recently, so...Sheila, Sarah, Jen, Betty, and Jeremiah!

Exciting Things About Which I Haven't Had Time to Blog

1) My dear car broke down on me--a first in my life. I've decided that it's not because she's a bad car, it's just that she's young and still a little on the silly/irresponsible side. Turns out there was really nothing wrong except the battery died and so the rest of the car freaked out. So I've decided to name her Anabelle, after a 2-yr old horse I once knew with a similar disposition. : )

2) I finally got my eyes checked. Turns out, I have 20-50 nearsightedness, and astigmatism in both eyes. So I got contacts on Friday, and I am AMAZED at what (apparently) everyone else can see! It's incredible--I can see shadows of blades of grass while driving down the road! I can see individual stitches on the wall hanging that's across the hall from my office from my desk! However, the carpet in my office makes me dizzy b/c I can now see the pattern in it, rather than just a blur, and it's millions of tiny brown squares, and it makes my stomach feel queasy if I look at it while I walk. But the rest is all good.

3) I put my name on an apartment--number 2007 (which seems appropriate this year). It doesn't have a fireplace : (...but, it will have vaulted ceilings (read: no being awakened at 4:30 each morning by the ppl above me), and more windows, and a place for my washer and dryer, and a big balcony that does NOT face the parking lot. : ) I'm getting excited already! Now, to choose what to paint, and what colors...

4) Last week, from Sunday to Wednesday, I helped out at my church's Vacation Bible School. VBS has been one of my favorite parts of summer since I was 3 (really!), and I was SO excited about it! I got to work in "The Marketplace," which means I dressed in a biblical-times-type costume, and ran a craft booth for the kids. I helped kids from 4-years old to 5th grade make fish windsocks out of colored 6x9 envelopes and crepe-paper streamers. It was SO much fun! It was also fun to get to hang out w/ the other workers (many from my lifegroup/singles class) and to get to know some new friends better.

5) I got an email this morning from an old friend of mine, whom I haven't talked to (until this morning) in about 3 years! He is a Canadian, who has recently married an American, and is going to be living in the states for a while. He was a grad student when I knew him in college, and he persuaded me to take the Beginner's Biblical Greek class that he was teaching. Three years later, I graduated with 12 hours of Koine (Biblical) Greek, and 6 hours of Classical Greek. And I am SO grateful that he got me started on it! I am also grateful to find that, even after 3 years of not communicating, a good friend/hero/intellectual crush can still make me feel all happy inside!

6) Friday night I went with my friend Dana to an AWESOME American Artisan Festival! It was in a park downtown, and there were rows and rows of booths, brimming with handmade crafts. While a few were homemade-looking, the vast majority were simply beautiful! I saw every type of craft: from leather-works, to wooden inlay, to pottery, to glass blowing/etching, to hand-painted silk, to photography, to painting, to sculpture, to these fun purses and other sewing creations by Beth Howard (see also pic below, stolen from her blog)...

Beth Howard's booth at the festival

...and even these lovely paper-decoupage tables by Lara Moore.

I am seriously IN LOVE with these tables!!! I have decided that if I ever finally own my independent coffee-shop/bookstore, I will definitely be calling Lara and her people to provide the decor! These two were my favorite artisans, along with a wonderful potter who had no website but made beautiful bowls and vases.

7) Finally, I have to admit that I love hearing about adolescent dramas (as long as they're not mine). We have a recent high school grad (a boy) working in our office this summer, who is the son of one of our office staff, and who used to be almost-sorta-not-quite-dating a girl who worked here last summer. (Are you still with me?) Well, as it happens, this girl is doing an internship elsewhere (out of state) this summer, but...she has a twin! The girl also got a new boyfriend, with which--we think--she hoped to force the boy into some sort of jealous declaration of his love. However, instead, the boy has started spending suspicious quantities of his time w/ her twin!!! Today, the boy, his mother, and both twins (the one is in town just for the weekend) went to lunch together. Upon returning, the mother has confided to me that she can only conclude that the 3 of them should all move to Utah together and practice polygamy! The whole situation is way more entertaining than your average sitcom!

8) I finally got my invitation to join Ravelry!!! I have now done so, so please befriend me if you're on there. My Ravelry name is WordThreader (as my blog name won't fit, and all other names that I thought of (or that friends thought of) were already taken). I have already located (and friended) Betty and Jen, but I'm not sure who else is on there so far. I am SO excited about it, and I cannot wait to get home and start cataloging my stash! : ) I have always loved organizing, so Ravelry will be the perfect site for me!

Settling

So my hopes did not come true. The apartment I wanted really is already rented to someone else. : ( So I am back to square one. I took the list of apartments of that size opening about the time I need, and drove around looking at all of them. I've narrowed it to the top two...but it's not like the top two favorites. It's like the top two maybe-I-could-live-here-for-a-year-or-so apartments.

So, to add to my melancholy, I've just spent the afternoon looking at pictures of the house in Abilene that I fell in love with 3 years ago. So, I thought I'd post a few on here, just to show you why I'm so reluctant to rent a regular-ole'-apartment here. Sigh. Here goes...

(click on the pic below)


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Visions of another Gypsy Summer

I'm sorry to say there is no happy post today...no pics of a new yarn or fun party. I'm uber frustrated at the moment by some housing issues.

There wasn't a problem, and I wasn't in that big of a hurry...until I got a letter on Friday, saying I needed to let my apts know by that exact Friday (!!!) whether or not I was renewing my lease!!! So I called to tell them I'd received the letter late, and started shopping on Saturday. Those of you who know me well know that, for some reason, housing is a big deal to me. I get very emotional about houses/apartments/real estate in general. I spent lots and lots of hours of my life searching the streets of Abilene until I found the perfect little cottage. Now, I'm searching both streets and Craig's list, but so far it's been a disappointment all around. I've found nice things I can't afford, ghetto-style housing I could afford (but wouldn't want to live in), and a few that seem closer to ideal.

I had actually decided on what I thought would be the as-close-to-perfect-as-possible option on Saturday. I took the time to go look at it on Sunday afternoon (as Bridget suggested), and deemed it The One. However, I called the office twice on Sunday afternoon, and there was no answer. I called once this morning, but no answer. And then I called again at 1pm, and...the apartment I had looked at (the one I'd been given stats for, the one which included both a friendly porch and friendly neighbors...) has already been rented!!!! It wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't already fallen in love w/ it...or if I hadn't been calling about every 6 hours for the last two days trying to rent it. Or if, when Bridget returned my call and left a voice mail at 4:55 saying she was locking up and I should just call back on Monday, she'd mentioned (or even hinted) that it might be too late already!

I'm leaving work a little early and going by the office this afternoon, to double-check that the girl wasn't just bluffing this morning, telling me it was rented already just b/c she was bored or something. I keep hoping (though rather irrationally) that Bridget had somehow read my mind (b/c I can't remember the exact wording of all the messages I've left her) and somehow she could tell I wanted it and has put it on hold for me, and that's why Ashley says it's unavailable. She just doesn't know that I'm the one it's on hold for. I just keep hoping.

So if any of you read this this afternoon, please send up a prayer or two that my visit to the office this evening goes well. I'll keep you posted on the continuing saga. Thanks in advance for the prayers!