Bag-Ception

So here's the skinny. I like crafts. I craft all the time. I'm not so secretly crafty. And thus is my life while I am home. I have been attempting to work on my scrapbook from Rome (you know, the reason why I started the blog thing in the first place) and it's been an adventure. But there's a point when I can't do no mo pictures. So I decided to pick up something a little more mindless, albeit conscious.  Let me explain.

Michelle (you know that girl) said that she was going to knit some plastic bags together to make a super bag. And I'm thinking, "Huh? I couldn't have heard that right." But then she just looked at me like, "Did I stutter? I'm knitting plastic bags to make a super bag."

Wait for it... Wait for it. Yup. Mind blown.

The goal is to take all of the grocery bags that you annoyingly stuff into corners and then plan to reuse, but usually forget because no one looks in corners for bags every time you decide to go to the store. So you just end up having these mounds of should be reused, sculpted, or donated bags that look lonely and unloved and dingy in the corners.

The process works like this. You cut these unloved crinkle-wads into long strips of super thin plastic and then ball them up as you would yarn. Then once you amass enough of a ball (and/or clean out those corners) (That's where I put that!) (Yum, Halloween candy), you knit. That simple. You know, except for that part where you spend awkward mindless hours cutting apart bags to the strange looks of your friends (or those friends you would have if you didn't spend your Friday nights cutting apart plastic bags).

But here's what I've learned: This could be really cool. So far (and I only have a portion of the base of the bag) it looks sort of legit, and could end up the envy of every Environment conscious pseudo hippie I pass on the street (see, I told you that would make sense later).  I'll be sure to post pictures here when I do finish it, but I'm pleasantly pleased with the reactions I've heard so far (I knit a lot in public.... Hence my single, only child status).

Resounding Message: Go green! Knit more!

Themed Thursday 1: If I were a wall, I would be....

Yes, you heard right. It's Thursday, and that means BLOG FOR YOUR LIFE day. Otherwise known as Themed Thursdays. As you well know, I'm in a fight to the finish known as a blog off with Michelle. And you should read that... Because you're smart enough to read, and you deserve to be amused.

But the point is that today, of all days, is a themed day. This means that we write on the same topic, and you (the people) get to form a more concrete opinion about who should be the winner in this gladiatorial battle to the verbal death.

Today's topic:

What is your ideal living room wall?

Well I'm so glad you asked. Like Michelle, I too love a good splash of color. Something warm, inviting, and comfortable. I also adore the idea of a one wall accent, so naturally, my favorite wall in the living room would be that accent wall-do you follow me? So something warm, fun, and can be a highlight of the room without over powering things. And that for me means red. Red? Why red? Well, I'm a Rothko nut, so something about that... and I think it makes a room feel warmer.  That in conjunction that when I read or knit, I'm bound to end up bundled in a blanket, it's only logical that I give myself at least the benefit of the doubt that it's warmer in the room with a red wall.  Something like... This

But forget the strange stick thing, and replace with fun things like pictures! Lots of pictures. If you know me, you know that I love to scrapbook and make all kinds of memory things. So those should definitely replace the birch theme here. They can be on the wall, in funky frames, around the mantle and such in nifty patterns and designs. The other idea that I love (and I'm not sure how this will all carry out yet) is with my love of words. To have maybe some kind of calligraphy of words on the walls. Not the typical-"Family" or "Love" but actual quotations.  Short and sweet, but it could be very cool if done right. I'm just brain storming. 

I'm also thinking lots of things that are home made. Not overly so (no one wants to feel like they've been out done, or under-creative) but things like books, and end tables, and creative arrangements of things that make a place look lived in and homey. Catch my drift?

I'm thinking of the kind of room where I would love to curl up in an over stuffed chair with a book, or my knitting on a cold winter night and stay for hours. And if you feel like the same kind of evening, you just drop on by. We'll have a dandy time knitting or talking, or just laughing until our abs hurt. 

Michelle and I will be there. And we're cool.

Given Only Weak Sauce in My Kitchen

Alas, so many things have failed me today, I might as well be resigned to typing this exorbitantly long post on my phone. It makes the most sense, after all. So here goes, and do excuse the type-os. I'm only so dexterous with this touch screen.

After dozing lazily until I got my required amount of sleep, I rolled out of bed. Nothing much happened, finished the first season of Modern Family, and attempted to work on this hat (more on that later). Until about dinner time.

Mother had this great idea to use the leftover steaks from Kent's the other night for fajitas. Splendid! So naturally I'm enlisted to help make up this recipe. Not a big deal, throw some onions and peppers into a skillet, a little pepper, maybe some other things to liven it up, heat up the meat, figure out some stuff for the mushrooms- like a little pepper, and voila! WRONG! There's only one thing missing. The pepper. What's that you say? But who likes pepper? Oh my lord, we must be needing a conversion. Pepper is admittedly one of the base spices I use. Nothing to overpower (unless we're talking red pepper, then be on your toes for a kick in the pants.) but I do tend to use pepper as a backup to all sorts of things. Don't know what to use? Pepper will work until you figure it out. Really my favorite- that and a base of garlic, but those kinds of adventures will have to wait until this summer, I'm afraid. Point is, that I'm expected to make fajitas without any kind of spices! Undesirable. And here you're thinking, Kelsey, just use the salt and pepper shakers on the table. Oh, well, aren't you the brightest. Guess again. There aren't any. WHO'S SMART NOW!?!?! That's right, no salt or pepper to be found. Anywhere. So I start thinking, what else do we have? A lemon? Nope. A jalapeño? Nada. Just another kind of spice? Anything? Zilch. I'm cooking blind. And I'm nearly to the point of going door to door asking for a pepper shaker, or foraging in the nearby woods for some kind of edible bark that might be a tasty Mexican food stand in. Sad day, mom nixed all of those ideas. Guess these will literally have to be the saddest, blandest fajitas in all the land.

Minnesotans rejoice, I didn't find anything spicy to put in the fajitas. Not even ketchup. Good news is they were fine, bad news is I'm heartbroken at my foiled attempt to make Mexican food from leftovers.

After that I took slight pleasure in beating my parents at Boggle. It doesn't make me a genius, jut better at Boggle than my parents. (side note, if you ever want to have your ass handed to you on a recently polished silver platter, play Boggle with KBG. She can literally play against 4 people, while sleeping, and those 4 can add their scores together to get half of what she does. I've seen it happen.)

Then we wandered back to our now customary places on the couch and watched Hugo. Cute? Maybe, I'm not the biggest fan. Whatever. The bigger problem is that I have been defeated by this hat pattern. Just destroyed. I don't think there's any one pattern that has so tried me. I tried this about 4 times the way the pattern was written. Then began to bumble through making guesses as to what she actually meant, and have gotten closer (hint: worked from the top down and looked like the finger of a glove the first 4 times. Now it just looks lopsided). But the real kicker is that I keep having to redo my work when I'm using the beautiful alpaca yarn I bought in Rome, I just want it to be perfect. Is that so bad? Le sigh.

I think the only solution is to go to bed. I've been up for less than 12 hours, but my trials for the day have left me melodramatic and defeated. Woe.

Lake House-Fun House (or why is your foot on the ceiling)

Now blogging from a new and "improved" location! I am currently at the Lake of the Ozarks in these strange little octagonal cabins. How nice!  Maybe I'll give a thorough description of how there are mirrors everywhere, and all of the walls are windows. Oh wait. That is basically the descriptions. But that's true. The mirrors and the window outer wall thing. That's most of it.

And now I'm working on new knitting projects, reading new books, watching new movies, and living all of the dreams. The rents are enjoying Modern Family, and being about as productive as myself. In other words, "very." I will say that there are a few things missing here: Oreo, Minnie, and Tonks... But there's something about driving for several hours with unhappy cats that seems unappealing. Strange.

I'm sorry there is less to report. I have survived all of the games of the hunger so far. I mean, I don't even know who the other tributes are... I'm an only child.

Summer Accomplishments? What are those?

Oh the accomplishments of the day run rampant and are only really considered accomplishments when you don't have to write them on resumes or have nothing more exceptional to do. Regardless, they make me feel like I've done something other than read, cook, watch hours of television, and knit. Therefore, they are much appreciated and should be listed here in full. Ahem.

I finally, after literally months of self restraint and effective prioritizing, have finished The Help. Yes, yes, I know. "How long could it possibly have taken you? You're an English major, you read all the time." Sort of. I read for class, yes, but my days of reading things for kicks and giggles seems to have dwindled down to spare moments and the free things I can find on the app store. So this little paperback, traveled many miles more than it had pages. Let's face it, I brought it to Europe last August, and finished it the next May? Not exactly the quick read I wanted it to be. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will now permit myself to watch the movie.

I finished 2 (count them 1, 2) knitting projects in the past two days. So to Andrea, I'm shipping your scarf either tomorrow or the following day. I finally managed to find both the right yarn and the right pattern. Huzzah! And (drum roll please) I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED THAT BABY BLANKET!!!! (Cheers and applause, cheers and applause). As many of you know, both of my darling siblings decided that it was a good idea to have children two months apart. As thrilling as this is for them to grow up at the same time, it's absolutely killing my knitting.  When I was home during Christmas break after I got back from abroad, I managed to whip out a scarf and one blanket. But the second blanket (and that previously mentioned scarf for that matter) were sorely hampered by this whole school thing. So for that I'm sorry, and it's all done now! Baby Pete! You will overheat this summer in Texas, but if you ever come up to visit, it'll be nice and toasty! I'm actually kind of surprised my fingers are still functioning. I thought they would fall off from the hours I spent knitting tonight. I'll let you know if I'm typing my blog with my nose in the morning-sometimes gangrene takes a while to really set in.

Past that my mother reconfirmed that I'm kind of blind, but that's what she does for a living, so brava. I asked for a seeing eye dog, that was a no go. All I'm saying is that seeing eye cats are extremely unreliable. When was the last time your seeing eye dog spontaneously chased a mouse? Or climbed a tree and refused to get down even for the nice attractive fireman who showed up out of the kindness of his heart? Or slept for hours and refused to be moved from the lovely couch cushion? Hmm? Oh, your seeing eye dog has never done that? Well, if I employed any one of my cats for that, I'm sure my adventures would be far more entertaining than me completing knitting projects.

But in all reality... Now that I've accomplished most of the things I set out for the summer... I'm probably going to have to begin a "Choose your own adventure" Blog.... I begin a story, set out the options, and you have to pick what happens next.  Who's up for a challenge? Ready to participate? I'll let you think about it for a while, but it's a real possibility with this Blog-off with Michelle (Yeah, this Michelle: Just a Chef's Daughter--Basically check it out... Or be very sad you didn't).

So look at your life, look at your choices. And maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to make some of your own.

Close-knit

Fun fact!

Exactly one month from yesterday, I will be back on US soil.

I know some of you are incredibly excited for this, and others are dreading every moment that brings that date closer. I'm sorry for you. But yesterday also marked a magical occasion.

I found a knitting store.

Well, I didn't find it, but I was in it!  A girl from my Cin City class showed it to me and we had a wonderful time reveling in the amounts of yarns, and I consequently spent far too much time looking at patterns that only require one set of needles (and that I could do in Rome).  I miss it hard core, but I know it will only be a distraction. Somehow I've managed to overlook that little obstacle, and continued to look at patterns.

That aside, I leave in approximately 45 minutes for an epic reunion in Paris!  Reunion? How? What?
Let me explain.

My childhood comrade Juliette moved back to France after 4th grade. Through the magic of Facebook, we have managed to keep in contact and even plan this eventful reunion. I'm incredibly excited to see the girl who played on all the same soccer and basketball teams with me, and I haven't seen since we were 10. So think about that next time someone disses the good old Facebook, bringing people together decades apart.

So I need to finish packing, probably should eat something, and need to get on a train/plane!

I'll let you know of my revelries on Sunday!