I'll Miss You 2011!

As 2011 comes to an end in a few hours I can't help but think of all the great things that happened this past year. It did start off a little rocky, as most of my years do, but soon found the stride and met my "Repro Girls." We had a lot of fun times this year going on dog walks around the area in the most beautiful places and they even got me to try lamb chops for the first time. Plus there was that time we spent hours upon hours watching beef cows give birth. A few weeks ago they graduated and I could not be more happy for them. They hold a place in my heart and I hope we can hang out again soon (VEISHEA). I wish you both the best of luck and know that no matter what you girls set out to do in life you will be great at it!

One of my younger cousins also graduated from high school in May. It was great to see family and we could not be more proud of him. May also brought an end to my Junior year of college. Over the summer I worked at a food processing plant in my hometown and had a lot of fun working in the office. I met a lot of great and hard working people and my thoughts and prayers are with them due to recent events. This past week the plant had an explosion and one of their own suffered from severe burns. Luckily he is doing well but there is still a long way to go so we all pray for a speedy recovery.

During the summer I also was able to spend a lot of time with my family and of course the two dogs that take over most of my heart. Midnight is beginning to show his age getting a little more white on the nose and not moving around like he use to. But all in all he still has that "puppy power" about him when he wants to show it. This summer we discovered that Tempest suffers from allergies. It was so sad seeing her be so itchy but we finally found something that worked and with the winter setting in she is doing great.

August soon came and I said goodbye to my work family and hello to my family at college. The beginning of my senior year and boy did it go by fast with all of the course work, job hunt and the random trips to Hobby Lobby. In August I also started a YouTube channel for my other blog Crafting: Plus-Sized Edition and started scrapbooking again. I haven't scrapbooked in awhile due to school but I hope when I get back to my apartment in a week I can squeeze some in before classes take over again.  Plus there is a new project I can't wait to start so be sure to check over there in the next week. 

As I said this past semester went by in a blur really but the last week definitely took its toll on me. I had a final that took thirteen pages typed to answer as well as the usual final exams. I can not wait to see what next semester will bring. 

I hope you all have an excellent and safe New Years Eve. And I wish you all the best in 2012, may your lose ends get tied and those pieces fall into place. I will talk to you all tomorrow!

So Much to Tell and so Little Time

The last month once again has gotten away from me and was jam packed full of events that I want to tell you guys (but they each deserve their own post so look for those soon I hope).

Currently I am back home for winter break where my schedule gets messed up and drives me nuts haha. But it's so nice to be back with my family and my puppies! This past week I decided to make my own Hawaiian Pizza and snapped some pictures on my phone (so sorry that they are so crappy). It was delicious and required only a few ingredients.

All you need is a pre-made crust (the one I used required a brushing with olive oil), pizza sauce, Canadian bacon (or ham), pineapple and of course cheese.

I started out by spreading the pizza sauce (note I went right to the edge), spacing out the Canadian bacon and then tumbling the pineapple around.

 Then I sprinkled on the cheese. OH THE CHEESE!!

Then cooked it according to the directions for the crust. Look at the burnt cheese around the edge. YUMMY!

Look at all the golden browns, so good. The only thing I would do different is sizzle up the Canadian bacon before I put it on the pizza to give it a little extra crunch but other than that it was magnificent.

Hope you all have a splendid holiday season and I will be talking to all again soon!

3 weeks

Well it's that time again: "the three week itch." This is the time of fall semester where the brain is already on winter break, dreaming of all things Christmas and cozy, while professors are piling on the coursework with projects, quizzes, exams and FINALS! Plus that tiny little illness of "senioritis" is not helping matters (procrastination is not my friend, yet we keep hanging out). This also is the point of the semester where everyone (and I really do mean everyone) spends more time on calculating what score they need on their finals than actually studying for them. Don't worry about me though, I did my calculating over fall break. Right now I'm just happy that it's the end of the first week and some of my to-do list is going down.

"The three week itch" is also the time when winter is deceiving. You see my area hasn't really gotten any snow but the temperatures have dropped. And I don't care what the weather channel says for numbers, they can feel completely opposite i.e. one day it was 13F and I was sweating, the next it was 22F and I was shivering (maybe it's just my body?). Needless to say I'm not ready for winter yet.

So really I have not been up to much since Thanksgiving other than being bogged down with classes. I'm really looking forward to December 16th (the end of fall semester, thus my countdown begins). But there is still so much to do before then that I need to work on...

Next on the list: Presentation and Handout on the Use of genomics in genetic selection of donor cows for embryo transfer (thank goodness this is a group project).

Wish me luck!

Gobble Gobble

I hope that you are all enjoying a wondrous Thanksgiving Day full of memories, loved ones, food, and football games (GO PACKERS). Not much is going on around here, my mom prepared an amazing Thanksgiving Dinner for the four of us (or should I say 6, the dogs got a little treat as well).

Other than that we are sitting around relaxing and celebrating my dad's birthday. Yep that's right his birthday is on Thanksgiving this year the lucky fart haha. This morning mom made her famous banana cream pies and tomorrow morning for breakfast I'm making his favorite monkey bread.

But before I fall asleep from that thing in turkey (why can I never remember the name), I wanted to share with you what I'm thankful for (not just today but everyday):

• Life: The fact that I'm still here to experience what this world has to offer, whether in good times or bad, just living makes me grateful.
• Family: All of them, I know that they are my rock and steady foundation. They helped shape me into what I am today. Plus they provided some of my favorite memories.
• Friends: This includes you as well. The fact that I can come to you all and share my thoughts and feelings is something I cherish.
• Pets: Past and present, they help keep me sane in crazy times and will always love me no matter what. And I will always love them.
• Future: Although this last one scares me not knowing what it may hold, just the fact that I will have one is exciting.

P.S. Looked up the turkey thing and it's tryptophan. You know incase you were wondering as well.

Where did the time go?

Tomorrow is the Agricultural and Life Sciences Career Fair at my University. There is expected to be close to 150 companies there all looking for potential employees, 10 of which are looking for someone with my major and hopefully at least 1 that will want to hire me. As I lay here thinking about the career fair, I can't help but get a case of the "When did..."s

• When did the leaves change colors and start falling? Most of the trees are bare now
• When did this chill set in? Don't get me wrong, I love it!
• When did all the fall shows start? I'm so behind, AHHHH!
• When did all these fruit flies decide to make our apartment their home? Mi casa is so not su casa
• When did my little brother turn into a young man? This big sister could not be more happy and proud of what he has become and his life is still just beginning.
• When did my college classes go from regurgitation to applying what I learn to real life situations? I'll be happy with a B in that class
• When did companies actually complain about the persuasiveness and communication skills of graduates from my college? I have never heard of any complaints, in all honesty I think most of this class is a waste of time. But it lets me talk about what I'm passionate for.
• When did registering for classes get here so soon? Here's to hoping I get in the classes I want :s
• When did it get down one class and 6.5 credits standing between me and that diploma? This is why I thought adding a Food Science minor would be no big deal. Yea riiiiiigggghhhht...
• When did the real world start knocking so loud? It seems like just yesterday that I was graduating high school.

Wish me luck tomorrow!

Tuesday Hideout

Tuesdays are the longest day of the week starting at 8 a.m. and going until 6 p.m. Thank goodness that I have breaks in there or I would be unbearable (although I'm pretty grumpy by the end of the day anyway but who isn't really?).

Every Tuesday I have to grab lunch at one of the on campus cafes most of the time it ends up being a beverage and something simple like a granola bar or string cheese. But today I was able to sit down and enjoy a lunch for a chance at my favorite place. There is one building, and one spot in particular, that you can find me almost everyday. (I should just put a bed somewhere since I'm there more than my apartment it seems.) And today I got to thinking...

Kildee Hall is the Animal/Dairy Science location on campus although almost every introductory course is held in the big lecture hall. Ever since I came for a visit in high school I have loved this building, especially for its huge cow mosaic wall. Sophomore year is when I decided to explore this building more, mostly out of boredom between classes, and that's when I found it, the perfect location to "get away."

On the second floor there is a table, some chairs and even a couple couches at this juncture where the original meets the addition of the building. It's a very open area that hardly gets any foot traffic, there is an entire wall of windows that lets the warm sunshine in, and you can still hear the hustle and bustle of the students below trying to make it to class on time. I like to think of it as a place I can hear the heartbeat that makes up Kildee. Here I am able to study, do some homework, talk with friends and even take a nap to catch up on some sleep. Plus it has an amazing view of the cow mosaic. I'm really going to miss this place after graduation.

Cards, Cards, Cards

As you can see school has been keeping quite busy with tests, projects, homework and I could go on, but I won't. However, I have managed to squeeze a little bit of crafting mostly out of necessity (I know way too many people born in September and October). Here are a few of my favorite cards I have made.

Wish I could stay longer but I have to get back to studying for a few things. Hopefully I can get back soon and share the two new layouts I have done. Until then I will try an pop in and share some things that have made this semester entertaining. Stay crafty!

Grandpa Knows Best

I finished my first scrapbook layout in a long time, yay! This two-page layout uses five 4x6 photos of when my grandparents and parents bought me my first Chicago Cubs jersey. As you can see I was very happy. I used all October Afternoon paper from Modern Homemaker, Rocket Age, The Thrift Shop, and 5 & Dime collections. I started with kraft cardstock that I misted with some of October Afternoon Sprinklers (Red Wagon, Robot Blue, and Set Sail) and a Tattered Angel Glimmer Mist (Patina). I really liked the effect and think it would have looked even better if I had some white cardstock.

 

The title is Cubbies (American Crafts Thickers Dear Lizzy in Merry) and Grandpa Knows Best (October Afternoon Sticky Keys in Black & Cream). Growing up I spent a lot of time at my grandparents house. One of my favorite memories is watching baseball with my grandpa. Our favorite team to watch was the Chicago Cubs, especially when Harry Caray was the announcer. To this day I still route for the Cubs.

For the journaling area I just used notebook paper that I had sprayed with what I used on the cardstock. I kept the frayed edges and LOVE how it looks!

I also used some stickers to just further show how happy I was, even though the pictures really say it all. The stickers I used were either from October Afternoon Word Stickers in Thrift Shop or Modern Homemaker.

If you're interested, I also made a video on the layout and mentioned an upcoming giveaway. More details will be coming soon on that, so be sure to stop back. And as always, stay crafty!

Christine is Back, ALRIGHT!

Yes, you read right! I am back and hope to get things back to normal. Although I can't make any promises once classes actually start. Anyhoo, I made a little video of my apartment, well my room at the apartment, and if you need a good laugh be sure to stick around till the end. Thanks for stopping by and as always stay crafty!

"I'm not funny. What I am is brave."

One of my heroes has always been Lucille Ball and today would have been her 100th birthday. So won't you join me in celebrating this gorgeous, funny and gutsy lady's life and work? Happy Birthday Lucy! You are an inspiration to all.