Tag: coasters

Alone at last!

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Writing

Ken went off to visit the girls and I’m just back from dropping him at the airport.  I get to be home alone for the next week!  I am very excited about this as I plan to WRITE until my fingers fall off.

I sent Ken with goodies for the girls.  I’ve been crocheting for them for the last two weeks.  They got two scarves and something like twenty six coasters.  Virginia requested the purple and gray combo and then Stephanie sent me her color choices.
I got baby yarn for the scarves so it would make a nice light scarf.  They both turned out beautifully.  I LOVE the yarn and will be purchasing it again.

Now their stuff is done, I have to turn to my other projects.  I have a scarf I’m working on for Vicki which is almost done.  When it’s done I’ll be working on the gifts for my student workers and my niece who is getting married.  I have four gifts to get done by beginning of May and one by July.

While I’m alone this week though I’m going to focus on writing.  My short story didn’t place for the contest I sent it to but I think it’s good enough to publish so I’m going to polish it up some more, add a couple more scenes and put it out there for purchase.  For the rough draft, I have two or three more scenes to write and then it can go in the editing pile.

I just finished writing Murder Next Door.  I know exactly what I want for a cover (I think) so I have to figure out if I can get a photo of it or if I will try to get a picture (drawn) for it.

This week I have three things I want to get done – Wayfarer Aegis (which is just the two or three scenes), the Defenders third book, and the Wayfarer sixth book.  All three projects are started and in varying degrees of being written.  I just need to finish them.

On the drive home, I tried to settle into one of the stories to see if I could plot out the first steps.  I think the Aegis is going to be the first one.  Part of that is because it is so close to being done.  I need to write about so little to polish it off and then I think I can send it to my test readers.  If they don’t have any problems with it, I can start the editing process and get it out for publication.  The other two are going to be longer and more complicated to write, edit and publish.

Enough with sharing for now.  I’m on to writing.  Adara and the Aegis here I come.  

Craft Focused Day

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Life

After meeting my mom and sister to get our paperwork signed and notarized, I contacted my niece.  While waiting on her to arrive, I worked on all sorts of writing administrative things.  I got a lot done and then she showed up.

We played in my craft room for a little bit before we wandered off to Michaels.  I enjoyed – very much enjoyed – our time shopping at Michaels and the other stores.  Both of us needed stuff from Staples.  Since it’s two doors down from Michaels we hit there first and then Michaels.

I love sales.  I love yarn sales and I love wandering up and down aisles and touching different yarn.  I didn’t buy a single full priced item at Michaels.  It was all sale items.  I found pretty yarn both crochet cotton and regular yarn.  I filled in colors for my crochet cotton I didn’t have and even found some blues to make Stephanie happy for the items she requested.

  
We found good stuff for an afghan for my niece.  Her old one fell apart (it’s only about 20 years old) so rather than fixing it, I’ll be making her a new one.  Don’t worry people who are in line ahead of her – she isn’t butting in line.

While at Michaels we wandered the bead aisle so my niece could get some beads for some of her projects.  I’m hoping this means I will get the stuff she promised to make me.  It is always fun to wander through the bead aisles.  I like beads, I just don’t have a lot of skills when it comes to making the jewelry.

JoAnns was our next stop.  We wandered around quite a bit.  I actually didn’t spend a lot there.  Got a small package of yarn and a single skein.  My niece however spent a lot more there and got lots of goodies.

Picking up lunch, we came back and chatted the afternoon away.  After she left and Ken went to bed, I worked on daisies for the girls in Georgia.  Virginia requested purple and gray.  I was tired after all the shopping but I still tackled some more of her daisies.  I listened to Witness in Death and started working.  I was tired to begin with and after two I just wanted to go to sleep but I stuck with it and got the last six done for her.  Now I have to move on to Stephanie’s color choices.  I have a list and will be tackling them today.

Ken and I are watching Justified, since there is no football he plans to watch today, we may finish off season 5 and switch to Babylon 5.  At least that is my hope.  While we do that, I will work on the daisies for Stephanie.  I also have two infinity scarves to make so if I get bored with daisies, I can switch over and see what I come up with for the infinity scarves.

It was a good day yesterday.  I enjoyed the time with my niece.  I enjoyed making the daisies and listening to an audio book.  Today will hopefully be as productive and as enjoyable.

End of Vacation and Return to Work

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Life, Writing
While I’ve been off, I worked on cleaning my office and crocheting.  I have a box of stuff ready to ship to the girls in Georgia, a small pile for a friend, and a scarf to go to Vicki.  Here are some of the pictures from these projects:


 

My office is a multi-layered job.  I’ve taken the piles of paperwork on my desk and sorted them into piles of organized paperwork on the card table.  Next is to work within each of those piles to get them into organized chaos instead of just chaos. 
During my time off, I have enjoyed quiet and calm days with little to stress me.  I think my toughest decision has been what to watch while I crochet.  I’m now working on season two of Charmed.  Today I will work on a few writing tasks and crocheting. 
A wonderfully talented and generous friend has taken pictures for me to use for my cover of my romance novel.  I’m going to have a difficult time choosing just one from the group of pictures she sent me.  Somehow with just a brief description she has managed to capture what I wanted in several photos.  I’ll have to figure out which ones to try and which one to finally use. 
After I’ve made up a few samples to ponder over, I will probably go back to crocheting and watching tv.  It is cold – only about 8 degrees with wind chill taking it down to about -5 outside.  I’m not likely to go out if I can avoid it today.  Tomorrow I will deal with what I have to.
Next on my list for crocheting is starting the kitchen sets for those who have asked for them.  I have a list (of course) and the colors for the first person.  I will use this to determine how much I need to buy of the other colors. 
Tomorrow I return to work.  I am sure once I’m there I’ll get easily back into the groove but right now it feels very foreign.  I think that is because I was so worn out at the end of the semester from school and work.  However, I will only be dealing with work when I go back so that means less stress.  I won’t be rushing off to class and then trying to get back into work mode in between classes.  I will go to work and focus on work.  When I come home I can focus on my writing or crocheting or nothing at all if that is what I choose to do. 
I know some of you who know me well are laughing at the idea that I will do nothing but I took a whole day where I did nothing.  I played on the computer and was completely unproductive.  It happens – just not very often.