Moving to Wordpress...

Hey Everyone,

Because of the user unfriendliness with the Google Blogger and because I have been unhappy with the picture uploading and the page layouts, ect.  I am moving my blog over to wordpress.  I have had lots of good luck with it so far with my other blog and found that the layouts are much easier to customize and manage.

My new blog address is: bbydrgncrochet.wordpress.com.  Not that I have many people who actually look at my posts, but in case you stumble across this blog and are interested....

See you there;  :)

Janelle

Some Flower Inspiration and Power

My older sister is building a house and her favorite flower, from my remembrance and understanding is the Daisy.  I would like to know what other flowers are favorites of my other female relatives.  I have some ideas as to what I would like to do with some of my yarn.

I have a lot of the sugar and cream yarn and I think that coasters may be an easy Christmas gift for everyone that wont take up much space and will get more yarn out of the house.  I have been looking at the various colors and textures of the flowers and leaves of those flowers which are in bloom and for sale right now.  I don't have many pictures, but this is what I do have:

Jane Magnolia

RedBud

Painted Tulip

BlueBell

Daisy

I believe this to be a Buttercup, but if not, it's a fun little yellow flower...

As the year goes on, I will collect more pictures of nature and animals and, of course, more flowers.  Maybe something will come out of it of the yarn persuasion.  :)

Yarn Inspriation...

I pet sit to be able to afford my habits of yarn and volunteering.  To date, my yarn stash has become gynormous!  I took this picture two years ago when I was 'attempting' to organize my stash.  It has grown significantly since and I have been forbidden from "buying" yarn until I use some of it up. 

One afternoon, as I exited the house of one of my clients, I spotted this lovely statue that one can purchase on ebay.  It's a memorial statue but I found it to be beautiful and I feel inspired by it.  I may one day do some variant with the pictures. 

I really like the statue.

Given that I know many people with cats, and I also know lots of people who have lost their cats, I was drawn to this.






I saw this pin on facebook and I love it.  I may buy a few of these for some people that I know, but I also think that this would be fantastic for a block for an afghan or something, maybe a runner or even a coaster set.  It would be a really easy design, maybe modified so the paw print is a silhouette within the ribbon loop.  If I modify this, I will update the post with the block design.   

 

Animal Cruelty Prevention Pin for Sale

A Fantastic Milestone!

The last few days I have been thinking about the blog and the direction I am going with it and I realized that other than a few posts, I have been focused on so many different negative things.  I do not want to live my live dwelling on the past so, here's to the future.

I am graduating from University with a BS degree in Animal Science.  I have Associates degrees in Chemistry and Biology, but since I really want to do animal work, this was the next logical step.  While one often hears of people who go back to school, I never actually left.  Graduating high school in '99 I began undergrad in the fall going part-time and working full-time.  After 11 years, I obtained my two associates degrees.  In working full-time, I managed to save up enough money to be able to pay for the rest of the undergrad degree. It's a great feeling, being able to graduate without having any student loans, although the price, was time. 

Now that I am done with college, I have more time to do things that I like to do.  One of my loves, as you can tell by the title of this blog, is yarn.  Now I have time to make time for yarn every day!  I also have more time with my puppies.  Currently, I volunteer with a few organizations, and I have a part-time job which pays for my car.  Having more free time will both allow me to make more money and have more time to volunteer!  Being able to spend more time doing things that I like to do (not that I don't like learning and school) will be fantastic. 

More to come soon.  Right now, I am just trying to get through graduation! 

The Mantra I Try to Live By...

Anyway, one of my alltime favorite songs is a mantra that I live by (or at least try to live by) every day.  These are the lyrics:

Nickelback

"If today was your last day"

My best friend gave me the best advice  
He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind  
And try to take the path less traveled by  
That first step you take is the longest stride
If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late  
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?  
Would you live each moment like your last  
Leave old pictures in the past?  
Donate every dime you had, if today was your last day?  
What if, what if, if today was your last day?
Against the grain should be a way of life  
What's worth the price is always worth the fight  
Every second counts 'cause there's no second try  
So live like you're never living twice  
Don't take the free ride in your own life
If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late  
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
 Would you live each moment like your last?  
Leave old pictures in the past?  
Donate every dime you had?
And would you call those friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories?  
Would you forgive your enemies?  
And would you find that one you're dreaming of?  
Swear up and down to God above  
That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?
If today was your last day
Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?  
You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are
So do whatever it takes  
'Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life  
Let nothing stand in your way
'Cause the hands of time are never on your side
If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late  
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?  
Would you live each moment like your last?  
Leave old pictures in the past?  
Donate every dime you had?
And would you call those friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories?  
Would you forgive your enemies?  
And would you find that one you're dreaming of  
Swear up and down to God above  
That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?

The Proverbial Bucket List

As I was talking with my other half this evening, we started discussing life and what we expect from it and our lives versus what we as a couple and as individuals have been through and how it's dictated our lives thus far.

Randomly, I found myself in a quandary: would life become a finite measurement if one was to write down the items on their bucket list?

After having lived with sickly people my whole life and knowing what an inspiration, good and bad, a person can be to others, I began my bucket list when I was very young.  I always believed that having such a list allowed a person to continue on their life's quest while having a goal in the back of the mind.

This brings me back to my original quandary.  If by writing such a list down, would it then create a timestamp on one's life?  Or conversely, is it conducive to simply create goals for the list that are unattainable in an effort to prolong one's life?  Further... once an item is checked off of the list, should more items be placed on it?  If it's written down, would adding items to it be a breach of the timestamp, if the timestamp were to exist? So many profound questions and yet, to each it is an individual answer.  Personally, I keep adding things on the list currently it is securely in my head.  I may one day write it down, but not yet...

It is inevitable.  The old adage, 'the only things in life that are guaranteed are taxes and death,' is true.  We all will die, but in the meantime, what kind of fun things should be placed on the bucket list or should one make one at all?  

Inspiration from a Desolate, Yet Deserving, Place

So as I have mentioned before at some point, I really dig animals.  I attended the Super Pet Expo over the weekend and after several conversations as the running commentary in my head allows, I realized that while I was there, I was  completely inspired by the presence of good dogs and vendors which attended the expo.  Of course, I realize that the vendors pay to be there and of course, as I did, the people with their pets also paid to be there, but there was one booth which stood out.  I paid $2 for a raffle ticket at a booth which was relatively desolate with the exception of a banner and a table with two gift baskets.  In hindsight, I feel as if $2 was not remotely enough for the ticket.  The banner read "National Canine Cancer Foundation, Inc."  It baffled me that there was not a crowd of visitors at the table as there were with every other vendor table, but there were no free samples or fun things to do at the table either; just the raffle tickets/baskets and a very lovely woman sitting behind the table with the banner:

It inspired me, not because I have an animal or canine which has died of cancer, but I have known animals who have died of cancer and their pet parents were unable to afford the treatments.  So little is known about cancer in domestic animals and since beasts are not covered under health insurance for people and the treatments are so expensive, most people opt to just make their companion comfortable rather than put them through treatments.  Most of these cases are treatable and can prolong the life of the animal for many many years.  
  

Now, I am not saying that I will cure cancer or anything, but given that my hopeful profession is studying tissues and the dead, I hope that one day I could have a hand in some research which is relevant in this area.  Until then, I pledge that I am going to find a way to fight for the cause, not just for canines, but for all animal companions.  I don’t know how I will do this yet, but since I have no actual job to go to after I graduate, I will have LOTS of time.  

Donate today and help fight Canine Cancer by supporting the National Canine Cancer Foundation