Past MidTerm... heading for the holidays!

It's late... again! I had a Structural Geology lab exam today. Gruesome. So this evening while it poured down rain, I crocheted a little, dabbled in my etsy.com shop (http://www.etsy.com/people/Andiroth) getting ready for holiday rush, and watched re-runs of The Big Bang Theory on TBS. Else, I'm still learning the ropes of internet marketing, getting my name out there, and attracting users to my site. Not brain surgery, you say, but without an advertising budget, I may need to put a homemade bumpersticker on my car! LOL.. actually, I shouldn't laugh! I actually saw a bumpersticker where the person was trying to get people to click "like" on (his) Facebook page!!

I just got home from Utah this past week! Uploading a few pictures for you! I especially like the 2.7billion year old rock at Antelope Island in Great Salt Lake (top photo)! Definitely worth the trip! Canyonlands (bottom photo) and Arches National Parks are nice, and Upheaval Dome. Discussed a LOT of geology on the trip. Well, it WAS a geology field trip! Camping, long van rides, snow, sun, rain, stars, waxing moon.... good times!

Ah, well... the guts and glory of being a late bloomer! If only I had the opportunities now that I had 20 years ago coupled with the wisdom I have since acquired! This would be a completely different blog! "Everything happens for a reason" (they) keep saying, and "all things work together for good for those who love the Lord (and are called according to His purpose)" ... I certainly hope so!

Love to all my readers!

Après la fête, la défaite!

Ah! Christmas holidays! The food, the family, the friends, the festivities.... and then it's over. All the presents have been opened, the kitchen is a horrendous mess, and the little ones are running amok on sugar highs!... and in one week, it will be NEW YEAR'S!!!   oh, happy happy, joy joy...

I had a geology centered Christmas. My friends and family are the best! I received a carved stone jewelry box. I haven't taken a good look at what stone yet, but the carving is of excellent lacy vines. I also received a calcite lamp, perfect to display with my rose quartz bookends. I got a locally made, beautiful hematite and semiprecious stones necklace and bracelet, plus two bloodstone spheres. I love rocks and minerals! :)

My gifts to others were primarily hand-crocheted items. I found free patterns online for fingerless gloves and lip-blam cozies. I also tried to design a few hats and make a matching scarf for one of them... I had to rip out the scarf and restart twice! Grrr! But, it's working out this time... I am more careful with the counting LOL.

Hey, this year global warming (heh heh) brought a snowstorm to the southeastern US! That never happens! A white Christmas in Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh?... Bing Crosby has been dreaming for a long time here! ... I'm not a fan of snow. It's "fluffy rain"... it's cold and makes the roads slick (slicker than just rainwater)... it gets in my boots and sleeves, soaks through my mittens, and if the wind is blowing, stings any centimeter of flesh not safely hidden beyond a pile of fluff and stuff. I look like the Michelin Man (TM) or the Sta-Puff Marshmallow(TM) guy except I don't wear white!

Sure, snow is pretty when it gently floats from the grisly grey clouds... and smooths the landscape with a soft white blanket... Then it reeks havoc on the bridges, and drivers forget how to drive. Next are the weakest tree branches that crash over power lines and utility sheds. THEN comes the melt., making everything all soggy for days! See, if it had just rained in the first place, the water would have run away to the streams and a half week later, there would be no remnants.

I'm the minority around here. Most folks I know are loving the snow. Children pray for it beginning the first day of school. Even the adults seem enchanted by a White Christmas... bah! Humbug! ... I think I must have stayed out too late a few times when I was younger; back when snow was "cool." Maybe I got too cold? Maybe I wrecked my sled, and never shook off the embarrassment? Maybe I was the target of a slush ball to the head? Maybe after I started driving I started dreading the "fluffy rain?"... Doesn't matter... I hear it never snows in Southern California?... and that definitely makes it one of the Top 10 Places I want to live!

Twas the week before the week before Christmas...

Oh, my! All the stuff to do before Christmas! Find my Christmas tree that my grandmother gave me last year (it's here in the closet somewhere!), finish the shopping, finish the crocheted gifts (might not happen) and ... oh my! there is just too much! I need to move stuff around to give room for visiting family, check the menu for changes (you laugh, but I might need more potato salad!)... hmmm party at friend's house, invitations to other gatherings, caroling (I can hide  my non-musical talent with talent of others) ... okay. Lunch time, then nap time! Making a to-do list makes me tired just thinking about it all! I am still pushing stuff on eBay, calling hostesses to commit to home parties (while they have their friends over)... must find Jaran Stratton's films/movies for my stocking!