A Very Merry Oregon Crochetmas!

Hey guys!

So I've already showed you all everything that I whipped up for my relatives and loved ones in Michigan, but I haven't mentioned what I made for my family in Oregon because obviously Patrick and I were out of town and did not get home until after Christmas, which meant that we had to wait to open presents. I also wanted to wait to post this because Patrick's daughter was coming to town to visit with us and I made something for her, as well, so I wanted to wait until she got to see her gift before I posted anything.

TARDIS Scarf

 

So this TARDIS scarf is what I made for Patrick for Christmas! For those of you who don't know, it is a Doctor Who themed scarf, a show which Patrick loves. The scarf measures somewhere around 6 feet long and the TARDIS pieces are actually separately sewn to the scarf so they serve as pockets! And true to Patrick's love of fringe, there is lots of fringe sewn in at the bottom. I didn't use a pattern for this-- it is one of my own making. 

The wooden spoon is to show how deep the pockets go. I actually didn't have the spoon all the way in the pocket, but you get the idea. This scarf was another mixed media project, which I sewed together with a sewing machine. I felt that it was more appropriate than trying to stitch together the edges with yarn, which would just make it bulky and cause the edges of the pockets to be misshapen. Given the opportunity to change anything, I would add a grey block underneath the left window (because apparently there is some kind of sign on the TARDIS), and I might try to embroider "Police Box" onto the black bit at the top. I didn't try that this time because I was pressed for time and I hate embroidering on crochet, but I could always add it later. I also think an iron-on patch would be neat there but I would have to find one in the correct size... and the iron might melt the yarn since it is acrylic. Another option would be to embroider a piece of felt and glue that to the scarf, which I did consider but again, I was pressed for time (I actually finished this the night before I left for the airport for Michigan). 

Jack Skellington Coin Purse 2.0

Jack Skellington Coin Purse Pattern

After my sister-in-law saw a photo of the original coin purse that I made for Michigan Crochetmas, she commissioned me to make another for her daughter! The money is just to show that the purse unzips.

For this coin purse I used the same pattern as last time but I did a different face and instead of stitching up the edges with yarn, I used my sewing machine.

POT Holders

I had an idea one night and by the next afternoon I had these ready to pack up and give away-- POT Holders (excuse me while I die of laughter at my wit)! Apparently I am not the only person in the world who has thought of this because it was not too difficult to find a pattern for the leaves (though I wrote it down and forgot where I got it from). These are a set of pot holders for a friend of ours. I'm not sorry if these offend some people-- they're a pun in and of themselves and they're hilarious (and useful!).

Totoro

Totoro Pattern

In my Michigan Crochetmas post, I noted that one of the largest items that I made was a piggy (and I didn't mean to make it so large)... This Totoro takes the cake by far, and the photos don't even do justice to his true size! I didn't exactly mean to make something so large (in theory a 9 inch stuffed animal doesn't sound so big) but holy crap, this thing took SO MANY DAYS. If I totaled up the number of hours that I worked on this guy and only gave myself $7 per hour plus the cost of materials, he would cost well over $100 to sell. I had to take time off from making it because my hands started cramping up! In the end he ended up measuring 10 inches in body height, 12.5 inches in total height (with the ears) and he measures 20.5 inches around at his widest point. I will definitely start considering size from now on when I find patterns that I want to follow! 

Cat Ear Hat

Cat Ear Hat Pattern

I also decided that it's about damn time that I made myself something, because up until this point I have only ever made myself two scarves (which I ended up taking apart to use the yarn for other projects) and a pair of slippers (one of which fell apart because I didn't secure it well), so I decided to make this cat ear hat! My photo does not do it justice so I encourage you to click the pattern link to see what the hat looks like in good lighting (and without Snapchat captions). I'm really pleased with how it turned out! 

 I hope you all are having a wonderful New Year so far! 

I'll Be Home For Christmas! (And I'm Bringing Patrick With Me!)

Hey guys!

I have some super exciting news! It's been in the works for a while now, but as you can probably tell from the title, I'll be home for Christmas!

I made the decision this past summer to skip my usual 6-month visit home so that I could save the airline points for two tickets home for one trip. That's right, Patrick is finally coming with me! (Cue the laughter of the Californians that know Patrick, because he will most likely have to deal with ice and snow)

Patrick still has yet to meet my family (except for my mother, my best friend's mom, and my other best friend who came with me on the roadtrip to California). The intention was to have him meet them just before our wedding that we had planned for last May, however we didn't end up going through with that event so we had to figure out a way to get him to Michigan with me.

Some of you may know that I fly using the airline miles that Patrick racks up when he flies all over the place for work (so that we aren't paying out of pocket for my plane tickets). This is useful because, as a general rule, all plane tickets cost the same number of points (it just depends on the distance you go) and the price does not depend on the time of year. I say this because it is a key reason why I didn't come home this summer-- that way we could use points for both tickets home for Christmas and not have to pay out of pocket for a holiday ticket, which is quite pricey. Last time I looked at trying to come home for the holidays, the ticket was nearly $1,000. Just for one person.

So when will I be back? My flight gets in pretty late in the day on Thursday, December 17th, 2015 and, because Patrick is travelling not from home but from another state (that he will have been working in), he arrives a couple of days later. Both of us leave quite early on Thursday, December 31st, 2015, so basically I have from the 18th through the 30th to spend time with family and friends.

********I do want to make a very important note: PLEASE NO GIFTS. This is because Patrick and I will not be able to fit extra stuff in our luggage on the way home and we don't want to have to pay to ship anything anyone might want to give us. If you absolutely insist on a gift, please ship it (or have it shipped) to our place in Oregon (just ask me for the address) so that we can open it when we get home and not have to worry about it on the way back. Travelling during the holidays is already going to be stressful and the possibility of having to probably buy an entire suitcase when we get there in order to bring stuff back with us on the plane is a whole situation that we would rather not have to deal with. Getting to see you is a gift in itself! Please don't get us a gift assuming that you'll be the only one and that it will definitely fit in our luggage-- if everyone thinks that way, we'll end up with the whole suitcase thing and I needn't have even said any of this, you know what I mean?********

On our schedule so far is Christmas Eve with my dad's family, Christmas Day with my mom's family, and a trip to Frankenmuth (because Patrick needs to experience Bronner's and Zehnder's, don't you think?). Patrick does have to work for three days towards the end of our trip, however those days are reserved for things that Patrick wouldn't necessarily like to do with me, such as a sleepover with my sisters! I'm also going to need a Jet's deep dish pizza with light sauce, extra cheese, and bacon, with side of Jet's bread and a lot of ranch. Like, enough ranch for at least ten people (but obviously just for me). :P

I'm beyond excited and actually quite emotional because I haven't spent the Christmas holidays with my family in two years (not to say that our Christmases here aren't awesome-- Check out Christmas 2013 and Christmas 2014!), but it will be nice to finally get together with the people I haven't been able to see because I normally only see them around the holidays.

So that's it! That's the plan! If you'd like to schedule something with us or if you've been dying to meet my boyfriend, then fiance, and now husband, please let me know and we can plan a lunch or dinner or something!

Michigan, I'll see you in 65 days!

How To Have An Awesome Christmas (The Powers Way!)

Hey everyone! I know you're all being a little over-saturated with posts lately... I guess that's what I get for waiting for so long to post and then having current stuff to post right after! Oops! Let's talk about my Christmas haul and doing Christmas the Powers way! Hooray!

Let me start off by saying that Patrick is a lunatic when it comes to presents. He has rules, and here they are:

1. Starting November first, everything that we buy that isn't 100% necessary gets wrapped and goes straight under the tree, and each gift gets wrapped individually. 

It's all about quantity for Patrick, and things we don't need immediately go straight into the gift pile. The tree starts pooping out presents almost as soon as we put it up (which, for me, is as early as possible because I love Christmas decorations. This year is was around the 14th of November) Frozen chicken? Necessary. New face powder? Well I still have some of the other left, so not necessary... yet. This is how we end up with 130 presents under the tree. This year, he had an eight pack of bottled Vernors shipped from Michigan. Then, he gave me one and then wrapped all of the other bottles individually, so that makes seven separate presents.

2. LISTS. 

Patrick goes from lists. He will buy a gift if A. It is on a list you've given him, B. You have mentioned at least once that you would like that specific item in the future, or C. You are out at the store together and decide on an item together, and then it goes home and gets wrapped. He will not "guess" if you would maybe like an item, because that way nothing is wasted at Christmas. That waffle iron that Aunt Mildred bought you last Christmas that you never opened? That would never happen with Patrick. Personally, I love the way that works out. Christmas then becomes exciting again because you never have to worry about unwrapping a gift that you may have to paste a smile on for, which is always a serious anxiety for me during gift giving situations.

3. Gifts are almost never from a specific person. 

For example, he does most of the Christmas shopping. He buys gifts for himself and for others. Then, he wraps them and puts them from things like "All of Italy," "Steve Jobs," or "Jim Fixx." That way he knows what the item is by looking at the "hint" he has left on it and it gives others the chance to guess what the item is based on the clue. Although, he does sometimes forget what he's written. This year, he opened a gift from "The Mayans" and he had no clue what it was. Altogether, this works out in everyone's favor because that way we never have to play the "Well, you got me 12 gifts and I only got you 5" game. Nope, they're all from random people or things, and he would prefer to buy himself gifts because most of what he wants is pretty specific.

4. Survey gift cards.

Each year, Patrick does hundreds of surveys online through certain websites. These surveys earn him any number of points, which he can cash in at the end of the year for any number of different gift cards. He then cashes them all in for Amazon gift cards, and then finds most of the things you want from your list on Amazon. This year, he had over $600 in Amazon gift cards, and then anything else was paid for out of pocket, however it means that you can either get twice as much as you normally would or you can have a smaller Christmas budget for the year because a large chunk of it is already paid for... and it also means he can go crazy with gift giving.

5. Dollar store stocking stuffers. 

This year, Patrick and I each had three stockings full of stocking stuffers. Crazy, I know. He takes a very small portion of out-of-pocket his Christmas budget and puts it aside for stocking stuffers, then goes crazy at the dollar store buying things that are less practical and more fun. This year, we got things like silly string, hot chocolate packets, gummy bears, Jonas Brothers erasers, glue sticks, etc. Some things are practical but they are mostly ridiculous, which he loves.

Our "stocking stuffers" this year

6. Lay out the presents.

When I wake up on Christmas morning, I go out, tell Patrick I'm awake (or more likely I message him on Google Hangouts...), then I proceed to get ready, shower, etc. When I'm done with my morning routine, I go out to the living room and Patrick has the presents all laid out on the floor so that he can see what they are and easily determine what order he wants to give them out in (and also so he can get really giddy about the sheer number of presents that are coating the floor).

We got new carpet, although I'm not sure about the design. ;)

The way Patrick does Christmas is exciting, and after successfully completing our second Christmas together I'm learning to adjust to it. The only thing that drives me crazy is the stocking part because I am always so careful with things and money. I don't like having things that don't have a use other than for aesthetics, and I can't imagine what I would do with a pack of Jonas Brothers erasers, but it makes him happy so I try not to gripe. So let's get on with it: My Christmas haul!

My "Soot Sprite" slippers, originally from the movie "My Neighbor Totoro" but also known from "Spirited Away"

Pandora bracelet and my first charm, "My Princess"

1. 1/4 Inch Barrel Curling Wand
2. Necklace
3. Ring
4. Spinning Necklace Holder
5. Undies (x3)
6. Blouses (x2)
7. T Shirts (x2)
8. Bra
9. Bandlettes
10. MP3 player
11. Iced Tea Maker
12. Pots & Pans Set
13. Wooden Spoon Set
14. Rubber Spatula Set
15. Tiny Rubber-Tipped Tongs
16. Purse
17. Wallet
18. Pandora Bracelet
19. Pandora Charm
20. Face Powder
21. Cover Up
22. Eye Liner
23. Nail Polish
24. Crystal Pineapple Candy Dish
25. Taming The Star Runner by S.E. Hinton
26. Jeggings
27. Skirt
28. Scarf Holder/Hanger
29. Stuffed Giraffe Ornament 
30. Victoria's Secret PJ Set
31. Drinking Bird (drinks the water, goes back up to standing, continues)
32. Ceramic Kitty Measuring Cups
33. Dyson Pull Along Pet Vacuum
34. Soot Sprite Slippers
35. Acne Tools
36. Minnie Mouse Clip In Ears
37. Cotton Candy Body Spray
38. Vibrating Back Massager
39. Carry On Suitcase
40. Hedgehog Hanging Calendar
41. Studded 3/4 Sleeve Knit Shirt
42. Sketchers Glittery Boat Shoes
43. Pocketed Yarn Carrying Case
44. Headphones
45. Shower Head with Detachable Sprayer (for kitty bathing and hair dying!)
46. Beastlie
47. Andy Capp's Cheddar Fries (x4) (I can't find them anywhere in California and they are my favorite)
48. Vernors (x7) (Also cannot be found in California unless you buy it in a can, but a can of pop could last me several days because I rarely drink it... You see the problem)
49. Rainbow Bowl & Teaspoon Set

This is just what I got from Patrick, it doesn't even include anything from my family or friends! Keeping in mind that we bought probably 30% of these things way in advance and I wasn't allowed to have them until Christmas (like most of the clothing was purchased in like October or early November simply because I needed new clothes, but I didn't get them until Christmas), we both made out like bandits this year! Christmas with Patrick is way fun, and I wish my family had done it similarly when I was growing up!

Even Marble, my cat, got a present from Patrick, called "Cat's Meow," which is an As Seen On TV item. Don't be fooled by the infomercial stigma; Marble is obsessed with her new toy and even cries when we turn it off! As soon as we can teach her how to turn it on by herself, we won't have to worry anymore :)

"Cat's Meow" featuring Marble

I know that most people enjoy spending the holiday with family, but since my family members are all back in Michigan, at least I got to spend it with the man I love, my precious kitty cat, and a whole hoard of presents.

I hope you all had a fantastic holiday with your loved ones and that you all got what you wanted for Christmas :)

I won't be posting again until after the new year (two whole days, what a shame) and so I wish you all a safe, happy holiday with your friends and I hope 2014 has treated you all as well as it has treated me. :)

The First Holiday & Brook's Promotion

Hey everyone!

I'm so sorry for the picture quality-- they were taken with my crappy phone (but I'm getting a new one within a few days!) because our camera was broken at a Rocky show (someone stepped on it and blacked out the screen).

The first exciting thing that has happened to me recently is that I got a promotion at work! That's right-- I'm not even past my 3 month probationary period and I've already gotten promoted over everyone else (and, remember, I'm still the newest person working there)! I'm so excited about this opportunity. I also feel that it's going really well so far! I'm proud to have reached the point where someone recognizes that I don't hold back when it comes to work and that I will do what it takes to get the job done. I've gotten a raise with this promotion, so that is also super exciting! I started out as someone who just cleans out kennels (remember, I work at a cat hotel, so every morning we clean out the kennels so our kitties can have a fresh start each day). Now, I'm in charge of everyone who does that. In addition to cleaning out kennels, I'm the one who comes up with a game plan for the day and organizes the back, making sure everything is clean, accessible, and equally distributed. It's a lot of work, but I'm up for the challenge (and the increase in hours)!

On the second day your kitty stays with us, we take a picture of them to reassure you and show you how much fun they're having! For holidays, we have a small separate room that we clear out and decorate for the holiday accordingly. Here is the "Thanksgiving" setup that I did!

While that was more of an announcement, the next bit is more of a recap of the most recent event, Thanksgiving.

I knew moving away from my family would be difficult. I've never been very good at making friends, so while I had three or four friends back home that I would spend time with, I was always (and still am) extremely family oriented. Every day gets a little easier, but I never stop missing my loved ones back home. While technically Independence Day was my first holiday away from home, it's not one that I normally celebrate-- and Halloween isn't exactly family-ish, either-- so the first "family holiday" was Thanksgiving. In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, I became increasingly sad. I have never spent a holiday away from my family, and there are staples in each holiday that I am so used to because they have become tradition, so there was a very sad overcast surrounding the upcoming holiday.

On Thursday, I ended up having to work (because the kitties need love and care, too!), so I woke up at my normal 6am and headed in to work an hour early so that I could try to get some of the base work done so that the rest of the employees could come in at our later holiday start time and just get started on their assigned tasks. The day was very long and dragging, but my boss made it so worth it when our manager sent us all on lunch and we found a gigantic Thanksgiving feast in the break room waiting for us. Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, spinach dip with crackers, stuffing, broccoli and cauliflower, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin pie, and sparkling cider, all laid out on the counter for the employees that worked on the holiday.

Let me quickly go off on a bit of a tangent here and tell you about my work experience. Since I turned 18, I have had five jobs (my current job makes six, keeping in mind that I mostly did not work while I was in college). Our of the five, my favorite was obviously the Han D Dip. Cathy and Dawn made our jobs so worth it and I was almost always excited to work. This was when I discovered my preference for Mom & Pop shops. Franchise companies or even companies that work contractually are very strict and, at least for those that I have worked for, tend to ignore/fail to notice when an employee is doing ANYTHING. Let me give you an example of what I mean when I say ANYTHING-- they fail to notice when you work hard, when you slack, when you need help, when you're doing extra to make up for someone else, and even that you're a human being that makes mistakes. My favorite thing about working for a small company is that you are noticed and treated like a person-- not something that is expendable. When I decided to move here, one of the hardest things I had to do was leave my job at the Han D Dip. Patrick was so patient with me as I looked for work here and waited for the right opportunity, and I cannot thank him enough for that. When I applied for my job, I was nervous, but even my interview felt intimate and friendly, so when I was offered the job I was so excited to take the deal. I have not regretted it. Working for a small company with such compassionate people in charge is the only way I ever want to work. A boss who brings you an elaborate feast on Thanksgiving is the kind of person that I will work for any day. It takes the sting of missing the holiday away, and that is so significant and heart warming.

If I can't spend the holiday with family until later, I think I'm okay spending it with this guy!

Sahib loves me. Really, he does.

After we finally got out of work (holidays are busy because while our clients go out of town, we get to house their kitties! So we had a very very full house this week-- we were booked full), I headed home and Patrick and I got ready to go to Shannon and Jared's house. Shannon and Jared are such incredible people. Patrick doesn't have much family except for an out of state sister and Jackie, so holidays aren't as important to him as they are to me because he didn't always have someone to spend them with. However, when he joined the Bawdy Caste, the directors pretty much adopted him (and me, too, when I got here), and then invited us so spend Thanksgiving with them and their family. To say that this meant a lot to me is an understatement. I was so afraid when I moved here that no one would like me, yet I've been adopted into a family that loves me and supports me in every way, no questions asked. It's more than I could ever ask for and I am so very grateful!

We spent most of the day at S&J's but I wore out quickly because I had been up all day and had worked beforehand, so we left around 9pm and headed home. The next day, I was a little bit sad that I didn't have some specific things during dinner (things that my family makes without fail every year), so that night Patrick and I made our own "Thanksgiving" feast: chicken breast (because I hate Turkey), green bean casserole (my standing favorite of all holiday dishes, even beating out pumpkin pie), mashed potatoes, and for dessert, oatmeal cookies.

Leftovers from Shannon and Jared's. Mmmm breakfast mashed potatoes

Our "makeup" Thanksgiving dinner (pretty much just so I could have an excuse to make green bean casserole and then eat all of it)

Overall, while I would have loved to spend the holiday with my family back home from Michigan, I had an incredible holiday this year because I got to spend it with my work family, my Rocky family, and Patrick. If I focus on that, everything else is just quite alright with me.



***For those of you who fail to read my Facebook posts but read my blog, here is the Facebook status I put up this week. It addresses the upcoming Christmas holiday:

"Hey everyone,
This is a quick message for anyone back home who is wondering about the upcoming holidays. Though I've been trying to save up for a plane ticket so that I can come home for Christmas, unfortunately I do still have bills to pay and right now it is about $1,000 for a halfway decent plane ticket back to the Mitten (meaning I do not have 8 hour layovers or a board time of 3:00am or flights spanning beyond one day's time). Therefore, I will not be able to make it home for Christmas even though that was my original plan. For anyone who suggests a bus ticket, please realize that I do have a job and that traveling for 3 days to get to Michigan and then 3 days to get back to California is just absurd and I cannot do that, especially with my recent promotion at work. While I miss everyone and tomorrow will be especially difficult for me since it will be my first holiday away from my family, I hope that everyone understands the situation that I am in and respects that I cannot make something like that happen. I love and miss everyone and hopefully next year will be different. 
Brook"