Fright Fall Read-a-Thon Goals

It's time for the FrightFall Read-a-Thon!

FrightFall Read-a-Thon is hosted by Seasons of Reading. When it comes to read-a-thons hosted by Seasons of Reading, there is really only one goal...read! FrightFall does come with one itsy, bitsy additional requirement: one scary book. That's it. Just read one book that is from a "scary" genre: horror, paranormal, thriller, mystery, etc.

FrightFall begins on midnight, September 29th and runs through 11:59 pm on Sunday, October 5th. 

I'm setting some light goals for myself and planning on just picking up books when I have the time. I'm sticking to the credo and making this a relaxing reading week, no pressure. I will be doing updates on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings and then finishing it up with a wrap-up post on either late Sunday night or during the day on Monday. The wrap-up post will just depend on how late I stay up reading on Sunday night. All of my updates can be found by travelling over to my read-a-thons page.

The staggered posting will give me time off to go check out other bloggers who are participating rather than worrying about getting my own posts up every day. Half the fun of this is seeing what other people are reading.

Posting every other day also frees up some days for other things...like posting the 2014 Pumpkin Plan on October 1st! That's right...we have a game plan for our carving and I'll be revealing the theme on Wednesday night. I got a little antsy about things and wound up pulling out the decorations this afternoon instead of waiting for October to officially arrive. I have a couple of additional craft projects that I'm hoping to finish during the month to make our house even more festive. I LOVE fall and Halloween!

As for this week's reading plans, here's what I have in mind:

1. Read at least an hour every day, two hours a day on Friday-Sunday
2. Read a total of 15 hours (900 minutes)
3. Read at least 900 pages.
4. Read at least 4 books.
5. Complete at least 1 "scary" book.

I have some library books to get wrapped up in the next few weeks, but I'm balancing them against my Top Ten Fall TBR Books. I also need to squeeze in a "scary" book to meet the challenge. I'm taking care of that by making it my first full read of the read-a-thon. I also chose a couple of extra books that will fit the theme by plugging them into my "bonus books".

Here's the list of planned reads:

Goal Reading 
          1. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (currently reading)
          2. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (paranormal read)
          3. The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander
          4. The FitzOsbornes in Exile by Michelle Cooper

Bonus Books 
          1. Carrie by Stephen King
          2. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
          3. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Darian most likely won't be reading with me for the entire week since he's pretty busy with school, but I have told him about the read-a-thon, so he may join in for a day or two. We'll see how he's feeling as the week goes. With his extra online course, he tends to have pretty full evenings.

As for me, I'm looking forward to reading some good books and checking out some other fun readers. Happy reading!!

Banned Books Week Part Two: Banned Books that Shaped Me

It's time for part two of my salute to banned books. I'm participating in Banned Books Week by joining in on posts coordinated by Sheila over at Book Journey. Yesterday, I talked about why I think censorship in literature is a horrible idea. Today, well...I'm taking a more personal approach.

As part of Banned Books Week, bannedbooksweek.org has posted "Banned Books that Shaped America". I decided that I would take a spin on this and drive my opinions about censorship home by using myself as an example. I can talk all day about what could happen in theory, but let's see what really did happen in my case with some of the banned books I read before age eighteen. I present to you: Banned Books that Shaped Me...

1. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. Yup. You read that correctly. Apparently this book was considered offensive because it is "blasphemous and unnatural" for animals to talk. Well...there goes 90% of all children's literature. Additionally, it was offensive as a children's book because *spoiler alert* the spider dies. Oh brother. Things die. Especially (thankfully) spiders. For me, Charlotte's Web was a lesson that you need to have faith in yourself and just be the best you that you can be. What a horrible message to send a child...

2. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein. This book "encourages children to break dishes so they don't have to dry them". Guard your dishware everyone. You have got to be kidding me. People are too dramatic. I saw it as a furthering of my education in poetry (which began with exposure to Dr. Seuss - another banned author). Obviously I didn't learn as much from this book as I should have or I would've gotten out of dishes and gained myself a pony. I should've read Shel Silverstein more carefully. Drat.

3. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume. I referenced this one in yesterday's post. This classic from Judy Blume drew fire for being too blunt about puberty and menstruation. Umm...that's exactly why girls like the book. This book is honest. It was why I liked it. For most girls, this serves as a good coming of age book. It was one of my favorite pre-teen reads. It didn't damage my psyche or make me a sex-crazed prepubescent. It educated me appropriately about how my body was supposed to work, and it made sure that I felt comfortable with and unashamed of the changes I experienced. Another precious flower tarnished by the work of an evil genius. Please.

4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I read this book as an eighth grader. I loved it. I still do. I didn't become a drunken mess, swearing and partying well into the night. I didn't learn that adultery is cool and hip. Instead, I was exposed to a historical period for America and I read a great story that I have read several times since. It broadened my horizons and entertained me. The horror.

5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Another junior high read (perhaps even 7th grade...my memory is fuzzy). I learned about racism and how awful things really could be for people just based on the color of their skin. I felt heartache and shame for my nation. I realized how fortunate I was to live a life where I didn't need to fear treatment like that. I wanted to make sure that I never made anyone in my life feel that I judged them differently based on their heritage. I became a BETTER person. Censorship fail.

6. 1984 by George Orwell. High school? I think this was sophomore year with Mrs. Decime, but my teenage memories are again not to be trusted. What I do remember, is fear. I was woken up to the real possibility of totalitarian government control and learned to value my freedoms and rights. Reading this book was a spurring moment for me. I learned to be informed and educated about my surroundings, and to make up my own mind, not just follow along with popular opinion. I think a few more adults could benefit from this lesson.

7. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Ah, the piece of resistance. Another Mrs. Decime pick if I remember correctly. A banned book about banned books. That's just plain awesome. The message was very obviously lost on some. I may have read this originally in high school, but I just recently picked it up again. It still rings very true. Like 1984, it encourages thinking for oneself rather than simply following along with the crowd. Shouldn't we all be capable of some original thought? Last time I checked, I didn't live in Stepford.

Obviously banned books have scarred me for life (insert eye roll here). Honestly, the Stephen King and Anne Rice novels I was fond of beginning around age thirteen were probably more shocking and offensive than any of the books listed here. Believe it or not though, I'm still not a serial killer, fire starter, vampire, or satanist. How I escaped the evil clutches of these terrible books I guess we'll never know. Oh wait, I do know. It's because they're BOOKS and I have enough common sense to be able to know reality from fiction. I also have the ability to think for myself, interpret the content I read, and apply it appropriately to my life. I think most readers have that ability. The general public should apply a little of that common sense and give readers some credit. Banning or censoring a book is never the answer. Education however, well that's just crazy enough to work...

What about you? Did any banned or challenged books play an important part in your life? What lessons did you learn from books that otherwise could have been kept from your impressionable mind?

Banned Books Week Part One: When Censorship Backfires

Did you know that this week is Banned Books Week? I didn't until I heard about it from Sheila over at Book Journey. Banned Book Week is a week for recognizing censorship and the importance of freedom in literature. To celebrate, Sheila has gathered up bloggers to highlight the week with reviews of and discussions on banned books.

When I first sat down to write my post, I was afraid I wouldn't know what to say. And then a billion words poured out of me. Oops. Apparently I am passionately opinionated about this subject. So...I've decided to split my Banned Books post in two. Today is part one, wherein I spew forth how I feel about censorship and use a nice real world example to drive the lesson home. Tomorrow is part two, using myself as an example.

Censorship in literature is not something that has disappeared. Don't fool yourself into thinking that we are too modern and forward-thinking to allow this to happen. It still occurs regularly. It happens in our own backyards. The United States of America, for all of it's freedoms, rights, and privileges, is not immune to the confines of censorship.

Everyone ready?

There are two primary reasons for why I think censorship of literature has no place in our society:

1. In the United States, freedom of speech is one of our most basic rights. The written word is merely a visual extension of this right. Putting words into a book shouldn't cause them to be stifled or hidden away any more than the statuses that you and I so freely post to Facebook or Twitter. In many cases (let's be honest here, what I made for dinner isn't going to change the world), these books are more important to keep available than those mundane posts about our daily lives. Yet for some reason, parts of society still feel that it is okay to tell me what I can or can't read. And to dictate what my kid can or can't read. I'm not alright with that. I'm a big girl. I can decide for myself. I also have an ability to parent my own child. He gets enough instruction from me and his dad, we don't need you bossing him around too.

2. Most challenges start in an attempt to shield children from material that some group feels is inappropriate or threatening. However, banning or challenging a book often serves to do nothing more than make the book more taboo and thus generally more desirable for the population that those banning it are intending to "protect" with their actions. In other words, banning or challenging books very often backfires and makes more people read them. Yup. Free publicity. Well done protesters.

Now...how about a local (and very recent) example of what happens when someone wants to eliminate a book from delicate little eyes.

As with several other locations in the nation, a school district here attempted to ban (and succeeded to a certain extent) The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. The reasoning behind this was that parents were afraid that the book's frank discussion of masturbation would be too graphic for the sophomores - SOPHOMORES - who were destined to read it as part of an elective English course. "One local said it subjects children to filthy words 'we do not speak in our home'...the book features 'reference to masturbation, contains profanity and has been viewed by many as anti-Christian'." The Guardian, April 2014

I'll be completely blunt with you -- this reasoning infuriates me. It is closed-minded, naive, and ludicrous. It expresses everything that is wrong with this practice. Let's break it down...

• The readers in question are sophomores in high school. This means they are 14-15 years old. These "children" are old enough to interpret a book and apply it to their own lives appropriately. They are not naive toddlers. I don't know about you, but at age fourteen I was aware of what masturbation was and I definitely had been exposed to enough "filthy words" outside of books. Despite this, I was not a deviant and I didn't cuss like a sailor. Incredible.
• This class was an elective. Students had to choose to place themselves in this course. If a parent really had an issue with their child reading that book, could they not just voice that opinion to their child? Have we really become so ineffectual at parenting our own children that we can't have a discussion with them? Perhaps elect not to have your child take that class rather than deciding what my child is okay to read. Don't parent my kid for me. I can handle it. Guess what? Based on what I know about the book, after reading it myself I would probably have no problem letting my kid read this book right now. And he's twelve. At his age, I read Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret (also a banned book) and it didn't destroy me for the future. I feel comfortable assuming that he won't be exposed to anything that will harm him or that will steer him in the wrong direction in life. It's a book. Maybe he'll actually learn something. Maybe it will spur some form of conversation that he needs to have with me or his father. Or maybe it will just give him something to think about. Attempting to shield a child from this knowledge by banning a single book isn't going to work. Anyone with half a whit of sense would recognize that.
• The book has been viewed by many as "anti-Christian". Umm....what? Last time I checked, a substantial part of the population is not Christian. I honestly see this as a frivolous argument. Along with freedom of speech, we are also given freedom of religion in this country. I am allowed to think whatever I like and believe whatever I feel like believing. That includes my opinions about other religions. Oh...and while we're at it, just because a book is "anti-Christian", reading it is not going to cause me to suddenly develop some deep seeded hate for all things Christian. I feel pretty safe saying it most likely wouldn't do that with any of these potential readers, either. Calm down.

And remember how I mentioned earlier that banning (or challenging, as this case is technically considered) will just make people want to read the book more? Guess what happened just days after this incident started up? A GoFundMe Campaign was founded that resulted in 700 copies of this book being distributed for free to local citizens. Let's take this a step further and make it personal. I had this book on my radar prior to this event, but it hadn't made it to my TBR. After this whole debacle, you'd better bet it made a nice, firm entry on my list. I'll be reading it before the year is up. Yup...banning...totally effective and worthwhile.

What about you? How do you respond to the thought of banned books?

Want to read more about Banned Books Week? Go check out all the participating bloggers over at Book Journey and then check back tomorrow for part two of my posts on banned books.

Top Ten Books on my Fall To-Be-Read List

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, created due to a fondness for lists. Each week they post a new Top Ten topic. After that, it's bloggers UNITE! Participate with your own Top Ten post, have fun, and get to know your fellow bloggers.


Today is officially the first day of fall up here in my neck of the woods. Yay! I am a super duper huge fan of fall. Don't believe me? I have posts to prove it and then...still more posts professing my love.

But before this post takes a large pumpkin detour, let's head right into today's topic. This week, it's about the TBR pile. Oh my...the TBR. Mine is gigantic. Seriously. It's over 1,000 books long. I may need intervention.

When deciding what books needed to be on this fall's top ten list, a few things come in to play:

#1...there are books that have been on my "currently reading" shelf on Goodreads for far too long. It's time to tackle them ASAP. I have no good excuse, for why I've been ignoring them. I think library books just keep overwhelming my plans. Darn you, surprise additions to my reading list!

#2...I have a couple of ARCs that need reading and reviewing. My organization skills in that department have been lacking. The sad part is that they are all great sounding books that I have a lot of interest in, but (just like the next group) they keep getting shuffled.

#3...I have a few books that have been patiently waiting for me to get to them, even though I've really been dying to read them for quite some time. I'm honestly ashamed at how long some of them have sat there. Always the case of too many good books to read and not enough time to read them. It's time to let these babies see the light of day.

So here are the official top ten books that I'll be taking on for the 3rd quarter, my most favoritest (I don't care if that's not a word, that's how much I love it) time of the year.

1. The Last Breath by Kimberly Belle

2. The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander

3. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

4. Anathema by Megg Jensen

5. The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman

6. Nest by Esther Erlich

7. The Magician's Lie by Greer Macallister

8. The Newstead Project by Melanie Schulz

9. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

10. Hello from the Gillespies by Monica McInerney

What's on your "I will read this now" list? How about any of these? Have you read them and loved them?

And Then I Relaxed...

I took a week off last week. I had vacation for our anniversary and my birthday, but Collin had to do some work around here, we have Darian in school, and our budget is squeaky tight, so I just hung around the house. It was awesome. I slept in until nearly 10am every day, stayed up until 2am every night, watched TV, did some minor crafting, a little reading, and nothing major of substance. If only every week could be that way.

This week, it's back to work. It's also back to the blog. There's some good stuff on the horizon.

Here's what's coming up!

This week is Banned Books Week! I'm celebrating with Sheila over at Book Journey. I'll be posting my piece on banned books on Friday. I'll be sharing what banned books have meant to me and why I think they're so important. Well, really why I think free speech in literary form is so important. Click over to Sheila's blog all week to get linked up with other bloggers sharing in this event.

Next week, it's time for another read-a-thon! It's the FrightFall Read-a-Thon hosted at Seasons' Reading. I don't know if Darian will be joining me for this one or not; it will depend on his school load.

The only real "rule" to FrightFall is that you have to read one "scary" book. This is a loose guideline as the book can be a mystery, thriller, horror, or really anything you choose. I'm trying to decide what my pick will be. It's been quite a while since my last Stephen King or Anne Rice read, so that may be the direction I choose. We'll see. I'll be making my decision and getting my goal post (hee hee, goalpost) up on Sunday.


Also...tomorrow is officially the first day of fall. Do you know what that means for next week? Are you ready? This is the big one! It's the 1st of OCTOBER!! Yay! That means the official announcement of this year's pumpkin theme!

I'll be decking the house out in full fall/Halloween regalia next week and giving you a sneak peek of what's to come for October 31st. Are you ready to get your pumpkin on? It's going to be awesome...

New to the blog? We don't mess around when it comes to pumpkins; it's go big or ... well, go big. We carve up a full yard display each Halloween. Click over and see what we've done in past years...


2011 Pumpkin Display ... Pumpkin Massacre

2012 Pumpkin Display ... Classic Monsters

2013 Pumpkin Display ... Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

I'm super excited and ready for October to get here. We LOVE fall and Halloween around here!

In the mean time, stay tuned for some book fun and maybe a little crafting before the big pumpkin plan reveal. I'm so glad it's FALL!!!

Football Season Mantle

Are you ready for some football? (How sick are you of hearing that phrase around the blogosphere?)

Ready or not, football season is upon us. Around here, that means Boise State. We love our Broncos. This valley goes crazy when September arrives.

I decided it was time to get our house in the festive spirit as well. Why not? So I decided to tackle the mantle yet again.

By the way...the spelling of mantle is one of those things that drives me crazy. Apparently you can spell it either mant-LE or mant-EL. Both mantle and mantel are interchangeable. I hate indecisiveness in language. Especially since I seem to run into mantel all over Pinterest, while I seem to prefer mantle. * End rant. *

The initial endeavor for this project failed miserably. I planned to make some cardboard letters, but it was the project disaster that ended up finding a home in the trashcan.

I redesigned and moved on. Because I'm a ... professional? Who knows? Something like that, I guess.

The first part was easy. A photo made for us last Christmas by my brother Tyler and his wife Victoria. It was taken at a game last season. Next to that, a blue beer bottle from some home brew my brother Chad made. This mantle is a family affair.

On the left side, a few more bottles. This time, a twine wound bottle from our wedding tied with an orange ribbon and an empty wine bottle filled with water and blue food coloring that I sealed with a saved cork. 

I dug out a photo frame that hadn't seen the light of day since approximately 2006. It was hunter green and needed a little neutralizing. A quick black paint job and it was ready to go. In it, a copy of the Boise State fight song all decked out in blue and orange.

After that, the big guns. I needed a centerpiece.

I busted out one of the $2 shelves I salvaged over at ReStore (one of my favorite places in the world) and gave it a quick prime/spray paint.

Thanks to my lack of transfer paper (a small oversight), I had to change my initial plans. I printed out my logos and laid them down over the shelf. I traced over them with an X-Acto knife, leaving small indentations that I could follow for painting.

I hand painted the sign while listening to last week's game (which we won, by the way). Once again, I was reminded that tempera paint is not always my friend. It turned out a little less smooth than I originally planned. But, I think it still looks pretty sharp. I sealed it with some clear coat and it was ready to go. Darian thought it was a sticker, so I'm calling it a win.

Speaking of Darian, he made it obvious that I decorate the mantle far too often. I was down measuring the length when he piped in, "Oh...you're making one of those again?" He was referring to the banner.

The banner was pretty straight forward. Some cardstock triangles, a string of blue ribbon, a little bit of glue, and some strips of leftover fabric. Voila. 

Just like that, festive banner. Go Broncos!!

Spontaneous Photo Session

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I had an odd and busy week that also included a spur of the moment photo session. Well...I'm now in the clear to spill the beans as it were. 

Ready?

My super fun hygienist Annie is pregnant. (Congrats Annie!) I've known for a while due to a work situation, but we've been keeping tight lipped until she and her husband felt comfortable announcing the impending baby to the world.

She was contemplating a few methods for announcing (thanks to the wonders of Pinterest). She decided she wanted to use the teddy bears that she and her husband had as children as well as a new bear for the new baby. Such a cute idea.

Initially, she took the shots of the bears sitting on the bench. It was cute, but I told her that I thought it would be more personal if she and her husband were in the shot. That's how I managed to employ myself. Someone needed to operate the camera. 

(Now...it bears - tee hee - mentioning that Annie's sister-in-law is the kick ass photographer who shot the photos for my engagement and wedding. She totally rocks. But...Annie couldn't very well have her do the job without blowing her cover. Hopefully I did well enough in her stead.)

Darian and I headed out to the farm (they live on a cute little spot of acreage out of town) and spent a short period of time shooting pics of Annie and her hubby on an adorable bench with the bears. Then I headed home to edit.

At Annie's request, she didn't want her face in the picture - silly girl - so I posed the picture to focus on the bears. A little photoshop magic, and the announcement was ready to go.

Here's the resulting photo announcement for the upcoming Baby Phelps.

I'm pretty happy with the result and I'm glad I was able to play a part in getting this cute couple's announcement out there.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Book Characters Sitting at My Lunch Table

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, created due to a fondness for lists. Each week they post a new Top Ten topic. After that, it's bloggers UNITE! Participate with your own Top Ten post, have fun, and get to know your fellow bloggers.

This week's list is a back-to-school theme. It's the top ten literary characters who would've shared my lunch space back in school.

I'm picking a smattering of characters from both YA and adult fiction. Just assume that all characters would've been of appropriate age at the time, eh? Oh...and to keep myself from having a crazy character war, I've limited myself to just female characters. We'll also make it simple and avoid a couples table. Why not?

Here we go...


1. Hermione from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

I was a bit of a nerd in school, so I'm packing my table with the bookish, socially awkward types. Hermione would have been my best friend, without a doubt. Naive, bookworm, and maybe just a smidge of a brown-noser. We also may have shared some very similar hairstyles. Thank goodness Hermione grew into her nerdiness. That gives me hope, right? It also doesn't hurt that she becomes a total badass.


2. Lena from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

Ah, the smart creative girl who gets her heart stomped on by a guy. Yup. I get that. I loved Lena. Such a sweet girl and so much potential.


3. Tibby from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

I'm putting half of the Sisterhood at my table, so Tibby is in. It's that weird factor. That's me. She's quirky and nonconformist. She's brutally honest to a fault. That's a friend I would want to have. I also wasn't much of a girly girl, so the tomboy quota needs a little more padding.


4. Clare from The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

She's the dreamer living in her own little world, but this girl is full of angst. She's miles ahead of everyone else in her views of the world. Yup. She could hang.


5. Mia from If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Let's avoid the sad stuff on this one and stay on the surface. I need a little musical talent around the table. It doesn't hurt that her family seems awesome and that boyfriend of hers...ooh.


...Sadly...this is where the gifs run out. Believe it or not, only half of my list has been made into movie form. You'll have to use your imagination from here out...


6. Amy from Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

All of the good ones are damaged, aren't they? Amy is certainly no exception. She's kind of a loner, but I think the girls and I could give her a niche to be comfortable in.


7. Ruby from The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

Oh, Ruby. You beautiful disaster, you. This girl...if there's anything to step in, she'll find it. She is a magnet for trouble and awkwardness. Pair that with my tendency to be a klutz, match made in heaven.


8. Julia from The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

This one. I just want to hug her. Bury yourself in baking and make them love you with food. That's always a totally solid way to go. But she's just as sweet as the food she makes. Pieces of her remind me of Sookie from Gilmore Girls. Who wouldn't want Julia for a friend?


9. Cassia from Matched by Ally Condie

Cassia is my tough girl. Sort of. She's not the physical type, but like Hermione, she's going to use her brains all the way. Cassia's not going to let anyone pull the wool over her eyes. She'll figure it all out soon enough. And she'll make sure to protect her friends along the way.


10. Penn from Fallen by Lauren Kate

Sweet, smart, awkward Penn. She just wants a friend, and I'm the girl who wants her sitting next to me. Another girl with some serious brains, but a nice touch of awkward. Penn is loyal and she won't give up if you have something important to you. Penn's the friend to see you through.


This almost makes me nostalgic for school. Almost. If I'd had these girls at my side, maybe my high school years would've been ones that produced memories other than those that make you shake your head at what a complete moron you were. Ya...I don't think I'd want to risk the relive on that one.

I've Lost My Mojo

Yup. I've lost my mojo. My crafting mojo that is. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but crafting and I are not getting along. Want some examples? Here we go...

I mentioned in my last post that I was working on a craft project that I hoped to have finished by the end of the weekend. Oh...I finished it all right...right into the trash can. I hate it when that happens.

Yesterday, I sat down to scrapbook. I was totally ready to work on some of these great ideas I have for mini-albums. I walked upstairs and started to pick out a few albums, sat down to work on drawing out my ideas, and...it was gone. That quick. I suddenly had no desire to put anything on paper.

The things I have actually felt like doing all require a sewing machine...which is in the shop. So, that's been a no go.

Today, I decided to sit down (finally) and learn how to crochet. I managed to learn the first two steps and now I'm stuck. I cannot figure out the right way to hold the yarn in my left hand without feeling totally awkward or in pain. That will now wait until next week when I can beg Annie to show me the right way to do things. On the upside with this one, I did manage to get my yarn stash a little more organized by winding up some partially used skeins into proper yarn balls.

It's an odd place I find myself in. Most of the time, I can move easily from one hobby to another when I find myself stuck like this. But for right now it seems as if the fates are just not having it. For the time being, crafting and I should not cross each other's paths it seems.

Let's hope it clears up soon. I have projects that need completing! In the meantime, it's back to baking, reading, some playing on the iPad, and a return to playing Rock Band in the basement. I have to find some way to put these idle hands to work.

Have any of you ever faced a complete craft mojo meltdown? What did you do to get out of your funk?