Ready & Waiting

Tomorrow Sarah and I are going to make heating pads and neck warmers filled with flax seed. I was able to pick up a 50 lb. bag at a local feed store for just $34.

So tonight, I did a bit of prep work. Just measured out some of the seed and put it in plastic containers. I put in Lemon Eucalyptus oil at a ratio of 2 drops: 1 cup of seed.

Pretty quick and easy. The fun will come tomorrow night! I sketched out what I'm thinking in terms of patterns. They are not to scale, and I had to use a highlighter because pencil wouldn't show up on camera. For the large heating pad, I am going to sew "chambers" of the flax so that the heat will be more even and easier to position for use.

For the neck warmers, I am going to shape them so that it will cover the top of my neck (the base of the occiput) because that is where my neck pain typically is. It, too, will have chambers, allowing the seed to actually warm all the way up my neck without just pooling in the ends. I will include a button tab closure for ease of wearing around the house and because I think it will be cute, cute, cute!!

I love seeing tutorials on the blogs I follow, so maybe I will make one for this project if all goes well! I already have a guy friend at school wanting me to help him make one for his wife's birthday. :-D

Sigh.

I have been so tired lately as I mentioned before.. Well last night was kinda rough - I was up way too late, and as a result I was unable to drag myself out of bed for my first 2 classes. Still barely awake, I arrive at school for lunchtime. And my friend Sarah gives me this lovely necklace she made me!! Such the perfect thing to make my day. Now I just need to pick an outfit to wear it with. :-D

[The pictures do not do it justice]

Also, this is the progress on my purse. I hope to finish this week, although there will be little time between all the sleeping that I will be doing to catch myself up.

A time to sow...

I am so excited to read that, for the first time since Eleanor Roosevelt's "Victory Garden" during WWII, the White House will have a vegetable/fruit/herb garden!! When I heard this bit of news, I wondered why there hadn't been a garden at the White House since the 1940s?! Almost 70 years have gone by since a leader of this nation has set an example of how practical and how financially, environmentally, and nutritiously responsible gardening is. Apparently, back when Roosevelt's "Victory Garden" movement was in full swing, 40% of our nation's produce was independently grown by everyday folk - doctors, businessmen, farmers, etc. How awesome would it be to revive this movement. I am so excited. I found this short video by Roger Doiron about the history of gardening at the White House online:

The Garden of Eatin': A Short History of America's Garden from roger doiron on Vimeo.

The Obama's garden will be active year-round, with season-appropriate crop-rotation. It will be 1,100 square feet and include bee hives for honey!!! Here is the layout:


Pictures of Michelle Obama breaking ground with local elementary students can be see here. My grandpa would not have voted Obama into the White House, but I know he sure would have been proud to hear about the planting of a garden. On that bittersweet note, I am happy to be moving home this summer for my clinical rotation, but I sure will miss gardening with my grandpa. He always called me "Terisa June" and introduced me to others as "My Best Bean Picker."

Previews :-)

Playing Hookie or Being Shrewdly Productive?

In the last week, I have skipped multiple classes - 5 to be precise. One would be inclined to think that I am a complete slacker because skipping doctoral classes is usually not considered wise. I like to think that I am just keenly aware of my demands and am able to discerningly prioritize them. For example, I felt that an extra 2 hours of sleep was very prudent compared to sitting through 2 classes that I probably would haven't paid attention to this morning. So this afternoon, I took advantage of my restfulness and went to Handley Library to study for my pediatrics exam tomorrow (I missed 3 lectures worth of material that will be covered on the test, hehe). Did I mention that in a way, skipping class invigorates me and makes me feel very sly?! ;-)

It is such a gorgeous, old library. Maybe next time I will take a picture of the exterior..


I love the creaky spiral stairs and the calming paint colors!!


So, I am now home, eating my little dinner of tangerines and whole wheat bread with Vermont Sharp Cheddar and hand-ground Amish almond butter! Such a delight. I'm planning on being in bed by 10:30 so I can get up in the morning early enough to walk the 2 miles to school for my test. :-D

Findings

1. A few weeks ago, I was sorting through some things that reside under my bed (because there is far too little space in my apartment for it all). And I found this delightful piece of fabric in a dainty paper bag along with a string of sequins. Apparently, I had big plans for this some time ago and it completely slipped my mind. Maybe I'll have to reinstate the plans?


2. As it is almost spring, I am realizing that I have yet to finish the afghan that I started LAST DECEMBER. It's been over a year, and I have not taken the time to finish it. Perhaps because the colors are not particularly becoming to me (my mom picked them out - and it is for her). I am officially making it my goal to give it to her when I go home for Easter.


3. I had heard of Keri Smith's book Wreck This Journal - so today I decided to see what it's all about. It is full of virtually blank pages with instructions on how to wreck each page in a different way (i.e. spilling coffee on it, poking holes in it with your pencil, dragging it around town while walking or biking...) I am going to run out an buy a copy shortly. I think it will be good for me to do because I am so neurotic about cleanliness and order sometimes. I usually can't walk past a sink full of dirty dishes without cleaning them. So as I was looking into what the book is all about, I found the author's blog. On it I found two things of interest. First, a list of 100 ideas to perform while journaling. [my plan is to start with the wreck this journal book, and follow it up with the 100 ideas] And second, I found the following Venn diagram:


Cheers,
TC

Procrastinating = Productive? hehe

I just posted this on facebook, but I like it so I'm going to post it here too. I don't ever do these silly things that go around. But tonight I didn't feel like studying for my test in the morning, heh.

I had to answer the questions, search flickr, pick photos, and make this lovely compilation:

QUESTIONS:
1. What is your name? - Terisa
2. What is your favorite food? - Green Beans
3. What is your hometown? - Roanoke
4. What is your favorite color? - Green
5. What is your favorite movie? - um, don't have one so I used October Sky bc I thought there would be a pretty picture... :-)
6. What is your favorite drink? - Dr. Pepper
7. What is your dream vacation? - Ireland
8. What is your favorite dessert? - Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae
9. What is one word to describe yourself? - Awkward
10. How are you feeling right now? - Anxious [to go on spring break]
11. What do you love most in the world? - the farm?
12. What do you want to be when you grow up - a lover, hehe.


1. IMG_0234, 2. pea boat, 3. The Roanoke Star, 4. Yellow army, 5. Amazing Saturday for Photography Part 8, 6. better be a dr. in the house . . ., 7. KELLS PRIORY. KILKENNY, IRELAND., 8. baxter v. hot fudge sundae, 9. That Awkward Feeling, 10. She is a bit anxious again, 11. Boundary, 12. The lovers