Z is for... Zumba!

I love Zumba, I love what it had brought to my life, I love to be able to work out in an intense hour full of fun dance... I love to see that my body is not so out of shape and that it really works... I love to feel like I'm having a REAL workout during the class, even when I finish drenched in sweat each class.

Very unfortunately, my Zumba place will be closing in about 2 weeks... which makes me sad and leaves me with the necessity of finding a new place to go to Zumba or a gym to work out.

:o(

Z is also for ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.............

Off to bed now!!!
See you soon!
S.

Y is for Yarn!!!!!!!!!!!

As it is almost impossible to go into a yarn store and not get nothing....

AND I've decided that yarn is an excellent souvenir whenever you go to a new place, guess what I got in Rochester????

I'll make a top with that one, is Vintage Chunky, by Berroco.

This one will be a hat or a scarf.

This one was made while being in Rochester with cotton, it has a nice brim to cover the sun.

My Vintage Vertical Stripe is coming out great!!!

I am LOVING IT!!!!!!!!

And I'm making a shawl! this is just the first "row" but I have 5 more done already... I'll show you soon!

See you soon!
Off to dinner!
S.

X is for X-Ray

I think I need one for my left ankle...

My left ankle is the weak one, the one that every once in a while gets hurt and bad for a couple of days... it has been bad, on and off, for almost 2 weeks... I can't go to Zumba and it hurts to walk sometimes... I think I had a sprain somewhere in the past...

See you soon!
S.

W is for... Wire Jewelry

It has been about a month since I was last here...
I've missed it but somehow, I feel like I hadn't have time for blog land... no, scratch that. I for sure, hadn't have any time for blogland... not for reading, not for writing...

I'm back and hope to be right on track again... this A-Z blogging was a lot harder than I thought and made me lose my writing track.

W is for Wire Jewelry, which I've been doing a lot in the past month... you see, last weekend I had my first show!!
I had a booth at the Luna Festival. Which is an event organized by Women Inspire, and organization that supports and empower women on business and arts.

I don't have pictures of my booth right now... they are on MG camera and I have to unload them to my laptop... but here some of the earrings I had that day!

I displayed some of the jewelry in a manequin... can you tell I was at the yarn shop???

Have to go!
See you soon!
S.

U is for......... Ultimate news and stuff.

Hello guys!!!
I've been neglecting blogland! and then, on the day I was inspired to write a post, the blogger down occured and I just couldn't sign in or leave messages on your blogs... shame!

But I'm back with several things to share with you...

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies and Milk! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They were delicious!!! Some friends said that they were "to die for" :o)

Mini veggie frittatas for evening snack!! yum!

Farpoint topper finished!!!

Close up of the texture and design.

This top it's made with Incredible yarn, by LionBrand, designed by Doris Chan in the book Amazing Crochet Lace. Ravelry project page here.

Me, happy, wearing the Farpoint topper.

I have a new knitting bag!!! for all my crochet! LOL

I finished my Rosa's Sleeveles Tunic!!

Took forever after I had to take it all off and start again... but it's finished and I love it!

At the lake!

MG took me a pic while I slept on the couch!

We'll be taking a trip to Rochester this week... I'm excited to see old friends and spend a good time there, and MG not working in the lab!!!
So I'll see you when we're back...
S.

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 V is for.......... Vibrant Colors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't you looooove it!????????

I mean, seriously!
I just have to look at it to smile!!!!

It is my Vintage Stripe Blanket in progress... I'm making it with my Sinfonía yarn that I brought back from Mexico. Do you remember it?
I haven't worked a lot on it... first I wanted to finish my tunic and then I got into the lace-y top.
But I'm really happy with it... I found out today that I made a mistake color wise, when following the color pattern I made with the random stripe generator... I have used some colors instead of others but still looks good.

So far, it measures 51x16 in! not bad huh?

And my last thing to share!
I just got a new camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My last camera stoped working and maybe you remember that I didn't have a very good start of the year with it, loosing the memory card inside the computer and all that... so I haven't been taking as much pics as I would liked. And I've been kind of sharing MG's camera, but it's not the best.
So about 2 weeks ago, I was talking in the phone with my Mother in law and she told me that her camera had died too and she wanted me to buy a new one for her here, because is cheaper than in Mexico, and another one for me!!!! we chose different cameras... she got a Nikon Coolpix P7000 and I got a Canon S95 that just arrived today!!!!

So I hope that with it, I'll be able to take more pics of nice things and be back to blog duty!
Have a wonderful week!!!!!!!!!!
See you soon... well, more like in a week or so, when we get back from our trip!
S.

T is for.... TOTALLY in love!!!!!

Really!

I mean, I know is good to be in love, I think that if you are in a marriage the best thing is to be in love with your spouse!!! but I also think that there are levels and sometimes you can be more in love than other times.

And lately I am in those times where you're just super, totally, deeply and absolutely madly in love!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE MG.

He completes my life and my days in a very undescriptible way... he fills my moments, even when we are not together, he touches the deepest inside of me when he looks at me and smiles and I just melt.
Usually, he wakes up before me, and when I get out of bed (still half sleep) and go to meet him... he leaves whatever he is doing to come and hug me, cuddle me and fill me with love.

It's so easy to be in love with him just because the way he is, but it also helps, and a lot, that he feels exactly the same huge love for me!!!!

Ever since we met, I have loved every time he looks at me with eyes full of adoration for me...

I could go on and on telling you about all the wonderful being he is... but I guess it could become a little cheesy and corny!!! so instead, I'll tell you that we had the most amazing weekend together...

We went to a Pub on Saturday afternoon, where he had a stew with beer and I had a vanilla milkshake with coffee cream and crocheted for a while!!! then we went to a close by lake and rented a boat and rowed for an hour... it was quiet, without a lot of people around, and romantic...

Sunday was spent in a lovely way too... Morning in a vineyard and winery with a nice picnic enjoying the warm weather... and the afternoon in a lovely and folckloric (spelling?) town... walking, taking pics at all the little stores, eating ice cream... etc!

No (nice) scrap pages for that yet, sorry!!! I haven't made my pages for that day and I have a lot of pics!!! so some singles here...

Wine barrels

At the winery yards...

Our Picnic lunch... Salami, baguette, brie cheese and spreadable sun dried tomatos

The stores...

Ice cream!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ok guys, very in-love... I'll say good bye and leave you...
I'm going to the mall! hehe...

See you soon!
S.

S is for.... Simply Me!

"S" is for Shanti...

I have no idea if you would like to know more things about me but a blog is pretty much about ourselves and our point of view on life isn't it??? So today post it's totally about me.

• I'm the oldest of 2 kids, I have a brother who's a year and a half younger than me. 
• I am so lucky that both my parents are alive and are happily married and raised me in a loving family enviroment.
• I went to a catholic school from knidergarden to highschool... all 15 years in the same school.
• I took ballet, piano and dance classes at some point while growing up.
• I used to hike with the hiking group in the school. 
• I love kids and I used to attend various summer camps as councelor and I even "directed" a couple of summer courses and activities.
• I learned to crochet when I was 5 or 6, and since then I have always had a project going on.
• I started to make jewelry 13 years ago because I got bored in highschool clases.
• I learned to knit 3 years ago.
• My best friends are a set of male twins that were with me all those 15 years of school!
• I LOVE my mom and she's my best friend also...
• MG is the only guy I seriously dated and my only boyfriend. 

• I can sit a whole afternoon just chatting and I don't need a lot to be happy but I'm always working on something with my hands!
• I love to read fantasy books and of course romance! and I like girly books and movies too!
• I love comedy, romance movies where there's a cute storie and a happy ending.
• I believe in fairies and princess(es) and I had several princess dresses to play with while growing up.
• I am super fan of Peter Pan! I love the story and all about it.
• I get emotional very easy and I cry about anything sweet and happy... a TV comercial, a movie, a program, a detail from a friend, etc...
• I love to give presents and make the people around me feel nice and "at home".
• I can't wait to have kids!!!!!!!!!!!
• I love to take pictures...
• I love icecream.
• I NEVER baked or used the oven until a year after we got married... now I've discovered that I love cooking and baking and trying new recipes.
• I'm not very fan of music... I can be 12 hours alone without playing music. But curiosly I'm almost all the time singing.
• I LOOOOVE musical plays in the theatre and that is the music I like best.
• I LOOOOVE to dance!
• I love bright colors.
• I love being happy.
• I love, love, love they way MG loves me.

I think that's a good amount of stuff!

See you soon!
S.

R is for Royal Wedding...

And I know we've had several things going on in the world and several days have passed since the Royal Wedding was.... but as I thought and thought about a good post with "R" anything came to mind nor seemed more acurate than the Royal Wedding... so:::

R is for ROYAL WEDDING!!!!!

I was one of the 2.5 billion people that saw the Royal Wedding on TV and I have to say that I enjoyed it enormously!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've always been a dreamer... a princess and fairy tale believer... an avid reader of romantic stories with happy endings.... and I must confess that I didn't knew a lot about the wedding until a week ago or so. I've seen pictures of them on the magazines but never bought one to read about it... until last week when TLC channel started a whole week of wedding specials with stories of the Royal Family, their weddings, their lifes, the preparings for this wedding, the wedding and story of Prince Charles and Lady Di, the story of Kate and William, interviews, set ups and more....

And I saw most of them and recorded all of those that I couldn't watch... I got excited in most of them, I got goose pumps all over my body all the time and more than once I had tears in my eyes and sometimes down my face.

I wasn't even born when Prince Charles and Lady Di got married and I must have missed all the Royal weddings between then and now (although I think they had never done one like this one)...
So I was absolutely thrilled with this fairy tale...

It amazed my completely all the effort and detail that they put in all of it... the great protocol and formalities that they have through their lifes... the political life and manners that they have to observe and attend... and the down to earth, in-love, happy and nervous couple that looked eager to be with and for each other and make a life together...
I think she looked absolutely gorgeous and amazing and I think she'll make a great Princess...

And after all, she got what every girl dreams of...

See you soon!
S.


All the images are borrowed from the Brithish Monarchy's Flickr...

Q is for Questions.....

Haven't been here in a while... I have so many thing in my head...
I've been making and selling jewelry, I'm enjoying the weather and our town... taking zumba classes, spending wonderful afternoons at the LYS...

And I have all this questions and uncertanties about what will happen with us next year. Next scholar year.
We heard this week that MG didn't got a job on the west coast that he had applied for. He was actually kind of happy because what he really wants (and I do too) is to stay here where we are now, for another year.
We are waiting to hear if he gets a renovation of the grant he's in and, therefore, of his contract. And we should know sometime in May.

I'm questioning and wondering what will it be... where we'll be, what we will do????

We are so so so much happy here... with the place, with the people, with our activities and our life... we are so happy that we are in our best moment with ourselfs... our relationship is absolutely amazing and great and fantastic and couldn't be better and somehow, everyday gets better and better. We have never (thank God) had a bad relationship... we have had some crisis moments, little things here and there, but never been bad, apart, away from each other or not liking each other...
And right now everything is so perfect!!!!!

He is SOOOO happy in his work... I'm so happy in this place, with my friends, with the people at the LYS and the store itself... it promises so many good and great things for me if we stay!!! and he's work also promise so much development for him!!!!

I know life will do it's thing and will take us wherever we need to be.... but please, send good thoughts toward us, so life chooses to leave us here for one more year!!!!

See you soon!
S.

Crocodile Stitch Bag ---- P is for Pattern!!!!!

I'm very happy to anounce and share with you that today I can finally release the pattern I wrote for the Crocodile Bag.

I had several lovely and enthusiastic ladies from We love Lucy group at Ravelry that helped me test the pattern and made some amazing versions of the bag...

Jody's version

 Dansnanna's version

Lia's version

Sorlanna's version

 Sarah's version

You can see all the details of this ladies versions at Ravelry.

And you can also check the pattern page there at Ravelry. Here's the link to it:: Crocodile Stitch Bag.
And there's a button there to download the pattern as a PDF. I did it this way because the pattern was too long to post it directly here on the blog.

I hope you like it! and if you decide to give it a go, I'd LOVE to see a picture of it!!!!

I checked and checked the pattern and I hope that it doesn't has mistakes, but if you find some or get stuck because it's not very clear and need help or anything... please don't hessitate and contact me e-mail here

All excited, that's all for today!!!!

See you soon!
S.

O is for Oh Sweet Heaven!!!

Hellooooo guys!!!!

How are you doing today????
I'm fine, I'm happy and I have a headache!

Today I baked... a sweet, rich, heavy, moist and heavenly Chocolate Buttermilk Cake (if you follow the link it'll take you to the recipe I used).

I started early, not really... I started righ after MG left for work, at 9:30. I mixed all my ingredients and it was a huge amount of batter so actually I got 2 cakes and 6 cupcakes!!

They were out of the oven just before I had to run to my Zumba class... so they stayed cooling.
I took a cupcake just like that for my Zumba instructor, we are very good friends.

When I came back I made the Chocolate Ganache to ice the cake.

I did the cupcakes first when it was still warm and runny!!!

I added some sprinkles to the edges, and they look really cute and I think, professional!!!

I don't know if it has been the deep and rich smell and flavour in the air... the chocolaty air... but my head is pounding, and I didn't even tried the chocolate!!! (chocolate can give awful migraines)...

The cake was iced at the end of the evening, when the ganache had cooled and thickened enough!

The cake is going to MG's lab group meeting tomorrow morning... I told one of his labmates to bring some milk and cups with her because they sure will need it!!!
The cupcakes are going with me to the Yarn Store for the ladies!

And I'm off now to watch a new (I hope) episode of Grey's Anatomy! Do you like that show?? I love it!
I'll leave you with a last pic of my headachy precious treats!!!

See you soon!
S.

N is for a I NEVER imagined...

I Never imagined that following the Alphabet for the name of my posts would be so challenging... maybe that is the reason to call it a challenge, I don't know, but it has been difficult and I thought in things with the letter that have no reason to be on my blog...

Anyway... I haven't been here for some days... I've kept up to the day with my readings in blogland, but couldn't bring myself to write.

During the weekend, I was a poor version of myself. I had an awful migraine... I've had migraines since first grade and, although of course I don't like them nor enjoy them, I've learned to live with them and eventually to get used to a soft to mild headache all day, every day... That's my life... I've seen all kind of doctors and followed all sort of treatments, some more successfull than others, but in the end, the headaches come back. At least until today.

I woke up in the middle of the Friday to Saturday night with a REALLY bad headache, turned my head in the pillow and went back to sleep. I got out of bed with a mild headache, so I took a tylenol, just to help it... and nothing happened... it just got stronger and stronger with the day... very strong, very localized in the left part of my head, with a stinging and burning pain... with a lot of dizzyness and drowsyness... I took my "powerful" pill that usually works, and nothing... and then suddenly it was gone!!! I went to the movies with MG at night, and in the last 5 minutes the pain of horror started again and by the time we got home I was crying... I put some ice in a towel and applied it to my head, somehow it worked and I felt asleep...
As you can imagine, awful night!
Sunday was no different... The pain came again and MG took me to a Pharmacy clinic... after hours of waiting (because we got there just in their lunch time), a Doctor saw me and told me that she couldn't do anything else than taking my temperature and my blod pressure, and suggested that I might have an ear infection.

Monday, mild headache... I spent 3 hours at the University clinic surrounded by college students full of colds and flu...
Finally I had a consult with the nices doctor that asked me the right questions and made me feel as her only patient, as if there was no one else waiting.

Conclusion::: nothing, I'm perfectly healthy!!!! I might have allergies for all the pollen and the enviroment change from Mex to here... a couple of allergies pills for a week and that's it...
And I don't have the headache any more...

I've been making jewelry this week... I'll show it to you soon! right now we are off to have dinner and in the middle of the laundry process...

See you soon!
S.

M is for MG!!!!!!

MG is my loved Husband... I call him MG when I'm writing blogs or emails because it's shorter than his whole name, as I like to used both his first and middle name to call him. I also call him Cielito, same as he calls me, that is a "cute name" in Spanish... it's like Honey or Sweety or something like that, but the literal translation means Little Sky.

MG is 5 years older than me, and I met him 4.5 years ago. We both did our college degree in the same school and when I was studying my degree he was already in his PhD. I studied Chemical Engenieering and he is a Chemist. But curiously, we didn't met at school.

My mom has a good friend since before I was born and she and her family had existed through my whole life. I remember parties of her kids and days where we went to play at her house. And this friend happens to be MG's Aunt... Aunt C.

So around 5 years ago, Aunt C started to tell me to go to MG's lab to meet him, and I thought it was crazy to knock on the door of a lab where you don't know anyone, and ask for a guy and say "hey, I'm Shanti and your Aunt C told me to come to meet you"... it was absolutley crazy!!!! and she didn't tell him anything about me, so it was crazier! and I never did it...
Finally, in November of 2006, the son of Aunt C (MG's cousin) was getting married so she called me to invite me to the wedding and so I went, with my parents and some other friends of them that had been invited by the cousin-groom.

MG didn't want to go to the wedding, he wasn't very in-to-the-family at the moment and prefered to stay working in the lab, but somehow someone convinced him to went to the wedding...

So in the middle of the dinner, Aunt C went to my table and took me to MG's table and introduced us.

Later, MG asked me to dance... and I'll never forget what he said while we were dancing:
MG-- How old are you?
S-- I'm 24
MG-- good, I'm 29... Do you have a boyfriend?
S-- Noup
MG-- Are you seeing someone?
S-- Noup
MG-- Do you want to go out with me??
S-- uuhm... yeah, I guess...

And that was it!!! he was quick and knew what he wanted... next Monday when he got to his work at the lab again and those who knew that he didn't wanted to go to the wedding asked him how it was, he answered: I met the woman whom I'm gonna marry with.
Just like that... we started dating, pretty much that day... Our relationship was half together and half apart... after 2 month of seeing each other, he went to England for a 6 months study, and I went to visit him in the middle with my parents and my brother!!!!!!!

When he came back we were together for 7-8 months and I left to Spain for 3 months...
I came back, we were together for 3 months, got married by the Civil way (a judge), and he left!!! to the US for his first year and was there for 7 months before going back to Mexico for our Church wedding and after that I came to the US with him!!!

And here I am... 2 years ago we got married, we are in our 3rd house, in our 3rd city and have no idea of what will happen next (school) year...
But I love him, so, so, sooooo much!!!!! and I know and feel ALL the time how much he loves me...So I don't care where we end up... I hope it's Mexico though.

Now, when I was in Spain, one of Aunt's C sons, sent me this picture...

See that boy in the light blue sweater, in the front left corner....???
See that little girl in the front right corner???

Have you guessed already???

Yeap, those little kids are MG and myself!!!!! when we were 6 and 1 years old, in the Birthday party of one of Aunt's C sons.

Isn't it great???? I love that picture!!!
After that, we didn't had any contact with each other for 23 years...

See you soon!
S.