To Mom and Dad

At the moment, I am very confused about how I will proceed with college. I entered as a Biology major with Pre-Med track. As midterms approach, we have to start looking at classes we want to take and I was noticing a variety of things, all medical related, which interested me. There's just straight forward Biology, a Nursing program, then also at a hospital there's a Paramedic program and don't even get me started on the minors! Looking at this, I started to wonder whether I wanted to even go to Medical School anymore or pursue a career in Emergency Medicine as a paramedic and even get my Nursing degree before getting paramedic. When I told my dad this, he said "That's fine, you're keeping your eyes open and looking at the options. There's a lot out there." Quickly I responded that whatever I do, I want it to be in medicine, but then started rambling about all of the other opportunities.

Again my father reassured me about all of the options and said that I should do what I want, but get the requirements in and a degree to be able to support myself, whether as a RN, Paramedic or something else. "The thing is, I don't think I could be a Nurse. I don't think I could handle not having the ability to do a procedure I knew could help save a person. I haven't encountered it as an EMT yet, but that's why I want to get Paramedic, I want to be able to do whatever is needed. That's why I want to go to med school. I don't want to sit and wait."

"Well, you just answered your question yourself Katie." he said.

Thank you Mom and Dad for listening me ramble today. College is a blast but it's overwhelming and I don't know how I could do it without you two. <3

Mom's Birthday and Going to College

And so the time has come! Tuesday I leave for college which is... intimidating. I will be entering as a Biology/Pre-Medicine student. For about a week now my room has been in shambles as I tried to choice what to bring and what not too bring. Finally, my room is no longer in shambles... and even better, it's clean!!! So, with my room smelling all fresh and nice, I decided to get started on my mom's birthday gift- Tigger! (I just realized that I did not post my dad's Eeyore.... I shall do that soon.) I sketched and outlined it on a canvas board and this afternoon I will paint it and get back to everyone with how it turns out. For everyone else heading to college, drive safe and be safe :) For everyone still in high school and the family of students, Thank you so much. For the great times. The laughter. The tears. The love.  

 Thank you Mom and Dad for your support. I love you. Happy Birthday Mom :)

Legend of Korra Ink Sketches

These are my pen sketches of Bolin and Mako. I especially enjoy the one of Mako, his expression after Lin tells him his fly is down.. and proceeds to metal bend it. Mako is just cute I think, seeing him as Linus from the Peanuts gang. However, he cannot evade my anger of his actions towards Asami! 

Second Batman Shirt

 This it the other Batman shirt I made for the Batman: Dark Knight Rises midnight showing. The colors are a little off on the bottom, the outside rim is darker and the inside orange is lighter. Overall I like it but I think I'll do another one but keep it all black.

Once again, done with acrylic paint and can machine wash after two day but color will stay better if one hand washes.

'Cuz I'm Batman!

The latest shirt I've made for the upcoming Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. I am super excited for it and am planning on attending the midnight showing with friends :) I think this one turned out better than many of my others.

As always, I used acrylic paint for a couple coats. It will fade with washing, especially if you put it in a machine washer, which you can do, just wait two days, and wash in cold water first. Either way, I prefer to hand wash in cold water.

My last step was cutting the neck to make it wider, though it does not show it in this picture. I went two inches out past the neckline on both sides and cut to the bottom of the V-neckline. I just don't like V-necks and it made this shirt fit more comfortably for me personally.

RAWR!

These are two other drawings I did while working at Camp. They're based after the same character just two different variations and age. I particularly like the "Dinosaur" one. However, I'm not happy with how the facial expression turned out. It strikes as a little kid forced into an outfit when I was trying to go for a cute, innocent, but wary face. Someone who is wanted to be accepted for who they are, and they just happen to be a dinosaur :D The second drawing is the young boy being adorable. I like to think of him being caught doing something he shouldn't be doing, such as playing with bugs in the dirt! Another possibility was that the little lady bug scared him when the bug took off running. Either way, I think of these pictures fondly. I loved drawing them and meant to capture a childish spirit. 

Lover Birds

A drawing of Owls I did while working out at Camp. I did it in a downtime while the kids were hearing stories about the Olympians. 

Belated Mother's Day!

Here is a "card" which I made my mom for Mother's Day. It was not belated :D just posting this was! It was a fun project to work on AND I didn't cut myself with the knife I used..... :)

 First step was finding twigs then using a knife I shaved the bark off. This can GREATLY simplified if one obtains those cute Popsicle sticks. My mom ironically threw away the ones I was saving, mistaking them for garbage! Once that was done, I cut flower shapes out of a spare foam paper. Then I duct-taped the wood to the foam flowers :D

From there, I made the "card" part of it by folding a green cardboard paper into a square. It helps if the paper is doubled up for support.  After, I tried a few things to connect the flowers to the paper. I first tried duct-taping cardboard diagonally inside the "card." That did not work....

             finally I just duct-taped the flowers to the
                     inside of the card :P

                      Problem solved haha.

I concluded by writing "Happy Mother's Day to a Fantastic Mom!" On the sides I wrote other descriptive words such as "kind" "wise" "great" "wonderful" "awesome" "ravishing" "beautiful" "sweet" etc.

Saaaahhhh-wwward

 Monday was a very slow day in school. Most of the seniors were gone for a math field trip (which I could not attend because I went last year). Due to this, we did nothing in Spanish, too keep me quiet my teacher allowed me to make a sword (or sahhhhhwwward as he calls them!) out of construction paper and extensive scotch tape.

Needless to say, I was VERY entertained.

Once I got home I was further entertained by duct taping my sword. It's not very macho considering it is rather bendy, however, I enjoy it.

ESTO ES ESPARTA!

Easter Eggs 2012

In the holiday spirit, my friends and I had a fun time participating in the custom of coloring Easter eggs! As one can probably tell, we had quite a fun time! We drew Harry Potter, a demented Voldemort, The Joker, a "homemade Dark Mark," a regular Dark Mark, a yellow egg with Charlie Brown's shirt design, Aang, Zuko, a few zombie eggs, an adorable JubJub and a multitude of randomly colored eggs. I hope everyone had a great Easter! 

Wake Up World, The Sun Has Come

I feel that Spring is finally here, in past years she has forced us to wait for her for what seemed like endless days which merged into endless months. Sometimes, we would not see our old friend until June or July. Last year, it hailed/snowed on my birthday which is in July. However, now she is here and I plan to enjoy my time with her fully. There's nothing like sitting and reading in the sunshine on my deck while listening to the birds sing.

This is a Pon and Zi drawing I did this afternoon. I apologize, I couldn't get a good picture. For those who cannot make out the words, it says, "Wake up, Love! The Sun came to see you!"

Wake up world :) Smile and take in the Sunlight before it disappears, and when it does then take in the Starlight before it disappears, as my song of the day, "All Time Low's" by Hellogoodbye, said.

Cooking Activity: Deviled Eggs

How Disney at family.go.com says my eggs should look

Today, I am covering something new- food! For those who do not know me, I can make: peanut butter sandwiches, PB&J sandwiches, peanut butter and banana sandwich, cereal (all varieties!), popcorn, TV dinners, and finally... Shake 'N Bake.

However, I have always loved Deviled Eggs and so I decided to expand my horizon and ask my mom to show me how to make them. Her instructions were simple. 

1. Hard-boil eggs according to altitude. I live in high altitude so I boiled for about 8 minutes and then let sit another 5 in the water. I started with 5 eggs. 

2. Peel and slice the eggs in half, top to bottom, not side to side.... like I did haha

3. Remove the yoke from the eggs and mix that with two regular sized drops of mustard, a big spoon full of mayo, and sprinkle of salt and pepper. After, taste test a bit of the concoction, and add more of any ingredient as needed. 

4. Scoop mixture into the crevice of the egg halves and sprinkle with a bit of paprika. 

This was how I heard it; however, there are a lot of well written directions out there. 

Here is a link to good directions:  http://family.go.com/food/recipe-810813-deviled-eggs-t/ 

And below.... is how MY eggs turned out. Nevertheless, they tasted great!

How my eggs looked 

Adorable Neopets

I apologize for not posting anything new lately. It has been a crazy last few weeks. I have been on-call a lot at my local ambulance garage, and then track season has started. Between the practices and meets I feel swamped, yet thankfully the weather has been glorious, making it all the more worthwhile. 

Baby Chomby

To relax, I have been drawing much more than normal. It's much more calming to do simple drawings rather than large projects. However, I have a few shirt designs so there will be shirts done and posted soon! 

Back to these drawings! Ever heard of Neopets? Cute children website with games and the option of adopting pets, pets for your pets and finally pets for your pet's pet! You can buy houses, toys, food and paint your pets different "themes." Not that I ever play Neopets anymore... child's website.... ;) 

Pirate JubJub

Sick day :)

Well today was relaxing! I wasn't feeling well so sat on the couch all day watching movies. First was Red Eye, staring Cillian Murphy and Rachel McAdams. I was so impressed, words cannot even describe! I was quite hesitant to watch it, as my wonderful, glorious, beautiful friend who suggested it, told me it was a psychothriller, which I agree with now. However.... it looked like a horror to me when I looked at it! I am absolutely terrified of watching horror movies. I almost think I get more freaked out at the prospect of getting freaked out. When that scary music starts and I KNOW something is going to pop out... and then it does not.... then when I'm not expecting it, something does pop out. That whole little routine drives me up the wall. Why can't these scriptwriters make things logical and have the serial killer hide in the right places!? Ok, now that is not quite the point of horrors, being logical and all but oh well. Red Eye did not scare me at all, yet it had a great plot, Cillian Murphy was gorgeous and intimidating, and Rachel McAdams was great plus her character was a beast and she stood up for herself.

Next, I watched the Dark Knight. Fantastic movie. Humongous fan of it.

Then came LiarLiar with Jim Carrey. Hilarious.

Fourth, Peter Pan, the live action with Jeremy Sumpter and Jason Isaacs. Isaacs was amazing and a terrifying, complex character as Hook and Sumpter was delightfully childish, truly bringing to life Peter Pan.

Fifth (geez, did I REALLY just sit around all day watching movies?!), Larger Than Life with Bill Murray. Also funny, it is the story of a man, who inherits an elephant, as he travels across the US.

Then I drew a dinosaur (see top!). Hi! Say hi Billy. Billy... say hi! Awww he says he loves you! Say night Billy. Billy's gotta go to sleep now. Tomorrow's Monday... have a great week everyone!

Spiral Hemp Necklace

Spiral hemp necklaces can be very pretty and are very easy. Possibly easier than the straight. If you start by crossing the right long string over the middle, then continue starting with the right. This will cause the spirals! Try it and enjoy!

Hemp Necklaces

For a long while now, I have enjoyed making hemp necklaces.

Supplies: Hemp (most craft stores in a roll), clasp, charm or beads as one wishes.

1. Cut hemp, I average 16 inches for the necklace, by the time I tie the clasps, 14 inch. There are four strings, two should be the length of the necklace. Two should be five times the length (unless there are extensive beads). Rather than having four strings, I use double and two strings and tie them at the end. Just easier to deal with!

2. Put the two short strings in the middle with one long on each side. Cross right long over the two short.

3. Bring the left long over right long and BEHIND two middle short. Lastly, back over right long. Pull tight. Be sure to pull firm to keep the knots even.

4. Do the reverse, starting with left over middle short. Bring the right over left and behind the middles. Tighten.

5. Repeat.... endlessly! Or until necklace is done. To keep the design straight one must do one right, one, left, repeat. To add a charm, slide onto either long string and continue the knots. At the end, attach the other end of the clasp. I usually put varnish, paint, glue or something on the end knots just to assure they stay.

When completed, the necklace will be itchy during the first few wears. I will usually soak the necklace in warm water for a few hours to help ease the scratches. Questions? Feel free to ask or else Google is filled with plenty of instructions.

Sewing Project- Gloves

 This project was my first attempt at sewing .... well anything! Now enter my lame diagrams. This diagram is for the making of one finger-less glove. This was my first attempt to learn how to sew and so I used VERY cheap fabric. More precisely, the fabric I cut off of the bottom of my Pon and Zi shirt. The original pieces of material have the dimensions of 9 inches by 4.5 inches. This all varies on the length of the glove one wants and the width of ones wrist. The length was good on my hand but the width could have been less. I'll probably end up adding a ribbon to tie it tighter.

Materials: 2- fabric 9 inches by 4.5 inches
                needle
               thread
               ribbon, 5inches long

STEP ONE!

Cut and then hem along the lines which I marked orange but resulted in a pinkish-red line. On B, one should cut off approximately 2.5 inches. On A, one should cut off a triangle of fabric from each side. The red/pink line on A is roughly 3 inches.

 I will attempt to explain the hem stitch my mom taught me. The well drawn diagram (*wink*) I created hopefully will show you how to line up the fabric. The black is regular fabric and the red/pink shows where the fabric was folded over.  If you can make any sense out of this picture I will be very impressed. The blueish/green is the string.

                  1. Start by threading your needle, and tying a knot on the end of your string to prevent it
                         from coming out of the fabric.
                  2. At the edge of the fabric, starting at the bottom, pull the needle through both levels of
                         fabric.
                  3. Thread the needle through the TOP layer only about
                         0.25 inches.
                  4. Thread the needle through a few stitches of the fabric underneath the top layer and
                        then up through to the top. This should bind the two fabrics together.
                  5. Repeat instruction 3 and 4 until you reach the edge of the fabric, then tie a knot and
                        cut the remaining string.

STEP TWO!

After the sides are hemmed to prevent fraying, you can start to sew the two pieces of fabric together. Fold slightly the edge of B before placing it over A and sewing. This fold once again prevents fraying and makes it look nicer afterwards.

STEP THREE!

Sew the ends of the ribbon to the tip A. I honestly have no suggestions on how to do this. I just experimented. I tied a knot on the end of the string, starting from the bottom of the hem on the INSIDE of the glove ( looks nicer if all the hems are on the inside), and then up through the ribbon. I then tied another knot and cut it, so far it's held up well. Another option would be to simply hot glue the ribbon to the fabric.

I apologize for the coarseness of the instructions. This project was pretty haphazard as my mom was trying to explain sewing to me :) I plan to attempt to add beads to the top of the glove for decorations and either more ribbon or a snap on the "backside" of the glove, the side pictured below to tighten it around my wrist.
This project isn't dressy, yet is cute for around the house or dress-up for a young girl.

S.A.D.D Middle School Dance

This last Thursday, I had the pleasure of DJing a middle school dance for Students Against Destructive Decisions. It was so much fun!

We did it as a Sweetheart's Dance. The Middle School TATU (Teens Against Tobacco Use) members helped decorate. They did a wonderful job. On the entry doorway, they hung a sign saying "love bugs only!" Also, there WERE balloons everywhere (most were popped within the first half hour.

Lastly, we tried to supply lots of goodies. We had a ton of cupcakes, Valentine's Candy, pizza rolls, pizza, pop, water, popcorn. I can't even remember everything!

The middle schoolers did surprise me with some of their music choices.

Group Dances/ Classic Dance Songs

1. Cupid Shuffle- Cupid
2. Cha Cha Slide- DJ Casper
3. C'mon N' Ride It (the Train) -Quad City DJ
     * Not readily known, no instructions in the song, but very fun!  
         Check it!
4. Macarena - Los Del Rio
5. Jump On It- Sugar Hill Gang
     * This was so popular I had kids asking constantly for it! I saved it  
         to be the third to last song I believe. They seemed tramatized at
        the thought it might not be played.
6. Crank That- Soulja Boy
7. Thriller- Michael Jackson
     * This went over very well because our local dance studio learned this dance, and many others just knew
        it out of love for MJ!
8. Stacy's Mom- Fountains of Wayne
    *Can you believe this!? 8th/7th graders knew the song... 6th GRADERS CAME UP TO ME AND
       SAID THEY HAD NEVER HEARD IT BEFORE! o.O
9.  We Will Rock You- Queen
   *Get the kids stomping and it is AWESOME!
10. Cotton Eyed Joe- Rednex
                                                                                                       
                                    Techno/ Remixes

 11.  Party on the Floor- DJ Earworm
              * Did not go as well as I thought... what's wrong with these
                 kids!?
 12. Sandstorm-Darude
     * It suprised me, hardly any kids recognized the song, as a result  
        we got on the mic and said "ON THE COUNT OF THREE
        EVERYBODY JUMP AS HIGH AS THEY CAN!" That got
        some results after we presented them with a challenge!

                                     "Dance offs"
13. Get Low- Lil' Jon
14. You Shook Me All Night Long- AC/DC
     * Prize for best headbanger/ air guitar!


Other good songs!

15. Hey Baby Drop it to the Floor- Pitbull
16. Save a Horse (Ride A Cowboy)- Big N Rich
17. 1-2 Step- Ciara
18. Super Bass- Nicki Minaj
      * Goes over WAY better at High School dances
19. Club Can't Handle Me Right Now- Flo-Rida
20. Honky Tonk Badonkadonk- Trace Adkins
21.I Know You Want Me- Pitbull
22. Yeah! - Usher
23. Say Hey I Love You - Michael Franti
24. Low - Flo-Rida
25. Party Rock Anthem- LMAFO
26. Give Me Everything- Pitbull
27. 2012- Jay Sean

Requested were:
28. Young Wild Free- Wiz Khalifa
   * It surprised me- the kids REALLY danced to this.
29. The Final Countdown- Europe
   * Yeah.. they didn't dance....or even really care...

Then there were plenty of slow songs added in there for Valentine's Day. Just some ideas :) Also, If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them to add to my playlist!



           

Happy Valentin'e Day

Happy Valentine's Day everybody! Well today was interesting, nothing too exciting however. I went skiing this last Sunday with a bunch of friends... It ...was...so....awesome! Also, I have to admit, I was pretty skilled for my third time skiing and the first in about two years. That is, until I fell! I pulled on and had a fun rest of the day. However, the next day my thumb was swollen and bruised. I was further worried when a friend of mine told me one of HIS friends had bruises and pain in the same spots... which resulted in surgery. That day I went to the doctor's to see if any bones were broken. Luckily nothing was broken but I did have a fun time doing x-rays. Unfortunately, I can't play piano for about two weeks or hold my flute up, and the last pep band is this Thursday.... *cries*. What was I talking about? OH! Valentines Day. Uneventful. Thumb hurt, had enchilada for lunch, now watching Oklahoma. (Geez, this is sounding like a pointless facebook status!)

Glass Charm Necklace

This is my most recent necklace. I think it is quite beautiful even thought it is hard to see clear on the photos. My main supplier of beads and charms come from Hobby Lobby or Michael's. The charm I was lucky enough to find on sale for about a dollar in clearance section of Hobby Lobby.

My next step was tying measuring and tying three strings to the end of a clasp. Laying taunt, the necklace is approximately 11 inches on each side of the charm. From there I beaded each string a different color, a royal blue, sea green and finally a gold. Before I tied the three strings to the other end of the clasp, I twisted the gold and blue string around the green.

My last step was attaching the charm to the necklace. I had to experiment, due to the fact I did not possess a large enough loop to fit through the whole of the charm. Therefore, I got wire, wrapped it the charm's hole and from there wrapped it around the loop. All in all, I believe it turned out quite nice!

Quick note: If anyone is considering getting jewelry pliers, I'd say great idea. I use mine extensively to wrap wire around shells and charms; and, it works wonders!

Rest In Peace Herb Conn

On February 1st, a legend passed away- famed climber, Herb Conn. However, it is not for his achievements which I am writing this. This dedication goes out for what Herb, and his wife, Jan, stand for, despite being temporarily separated in body.

I first met Jan Conn almost six years ago, playing with the French Creek Folk at the local senior center. I was just starting to play flute in band and was interested in taking private lessons. Impressed with Jan's spirit, my parents arranged for lessons. Immediately, Jan struck me as a free spirit and vibrate despite being in her 80s then. As the time came I grew to respect her will and the sense that her values were undeminished. She would do anything for a friend, loved her family dearly, supported creation and knew that materialistic objects were fleeting.

After I had had lessons with Jan for some time, she invited me for a lesson at her house. It was the neatest think I had seen in a long time. It was like stepping back into another world. They're house was small and surrounded by forest. On a small hill they had a craft like building. It was small, covered in maps and posters of the surrounding caves; books, carvings and music were scattered around. In making these connections, I also began to learn more of Herb.

In time, I was also attending Jan and Herb's presentations at Jewel Cave and places around the Black Hills. I had always known of Jan's wit but this was when I began to learn more of Herb's also. I don't even recall any specific conversation with him, but I do always remember him running the project or standing off to the side grinning to himself at some story Jan was relating or a song she was singing.

My most memorable experience of these performances was Jan singing a song about how, in a cave, the small man always prevails, and then in another verse (or song?) where Herb hands her a cup of water and she sings underwater!

Herb was always kind to me. When I would call their home and ask for Jan, it would sound as if he was smiling. He was quiet but when he talked, there was no doubt he had something worth saying.

I stopped taking lessons from Jan about a year ago, our paths were different and eventually out contact diminished to simply seeing each other around town. Her and Herb's lifestyle was so beautiful and they by the bare necessities but they lived for everything else. I envy how simply they could live and I hope that I find as much happiness in my life as they did. I do not know whether or not Herb believed in an afterlife, but I am convinced that he and Jan cannot be parted, even for a brief amount of time.

My condolences to Jan and more so, the pray that Herb passed in peace and is having fun exploring his new-found kingdom.

Check out these websites I have found, You'll be amazed:

http://southdakotamagazine.com/explorers-of-an-unseen-world

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1740864/R-I-P-Herb-Conn-of-Needles-and-Jewel-Cave-fame

Pon and Zi Shirt

Back of shirt

Front of shirt

This is my latest shirt... PON AND ZI! The front of the shirt is a classic Pon and Zi design, while the back is something of my own along the main theme. This is my first shirt done with color acrylic paint rather than black and white or sharpies. Like the other shirts, I'll hand wash first in cold water, let sit, hand wash with warm water/soap. I have discovered that the washing machine doesn't like the acrylic paint. It works ok; however, the color does fade, so I stick to hand washing. For awesome official Pon and Zi check out their website: http://ponandzi.com :)

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

Aren't these some simply intriguing quotes from the completely vile Lord Henry Wotton: 

"I choose my friends carefully. 

"I apologize for the intelligence of my remarks, Sir Thomas, I'd forgotten that you were a member of Parliament. 

"I like persons better than principles and persons with no principles better than anything at all. 

 "I suppose in a fortnight or so, we shall be told he's been seen in San Francisco. It's an odd thing, but everyone who disappears is said to be seen in San Francisco. It must be a delightful city and possess all the attractions of the next world

 "There's only one way to get rid of temptation, and that's to yield to it. 

 "If I could get back my youth, I'd do anything in the world except get up early, take exercise or be respectable.

"One of the great secrets of life. Most people die of a sort of creeping common sense and discover too late that the only things one never regrets are one's mistakes. 

"But adoring someone is certainly better than being adored. Being adored is a nuisance. You'll discover, Dorian, that women treat us just as humanity treats its gods. They worship us and keep bothering us to do something for them." 

" I'm analyzing women at present. The subject is less difficult than I was led to believe. Women represent the triumph of matter over mind, just as men represent the triumph of mind over morals. "

Sir Thomas:  You must admit that women give men the very gold of their lives. 

Lord Henry: But they invariably want it back in such small change. Women, as a witty Frenchman put it, inspire us with the desire to do masterpieces and always prevent us from carrying them out.

Art Within- 2

As promised, a few pages from the book I was making. When done, I tied all the pages together and burnt a CD to go along with it. I think I'll make more books of this kind for possible birthday gifts. Sappy yes.... but oh well.

Art Within-1

This is the cover of my latest project! When I get home I will be able to show everyone more of it, but for the moment, I'll settle by just giving a little bit of a low down on my "Art Within." This project was inspired by a friend of mine who was feeling a little down, and so I felt like making a "booklet" of drawings/photos which had to do with a song lyric which in turn expressed how that person made me feel or their good qualities. It was so much fun to do! I searched through my old photos to find memorable moment, even working to make my own photo mixes as you'll see. Afterwards, I made a mixed CD of the songs I incorporated into the art work, bound the pages I had made together and put them all into a vibrant red folder, which I labeled "Art Within." Lastly, I was mildly entertained by drawing... squiggles... on the front. 

In the mean time, I am looking forward to posting more photos and example when I get a chance. There's a Valentine's Day dance tonight which I have to help with... gotta run!  

By the Way: Yes this is the larger project which I made my "I Miss You" photo for!

Aspen Trees

 These are some photos I took of Aspen in the State Park. 

 It was a beautiful early fall day. 

 The leaves were just starting to change and the sun was bright.

 I want to keep these moments alive in my memory forever.

 Though times can be rough, I just need to remember the beauty.