not just a kids holiday

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! We had such a blast this weekend! I am enjoying this holiday more now than when I was a kid. It was great to see the college crew again. Friday night was a reunion of the whole first year gang. We all lived in the same dorm/area of campus the first year I was at UConn. That's how Dave and I met -- we were friends with the same group and lived down the hall from each other. Saturday night was more of a reunion of my last two years at UConn. We have tons of great photos, but some are on my disposable camera and others on my friends' digitals. (Will post soon.) Tinkerbell turned out to be the final vote. I got some really pretty green fabric at Joann's and a plain dress pattern. It worked out perfectly when I just cut the bottom to be zig-zaggy. Then I got some green nylons, wings, a wand, and gold glitter hairspray. I was actually quite impressed with my sewing skills -- the dress came out pretty damn good, if I don't say so myself :)

halloween ideas

So we have a few Halloween parties to attend to next weekend. And as always, we're having such a hard time deciding what to be. I always want to do something original. Two years ago I wanted to be Pippi Longstocking -- thankfully I wasn't because there were two other Pippi's at the party. That year I was Jem. All you children of the 80's, remember her?! There were definitely no other Jem's at that party. I've wanted to be Tinkerbell for years, but never had the right thing to wear (and I don't want to spend mucho $$$ on the adult sized costumes). I've also thought of being a fairy or something. I've also thought about Punky Brewster -- people have said that I actually resemble her! Maybe Arwen, the elvin princess from Lord of the Rings? So tomorrow I'm going to head out to JoAnn Fabrics and see what they have for patterns. I will be at my parent's house all day Tuesday and Wednesday AM, so I will have access to a sewing machine. So hopefully I can find something I like. Anyone have any costume ideas??? For those of you dressing up this Halloween, what are you going as???

my second home

Good old Homer Babbidge Library (at UConn). Even though Dave's not even around this weekend, I've still been on campus most of the weekend... shut up in the library (3rd floor -- my fav) working on this endless midterm. My saving grace has been a couple of albums that have gotten me this far. Usually I can't study with music because I end up singing along or it makes me daydream. But there are a few that actually help. First, is an oldie but goodie. Mozart for your Mind. My mom picked it up several years ago (actually more than several -- back in high school sometime) and for some reason it always helps me when I'm stuck and can't write anymore. Plus, studies have shown that the complexities of Mozart's music are good for building neural pathways and strengthening brain processes. That can't be so bad, right?! The second is the Grey's Anatomy Soundtrack. This is my absolute new favorite show! I can't wait to see the new episode tonight. I'm always a sucker for most medically-related shows (House is my other new fav!), but this one has good character development and story line. And the music they play is great. I got the soundtrack and love every single song! As for knitting news.... nothing new to report. I've been home with the fam and working on midterms. No new photos until later this week once all this school craziness dies down.

megan needs....

I saw this on a few other blogs and tried it out.... it came up with a few that made me laugh.... Just type your name + "needs" into google and see what you come with :) 1. Megan needs a theme song (Any suggestions?!) 2. MEGAN NEEDS HELP! 3. Megan needs a loving home. 4. Megan needs coffee this early! (I've definitely said this, often.) 5. Megan needs a complete re-do of her bedroom to make it more "Miami". (Hmmm...) 6. Megan needs to work on her gun control. (Yikes!) 7. The family's easy going attitude toward food makes room for Megan's needs. (hehe - I do love food) 8. Megan needs to work out more! Sadly the last one is true. The loving food and not going to the gym make a very unfortunate combination. I haven't been to the gym in weeks. I've been on this new diet program to get myself healthier. For as long as I can remember I've had sinus infections. Plus, I have these terrible joint pains that get bad whenever I get really run-down, over-tired, or stressed-out. So the idea is to become healthier and build up my immune system. I've been seeing a nutritionist to help me through it and track my progress. The premise of the program is to eliminate all the foods that I may have a mild allergy to to detoxify my body and then slowly reintroduce them into my diet to see if I have an intolerance to a particular food. So far so good. I'm still in the detoxification stage (It's been almost 2 months!). I have to eliminate all dairy, wheat products, alcohol, refined sugar, and red meat. It's actually not as bad as it sounds -- I eat lots of veggies, some fruits, and chicken and fish. I've cheated a few times, especially with the alcohol. I haven't really stuck to that part of the program because my social life involves getting together with friends for dinner and drinks. But I've lost some weight (5 lbs.) so that's always encouraging to keep on it. I'll have to use this blog to track my progress -- I need all the support I can get!

i love it!

So I started My So Called Scarf over the weekend... and I'm addicted! I absolutely love the pattern and the way it shows up the colors of the yarn. I've neglected my Swing Coat Sweater because I can't put the scarf down. Once you get the hang of the pattern it's so easy (it took me a few tries until I did it right and didn't need complete silence in order to keep track of what stitch came next!). And I've become addicted to the Malabrigo yarn... I can't go back to the cheap stuff I get at Michael's. I have plans to make one for everyone in the family (gotta start on the Christmas gifts!) I can't help myself, but I NEED to put down the needles and get back to study my Neuro stuff -- the big exam's tomorrow.... (This weekend I'll be home in CT with the fam, so I'll be able to post pics of my progress on both projects)

back into the "swing" of things

Surprisingly, I'm still alive... and still knitting! I've actually been working on Wendy's Swing Coat Sweater. I've have a baby boom with some of my friends and since my knitting progress is so slow, I figured I could make a todler size sweater and probably wouldn't be finished until two years from now. But I've actually made some great progress on it. It's my first sweater and I'm pretty impressed! I'm almost finished with the body, then I'll have the sleeves and the collar left. This weekend I made a visit to Windsor Button and bought some gorgeous yarn. It's Malabrigo Yarn -- 100% Pure Merino Wool in Cognac Subido. I usually don't splurge too much on yarn because a) I am a poor grad student, and b) I wouldn't call myself a very experienced knitter yet. I've only recently been attempting some more complicated patterns. The colorway is beautiful and I've decided to make the My So Called Scarf. I haven't gotten the hang of the pattern completely yet, but I'm sure it will look good when I do (hopefully....). I wish I had a digital camera so that I could show progress photos. I'll have to add that to the Christmas list :) So Dave and I took a trip out to Salem, MA this weekend. After a week of relentless terrible weather, Sunday was an absolutely gorgeous crisp fall day. So it was perfect to be out walking around. Since I living downtown in Boston, I don't see a whole lot of trees (I mean there is the Common, but that's nothing like back home). I was so worried that I was going to miss the fall folliage, but once we got out of the city I was surprised to find that most of the leaves haven't turned yet! It is usually peak season on my mom's birthday which is October 6th. I guess things are a little off this year with all the wacky weather. Even so, Salem was fun. We went to the Salem Witch Museum, walked around town, and window shopped. We're in the midst of mid-terms at school, so I suppose I should get back to studying for my Human Neuropsychology exam. And of course, some knitting....