Thought Process: Words

Let me ask you.
   Have you ever wondered if life would be easier if we didn't have to talk? If we didn't have to always think of the right thing to say, and the right way to say it, and the right time to say it, maybe life would go a little more smoothly.
   When people lie to you, or when you lie to other people, when words come out that you didn't mean to speak, when you can't say the words that you so desperately want or even need to say... Wouldn't it be easier if we didn't even have to say them at all?

   What if there was a different way to communicate besides using words?
   What if instead, we were able to share our raw emotions? What if through a single touch, you could tell someone all of the things you've wanted to say for so long, but have never been able to find the courage to voice, or have never been able to find the right words to say?
 Think of how different our world would be.
   People couldn't lie anymore. Not unless they avoided human contact for the rest of their lives. You wouldn't have to try and explain the swirling thoughts and emotions roiling around your head. You could just share them, as easy as that.
   It would be a brutally honest world. Is it a world I would want to live in? Maybe. I'm not sure if I'm willing to be that honest.
   Is this more of a Thought Process post, or is it a story idea? I'm not sure on that either. I guess only time will tell if I'm willing to add this to my ever growing story log, or if it's one of those things I write down and never think about again. One of those things I'll just keep wondering about and never know the answer to.

Until next time, thinkers.
MR

Yarn Stash Favorites

Heyloo, wonderful people!

   Here I am, kind of a bit late, BUT I HAVE AN EXCUSE!! I needed my camera for this post, but I kept draining the battery because I'm in the process of filming my art video for Monday, so I didn't have a chance to get pictures until tonight!! So there!
   Now before I get started, I have a few things to share with you...

   1. These pretty flowers

Aren't they pretty? They're sitting on my brand new and totally wonderful drawer set that makes me feel so organized, I can't even tell you. 

We went on a little fun adventure to one of our local parks to a.) get out of the house and b.) so I could pick these flowers. It ended up pouring on us after I had picked all of these and the brakes on my brother's bike also ended up breaking (or should I say BRAKEing, hehheh), and then we ended up going to Walmart and getting munchies for dinner (along with some watercolor paintbrushes and yarn for me) and also the movie In the Heart of the Sea. So, it was a pretty fun evening. :D 

 
   2. Update on my prayer request
So, the sweet girl from my church with cancer was supposed to have surgery today/yesterday/this last Friday to get rid of the cancerous lumps in her face. But due to some complications, they had to move the surgery to Monday. I'm not sure what those complications are, but I just wanted to share that with you all. Thank you so much to those of you who have been praying, and I will be sure to keep you updated. And also, I haven't shared her name with you all yet, because I'm not entirely sure if her parents are alright with that. So for now just keep praying for her anonymously! :D

   3. I'm applying for.... A JOB?!??!?!??!?
Guuuyyysssss, okay! So, aside from being an artist/writer my dream job is to be a librarian. And my local library is hiring!!! And I'm applying!!! And I've never had a job before so I am extremely nervous and also very excited?!?!!! So yeah! I'm planning on maybe taking in my application tomorrow, if my mom is willing to take me, heehee. I just wanted to share that with you all, because it will be a major-huge new and awesome step in my life and I'm pretty excited and very scared, but that's how I feel about most things in life, so it's pretty normal. :P

   4. New watercolor stuff!!
I got some Daler and Rowney watercolors, a Strathmore watercolor sketchbook, and some new paintbrushes and I am so excited!! I've really enjoyed doing watercolor, and this step-up has got me so pumped, I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU!!

   But, how are you? Enjoying springtime? Getting outdoors and breathing in the fresh air? Or are you locked in your room whittling away at whatever it is you happen to be whittling away at? 

   I must admit, I'm actually a bit of both. I try to go outside in the evening and draw/crochet/read, but otherwise I mostly stay inside. I JUST REALLY MISS WINTER, OKAY??

   So yes. Here I am, inside, blogging. 

   This week I decided to delve into my yarn-y side a bit. As you probably know by now, I crochet  A LOT. I enjoy making things, making my own patterns, hoarding yarn, yadda-yadda, you've heard all of this before. I've done a few posts on some of my crochet patterns and such, but I've never actually spoken very much about my extensive yarn collection/hoarding issue. I seriously have tons of yarn that I always want to use but never do because I usually get stuck making the same things over and over again for orders. Not that I'm AT ALL complaining about said orders, but the yarn hoard beckons me constantly and I must constantly tell it to wait. I shall get to it one day!!
   For now, I thought I would share some of my favorites with you all and tell you what I would like to do with them. However, before I do that, I need to kind of explain to you how I have my yarn organized.

   I have two organize-y things and a basket. The organize-y thing on the left is an open metal rack that holds all of my blue and green yarn, because I have a TON of blue yarn and just enough room to put my green yarn there. The other organize-y thing is a drawer set that holds the rest of my yarn as follows: scrap yarn/felt/materiel in the two small top drawers, whites/grays/blacks/browns in the third drawer, pinks and purples in the fourth drawer, and yellows/oranges/reds on the bottom. And that basket just has a bunch of crochet-y junk. So basically, I will pretty much just be choosing yarn from each of those color choices from the drawers. I don't know if that makes sense, but hopefully the post kind of explains itself.

So here we go!

Favorite grey/black/white yarn

This right here. This multi-colored stuff is my favorite from the first drawer. It's quite soft and the colors are just so pretty and I just love it! There isn't much of it though, which is very sad. :( But I think that there should be enough to make some wristlets/fingerless gloves, and I also happen to think that would be the perfect match for this yarn. :)

Favorite Brown yarn

I included this one because I quite like it, even though it's technically from the same drawer as the above yarn. But it's this wooly, thin, gray-ish brown yarn (thus the reason for the question mark in the label) that I really love! Again, there isn't enough to make much out of it, but I'm thinking some kind of a beanie would be fun, even if I had to use more than one color to complete it. 

Favorite pink yarn

Another multi-color one!! This one has some browns and grays with the pink, and I love the color combination. I think it would make a nice cuddly scarf, even though (again) there isnt' really much of it. Maybe some cuddly pink and grey mittens instead?

Favorite purple yarn

Aggghhhh, this one!! It's this really lovely rich, satiny purple yarn that is so soft you guys. I mean, incredibly soft!! And it's just so lovely!!!!!! I think with this one I'd have to make some kind of a neckerchief/scarf. Once again, there isn't much of it so it'd have to be something pretty small.

Favorite red/orange/yellow yarn

I'm going to be honest and say that I'm not really sure if this yarn belongs in this section, because it pretty much has every color. But it's mainly yellow/orange, so we'll roll with it. So, I'd originally bought this yarn to make this TOTALLY ADORABLE CROCODILE STITCH BABY HOOD. I mean, so cute and fantastical, I had to make it. I keep thinking that I want to use it for something for me, but I think I'm going to stick with its original purpose. Because that hood is just too cute, dang it. 

Favorite green yarn

   I reeeaallllly love this one!! It's this pretty sport weight yarn, and I actually have enough to really make something with it I think! I'm leaning towards some kind of a hooded scarf kind of thing?? It's just the perfect color, and it's so soft too. :D 

Favorite blue yarn

   So first of all. Blue is my favorite color. I love it. It's gorgeous. And second, this picture does not do the yarn justice. It's this lovely mint/teal color that reminds me instantly of sea foam and the ocean and aaaggghhhh, I really love this yarn! And I'm not really sure what I want to do with it. I want to make something that reminds me of the ocean with it. Maybe I'll pair it with some white and gray and make a cardigan of some kind? I don't know. We shall see, one day. 

And we have finally reached the end of this unnecessarily long post! I hope you enjoyed reading my crazed ramblings and taking a peek into my yarn collection. I'd like to make a post on each of the things I end up making with this yarn, so keep an eye open for that. It probably won't happen for a good long while, but *shrugs*. Who knows? ;)

Have a wonderful week, and I'll see you next time!

MR

P.S. Yup, I changed my blog background again. I think I'm content with this one, so it shouldn't change for awhile, hehheh. 

Thought Process: Navigating Your Thoughts

Hello, lovely people. :)
   I'm back once again with another blog post, nice and quick after the last one. And it's another Thought Process. Wow, been gettin' a lot of these, hehheh.
   Actually, I have quite a few thought threads that I'm working through and hoping to one day share with you all. I even have a few drafts half written out and waiting to be finished. But some Thought Processes require a bit more thinking, while others are a bit easier to sort through.

   This is one of those latter posts. It's one of those ones that I write up really quick without much forethought, but only because it doesn't require much. In this one, I am going to tell you a little bit on how to deal with your own thought process.
   Okay, so, I don't know how many people know this, but I am a very deep thinker. I'm constantly thinking about deep stuff, which I already explained in my original Thought Process post, so I won't bore you all with explaining it again. :P
   You might not realize I'm that deep of a thinker when you first look at me, or if you only know me on surface level, or even if you're one of my "casual" friends. Even most of my family and other close relations don't realize how deep my thoughts go sometimes. Most of the time I don't even get what in the heck my brain is conjuring up.
   And sometimes those thoughts can get a little tangly, or they can even reach a stage that I like to simply call "Too Deep". Since this actually happens quite often, I have discovered a few ways that work for me to either sort out my thoughts or get them under control. And if you're also a thinker, maybe these can help you out too.
 
   First thing that's helped me, is blogging about my tangled thoughts. This really helps me to get my head focused and sort through what the heck is going on in my mind. It's easier to pay attention on what you're thinking about, and knowing that it has to make sense to other people helps clear it up in your own head.

   Another tangly thought help is finding pins and blog posts and edits and WHATEVER that you relate to, and save them on social media. I.e., repin that one really good pin that describes exactly what you're thinking. Because A.) It's nice to know you're not the only one and B.) You're going to help the next person that sees that and figures out that they're not the only one too.

   And then, when the thoughts reach "Too Deep" stage.
This one, this is a real trickster here. Everyone has their own level of too deep, and sometimes that level can go even further and reach unhealthy levels. But I'm going to save that even higher level for another blog post that is currently in the works. For now, let's simply address the "Too Deep" stage.

   Okay, so first of all, pray about it. I'm gonna bare my soul here and just go ahead and tell you that I struggle with some major self esteem issues and insecurities, along with anxiety and some pretty crummy thoughts in general. And I often feel that I have no one who I want/am willing to share that with. Thus, the best option, even better than sharing it "face-to-face" with someone, is praying. For help, comfort, or even just telling God what your brain is thinking. It helps, peeps. Do it.

Another thing that I do all the time is write out my "Too Deep" thoughts, the ones that I consider too tangled to blog about. I have a little journal that I keep them in. I use different colored pens and washi tape, something that makes it feel really homey. And I write them out. I don't worry about them making sense, I don't worry about them being hopeful or having a "happy ending". I just write them out and let them be what they are, and by the time I'm done I feel... Relieved. Like a weight has been lifted off of my chest. Sure, the thoughts are still there, but I feel like writing them out helps me A TON.

And finally, as almost a bit of a sidenote, I thought I'd add that you can (and should sometimes) share those "Too Deep" thoughts with someone else that you trust. You won't always want to do that, but it'll probably make you feel better.

As one last, final sidenote, I'd like to add onto that and say that if you ever DO need to talk to someone, I am totally more than willing to be that someone for you. I'm good at listening, even if I'm not super great at giving advice all of the time, but with a little time and thought I will try my best to help you. :)

And so, we have come to the end of this post that ended up being longer than I had previously anticipated. But here we are. I hope this helped you if you needed it, dear reader.

Until next time.
MR

Prayer Request

Hello guys!
   I just wanted to make a quick post to ask you all to pray for something.
   There is this little girl in my church who has been recovering from cancer she had when she was about 4 years old. She is 6 now, and today they just discovered that it has come back.

   When she first had it, I didn't actually know her at the time. But now I've been her teacher in the kid's program at our church since the start of the school year. So it's a pretty hard blow for all of us, not to mention her family.
   She is going into surgery on Friday to have the cancer in her face removed. Please pray that it would go well and that they would get all of it out. Please pray that it is successful and that her recovery time is quick. Please pray that God would give her and her family strength as they prepare to face this all over again.
   Thank you guys so much, and I'll be back with another blog post soon. :)

MR

Spring is in Ze Air

Hello, dearest readers!!
   Here we are, on my new posting schedule. So, happy Friday!! This is by far my favorite day of the week, the day that I live for. There's just something about it that feels so good, and we usually go out and do something fun instead of doing school, and I get to stay up late. Of course, I stay up late every night, buuuttt......
   What's your favorite day of the week?
   Well, since I'm suddenly a bit busy again, I'm going to try and keep this post pretty short. And, since it has been so incredibly lovely as of late, and everything is starting to come out after winter, I thought I'd post some springtime pictures of all the pretty flowers and things in our yard. :)

This first one is just a picture of some tamarack buds my mom found lying on the ground when our family was out on a disc golf adventure. 

My favorite flower in the yard is all bloomed out! 

One of our many pretty daffodils 

My violas under our cherry tree that I thought were dead, BUT APPARENTLY THEY'RE ALIVE?! They didn't bloom last year, but they're back this year. So I don't know, is that just how violas work?? 

A yellow one

The bleeding heart is just starting to bloom! Actually, this is probably my favorite flower in the yard. :)

Here come the tulips!

You're a cherry blossom, you're about to bloom. You look so pretty but you're gone too sooooon..... 

(I'm sorry, I'm done now)

Pretty purple flowers that always grow in our grass. We used to have a kitty that would lay in them when they bloomed. :) 

Little white weeds/flowers that are currently growing in my flower bed. 

Flower close-up. Kinda....

Sun through the trees. :)

Raspberry leaves. :)

   And that's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed looking through my pictures and thinking about springtime. :) Is your area this bloomed out and warm, or are you all still drowning in snow and rain? 

   Have a great week everyone! Until next time. 

MR

GGGOOOOOO!!!!!

Hey, I'm back again but only for a super quick thing!!!!!
   The Wingfeather Saga animated series Kickstarter has 22 HOURS until it's over!! AND WE ARE SO CLOSE TO GETTING A PILOT!!!
   Thusly, I am once again asking you wonderful people to go support this wonderful project while you have the chance. You will not regret it!!!
   And even if you can't give money, please, SHARE THE LIFE OUT OF THIS THING!!! Even if you can give money, still share!! The more people we can get to support this, the better. SO GO!!! GO NOW, GIVE AND SHARE GOOD PEOPLE!!!
 

CLICK HERE!!!

Update in the Life of Your Friendly Neighborhood Blogger

Heyo readers!!
   How are you guys doing? Well, I hope. :)
   First off, I just want to say that yes, I AM ALIVE. I know I haven't blogged in, like, weeks, but it's because I have been super busy. I mean, like, crazy busy. I had a bunch of orders to catch up on, first of all. That included two Mabel sweaters and three dolls to crochet in that time. Then I got to do an illustration for the next RoboTales book before the end of the month. It all kind of hit me at once, and it was like, gggaaaaahhhhh....
   But I did it! I got everything done in time, and I am going to start blogging again! :D

My RoboTales picture

Though, I think I am going to change things up just a bit. I just started an art channel on Youtube, and I'm planning on getting a video up every Monday. So, preparing a blog post and getting an art video up on the same day might be a little tough, hehhheh. Thusly, I've decided to change my blog posting days to Fridays instead of Mondays. Which also means that my thought process posts will probably be on Tuesdays instead, or whenever I get the inspiration for them. :P

   Yes, yes, yes, a bit of shuffling around to do, but I'm getting it done. 

   In other words... 

   Yeah. I'm suddenly not very busy and it feels weird. I definitely like being creatively busy like that, a lot more than I like being socially busy. And it feels off when I go form being quite busy to being not really busy at all. 

   So yup, pretty calm around here all of the sudden. Spring is coming, and it has been so lovely these last few days. Part of me is happy, because I love being able to go outside and soak up the sunshine and draw and read and rollerblade and swing on the playground swings across the street and not have to worry about school and all of the other things summer brings. But the other part of me is deeply in love with winter and I am sad to see it go. In a way, I'm almost ready for it to be back again even though it's just ending. 

   How about you guys? How's your weather? Have you been busy? Have you been enjoying yourselves? Tell me in the comments. I really care about you guys and want the best for you in a completely non-creepy way, haha! XD

   But yes, expect a lot more content from me in the near future. Maybe some pictures of the springtime, some deep and thoughtful posts, some creative posts. Wherever my fancy takes me, I suppose. 

   Thanks for reading this, you wonderful person! Have a lovely day. 

MR