December has arrived

It is hard to believe that it has been nearly a month since my last entry.  It has been a busy month!  With all the business of my life, I have managed to keep busy with my creative pursuits.

Crochet:  I managed to complete four challenges for Nerd Wars last month.  My two favorite are Riley's sweater and a Flower for Penny.  I think I will be making more and more thread flowers; I think they are marketable.  :)

The new challenges are up, and I have plans for three or four of the six challenges.  I have to keep myself focused on my goal of handcrafting all Christmas gifts this year.  I have yet to find something suitable for the men in my family, considering I don't see them wearing the hats I've made for them in the past.  I'm going to have to get more creative for them!


Cooking:  I love avocados and will find any excuse to eat them.  If I make anything even remotely Mexican-inspired, I eat at least part of an avocado with it.  When I make "Mexican scramble" for breakfast (bell pepper, onion, tomato and/or salsa fresca in scrambled eggs with cheddar or colby jack cheese), I eat it with sliced avocado on the side.  Tonight I ate my "Fajita skillet," basically the same as the breakfast scramble, but with a meat instead of the eggs, tonight with some beef.  Finally, when I make chili, I like to eat it with avocado.  It just adds such a nice creaminess in contrast to all the chunkiness of the beans and veggies.  I have even, on rare occasion, eaten a lone avocado for dinner.  I know my use of avocado is a bit unorthodox, but it sure is tasty!

Writing:  My efforts during National Novel Writing Month were, in a word, slim.  I actually made it to 11,000 words, but life just got crazy as the month progressed, and I found I simply couldn't invest the time.  However, the story lives on!  I intend to continue building the story, just not today.  :)

I think my favorite month of the year is November.  I know this may sound strange, but I love the approach of the holiday season, the weather changing to be cooler, wearing comfy sweaters, eating butternut squash stews, and watching the leaves change.

Crochet:  A new month means new challenges in the Nerd Wars Tournament!  This month there are some very interesting challenges indeed.  I have begun work on a sweater for my niece, which would fit into two different challenges (one based on the periodic table and the other based on winter clothing), so I will have to see what else I make this month before I post it.  It is in a light-weight fluffy pink/purple yarn and will be super cute when finished!

In the meantime, here is a hat I finished for last month's challenges:

Cooking:  This weekend I make a "Harvest Stew"; pork, butternut squash, onions, garlic, and apples.  It sounds like a strange combination, but it is so yummy!  I also made a batch of pork and beans for my lunches and a couple batches of cookies - "granola bar" cookies and "gooey butter" cookies!  Mmmmm.  This is why I love November!

Writing:  My NaNoWriMo efforts have been ... paltry.  Here we are, one week into the National Novel Writing Month, and I have fewer than 3,000 words written on my novel.  For reference, to complete on time, one must write an average of 1666 words per day.  Yes, I've written the quota for just two days during the first week.  What can I say - it was a very busy week for me!  I am not sure yet if I have the wherewithal to really take on this challenge, but I like my story concept, so I will keep working on it here and there.

The main character is Chloe Brice, a secret agent that no one notices because she is crocheting during stake outs.  She is about to uncover an international terrorist organization that is funding their activities through the sales of counterfeit fine art.  She travels to Europe and Asia while trying to solve the case, and in the meantime works with an interesting artist named Vinny Clemente.

That's about as far as I've gotten (only 3000 words so far, remember?).  Stay tuned as events develop!  :)