Knitting.

I've been knitting dishcloths. Well, I'm almost done with my second one I've ever made. I am actually really excited about it because I just recently taught myself how to purl.

I know, I taught myself how to knit two years ago. Recently, I learned I knit in what is known as the Continental style of knitting. I learned to knit this way because I knew how to crochet first, and then knit, so I held the yarn like I did when I crochet. I had always been intimated about learning to purl because I felt like I knitted backwards. I learned how to knit on About.com and that is where I learned about English and Continental knitting. Last weekend, I taught myself how to purl.

I wanted to make dishcloths, and not just boring, all knitted stitches. That is why I wanted to learn to purl. Now that I can, all I want to do is knit. I had lost my favorite set of knitting needles somewhere in the apartment (the ones I needed for the dishcloths) and ordered new ones from KnitPicks.com. A few days after I ordered the nice, fancy new needles I found my old ones. Oh well.

Along with the new needles, I ordered some wool yarn to make myself a pair of fingerless hand warmers. My hands get so cold at work. I can't wait until the yarn and needles arrive so I can get started on that project. I will post pictures when it is completed.

Tomorrow, Sean and I are headed to Winona to spend Christmas with the family. Then, we're headed to Sleepy Eye for a few days. It would be great if my knitting supplies came today so I will be able to start my project over the weekend.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Snow.

Well, it's snowing out. It's snowing a lot. It's snowed over 10 inches already today.

Due to the snow and being trapped inside, I've been cooking and baking. Lasagna has already been made for lunch. Banana bread is in the oven baking. I had enough bananas to make a double batch of banana bread, so there is still dough that needs to be baked. Most of the banana bread will go into the freezer and it can be taken out when we have people over or whenever we want it.

I'm thinking about making no bake cookies. Sean (who is sitting next to me on the couch) says I am not thinking, I'm going to. We were watching the Food Network this morning and someone was making hush puppies. I found a recipe that doesn't require a fryer and can be baked, so I'm thinking about giving that a go.

I hope everyone is enjoying the snow!

Applications.

I'm applying for two positions with the Star Tribune. Cross your fingers everyone!

Gift Idea.

Also, if anyone is looking for Christmas gift ideas for me, see below.

I am looking for serving and baking dishes. Well, I am looking for vintage Pyrex dishes. The dishes that are white on the inside and brightly colored on the outside. They also make ones that have ugly looking flowers which look straight out of the '70s. I do not really like those and would prefer solid, bright colors.

I was just searching on Ebay, which is why I thought of it. It seems like glassware isn't made that this anymore, which I think is very unfortunate.

Our Tree.

Sean and I put up our first Christmas tree this weekend. Here is the final product.


Obviously, it looks much better in person. Presents for our families current are huddled underneath. At least Captain isn't here to mess with it. The tree is just her size.

I spent some time today cleaning and organizing one of the closets. Now, it is time to clean out the refrigerator. I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving!

Red Velvet Cake.

I made red velvet cake today.


It was time consuming to make, but definitely worth it.


Sorry I haven't blogged recently. Nothing new has really happened. Have a great short work week! I know I will.

On another note, Sean and I are very close to being done Christmas shopping. I'm proud of ourselves, it's not even Thanksgiving. They are also wrapped. :)

No Tricks. No Treats.

No trick or treaters on Halloween.

Sad.

I guess the candy will have to go uneaten, or I may take it to work because it will definitely get eaten there.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! I'm looking forward to the trick-or-treaters from the apartment building that will be stopping by later today. I hope everyone has a great day!

Pumpkins, etc.

Well, as promised here a picture of the pumpkins all light up. They look about a thousand times better with them glowing and it's all dark. I hope you are all ready for Halloween! I'm looking forward to trick-or-treaters in the apartment building on Sunday.

On another note, I realized how old I actually am. To be precise, I am 86, not 22. See below. That picture proves I am becoming an old lady. Tin foil on the drip pans on the stove. They are a pain to clean and with this, it will be A LOT easier. Sean probably is going to think I am nuts when he gets home from work and sees them, but oh well. Well, time to make dinner. Happy Thursday, almost TGIF!

Excitement!

Today at work I received my second computer monitor. I was, and still am, really excited about it. It had been getting quite annoying to have eight different programs and/or documents open, while not being able to use two at the same time. I usually need two documents open at once, so this is very, very exciting.

I know, I know. I lead a very sad life if I get excited about two computer monitors. Very sad life indeed.

It's cold outside. Well, windy and colder than it has been. I am very cold all of the time, so I have been especially frozen for the past 2 days.

Have a great rest of the work week everyone!

Pumpkin Carving.

Sean and I carved pumpkins last night. Can you guess which one he carved and which one I carved?

If you guessed Sean carved the one on the left, you would be correct, and I carved the one on the right. I'm not very good at pumpkin carving... Sean had to help me and dig out the inside. Maybe in a few days I will post pictures of them all light up. Happy Halloween everyone!

Visiting Family.

Sean and I went to Sleepy Eye to visit my parents the past two weekends. We had fun both weekends.

The first weekend Travis, Becky, and Charlie were also there. Seeing those three is always fun and exciting. It is cool to see how much Charlie has changed within a few weeks. He is growing so big now! And of course, he has gets cuter every time I see the little guy.

Last weekend, my mom and I went to two craft fairs while Sean and my dad went to an auction and hooked up the computer to the TV wirelessly. The craft fairs were interesting. I then had a dream about going to a craft fair. (Strange.)

Another strange thing that happened was Captain sat on the back of the couch, right behind Sean. She willingly sat there. She didn't hiss or growl at him either. Just sat there and occasionally stared at the back of his head. It was weird. She must be getting used to him being around. Apparently, as Sean says, they have an understanding. She doesn't mess with him and he doesn't mess with her. I like messing with her, because I know deep down she likes me. :)

Both weekends in a row, Sean and I only planned on staying until Saturday night, but ended up staying until Sunday morning to spend more time there. It doesn't take too long to drive back home either, so we made it back in time for Sean to work Sunday.

This weekend, Sean and I aren't going anywhere. We are staying inside the metro area. We've traveled somewhere for the past three weekends and are staying put this weekend, which will be nice.

Have a great week everyone!

I'm thinking...

I have been doing a little research and I'm thinking... I may want to go to photography school. Thoughts?

Being an adult sucks.

I say I have only been a "real adult" for five months. During college, I never really felt like an adult. Now that I am finished with school, I feel like I have officially grown up.

Well, I've noticed there is only one downfall of being an adult. And it is something no one tells you about growing up. When pay day rolls around, it is when I pay the month's bills. Then it feels like pay day was never there.

Getting older sucks sometimes.

Here's the view from the apartment's balcony. It is fall. During the summer it was like a solid wall of trees and nothing could be seen through it. Now, that is not the case. When the high school nearby has football games, it is all light up. I kind of miss not being able to see anything. It seemed much more private than it does now.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Body Builder Baby.

Last Saturday, Sean and I visited Travis and Becky in Winona. Which, of course, meant spending time with Charlie. He is the cutest baby and best little nephew I have. Well, he is the only nephew I have, but the best nonetheless, so far.

This Saturday, two days from now, Sean and I are going to visit my parents. Trav and Becky will be there as well. Also, various friends and family will be there to visit with Charlie and the proud parents. Two Saturdays seeing Charlie in a row is exciting.

On another note, the Minnesota Wild are playing their first home game tonight in St. Paul. In light of that, I took a picture of Melvin who is quite excited for the game.


Sorry for the horrible picture quality, I took it with my cell phone. Have a great night!

Minnesota Newspapers

Right now, my printer is busily humming away.

"What ever are you printing, Kali?" you may ask.

Well, let me tell you. While doing a little job perusing this evening, I came across the directory of newspapers in Minnesota on the Minnesota Newspaper Association's Web site. I am printing off the contact information for every newspaper in Minnesota. It is going to become my job searching guide. I plan on sending out resumes and work samples to every newspaper within a 25 mile radius of my apartment.

I intend on doing everything I can to get hired at a newspaper. It seems everyone in my major that graduated this past spring has been hired by newspapers. Well, maybe not everyone, but with every Facebook status I read detailing a new job, it sure seems like everyone. I am jealous of them.

If you hear about any newspaper or magazine in my area hiring, let me know.

Happy Tuesday!

I miss newspapers.

There. I said it. I miss newspapers. Well, more generally speaking, I miss journalism. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my new(ish) job, but lately I've been realizing how much I actually miss journalism.

I got a little burnt out from it at school. I have spent the past five months doing nothing journalism related and I'm starting to feel like writing news and feature stories is really what I want to do with my life. I have spent five months doing some "soul searching" and figuring out what I really want out of life, and now I have it figured out.

Now, it is time to begin the next step. That step is finding a job where my journalism skills are put to the test. There is one teeny tiny little problem with that. I love newspapers. Most newspapers are not hiring new employees. The proverbial "they" say newspapers are dying and I would be crazy to jump aboard a dying ship. I do not think I am crazy for wanting to write for a newspaper. I think I just need to find the right one, while also taking into consideration my location.

I live in the metro area, which is home to the two largest circulating newspapers in Minnesota. The Star Tribune and Pioneer Press are currently not hiring reporters. I would know, I check every single day to see if they are hiring, and I get disappointed every single day. I love where I live, I really do, but it also makes finding a newspaper job more difficult. Smaller daily and weekly newspapers are hiring. I could easily find one of those to work for. It is a matter of location. I am torn between my location and my passion.

I love newspapers and I know exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life, I just have no idea how to go about this. Every news organization that I see hiring is looking for someone with anywhere from one to five years worth of experience, and I do not have that. Hopefully, something will come along soon.

On another note, fall is my favorite time of year and it is gorgeous outside. Happy fall everyone!

Charlie Pictures.

I love the new pictures of Charlie! See them here. Adorable!

This weekend.

This weekend Sean and I are going to my friend Courtney's wedding in Brookings. I am really looking forward to not only the wedding, but also to go to Brookings. A lot of my friends are going to be in Brookings this weekend, and it is a place that has always sort of felt like home. So, this weekend is kind of like going home, and I can't wait.

Now, I must iron the clothing we're wearing to wedding. Have a great day and weekend!

July.

Sean was just complaining to me that my blog is boring because I don't update it enough.
Here is your update sarcastic boy, and to everyone else who is not sarcastic.
I have been working a lot at Target.
I need a new "real" job.

The much awaited apartment pictures.

Sorry these took so long. I wanted to take them after I cleaned the apartment, and I've been doing that on Sundays. So, now the apartment is cleaned and the pictures are taken. Sorry for the crappy quality of the pictures. I really just wanted to get them done.

The living room, well part of it.


View of the living room/kitchen/entry way from the balcony door.


This was taken from the front door and the living room and part of the kitchen is pictured. Just to the right off of this picture leads to the bedroom and bathroom.


This is a view of the kitchen from the dividing wall.


Another of one of the kitchen. It seems as though I was a little picture happy. My camera battery was dying so I began just snapping pictures.


Picture of the bedroom. The bathroom and bedroom are off of a small hallway from the living room and entry way.


Sorry these took so long! I hope everyone had a great weekend.

Summer!

On this Memorial Day weekend I would like to take some time to update you all on new aspects of my life.

New apartment with Sean. I will upload some pictures next week.

I am now employed. Beginning next weekend, I will be working at a Target in St. Louis Park as a cashier. I am excited for it. Boredom has set in, so working will be very, very nice.

I am now a college graduate. I don't have very many pictures on my camera from graduation, so hopefully my mom and Becky will get some uploaded so I can see them.

Hmmm... I think that is about all. I'm going to go donate/check out some books from the library.

Have a good day!

Broken computer.

Boris has been sent away to get repaired. It explains why there is a lack of updates recently.

New in my life:
-Sean and I were approved for the apartment
-move some stuff to Minnetonka this weekend
-last day of classes tomorrow
-no finals next week!
-graduation May 8

It's hard to believe I'm going to be a college graduate in 10 days.

Note to self.

Never go to HyVee when there is a massive sale, at 10:30 a.m., and when you are hungry. Mostly, don't go there when there is a HUGE sale.

I learned this the hard way.

Saturday morning. I wake up, wanting some breakfast. No milk for cereal or oatmeal. No bread for toast. I could have eaten saltine crackers, but decided against it. Instead... I went grocery shopping. As I was pulling out the of the parking lot, I heard an ad on the radio for a sale at HyVee. It discussed strawberries for $1.38 a package. Strawberries sounded fantastic at the time. So, instead of going to Wal-Mart like originally planned, I went to HyVee.

Boy, was that a bad idea. Not only was parking a problem, but even walking into the store had a few close calls. Driving vehicles not yielding for pedestrians = very unsafe for me walking. There was trouble getting a small cart for my few groceries. There were so many people. I dislike grocery shopping anyway, and with a million people randomly stopping in front of me, made me hate it even more. I got a few non-refrigerated items and then booked it out of dodge.

Next, I went to Wal-Mart to get milk and a yogurt. Also a bad idea. Wal-Mart was just as busy. Also, almost got hit by two cars. 'Twas lovely.

After a long 45 minutes of grocery shopping, I said, "This is enough," and needed to leave. When I got home, I looked over my very random purchases:
-strawberries
-dill pickle spears
-Wheat Thins
-Laughing Cow cheese
-yogurt (two flavors)
-milk
-canned corn

Good thing I won't be grocery shopping by myself for much longer. Desperately need some help/supervision.

Good night!

Embarassment.

Well... I am ashamed. I have not posted since December and I'm sorry!
I have been harassed by a few *ahem* people. They know who they are.

New in my life:
Job searching.
Graduating college in 31 days from tomorrow.
Moving to the Twin Cities.
Apartment hunting.
Did I mention I'm graduating? I'm almost in the "real" world.

I think I am going to go and watch Casablanca. Maybe I will fall asleep later during the movie than I did last night. Good night world, see your pretty face tomorrow!