I enjoy making things… here’s the proof!

My Hat! It keeps the head warm!

Yep, I have discovered that I really do enjoy making things. I read something the other day that said “What you do while you’re procrastinating is probably what you should be doing for the rest of your life.” Since I can’t really make a job out of browsing Facebook or reading, I’m left with my other time filler. Making Stuff! At lot of the things I’ve been making recently could just be considered crafts, but not all of it, unless you consider baking bread or making laundry detergent a craft… The thing about it is when I am making something, that’s when I feel like I’m actually getting something done. This even extends to my job though, since I make videos and websites while I’m there. I just really like making stuff. So, what should I do with this, other than continuing to ramble about it? Share it of course!

Yep, I made a knife. Now to find a handle!

That’s right! Not only do I want to continue to make new and wondrous things, but I want to share with everyone else the things that I make, and how you can make it as well!  Some things may be purely for entertainment purposes, could be considered art, may help you around the house, or could even give you something tasty for dinner, but they will all be something that I have made and tried myself. So, whether you simply enjoy ooing and ahhing over the things I post, or if you want to try to make them yourself, I will do my best to have something for everyone. Enjoy these pictures of a few things I’ve already made, and if there is something in particular you want me to try, or something I’ve already made that you want to know how I did it, let me know! Feedback is what will make this blog go ’round!  I feel like this is what this blog was created for, so take advantage of it, and help out where you can!

A bookmark from one of my favorite games. Put the pattern together myself!

Perler Bead Business Card Holder. Just need some business cards to go in it now.

I bake too. Bread is one of my favorites, along with pizza crust, biscuits (the buttermilk variety), and pretty much everything else.

A breakfast creation of mine. This counts because it's all home made!

Luigi is indeed very bitter. Can't take credit for this pattern, but I can take credit for the stitching!

Just a regular hat. Those are fun!

Came up with the idea for these hats on my own, and they actually turn out pretty good!

Another bookmark, also from Zelda, but smaller. Still cool!

I knew it! Heaven IS for Real!

First let me say two things before I really get into this review. Number one, it has been a long time since I have posted anything on here, and it feels like it’s been longer than it has. Number two, I can’t believe it has taken me this long to post this review! This is absolutely one of the best books I believe I have ever read. Let me tell you why…

To begin with, it is a true story. It’s not fiction, which makes it slightly easier to believe. The story is about a little boy named Colton Burpo, the son of a pastor, who’s appendix bursts and in the midst of an emergency surgery, finds himself standing in heaven. To many people this may seem unbelievable, but to me it all makes perfect sense. Colton’s description of heaven may not line up exactly with what my Sunday Schools teachers taught me, but did they get their lesson plans straight from the pearly gates? To me his descriptions line up with scripture, they make perfect sense, and the fact that it took so much to convince his parents makes this book well worth reading at least 2-3 times.

All that I say is just read it once. You don’t have to believe it, but then again, you don’t have to believe what’s in it, but you might just find, like I did, that it will open your eyes just a bit!

- FYI, I got this book from Booksneeze.com in exchange for my review. I was not required to be positive, and did not receive any other compensations. If you enjoy reading, and have a blog of your own, check out Booksneeze.com!

The Soul Reader – Gerard D. Webster

I admit I chose this book just because the cover looked cool. Good reason to read a book, right? Anyway, I was intrigued by it, and the fact that is is a suspense made me want to read it even more, and I wasn’t disappointed. The story is about a man named Ward McNulty, who has a special gift and ends up searching to find out who murdered his father, as well as trying to protect the  woman he loves.

I sort of felt that it started off a little slow, and there seemed to be a lot of backstory, and then I realized that this is a sequel to another book by Webster that I will now have to read. He did a very good job of conveying the story though, so that any information we would need to know from the first book is present in this one. The novel was actually suspenseful as well (which  is something you don’t always find in suspense novels any more), and kept me reading.  Definitely one I would recommend, just try to read book 1 first!

- FYI, I got this book from Booksneeze.com in exchange for my review. I was not required to be positive, and did not receive any other compensations. If you enjoy reading, and have a blog of your own, check out Booksneeze.com!

Some books you have to FORCE yourself to put down

Waking Hours by Lis Wiehl is one of those. You don’t want to put it down, but things like work, eating and sleeping force you to. The story takes place in a small town just outside of New York City called East Salem. An unexplained, and gruesome, murder gets the book off to a quick start, and the questions just build from there. Of course there’s they usual “who did it?” but as the story progresses, you end up having more and more questions, which to me is what makes a mystery novel good.

Like I said, it sucked me in and did not want to let me go. I’ve ready the Triple Threat books by Lis Wiehl as well, and in my opinion the East Salem series is looking like it’s going to be even better than those books were. I’m already eagerly looking forward to the next one!

- FYI, I got this book from Booksneeze.com in exchange for my review. I was not required to be positive, and did not receive any other compensations. If you enjoy reading, and have a blog of your own, check out Booksneeze.com!

SEC Week 4 Predictions

This is the first time I have ever made predictions on games, so I may not do very well, but I figured I would give it a shot. Plus, I may see things differently than others, and that might just give someone out there something interesting to read…

So here’s what I’m gonna do. I’ll go through each game an SEC team is in this week, give the favorite and spread, followed by my prediction and some commentary (that may or may not be meaningful). The last matchup will be what I think may be the pivotal matchup of the week. So, without further nonsense, here’s what I see happening this week!

Florida at Kentucky

uh, we're number one?

Favorite: Florida
Spread: 19 1/2

I may be on a rock all alone out here, but I’m not that big of a Muschamp fan, even though he did coach at Auburn at one point in his career. When it was announced that he would be Florida’s new head coach, I expected that they would not be as good as they were last year. This week, that wouldn’t matter, because they’re playing Kentucky, and Kentucky, in my opinion, is almost the worst team in the SEC this year. Florida will win big, as they should.

Prediction: Florida 56 – 6

Georgia at Ole Miss

Go, Go Georgia Rangers!

Favorite: Georgia
Spread: 9 1/2

Georgia started off this season right where they left off last season, playing like a high school team. However, against South Carolina they turned it up a notch and should have won. This week they face a team that I place at the bottom of the SEC ladder and just like their game against Coastal Carolina last week, this should be a walk in the park. Look for Ole Miss fans to be headed out around half time.

Prediction: Georgia 35 – 0

Arkansas at Alabama

Who let the elephants out?

Favorite: Alabama
Spread: 11 1/2

Arkansas has shown a lot of promise so far this year… if they are in the Sun Belt. Unfortunately for them, they are in the SEC, and this week they have to play a powerful team in Alabama. Even though I still don’t see Alabama’s offense being as great as all their fans would like, their defense will continue to hold the other team to less points than the offense can score. I would love for this to be a close game, but it won’t.

Prediction: Alabama 42 – 17

Florida Atlantic at Auburn

Expect to see a lot more of this on Saturday

Favorite: Auburn
Spread: 33

Ok, so this week it’s Auburn’s turn to play a cupcake team. This means they should win big, but after the first three games, it could cause some people to doubt. Will Auburn make the changes they need to win big? Yes.

Prediction: Auburn 61 – 3

LSU at West Virginia

Hmm... more of a garlic flavor I think...

Favorite: LSU
Spread: 6

Both teams are undefeated so far. West Virgina has shown a good passing game, but LSU has a good defense. On the other hand, West Virginia’s defense isn’t the best, and neither is LSU’s offense. This matchup may actually appear to be a close one, and with the game being outside Death Valley, LSU could be in for a wake up call. Good thing for them they lave their lucky charm, Les Miles. Assuming West Virginia’s grass hasn’t been poisoned, LSU will pull this win out of a shiny silk top hat in the last minute.

Prediction: LSU 24 – 23

La. Tech at Mississippi State

La. Tech, don't forget the earplugs!

Favorite: Mississippi State
Spread: 20

All I know is Luisiana Tech is never great, and Mississippi State isn’t that bad.

Prediction: Mississippi State 42 – 14

Pivotal Matchup

Vanderbilt at South Carolina

And this time STAY DOWN!

Favorite: South Carolina
Spread: 16

What? Why did I pick this as the pivotal matchup? I’m glad you asked, and I’ll tell you why. First, Vanderbilt is undefeated. They won their first game convincingly, just as they should have, they beat the defending Big East Champion, and they opened up a can on Ole Miss. I may be the only one, but so far I’m impressed with what Vanderbilt’s new coach has done with this team that is usually at the bottom of the SEC. Second, South Carolina is far from perfect. They have almost lost their last two games against Georgia and Navy, and this week they face a team that most everyone always looks down upon. If South Carolina wants to win this game, they better keep their eyes on the team on the field. I really want the Game-Chickens to lose, and Vanderbilt will be coming to win this game, but I have a feeling someone has already given South Carolina the East this year.

Prediction: South Carolina 16 – 14

And that’s it for this week. Leave me a comment below and let me know which predictions you think I may be wrong about!

The Christian Zombie Killer’s Handbook – Jeff Kinley

I have to admit, I’m not really into Zombies at all, but when I saw the title of this book I knew I had to check it out. It actually turned out to be a rather good book too. I really like the way Kinley uses a story, and a zombie story at that, to bring out ideas that really make you think about your life as a Christian. You may think that zombies don’t really exist, but this book may just give you a new perspective on what a zombie really is.

One thing I did not like much about this book, however, was that it felt like I was reading two books at the same time. There would be a chapter of the story, followed by a chapter on and idea related to the story. I would find myself getting engrossed in the story, only to move on to something different, and vice versa. Overall a good book, but not sure I like the chapters being intertwined like they were.

- FYI, I got this book from Booksneeze.com in exchange for my review. I was not required to be positive, and did not receive any other compensations. If you enjoy reading, and have a blog of your own, check out Booksneeze.com!

J.R.R. Tolkien (Christian Encounter Series) by Mark Horne

From time to time I really enjoy reading a good biographical book, especially when it’s on someone like J.R.R. Tolkien, who I have admired for quite some time. I have read many books by Tolkien, and in the process became a huge fan of his works, but I never knew much about the man who put those words down. I had learned some things, such as how Tolkien and C.S. Lewis (another favorite writer of mine) had been good friends, but even that relationship has been somewhat of a mystery to me.

This book opened up the world of Tolkien just as if I  were opening my front door to find my world had transformed into the Shire itself. Reading about the child Toklien was, his losses early in life, the friendships he made, and the struggles he went through, makes me feel a sort of kinship to him, and gives me an even deeper appreciation for his works.

That being said, like most biographies, it did hit me with information overload from time to time, which makes me lose some interest in actually finishing the book, but the subject would always get me to pick it back up again after my break. Overall I think this book did well in portraying the life of a man many have never known, but have come to love none the less.

- FYI, I got this book from Booksneeze.com in exchange for my review. I was not required to be positive, and did not receive any other compensations. If you enjoy reading, and have a blog of your own, check out Booksneeze.com!

Works in Progress

Thought I would do a quick update post on a few cross stitching projects I currently have going on. All but one are in the very beginning stages, but I figured I would post them all anyway. So here you go, starting with the one closest to being finished first!

Zelda Bookmark

Triforce of Badassery

Wolf

Wolf in progress

Paradise Gate

Paradise Gate in progress

Gryffindor Crest

Like I said, almost all of them are in the beginning stages, but I hope to remedy that soon. I’ll do a better job of keeping my blog up to date too!

Need Advice on Fixin’ my car!

Ok, so by now everyone should know my Malibu has been out of commission for some time now.  The culprit is a leaky head gasket or possibly a cracked head, and after finally having a shop look at it, I have decided that I cannot afford their price. I was already growing tired of shop prices after having a few things fixed on the Focus, and this latest visit only pushed me that much farther away.

So that leaves me with two options. 1 – Find someone who is either a mechanic on the side, or a small time mechanic who will do the job for a lot less, or 2 – fix the problem myself. Right now I’m quickly heading toward #2.  With that in mind, I would like some advice, if there are any mechanics, or car repair savvy people out there who would be willing to give it to me.

I will start by giving you all the symptoms, followed by what I think the problem is, and my two solutions I am attempting to choose from. Feel free to correct anything I say.

I know that coolant is leaking into the engine, as there is water/coolant on the oil cap, the oil is  very slightly frothy, and there is a small amount of gunky white buildup just under the oil cap. Also, I put my hand behind the tail pipe and noticed some form of liquid being blown out, possibly water/coolant vapor, but there is zero smoke. Also the car has never over heated, just ran slightly hot a couple of times when the coolant had gotten low.  I’m not entirely sure what the rate of leakage is, but before I parked it I think it would take 3 – 4 days for the coolant tank to drain from full to almost empty.

Since I have been doing a little research, what I have come up with is I have an inside leak in the head gasket, and it looks like it may (hopefully) be a small leak. With that being said, and with the fact that it has not overheated, I would guess that there should be very little if any other internal problems. So what I am proposing are the following two options, with the first being my first choice (obviously).

1. Use a head gasket sealer, such as Steel Seal, or Blue Devil (which I have seen good reviews for both), to attempt to seal the hole in the gasket. The main thing I like about this is it’s cheaper and a heck of a lot easier than replacing the gasket, but of course I’m afraid it would only be a temporary fix.  If the leak is small, though, like I anticipate, then maybe this is be a viable solution. That’s why I’m asking for advice.

2. Replace the head gasket myself.  The bad part about this is I’ve never done it before, but with my ability to take things apart, and because I actually tend to enjoy it, I’m sure I could get it done.  It would still be waaaaaaay cheaper than taking it to a shop, but it would probably take me a lot longer, and of course I would have the opportunity to screw it up as well.

With those being my two options right now, what I need is advice on whether the first option would actually be worth it, or if I should bite the bullet, and go ahead and learn how to pull my engine apart.  Please leave comments below if you can help me out!

Oh, and all the shop told me was what I already knew!

Money Secrets of the Amish – Lorilee Craker

In these tough financial times, everyone is looking for ways to save money. The appeal of this book is just that, showing how the Amish, even amidst financial troubles, manage to no only survive, but even flourish in some areas.

Personally I was not only interested in the financial aspect of the Amish, but their lifestyle in general, and in this book I saw a glimpse of that. In order to learn about the Amish way of managing money, you have to learn some about the Amish, and what you find is almost the same wisdom passed down from even your grandparents and great grandparents. There are things that most of us tend to disregard in these days, such as saving money for big purchases, not acquiring needless debt (or any debt in some cases), and even growing your own food. As I continue to grow older, I am beginning to see just how wise these actions are, and how we should maybe not only have listened more to our grandparents, but also take a look at how the Amish manage. I once heard Dave Ramsey say, “If you want to be rich, then do what the rich do.” We can take the same approach here. If you want to be good at managing your money, then find those who are good at it, and do what they do.

- FYI, I got this book from Booksneeze.com in exchange for my review. I was not required to be positive, and did not receive any other compensations. If you enjoy reading, and have a blog of your own, check out Booksneeze.com!