Inside Kimmy's Mind

Totally missed the rest of the BLOG-TEMBER challenge. Sadly, school and life just got in the way. However, it gave me today’s topic! What’s on my to-read list?!

But first! In other book related news, I’ve recently signed up for Blogging for Books, which if you haven’t heard of it before and you enjoy reading and writing then take a look over HERE!

During Labor Day weekend, Half Price had a 20% off of everything sale! I couldn’t pass up the opportunity and while I was out with a friend we decided to pop in for a bit. I managed to find several books I wanted but only walked out with three. I had to pace myself.

The books I walked away with:

•  Milkrun by Sarah Mlynowski (Currently Reading)
• The Ticket That Exploded by William Burroughs
• Lunar Savings Time by Alex Epstein

And then, I was given money for my birthday and went into Target, just buzzing around the dollar spot and art supplies when I wandered over to the books. Now, I don’t normally buy books from Target, but oh, I am very glad I did. Everyone should embrace a some YA books. I don’t judge your choice of genre, but I know some in the Creative Writing Department at UH sort of look down upon YA and Fantasy. But we should embrace these books, especially when they are well written and the plot is just well constructed and thought out. Anywho, I walked away with these lovely books:

• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews (also no a movie-have yet to see it)
• A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
• FanGirl by Rainbow Rowell (Bought this for the roomie, but I hope to read it as well)

Now, these are all the books I currently own and plan on reading, following is a list of books I have yet to get but have mentally, verbally and have written down on many lists. Here is yet another one.

• Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy by Dinty W. Moore
• Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
• Design the Life You Love by Ayse Birsel
• You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero

There were several other books, that I have written down somewhere…but so far these are the ones that have made it to the current list. And aside from books, I wanted to share my newest notebook as well. Not like I need another one, but for me you can never have too many and this one is R2D2! They had several covers to choose from, but I just had to walk away with R2. My only issue with having so many is deciding what to fill each one with and wanting to use the latest one as soon as I get it. I know, those are some serious issues.

That’s all I have for this entry, let me know what’s on your to-read list. I’m definitely adding more to mine, speaking of….I’m off to read, maybe even knit!

Thanks for reading and commenting

The Time Garden by Daria Song

I’m excited to share a review with you today.

I’m sure most of you are aware of the recent trend that are…”adult” coloring books. I’m not a fan of this term, being creative should be acceptable for all ages. Not all of us can express ourselves creatively, and these coloring books can give you a project without needing a time frame or an end product. You’re free to color and take your time, like you did when you were younger.

The Time Garden is a beautiful coloring book, on my version there is a beautifully drawn tree which is featured more throughout the book. The dust jacket has gold foiling on the title and so do some of the leaves that sprinkle the front of the book. Moving on to the inside, the actual cover has a field of stars surrounding a little girl,her face hidden. This page is also featured later on in the book, so you can have the thrill of coloring this page.

One thing I feel that sets this book apart from a few of the other coloring books out in the market is that there is a story that is connected to it.  A story that makes me think- Nutcracker meets Alice in Wonderland yet at the same time maintaining it’s own story. 

The pages are a nice weight, I’m using a mixture of color pencil and my Staedtler Triplus fine-liner to color in the pages. If you press too hard or go over an already colored section too many times with the fine-liner there may be bleeding on the other side. But you shouldn’t run into that problem, too often. The only reason I ran into it was because I didn’t like my color choice and went over it with another color. I have yet to try using watercolor, but since the paper isn’t  a certain type of texture, I wouldn’t recommend using that medium.  But ultimately it’s up to you. I don’t want to ruin the book by showing you each page, so at the bottom is a teaser flip through of it’s pages.

I also wanted to share what’s written on the back of the book, if this plus the gorgeous illustrations doesn’t make you fall in love with this book then I don’t know what will.

The Time Garden will sweep you away into a whimsical cuckoo clock-inspired world, created in intricate pen and ink by Korean artist Daria Song. Journey through the doors of the clock into its inky innerworkings to discover a magical land of clock gears, rooftops, starry skies, and giant flying owls-all ready for you to customize with whatever colors you can dream up. 

Cuckoo…cuckoo…cuckoo…

When the clock strikes midnight, you’ll wonder, was it all a dream?

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

I’ve enjoyed coloring in this book, and it’s been a nice way to clear my head and just spend a little time daydreaming. I think we often forget to take some time for ourselves. I chose this book for my first review because I wanted something crafty and fun. Keep your eyes open for the next one, let me know in the comments if you enjoy this or other coloring books. But it’s quite alright if you don’t.

Thanks for reading and commenting

Here are my 10 shuffled songs, I’m pretty happy with each song that happened to play, even though every song on my ipod is something I love, I still had the urge to hit next, thinking that the song that followed  it might be one I really enjoy singing along to.

1. Billie Jean-Michael Jackson
2. The Way I am-Ingrid Michaelson
3. When We were Young-Sucre
4. Tennis- Seafarer
5. Crave You-Flight Facilities
6. D0-Wah-Doo- Kate Nash
7. Lingering Still-She & Him
8. Animal- Neon Trees
9. September – Pomplamoose
10. Soap- Melanie Martinez

Click on the songs and it will take you to their music video or just a song video to hear it. Tried to embed a playlist, it didn’t work out .  So click away. :3

Looking forward to hearing your songs!

Thanks for reading and commenting.

I missed yesterday’s prompt, I was just too tired and ran out of time, but I’m ready for today’s topic.  Today’s Topic is….What are you passionate about?

Where to begin? I have no idea how to answer this question,  so let’s just dive in.

• School/Career-I’m extremely passionate about succeeding in school, I may not be a straight A student, but I still put everything I am into it. I do my best, and if that’s not good enough then I try again. I am almost done and can see the light, I just can’t skip any steps but I know I will make it.  And I may not know what my career will be after I finally make it through school, but I’m not just gonna twiddle my thumbs, I won’t stop until I find it. And again….I will find it.
• Hobbies- My hobbies are extremely important to me. They represent a huge part of me and I just love that I was able to discover them in this lifetime. I never thought knitting would be something that I focused on, but it is and I’m so glad it became so much more than just something I once did/attempted. I didn’t stop when it got hard, I just kept trying and I hope to keep that attitude in other things I may tackle.

… continue reading this entry.

I am completely in love with the fall, Texas fall isn’t a great representation of what a fall should be though. But, there are days when the weather is absolutely perfect and that’s how my ideal day begins.

Now I have two versions of this day. The first one involves me never leaving the house. I get up early, open the windows and let in a cool breeze. It’s light sweater weather, so the breeze is just right. And the way the light streams in is just comfortable. As if to say, “Relax, you can do whatever you want.”

No tests, no homework due or work to get up for. No worries.

I’d do some stretches, I haven’t gone to hot yoga since my 30 days ended, but I still like to do some stretching when I have the time. After stretching, I’d do some knitting. I’ve just started double knitting and I’m hoping to finish my Star Wars scarf before it’s summer again. After knitting, I’d do some blogging. I try to condition myself into working at my desk, and for the most part I do. But every once in awhile I wonder over to the couch and make myself comfortable for blogging. I’d then probably do some more crafting, because I just can’t get enough of the stuff.  I’d make something to eat, or there would magically be something yummy to eat already. My sister would make a blueberry cobbler or some type of dessert. She’s becoming a master pastry chef. 🙂 But that’s the gist of version 1.

The second version involves me actually leaving the house. I’d want the boyfriend to join me on this outing, again the weather is just lovely, perfect for a day at the park or the zoo. We’d have a picnic, enjoy the breeze from a blanket while I knitted or read a book with him keeping me company. This day sounds pretty cliche, but I’ve actually had days like this before with him. But it has been awhile since we’ve gone to the park. Too hot or the rain ruins those type of plans. After lounging in the park, we’d go to a used bookstore. Those are the best, I love how long he takes. He can browse the architecture section  for hours before making a selection. Too cute. We’d go for lunch and then share some cake.

… continue reading this entry.

I’ve decided to take part in the Brave Love Blog’s September blog challenge. BLOG-TEMBER! I’m excited because I’ve always started blog challenges before, but have fallen short on them in the past. I’m hoping this teaches me to plan ahead,  I’m gonna try to write more than one post ahead of time and schedule them. I’ve only ever schedule posts once in awhile, so that’s also a challenge I hope to beat.

Here we go…

September 1st: Introduction

Hello, welcome to my blog. I’m Kimmy and I’m excited to get a glimpse into your lives and let you see a bit into mine, so pull up a chair and get comfortable. I sometimes drone on a bit too much, but that’s just part of who I am. In 11 days I will be 26, and yes that day represents a number of different things but for me, it was the day of my existence…well, as a fully formed person and not as a sea monkey. Odd thing to say….more awkward moments to ahead. Here are a few things about me…..

 -I love crafting:  That includes a bunch of things, knitting/crochet, scrap-booking, sewing, card making (ect)

-I’m the middle child, I have two sisters. My older sis is a Graphic Designer and the younger one, who is also my roommate, is a Pastry Chef. We collaborate over here and we just launched our Etsy account. We sell handmade things so feel free to stop by our store and blog. 🙂

– I’m hoping to graduate in the Spring.

-I love visiting bookstores and miss the fact that I haven’t been reading as much as I used to. Please leave some book suggestions. I want to update my To read list and hopefully tackle it.

-I really want to adopt a kitty, but my apartment makes it impossible with the amount of fees that goes into owning a pet at my complex. Thankfully Instagram exists and I can live vicariously through other cat owners.

To summarize, I’m a cat loving, sister having, school going, and all around crafter. Pleased to meet you all. I want this challenge to highlight a positive outlook and  I know I’ll gain inspiration from my fellow bloggers,  I hope I can offer you the same. Have you completed blog challenges before? I’d like to know.

Thanks for reading and commenting.

Since having my galaxy tab 4, I’ve been getting a little app crazed and I’m totally fine with that. Here’s a list of the recent apps I’ve downloaded.

Games

• Monument Valley– I’ve mentioned this one before, but they’ve brought out new levels since then. This game remains gorgeous no matter how many times I play it. I adore it.
• Plants vs Zombies– This game is great, when it was originally released I couldn’t download it so I played it on my DS. Even now, it’s still a favorite. I haven’t played the new one yet, but only because the original is just too great.
• Alphabear– This is such a cute game, even though it makes me feel as though my vocabulary is limited to smaller words. It sort of reminded me of Words with Friends, only more adorable. The bears grow as you gain more points, and you get different bears with different abilities. Really cute.
• El– Now this game is really beautiful, and because of that I’m putting it on this list. However, I recommend you stop playing before the last level. I wasn’t happy with how it ended, but it doesn’t change the fact that the game is beautiful. Reminded me of this indie game called Night Sky, I love the shadow design.

Reading

• Webtoon– I discovered this app due to Frannerd, I love her illustrations and was excited to see her work in comic form. She and her husband have entered the comic challenge on Webtoon and it’s how I discovered the app. I’ve also found other illustrator’s that do great work.
• Marvel Comics- I bought the Princess Leia Star Wars comics and with the hardcopies came free digital copies which had me download the Marvel Comic app. This one has only come in handy for Leia issues, which was too short-only five issues, and I haven’t used it for anything else…yet. But still, I’m glad I have it for when I need it, and I just wanted to put it on my list.

Here are the apps I’ve been obsessing over lately, just wanted to share them and I’m curious to know what apps are on your list currently? That’s all for now….until next time. :3

Thanks for reading and commenting

I started going to hot yoga with my sister Kat at YogaOne Studios. It’s intense but oddly satisfying, during my first session I kept thinking I wouldn’t make it. Yet here I am on day 3. I feel horrible for missing the majority of this week though. I paid for the 30 day, and technically I’m on day 6, I’m hoping to go every other day, but the key is to have fun. After my 30 days, I don’t think I’ll do the monthly membership but every once in a while I might just pay for the day.

Here are the things needed for hot yoga….

• Yoga mat- the studio lets you use one, but I figured I would buy myself one if I enjoyed attending the sessions. I found one at Ross for $8. It has purple, grey, white, teal, and black stripes on the front and just solid grey on the back. 🙂 Thank you Ross.
• Water bottle- (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT) you must have water with you when doing hot yoga, I bought this water bottle from Target for $10. I even use it at work, Kat and I just got a water filter so we can start filling our refillable bottles vs using just regular plastic bottles.
• Hand towel- I’d recommend a small towel so you can wipe down your face when you sweat. It’s hot yoga, so you’ll be doing this a lot and sometimes it’s distracting.
• Long Towel- it’s also nice to bring a bigger towel to lay over your mat, drops of sweat may cause you to slip. Having the longer towel is helpful, and can add extra padding when doing certain stretches. There are yoga towels, but I just use a beach towel. They are longer than regular towels and don’t cost as much as a yoga one.
• Duffel bag- bags are just great in general but I love using this polka dot duffel bag, it holds everything I need.

I’m really enjoying my hot yoga sessions, a great way to detox and just let all of your stress go. I have my sister to thank for introducing me to yoga. Next yoga post will be about yoga clothes and the studio itself….until then. 🙂

Thanks for reading and commenting

Saturday was the 4th annual Star Wars Art Fest and I finally got the chance to attend. Last year my sisters and I were manning a table at a Pop Shop event so I wasn’t able to make it to the Star Wars event. The boyfriend had a ton of events that he wanted to go to this weekend. I just wanted to go to the Star Wars one but we went to the Dragon boat race. It was too hot so we didn’t stay very long, plus getting there was annoying and we only saw one race….sort of. And I let my annoyance get the better of me. I shouldn’t let things ruin my day, but sometimes I do and then I transform into a grumpy mess. However, when it does happen I do my best to snap out of it as quickly as I can. Once we finally made it to the Star Wars Fest, and after I got over parking. We went into the studio, which is a really cool building. I should have taken more pictures, but my cell battery has been wonky so I was only able to take a few pictures. I still want to save up for a good camera so I can change that. My main goal was to stop by Yamin’s table. I’ve mentioned his work several times, here, here and here, and wanted to see all of his Star Wars items. I was on the verge of either buying an R2D2 or Death Star necklace, he has a deal at events like these, one for $20 and two for $30. So I was trying to find something for Kat, but she’s not a huge Star Wars fan. Then I was hoping the boyfriend would find something he liked, but he’s not the biggest Star Wars fan either. I mean, they enjoy the movies, but that’s as far as it goes. But then he tells me to pick one, and points to the Death Star, and he picks one out for his roommate. He always treats me with gifts, so I’m working on doing something special for him. It’s just the coolest design, I don’t remember him having these the first time I was introduced to his work, so this design must be new. But while I was admiring his work, he came up to me and noticed my  AT-AT necklace that I’ve had for a year and so charmingly says, “I made that!” While pointing to my necklace. I reply with, I know! And then he notices the bf’s keychain hanging from his belt loop and says, “I made that too! It’s one of a kind, no one else has that. You’re one lucky guy.” Again, so freaking charming. He then goes into how great the material is, surprised by the fact that my necklace was a year old. I plan to order more custom orders in the future. We walked around for a bit, saw a bunch of great Star Wars art and then finished eating sandwiches in the car. Once we finally decided to leave, I decided to take him to one of my favorite bookstores. Kaboom. He looked for a bit an bought a few books. While I waited for him, I had a long conversation with the owner. So when we were getting ready to leave, we decided to give our Star Wars tickets to her since she complimented my necklace. The event was a two day thing, and we weren’t able to go back for Sunday so I’m hoping she used them.

It was a very eventful weekend, a nice way to let out some end-of-the-semester-stress. I have only one more final left and then I’ll be done with this semester. I don’t even want to think about what I still have to figure out before the month is over. I still have a bunch of crap I need to take care of before June. -.- Ahem….anyway, must remain positive.  That’s it for now…until next time.

Thanks for reading and commenting.

I’ve been stuck in front of my computer finishing up a presentation for class. Due to all the work I needed to get done,  I didn’t get to spend the weekend with the Boyfriend. But I did last and the weekend beforehand. He was supposed to meet my parents then, but the weather prevented it from happening. This was the second attempt and I’m not sure when we will  be able to reschedule. But since we didn’t go to my parent’s house, we decided to go out to lunch, made a trip to Half Price, and then grabbed some ice cream for dessert. :9

We went to a different Half Price thinking they’d have more of a selection. They did!!! I’m super excited about my discoveries, plus I’m excited to share them on the blog.

• Slog’s Dad by David Almond- The reason I purchased this one, it’s illustrated by Dave McKean!!! I love his art style, he’s magic personified. The story itself is magical yet dark and uplifting, the story and artwork just mesh so well together that I just absolutely love it. I always thought that Gaiman would be the only person I wanted paired with McKean’s art.  But boy was I wrong, McKean makes any story come to life, Almond has another book with McKean’s illustrations so I’ll be on the look out for that too. Along with McKean’s art books.

• The Unruly Alphabet by Aaron McKinney – I saw this book first, and I thought it had a McKean-esque feel to it. It’s has that grittiness to it and can be slightly disturbing in the best way possible. I know, I’m weird. But the cover immediately made me pick it up and read it and even after reading it I just had to buy it. It’s images are of the alphabet with weird personalities and alliteration. I’m fascinated by it and by McKinney, it must be  McK thing. XD

• Alien Isolation: Nostromo  Edition- I didn’t get this third item at Half Price, but I wanted to just add it in this entry. The last time  Kat and I did go home, was during Easter weekend and we found this at Hastings and couldn’t resist. I’ve been wanting to play this game since I saw the trailer. When Colonial Marines fell flat, even though I really enjoyed shooting Aliens, I was was really excited to see that there would be a new game. It’s definitely intense. Plus, I like the idea that Ripley’s daughter also faces a Xenomorph. Because of school, I haven’t been able to indulge in gaming. But I will soon once the semester is  over, what I have been able to play of the game has been difficult. I’ve screamed several times. That tense feeling you get when you’re excited and scared at the same time, it’s great.

I came home today after work to find someone parked in my spot. -.- I’m tired of this happening, I pay an extra 15 bucks a month to have a reserved parking spot in my complex. I’m not paying for someone else to park in my spot! I told myself that the next time someone parked in it, I would have them towed. With that being said, I called to have them towed. Kat and I went out to get something to eat and they said they would call but they never called me. Once we got home, the truck was gone but I have no way of knowing if it was towed or if they just left. Now I just keep looking over my shoulder, I just don’t want the punk to do do anything to my car. -.- For once I would just like to be a badass and not worry about what may happen, just be confident in my decision.

 That’s all for now….thanks for reading and commenting.