Hippie Diva Creations

Do not stand at my grave and weep

Posted by Crystal on February 16, 2011 No comments

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave bereft
I am not there. I have not left.

– Mary Elizabeth Frye

In summation…

Posted by Crystal on February 15, 2011 1 comment

Randomly, on another Tuesday:

I miss Melinda. I’m talking to my little brother Michael again. I’m talking to my sisters again. I miss mama. Loss is lonely, and each one exacerbates the others.
The flights down to Texas weren’t too bad. Long, but not bad.
San Antonio was extremely warm the first several days, then cooled off to something tolerable for this Eskimo.
The kids had heaping tons of fun with Mimi, Popo, Aunt B, Uncle Schim, and cousins Matthew/Chewy, Nolan, and Colin.
They also had a great time with Uncle Lawrence, Aunt Susan, Brennan, and Uncle Ables.
Fun was also had at Chuck E Cheese’s with Uncle Alex, Aunt Kimberly, Adriana, Pops, Kyle, and Camden, Aunt Tasha, and cousins Morgan, Trent, and Natalie.
Miss Sally liked being chased by the kids, though she tried to pretend otherwise. Lucky adored Milla.
Camilla is “kah-MEE-lah”. We call her Milla (MEE-yah). I’ve also written it as Mi’a. She calls herself Illa/Iya/I’a (pronounced EE-yah). Aunt B noted that it’s spelled/pronounced like tortilla. I think this is going to stick with my poor girl forever now.
I got a tattoo by Jedidia Reid, owner of Element Tattoo Studio in San Antonio. I LOVE it.
There will be a ton of photos uploaded in the coming weeks.
I hated the trip up to Chicago more than words can capture.
I loved being in Aurora/Chicago with Aunt Cara, Uncle Mike, and cousins Maddie, Ryan, and Tori.
The wind and humidity there make their winter just as cold and unforgiving as ours.
They have so much snow that I’m jealous.
I didn’t think I could be jealous of precipitation. I am.
The trip back to Fairbanks was long, but nowhere near as bad as the one to O’Hare.
We picked up some kind of icky flu-ish/cold-ish bug that has us all feverish, with deep, racking coughs.
That hasn’t diminished the pleasure of being back home.
We all miss our friends, family, and travels.
We wish y’all were closer, and that we could see you more often. Preferably through teleportation.
I’m trying to put the house back together, and will update with more details and pictures when I can.

And lastly:

Bubbles are awesome. (recorded in summer 2010)

Random on a Tuesday

Posted by Crystal on January 25, 2011 1 comment

My youngest sister, Melinda, died at 25 on January 14, 2011.
We drove to Anchorage for a small memorial service for her, held on Friday, January 21, 2011.
It’s got me mourning my mother all over again.
The kids got to play with Grandpa, cousins Faith, Caleb, and Vicky, Aunts Jessie, Tasha, & Sandee, and Uncle Darrell.
We took family photos at my parents’ house, courtesy of Sandee Rice Photography.
Back at the hotel, we took the kids down to the swimming pool. They had a blast.
The chlorine in the pool did crazy tightening things to the dreads forming at the back of my head.
Bouncing Bears is the coolest place to get kids worn out before a long road trip.
The living room floor is the greatest place to roll around after many long hours cooped up in car seats.
The wolf and the orca share the same animal spirit in Yup’ik lore. These are the two animals I debated between in trying to identify the animal essence of my youngest child River. JR is a polar bear. Camilla is a lynx/mountain lion/fox.
I’ve spun 4 oz of a pinkish-purplish wool/alpaca batt by Bohoknitterchic Spins into 400+ yards of a fingering weight single. Melinda loved pink. I’m going to knit a shawl out of this yarn.
I’m knee-deep in laundry that needs to be done before we leave Thursday night on vacation.
I get a kitten after we get back. It will go nicely with the litter box and cat food I got from John for Christmas.
I’m planning on getting tattooed in San Antonio and Chicago during the next couple of weeks.
I’ll be starting a Little Acorn Learning curriculum for JR and Camilla after our trip. I’m excited.
I definitely need to get back to daily workouts. They’ve fallen by the wayside with a marked increase in fibro pain.
I nearly forgot how comfortable Vans are until I bought a new pair the other day.
I am very clearly doing anything possible to avoid laundry and packing.
I have to start all that now, before Thursday gets here.

Sigh.

New Pattern! — Columnar socks

Posted by Crystal on January 6, 2011 No comments

Now available — Columnar!

I designed these primarily to showcase the beauty of hand-painted artisan yarn. I believe I’ve accomplished this in an easy way, while lending visual interest, slight texture, and a simple counter-spell for pooling.

Columnar. Shown here in Titania colorway on Adorn Sock by Three Irish Girls.

These socks are worked in the round from the cuff down. This pattern assumes you have a basic familiarity with sock construction, though will be easy enough for beginners. This is written for use with Magic Loop, though please use whichever method of small diameter in-the-round knitting you prefer. Three sizes are available, and more can be achieved through gauge modification.

You may purchase this pattern for $5.00 via Ravelry. You do not need to be a member of Ravelry to use the link below.

New.

Posted by Crystal on January 1, 2011 No comments

(I’ll be back with 30 Days of Truth tomorrow-ish. Just wanted to note this. Workout: Complete, 20 minutes. 30 Day Shred 1, day 3 in.a.row! Liking the burn I’m feeling.)

My guys (John and JR) got a much-needed haircut by me tonight, followed by showery freshness. River practiced keeping his balance sitting up. John went to bed in hopes of chasing away his chest cold. Camilla fell asleep on the early side. JR, River, and I hung out in the living room before they decided to go to sleep before midnight.

I thought about mama, and how we would call each other at midnight each new year, just to check in with each other. I miss you, mama. I thought about new year’s eves of past, shook my head, and said a prayer of thanks for my life today. Sleep eluded me, so I came back out to the living room to do my workout as nearby fireworks rang in the new year.

New. New goals. New outlook. New habits. New hope. This year, I’m going to reveal a new me.

Happy New Year. May you find the newness you seek.

Day 6 of 30 Days of Truth

Posted by Crystal on December 30, 2010 No comments

Day 6: Something you hope to never do in your life

Workout: Complete, 30 minutes (30 Day Shred Jump Start, 30 Day Shred 1 — feeling major burn today)

First of all, I am sore. S.O.R.E. I didn’t know that just 20 minutes of working out could be so intense. Yesterday was my first day of the 30 Day Shred program, and it kicked my ass. Everything was sore this morning. On the other hand, I slept like a baby last night, deeply, completely, all night. And it was the first night in a while without nightmares (at least, where I don’t remember having them the next morning). So bonus all around.

Second of all, I’m down over 6 lbs, and can feel that more is going to come off if I stick with this.

Thirdly, Jillian is crazy. Her 30 Day Shred is intense, she’s intense, but that’s ok. I need intense, I think. She’s bossy, and that works for me. But she’s crazy. And my ass hurts.

Moving on.

There are tons of things I hope to never do in my life, just as there are tons of things I hope to do. I’ll try not to be specific as I don’t want to bring myself down or increase my anxiety since I already have depression and panic/anxiety issues. I will say, in light of the dietary shifts and increase in workout frequency, that I have a weight number in mind that I hope to never again reach. I have another number in mind that I’m working toward, but am trying to focus more on increasing my sense of well-being.

Now excuse me while I go collapse for a while. Whew.

She looks so sweet

Posted by Crystal on December 29, 2010 No comments

when she’s asleep. Don’t you agree? Little angel. We won’t discuss at this time the mischief she’s in when she’s awake.

Camilla Rose, asleep with her baby doll, December 27, 2010

Day 5 of 30 Days of Truth

Posted by Crystal on December 29, 2010 No comments

Looks like I fell down on the blog. Workouts have continued. Blogging did not. My bad.

Day 5: Something you hope to do in your life
Workout: Complete, 45 minutes (Cardioke, part of 30 Day Shred Day 1 before it kicked my ass)

There are many things I hope to do in my life. I hope to see my children grow old and have children of their own. I hope to see a Boston Red Sox game along the 1st base line at Fenway Park. I hope to see the buildings and sculptures of ancient Greece and Rome. I hope to see the gray skies and green fields in Ireland. I hope to get some piece of my writing published. I hope to make a difference in someone else’s life for the better. I hope to continue to better myself — mind, body, and soul.