Bad Blogger / Good Gifter

I know ... I have been a bad blogger. It's been ages since my last post and so much has happened since then. Where shall I begin. Well, I have been tackling the concrete jungle for the past couple of months toying with corporate America but not getting totally sucked in. It feels good to just go in, do my work and leave all the corporate "BS" and politics behind...and truth be told, I love it that way. I have a friend who has made a career by temping (we met while she was filling in for someone on maternity leave). I used to envy her sense of freedom and abandonment, not being tied to the corporate culture. Freelancing at this major publisher has given me a complete understanding of what she described as her "BS Be Damned" attutude. Now don't get me wrong. I don't want you to think I waltz in there all willy nilly and not care about the integrity of my work. That is a different story. I take pride in my skills and let it speak for itself. You know how some of us were brought up on that "One Better" rule. As a black woman, you always have to be one step ahead ( I can still hear my mother telling me that as she looked over my grades). That notion is so ingrained in me, I don't know how to be anything but the consumate professional when it comes to my work. Which brings me to this ... they offered me a staff position. What do I do now?!

On the creative tip, I have been crocheting to my hearts content. I finally finished my friends baby blanket. She had a little girl on Good Friday and I finished just in time. I was about to be through with her though. see, when she found out she was pregnant, she told me she wanted the nursery to be lilac and pink. Cool, I thought. Finally I can get away from the pinks and use purples and lilacs. A couple of months later, a week before her shower and AFTER I was half way finished, she told me she switched the nursery to a Strawberry Shortcake theme and wanted everything red and pink. I about died. You know how it is after you have made a commitment to make something for someone. You want it to be perfect. So, I did a little research, found out that Strawberry Shortcake had some pinks and purples in her color scheme and put my mind at ease w/o trying to crochet another blanket in less than a week. I love the way the blanket came out. It is basically 4 rows of double crochet alternating pink and purple and 2 rows of double crochet in white. A simple stripe pattern with a dramatic affect. To embellish it, I made three crochet flowers and made a "ribbon" of chain stitch to wrap around the blanket and thread the flowers through. I topped it off with a homemade card. I was nervous ... I am always nervous when making gifts for people. The best thing was she called me about a half hour later after receiving the gift and told me it was the best gift she received for her little one. THAT, really made my day.