Serious stuff....

26 August 2014

I know I promised Disney pictures when I wrote next, but I just can't bring myself to go through all my pictures right now. I just started school again and have been extremely busy moving and getting situated!

Since school has started, I've been stressed out with juggling homework and leisure time and play time and everything that comes with being a college student, but today, that stress and worrying seems to be extremely irrelevant.

Over the past year or so, my suburban hometown (and I'm sure many others!) seems to be filled with the use of lots and lots of hard drugs. I'm not talking about weed, but I'm talking about pills and heroin. Being able to relate personally with addicts, it breaks my heart to see young girls and boys, not even 20 years old, throwing their lives away in order to get that "high" that they so badly desire. Sure, it may be fun now, or you may be impressing these people now, but is it ultimately worth what could happen to you in the end? Because of my relationships with addicts (something I won't really talk about on here right now), and people who have been directly affected by them and their choices, it's almost hard for me to have sympathy for these young addicts in my town who throw their lives away...killing themselves because they "just can't live with the opportunities that God has given them." Sure, not all of them intentionally kill themselves, but when they make that choice to stick that needle in their arms or to swallow that pill, they know the consequences and what could come along with it. It honestly breaks my heart to see people who could amount to so much become so little.

Either they got caught in the wrong crowd, they had to face some pretty horrible things, or it was just supposed to be something fun; all of these people make the choice to do these hard drugs that could cause so much harm to their family and to their friends. If you know an addict personally, you know how hard it can be to watch them practically throw their lives away. You have watched them turn into somebody their not because of a drug, and that is one of the most heartbreaking things in the world. 

I'm not really sure why I'm even writing this post...maybe to just get some thoughts out on the issue. I just want to bring awareness to the issue that communities all over face. I am 19 years old, and I have to use two hands to count the amount of people I know who have overdosed, and there is something seriously wrong with that. I want teenagers and young adults to open their eyes and see what these drugs can do to them. I want them to not be so selfish as to put their families through a lifetime of hurt and wondering what else they could have done, when in all honesty, there was nothing.

For me, it's hard to feel bad for these addicts. It's hard for me to understand why somebody chooses a life that they can so easily avoid. There are many personal issues I face when it comes to addicts, and many things I need to work on. If you know one, maybe you know how I feel. If you don't personally know any, it probably makes it a lot easier to believe that these people truly did just have a bad life....

Anywhooooooo, this is deep and personal and maybe a little weird! But appreciate the life you have, and the things you have been given because it could all change in a blink of an eye


Rest in peace to the victims of the drug-use phenomenon. 


I suck...

09 August 2014

Okay, I know how badly I am sucking at blogging right now. I just moved into my apartment so I have been super busy! I have so many post ideas in my head, but just wanted my first one to be about Disney World, but I have yet to go through all my photos. Half dreading it because there are SO many! I promise I'll be back soon...

xoxoo,
Randell

I'm baaaaaaackkkk

27 July 2014

I'm back! However, this post is not a "real" post. Just a hi! post. Anyways, give me a few days to go through my photos and get some developed and I'll share with y'all my entire trip from start to finish (okay...maybe not in a one post, but definitely an overview!). Hope you guys had a good week and you'll be hearing from me sometime this week. Pardon my little break...

xoxoxo,
Randell

And we're off.....

19 July 2014

So my attempt to watch all the Disney movies I wanted before the trip failed so bad, but I did get to re-watch some of my favorites including The Jungle Book and Lilo & Stitch! But anyways...today is the day we leave for Disney and I am so excited! I won't post at all until next Saturday, but if you want to keep up with my trip and experience follow me on my personal Instagram @randellscism. There will be many many many many photos...

Until next time, musketeers!
Randell

P.S. - any last minute tips would be appreciated! E-mail me @ scismr@yahoo.com


DIY Embroidered Canvas

15 July 2014

Awhile ago George and I went to an art festival in Virginia Highlands, and a photographer had taken a photo of graffiti on the wall that said "Be the person your dog thinks you are," and I instantly fell in love with that quote. Since then I wanted something that said that, so I looked all around for a canvas idea (pinsperation), and came up with this!


I think it came out pretty adorable! Here's how I did it - 


Materials:
- Needle
- Canvas
- Sharpie/Pencil
- Embroidery Floss
- I used twine for the border, but you can use anything!

1. I traced my stencil onto my canvas. I did this using a pencil and an old slide projector thing that I have laying around my house - the light bulb helped my stencil shine onto the canvas - but you can do the same thing by holding it up to a light/window. Or just free hand it! Whatever works for you. Mine came out like this:


2. I used my needle and poked holes about 1/4 inch apart (or something......? LOL) from each other on each of the letters. When you're doing this make sure you send your needle all the way through your canvas. Some people may not even need to do this step and just skip onto actually embroidering, but I like guidelines and it makes it easier (for me) later, but does take a little time. Here's me actually working on mine while being lazy on the couch...


3. After punching all my holes, I started embroidering. Use the back stitch and just work through your pre-made holes. This should take a little while, use your floss wisely (depending on how much you have), and make sure your stitches look good. Don't spend your time doing something halfway...




4. The last thing I did was add a little bit of twine around the edges and tightened it in the back so that it would look more like a border. This is just optional and you can really do anything cute around the border, like ribbon or something.

I hope these steps were easy enough to follow and I hope some of y'all try it out!

Happy Tuesday!
Randell

Brain-dead, Everyday Washcloths

13 July 2014

So many, many months ago, I made these wash cloths for my grandma. I love to make little "brain-dead" projects, and these washcloths fit that definition perfect. They make a perfect gift and are so, super easy (if you know the basic purl and knit stitch). My grandmother uses them for all of her dishes and sends them through the washer all the time, and they have worn through it all! Definitely worth your (very little) time and effort!


Materials:
Size 7 Needles
Any worsted weight yarn - I used just some scraps left over from other projects!

Pattern: 
The double seed stitch -
Cast on 31 stitches
Row 1-4: Knit
Row 5: Knit 3, Purl 1, Knit 1, Purl 1 repeat until last 3 stitches - knit.
Row 6: Same as Row 5
Row 7: Knit 3, Knit 1, Purl 1, Knit 1 repeat until last 3 stitches - knit.
Row 8: Same as Row 7
Continue this pattern until your washcloth measures about 8 inches long
Knit 4 rows after you have reached about 8 inches and cast off!

Voila! Let me know if you try them...
Randell

What's sweet, old, and cute all over?

09 July 2014

Sorry for the horrible title, but can you guys guess? A puppy, yes. Vintage clothes, yes. But what I'm talking about is a grandmother. I actually googled the definition of a grandmother, and this is what popped up.

Grandmother / noun / ˈgran(d)ˌməT͟Hər / : any kindly, sweet old woman who will happily boost your self-esteem and write you letters and love you. Tends to know lots of neat old songs and obscure, off-color jokes. Generally much cooler and less scary than one's actual mother.

How much more accurate could that definition be? Literally describes my grandma...perfectly. However, despite being so much less scary than my mother (sorry mom), she is so much more than that to me. My grandma is literally somebody who I consider a best friend. Nobody understands the things I say better than her, and I am so unbelievable grateful for the time I get with her, I only wish we could have a hundred years more together.

My grandma just recently got remarried (at like, age 77, go her!) and moved like, 45 minutes away. I never realized how much I saw of her until she left, and now I love the days I have with her where I just go to her house and we sit and we talk and we knit together for hours. These are memories I will cherish for the rest of my life. It breaks my heart to hear about people who never knew their grandmas because some of the greatest advice I have received has came from her. She has taught me things I will remember for the rest of my life.


My grandma has the biggest heart of anybody I know. She loves the Lord and is grateful for all that she has been blessed with in her life, even the bad that got her where she is today. There are literally hundreds of reasons I could say about why I love her. I actually made her one of those cliché Pinterest projects (a lot like this one) with 365 reasons why I love her for Mother's Day. She loves them.
 
Anyway, the point of this post is to tell you all not take your grandparents for granted. They love you unconditionally and deserve that same love back. I hope my grandma knows how much I appreciate her love and advice, and how much I love our little days together. They mean more to me than probably anybody will ever know. My grandma was telling me today that she wished I had known her mother, and I'm sure I am going to be telling my kids the same thing about her one day. The thought that they may never know her breaks my heart. But one day they will meet in Heaven, and for that I am thankful. 

Don't forget about old people, they need love too!
Randell

And here's an adorable pic of my smiling puppy because who doesn't love puppy pics!