Thoughts and rambles http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/ The thoughts and rambles of Stacey Rosenbaum en-US Copyright 2011 Thu, 05 May 2011 15:20:31 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification NBC's The Voice So, I've found a new addiction on the networks...NBC's new show The Voice! I'm totally loving it!

I cannot say I have a favorite team...each coach is an awesome talent and they have chosen some great voices to coach. Here are my top picks:

TeamAdam: Javier Colon and Rebecca Loebe. These two have a great talent for making a song their own. I cannot stand Nirvana, but Rebecca really turned Come As You Are around for me. She made it extremely tolerable to listen to with such a beautiful voice. :)

TeamBlake: Dia Frampton and Sara Oromchi. Need I say more. Dia has the cutest voice, but also very strong. I loved Sara's version of John Lennon's Imagine.

TeamCeeLo: Emily Valentine, Nakia and Vicci Martinez. First off, Emily and Vicci...WOW, what strong voices. They gave me goosebumps listening to them. I loved Emily's smoky voice and Vicci reminded me of a stronger version of Joan Jett. Loved them. And Nakia, what can I say, a strong version of Cee Lo's Forget You. No one can do that one as good as Cee Lo himself. :D

TeamChristina: Beverly McClellan, Cherie Oakley, Justin Grennan and Raquel Castro. Wow, 4 chosen from her team. Beverly, WOWOWOWOW! It's so hard to sing anything from Janis Joplin, but you rocked it baby! Cherie was great and I'm glad Christina chose her since Blake didn't. Justin has a unique style that I like. And Raquel was amazing too.

And that's my 2 cents worth. Can't wait to see the coaching sessions and the battling duo's. No show has had me wishing a week to speed by like this since Biggest Loser. Hope they return it in more seasons with other artist/coaches.

]]> http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2011/05/nbcs_the_voice.html http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2011/05/nbcs_the_voice.html Adam Levine Beverly McClellan Blake Shelton Cee Lo Green Cherie Oakley Christina Aguilera Dia Frampton Emily Valentine Javier Colon Justin Grennan Nakia NBC's The Voice Raquel Castro Rebecca Loebe Sara Oromchi The Voice Vicci Martinez Thu, 05 May 2011 15:20:31 -0600 Progress on Grayson's quilt
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Here are pics of the progress of Grayson's quilt. So excited to finish it. :)

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]]> http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2011/04/progress_on_graysons_quilt.html http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2011/04/progress_on_graysons_quilt.html baby quilt four patch quilt Fri, 29 Apr 2011 23:17:54 -0600 Grayson's first quilt I've taught myself how to hand quilt. Since I'm expecting my first grandchild at the end of August, I just knew he needed a handmade quilt made from his grandma. :)

I've had to stop for a day or two to let my thumb heal, I've over-used it and it is very very sore and swollen. I've been taking ibuprofen and using ice on it to try to get it better, but think I might have to pull out the biofreeze as well.

Here is a picture of the quilt top and my stitching process. Can't wait to get back to it, and create more beautiful quilts! I'm addicted! LOL

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]]> http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2011/04/graysons_first_quilt.html http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2011/04/graysons_first_quilt.html baby boy quilt baby quilt hand quilting patchwork quilt Tue, 26 Apr 2011 12:18:13 -0600 Jewelry Purchase I'm so excited that I finally purchased a bracelet from the HopeFaithMiracles jewelry line. I've always loved Kristian Alfonso, Hope on Days of Our Lives. Her jewelry is beautiful and I really hope to purchase more.

I ordered the Humanity Wrap Around Bracelet in black, but hope to eventually have all the colors.

]]> http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2011/02/jewelry_purchase.html http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2011/02/jewelry_purchase.html bracelet HopeFaithMiracles hopefaithmiracles.com humanity wrap around bracelet jewelry Kristian Alfonso Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:35:52 -0600 Knitting Fever So ever since I found out that I'm going to be a grandma for the first time, I have done nothing but sit and knit all day. Not kind to my back that's for sure, but so much fun. I find myself eating less throughout the day unfortunately, and it certainly has not helped me with any weight loss. :(

One baby blanket is sitting ready to be blocked and pinned, then finished, while I feverishly work on getting another completed. Hoping that by the time I get to, and finish, the layette I have planned that I know if it's a boy or girl so that I can purchase the ribbon for the trimming.

Very excited! Pictures will come later as I finish each project. :)

]]> http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2011/02/knitting_fever.html http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2011/02/knitting_fever.html baby blanket baby layette knit baby blanket Tue, 15 Feb 2011 16:53:50 -0600 Other projects Another hobby of mine...furniture building. I like building my own to save money. My furniture is not without imperfections, but it works for me and is functional.

This queen sized bed frame came about because I needed a bed where the matress wouldn't slide off the box spring during the night. Try finding one in a store, it's almost impossible!

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This bar and stemware rack was a year-long process. The bar came first and my stemware was mounted to a shelf on the wall. My downstairs neighbors slam their door so hard it makes the walls shake, so I was afraid they would fall and break. Then I mounted them underneath the top of the bar, but my cats would play with them. So the other day I bought the materials and here is the final result! I love it! Now I need drawers on the base. Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to tackle that one. ;)

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]]> http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2010/12/other_projects.html http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2010/12/other_projects.html diy bar diy furniture diy queen bed frame diy stemware rack do it yourself bar do it yourself bed frame do it yourself furniture do it yourself stemware rack Wed, 29 Dec 2010 19:12:43 -0600 Las Rosas Mexican Grill - NW Freeway Houston, TX VERY sad that this restaurant has closed. My husband and I had our date night there every Friday night. They had great food, awesome drinks, and the best Mexican coffee! The owner and female bartender were the best in my book. They knew us and always had our drinks ready when we walked in the door. I will miss this place a lot. Tonight we ended up going to Los Cucos, but it just isn't the same. We were able to have great conversation at Las Rosas, the atmosphere was great. And they played The Beatles after 8pm.

I don't know where we will have our date nights now with the same feeling we had here.

]]> http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2010/10/las_rosas_mexican_grill_nw_fre.html http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2010/10/las_rosas_mexican_grill_nw_fre.html Houston Las Rosas Mexican Grill mexican food NW Freeway NW Freeway Fri, 29 Oct 2010 22:48:18 -0600 Finished Toe-up socks My finished socks. Ribbed Ribbon Socks -
Pattern from Socks From the Toe Up by Wendy D. Johnson (Wendy Knits). I love them! Perfect for when the weather starts to cool down. socks01.jpgMy new project is her Laurel Socks from her other book, Toe Up Socks for Every Body, using Dream in Color Smooshy yarn Petal Shower from Eat. Sleep. Knit.com.
Stay tuned for pics of those finished socks. :)]]> http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2010/10/finished_toeup_socks.html http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2010/10/finished_toeup_socks.html dream in color smooshy yarn eat sleep knit.com knit socks knitting toe up socks for every body toe-up knit socks toe-up socks Wendy Knits Sat, 23 Oct 2010 22:09:43 -0600 Fab new yarn store discovery! I just found this new website for yarn that has a ton of cool yarns! Found it googling for a specific sock yarn and it looks like a great store. You can earn free yarn! Check it out--the link is under my favorite websites column. :)

Or just click here: www.eatsleepknit.com

]]> http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2010/10/fab_new_yarn_store_discovery.html http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2010/10/fab_new_yarn_store_discovery.html eatsleepknit.com knitting sock yarn yarn Wed, 13 Oct 2010 22:11:10 -0600 On the Needles Currently on my needles is Wendy Johnson's (Wendy Knits)needles1.jpg Gusset Heel Basic Socks from her book Socks from the Toe Up. The cast on was tricky, using the magic cast on, but I finally got it by casting on with a circular and then slipping the stitches to dpn's when the pattern called for stitch division. I'm anxiously looking forward to finishing these socks. I was so desperate for a sock pattern that had a more rounded toe rather than the pointed toes of most sock patterns. I'll update on the final results. :)]]> http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2010/09/on_the_needles.html http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2010/09/on_the_needles.html Knitting knit socks knitting magic cast on toe-up knit socks toe-up socks Sun, 12 Sep 2010 21:17:49 -0600 July's Knit-Along..

I started the Ruffle Edge Sheath dress found in the Vogue Knitting 2006 Spring/Summer magazine at the end of June. I'm hoping to have it completed a bit before my birthday on August 28th to wear to my birthday dinner. I have completed the back piece, and have started the front piece this past week. I will take pics of my progress and post.

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It's a very easy pattern, just time consuming changing colors every 2 rows, and weaving ends in as I go so as not to have so much of that at the end.

I had a very hard time tracking down the ribbon used in the pattern, and when I did find it, it was a bit too pricey for me, considering it was $6.50 a yard and I would have had to purchase 5 yards minimum (the yarn had already cost me $65). I went with a double faced silk satin ribbon from MJ Trimming. I ended up buying 4 colors so that I could place them next to the project and choose the color that looks best with it.

More later....

Happy Knitting!

]]> http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2010/07/julys_knitalong.html http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2010/07/julys_knitalong.html knitting vogue knitting Sun, 18 Jul 2010 21:55:17 -0600 Feeling the Stress Feeling the stress of this exam. I have exactly 7 days now, and I feel overwhelmed and not ready. The practice test I am taking from the cd of the study guide is not going well. I plan to turn into a hermit now just to gain the confidence in passing this. http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2009/12/feeling_the_stress.html http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2009/12/feeling_the_stress.html Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:56:16 -0600 CPC exam in just under 2 weeks! Trying to prepare for my exam coming up on December 12th! A lot of studying to do, which is hard when I am having to work on my painting business as well. I'll do it though!

Wish me luck on the exam! 

]]> http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2009/11/cpc_exam_in_just_under_2_weeks.html http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2009/11/cpc_exam_in_just_under_2_weeks.html cpc exam Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:44:54 -0600 Update on my Health and Fitness Journey http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2009/09/update_on_my_health_and_fitnes.html http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2009/09/update_on_my_health_and_fitnes.html Personal Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:46:59 -0600 Update On My Medical Coding Well, I finished my extern at iMed for school Friday. It was bittersweet. While I really enjoyed my time there, and learned TONS, it was sad to leave. It was a great experience for me and it would have been amazing to get a job there.
I go for my exit clearance at school Tuesday, and then it’s the job hunt for me. I hope it doesn’t take me too long to find employment. In the meantime, I’ll be studying hard for my CPC certification exam. It’s a very hard exam I’ve heard. 150 questions with a 5 1/2 hour time limit. It covers everything from terminology to actual coding, to billing and insurance. I’m hoping to take the exam in mid October, but I may not get in on time, so I may have to wait until November, but I’m definitely going to do it this year!
I have an application in for an Executive Administrative Assistant position at the North Cypress Medical Center. I will be calling and following up on that Tuesday as well. Wish me luck on that, it’s the direction I want to go with my career in the long run, hospital administration.

Hope everyone has an AMAZING holiday, and please be safe!

]]> http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2009/09/update_on_my_medical_coding.html http://staceyrosenbaum.com/the-artists-blog/2009/09/update_on_my_medical_coding.html Personal Sat, 05 Sep 2009 20:05:52 -0600