So I set some goals for 2015, and I thought, more to help keep me on track than anything else, I would post a monthly update to see where things stand. Since it's the last day of the month, it seems like a good time to see how it's going, so here we go!
1. Make a granny square every weekday of 2015: So far, so good! I've managed to make one each day. One day it was made minutes before midnight, but done, so it counts!
2. Read 40 books, with 30 of them being from the Rory Gilmore Reading List: I've read 6 books already total and 3 from the RGRL, so I think that's a pretty good pace!
3. Organize three years worth of digital pictures: I've been through three months this month. I figure if I can do 3 months of pictures each month this year, I'll get my three years of pictures done! I started with September 2006, so we'll see where I end!
4. Organize scrapbooking items/keepsakes: Done and done! Everything is done already. I thought it would take more time, but once I jumped in, I just kept going. Plus everything was all spread out and a big mess. Since I finished that, I went ahead and worked on organizing some other areas too and it's gorgeous and I love it and I hope we can keep it that way!
5. Finish a train embroidery project: I've spent quite some time stitching. I can tell that work has been done ... however, there's still so much to do. I will keep pushing though!
6. Make money from my knitting: I have one crochet "job" that I won't finish for a while, but it can count, right? And here's to hoping it opens some more doors?
7. On the blogging side of things, it's to blog twice a week: Nope, right now I'm averaging once a week. But I figure that's okay. At the end of the year, I hope the average will be twice a week!
8. Also related to blogging, I need to be a better commenter on other
blogs: Yep, I've upped the comments I'm leaving and it feels good to do so!
Overall, things are going well. I'd like to blog more, but, also given my progress on the other goals (with one already done!) I'm not going to sweat it for now.
In general I'm also trying to stay on top of chores and just being more organized in general. This does not come naturally to me, so it's not always easy! I'm trying though. And really that's all I can do! And I've finally found a system that is helping me more than any other thing I've tried has helped. I've been using it for a few months now, so it's well tested.
Of course, I need to blog about that, and the books I've read, and share pictures of my granny-square-a-weekday, and of my embroidery. Wait, why aren't I blogging twice a week? I've got a lot to catch up on!
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Friends and Life
When January rolled around, I knew how I would be spending all my free time this month (and some time that maybe wasn't so free).
It was going to be on my computer, watching Friends on Netflix!
When the show originally aired, I watched (and not every week) the last 2.5 seasons.
When it came to Netflix I sat down and started it. And laughed. Then laughed some more. And did some laughing. I was hooked!
I looked at my husband, who was passing through the room, and asked "Why didn't I watch this when it was on tv?" and he responded "Um, you were a bit younger than their target audience!"
 |
| My date and I sophomore homecoming |
In September of 1994, I was at the start of my sophomore year of high school.
I had a small group of friends. But we didn't hang out in a coffee shop, we hung out at the lunch table.
I was in mostly honors classes and I got good grades. I studied for hours. Good grades did not come easily to me at all - when I say I studied for hours, I literally studied for hours. I worked part-time in the fall and summer for my parents at their business.
I was a cheerleader. Aside from my small group of friends, I didn't really talk that much to other people. Despite being a cheerleader, I was socially awkward and introverted. I over-compensated by laughing too loud and being extra happy. Inside I was often feeling sick to my stomach. I'm positive now, had we known about it, I would have been diagnosed with social anxiety.
I had already had my first boyfriend. I hadn't yet had a first kiss. I went to homecoming that year with a friend. I wished he was more than a friend. We are still friends.
I was in a child development class, which only reinforced me knowing I wanted to be a teacher some day.
Later that year I started driver's ed, got a driver's license, a second job (in addition to helping my parents at their business). I tried out for cheerleading again and didn't make the squad. I thought my life was over and I cried a lot about this. I learned to move on. I started volunteering a lot.
I had my first friend break-up. I cried a lot about that and she was super casual about it, still talking to me occasionally but not hanging out with me. I was, in her words, just not mature enough for her.
 |
| On my 16th birthday |
That was my sophomore year of high school. There wasn't much in Friends at the time that pertained to me.
Fast forward 10 years. When season 10 of Friends aired ... from September 2003 to May 2004.
I was 24 years old. I was a recent college graduate and I was a stay-at-home-mom. My oldest was 4 years old. My second child was 1. My third was yet to make an appearance.
I was going on 5 years of marriage. We were living in a house - it was the first house we bought.
I loved being home with the kids, but I felt lonely. Many of my friends were not yet married or parents. I was very active on internet message boards to fill that void.
I had just learned to knit and quickly realized that I loved it! I was a voracious reader. We didn't have cable. I watched a lot of PBS (and not just the kids shows for the girls!)We took our first vacation to Disney World.
As the season (and the show itself) neared the end, we had decided to move. We were fixing up the house to get it sale-ready. I was already packing things.
My husband was starting a side business. I was trying to help him. We learned quickly there wasn't much I could do to help him.
I wasn't a very good cook. I wasn't very good at cleaning. I was good at baking. I like doing crafts with the girls.My youngest (at the time) was in PT, OT, and speech several times a week. We were told she had low-function autism and we needed to save up for long term care as she would never be able to live unassisted.
[Side note: she was extremely misdiagnosed and if you met her today you'd never know she has this history. Something was there. And the PT, OT, speech helped her tremendously, but she was still not autistic]
Naturally, I didn't watch Friends when it was new, but was drawn to it as the show continued. I have a lot of memories of the few seasons I watched it when it first aired, but I have to tell you, it was so fun to marathon watching it this month!
I'm 35 years old. I've got three kids: 15, 12, and 9.
Do you know what that means? My oldest is in a similar spot that I was when the show aired for the first time.
Isn't that crazy? Well, it is to me!
She's 15. 20 years have passed since Friends first aired. 10 years have passed since it ended.
Time keeps going and passing.
But it's fun to get some time (or, in the case of my Friends marathon a lot of time) to sit and relax in front of great tv show. And even more fun when it makes you sit back and reminisce about where you've been!
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
The Kitchen
I've been working on some organization around these parts over the last few weeks.
I made a good dent in my scrapbooking things. No, scratch that, I finished with all of that, which was a huge weight off my shoulders. I've got more things to get in order in the basement, but for now my eyes have turned to the kitchen.
When we moved here, the kitchen already had things in it. It wasn't a full kitchen with everything you needed, but it had a good amount of things (for those who have forgotten, we moved in with husband's grandmother who has lived her for a very long time!) So I kind of came in and just threw all my stuff in with her stuff and called it a day.
Except that left the kitchen a mess. And no one could put things away correctly.
So before Christmas, the husband and I spent a day and basically reorganized the locations of things in the kitchen. Not everything got moved to a new location, but we did move around some things, and we did the whole wipe down shelves, toss anything we didn't think we needed anymore (or we had doubles of that we didn't need doubles of).
That was so good!
Now, the issue becomes organizing certain spots in the kitchen. We moved all the spices from one spot to another. No spice rack, so I went out right away and got two of them to hold it all.
I'm slowly working my way through.
All of this to say, I have an idea to share with you today.
One wide mouth canning jar and all the leftover cupcake liners that are floating around your cabinet. If it's like mine was (prior to all of 3 hours ago) those darn liners tip over, roll around, and just get in the way. I try to save the boxes they come in if I can, but sometimes they just come in a plastic bag.
So I shoved (yes, shoved) then into this jar. They are easier coming out than going on. I know because a) I literally shoved them in and b) I pulled them in and out and in and out and in and out many times to make sure I wouldn't regret this when I went to actually use them.
Actually, I should say, they are easy to get in, but they want to go in sideways. So I had to fidget with them to get them in not sideways. You can't stack them all together and just push a large stack in. I put some in, then some more, then some more.
It works, they are in my cabinet, out of the way, and ready to be used again!
I made a good dent in my scrapbooking things. No, scratch that, I finished with all of that, which was a huge weight off my shoulders. I've got more things to get in order in the basement, but for now my eyes have turned to the kitchen.
When we moved here, the kitchen already had things in it. It wasn't a full kitchen with everything you needed, but it had a good amount of things (for those who have forgotten, we moved in with husband's grandmother who has lived her for a very long time!) So I kind of came in and just threw all my stuff in with her stuff and called it a day.
Except that left the kitchen a mess. And no one could put things away correctly.
So before Christmas, the husband and I spent a day and basically reorganized the locations of things in the kitchen. Not everything got moved to a new location, but we did move around some things, and we did the whole wipe down shelves, toss anything we didn't think we needed anymore (or we had doubles of that we didn't need doubles of).
That was so good!
Now, the issue becomes organizing certain spots in the kitchen. We moved all the spices from one spot to another. No spice rack, so I went out right away and got two of them to hold it all.
I'm slowly working my way through.
All of this to say, I have an idea to share with you today.
So I shoved (yes, shoved) then into this jar. They are easier coming out than going on. I know because a) I literally shoved them in and b) I pulled them in and out and in and out and in and out many times to make sure I wouldn't regret this when I went to actually use them.
Actually, I should say, they are easy to get in, but they want to go in sideways. So I had to fidget with them to get them in not sideways. You can't stack them all together and just push a large stack in. I put some in, then some more, then some more.
It works, they are in my cabinet, out of the way, and ready to be used again!
Monday, January 26, 2015
School, grades, now, and the future
So, last week I did grades for Mister Man and Miss M.
Phew! I'm glad I don't have a class of 20. Or, a high school teacher juggling 180 students!
It's hard work. For the most part, the kids are doing well. And while I could brag about a lot of things, I won't. I'll just say that for the most part, homeschooling works and works well for us.
Lest you think this is a post about where I tell you how you should homeschool too or else your children will be irrevocable messed up, relax. I don't think that. I don't think homeschooling is for everyone, nor do I think not homeschooling is bad.
This fall, my oldest daughter entered high school.
It was a time of anxiety and worry and excitement and fretting and wondering about all the good things that would come her way because of this. And that was just how I was feeling.
There was a lot on my mind with her going to school. Naturally, if it went really poorly, it would have proven that I had not prepared her enough and maybe the younger two should be enrolled ASAP. And naturally, if she did well, it would mean she was a bright student who was able to transition well.
She transitioned just fine. There was nothing to worry about. So there were a few small bumps along the way, but who doesn't have a few small bumps? And it's good. She has a semester of high school under her belt. She is an eighth of a way through her high school years, and I can't foresee any issues that we might have. Of course this doesn't protect us from something happening, but so far, things are good. And I'll take that!
Of course, that leaves me at home with 2 of the kids. And most days, we get through our work, and it's going well. But they see their sister going to school and they realize that it's not so scary. Because things that are new or different can sometimes seem scary.
And now Miss M (6th grade) is talking about maybe going in for middle school. Which means in a few years, it might just be me at home with one of the kids.
Of course, even if the oldest had been homeschooled for high school, she would eventually graduate and move on in life. And the second would follow a few years later. And it would be just me at home with one of the kids.
But there is a part of me that is still sad about that thought. Of course, it will happen. And when we reach that year, I think it will be my last year of homeschooling. Which means my now 3rd grader might enter school at 6th grade. And it will be a good time for him to enter - the last year in the elementary school, time to adjust before transitioning to middle school and all that entails.
And entering at 8th grade for the middle child will be perfect for her ... she wants to just do sports teams for 7th grade and then go in full time for 8th. And it will allow her to dip her toe in the waters, meet more kids, make more friendships, and then add in the academics the next year. Which is the perfect way to do it for her.
Just as entering in 9th grade is perfect for my oldest. Because of the move, it made no sense to go in sooner since a new school district was on the horizon.
Each child, on their own path, that is so similar, and yet different in ways that make it (at this moment) perfect for him and her.
And while I know it's perfect for them. And I know it will bring them a lot of great opportunities and experiences and a good education, I'm not sure how this will all be for me.
I'm trying to not worry about it. After all, it's two, three, maybe four or more (if things change) years away. It seems silly to fret about it now. And maybe this is the perfect path for me and I just can't see it yet.
Of course, this is about so much more than me. This is about them. What is best for the oldest, for Miss M and Mister Man. That is the bigger picture. My picture is but a piece of it and I'm going to remember that the best that I can.
I'm going to be happy for them, and help them through changes and new things, I will help them when they need it and smile as they leave in the morning, even if inside I'm crying "No! Stay home with me please!"
And for now, I'm going to keep working on things at home with the 2 who are still here. And I'm going to continue to hug my oldest and tell her to have a good day at school each morning. This is our current perfect. I'm embracing the here and now and (mostly) not wanting the past or worrying about the future!
Phew! I'm glad I don't have a class of 20. Or, a high school teacher juggling 180 students!
It's hard work. For the most part, the kids are doing well. And while I could brag about a lot of things, I won't. I'll just say that for the most part, homeschooling works and works well for us.
Lest you think this is a post about where I tell you how you should homeschool too or else your children will be irrevocable messed up, relax. I don't think that. I don't think homeschooling is for everyone, nor do I think not homeschooling is bad.
This fall, my oldest daughter entered high school.
It was a time of anxiety and worry and excitement and fretting and wondering about all the good things that would come her way because of this. And that was just how I was feeling.
There was a lot on my mind with her going to school. Naturally, if it went really poorly, it would have proven that I had not prepared her enough and maybe the younger two should be enrolled ASAP. And naturally, if she did well, it would mean she was a bright student who was able to transition well.
She transitioned just fine. There was nothing to worry about. So there were a few small bumps along the way, but who doesn't have a few small bumps? And it's good. She has a semester of high school under her belt. She is an eighth of a way through her high school years, and I can't foresee any issues that we might have. Of course this doesn't protect us from something happening, but so far, things are good. And I'll take that!
Of course, that leaves me at home with 2 of the kids. And most days, we get through our work, and it's going well. But they see their sister going to school and they realize that it's not so scary. Because things that are new or different can sometimes seem scary.
And now Miss M (6th grade) is talking about maybe going in for middle school. Which means in a few years, it might just be me at home with one of the kids.
Of course, even if the oldest had been homeschooled for high school, she would eventually graduate and move on in life. And the second would follow a few years later. And it would be just me at home with one of the kids.
But there is a part of me that is still sad about that thought. Of course, it will happen. And when we reach that year, I think it will be my last year of homeschooling. Which means my now 3rd grader might enter school at 6th grade. And it will be a good time for him to enter - the last year in the elementary school, time to adjust before transitioning to middle school and all that entails.
And entering at 8th grade for the middle child will be perfect for her ... she wants to just do sports teams for 7th grade and then go in full time for 8th. And it will allow her to dip her toe in the waters, meet more kids, make more friendships, and then add in the academics the next year. Which is the perfect way to do it for her.
Just as entering in 9th grade is perfect for my oldest. Because of the move, it made no sense to go in sooner since a new school district was on the horizon.
Each child, on their own path, that is so similar, and yet different in ways that make it (at this moment) perfect for him and her.
And while I know it's perfect for them. And I know it will bring them a lot of great opportunities and experiences and a good education, I'm not sure how this will all be for me.
I'm trying to not worry about it. After all, it's two, three, maybe four or more (if things change) years away. It seems silly to fret about it now. And maybe this is the perfect path for me and I just can't see it yet.
Of course, this is about so much more than me. This is about them. What is best for the oldest, for Miss M and Mister Man. That is the bigger picture. My picture is but a piece of it and I'm going to remember that the best that I can.
I'm going to be happy for them, and help them through changes and new things, I will help them when they need it and smile as they leave in the morning, even if inside I'm crying "No! Stay home with me please!"
And for now, I'm going to keep working on things at home with the 2 who are still here. And I'm going to continue to hug my oldest and tell her to have a good day at school each morning. This is our current perfect. I'm embracing the here and now and (mostly) not wanting the past or worrying about the future!
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Hair
Despite my post from earlier this week, things haven't been all doom and gloom around here.In fact, there is a lot of laughter and fun around these parts as well.
Anyway, a big topic around these parts this week is hair.
Earlier this week, I decided I wanted to rag curl my hair. I'm so over my frizzy hair, but I don't want to sit and curl it everyday - plus, I don't think the heat over and over is necessarily a good thing. So, these rag curls seemed like a good option.
Plus hair and I have a long history. I haven't always appreciated my hair. I haven't always had hair. Then it came back different than how it was before and I wasn't so keen about that either. But now it's got length, it's pretty healthy, and I mostly like it. Minus the frizz.
So, I cut some fabric up and rolled up some curls.
The first attempt was messy and not good. They kept falling out so I ended up, within an hour, rerolling them (with the tip to roll them up around a pencil to get a good roll. Okay. I used a knitting needle. Because it's what I had. It worked! lol!) Wrapping the hair around something made for a much better roll. Then I wrapped it all up in a head scarf and sported a huge bow on my head ;-)
The next morning I woke up and my hair was still damp. I had places to go so I couldn't mess with it too much. I blew dry what I could, unrolled, and pulled my fingers through. It didn't look too bad. And I thought, I'm really onto something here.That night I rerolled it (with less damp hair). And the next morning my hair was still damp. Not as bad, but damp. So I blew dry it as much as I could. Then I unrolled the curls and thanks to not having morning plans, I then didn't touch it. After a few hours, I quickly ran my fingers through it and I was in love. Just to test the curls, I left my hair as it was and the next morning woke up, brushed it, and it still had some curl in it (just not as much). I'm so excited about this.
I will definitely be rag curling my hair quite a bit in the future. I can roll it in about 20 minutes right now, and I think once I get the hang of it better I can get it done even faster. Not a lot of time to get some hair that I'm just in love with!Note: I used this tutorial and this tutorial to get the rag curls I liked. I roll them on the looser side (like the first tutorial) because I didn't want too tight curls plus I wanted to make sure everything would dry as much as it could!
Second Note: This is about 3 years of growth from when I was bald. I've only had 3 cuts since it started coming back in, and they were essentially trims. I've been told I have fast growing hair!
Sunday, January 18, 2015
It's January
I'm not sure why every January I am surprised I am feeling so blue, when I pretty much feel blue every January.
I'd like to blame the winter. Or maybe it's the post-holiday let down. Or maybe it's one year ending and being nervous about a new year starting. Or maybe it's just life in general.
This January, everything is magnified more than usual.
Frankly, I'm surprised that I haven't killed anyone yet. Or that my family hasn't killed me yet. (and no, we are not really on the verge of anyone killing anyone).
Because, let's be honest. Lately, I've been a huge witch.
It's getting better. Because I am trying SO SO SO hard to get better. But it's so hard.
Sometimes I have these mood swings and I just can't control them. I know that sounds like an excuse, but it's true. I've said it before, I'm on medicine that screws with my moods and hormones and sometimes it is just. too. much.
So I snap.
I'm also adjusting my sleep cycle. Have you ever done this? Or tried to do this? If you have, maybe it affected your moods too. It is definitely affecting mine.
We are doing this medically, with medicine. It will be great in the long term. In the short term, it sucks.
Just to summarize, some of the side effects are:
Seriously, sometimes I wonder how I'm even EVER able to just smile and be happy. Because everything is making me crabby, depressed, upset, anxious, and just feeling completely and utterly worn out.
Sigh.
I'm not trying to make excuses. But this is where I am. This is where I sit.
And I'm trying so hard. So very hard.
I'm trying to not yell. To not take things personally. To not freak out when things go a little bit wrong.
But I've always been high strung and anxious. And I've dealt with depression before all of this.
It is not easy.
It makes me a very unlikable person sometimes.
I always know it's pretty bad when even I don't want to be with myself.
So I end up crying. I end up feeling like crap. I end up alienating myself from my family because I'm so darn awful. And I get stuck in my own head.
And my family rallies around me, once again, and I feel better and lighter. And I get determined to not go back down that hole again. And I don't. For a while. But it will circle back around, unfortunately.
I just have to hope I get some time. And some space. And that my family doesn't give up on me next time it happens, or the time after that, or the time after that.
That some day they can look back and know that, despite my many, many mistakes, I am doing the best that I can each day.
And that someday I can look back and know that, despite my many, many mistakes, I am doing the best that I can each day. And find some peace in that.
I'd like to blame the winter. Or maybe it's the post-holiday let down. Or maybe it's one year ending and being nervous about a new year starting. Or maybe it's just life in general.
This January, everything is magnified more than usual.
Frankly, I'm surprised that I haven't killed anyone yet. Or that my family hasn't killed me yet. (and no, we are not really on the verge of anyone killing anyone).
Because, let's be honest. Lately, I've been a huge witch.
It's getting better. Because I am trying SO SO SO hard to get better. But it's so hard.
Sometimes I have these mood swings and I just can't control them. I know that sounds like an excuse, but it's true. I've said it before, I'm on medicine that screws with my moods and hormones and sometimes it is just. too. much.
So I snap.
I'm also adjusting my sleep cycle. Have you ever done this? Or tried to do this? If you have, maybe it affected your moods too. It is definitely affecting mine.
We are doing this medically, with medicine. It will be great in the long term. In the short term, it sucks.
Just to summarize, some of the side effects are:
- feeling sad or empty
- general feeling of discomfort or illness
- irritability
- loss of interest or pleasure
- mental/mood changes (e.g., depression)
- irritability
- irritability
Seriously, sometimes I wonder how I'm even EVER able to just smile and be happy. Because everything is making me crabby, depressed, upset, anxious, and just feeling completely and utterly worn out.
Sigh.
I'm not trying to make excuses. But this is where I am. This is where I sit.
And I'm trying so hard. So very hard.
I'm trying to not yell. To not take things personally. To not freak out when things go a little bit wrong.
But I've always been high strung and anxious. And I've dealt with depression before all of this.
It is not easy.
It makes me a very unlikable person sometimes.
I always know it's pretty bad when even I don't want to be with myself.
So I end up crying. I end up feeling like crap. I end up alienating myself from my family because I'm so darn awful. And I get stuck in my own head.
And my family rallies around me, once again, and I feel better and lighter. And I get determined to not go back down that hole again. And I don't. For a while. But it will circle back around, unfortunately.
I just have to hope I get some time. And some space. And that my family doesn't give up on me next time it happens, or the time after that, or the time after that.
That some day they can look back and know that, despite my many, many mistakes, I am doing the best that I can each day.
And that someday I can look back and know that, despite my many, many mistakes, I am doing the best that I can each day. And find some peace in that.
Friday, January 09, 2015
Brrr.
If you live just about anywhere in the Us right now, you have probably spent much of this week being cold.
I too, have spent most of the week being cold.
Okay, that's a lie. I've been freezing. And two pairs of socks, a shirt and sweater combo, a blanket or two and a scarf around the neck is not always enough to keep me not freezing.
I am very, very, very sensitive to cold. I am annoyingly sensitive to the cold.
And you know what? I'm over people telling me to get over winter.
I live in the midwest.
Yes, we get winter every. single. year.
Yes, it gets cold every. single. year.
No, it is never a surprise.
But you know what? It still sucks.
I'm iron deficient, which makes me sensitive to the cold, even more than I have always been.
The cold aggravates my muscles that have been cut open multiple times and already hurt most of the time. They hurt more when they are cold. They spasm more when they are cold. And the cold affects my range of motion.
My joints get stuck in the cold: a result of leftover chemo side effects and a side effect of a current medicine I'm on.
That's just me.
Other friends also struggle to stay warm when it's cold because of medical things. Cold affects lots of joints. It inflames neuropathy. Etc, etc, etc.
The cold sucks and can aggravate a lot of other things already going on with people.
And you know what? I didn't know all of this when I decided to stay in the midwest, where I was born and raised, by the rest of my family, and my husband's family. So, the advice to just "Move someplace warmer!" isn't actually helpful.
Know what else? I don't think I need to even have to have a medical reason to complain about the cold. I see people complain about things every day. When people complain about their job, I don't just say flippantly "At least you have a job," or "Just get a new job."
I listen. I nod my head along. I offer hugs (real and virtual). I don't complain about you complaining about things: whether they happen every year or not.
If I want to complain a few moments about the cold, just let me. I'll let you get out your complaints too. I promise.
I too, have spent most of the week being cold.
Okay, that's a lie. I've been freezing. And two pairs of socks, a shirt and sweater combo, a blanket or two and a scarf around the neck is not always enough to keep me not freezing.
I am very, very, very sensitive to cold. I am annoyingly sensitive to the cold.
And you know what? I'm over people telling me to get over winter.
I live in the midwest.
Yes, we get winter every. single. year.
Yes, it gets cold every. single. year.
No, it is never a surprise.
But you know what? It still sucks.
I'm iron deficient, which makes me sensitive to the cold, even more than I have always been.
The cold aggravates my muscles that have been cut open multiple times and already hurt most of the time. They hurt more when they are cold. They spasm more when they are cold. And the cold affects my range of motion.
My joints get stuck in the cold: a result of leftover chemo side effects and a side effect of a current medicine I'm on.
That's just me.
Other friends also struggle to stay warm when it's cold because of medical things. Cold affects lots of joints. It inflames neuropathy. Etc, etc, etc.
The cold sucks and can aggravate a lot of other things already going on with people.
And you know what? I didn't know all of this when I decided to stay in the midwest, where I was born and raised, by the rest of my family, and my husband's family. So, the advice to just "Move someplace warmer!" isn't actually helpful.
Know what else? I don't think I need to even have to have a medical reason to complain about the cold. I see people complain about things every day. When people complain about their job, I don't just say flippantly "At least you have a job," or "Just get a new job."
I listen. I nod my head along. I offer hugs (real and virtual). I don't complain about you complaining about things: whether they happen every year or not.
If I want to complain a few moments about the cold, just let me. I'll let you get out your complaints too. I promise.
Monday, January 05, 2015
2015 Goals
In years past I've set resolutions.
I've picked words to guide my year.
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
Because sometimes I'm more motivated and sometimes I'm not. And sometimes things happen that change plans.
And yet, this year, I'm ready to go again. So I've set a few goals for the year. We'll see how it goes. I want these goals to be fun, help me grow, etc. So if they become a burden, then I shall re-evaluate.
1. Make a granny square every weekday of 2015 - yes, I said every weekday. The weekend will be a break or a time to catch up should I need it.
2. Read 40 books, with 30 of them being from the Rory Gilmore Reading List
3. Organize three years worth of digital pictures - bonus if I can get through more, but I'll be happy with just three years. Basically this means I delete the bad ones, tag faces, tag locations and leave any stories behind the picture if it needs to be
4. Organize scrapbooking items/keepsakes - I have boxes of scrapbooking things and of keepsakes. I need to get things organized and in proper boxes. I also need to weed through things and probably get rid of things. When we moved, this part of looking through things was just too daunting, so all of these boxes were just stacked and moved. It's time to delve in. Since there is no move this upcoming year and a lot of other things were done before the move, I should be able to focus on this.
5. Finish a train embroidery project - I've been working on this for too long. It's time to finish! Of course, once it's finished, I have other projects waiting in the wings ready to be worked on too. But, for now, I'll focus on this one and call it a day.
6. Make money from my knitting - I don't know how this will work or if it will. But I'd love to bring in an income, even a tiny one. And I love to knit so it seems like a good fit? We'll see.
7. On the blogging side of things, it's to blog twice a week. I feel like that should be doable, though I don't always average that. Though I want to make sure I'm not blogging nothing just to get a post up.
8. Also related to blogging, I need to be a better commenter on other blogs. I love getting comments. I assume others do as well. So I shall try to spread the love better and make sure I'm not just writing here, but reading other blogs as well.
8 goals. It may not seem like much, but there it is! I'm ready to go and tackle things. I've got quite a few plans in place to get things done. I've got the month of January done in my bullet journal and most of February done as well. Many of these goals are in the book already - nothing will get done in month one, but I should make some good progress in January. And hopefully in December I can come back to this list and say yep, finished that; yep, finished that; oh, cross that one off too!
What about you? Have you set any goals or resolutions or picked a word (or a few) to help guide your 2015? Share!
I've picked words to guide my year.
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
Because sometimes I'm more motivated and sometimes I'm not. And sometimes things happen that change plans.
And yet, this year, I'm ready to go again. So I've set a few goals for the year. We'll see how it goes. I want these goals to be fun, help me grow, etc. So if they become a burden, then I shall re-evaluate.
1. Make a granny square every weekday of 2015 - yes, I said every weekday. The weekend will be a break or a time to catch up should I need it.
2. Read 40 books, with 30 of them being from the Rory Gilmore Reading List
3. Organize three years worth of digital pictures - bonus if I can get through more, but I'll be happy with just three years. Basically this means I delete the bad ones, tag faces, tag locations and leave any stories behind the picture if it needs to be
4. Organize scrapbooking items/keepsakes - I have boxes of scrapbooking things and of keepsakes. I need to get things organized and in proper boxes. I also need to weed through things and probably get rid of things. When we moved, this part of looking through things was just too daunting, so all of these boxes were just stacked and moved. It's time to delve in. Since there is no move this upcoming year and a lot of other things were done before the move, I should be able to focus on this.
5. Finish a train embroidery project - I've been working on this for too long. It's time to finish! Of course, once it's finished, I have other projects waiting in the wings ready to be worked on too. But, for now, I'll focus on this one and call it a day.
6. Make money from my knitting - I don't know how this will work or if it will. But I'd love to bring in an income, even a tiny one. And I love to knit so it seems like a good fit? We'll see.
7. On the blogging side of things, it's to blog twice a week. I feel like that should be doable, though I don't always average that. Though I want to make sure I'm not blogging nothing just to get a post up.
8. Also related to blogging, I need to be a better commenter on other blogs. I love getting comments. I assume others do as well. So I shall try to spread the love better and make sure I'm not just writing here, but reading other blogs as well.
8 goals. It may not seem like much, but there it is! I'm ready to go and tackle things. I've got quite a few plans in place to get things done. I've got the month of January done in my bullet journal and most of February done as well. Many of these goals are in the book already - nothing will get done in month one, but I should make some good progress in January. And hopefully in December I can come back to this list and say yep, finished that; yep, finished that; oh, cross that one off too!
What about you? Have you set any goals or resolutions or picked a word (or a few) to help guide your 2015? Share!
Friday, January 02, 2015
The tradition continues!
Once again, we took midnight pictures for new year's!
I started doing this when my now 15 year old was just an infant and have kept it up. I believe I have a picture of all three kids every single year. And so far no one has been away from us for the new year, though I hope that the first year they are away, they will snap a picture (or have a friend) for their silly old mom who does that kind of thing.
I started doing this when my now 15 year old was just an infant and have kept it up. I believe I have a picture of all three kids every single year. And so far no one has been away from us for the new year, though I hope that the first year they are away, they will snap a picture (or have a friend) for their silly old mom who does that kind of thing.
The 15yo, who doesn't appreciate getting her picture taken very much!
(and yes, I have a better one but she doesn't want me sharing so I respect that!)
It is officially the new year. The TV says so.
And yes, I take a picture of the tv almost every year too.
Mostly, so when I look back, I remember LOL!
Miss 12. All happy and sparkly!
The Husband. Whom I love!
Happy, smiley 9yo.
He was just happy to be up until midnight!
The husband took the camera and got a picture with me.
This is about as good as it gets these days!
Happy New Year's everyone!
Thursday, January 01, 2015
2014 Rewind
Just for fun, I thought I'd rewind my year and link to one blog post from each month of the past year!
While I'm looking forward to 2015 and have set some goals for the year, I wanted to take a few moments to remember last year too!
January
January last year left me with the winter blues for sure - and it was a cold, long, awful, terrible winter last year and it just wore on me.
January was also when I had my nipples surgically put on. Not a long procedure and less painful than I expected.
But the highlight was definitely going to see Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me downtown with the husband!
So Date Night Adventures is my January blog pick!
February
So February was the continuation of an awful winter season. It included a lot of knitting and crocheting with a bit of reading thrown in on the side. I also had some fun working out at a local gym.
But the big February event was going downtown with my daughter to see Phantom of the Opera on stage. It was ah-mazing.
March
March was a big month on the blog! That was the month I announced that we were moving ... even though the husband and I had been talking about it since the previous fall, March was the month that everything with the move became real. Things were crazy as we had begun packing and fixing things up.
March is also the month that I kept reading about how too many breast cancer patients were making the wrong treatment decisions, so I penned the post You're Doing Cancer Right, because I believe that you are.
April
April was the month our house went on the market. I also did a knit-a-thon to help raise funds for my Avon 2 Day Walk and raised a bit of money and got to give quite a few washcloths away. I was feeling a bit stressed with the house and it had been a long year so far for me.
Which was great when husband surprised us with a trip to Universal Studios in Florida and then to Washington D.C. We had a fabulous time and ended up selling our house while we were out of town. It was a very good thing!
May
May I celebrated another birthday. Things were crazy. Husband moved to the new house at the end of April and in May the rest of moved over. It was a time of packing, moving things to and fro, getting everything in tip-top shape in both houses. There wasn't a lot of time to blog, but I did a lovely write up of our time at the World War II Memorial from the month before as it was a special part of our trip for me.
June
The lazy days of summer had summer. But they weren't lazy. There was softball, getting settled still, camps, I was back in occupational therapy. I spent a lot of time in my car that month and didn't have a lot of time for much us. I knit when I could and squeezed in some pre-bedtime reading.
June was also the month I participated in my third, and last for a while, Avon Walk, and it was a wonderful experience.
July
July was a month of more softball, therapy, and driving everywhere. I also felt totally exhausted and worn out. I survived though with the help of some naps and good support.
July was also the month I wrote a letter to a walker I met along the way at the Avon walk who said something that was kind of hurtful, though I assume she didn't mean it.
August
August was a busy month around here. On the blog I participated in a writing tour that was so fun nad gave me a chance to introduce you to a couple of bloggers and maybe see a bit more about my writing process. In August, Miss 12 and I went to the state fair as she was sent with a 4H project she made. August was also when I was struggling to get more organized, and not doing so well LOL! We also had a family trip to Arlington Park and had a great time.
August was also when I wrote a note in which I declared I'm Just a Person after reading an article where another celebrity made it seem like going through breast cancer made us all amazing people who could do things never before possible and blah, blah, blah.
September
September was a month in which I felt, well, basically awful for most of it. But I also went out to New Hampshire with the two younger kids and celebrated my middle child turning 12! I also had a few sentences in a Glamour article about young breast cancer patients and their decision to, or not to, get a double mastectomy.
October
October was a busy month. The husband was working a seasonal second job. Everyone was tired. But we had a great Halloween and my oldest turned 15. Which still blows me a way because I swear she was just born yesterday. The boy and I also did some exploring of a local nature park and I marveled at how much he is growing up too.
November
November was a hugely busy month on the blog as I participated in NaBloPoMo and blogged every single day in the month. I posted pics from the vacation in September. The family and I went to ChiTAG, again. And loved it, again. Thanksgiving happened. I did a lot of knitting and sent a lot of fun packages to people. I ranted against celebrities saying what I feel are ridiculous things about breast cancer. I also had some cancer recall thanks to a book I was reading and a tv show I was watching.
December
I spent a lot of time knitting my sweater for Save the Children. My baby turned 9, which was emotional for me. Christmas happened - decorations were put up, house was cleaned,and Christmas Eve was hosted here. Lots of time with family and parties to go to. Ringing in the new year. And I compared the holidays before cancer and now. I also wrote a letter, in general, for those going through hard times.
Phew. There's my 2014! Can't wait to see what 2015 brings!
While I'm looking forward to 2015 and have set some goals for the year, I wanted to take a few moments to remember last year too!
January
January last year left me with the winter blues for sure - and it was a cold, long, awful, terrible winter last year and it just wore on me.
January was also when I had my nipples surgically put on. Not a long procedure and less painful than I expected.
But the highlight was definitely going to see Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me downtown with the husband!
So Date Night Adventures is my January blog pick!
February
So February was the continuation of an awful winter season. It included a lot of knitting and crocheting with a bit of reading thrown in on the side. I also had some fun working out at a local gym.
But the big February event was going downtown with my daughter to see Phantom of the Opera on stage. It was ah-mazing.
March
March was a big month on the blog! That was the month I announced that we were moving ... even though the husband and I had been talking about it since the previous fall, March was the month that everything with the move became real. Things were crazy as we had begun packing and fixing things up.
March is also the month that I kept reading about how too many breast cancer patients were making the wrong treatment decisions, so I penned the post You're Doing Cancer Right, because I believe that you are.
April
April was the month our house went on the market. I also did a knit-a-thon to help raise funds for my Avon 2 Day Walk and raised a bit of money and got to give quite a few washcloths away. I was feeling a bit stressed with the house and it had been a long year so far for me.
Which was great when husband surprised us with a trip to Universal Studios in Florida and then to Washington D.C. We had a fabulous time and ended up selling our house while we were out of town. It was a very good thing!
May
May I celebrated another birthday. Things were crazy. Husband moved to the new house at the end of April and in May the rest of moved over. It was a time of packing, moving things to and fro, getting everything in tip-top shape in both houses. There wasn't a lot of time to blog, but I did a lovely write up of our time at the World War II Memorial from the month before as it was a special part of our trip for me.
June
The lazy days of summer had summer. But they weren't lazy. There was softball, getting settled still, camps, I was back in occupational therapy. I spent a lot of time in my car that month and didn't have a lot of time for much us. I knit when I could and squeezed in some pre-bedtime reading.
June was also the month I participated in my third, and last for a while, Avon Walk, and it was a wonderful experience.
July
July was a month of more softball, therapy, and driving everywhere. I also felt totally exhausted and worn out. I survived though with the help of some naps and good support.
July was also the month I wrote a letter to a walker I met along the way at the Avon walk who said something that was kind of hurtful, though I assume she didn't mean it.
August
August was a busy month around here. On the blog I participated in a writing tour that was so fun nad gave me a chance to introduce you to a couple of bloggers and maybe see a bit more about my writing process. In August, Miss 12 and I went to the state fair as she was sent with a 4H project she made. August was also when I was struggling to get more organized, and not doing so well LOL! We also had a family trip to Arlington Park and had a great time.
August was also when I wrote a note in which I declared I'm Just a Person after reading an article where another celebrity made it seem like going through breast cancer made us all amazing people who could do things never before possible and blah, blah, blah.
September
September was a month in which I felt, well, basically awful for most of it. But I also went out to New Hampshire with the two younger kids and celebrated my middle child turning 12! I also had a few sentences in a Glamour article about young breast cancer patients and their decision to, or not to, get a double mastectomy.
October
October was a busy month. The husband was working a seasonal second job. Everyone was tired. But we had a great Halloween and my oldest turned 15. Which still blows me a way because I swear she was just born yesterday. The boy and I also did some exploring of a local nature park and I marveled at how much he is growing up too.
November
November was a hugely busy month on the blog as I participated in NaBloPoMo and blogged every single day in the month. I posted pics from the vacation in September. The family and I went to ChiTAG, again. And loved it, again. Thanksgiving happened. I did a lot of knitting and sent a lot of fun packages to people. I ranted against celebrities saying what I feel are ridiculous things about breast cancer. I also had some cancer recall thanks to a book I was reading and a tv show I was watching.
December
I spent a lot of time knitting my sweater for Save the Children. My baby turned 9, which was emotional for me. Christmas happened - decorations were put up, house was cleaned,and Christmas Eve was hosted here. Lots of time with family and parties to go to. Ringing in the new year. And I compared the holidays before cancer and now. I also wrote a letter, in general, for those going through hard times.
Phew. There's my 2014! Can't wait to see what 2015 brings!
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