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!
Monday, January 05, 2015
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!
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
What I'm Streaming December
Happy New Year's Eve!
If you are going out tonight because you have fantastic plans, enjoy.
As for me and my family, we'll be home, lounging in pajamas and relaxing! Not that I'd mind a night out, but I also am very okay with just hanging out at home!
I'm sure some of our night will be spent watching some Netflix. I totally want to see the King Julien countdown - because my son already watched every episode of King Julien! Yes, it just came out, but he LOVED it! He told me he's going to let me make a video of him telling the world why he likes it and I can share it here. We haven't done it yet, but I do plan to!
As for me, I had some pretty sleepless nights a few weeks ago thanks to the steroids I was on. I was warned that they would make me not want to sleep and oh boy did they ever! So I spent my nights streaming Marco Polo.
I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it and do hope a season 2 comes out.
The story had me hooked. Though, there is probably hardly any historical accuracy in the show, that's not what I was watching it for so I was okay with it. I liked many of the characters in the show too - not limited to Polo's character.
I will, however, never say Genghis Khan the same again (I'll pronounce the first G as a J, like they did on the show because that's how I roll). But I fell in love with the scenery for sure. I'd like to go ride horses around in those hills - it was lovely.
In honor of watching the show, when the husband and I sat down recently to play some Civilization V, I selected the Mongols as my team, and so far it's working out for me. The husband and I are kicking butt in the game! LOL!
Of course, now that I've watched it all, I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of every episode of Friends in January and then the big one in February: House of Cards. Is there a way I can just get a copy of House of Cards now? I promise I won't tell anyone a single spoiler!
In addition to what I've been watching, I've also done a fair bit of reading. I have officially started the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge. Someone sat down and wrote down all the books referenced in the show - which I love the show and saw so many people watching it since it came to Netflix and it inspired me to start reading. I had read 38 books prior to even learning about the challenge, but in December managed to read 2 more. I'm hoping to get another 30 done by the end of 2015, which I know means 10 years to complete the list, but I'm okay with that! I'm also bringing others into my madness and I started a group for other people who wanted to maybe do the challenge, or some of it, or just want to talk books! We'll see how it goes this year.
With that said, I want to say Happy New Year to everyone! I hope that your 2014 ends very well and that your 2015 is a good year!
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Life Is Not Fair
Life is not fair.
I know. I know. I can hear it in my head "well no one ever said life would be fair." Which is code for suck it up, buttercup, you're no more precious than anyone else in this world so just accept it and move on.
Which maybe helps some people? I don't know. It doesn't help me much.
I'm not sure if it's because the holidays, but as I look around me and hear people talk or see what they are saying on-line, I see so much pain and sadness and so much unfairness of it all.
It makes me want to punch someone.
Except there's really no one I want to punch. Some invisible person who can be a stand-in for all the wrongs of the world.
I don't mean to sound like an awful person. Or someone who is over here wallowing in badness. And I don't want you to get the impression that I must have had a miserable Christmas or else I'd be sitting over here basking in the happiness the holidays brought.
Because I'm not an awful person. I don't think I'm wallowing. And I, in fact, had a lovely Christmas. One of the best ones in recent years!
But there is so much pain and loss and sadness. Not just in the world in general (which is true) but in my own back yard. Too many people missing their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, spouses, best friends. Too many people who never knew their mother and/or father. Too many friends wishing for just one more Christmas with their now angel child. People who spent Christmas in the hospital. People who just received bad news.
My goodness. The weight of it all. Which isn't even weight on my shoulders. But I feel it for those I love and care about. I wish I could fix it or right it or make the hurt go away.
But I can't.
And I think it comes out more at the holidays. Who do you want to spend your Christmas morning with?
My social media feeds were flooded with pictures of presents - big piles of them, small special gifts, toys flung all over the room, neat piles, messy piles, tons and tons of presents.
But that's not what we are all missing this time of year. We are missing people. Friends, relatives, lovers. That's what we are missing. We'd trade the biggest pile of presents ever for just one more holiday together, one more moment to make cookies together, or see a face light up when you've just given the best present ever, one more hug, one more kiss. Just one more "I love you. Always and forever."
That is the bitter part of bittersweet holidays, isn't it? The part where your heart aches so much you just aren't sure you can carry the weight of it in your chest anymore. Or the drop of your stomach as pain and sadness come flooding back.
It's there, between the laughter and new memories being made this year. It's there between the traditions you started with your own kids or are carrying down from your parents. It's there as you unwrap that special something you were given, or as your child runs over and bear hugs you because YOU ARE THE BEST EVER THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER AWESOME HOLIDAY!
I know some say you can't have light without darkness, happiness without sadness, etc, etc.
I'm not sure I completely believe that. I see where it comes from though. I get the sentiment behind it.
It still stings when there is darkness and sadness and pain.
It still hurts.
All of this to say, if you are hurting right now. Or are sad. Or are missing someone. You are not alone. And I'm sending love your way.
xoxo,
Brandie
I know. I know. I can hear it in my head "well no one ever said life would be fair." Which is code for suck it up, buttercup, you're no more precious than anyone else in this world so just accept it and move on.
Which maybe helps some people? I don't know. It doesn't help me much.
I'm not sure if it's because the holidays, but as I look around me and hear people talk or see what they are saying on-line, I see so much pain and sadness and so much unfairness of it all.
It makes me want to punch someone.
Except there's really no one I want to punch. Some invisible person who can be a stand-in for all the wrongs of the world.
I don't mean to sound like an awful person. Or someone who is over here wallowing in badness. And I don't want you to get the impression that I must have had a miserable Christmas or else I'd be sitting over here basking in the happiness the holidays brought.
Because I'm not an awful person. I don't think I'm wallowing. And I, in fact, had a lovely Christmas. One of the best ones in recent years!
But there is so much pain and loss and sadness. Not just in the world in general (which is true) but in my own back yard. Too many people missing their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, spouses, best friends. Too many people who never knew their mother and/or father. Too many friends wishing for just one more Christmas with their now angel child. People who spent Christmas in the hospital. People who just received bad news.
My goodness. The weight of it all. Which isn't even weight on my shoulders. But I feel it for those I love and care about. I wish I could fix it or right it or make the hurt go away.
But I can't.
And I think it comes out more at the holidays. Who do you want to spend your Christmas morning with?
My social media feeds were flooded with pictures of presents - big piles of them, small special gifts, toys flung all over the room, neat piles, messy piles, tons and tons of presents.
But that's not what we are all missing this time of year. We are missing people. Friends, relatives, lovers. That's what we are missing. We'd trade the biggest pile of presents ever for just one more holiday together, one more moment to make cookies together, or see a face light up when you've just given the best present ever, one more hug, one more kiss. Just one more "I love you. Always and forever."
That is the bitter part of bittersweet holidays, isn't it? The part where your heart aches so much you just aren't sure you can carry the weight of it in your chest anymore. Or the drop of your stomach as pain and sadness come flooding back.
It's there, between the laughter and new memories being made this year. It's there between the traditions you started with your own kids or are carrying down from your parents. It's there as you unwrap that special something you were given, or as your child runs over and bear hugs you because YOU ARE THE BEST EVER THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER AWESOME HOLIDAY!
I know some say you can't have light without darkness, happiness without sadness, etc, etc.
I'm not sure I completely believe that. I see where it comes from though. I get the sentiment behind it.
It still stings when there is darkness and sadness and pain.
It still hurts.
All of this to say, if you are hurting right now. Or are sad. Or are missing someone. You are not alone. And I'm sending love your way.
xoxo,
Brandie
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