Saturday, November 21, 2020

Not ready

Are you ready for the holidays? I'm not. I wasn't ready for anything this year. It has been an incredibly crazy, hard, unbelievable year. We bought a house and moved, a pandemic is going on, we got 2 pets, and health issues are cropping up. It's not been fun all the time, and I have been overwhelmed more often than not. 


Fortunately, I have some amazing friends who will listen and help. And God is always there. He has been more gracious and faithful and loving than I could ever imagine. He has blessed us in ways we didn't think possible. 

Friday, April 03, 2020

Waiting

It seems like we are all waiting. We are waiting for the coronavirus to come to our county, our town, our neighborhood, our home. Waiting is stressful. We are waiting for the housing market to move again. We are waiting for schools to open again and life to go back to normal. We are waiting for life, for death, for love, for everything. We really live in a constant state of waiting. While we are not panicking, we are anticipating the possibility of the virus coming closer. It's like watching a storm roll in to shore from the ocean, only longer. You know it's coming. You know and can see it. When it finally comes to shore, it will hit hard. It will destroy things (lives) in its path. But then it is over, and we wait for the next storm. 

This waiting seems harder. All aspects of life are being put on hold. We are cautioned to stay inside, away from people, when people give us the most comfort. Watching children play together on the playground, adults talking around a table, families shopping in a store, individuals reading a book or eating a meal. These sights are rare now, and it will be like that for a month, maybe two. News reports and decisions are made moment by moment and nothing past two weeks has been mentioned. 

So, what are we to do? We scroll Facebook and fret, create memes about toilet paper and beer, and attempt to make life seem normal.

It doesn't work. It's here now, and it affects all of us.

Friday, February 21, 2020

Lingering Illness

I have something that refuses to go away. It's a remnant from the flu, and I cannot seem to shake it. I have rewatched Gilmore Girls seasons 1 to 7, read, and am beginning to craft more. Housework has suffered, but each day is a limited amount of energy (much less than normal), and I have to watch my level of activity, as it makes me cough. 

I picked up a quilt I started about 5 or 6 years ago (the embroidery is taking much longer than expected, and now I am running out of the thread color for one part). I tried to work on a sweater, and found tonight that I messed it up. Fortunately I can fix it, and I am not too far into it. I have now transitioned to another blanket, this one crocheted. A simple pattern with self-striping yarn, it moves quickly, but at a small gauge, so progress always feels slow. 

I have one and about 2/3 skeins left. Maybe if I work diligently on it, I can have it finished soon. 

Illness has kept us from having a party for our eldest. We had to reschedule again, and again, and are waiting to reschedule yet again. 

My Little Man is a man - he's 13. Time flies.

Monday, January 20, 2020

As I Lay Ill

I am just getting over the flu this week. It started Wednesday of last week, just with body aches and fatigue. Thursday I slept most of the day and fought off nausea. Friday was the worst - I was sick all day and when it was finally over, I got stupid. I tried to take a shower. That was a BIG mistake. I wound up passing out (for the third time ever) and falling in the shower. Fortunately, the worst thing that happened was a bruised toe. I should have known better, but didn't do better. At 39, you'd think I would, but we all have dumb moments. That was one of mine.


This year, I have resolutions - resolutions are lovely things. Most people give up on them. I've read that by mid-January people have given up on their new year's resolutions. Maybe it's a matter of perspective and understanding what a resolution is. The dictionary defines resolution as "a firm decision to do or not to do something." There is a breakdown somewhere - a firm decision shouldn't be discarded easily. It is great to have lofty goals, but without a way to get to them, they are useless. We can't expect to wake up one morning a completely different person, unless we pulled a Freaky Friday. Resolutions are goals that are reached by small, daily choices. This is not your SMART goal procedure, which many claim will help you reach your ultimate life. Resolutions are a determination to do something, or not to do something. My resolutions this year:

1) Be healthier. This is multifaceted, and complex, and amorphous, I know. It's about making better choices. Smaller portions, more veggies, more movement. Drink more water. It's not a defined destination, but a lifestyle change. Something sustainable to better myself.



2) Read more. I have already started this one by having a morning routine which includes this. I set a goal on GoodReads, and keep track of what I read there. I read about 60 books last year, and plan to read 52 this year (I have some huge tomes chosen for this year). Come join me!



3) Craft more. This one is one most crafters have. I have LOADS of craft projects started, and after Christmas this past year, I want a better Christmas. Fewer bought presents, more homemade ones. More personal touches. I want to make more time for crafting, as I enjoy it, and so do the recipients. My oldest daughter is also a crafter - she loves art supplies and craft supplies and she's my crafting buddy. Again, no definite goal in mind (like clearing out all the WIPs) but making progress, and have a more tailored, handcrafted year is progress.

There are probably more, but for now, this will do. Small steps on a daily basis make great change.


Saturday, January 11, 2020

Updating for the New Year

Wow. What a year it's been. Spending the first half sick or busy, and the second half busy-busy, it makes the year fly by. Crafting has been done, but off and on, and it doesn't look quite like it used to. Time is surprisingly less available than before. The holidays were crazy busy, with cleaning, cooking, baking, and crafting. This year, I hope to read more and craft more. Here's the year in review.

Home Depot Workshops teaching life skills!

Handcrafting at it's best!

Everyone loves it!

The circus came to town! Not a big one, but fun!

Because everyone loves a Komodo Dragon. And the zoo.

South Carolina Aquarium - sea turtles rule.

Starting third grade and ready to take on the world.

Between Kindergarten and 1st grade, but challenging the older two at every turn.

Almost all grown up - but not yet.

Christmas pictures - pajama pants made by me!
This year promises lots of changes. We are looking forward to some new things coming and I am planning some major projects.

This time of year everyone wants to get organized. We all see the pictures from magazines, with perfectly organized and decorated living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, closets, and bed rooms. The problem with all of these is that they are staged. No one actually lives there, and even if they do, it doesn't look like that daily. I hope to start putting some the ideas into practice, but with a healthy dose of reality. I also want to share some fun FREE things that I find. There are tons of things out there, and it's hard to find them sometimes. I have had to dig for resources since we live on a small, tight budget. It would be nice to have a place to share them, to hopefully make them more visible to others who might need them as well. Do you have any particular need you'd like to have a resource for? If I can help, I'd love to! Leave a comment and I'll answer!