Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Christmas and other things

It's been a mad house around here.  Hardly anything is ready for Christmas, although I did take it easy on myself and only did a few knitted presents this year.  The ones I made were mostly by request - the rest of the gifts were bought.  I managed to find and make a few surprises, like these:



I found the pattern on The Purl Bee, and had to make one for each of my children.  Aren't they adorable?  One has a pink hair bow, one has a purple hair bow, and one has a red bow tie.  I kind of made up the bow pattern.  I'll share that later, after pictures.  I'm working on wrapping presents and I am finishing the last of the knitted ones.  I found I had extra time and yarn, and so I'm adding to what I already have.  It's actually rather nice to not be in a rush to get things done, feel a time crunch, and be in a panic.  I love Christmas, and little by little, I'm already starting to plan next year's.  I know that sounds insane, but if I can get organized now, and figure out what I need/want, then next year I can put in a game plan and start early enough so that it's not a hassle.  I'm also looking towards the new year, and thinking about how I need to work that as well.  There are a lot of changes that I really want to make, things I want to make progress on, projects I want to complete, and the like.  I'm trying to take some time to reflect on this past year and create a game plan for next year, to make it better.  Quite frankly, I had a rather crappy year.  I had a lovely new baby girl added to our family, but work had severe issues, money was a problem (try a HUGE bill from said new baby), and there was little to no progress in some other areas.  Next year, I'm going after it all.  It sounds like a lot, but there's that old Chinese proverb - "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."  So, each day, you wake up and think about what you can do to take one step.  After a whole 365 days of stepping, you've made progress.  I don't anticipate completing everything this next year, but I want to make progress on it.  There are some things I definitely want to accomplish (some teaching tools, more crocheted items, a plan of attack for all holidays), and there are things that I want to make progress on (work, money issues, personal growth).  Getting a game plan is the best way to do that, and I'm getting there.  It's slow, and I really do have to actually sit down with a piece of paper and pencil (I'm seriously old-school with that - I need a pencil, not a pen, as I make a lot of mistakes and need to erase a lot).  I need to create categories and write down the goal for that category, and then steps to reach that goal.  The new year holds a lot of promise, and I want that promise to be fulfilled.  My theme for this next year is "Be Intentional."  Everything we do should be intentional - with a purpose and a goal in mind.  Even having fun should be intentional - we need to let off steam and create memories with our children.  Be in the moment, for once the moment is gone, it can never be regained.  Do you have plans for the new year already?  How's your holiday season shaping up?

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