Grocery check in

I haven't really kept track of what we've spent EXACTLY on groceries this month. I do know we're over budget. 🙁 Part of that is food prices - stuff is expensive! Part of it is a learning curve. It's been a while since we've done this, and I'm rusty. 

Let's look at what and where we did buy:

Aldi - we buy a lot of staples here, because they have been cheaper in the past. This is still mostly true, but you have to watch carefully.

Walmart - this is the biggest store in our town, and while they offer a wider selection than Aldi, you still have to be careful about their prices. They aren't always the cheapest.

Ingles - sales are your friend here. But, you can get some really good deals, and the quality is usually worth a few extra pennies. 

Quality Foods - this is a local small chain (they have maybe 4-5 stores around this area) and can be higher on national brands BUT their sales prices are usually better than others. 

Strategy: This month, I planned, then looked at ads and shopped. I think I need to change this up a bit. While it's hard to predict what will be on sale in the upcoming month, using what's currently on sale for multiple meals and knowing what staples you need can help control the budget. Also, looking at holidays (March holds St. Patrick's Day, April holds Easter) can help predict a little. March usually has corned beef on sale; April has lamb/ham/roasts. This is harder during the summer and fall when there aren't as many holidays close together, but you can almost be assured there will be hamburgers and hot dogs on sale (and ice cream) close to July. 

Being sick hasn't helped, as it's made us want/need things not planned for, like popsicles for the children. 

Another new addition this month will be to take a pantry inventory (to use what we have better) and get our small freezer in there, so we have more freezer space.

Week #4 Check In

Last week, I had a sinus infection and it got worse, so Tuesday I had to get round 2 of antibiotics. Ugh. Sinus troubles - still better than COVID!

Blog more.

I think I am doing fairly well on this goal. That was easy. I just need to be consistent.

Keep the food budget to $400 per month.

The only thing we bought this week was eggs. I have some ideas floating around about working on this goal more, and once they gel I will share. 

Start a garden.

The garden area is about halfway covered with cardboard. I have to get more cardboard to finish this. I think I will head to the local box store and see what I can find lurking. Seeds have not been tested yet, but I think I can con my oldest into helping me with this, as he is taking biology and we're finishing the unit on plants.

Pay more attention to my health.

I have been doing this, especially since I have been sick. I have been following the No S Diet, and so far, I am down another couple of pounds. 

Read 50 new books this year.

I did not read like I should have this week, because when I am sick I just don't feel mentally capable of reading. Is that odd?

Declutter our home and make it hospitable.

Not much progress here, but I did manage to finally get the Christmas tree down. Yes, it was up through the whole month. I know, I know. 

Complete 12 craft projects in progress.

I worked faithfully on two projects this week, one cross stitch and one knitting. This is an easy thing to do with simple patterns and TV time in the evenings. It's a small thing I do for enjoyment. 

How was your week? Did you make progress on your goals for the year?

Begin...again

We are all still under the weather. Three of us went to the doctor and are on antibiotics. We finally succumbed. It's still better than last year, when we were sick with COVID for a month. 

I restarted my Saoirse.

I couldn't remember where I was, because I didn't keep track. So I ripped back and started again. This time, I am keeping track. Fit is generally an issue for me; shirts tend to ride up. It's hard to tell of it's because I need short rows at the back of the neck, or if I need a bust dart. I am thinking about adding both to this one. What do you think? 

Weekly Check-in

Goals for this year:

Blog more.

Already making good progress on this one - it's the third time I have posted this year! Woohoo!

Keep the food budget to $400 per month.

This goal is harder than I thought. I made a menu plan for 6 weeks actually, and ran the numbers on the items. Food is expensive! However, if I can trim a little, I think I can make it. I am shopping sales and comparing prices. I made a spreadsheet (yes, I am that nerdy - let me use my accounting degree!) to keep track of prices. That, plus keeping my menu plans (meal ideas at the ready for on sale items) should help going forward 

Start a garden.

The garden area needs to be covered with cardboard to kill weeds, and I am pretty sure I have found enough cardboard to cover it. I haven't yet, because we've been a little under the weather this week. I hope to do this tomorrow or Tuesday and then I can start testing seeds.

Pay more attention to my health.

Your health is hard to manage when you get sick. I'm not SICK sick - just an allergy flare-up that will hopefully be gone soon. It sure beats COVID from last year, but I still feel blah.

Read 50 new books this year.

I completed one book this week, so I feel confident in this goal.  

I am proofing a book by a friend, because he's a great writer and I got hooked on his first trilogy. I have a couple of others that I am hoping to make more progress in, and maybe I will finish one or two this week. I feel better mentally when I take time to read.

Declutter our home and make it hospitable.

Because of me feeling under the weather, and my children feeling bad too, Mom was in high demand this week for comfort and food making. I tried to just keep basics going, so I didn't make much progress here. Next week if I feel better, I should do better.

Complete 12 craft projects in progress.

I do complete one project this week. I wove in ends for these mitts. They're convertible - the thumbs and fingers fold back so then they are fingerless mitts. 

I have been working on another project this week too. 

Have you made progress this week? 

Food budget

I started my food budget. I planned all the meals for January and half of February. We make a monthly run to Aldi (about 45 minutes away) mid-month, so I plan that way. 

I divided up the days of the week into categories. I listed 5 meals for each category: Soups, Crockpot, Asian, Italian, Fast Meals, Comfort Foods, and leftovers. Then, I just plugged them in. 

I just put it into a downloaded spreadsheet template and then I am making a grocery list from this. I am also in the process of making a price book. This is something I used to do, sort of, but with inflation, it's more critical. 

Do you menu plan? How do you do it? What about a price book?

New Year Goals

After reading One Hundred Dollars a Month for several years, I have decided to take a page out of her book, and start listing my goals for this year here, to stay accountable. Is it major? Not really, but it will help me blog more and maybe it will keep me accountable.

Goals for this year:

Blog more.

This is step one for that. I can post here my steps towards my goals, and see what happens. 

Keep the food budget to $400 per month.

This goal is optimistic, but I think doable. The first step is to plan meals on a monthly basis. I already do this weekly, but I need to expand it. I used to keep a spreadsheet of prices for regularly bought grocery items, but haven't in a while. 

Start a garden.

This goes with the one above, and the house we moved to two years ago has/had a garden area. It was covered with fabric and mulch, and I have since removed that. It needs to be covered with cardboard to kill weeds, then tilled. I have seeds to test and then I also need to plan out the garden. The tricky part of this is 1) we have a dog and 2) I have a tendency to get sick when I spend a lot of time outdoors. 

Pay more attention to my health.

In connection with the above goals, I want to be healthier. This would include staying on my eating plan (The No S Diet), eating more veggies (hopefully from the garden), and exercising more (gardening). I also know if I am healthier, being outdoors won't make me as sick. It's great when goals all link together, don't you think?

Read 50 new books this year.

I love learning and I love reading. I have a LONG list of TBR books, most of which are on my shelves. Of those that aren't, many of them can be checked out from the local library.

Declutter our home and make it hospitable.

I started making progress on this last year, and the year before. I need to up my game in this area. We still have lots of boxes that aren't unpacked. We also have 2 storage units currently and I want to get it down to one. We have small home improvement projects that need doing. Little steps, my friends.

Complete 12 craft projects in progress.

I have SO many WIPs. I want to get 12 done. That's not a lot, really, but I want to get them finished so that I clear out my stash and more importantly, the crafts are usable. This includes sewing, embroidery/cross stitch, knitting, crocheting, and any other crafty thing I have dabbled in. 

Some of these may seem ambiguous. Maybe they are, and maybe they will get clarified more along the way. Sometimes keeping things loose helps keep your focus.

What are your goals for this year? Share them with me and help keep me accountable!

Home and Health

It's been so long since I have posted anything. I have had a long journey to this point, and I just now feel like emerging. The brief version is life happened. The detailed version (which I will try to keep somewhat brief) is I was never able to find the shawl from my grandmother, so it's gone. In July last year, my girls (and I) got lice. I never had lice growing up and it's an experience I could have lived without. August came and we started homeschool again. I had the first 6 weeks planned out and was going to adjust during a break week and go forward. In September, my mother had a stroke, which she *could* recover from, but that's a whole different issue. I spent most of October trying to find her a different rehab center, which turned out to be fruitless. November came and Thanksgiving went, then December was here. I spent so much time calling places about care and insurance, the holidays passed with minor celebrations. At the end of December my husband and I went down and tried to clean out my parents' house. That was a long arduous process. We just finished in January, and were struck with COVID.  January had us flat on our backs, as the virus was very exhausting. We barely managed to recover before we had another urgent situation with my parents. Then it was April. 

During all of this, my body decided to rebel. It was not happy with me and let me know it in no uncertain terms. It's taken me about 6 months to get back to some semblance of normalcy. I feel human again, and I am getting back to a regular routine. I am able to accomplish more things on a daily basis. Maybe this means more progress can be made, craft wise. 

Missing

 When my grandmother passed away a couple of years ago, I wanted a shawl I had knit for her back. It was never found, so I just resigned myself to not having it. Last night, I went looking through my patterns and found the pattern for it. I know I made it from a soft grey yarn, and it was lovely. There is no telling where the shawl actually went. One person said my grandmother must have given it to someone who admired it. Another theory is that someone else from the family took it. I guess it doesn't really matter. The pattern was from a friend, as a mystery summer shawl knit-a-long from a local yarn shop. The shop doesn't exist, the friend is in another city (we moved), but the pattern is still on my computer. 

From Ravelry: JennaCJ's Mysterious Summer Shawl

I think this is the summer of shawls for me. I have a scarf that I am working on from Miss Babs Book Club, and 2 other shawls that I am knitting up afterward. I have a couple more projects on the knitting/crochet front, but mostly this summer is organizing. We moved in September, and half the house is still in disarray. That's okay - life has been busy. Perhaps I should have taken 6 weeks once we moved everything from the storage unit and put it away, then moved everything from my in-laws and put that away, but instead I used my time differently. I focused on homeschooling and muddled along. Now, the school year has ended, and I can focus on letting my children have a summer and I can focus on putting things away. A mother's job is never done - and that's not a bad thing. We are always needed. While there are times when we want a break, everyone always wants to feel wanted and needed. 

I am looking forward to organizing some of the places in the house. My children's rooms are first on my list. Some of that will be enjoyable; some of it won't. I enjoy digging through the toys and remembering when we got them or how much they used to play with them. I am really looking forward to getting to my closet and alcove. The alcove will be my space - my craft space. It's not huge; it's a 5x7 room. But it will be where my patterns are and stash, my sewing machine, and hopefully my spinning wheels. 

I have a short timeline, as I want everything to be done by August. This gives me about 6 weeks to get through it all. While that might sound simple, having daily challenges of children and pets and interruptions, plus a week where I will be gone during the day, it will be harder than it sounds. However, since it will be hot and humid, being indoors will be a great place to stay during the heat of summer. And I can hopefully make it so we can have a stay-cation and just enjoy the house. There will also be a summer bucket list to check off!

Forward motion

 It's a new year! I haven't left; I've just been really busy. This is a season of life where things are never boring and never standing still. We have a new house, a new gecko, a new puppy, and life keeps moving forward. 

I have been crafting, but not at a great pace. My goal for knitting is to finish 2 sweaters for myself. I try to knit some every day, and progress is slow, but still progress. I am in the midst of our dining room, with a table full of things - books, papers, cracker boxes, milk cups, dirty plates. I am reminded that we have a table, we have food to eat, and even though I *should* get up and clean it, sometimes to sit with the mess and be grateful for it is more important. I am still getting Christmas decorations down. We are hosting our son's book club, and he gets a birthday party this year. We weren't able to have one last year because of illness and then COVID. This year, whether a virus is here or not, we will have a party. It might be virtual, it might be small, it might be not what we expected, but we are celebrating this year. We are celebrating each other, and the gift of today. 

Today I spent a few hours planning our garden. One of the lovely things about our backyard is there is a garden plot. I have learned a lot over the last year and continue to learn. Learning is one of the greatest things humans can do. I don't mean behavior modification learning, although there's that too, but the acquisition of knowledge, ideas. Humble yourself and learn something from others. I have a large (larger than I am used to) plot, and I have a list of things to plant. I may not be able to plant them all. I may not succeed with any of it. But I do love to see things grow. I have a front yard that needs work as well. The next week or so will hopefully dry out and we can clean up the leaves and sticks and fall debris. Then it's time to get busy.

There is always something to do here. I have boxes still to unpack, rooms to organize, home improvement projects, crafts, and most importantly, children to teach. Progress is always slow, but isn't that the way it should be? You don't really expect children to grow up overnight; this house is no different. Time to make more progress.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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!

Mid-August Night Dreams

It's hot. Like incredibly hot - we've had temperatures over 90 for the past 4 months. It's usually hot in Georgia, but we've had more 90+ degree days this year than normal. And we've been weirdly busy, without planning it.

I quit working at the college, because childcare is now unreliable at best, and borders occasionally on negligent. Things continue to be complicated with our living situation, in ways that it shouldn't be, but is.

We started our new homeschool year. Each year changes, and this year was no exception. All three are doing "for real" school work - even the Littlest Princess. We also have more time because I am not teaching out of the house anymore. This makes it a little smoother and less halting. We're still adjusting, as we now get to school a full 5 days instead of 3 full and 2 partial days. We still go to book clubs, although those are changing too.

We managed to take our first family vacation this year - we went to Charleston. It was fun (and educational - we slipped a few educational things in on the kids, which were incredibly fun for everyone and they didn't recognize it as "learning") and we all got sunburned at the beach.

We are growing together as a family - traveling the winding path of life and exploring the twists and turns along the way. It's not an easy path, but each challenge - a bump in the road, a twist in the path, a rock or tree limb that inhibits our way - we grow, and learn, and change. And we do it together.

In addition to educating our children, I have been attempting to educating myself. Sometimes my education is simply by reading a book outside my normal genre. I find being drawn to history and biographies more. I usually read fiction - classical literature, murder mysteries, and even some newer fiction. I still do, but I am broadening my scope. I have been picking up historical fiction, historical accounts, biographies. These are books that before held little to no interest to me before. I have also been looking in to homeopathic remedies more. Not in a crazy "modern medicine is trying to kill us" way, but in a "would a natural option with fewer or no side effects work" kind of way. Holistic medicine, treating the underlying cause and not just the symptoms as well as treating the whole person and not just the disease (truly caring for people), is an interest. I've had an up and down relationship with medication - I think most people would say the same. If there's a better way, shouldn't we find it? What works for me may not work for you. Here's an example: I know someone who swears by ketoprofen. He thinks it's great for his sciatica. And it works for him. I have taken it, and it does nothing for me. I get more relief from back pain with a heating pad than ketoprofen. Do I tell him he's wrong? No - just that the pills don't work for me. I try other things to alleviate the pain. I have been searching for herbs and extracts that can help alleviate my symptoms, because it's more natural. The ketoprofen can cause constipation or diarrhea, but the heating pad won't. I don't eschew the use of Western medicine - I still have ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and take antibiotics when needed. I just think Western medicine isn't the be-all-end-all to all our health issues.

In the world of crafts, I really haven't been doing much. I've been repairing toys here and there, knitting a few washcloths, and trying to finish what I've started. I am trying to make progress on different projects here and there, but I am focusing more on reading this year. Reading is important in learning, and teaching, and I am trying to do both.

Falling by the wayside

So much has been going on! And yet, not so much. Things seem to fall by the wayside at times. The holidays were a whirlwind, followed by a birthday for Little Man (he's 12 now!), and I have been trying to get on top of things around the house. The first order of business has been the basement, as I can do it in pieces and it stays relatively untouched until I can make more time for it. It's a slow process. Extremely slow, as I haven't been as proactive as I should. Last week, half of us came down with a stomach bug (not a happy thing) and I have been trying to catch up on daily things, so special projects have been set aside.

I managed to finish a cross stitch unicorn project for the Littlest Princess, and I started to block my Fading Point shawl. Then I found a dropped stitch, so I had to fix it. And it sits, still waiting to be put back together. I am also attempting for the third time, the bottom band of ribbing on my Boxy sweater. I feel like I can get a project 80% done, before something happens and then it sits languishing in the WIP pool, floundering around for months before I can pick it up again.

I have so many things, it feels like, and yet I know I have no more than most people. Or maybe I do, and that's my problem. I am working on being more consistent and finishing things this year. One goal is reading. I missed it terribly, so I have a lofty goal of a book a week this year. That makes 52 books. Some are audio, some are printed, and I have some eBooks too. I am trying to be intentional about how I spend my time, and how my children spend their time. We live in a cramped location, and I keep trying to make it not feel so cramped. I hope I am making it work okay for the most part.

Recently in Living Color

January is already gone, can you believe it? The days have been short, the nights long, and the weather cold, rainy, sunny and undecided. We have been passing around a cold recently here, and I just finished 2 small projects and a large one. I finished my Fading Point wrap (no pictures yet, and I haven't blocked it either, but all the knitting is done). I finally finished two projects from Mollie Makes Magazine (a great crafting magazine that shows all kinds of crafts). I made the Toucan Keyring from Issue 94 and the doughnut pincushion from Issue 96. My girls have those now - I gave them willingly to the tiny hands. =)

Mollie Makes Magazine, Issue 94

From Mollie Makes blog, Issue 96

I have also been knitting on my sweater, which seems to be taking forever. I have it down to the last forty rows for the body, and have done about 12. It is the neverending stockinette stitch.

Still working...

There has been buzz in the knitting community about protests, racism, "white privilege" and many other things. These same people who cry out say those who don't are complicit in the problem. I don't know that that is really true - some of us still live by the old adage "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." If there is nothing productive to add to the conversation, then we are all just blowing hot air (and I mean that literally). 

However, sometimes there are things that need to be said, in love and discipline, to show we really do care. It is important that everyone has a voice. It is important that everyone gets a chance, and equal chance, to express themselves. It is also true that whatever you go looking for, you will find. If you look for love, you will find it. If you look for hate, you will find it. You cannot know a man's heart. You cannot know what someone else is thinking, or feeling, or their motivations behind their actions or words, unless they tell you (and even then, sometimes people lie). 

So, instead of thinking the worst about people, and making this a dark horrid place to live where people live in fear of being berated and bullied online and afraid to speak their minds respectfully, shouldn't we think better of people? If we all really want a Utopian Society, one where everyone is treated fairly and kindly, where thoughts and feelings can be expressed without fear of retribution, shouldn't we be the change we want to see? Isn't that a better use of our time, talents and energy? #bethechange

Floating

Since the last time I have posted, I did put my doctorate on hold. I have tried to spend more time doing things that I enjoy, while getting things done that have to be (hello, laundry). I feel like I am floating more and more. I do not feel like I have a direction, a goal, an objective. I feel like I am floating. I am not sure that I enjoy this feeling. I have never had it before. I have always been driven. Not in a Type-A way, but I have managed to figure out a direction to live my life, and have done so with purpose. Now, I feel that I do not have that. I have started seeking full time employment again, not because I want to go back to work, but because I feel I have to.

Floating is great at times, but when you see a need that you cannot fill, it hurts. Floating down a river is peaceful, until you see someone who needs help. Then floating is no longer a good choice.

Plans

I have been ruminating on what to do. I still plan on stopping my doctorate program for now; I can and plan on picking it back up at a later date. But I have been thinking about my next adventure. I want to focus on homeschooling, and it is as much for my own education as it is my children's. I thought I may use this opportunity to work through the Master Crocheter's class. I got it a year or so ago, and have started it, but haven't finished it. I was thinking of doing some samples and posting them - maybe a video or two, or tutorials on some of the techniques. Things do not look like they will be slowing down any time soon, but such is life. And this season is a busy one.

How long has it been?

I don't know about you, but things keep getting crazier around here. Before I knew it, it was October, and now the month is already half gone! I think I have taken on too much, so after some debating, I plan on scaling back after this month. The holidays are crazy enough without adding to it. I have been taking classes for my doctorate, and that will have to go. I will continue teaching for now, but after next semester, that's going too. I need to focus on our home, or what we call our home, for now. I thought I had stuff down, but the more things continue, the less control I have. I don't want to be a Type A, but I don't want stuff in utter chaos either. Sometimes life gets busier without adding to it.

So, I leave you with an image of fall. I have been knitting and crocheting, and reading. Because I am splitting my free time between the three, none have a lot of progress. I hope to change that after the holidays.