Fresh Slate?

January is the traditional month for change. New year, new resolutions, new opportunities to make changes to ourselves, our lives, our homes.

I've been thinking for a long time of simplifying. Not downsizing because we really cannot afford to move right now. But we do have a lot of stuff in our home we could do without. And there are other areas which could stand a little more focus and a little downsizing as well.

Last year, Wil Wheaton had a blog post about making changes in some small areas, tweaks to make his life better in health, creativity, and overall living. He called it a reboot and I suppose that's what I need to do as well.

I need/want to:

Increase my exercise. I've been diagnosed as pre-diabetic for the last few years and I need to get serious about losing weight and keeping it off. I lost 10 lbs last year, but got lazy and regained it. I have an elliptical and I need to get on it no less than 5 times a week for at least 20 minutes.

Increase my intake of healthy fruits and vegetables. I fell down on the job of making sure I was eating more healthy foods and decreasing my carb intake to help my blood sugars. I need to buy veggies and get them chopped up on the weekend so that I have something easy to grab.

Decrease my screen time in the evenings. I need to put down the computer or tablet and pick up a book or my knitting. I don't need to be mindlessly scrolling through crap when I could be escaping into a good book or working on a gift for someone.

Read a variety of books each month. My hope is to read at least 6 different kinds of books a month: non-fiction, my book club's selection, YA, mystery, Christian (fiction or non) and fiction (whatever fits the category like romance, general fiction, SciFi, etc). So I really need to put the screens away at night.

Knit more. I have yarn, I have patterns. I have friends and family who enjoy receiving things I make and to whom I enjoy giving. I need to make my list of projects, put the yarn into bags with the patterns and just grab one a month.

Decrease the clutter in my home. I need to get down to the items I love, have meaning for me or serve a purpose. I've decided to do Snail Pace Transformations' 30x12 Challenge so I can month by month decrease the stuff in my home taking up valuable space better used for loved items or nothing at all. I also determined to be mindful about where I was going to donate the items, to not just use Goodwill, but also Salvation Army and more local charitable thrift stores.

Purpose to spend time in Bible study. I really suck at keeping this up. I do well for a week or two and then find myself doing rapid catch-ups on the weekend to be ready for Monday evening Bible study.

The above is enough.

I'm hoping to once a month do a check-in post to see how I'm doing. Since I also suck at posting, we'll see how that goes.

Endings and Beginnings

It's New Year's Day. The time of year people look back and reflect on the previous 12 months and then plan for the next 12 months. And think "I can do better this year."

My planner, pens, highlighters
and my current to-do journal.

I'll admit I tend to be a planner. I have my 2015 calendar and January is already filled with my work and practicum hours, my activities with Bible study, book club and knitting group, my Friday classes. Next week, it will fill with more information as I get my class syllabus and fill in the readings to be done and assignment due dates. I have a pen with 4 colors of ink, multiple highlighters and mechanical pencils to color code to my heart's content. Buying this planner was the result of online searches for the "right" planner for me. Do I buy a pre-made? Buy the pages and create my own? Which then led to what size? 3-ring or disc? I finally got tired of it and bought one similar to my 2014 planner. It's not "perfect" for how I like to work (I'm a big list maker), but I was getting bogged down in the variety of planners available. I can always purchase another planner later.

So, 2015. Based on my experiences in 2014, what did I want to do in 2015? Well, SIMPLIFY is a word that immediately comes to mind. But so does CHANGE. How this will happen I'm not entirely sure, but it will be an ongoing process. But using those words for a springboard, I'm going to focus on just four areas for 2015 for personal goals.

Health

My elliptical. I need to give
it a name since we about
to become good friends.

I need to make changes here. I'm overweight and far too sedentary. I have an elliptical I've moved into the small spare room. Ignore the mess, please.

I need to commit to using this at least 3 times a week for just 30 minutes. A small, simple change which would benefit me greatly.

While I own a Fitbit, but I need to be more deliberate, more committed, more caring about my health. I can up with any number of excuses for not making time. It's time to stop doing that.

Rob and I did a little 5k walk for charity in early December. I've been thinking I should look at doing more of those. And put them in my calendar.

Knitting

The Yarn Armoire

One of the names I call myself is Knitter. 2014 didn't see much knitting from me, though. At Knit Nights, I tended to do very little knitting and more socializing. My school/work/practicum schedule tended to tucker me out and knitting took more brain power than I had available.

I want to change that in 2015. I gave away quite a bit of yarn in October of 2014 and now it's time to knit what I kept. I'm thinking of putting together 12 bags, one for each month.

Rob's been so patient in waiting for the socks and hats I've promised him for the last *mumble mumble* year(s). It's time to knock those out for him and reward his patience this year. I have other people I need to knit for (stuffies for my nieces Sam and Katie, gloves for a friend and her son), but Rob's getting bumped to the front of the line.

Spiritual

Monday nights are when I facilitate a Bible study at church. We start a new study on Joshua in just a couple of weeks. Being a table leader ensures I get the lessons done, but I had a tendency last year to procrastinate and wait to get the lessons done. Not. Good.

This year I'm committing to doing my lessons before I do anything else in the morning. My alarm will go off, I get 2 hits of the snooze bar (being realistic here!) and I'll get out of bed long enough to grab my Bible and study before diving into the Word. I just started doing this for the last 3 days and so far, so good!

Reading

While Knitter is one of my names, Reader was my name long, long, long before that.

I tend to read between 60-80 books in a year, books I've bought for pleasure or for book club or books I've borrowed from the library. But I have a lot of books accumulated which have yet to be read. So, 2015 will see me attempt an Empty Shelf Challenge.

Other Empty Shelf Challenges I've seen online start with an empty shelf with the goal of filling it up throughout the year. I'm doing the opposite - I plan on emptying this shelf of these books. There are just over 60 books here to be read and their fates determined (keep or donate).

I'll end up reading more than these books over the course of the year (book club and my library's habit of providing free access to wonderful books), but these will make up the bulk of my reading.

Oh! and one more goal. I'm planning to blog more often than I did in 2014. I need an outlet for thoughts, for accountability, for fun that isn't Facebook.

Hello, 2015. Come on in and let's get to know one another.

Changing Seasons

I always look forward to the Fall.  The weather cools and I'm more comfortable, kids in the neighborhood go back to school and a new Bible study starts at church.  This year, all of this has still occurred, but has taken on deeper meaning.

With the temperatures finally at a daytime level I enjoy and so wonderfully cool at night, my comfort level has been changing. It's always amazing to me when I see just how God intends to work in my life - it's as if I just woke up to the specifics of His grace at that moment.

I lost my job in July. I wasn't the employee I needed to be. No matter how unhappy I was, it was still a blow to the ego. But I also rejoiced in it. I had freedom to find what would make me happy, time to see what God would reveal in this next phase of life. So while I'm out of work and the comfort of that steady paycheck, I've also had time to enjoy my cousin and our relationship, time to vacation with my sister, her girls and my parents, time to clean out my house to make room for family. And He has shown me what I really need to be able to live.

Taking the dinghy back to the boat

Fall and kids going back to school has always meant the neighborhood was quieter during the day, but didn't overly affect my home since our children are grown and out on their own. In August, our little household of three (Rob, my cousin and I) grew to 10. We were able to step in and help Rob's niece, husband and children by providing a home to stay in for a time. And they have 4 school-age children and a 9-month-old. And school has taken on a more hands-on approach for the household.

I have also decided to go back to school. I start tomorrow to earn my degree in Social Work. It's only one day a week, for 11 quarters, but it's enough to have me checking my bag to make sure I have everything I need.

Fall Quarter 2012

Thankfully, I have Bible study to keep me grounded. We just started Beth Moore's new study on James and already it's encouraging me.

James 1:2-3, The Message (MSG)
Faith Under Pressure

^2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

I'm headed into a  new season with family, school and comfort levels. It's going to be exciting to see what He does with me and in me.

Quick update, anyone?

Well, I haven’t done what I thought I would several weeks ago which is write up the year so far. Books have continued to be read, a little bit of knitting continues to happen and I continue to allow other things to prevent me from blogging.

I have a book club meeting tomorrow – the first official “We’ve read a book and plan to discuss it” meeting. We chose C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce. Surprisingly, we didn’t have that on the bookshelf so off to Powell’s we went to remedy this glaring omission. (There are plenty of others we lack as well, but this was a definite necessity)

I enjoyed this quick-to-read book. I had been concerned I wouldn’t enjoy it, the possibility it would be a slog to read or that it just wouldn’t speak to me. Instead, I’ve found myself re-reading sections and thinking about past bible studies, my own personality when compared to the ghosts in the story and am very glad it was chosen. I’m looking forward to tonight’s discussion with the girls.

I’ve knit the second Whirligig shrug. The first was knit for a co-worker’s new daughter, the second for my youngest niece. I need to wash and dry them, sew a label into them and wrap them up all pretty for gifting.

We’ve done a little bit of yard work. This year I actually managed to put flowers into the two planters we have placed near the front door. We planted a fir in the front yard that’s likely to get rilly rilly big, but hey, since we don’t plan on living in the house another 30 years, it won’t be our problem.

All right, enough chatting. Back to work.

It's November already?!

I can't believe it's already the last full week of November and the holidays are about to knock on the door. I knew the holidays were coming and have been thinking about knitted gifts for a select few, but I'm still woefully unprepared.

Let's see, Sean and Erica are expecting a little boy, Gavin, soon. Her original due date was late January and pulled in to mid January, but with the latest appointment (baby's going into a head down position and 6.5 lbs) we're anticipating her going at the end of December.

Erin's still in school, working an on-campus job and just took on a seasonal job scanning tickets at Snoqualmie Summit. She'll be down at Thanksgiving, but with the ski season opening up soon, I imagine she may need to go right back. She's coming down with her boyfriend, David, and staying at her mom's but we'll see her a bit.

I've managed to knit a hat and scarf for a gift basket, but neglected to take pictures (Lame!). I've finished a scarf for a gift and will be casting on for a hat for someone else's gift.

I've continued to read - I'm up to 78 books for the year - and the reading has interfered with the knitting.

There are photos from 2 events on the camera in need of downloading and touch-ups before I send out copies to people.

But bible study is wrapping up and that will give me back a few hours on Sunday and Monday to get these other items done.

I need to get back into regular blogging. I'm spending a lot of time at Facebook (Hello, Farm Town. I'm looking at you). I need to shoot for a weekly update. That wouldn't be too much would it?

I just need to focus.

My head is spinning!

So much going on. So much that defies understanding.

The daughter is wrapping up her first year of college. School until Spring Quarter was going well with an A average. But now . . . now . . . it's changing all too quickly.

Once engaged to be married in December, it was broken off in April. Once planning to move in with 3 other girls into a campus apartment, now moving in with a new boyfriend and another couple. Once a strong student, well, still a strong student but one that's going to repeat a class and take an incomplete on another in order to "keep the A average."

Rob and I have always held that we would not provide living expenses should she make the adult decision to live with someone. Adult decisions require adult responsibility. She will now be taking on all expenses for herself with the exception of medical, vision and dental coverage. She knew this, expected it. Except she forgot two other things: Her cell phone? Hers. Her car insurance? Hers.

These last two were shocks to her system. She hadn't planned on paying for those. But, they are part of an adult life and as an adult living with her boyfriend, they are part and parcel as well.

What does this mean for Rob and I? Well, a lot of prayer for our kids who are not following the path we'd hoped they would follow. A resolve to stand for our beliefs as Christians and not underwrite their lifestyles (both will now be living with significant others). A desire to show love to our children while encouraging them to rediscover the faith they've abandoned.

And maybe a few more weekend getaways. For peace of mind, you know.

2 weeks off? Yeah, right

So, I had two weeks off from work scheduled. I'd planned to work on my teaching for bible study, catch up on knitting and TiVo, working on items for the Women's Retreat and just enjoying myself.

Instead, I'm in Chicago, without knitting (I know!), watching very few shows I would normally watch (change can be good), wrapping up my teaching notes, trying to remember the time change so I can call people regarding the retreat and trying to stay well.

Sis Kim put out an SOS last week; she had strep and a cold and Gigi was getting out from under a cold bad enough to have them worry about pneumonia. Tony had his hands full with them and work so Mom went first and then I went out and took her place.

Gigi has been a sweetheart. Sure, we battled by the River of Endless Tears one afternoon (hers, not mine!) but we've managed to bump along just fine. She has the sweetest smile that I can't seem to capture on camera. And she's started rolling from her back to her tummy. When she rolls to her right side, her arm gets trapped under her. But for some reason rolling to her left worked better.

She's a drool bomb. Good gravy! She woke up from a nap one day and the entire side of her face was wet - even her hair!

I've got pictures I'll upload later. In the meantime, I'm glad I had the opportunity to come out.

Another time sucker

I've joined the black hole non-knitters get sucked into: Facebook.

Let's see, what do I need to keep updated?
Facebook
Ravelry
LibraryThing
LinkedIn
Blogger
SparkPeople

And that's on top of work, bible study, the women's ministries team, knitting group, watching TV, reading and knitting.

I've been lost in Ravelry with the knitting projects, but seem to be knitting less.

I've taken far fewer pictures than I want to.

I've read far fewer books than last year.

Seems like less is happening but I'm not sure where the big time suck is.

But Erin graduated high school in June with her HS diploma and her AA from Clark College. Here's Rob and Erin on that very chilly June night.


She left for college in September. This is actually two photos side by side to show how small a room she has.


Rob and I escaped to the Oregon coast for 5 days in October. Here's a sunset outside our room.


We kept driving past this window:


Had to take a pic of it for you, Mom!

Getting My Move On

2008 has dawned and I have yet to make it into the gym this year. Rob & I joined a gym around Thanksgiving when I realized I couldn't make any more excuses. It was past time for me to do something for myself and just spend the money. Watching the Biggest Loser this past season may have had something to do with that as well.

This new year has yet to see me go in.

But I am determined to make this year different. Mom & I have decided to take on the Portland Marathon this year. This will make it Mom's 3rd? 4th? time doing Portland and my 2nd since 2003. That first year I walked and my time was 8 hours and something. This year I want to do a run/walk and anything better than 8 hours will be great. I say that now, we'll see what goal comes about later.

So, I have determined that my time on the treadmill will be spent bringing up my madd running skillz from non-existent to - well - existent. Gradually adding running time while decreasing the walking time. Building stamina, eventually building speed. But most of all, just moving.

I want to drop the weight I've been carrying for the last 9 years. I can't call it baby weight since I've never had kids. It's lazy weight, pure and simple. And who knows? It might be why we've never been able to concieve (regardless of what my doctor told me).

And along with the moving comes the eating. Rob & I don't eat horribly. But we could - and will - do better. I'm going to need to balance my need for frugality for spending more on healthier options. Explain to me why it's more expensive to take care of myself with good-for-me food and exercise? Can't there be a discount for doing the right thing when it's time to fork over the money?

I'm planning to motivate the running with my new gadget - the main gift under the tree for me from Rob:



Isn't it purty? It's loaded only with podcasts at the moment, but I'll be adding some music later today and spending my $15 iTunes gift card.

Let's see - have motivation, have goals, have tunes. Yep, I should be able to make some progress!

July 2007 recap

It's the first of August and time to take a look at what I accomplished last month:


Books I read (16)
Dying to Decorate: Not bad. I expected more of a mystery with dead bodies rather than a mystery with secrets. Christian lit and if this becomes a series, I'll probably read those, too.

Grave Secrets: Interesting read, but several different threads rather than one large rope. Not the best I've read of her series so far.

If the Shoe Fits: Christian Lit found at the library. Different for me as it comes from the viewpoint of a black woman. There were some things I had to re-read in order to get an understanding that I'm sure would be apparent to someone else. I still enjoyed it and the author has another series that I'm interested in finding.

Death of a Domestic Diva: All right. Definitely a cosy mystery, but I didn't feel like I'd gotten a good background on some of the characters to round them out for their importance to the main character.

Sleeping with Fear: Read this to try to finish up Kay Hooper's Bishop series (there are still a couple I need to read). I used to have a number of them, but decided they were books I'd rather borrow than own. Still feel that way since they have a paranormal element.

Cry No More: I enjoy Linda Howard, but this one was . . . meh. I prefer when I can identify with her characters or they just flat out make me laugh. This one, not so much. Actually, not at all.

Paradise Lost: I've read JA Jance before (a single book long, long ago) but it was for the JP Beaumont series. This one is from her Joanna Brady series and I've found a new series to collect. Enjoyable, realistic characters, good storyline and I wasn't tempted to set it aside for other books. Yay! Thanks local library!

Life Support: I'd heard Tess Gerritsen books were good. This is early on in her career and I'll check out another from the library to see if I enjoy it. Seemed a little slow in some spots and I was seriously tempted to just skip sections to get to the end. Glad I stuck it out, but want a second taste to clarify her style for my tastes.

Owl's Well That Ends Well: Donna Andrews. Meg Langdon series. Love Donna. Her books do what Cry No More (see above) didn't do for me.

Bare Bones: Another Reichs book. This was a re-read to get me caught up on the books I own so far in the series. A decision on her love life (left hanging in Grave Secrets), some interesting info on the black market animal trade, and just an enjoyable read. Time for a trip to Powell's and the next book.

Murder with Mirrors: A Miss Marple book I have owned but haven't read. Dame Christie is wonderful. If not a little short when compared to today's books.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Some I expected, some I didn't. The last chapter, the epilogue, was rather a let down. I expected more. The series started as a children's book, built up to be more than that in each subsequent book, but that last chapter felt like a return to a childrens book. Still enjoyed it, but . . . .

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Started the series over again.

Nemesis: Dame Agatha Christie. Have had this book for a long time as well. Definitely from a different time and place, but I could easily see how some things remain the same.



Knitting I finished (not a whole lot, I'm afraid)
10 dishclothes of various colors and patterns. Peaches & Cream, Lion Brand Cotton in various colors.

1 baby sweater

1/4 of a blanket for my niece. Well, technically, I didn't finish this. It's still a WIP, not an FO.

What's upcoming for August?
Finishing the niece's blanket
A second Pirate hat
Harry Potter books 4-6 if possible
Finding software or building a database myself for our bible study ministry group
Getting prepped for the Fall study while finishing up the Summer study
Finding ideas for Winter and Spring studies
Four meetings/training sessions for our leadership team
Getting started on my prep work for the October women's event ticket sales
Increased visibility at work with upcoming products and technologies and subsequent management of those programs
Oh yeah, 20 year high school reunion.

Pray for me.

It'll grow back, right?

** Deep breath **

I've signed up to be a shavee for Portland's St. Baldrick's fundraising event.

My company is putting a team together and I've put my name and picture out there as a participant. Clippers will meet with my mass o' hair on March 18th.

My personal goal is to raise $400, donate my hair to Locks of Love and actually knit a hat for myself.

That last part only makes sense when I tell you that in the four years I've been knitting, I have yet to knit anything for myself.

The picture to the right is my badge photo from work. See where my hair ends? It's grown since then and it's about 4-5 inches longer than it appears in this photo.

Am I a little nervous? Yep. But I'm kind of excited too. I get to start from square one with my hairstyle. My hair has started to want to curl, so I'm curious how it will grow out.

I think I'll be taking once a month photos to track the growth progress once it's gone. Look for a whole new picture of me on 3/18.

If you're interested in donating to help me reach my goal, click here to go to my St. Baldrick's webpage. (Mom & Kim, both of you said you would!)

New Beginnings

First off - Happy New Year! We managed to stay up last night to usher in the new year by watching I Love the 80's: 3D (TiVo'd earlier in the week). I was up this morning at 6:30 to get the Crock-Pot (TM) jambalaya going, let the dog out, got yesterday's mail and began the finishing of the 2nd blue Crayon baby blanket.

I have a total of 6 knitting WIPs I need to finish:
Blue Crayon blanket (gift)
Prairie Spring socks (gift)
Paws to Remember scarf (gift)
Buffalo plaid blanket (gift)
Alpaca mobius scarf
Acrylic lap blanket (charity)

And upcoming items:
Baby boy sweater (Feb)
Boy sweater (March)
Baby girl sweater (May)
Felted clogs for Rob

It's a new year and I'll be renewing my commitment to WW. I've lost (and maintained that loss) of 20 lbs so far. Twenty more to go and I'll be where I was when Rob and I first married. Twenty more past that and I'll be at the weight where I felt my most attractive and sexiest. I wasn't by any means "fit" at the goal weight, but I felt good. And that's what matters.

That's probably the only resolution this year. Last year's? Let's check:
* Increase my exercise: Not so good. I've announced my intention to get my lazy bum out of bed to the husband and the Sis. I'm going to have to make good.

* Eat healthy: Better. Lost the 20 pounds. Definitely need to slow down in eating again. I don't know what's going on, but I've scared myself choking a couple of times. (blech)

* Read more: I did borrow more, didn't reach the 2 new books/authors a month, but being a voracious and fast reader makes a difference in the end totals. Total of 58 books read in 2005.

* Knit something for me: Didn't.

* Blog more: hmmm. Probably better, but not great. Need to establish a day where I update.

Now I'm off to check the jambalaya and watch football with Rob.

Starting Anew

It's the last day of 2004 and I need to get ready to implement my PLAN.

* Increase my exercise. Since my level is currently at ZERO, increasing it shouldn't be too difficult. I'll be adding walking during the day at work and I've got to get my lazy self out of bed to do my Firm dvds.

* Eat healthy. Back to the WW recipes I enjoy, add more veggies to the diet, drink my water. Take my time eating to allow me to enjoy my food and avoid overeating.

* Read more. I have several new books to read (Thanks Kim!)and want to cruise NPR's site and the ALA's site regularly for new ideas. I'll be supporting my local library more this year by borrowing rather than buying. (And yes, we did support our local library levy this year). Rob & I also going to do the "Read the Bible in 1-year" plan from our church.

* Knit something for me. Don't know what yet, but there will be something for me this year coming off of my needles.

* Blog more. Already trying to sit down at the computer at least 2x a week to do an entry. Even got the Sis to do her own (check out Do Bee Do in the sidebar). Now I've got Rob thinking about doing a family site as well.

Looking forward to the new year! Happy 2005!