Tuesday, September 23, 2014

My Universe

Me on the shooting range
Hello Fans and Followers -

Carolina Wren living in my mailbox
Sending love to all of you.  Life has thrown me some curve balls this year.  WOW it's already nearing the end of September and I've NO idea where the year went.  Dad was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and much of our time has been spent with him.  Hubs was laid-off, I got promoted with a ton of extra responsibilities, and then things got really crazy.  Let's break it down:

Dad- he's currently in the hospital and has been for 11 days now.  I'm hoping that we will be able to get him home soon.  There is no doubt that there is definitely a decline happening and it's sad to watch.  I'm grateful that my husband has been able to be the primary care giver as well as that my dad trusts him and allows him to help.  Less so for me.  My sister is now getting to know him, and I'm happy about that.  She is still dealing with some of the feelings that she has.  I love her and she's made a tremendous effort.  I know it was hard for her.

Mr Pitt's Socks for Hubby
Hubby - well the layoff occurred just days before the diagnosis for dad, so you know what they say everything happens for a reason.  I believe it.  With the level of care he needs even with Hospice it is not enough and Hubby has been FANTASTIC.  I couldn't ask for a better man.  He's taking this time to determine what he wants to do, care for my dad, and to work on some training and classes.

Kids - Well DD1 - has been made a store manager of Teavana.  I'm so excited for her.  She has a wonderful career ahead of her if she stays on this path.  I want her to follow her dream.  She's a lovely lady and I hope someone realizes that some day and she finds someone to share that with.  She's a great girl.  DS is doing well and started at the community college.  I'm really proud to see how seriously he is taking his studies.  and DD2- recently was hired on at my company so we get to see other every day.  Very nice.

Socks for DD2
First pair of Fingerless mitts - fantastic
Knitting - Off the Needles - Not much really.  I did finish the socks for my daughter.  I also made a pair of fingerless gloves and the honeycomb cowl.  I did not get pictures of the cowl before I mailed it to it's recipient.  On The Needles: My moderne day log cabin blanket is still on the needles.  I needed a break from it.  I'm currently working on sock 2 of the Mr. Pitts socks for my husband.  I love socks they are so easy and fun.  I still have some shawls on the needles that I want to work on, but haven't in awhile.  When my  son moved home and then dad moved in I had to take a part my stitching/craft room and now I'm living in boxes.

Loose Feathers piece - still in progress
Pulled this LK out of hibernation and finished January
Cross stitch - I joined a group on facebook and have been inspired.  I participated in a few SWAPS. They were fun.  I also joined the Shepherd's Bush Fold this year and have been working on that piece, and I also am part of the SamSarah mystery stitch.  I have it, but have not started stitching it yet.  I am working on a Christmas card piece too (I started last night) for another group swap due to occur at the end of October.  I'm attending the DownSunshineLane Stitch at the Beach getaway this year.  It's in Myrtle Beach.  I'm really looking forward to the get-a-way.  I will be participating in a couple of SWAPs and completed a lovely Halloween piece and purchased some items for the grab bag swap.

You know what they say about the road to heaven - it's paved with good intentions.  Well I'd promise to keep blogging more regularly, but I'd rather not setup a false expectations.  I predict things will get a bit crazier before they get better.  Love and Blessings to you all.........................J







Sunday, January 19, 2014

2014 Resolutions and Challenges - long post

Happy New Year!  Yes, I know I'm weeks behind.  I begin prep for New Year Resolutions and Challenges after my Birthday on January 6.  That way if I've decided a diet is in order, and it usually is, then I can enjoy my birthday guilt free.  So here we are January 19 and I'm still pondering my resolutions, and I've decided to ponder some challenges as well.  Time  gets away from me quickly during the week as I'm very focused on my job. Sot that's why today is important in helping me make some decisions instead of just pondering them (we'll see how this works out). 

Before all the Resolutions and Challenges on Jan 1, my cousin-in-law's wife, Ginger (who by the way is a pretty spectacular lady), posted on Facebook that she chooses a word for the year that will lead the way into the year and remind her to stay focused.  I LOVE this idea, and blatantly posted that I would steal it from her.  And I am.  However, I had a strong candidate in my mind that I felt was important in my life, and then after discussion with my daughter and my birthday, another candidate for the year popped up.  So it's caused me to give some additional thought to the word I choose for 2014.   So I'm now selecting between BALANCE and BELIEVE.  Both words hold a significant meaning to me. The battle within continues over these two words and as 2014 starts to fade into memory I realize I need to make this decision fast and soon.

First, the Resolutions, let's review this first. 
1) Diet - isn't this on everybody's resolution list.  I really don't want to think of Diet, I want to embrace a BALANCEd eating plan.  The problem with a diet is that I try to fit myself into somebody elses idea of what a diet is, and I fail because those plans fail to merge with my lifestyle and who I am as a person. So my resolution is really to lose some weight this year.  (This is not going so well yet, however this is why I never start on Jan 1)
2) Money- this is probably on everyone's list as well, I want to save some money this year and reduce my personal spending.  I need to reduce some of the nickle and dimeing that adds up to over spending.  So reducing my Itunes spending and my purchases on facebook will help.  I will reduce my hobby spending and only purchase yarn if needed for a project I intend to work and complete in 2014.
3) Cleaning - OH this is a big one for me.  I HATE cleaning. My husband does most of it on a daily basis, and I jump in where needed.  I do the laundry he does the dishes, he sweeps, I sweep neither of us like to dust.  So I resolve to clean to more.  More specifics to come
4)Reduce, Reuse & Recycle -words to live by.  I'm resolving to find new ways to reuse and refurbish old items in my home.  I want to reduce waste overall.
5)Focus- I need to focus on our business and I resolve to put forth some additional effort into the tea room and JTRB Images.
6) Exercise - get more exercise into my life.
7) Blog more and regularly

That's my list of resolutions.  They're common ones for most I think.  That's why I usually don't believe in resolutions, but they are a great place to begin when attempting to reach goals. 
So on to the Challenges
1) In an effort to assist with the Diet and Money resolutions, I'm considering on a homemade food challenge.  In essence We (Greg & I) will commit to homemade meals for breakfast lunch and dinner.  This means no fast food or eating out for the year.  Instead I will put my multitude of cookbooks to good use and come up with some tasty and nutritious meals that we can enjoy.  This would be HUGE commitment because with my work schedule I'm usually too tired to cook, but if we both commit it should be easy.  Maybe I can get the kids in on it too.  Rally the forces so to speak.  The RULES:
  • 1. All meals must be made here at home. 
  • 2. No store bought pre-made frozen meals or processed foods.  I will have to develop some exceptions to this rule.
  • 3. Exceptions - Birthday's and special events, trips to Disney and the Storm Games (meals are included in our tickets)
  • Blog the recipes, and the updates
2)The Money Challenge, I have started the 52 week Money Challenge in an effort to save some money.  I've saved Week 1, Week 2 & Week 3 already and have a total of $6.  If your not familiar with this challenge, in essence you save the amount of the week.  For example Week 1 you save a $1, Week 2 you save $2, and by Week 52 you save $52.  So at the end of the year (52 weeks) you have accumulated and saved a total of $1378.00.  I do not have a designation for this money yet.  I have seen variations on this saving method using quarters to help kids save money, and also multiplying it out by the amount of people in the family to take a Disney vacation.  Very versatile.
3) Reduce the clutter and get organized - enough said here.

Each year I try and create some personal goals based on resolutions and challenges.
The Goals
1) Complete 1 knitting UFO this year in addition to normal knitting
2) Complete 2 Cross Stitch pieces this year
3) Read 4 books (1 per quarter)
4) Lose 50 lbs
5) Walk 10,000 steps daily
6) Reduce the clutter
7) Open the Tea Room

So with all of this I think it's pretty clear why BALANCE and BELIEVE are difficult words to choose between.  What I'm currently working on ..... well that's another post.

Happy New Year,  May 2014 bring you all that you desire.  For me, I want Health, Prosperity, and Time.  Have a GREAT Year