Pages

Showing posts with label New Year. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Year. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Christmas and New Year's "Loot"

Foreword: I would get packages of fabrics and not open them. I believe this started back in late June of 2016. At first, I would use a package as a reward for completing a block or a section of the Gypsy Wife quilt. But, I never did open up a box. So, they kept piling up. In the end, I just decided to open up a bunch of packages that were in mailing envelopes on Christmas day at the lake and the rest of them at home on New Year's Eve. Opening up the packages on Christmas day was extremely fun. (Note: Dan and I did not exchange gifts this year. Instead, we got our own gifts.)

The below is from New Year's eve and I finally got through them all on January 2nd. By the way, most of the fabrics were purchased at 50% off or more with either free or cheap shipping (e.g. flat rate shipping of five dollars).

Abby Gail photobombed my picture of the pile of packages. She made me laugh!

She looked like how I felt about these packages -- drool and slurp! Ha!

The other side of the pile of boxes.

The result of opening up all the packages. By the way, the fabrics inside the crate is from Christmas day.

I had just sat down in my chair and thought that the view was pretty. So, I decided to take a picture of the back of this pile.

I think I have a severe problem, don't you?

Saturday, December 31, 2016

Final Completed Project of 2016 and Happy New Year!

I accidentally ran across this ornament kit and immediately fell in love. I had to have the kit. It reminded me of Dad and his love of birds not to mention it seems like half of my family are birders. I have always adored cardinals. So, it was perfect.

I finished the project yesterday afternoon with much fussing and such. It has been years and years since I made one of these kind of ornaments. But, while I was working on it, I was happy and content. I thought it turned out beautiful.

I had Dan hang it up in the designated spot before I even took a picture. So, the pictures below are not the best. I actually stood up on a ladder to take the first! Ha!

It is hanging in our hallway which I have turned into a "Christmas room". Yes, I am nuts; but, I do not really care what others may think of the things I do.

The big ornaments hanging beside it were made by my mother and hung over the bar every year at her house. These were the ones that no one picked for themselves and I'm glad now because they are beautiful where they are.

And now, onto a different subject. 2016 is about to end. It wasn't too bad of a year with the exception of an extreme depression time, dealing the chronic issues and the death of an old acquaintance who I was enormously fond of. She was my sister-in-law's Aunt. In spite of all this, I feel that I managed to accomplish more than I have in the past few years. The one thing that I picked up is Bullet Journaling that I believe helped me out immensely.

I am extremely thankful for so many things.

Life.
My husband, Dan.
Abby Gail, my buddy.
Family.
Friends.
The ability and space to create.

The only resolution I have for 2017 is to try to create (make things) more.

May 2017 be good to you all!

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Weekly Recap 1

First of all, I think my "word of the year" or motto for 2016 will be:

Reject Apathy”.

I wrote this down on the 29th of December and the phrase has been with me ever since. It originally came from an Our Daily Bread devotional. I think this will be my “word of the year” or motto for 2016. On the other hand, when I see, read or think this phrase, I also think “survive” or “survival”. You know, some days, it is all I can do to just survive. So, maybe 2016 will have two separate words for me. Ha!

"Survive"

My previous words of the year were:

2011 – Do
2012 – Finish
2013 – Anew (Afresh)
2014 – Focus
2015 – Persevere [Endure] [Pursue]

2016 – "Reject Apathy" or Survive [Survival]

At this moment, I cannot decide which one to pick. So, I am going to use both.


source: B.C. Comic Strip on GoComics.com

Honestly, I do not think I will have a new "New Year" resolution list. I will just keep on keeping on what I have been doing in the past. I still do a #finishyear list started years ago. I carry it over to the New Year.

Instead, I think I will just have a weekly recap post. This effort will probably die just like the rest of my efforts do. Ha! But hey, I am going to try. At the very least, I am hoping to have at least one post a week if not more. There were periods of time on my blog where I was gone for months and this worried a few of my friends.

Anyway, this post will cover everything from the 1st of January through the 9th of January. So, slightly more than a week. From hereon, the weekly recaps will cover Sundays through Saturdays. And, the posts may cover anything or nothing. It will be whatever I decide. Ha!

  • Town Squares

    We went visiting town squares and did some antiquing on our vacation which was December 19 through January 3rd. In case you do not know it, I adore town squares. There is something about old towns that makes me happy. I love it when Dan decides to drive through an old town square even if we do not stop. I just love viewing the old courthouses and the buildings in the square. I have been taking selfies at courthouses whenever we deliberately stop and roam. I thought they would be proof that we were at those places! Ha! And besides, the pictures will be kind of like a picture journal of town squares.

    Anyway, we went to Lockhart and New Braunfels on January 2nd. Lockhart had a fairly healthy town square that I loved. If only the weather was more cooperative! It was raining and miserably cold. I have been to New Braunfels before and their "square" is extremely unusual. A gazebo in the middle of a oval roundabout with the courthouse on the outer edge. I would return to both towns again.

    We often stop at antique stores and I was delighted to have found not one; but, six lane mini chests on this trip! Getting six chests let alone one is a very unusual thing to do. We also found an upchucked nightstand (or end table) for $36. We will be fixing it up and re-purposing the item.

    FYI: I plan to blog about our vacation. At least, the loot I ended up with on our vacation! Ha! :-)

  • RV Supersale Show

    We are shopping around for a camper and trying to decide which one we would love to have and get. We do have a budget and it is not all there yet. Most likely, we will buy a gently used one because that is the best way to go within our budget. But, it does not hurt to attend these shows and get a first hand look at the campers we may be interested in. There were three campers that we liked. Now, it is a matter of research and looking at other models/brands. We had fun and it was a good "date" if you want to call it a date. Ha!

  • Sickness

    • I was sick from January 3rd (evening) through the 6th. I started to recover on the 7th. I am not sure what caused me to crash other than two out-of-town trips (three days at Christmas and the day trip I mentioned above) along with eating food that I do not usually eat including on New Year's Eve with some gluten free food that I never tried before. I did try to stay gluten free while out and about; but, it can be so dang hard! Anyway, I crashed with a terrible headache, body ache and stomach troubles. And, from then on, I slowly but surely recovered with bouts of stomach issues. So, because of this, most of my week was wasted.

    • An incident landed me in the local urgent care just after midnight January 9th. I woke up with my left eye screaming in pain from something - most likely a speck of dust. We tried flushing the eye which was successful in the past; but, it did not help this time around. Dan looked and could not find a thing. Because I was in extreme pain, he / we made the decision to to get me into local urgent care which is open 24/7. They put drops in my eye which deadened the pain and gave me immediate relief. I was still feeling like something was scratching my eye; but, pain killers helped me cope. They could not find anything and flushed the eye out. The doctor mentioned a variety of possibilities including an ulcer and we found that one unbelievable.

      Dan and I talked when we got up in the morning and we both think I must have been rubbing the eye in my sleep scratching the eye causing the pain. I still had aches and the eye area was puffy that morning; but, it was a heck of a lot better. I have medicated eye drops and if I still have issues, I will be seeing an ophthalmologist.

  • DIY, Quilting and / or Crafts

    • I framed the five 100 blocks that I won through a recent blog hop by Quiltmaker.
    • I decided to join 2016 Finish-A-Long: Quarter 1 and I will be blogging my list soon to officially join the "party".
  • Books

    I managed to start and finish Revenge of the Witch {The Last Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles #1) while sick. I gave it a 3 (out of 5) on Goodreads. Maybe I am spoilt by all the good books I have read in both child- and adult- hood that makes me think this is not the best writing for young adults. Do not get me wrong. It was a good story with a good plot line and whatnot; but, I think it could have been better. Maybe the author improved with the second book? I will know when I read that one. Yes, I have it. I actually have Seventh Son which contains Books 1 and 2 of the series. By the way, the book is young adult fantasy.

Friday, January 1, 2016

Hello 2016!


My New Year's resolution is simply to write 2016 instead of 2015.


I have not even started making a new year's resolution list and whatnot like I have in the past and maybe, just maybe, I will skip it this year. I know! Shocking!


Friday, January 2, 2015

2015 Word of the Year

Word of the Year

2011 – Do
2012 – Finish
2013 – Anew (Afresh)
2014 – Focus

I did not quite succeed in my personal challenges for 2014. I did succeed in the 52 weeks of savings. But, the 52 weeks of projects and books… Well, I got a good start! I plan to continue to read books. As for the projects, I plan to restart this once I am ensconced in my sewing and crafting room.

2015 – Persevere [Endure] [Pursue]

In other words, I will keep on keeping on!

It is my hope to be in the sewing / crafting room by February. If not, I will not despair – it will not be the end of the world. But, with the way things are currently in the room, the end is plainly in sight and we will persevere and I will endure. I will not give up! I am excited!

In looking back at 2014, I am both amazed and saddened by things life brought.

I went totally gluten free and in November, I finally went in for some blood testing and discovered an answer to some of my health issues which was a huge relief to me and yet, it was not. I will need to go back in a month or so and get retested. It may be that I might need to get a consultation with a geneticist if things did not balance out in my body as a result of following my doctor’s suggestions.

There was a death of a young vibrant man that was cousin/nephew/etc., and etc. to my two nieces that brought them a huge sadness / devastation and as a result, made me feel sad. My thoughts are with them, especially the mother and sibling(s) of the young man, as they all move forward this year. My only hope is that they all will not let fear stop them from allowing their children to thrive and pursue the very things they are passionate about.

It is my hope that 2015 will be a better year for everyone. But, you know life; it deals some very hard knocks sometimes. My prayer is that everyone will find their happiness and contentment in spite of the negatives that come their way.

Friday, January 3, 2014

2014 Word of the Year and My Stupid List

Word of the Year

2011 – Do
2012 – Finish
2013 – Anew (Afresh)

2014 – Focus

I have been so unfocused lately that it is driving me insane. I am sure it is driving Dan crazy. So, the word of the year for 2014 is focus. I need to take a deep breath and center myself. I am going to endeavor to concentrate on one thing at a time. One project at a time. One task at a time. One meal at a time. And, get it done. You get the drift.

As for setting goals this year, they are not extensive as I seem to just out and out fail due to life and other reasons. So, it is just a simple 52 weeks:

  • Savings Challenge

    This is an incremental challenge that I find very easy to do. Since there are two of us, I am setting aside $2 for the first week, $4 the second, $6 the third and so on and so forth. {To find out more, just search for “52 weeks savings plan” as this challenge is viral.}

  • Books

    I miss reading books and have not really enjoyed reading them for a long time due to a variety of reasons including judgmental souls who told me that I was being anti-social and needed to be more involved. I have been unhappy trying to fulfill my promise (to get them off my back) to try to participate. By the way, this was years and years ago – before I got married. Well, I am done with them. I am returning to my first love and that is books and I do not care what others may think of me. By the way, this challenge may or may not include books previously read. Also, I may choose to read young adult or preteen books which often are quick reads and exactly what I need for that moment.

  • Projects

    This will be a variety of things such as crafting, organization, baking or cooking (new recipes), etc., and etc. For example, I may want to alter several composition books; so, that could be my project for the week. Or, I may want to clean out and organize the extended pantry which is currently driving me batty. So, that could be my project of the week.

Simple enough, right? Right. <---- That is sarcasm in case you did not read the emotion behind the word.

And oh, we have officially gone on to the “no spend month” only it will extend into two or three months. The exceptions to the rule is 1) travel and hotel costs (to visit family) and 2) house and related expenses to continue work. How is that for fun start to the New Year?

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

2013 Word of the Year

My word of the year for 2012 was “finish”. I also started a #FinishYear list. (If you’re interested, you can go see my 2012 Blog post here.).Did I finish anything?

Honestly, for the life of me, I do not remember finishing a single project. However, I was walking a mile and progressing to two miles until we started packing for the move back in May. And, I was making and creating meal plans for two weeks at a time until the move. All things went to pot once we landed this new house back in May and started changing the flooring from tile to hardwood. As a result, my goals changed. You will never know what life will bring you. I do have to say that creating a specific list was semi-successful for me. So, I will continue to do just that along with keeping the word of the year.

I am currently trying to be positive; but, when you have been sick with allergies and then with a severe cold since before Christmas time, it is hard to not get discouraged when you feel like you have more bad days than the good. It is tough struggling with depression and the usual chronic pain and then when you are knocked down for the count by an unexpected sickness… Well, you get the picture.

I think I am on the mend. I pray that I am on the mend. I currently have a little rattle in my chest and a tad bit of stuffiness in my head. But, today I feel more like me.

Let’s see, my 2011 word of the year was “do”. And, 2012 was “finish”. I will keep on using those words. What word should be added to these words of the past? What shall be my word for 2013?

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

~Lamentations 3:22-23~

The one word that keeps repeating in my mind is “anew” – a very lovely old-fashioned word. Anew means fresh or again.

Yes, every day begins afresh. I need to remember that no matter how I fail; I dust myself off and start again. If I fail to get something planned done, I can do it the next day or the next time I have the opportunity to do so. Yes, “anew” is a good word. I shall make that my word of the year.

As for my goals for this year, they are simple and yet so complex. If I look at the big picture, I get overwhelmed with all that needs to be done. However, if I break it down, it does not seem so huge. The biggest goal that both Dan and I have is to complete remodeling efforts on the house by the beginning of April. We have two major remodeling efforts and the rest is all cosmetic.

The first major effort is converting the garage into a studio/guest overflow room. I am really looking forward to starting on this project. We hope to get started on this sometime this month or early in February.

The second effort is replacing the kitchen cabinets. As time goes by, both of us just do not like these cabinets. They are mega-cheap looking and the style is not our cup of tea as we like the simple look such as Craftsman, Shaker, or Mission. We decided one day to just replace them all instead of taking the time and effort to paint them or change the look. Don’t you worry, I am frugal. I am sure we will be able to do this with a minimum cost without getting into debt and still have awesome cabinets that fit our style.

I am not sure if we will do the cabinet project before or after April. I would love to get it done before next year. I would love to get all things done to this house (with the exception of the bathrooms) this year and just live happily ever after. I have learned through experience of our first home to not wait. If you wait, you will never get what you want done. And, we are not exactly getting younger. I would like to enjoy this home finished for many years. Key word is finished.

In the meantime, Dan has been working on the casings for the doors and windows (which never had them). Keep an eye on his blog because he does infrequent updates on the work. In fact, he has written recently about the door and window casings. I have been very remiss about blogging on this part of our lives. I should remedy this in the future. But honestly, I rather leave that up to him as he does all the hard work. I just have the vision – I am the designer and interior decorator. Ha!

Dan is also putting down the baseboards. And, because I’ve been sick, he’s been doing the painting by himself. I feel so bad because I could not help him; but, I just did not have the energy to do much of anything.

Anyway, we are doing one room at a time as for as the casings and baseboards. The kitchen is being completed. All the casings around the doors and windows are completed with the exception of the one above the sink. We are postponing that one until we redo the cabinets. It is my hope to get the window enlarged as it is such a tiny pathetic little window. If we cannot due to costs and/or other factors, it will still be easier to put up the casings when we put up new cabinets.

The next room for casings and baseboards is the living room. And then, it will be the hallway of many doors. We are doing the open areas first and then the bedrooms. One area a time. One weekend at a time. When I recover from this current sickness, I can get started on the painting. Not only do the casings and baseboards need to be painted, but the walls need to be painted too. I’ve already decided on the color for the kitchen and the paint has been purchased. I have also tentatively decided what the living room color will be. I just haven’t picked out the exact color yet.

My one other goal for this year is to continue taking a picture every single day. I may or may not do a daily, weekly or monthly challenge like I did for last December. If I do, I will link or refer to where I am getting the “topics” for the day within the post(s). When I am sick, about all I can do is snapshots. But, at least I am taking pictures. Today is an exception to that rule as I did not nor am I planning to take a picture. But, I shall resume tomorrow.

I do hope everyone will have a blessed and wonderful year.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

My Word of the Year & #FinishYear List



I tried the UFO concept with Judy at Patchwork Times; but, I was an utter failure with that effort. I think it's because it focused only on the crafty/quilting part of my life. The Word of the Year, which replaces a list of resolutions, was a better effort for me. The word is often a concept that we desire to embrace, a quality we wish to embody, or something we wish to have more of in our lives.

My word of the year for 2011 was “do”. I accomplished more than I ever did before. There is always room for improvement though. I decided to make “finish” my word of the year for 2012 and extend the word “do”. They complement one another, don’t you think?

But, I still need something more than just a Word of the Year. I’m a list person. I need something to shoot for. Most of the time, making resolutions never worked for me and I think I know why. They tend to be too general and need to be a little more specific to work.

Jon Acuff turned on the light for me with his ”Finish Year” concept. He is doing a series of posts to help us set up our lists. I think this concept may just work because the focus is on efforts not results, which may be the biggest bane to my existence.

{Start from the last link I provided above and work your way through his newer posts to get the gist of what “Finish Year” is all about.}

So, I listed items in the car on the way up to the Dallas area to see family before the New Year. Dan wanted to know what I was doing; so, I explained the concept to him and how it is done. He kind of joined in with his own list.
Here is my original list:
  1. finish the Layer Cake Quilt. In the process, learn to machine quilt.
  2. read at least six books
  3. hand quilt Dan’s quilt
  4. clean / purge the office
  5. clean / purge the Master Bedroom
  6. make meal plans (every two weeks)
  7. save up for “new” car
  8. make flying geese blocks using charm squares and special ruler
  9. take a stitch on Tuesdays
  10. add money to house fund
  11. walk a mile (two miles is ultimate goal)
  12. either relearn to play piano or learn to play a mandolin
  13. establish an etsy shop for crafts
  14. write down thoughts frequently – once or twice a week
  15. design a quilt
  16. learn to swallow a pill
  17. organize my fabrics onto “bolts” – 2 or 3 a day should get me there eventually
  18. finish the cross-stitch project that is half done
  19. take a picture once a week
Here is Dan’s list:
  1. finish the mustang!
  2. relearn/play the banjo.
  3. finish the desk/nightstand
  4. learn custom framing and matting.
  5. finish professional photography – at least establish a SmugMug account and even get some business cards
We are supposed to wean the list to five. Dan is fine. However, I am not! Ha! So, on the way home from the Dallas area, I weaned down the list. Let me tell you, I had a difficult time weaning the list down. I noticed that there were several small items that could be done every day until the task is completed. So, I weaned my list down to five keeping the original list separate so that I can add to the new list whenever one is eliminated. I also created a separate list that could be worked on in a routine manner (aka Flylady).
Here is my five:
  1. I am going to finish learning how to swallow a pill. I may not ever learn how; but, I am determined to try.
  2. I am going to finish the Layer Cake Quilt. In the process, learn to machine quilt.
  3. I am going to finish saving up for “new” car. We only need a couple more thousand.
  4. I am going to finish walking a mile (two miles is the ultimate goal)
  5. I am going to finish cleaning / purging the office. I can only do this if Dan helps the process as half the stuff in there is his. I hate to nag him; but, this is important to me.
Here is my secondary list (in no particular order):
  • I am going to finish making meal plans (every two weeks).
    {I started and completed the first plan on 1/2/12.}
  • I am going to finish writing down thoughts frequently – once or twice a week – journal style.
  • I am going to finish organizing my fabrics onto “bolts” – 2 or 3 a day should get me there eventually.
    {I started this on 1/4/12.}
  • I am going to finish taking a picture at least once a week
    (I started this on 1/2/12.)

I've placed my #FinishYear list inside my calendar organizer for safekeeping and easy reference. Here's to hoping for a more successful year!

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Happy New Year!!!


I'm a little bit older, a little bit wiser, a little bit rounder, but still none the wiser.

~~Robert Paul
Be at war with your vices; at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.

~~ Benjamin Franklin
Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go.

~~ Brooks Atkinson
May you all have a wonderful beginning to 2012 and a blessed year!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!




Hello All!

Today is Christmas for those who celebrate this holiday. I hope everyone who observes this day is having a wonderful day. For some odd reason, I am having a very difficult time. You would think it get easier without a loved one, after 3 years; but, it is not easy. The times of grief are fewer and fewer; but, the pain/grief does not lessen. And, the changes on and around the holidays are difficult for me to grasp and hard for me to accept; but, I must in order to move on.

I am thankful for family and those who put up with this old lady. I am thankful to see Mother is in somewhat good spirits in spite of her circumstances. I am thankful for friends, old and new, real and virtual. I am thankful my for Dan who puts up with my idiosyncrasies and loves me in spite of them. I am thankful for the newest precious little ones who have entered the world. And, last but not least, I am thankful for God who saw me through the last several difficult years.

Posting will be sporadic from now until the New Year. I am planning on at least one post; but, for the most part, I will be silent. In the meantime, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Snapshots of Memories (2010/2011)


We traveled up to the Ft. Worth area and stayed with my sister-in-law over the New Year. I really enjoyed this visit. It was just what I needed. A bit of relaxation and a bit of playing tourist.


Weatherford's Courthouse

This is the coolest little town and it's thriving. This courthouse amazed me because it was like an island unto itself. There is an oval roundabout completely encircling it. I loved the architecture of the building. The square really does not exist as most of the buildings are gone/replaced. But this courthouse is gorgeous in my humble opinion.


Fort Worth Stock Yards

We went to the Fort Worth Stockyards for a day. I had a very good time just browsing the stores, wandering the streets and watching the people.





We had lunch at the Love Shack. When I saw the name while we were looking for a place to have lunch, I immediately started singing "Love Shack, Baby" by B52s. Yeah, that sort of dates me. Let me tell you, the food is delicious and the place is downright quaint. I loved it. We sat at the very top of the place and nearly froze to death when the wind started to pick up.


Cowgirls and Cowboys




The Slowest and Shortest Cattle Drive Ever

The stockyards have a cattle drive twice a day. I thought it was the saddest thing ever to witness. Those longhorns seems soooo bored. The cowboys and one lone cowgirl seemed bored too. Ha! :-)

We took a short trip to Sundance Square to check out the place and see if we'd like to visit again in the future.

Art on Building depicting the Chisholm Trail 1867 - 1875

Another Beautiful Courthouse

Bass Performance Hall

One of the many "art" inside storefronts. This is one of my favorites.

I also went to Grandbury with my sister-in-law to visit a quilt shop. I loved the downtown square. Don't ask me why; but, I do love the old timey squares with stores around a courthouse. I didn't take any pictures as I didn't feel like it.

The quilt shop itself was located right in the heart of the square. It was a small shop; but, loaded with fabrics and the like. We shopped at several antique stores (another favorite hobby of mine) and had lunch at a tea room. I had a very good time.

We also visited my niece and nephew-in-law and her baby and had lunch at Rosa's. I wish we had a Rosa's Cafe here in San Antonio! It is decent food for the right price. And, they have Taco Tuesdays!