Third Done!

Usually, when I sew in groups of three, I get all three done at the same time.
This time, I was on different time tables as one had to be mailed for Christmas, one delivered on Christmas and one for the middle of January.
So, my time table got messed up a little traveling, shopping, wrapping and baking...

Remember this post and this one and this one and this one?

I did get all of them done in December, but with different unveiling dates.

The last of the three belongs to Pip Squeak...
Glad that I finally got his blanket done during 2014!

Namaste.

2014 in Review

I went back through the posts on the blog and found the one about goals for 2014.
I will say that for most of the year - I failed.
Big Time.
I will blame it on life, an April announcement and the Big T.

But, it was interesting to see that the last few months of 2014 found me back on track for these goals (the physical and spiritual anyway) and I didn't even remember setting them.

So, here are the goals and my progress:

FITNESS / PHYSICAL SIDE:
-Update MyFitnessPal with every calorie that goes in my mouth.
I remember attempting this quite a bit earlier in the year... And failing often.
But since September, it's been pretty good.

-Wear my FitBit everyday (and try to get it to say 10,000 as often as possible).
I wore it every day until December when I lost the charger. But new charger has arrived and I'm back on target.  We won't talk about the 10K - it did say "as often as possible", right? Yep, I hit 10,000 as often as possible.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

-Take better care of my skin.
I failed completely on this one until December.  I am now using the Mary Kay Volu-Firm system and in two weeks, I can tell a difference.  My pocketbook doesn't like it, but my skin does!

SPIRITUAL SIDE:
-Get to church more...I am not going to say how much, but if I make it two times, it is an improvement over 2013.
I can't say for sure how many times I got to Unity this year, but I can say that I did make it to seven services for sure.  Three in April, one in August and three in December (and honestly, I think I did get to Unity earlier in the year!).  OB and I are trying to get to a church that he connects with every Sunday with a trip to Unity every few months, but it didn't happen this week with MBB sick...

-Spend more time with positive / fun / productive people.
Yeah - no.  Lets just say that life, an April announcement and the Big T killed this one.

MENTAL SIDE:
-Work on my pool mechanics at least every other day.
OK, so I started strong on this one and then...Goal?  What Goal?
But, I did make the ladies team for Vegas this year and got two female MVP trophies for 9-Ball, so it couldn't have been all that bad!

-Read 12 books (thought provoking or hard back, no rereads or mind-less reads)
This one almost needs a post of it's own, but in order to finish up this topic today, I am reordering the goals so that this one is last.
Honestly, I have read a lot this year, but I have to go back and search to remember what everything was and whether it fit the guidelines for the goal.
As of the moment that I am typing this, I have no idea if I was successful or not.

Let's see (in no particular order):
1. Dark Wolf by Christine Feehan
2. Dark Blood by Christine Feehan
2. Leopard's Prey by Christine Feehan
3. Concealed in Death by J.D. Robb
4. Festive in Death by J.D. Robb
5. 10 Interesting Things about Human Behavior (Kindle) by Suzanne L. Davis
6. Small Habits Big Results: 55 Small Changes That Completely Turned My Life Around (Kindle) by Michelle Williams
7. 12 Health & Fitness Mistakes You Don't Know You're Making (Kindle) by Michael Matthews
8. Shift Your Brilliance by Simon T. Bailey
9. - 12. (I think I did read more that count here - but I forgot to keep track through the year!)

Books I read, but don't really count toward the 12:
1. Shadow Spell by Nora Roberts (thought about counting, but decided no)
2. Blood Magick by Nora Roberts (thought about counting, but decided no)
3. Speed Cleaning and Organizing (Kindle) by Casey Westbaum
4-?. Quite a few of the "Dark" series by Christine Feehan (rereads)
?-?. Lots of mindless, quick reads that definitely don't count on the list.

And ones that I tried to read for the list, but couldn't finish - just couldn't do it...
1. Identity: Your Passport to Success (Kindle) by Stedman Graham
2. How to De-Stress Your Life (Kindle) by Gregory Jantz
3. L.A. Secret Police, Inside the LAPD Elite Spy Network by Mike Rothmiller and Ivan Goldman

Namaste.

Blogging

Notice that I am doing a bit better about blogging as 2014 comes to a close?
I am hopeful that my blog is no longer considered a "dead blog"...
:)

Granted, full disclosure/transparency here, it does make it easier that I can schedule blogs for the future.  I did sit down quite a few times to blog this month, but I think I wrote at least two blog posts each time that I did.  I still think that I can consider this a successful blogging month.

I know that I won't be able to keep this up every month...
There are at least two months that, on workdays, I am out of town more than I am in the office.

Although, if my Pad does better with the blogger app (and since it has a keyboard), there may be a good chance that the blog goes back to more thoughts than pictures (hey, even with swipe, it's not so easy on the phone!).

We shall see...

Namaste.

Ouch!

So, Christmas found us about busting out at the seams as we were ONLY (big deal for us) two shy of having the entire family present for Christmas lunch.

Seemed like a good thing at the time, but as six are now reporting in sick (one being MBB), I'm not so sure having that many people crammed into a double-wide is such a good idea!

I am now sanitizing everything in the house that I think MBB touched and OB has bailed to his sister's to avoid as many germs as possible.

This may be a long few days - especially if I come down with it too.

Guess we shouldn't delay getting our flu shots again!
(Yes, MBB now things he most likely has the flu - and he has had it before, so he knows what it feels like.  I have had it once also - that is why I am sanitizing like crazy!)

Namaste.

UPDATE:  MBB has a GI virus, not the flu. He was completely over it in about 3 days. I think 10 got it in the end (not me!), but one has had it for over a week.

Two Done!

Remember this post and this one and this one?

Here is the second...Which was delivered yesterday!

Still working on the third - I expect an unveiling very soon!

Namaste.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

Image from here.

Namaste.

Opportunity to Make Wonderful Holiday Memories

I followed all of the directions on how to embed a video on blogger...

Yeah, well... I failed.

Please go here to see the wonderful video about Clifton Mill.

Namaste.

Blog Updates...

I started looking at my blog (on the web, not in blogger) and realized that it needed a face lift.

So, I kept the same template, but refreshed the fonts / colors a bit.
Hopefully, it isn't too hard to read...

I also realized how many people have forgotten about their blogs!
I know that I am bad about not posting consistently, but when I do - I find that I feel a bit better.  Don't know if this is a form of venting for me or not, but hey if it's not broken...
Who knows how many people actually read my vents, honestly - who would want to?, but there are some out there that I have enjoyed reading...
Whether from getting a good recipe, sale notification or just to realize that someone else out there has similar situations in life and I don't feel so alone...

So, if I had a blog listed who has not posted in over a year...
Well, let's just say that the list is more current.
There are a few who haven't posted in months, but I am still hoping that they come back.  I so loved reading their blogs!

Since my feedly app is no longer working on my new/replacement phone, I don't know how many of these I will continue to read on a daily basis.  :(

Namaste.

Cranky

Yes, I am thinking that I am feeling a weeeee bit cranky today!

I'm not sure why...no pesky relatives visiting...no getting up at 5:20 to go to the Big T...
Not sure if it is a side affect of my medication (could be...) or what...

I have two weeks off of work and have 95% of my holiday stuff done...
And all I want to do is strangle people!

Lucky for the AT&T Phone Rep - all I could do was hang up on her!

I may end 2014 with a bang and need to take up a collection to help pay my bail...

Namaste.

Kicking Butt and Taking Names...

Today was a day of get stuff done!

Seriously, I'm rocking and rolling and crossing things off of the To Do List that weren't even on the To Do List yet.  How about that?

I usually spend my holiday break doing holiday stuff that stresses me out and year end stuff that bores me to tears... You know - stuff to do with paperwork, purging files, Mary Kay and you get the drift~

This year, I decided that everything needed to be done before my holiday break officially started (which, by the way, is tomorrow - no I don't count the weekend...Gotta have a few days here and there to get stuff done!) so that I could have some relaxation.  No shopping, no wrapping... Okay, I do have to do some baking, but with 75% of it already done and delivered - I can't complain too much there either!

Success!

Don't get me wrong, there are still a few things that I can't do yet (waiting on others to get their stuff done so that they can toss "the ball" back at me), but hey - 95% isn't so shabby at all!

I wasn't kidding when I declared "Success!" a moment ago - yes, go ahead - reread, it's really there!

I do have a list of things to get done outside of the house tomorrow that is pretty long...
But if I can do most of them in the earlier part of the day, it shouldn't be so bad and only one thing has to do with finishing up a Christmas gift (it's already bought, just a pesky detail)!


Not sure yet what "relaxation" means, but with the 2014 that I have had...
I must figure out what that means so that I can tackle 2015 properly.

Namaste.

Ugh!

I feel like I have fallen off of the weight loss bandwagon.  And with being in the midst of the holidays, it is hard to jump back on!

But, I did not just lose all of this weight to stop 10 lbs (and a bit more belly fat away) from where I want to be. And I most certainly didn't do all of this to gain it back!

First though, to get rid of this depression and anxiety that has gotten ahold of me lately. I have a feeling that there will be no weight loss until I win that battle.

Namaste.

One Done!

Remember this post and this one?

Well, I got the first of the three done and it has been delivered!

Technically, the second one is also done, but as it isn't delivered yet...
I must keep it under wraps.  :)

Namaste.

Stockings!

Yesterday, I posted about the defective cow fabric that I was working with...
What was I making?

Why, a stocking - of course!

With the exception of MBB and myself (we have homemade ones also, just not made by me), I have made all of the stockings that are hanging from our mantel (all but two are hanging, the other two are patiently (more so than I am) waiting on the hooks to be hung).

Also, one of the reasons that all three quilts weren't finished at the same time.  :)

I made a stocking for Zilla (my oldest grandson) last year that had soccer balls on it (the only fabric I could find with round balls).  He isn't into balls so much this year and PipSqueak (my youngest grandon) is starting to like balls...

So, I decided to make a new stocking for Zilla who is currently into COWS...
Don't worry - I will make another one for PipSqueak when he starts liking something other than balls!

Do you know how hard it is to find a fabric with cows???
Tons of jungle animals and owls and frogs even, but very little cows.

I go the stocking done pretty quickly and even thought - this is going too smoothly...
AUGH!
Jinxed myself!

I had the finished product and went to take a picture, only to realize that there was something wrong with Zilla's stocking:

Caused this:

So, back to the sewing machine (after re-pinning) to fix my mistake.  Only to find this:

Caused this:

So, back to the sewing machine (and some alcohol), re-pinning twice (yes, I started re-pinning wrong) and finally with a third times a charm, ended up with this:

And all is well in my stocking world again.

Namaste.

Fabric Mystery...

I am working on a project for a certain little boy who likes cows...

Notice the cow on the right - brown body, dark brown spots, pink snout...
Notice the cow on the left - dark brown spots, pink snout... Where's the body?

Yep...flaw in the fabric and there were two columns of cows that weren't usable...
Luckily, there was enough to make my project, but a lot of fabric ended up in the trash!

Definitely didn't have TPS doing quality control!

Namaste.

Another Old Friend...

In the past seven years, we have put up a tree about four of them (if we weren't home for Christmas morning, I wasn't willing to spend the time putting one up)...

Of those four times, I believe that MBB's tree was set-up for three of them.
The initial plan was to alternate, but when we went to put up my tree for the second time - we couldn't find the main piece of the tree...

So, when we decided to put up a tree this year, even though we aren't spending Christmas morning at home (grand-kids changed things, you know)...I decided that I was tired of not feeling like it was Christmas.  There is something about my tree that makes me get in the season.  I am good with every other year, but five - six years without it...
No thanks.

So, we broke down and bought a pre-lite green tree with white lights.

I was hesitant about a pre-lite tree as I like to have LOTS of lights...
But...
If it meant that I got to see my tree again - it would be worth it!

Let me tell you...Having the tree up and lit in 10 minutes was very nice!
Cut about half of a day out of the set-up time (remember, I said that I liked LOTS of lights - I would take each strand out and back every branch on the tree to use as many lights as possible)...
All I had to do was put on the ribbons and the ornaments.
And honestly - there are a lot of lights (once you rearrange the branches)!

It's also been a few years since I saw this old friend:

And yes, my heart feels at peace when I sit and look at it...

Now, we are looking for a white pre-lit tree with blue (or colored) lights...
Though, MBB thinks that a heavily frosted green tree might work too!
Let the search begin...

Namaste.

Visiting an Old Friend...

Awhile ago, I spent a lot of time at a particular church in town which was my spiritual home.
It was pretty much my life, other than work...

I became a member...
I worked with the kids...
I was appointed to fill a vacant spot on the board...
I became Treasurer...
I ran for my own position on the board...
And was Treasurer, Secretary and Treasurer again...
I was there A LOT.

And then...
My life changed and it was no longer "pretty much my life".
I moved further away and added many, many minutes to the drive.
I no longer agreed with the leadership.
We parted ways.

I visited from time to time, but it no longer felt like my spiritual home.
And it has been many, many years since I have felt like I had a spiritual home.

Recently, new leadership has arrived.
And I decided to peek in and see what was going on...
And the feeling from all those years ago was back.
Just sitting in the sanctuary felt...special.

I am not sure if it was just special today with the music and seeing so many old friends...
Or if I was coming home.

My life is still not were it was all those years ago...
But I am interested in seeing if I have found my spiritual home again.

Namaste.

Would He Like It?

Is it obvious that I like taking pictures by the amount on this blog lately?

I remember a time when this blog was all thought and very little visuals...
Another shift of priorities.
I think that happens when small kids are around!

During one of the snow storms in November, our side hill got quite a few inches...
MBB thought it was a good idea to see if our oldest grandson (I really need a nickname for him on here!... Maybe big brother???) liked sledding...

We had to get him started, but once he got rolling - he did pretty good!
You can't tell because of the dark, but MBB was at the bottom of the hill to help him stop.

Namaste.

Going Outside?

MBB told our oldest grandson to get his shoes so that they could go outside.

He decided that Nana needed her shoes too (and moved the blanket so that he could put them on my feet - who cares that they are on the wrong feet)...
He was on a speedy mission to get outside as fast as he could and he didn't seem to care that I was holding a sleeping little brother...He wanted everyone outside NOW!

Moments like this are so precious and I am so glad I had my phone to grab the photo.
I love being Nana!

Namaste.

Wishful Thinking???

I've always heard that you can tell what winter will be like by looking at the willy worms...

The darker they are, the harsher the winter will be.

I'm wondering if this means that winter will come in hard (as it has already - three snow storms in November already) and then coast through until a not so nice end...

Wishful thinking on my part maybe (and the fact that I've seen this color scheme quite a few times this fall)...

Namaste.