Sunday Love

I have tried to sit down and write, but I'm just not interested in it right now.  What Iam interested in is sewing. I made good progress on my baby sewing and I think I will have a nice little care package to ship off before the first of the new babies comes.

I'm also keeping an eye out the window on the Kansas weather.  My cell phone keeps beeping with weather related text message. Gotta love living in the mid west.

Happy Mother's Day

In honor of all the mommies out there and soon to be mommies in my life, I am doing a little sewing today.

Bibs, bunting and a little paper piece quilting.  All the patterns I'm using are free from Whitney over at whitneysews.com.  I've been following her for a while on her YouTube channel. I'll give you a bit of an update when these projects look a bit more finished.

I hope you all enjoy this day, whether you are a mommy, planning to be a mommy or content without.  We all deserve to enjoy these lovely Sundays.

Franklin Covey and Filofax

As much as I am loving Filofax, I still prefer the accessibility of FranklinCovey. You don't get any better than having a dedicated store just down the street. So I stopped in one day for lunch. I went in of the hole punch which is much cheaper than purchasing from Filofax and walked out with more than I bargained for.



I won't bore you by waxing poetically about all the goodies, but I will say that with the exception of the Swingpad, I love them all. The Swingpad is a little too big for my personal size Filofax. It fits but closing the snap become difficult. Not sure just yet what I will do about that. For now, I'm going to use what I can and try my best to stay out of the FranklinCovey store. If you are looking into the variety of refills and inserts available, look at FranklinCovey, just be aware that the sizing is slightly different.

I Shut Down

I'm spending a little time in bed tonight catching up on my online life and setting up my new A5 Filofax. There has been a lot of goings on here in casa Kansas, but none of it should have stopped me from blogging or writing or enjoying life. But it did. I am that person that completely shuts down when all is not right and it is driving me crazy. When one aspect of my life is going wrong, I shut down in all things and can't quite manage to keep going, at least not effectively. I still move, but I move without purpose and without fulfillment. Everything slows to a crawl until that out-of-place puzzle piece catches back up and gets in line.

But now that my life is not completely my own, I really have to work on changing this. I had a great week of wedding re-cap and a giveaway all planned and a life hiccup with my husband brought that to a halt. It is almost impossible for me to be upset about something in my marriage and try to write about how happy the wedding was. It feels disingenuous. So, I shut it down and took a little time to reset and repair.

In that time, I set some boundaries and made some positives steps forward to help me keep things together and moving. I also did a lot of comfort eating so you will be hearing about me and my new Fitbit a lot! Also in that time, I got a promotion at work which prompted the purchase of the new Filofax. I quickly realized I wouldn't be able to track my group in my personal size. I will continue to use the personal size for all things personal and blogging and as a wallet.

So, look for some changes from me soon. I am hoping to revamp the blog a bit as it's been a little while since we've refreshed. And I promise the wedding re-cap and giveaway are fast approaching.

Office Supply Love-Keyboard Notes

A friend sent me these little keyboard notes in an office supply care package. The have a little folding tab at the botton that allows you to sit them upright on a desk or slide into a keyboard as I have above.  I just realized I can only use these at work since they wouldn't work on a laptop keyboard but they are useful none the less.

They are not very big so they are only for the smallest of notes but I found them to be perfect for to-do list items that could only be done when at the computer.

I looked around the internet for these but I can not find them.  The closest I came were some little tree notes but they looked smaller than my little elephants.  I will keep looking, but when I run out I'll just let my friend know. Japan has some really great office supplies and I'm thrilled to have someone there that understands my obsession.  :)

50 Words-Volume

She tried to talk.
He tried to tune her out.
She continued to talk, hoping to get through.
He increased the volume.
She stopped talking, having seen this play out time and time again.
So concerned with only hearing the pleasant things, he missed her quietly say goodbye, with love.

Catching Up-Filofax

These are the pictures of the last three weeks in my Filofax. This past week has been tough so I took a little blogging break. I hate doing that but I can't write when things aren't going well in life. I had something really special planned for this past week, so I'll be shifting some things around and trying my best to get back on track.

I'm happy to say we managed to get our taxes done. That's was not the easiest thing to do this year. Marriage and living in multiple states was a bear to deal with. But it's done. Only a year to go until we do it again. Actually, I need to gather some paperwork to determine if I need to do an amendment this year so maybe my tax woes aren't quite done. Oy!

I'm still getting used to the smaller format of the Filofax compared to the Moleskine that I was using. Although I miss the extra room to write, I'm enjoying have rings again to be able to customize the sections.

Until next week, happy Filofaxing!

Labor of Love-Part 2

This is a continuation of the family album I am doing for my husband from the pictures we took from his mother's house.

It took a bit of time, but I was finally able to rescue all the photos from the albums they were in.  If you have some old family photos that are mounted in those old sticky/magnetic albums, now is a good time to liberate them.  You don't have to intend to scrapbook them as I am, but if you want them to last longer, get them out as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I damaged a few photos getting them out of the albums. Couldn't be avoided. Even white school glue doesn't hold as viciously a the glue in those albums.

I had no idea how many photos I was really dealing with until I got them all out. I may be in for a bigger challenge than I originally thought. 

The hubby and I hit the local Michaels craft store for supplies and he chose this large black album with an embossed, leather-like cover. Very pretty just enough masculine for him. He is a lover of all things black, so the color scheme will be black, white and cream.

It's a large album with 12 x 12 black pages, but since those refills are a little more difficult to find (none in stock in Michael's that day), I purchased two 8 1/2 x 11 white refill pages. I think the alternating size of the pages will accomodate the varying sizes of the pictures perfectly. I want to avoid cutting as much as possible.

Now that all my supplies are gathered, its time to start working on the layout.

50 Words-Advice

I have no advice to give but I have plenty of lessons you should learn.
Everyone is not your friend.
Every lover is not worth keeping around.
Work to live rather than live to work.
God is always in you even when no one sees Him working on you. Always.

Lack of Diversity?-Product Review

Sometimes you should just use a product for what it is intended. I bought these "sticky" flags that are branded for Smash Books. I don't have a Smash Book but I love the look of their products. I have bought some washi tape in their line and when I saw these flags, I just wanted them. 

But I'm trying to use them in my filofax. Let me first say that if something is branded as a sticky note, it should have enough adhesive on it or actually stick. The adhesive section is so small that the flags curls extremely when you remove one. This curling, in combination with the small section of sticky, cause the note not to stick well at all. 

You can see in the photo how the edge is curling. I thought I would use these in my blogging calendar to be able to schedule blog topics but this won't work. I'll have to tape them down when I figure out where they will go and that defeats the purpose of buying sticky notes. 

I think I'll be staying away from the Smash Books branded products if I'm not going to invest in the Smash Book itself or some other "smash" substitute or use it scrapbooking.

Green Smoothie Love

These smoothies have really become a big part of my life. I didn't have time to make them the past two months because of my work schedule so I was over the moon to get back to it.  This particular batch contains spinach, cucumber, pineapple, apple and banana.

If you are a smoothie lover, green or not, here are two things I have learned from my concoctions.

1. If you want something fresh and frothy, cucumber is your friend.  Cucumber has the ability to take a sweet drink and make it almost ice cream like. It's amazing.

2. If you want something creamy, banana is the ingredient you need to add. When I first started making green smoothies, I hesitated adding banana to spinach. I don't know why considering I was loving the spinach/pineapple combination. When I finally did it, I was blown away.

As I learn tips, I will share them here.  In the meantime, if you have any tips, please comment below.

More Office Supply Love

I just had to take a moment to talk about these Avery Note Tabs. I bought these two+ years ago and have moved them through 3 planners and they still stick well.  I haven't had problems out of any of them. That is quite impressive in my book. Even though we treat these little tabs as quite disposable, its nice to know they will last through several years and several projects if you need them to.

Finally Finishing - Thank You

Now that my temporary work assignment has finished and I'm back to working a normal 40 hour workweek, I'm picking up a few things that should have been done some time ago. Right now,  I'm working on my thank you cards from the wedding. Finally!

I also want to finish out my wedding talk by doing a blog recap of the festivities. I learned a lot of gathered a lot of ideas by following blogs and vlogs related to wedding stuff. I want to make sure I leave some info in that pool of knowledge.

So, I will be hosting what I am calling wedding week here on the blog. We will start on the dreaded tax day, April 15, and end with a very fabulous Giveaway.  Yes, I'm trying the giveaway thing again. I'm collaborating with one of my favorite small businesses to bring something really special to the table.  Stay tuned!

50 Words-We Could Be Happy

I was recently introduced to the concept of mini sagas. These 50 word stories, thoughts, rants have become addictive to me so I thought I'd share them from time to time.

I'm plagued by the memories of who we used to be.
We used to be friends.
We used to be lovers.
We used to be happy with each other.
Is it possible to be what we once were?
We could be happy.
We could be all God intended us be.

Fat Filofax

I never thought I would use a planner this small but it's the perfect form factor for my needs right now.

This little leather beauty (Filofax Holborn) has become my planner and wallet and I find myself wishing I had done this year's ago. But moving down to a planner this size was a journey for me. When my planner obsession started, the Franklin Covey classic size was hardly enough. I wrote down everything and carted everything around with me. When I stated traveling, my classic planner become a heavy albatross. It had to go.

I went through several planners before finding the moleskine weekly format and getting it to work for me. By then, my travel lifestyle had mandated that I pare down.

Now, I still carry too much as you can tell from my little fat friend. It's completely stuffed but everything fits and there doesn't seem to be any strain on the rings. I still need to cut a couple of things down or out but for now, it totally works.

This is how I have it laid out.

-ID, insurance and debit cards, check book, coupons in front cover
-Fly sheet Cover and info pages
-clear envelopes for gift cards and other things
-Information section
-Projects section
-Section for writing ideas
-Emergency information section
-Week on one page with notes calendar for main calendar
-Week on two pages calendar for tracking blog posts and writing projects
-Book section to record recommendations and write reviews
-I have a subsection for a friend's baby gifts that I need to get started on. She's not pregnant yet but I'm praying for it.
-I have a section for designing the perfect planner. This is a dream project that I've been thinking about for years.
-Financial - I have all my health savings and debt related cards here with a copy of my monthly budget. It includes a check register and savings tracker. I also have a separate section that outlines my debts so I can have a visual reminded of my payoff goals
-Stamp log for recording instances of using my professional stamp.

I'm still playing around with the sections and the layout but I am loving it so far.

Organized Chaos-Week13

Sorry I missed posting my planner shot last week. It was quite busy as I was finishing out my six month temporary assignment. I am hoping to be settled and rested for quite some time before hitting the road again but I think that might be asking for too much. I am still using separate calendars for life and blog/writing, but I didn't think to snap a shot of the blogging calendar.  I don't think its as interesting as this one anyway.

One By One

There is one word that I love to see when I'm looking at my budget each month. PAID!

I have never liked the idea of owing anyone anything so it bothers me to have so many sticky notes in this section of my planner.

But I do love having this section in my planner because it is a visual reminder of what I am working to pay off. One by one, I will get them all knocked off.

How are you doing on your financial goals? The start of spring signifies so many things to so many people. Above all, let's also make it a time of getting our financial houses in order. That is the best spring cleaning of all.

Missing Monday

I was really in love with my braid out this day.

I have the found the braid-out to be a style that I love, but it's not a style that works well for me at every length of hair. The day I took this picture, my braid-out was perfect and it landed just right to frame my face. 

I so wish I could get this look today, but my hair has gotten longer and it's at a length that is just not working for most styles that I try. I'll continue loving it and playing in it and hopefully I can get back to having to-die-for braid outs again.

Bunnies and Lent

This post is a stop on the Hershey’s Bunny Trail. Thank you for hopping by.

We are getting to the end of Lent season and I wanted to do a little review of how things went for me.

Going into Lent, there were a few things I wanted to work/meditate on. There were also a few things I picked up along that way that needed to be tackled.

• My marriage—I am a new wife, struggling at times to understand and please me husband. The husband doesn’t know that I’ve been working on this but I hope he has enjoyed our extra dates and outings.
• My job—I am an engineer that is trying to find that happy medium that will keep me motivated and productive without getting burned out. This is an ongoing battle.  I’m in the process of determining what my next career step will be.  I’ve learned a lot through the years and I really want to take all those lessons and apply them to my next phase of career life.
• My blog—This has become my outlet for all of the creative things in my life and I am hoping to put more time and effort into it and see what opportunities it can bring my way. I love to write. I love to craft and I love sharing it with you all, mostly because my immediate family and friends could care less. Sharing with you brings a little more fun back into it.
• Prayer—I do pray quite often, but I need to focus my prayers more and really learn to ask for what is needed and stop doing drive by prayers that don’t hit the heart of the issue. I am also journaling my prayers to focus myself.  Writing them down forces me to take time and block out everything else.
• Gratitude—There are some beautiful people in my life that have really been helpful in getting through the last year.  Some are still helping in various ways as the hubby and I continue our relocation. And I really do have to say thank you to all of you who post comments or sent messages through Facebook during my unemployment.  It was nice to hear from you.
• Minimizing distractions—I am a procrastinator and I have too many things (thinking of all my electronics!) that are distracting me to the point of self-destruction. I’m getting better, but getting rid of the smart phone is up for consideration at this point.  This is serious, people!
• Controlling my language—I stress out and I get potty mouth. This is so not lady-like and my husband is less than thrilled with it. My best solution in the past has been to shut up and keep away from people when I’m stressed, but my current work situation is making that tough. And when I do manage to keep it bottled in, I find it slipping out when I’m alone with the hubby.  Not good. No intervention needed. I’m on it.
• Debt—I would love to snap my fingers and have all the debt from unemployment and wedding and moving just disappear, but it takes work and I need a solid plan. I am fortunate to have been working a lot of overtime in February and March, which has helped me get a very good start on debt reduction, but I have a long way to go. Wish me luck and discipline.
• Food—Despite my efforts to increase my fruit and veggie intake and eat healthier overall, I still manage to shove some atrocious calories into my mouth. My recent hypertension wake up call has helped me to drastically cut the salt in my diet, but there are many cuts still to come.

I cannot lie like the 40 days of Lent are a cakewalk.  If you are serious about your goals, it should not be. I try to really challenge myself during Lent and this Lent was especially important to me. I am (I hope) on the tail end of what has been a very stressful year. Layoff, six months of unemployment, a new job in a new state, a marriage and so many other smaller things have put me through the ringer this past year and I needed a refresh and a reset.

Although I am off to a good start, this list has become not simply a Lent checklist, but a list of goals that I will be tackling throughout the year.

But, just so I don’t loose sight of the fun that hops along this time of year, Hershey’s was kind of enough to invite me to the bunny trail with a basket o’ goodies!

As much as I love chocolate bunnies, I still have to say jellybeans are the best part of Easter.

Leave a comment below and let me know how your Lent season went this year. Even if you are not a Lent participator, what goals will you be following up on throughout the year? And which candy, chocolate goodness is your Easter weakness?

And if you want to see the other bloggers participating in the trail this year, hop over to  the site and take a look around.

Organized Chaos-Week 12

This week, I have two planner views.

Moleskine Planner

Currently, I am using the week with notes format from Moleskine but I am moving over to my new Filofax Holborn.

Filofax Personal Holborn

Currently, I have the week on two pages layout but only as my blog organizer. I have ordered a Filofax week with notes to become my new daily calendar.

The challenge will be fitting both calendars in the binder. This thing is small compared to what I've used before so we'll see how this goes. Full review coming soon.

Martha Home and Office

I was finally able to get my hand on a pack of the tear drop shaped color coding dots from the Avery Martha Stewart office supply line. They were on clearance for a dollar so I couldn't pass them up. I probably won't use them much in my planner itself but I am finding them useful in my project/to do tracking notebook.

I needed a quick reference page for charge codes when I'm doing my time sheets and that gives me an easy visual listing that is pleasing and truly a quick reference.

I just wish it could improve my ability to get my time sheets done on time.

Missing Monday

This is a catalog of the things I miss having in my life so I can strive to add them back in.

My lovely, lovely sewing machine.  

Filofax Madness

I have finally given in to the Filofax madness and placed an order.

This was a consolation gift to myself for not being able to attend Blissdom. There is nothing to soothe a little grief like some responsible retail therapy. And honestly there is nothing responsible about this since I didn't need it at all.  I'm quite happy with the Moleskine planner that I have been using. But there are some other planning needs that the Moleskine is just not suited for. So here we go.  I'll be figuring out a way to use the Moleskine planner from the Filofax binder.

I'm geeking out, I'm so happy about this purchase.

Week In Review

This was a tough week, but I so happy to finally start the count down on this temporary assignment that I am on.  I have 16 days left.  

I am ending this week with a financial review of things. I'm still recovering from being laid off for so long last year, but I'm trying to take things so slow and not get upset with the recovery efforts. 

My Lent focus for the week was rest, support for family and language! Gotta get my stressed out potty mouth under control.

How'd your week go?

A Labor of Love

I started a new project and I’m so thrilled and nervous about it. After getting married in November, my husband and I took a trip over to his mother’s house in North Carolina.  She was not there.  Unfortunately, due to health issues, she may never return to her home. One of things she asked us to do was take whatever family photos from the home that we wanted.

At first, my husband only wanted a few of his mom and siblings, but after spending more than an hour going through the albums and framed photos, he decided to take a few more.

My task over the next few weeks/months/hopefully not a year will be to get them all into a new scrapbook type album. Because there are a lot of pictures of people and events that my husband may not remember, I am not going for a standard scrapbook with journaling. I more want to end up with a family album that leaves space for someone to add names and details to later. Hopefully his mother and siblings will get to see it and help us get it all labeled out.

This is just the beginning!

Week In Review

I took me so long to figure out how to post this week in review. More planner shots to come for those of you that like looking into the lives of others. I am fully willing to admit that I have an addiction to Flickr planner pictures and YouTube Filofax videos.  I don't even use a Filofax but those are the people that post the most videos.

Be careful following those links! They are addictive.

It Comes and Goes

Making the decision to go to Blissdom 2013 was an easy one although I was concerned with the cost of making such a last minute decision. Now, unfortunately, life has intervened and I have to cancel the trip just as quickly as I booked it.

Just a few months ago we were celebrating our wedding with our family and friends.  Now, we are planning for the death of our best man. It feels so disrespectful to say that, but the outlook is not positive.

Until the time comes, we will continue to remember him dancing.

Missing Monday

This is a catalog of the things I miss having in my life so I can strive to add them back in.

It’s cold in Kansas!  I would love to be in front of my fireplace right now.

Book Diet Update

I thought it was about time to follow up on my self imposed book diet.

A year ago, I surveyed my book collected and realized I had 199 books in my collection that I had been given or bought but had not yet read.

My solution was to go on a book diet and make a goal to read 100 books during the calendar year. Of course, that would make my diet two years in duration before I can really buy again.

Even with the diet,  I did manage to add some books to my collection. I'm a sucker for used books stores and I did a little clean out of my mother's shelves of books.

And I really couldn't pass up picking these books up from the box of free books in the laundry room of the apartment building.

If you follow me on Goodreads, then you know I actually managed to read and review 61 books during the during the 2012 calendar year. I wish I could say this year was off to a good start, but work has me doing nothing but work.

For now, I'm using the Kindle app on my phone to read during my lunch breaks so I'm only up to 5 book read for the year so far.

I don't have the heart to re-count my unread books just yet, but my book diet continues and my reading challenge has been renewed for 2013. Let's see how close to 100 books we get this year.

You with me?

I'm All In!

I feel slightly irresponsible for going, but its just what I need right now.

I'm so excited for this creative outlet. 

Will you be there? Let me know and we can arrange a meetup.

Care Packages

My husband is the only person in the world I know that would call his family and ask for a care package of potato chips. Yep, they mailed him two huge boxes of Utz potato chips which we cannot find in Kansas.

He is enjoying 24 bags of plain and sour cream and onion chips. 12 bags each! I still can't believe they indulged him like this, but we need what we need and this man needed his Utz!

Snow and Snow and More Snow

This was the view from my work window last week during the big snow storm. I brought lunch in with me and didn't dare leave out until the end of the day. So much for having my first Kansas winter be a mild one.

Chained To The Desk

I don't talk much on this blog about work place issues. My main reason for writing in this space is to get away from the stress of the job that I have. I am an engineer and I keep my sanity by crafting, creating and writing.

With that said, I feel compelled to weigh in on the hubbub around the decision that Marissa Mayer has made that all Yahoo employees are to work in the office.

Don't let the title of this post fool you, I am in complete agreement with the decision she has made. As someone that has worked both in the office,  from home and remotely from other locations, I can tell you I prefer to work in the office. There are high distraction days when I wish I was working from home but overall, working from home doesn't work for me.

As many distractions as there are at work, there are many more at home.  I don't have the ability to work away for 8 hours without wanting to do a load of laundry, do the dishes or check the mail.  For some, this is the main reason to work from home, but for me it doesn't work. I do tend to be more productive at home, but I am also a procrastinator and I know how I am.

But, this is a personal preference.  Not everyone is the same and I would never presume to think that all people can work the same. With that said, Yahoo is a company that needs to change. They have dealt with some serious professional ethics issues over the last few years and those stemmed from the top of the food chain. What inspiration or motivation do the worker bees have to draw from when CEOs have been shown the door for dishonesty? Who's to say the employees aren't following the examples that have been set before them. What Marissa needs to do is clean house and the most effective way to do that is to get everyone in the office. Let's get everyone together, work out the bits that don't work and then we can look at bringing the flexibility back. 

For now, I think the Yahoos need to get into the office and prove they can turn the company around. Prove that first and fight for additional benefits later.

This is my opinion.  What's yours?

Missing Mondays

This is a catalog of the things I miss having in my life so I can strive to add them back in.

Today, I am missing scrapbooking retreats.

This is me and my friend Mandy at a weekend retreat in TN. I miss her and I miss our craft times together.

Straight Natural Hair

Before I finally decided to go natural, I spent a lot of time looking at YouTube videos and there were so many horor stories of heat damage. I decided that I would embrace my natural hair and not do the heat thing trying to go back to what I had with the straight hair.  Honestly, I think I look better with natural hair.

But here I am two and a half years later and I've decided to give a little heat styling a try.  Because my hair is more straight in the front, I can't wear a wash and go so preserving a curl pattern really doesn't factor into the conversation anymore. I wear my hair in twist outs and braid outs most of the time and I would have to do significant damage for those styles to be affected.

So here I am, embracing all the styles possible with my natural hair.

I did a tension blow dry followed by flat ironing at 360 degrees. I used a shea butter/castor oil mix as my heat protectant. I pin-curl it nightly to get a really full curl.

Motivation

I'm trying my best to stay motivated at work. Today, I needed to map out some steps that need to be taken in a project I'm working on. Rather than write a list, which I started to do, I pulled out the sticky notes,  post-it label roll, and washing tape for a bit of creative organizing. What better surface is there than the bland, grey, cold metal desk I'm strapped to?

It's sad when this is the only bit of fun I get to have in a day.

Not Quite There

I've been watching a lot of Filofax videos on YouTube lately and I love the clear dashboard inserts that so many of the users have. Here is a good example.

I've tried to fashion one using the front of my moleskine planner since I keep it in a zippered case.

I haven't quite figured out how to make it work though. It's gotten cluttered as I have not been clearing the items on it quick enough and I tend to open my planner without looking at it. What good is a dashboard if you never look at it?

I still love the idea,  but I need a better way to implement it. Any ideas?

Office Supply Love

My favorite office supply at the moment.

I love this stuff and I'm using it everywhere I can.

Working, Working, Working

There is nothing going on in my life at the moment other than working. By the time I get home,  I'm too tired to do any blogging.

In the midst of checking my growing to do list,  I decided to try out the Blogger app for a little remote blogging. I don't have data service where I am but it's nice to know I can blog in the app and upload later.

Good job,  Blogger! I've been very disappointed lately when apps I have or want to use can only be used when you are on the network. What's the point of having all this processing power in the phone if everyone wants to upload to their servers for saving and processing. But,  my frustrations with technology are another topic for another day.

If this post is successful, this may be my only means of blogging for the next couple of months.

For you planner lovers out there, I have added a plain moleskine to my routine to house my work to-do list. I use mini dots as my check boxes.

I Am The Girl

I am the girl that gave up canned and boxed foods years ago because of the salts and sugars used as preservatives.

I am the girl that struggled to give up the dairy products that I love so much because they cause me migraines.

I am the girl that has tripled her water intake in the last year.

I am the girl that added green juices to her diet, drastically increasing the number of fruits and vegetables I consume.

I am the girl that walks around the building or the floor at work because I understand that my job has us at a desk for too long during the day.

I am the girl that hasn’t bought table sugar in over 6 months.

I am the girl who was losing weight leading up to her wedding and almost had to get more alterations to account for the extra losses.

But I am also the girl that had a serious health scare this week. I caught a bug at work this week and by the time I made it to the walk in clinic, my blood pressure was so high I had to immediately go to the ER.

I’d be foolish to think that over the years I’d done enough. I know I could have done more. I know I have more to do. The hard part is not letting this make me feel like all I have done has been for nothing.

It has not. This will not defeat me.

 Take care of yourselves.

And when you think you’ve done enough, do more!

How Are You?

This weekend has been a mix of disappointments and confusion but I’m still moving on…or trying to.

 

I’m spending a little time with my planner trying to decide how I am going to make it through the week. Tomorrow starts 9 weeks of 6 work days, 13 hours a day. I’m determined to get through the other side with my sanity in tact. So, how are you, my dear readers?

Need a Rug, Make a Rug

I need a rug for the entry way to the apartment. I tried to buy one, but I got it home only to find out it was too small for the space and much too thick. The problem with this seemingly small entry is that three doors open on it. Any rug put here has to be fairly thin to allow these doors to open with interfering.

When my store bought option failed, I decided to crochet a rug with a cone of cotton that I have had laying around for far too long. I’m determined to decreased the yarn in my stash this year. Since most of it is back at the house and not here with me, I have no excuses for getting the small amount I do have made into projects.



I decided to improvise a pattern. I wanted something that would crochet up quickly but still give me enough cushion to wipe your feet and shield away some of the cold. And by making it, I have guaranteed that it is washable! That’s the most important bit. Store bought rugs are often too big and stiff to allow you to wash them or they have that rubber backing that eventually starts to peel off and can cause a bit of a headache in the washer when too much comes off.

I started with a chain of 160 and repeated this row pattern.
1 row sc
1 row dc
2 rows sc
1 row dc

The double crochets give you a stitch with some height that helps the progress move more quickly. The single crochets give you a tighter stitch that lends to the absorbency and warmth of the rug. I have forgotten the brand of the yarn, but it’s just a standard kitchen cotton that can be bought at the craft store.

Like so many of my larger cotton projects, I crocheted till the end of the yarn.



In the end, it was a little too small for the space I intended, and since the goal was to get rid of yarn, I didn’t want to buy more. So, I started moving it around the apartment to see where else it could go. My choices are the entry way, kitchen or bathroom. These places made the most sense.



After weaving in the ends and adding adhesive rug gripper to the bottom, this nice little homemade rug found it’s home in the kitchen.



I still need a rug for the entry way, but that has now become another project for another day.