Wednesday, January 24, 2018

What have you been up to?

As you know, i've been super busy working on some super secret sewing for a week long retreat in Bakersfield at the end of February....as a result, I've been busy sewing almost every night trying to finish it up. As many of you know, I love audio books and tv shows as background noise when I sew...needless to say, I've been binging.....

Watching - Colony on Netflix. SO GOOD! Do not start watching it! It's obsessive.

Craving - brownies. Josh has made brownies almost every night the last week or so, and I don't know what he puts in them, but oh my, they are awesome.

Doing - lots of sewing. Lots and lots of sewing.

Obsessing - over Emily Ley's new book, Simplified Life. I've tried to work on something every day, from cleaning out the closets to organizing the pantry. 

Loving - all of the Quiltville Mystery quilts "On Ringo Lake" that are getting finished. They are so pretty!

Reading - Grace not Perfection by Emily Ley (her first book) and The Total Money Makeover (yes, I read it every January to remind myself why I budget and what my goals are)

Wanting - a vacation -- preferably somewhere with a large body of water and a hammock. and an umbrella drink or 3.

Pinning - lots of recipes for my new instapot. I have yet to use it, but soon I will get up the nerve.

Dreaming - of painting the living room -- I wonder if I can convince the landlord to let me......

Writing - not much. I always have good intentions, but it's always crazy.

Crafting - does decorating count? because I have been doing lots of decorating....hanging curtains, hanging quilts, hanging pictures, hanging signs, etc.

Sewing - a super secret project, and not much else. 

Knitting - not a thing....not a single stitch.

Listening - to Harry Potter on Audible, and Pennies to Pearls on Youtube.

Wearing - my uniform of jeans and 3/4 sleeve t-shirts.

Needing - that vacation (see above).

Planning - my next sewing project

Trying - a couple of new recipes .... this week crock pot orange chicken and lemon pepper tilapia


Sunday, January 14, 2018

Week 3 : January 15 - January 21

Well, it is week 3 of 2018 already. I can't believe it's already almost Road the California. Crazy!

We've been crazy at work, and busy sewing over the holidays, and busy getting ready for retreat in Bakersfield in late February. And my sewing room is atrocious. And the whole thing is driving me bonkers. I've always been one that could work in and through the chaos, but lately I've had this need to organize, simplify and clear all the things out. Starting with this disaster of a sewing room....





My sewing space is full of leftover Christmas stuff, quilts that are tops, but need backs, and miscellaneous half done projects. 

You see that last photo...that table has 2 leftover blocks from a quilt I finished on New Year's Day, 8 geese blocks that belong to my Bakersfield project, and a box of parts and pieces for my On Ringo Lake mystery quilt. I really need figure out how to single task and get these things done, so expect to see those items in upcoming Work in Process Wednesday posts.  

Monday, January 1, 2018

Word of the Year : Strength

My new word for 2018 is strength.

Dictionary.com says this about strength.....

the quality or state of being strong; bodily or muscular power; vigor.
mental power, force, or vigor.
moral power, firmness, or courage.
power by reason of influence, authority,resources, numbers, etc.
number, as of personnel or ships in a force orbody:
a regiment with a strength of 3000.
effective force, potency, or cogency, as ofinducements or arguments:
the strength of his plea.
power of resisting force, strain, wear, etc.



I'm really focusing on the last bullet...which is sort of backwards to my usual format. This year I really want to focus on strengthening my reserves, my determination, my discipline, my performance, spending time strengthening and shoring up a bunch of things : finances, fitness, the business, my relationships, my schedule, and my self care.

As always, I spent December looking back at the previous 11 months, both in the business and my personal life, figuring out the details, and the numbers. Getting really clear on where I am currently. And this last week, really focusing on where I want to go. And based upon where I want to be, what do I need to do this week. 

I also changed my planner this year, to see if it will help me with achieving some goals. Don't worry I am not saying goodbye to my Franklin Covey daily workplan for work, but I moved to Michael Hyatt's Focus Planner to see if it will help with breaking down some Goals into plans for my personal goals. For some reason, I am really good at working on everyone else's goals, and not so good at working on my own, including my health and my own self care.

It's been a really tough 18 months for me, between losing Dad last September,  some altered relationships (which needed to happen, but were traumatic regardless), some depression, a huge growth spurt at work which resulted in some crazy schedules, and a real lack of self care on my part. I really focused on taking care of everyone except me, and I'm now in the middle of the results of that. The business growth at work has been amazing. I have taught a ton of classes. I've finished a bunch of quilts (it's never the number that I want or wish for). I've built some great relationships. I've done lots, and I'm proud of all that has happened this year. But I am also exhausted. literally tired. Yet, I've been struggling to sleep from stress and pressure. So, there will lots of changes in the business and my personal life this next year, so stay tuned to see what is going. 

Do you have a word of the year? Do you make resolutions? How do you manage resolutions?