This weeks Happening

Today we went to the1st Birthday Party for my Great-Niece, Riley. She is just so adorable and cute. We had a great time. It was also good to see some of the family again. We seem to only get together for special occasions, and that is not very often. But alas, we are all busy people, so it makes it difficult to sync up every ones schedule.

We have a thunder storm moving in now, so I thought I take some pictures of my most beautiful flowers I have left this summer. I think though that the storm will really help to cool down these scorching temperatures some, and hopefully bring in a slow and steady rain.

I am still knitting on the second sock of my Bird Walk. I also started this Cardigan. This picture is from Interweave Knits Fall 2015. This issue has so many cool patterns, I hope to make a few of them.

 

This weekend I have to finish packing up my sewing room and my clothes for Quilt Retreat. Wednesday morning I am headed to the Amish Country for 5 wonderful days with my friends. I am really excited to spend that time with them.

At work there is some serious change looming. Starting October 1st, we are switching to a new Diagnosis code. This change is exciting and scary. Exciting, because it is more accurate than the current one, and scary, because it is important for billing purposes to have the exact diagnosis code or the claim will be denied, which results in not getting payment from the Insurance Company. Also I have been accepted in the Leadership program, and start training on Tuesday. This is bringing change with it too. It might bring some changes to my current job, or hopefully even a promotion in the future with a hefty raise. At least this is what I am hoping for and signed up for.

Time to really get cracking

Organization:
My living room is almost done with the whole organizing and clutter removal. I have one little drawer left. You would think it is not that difficult to take care of it, but it has some things in it, I am not quite sure what to do with. Do I keep them and actually use them? Do I keep them just to have them? Do I get them out of my house? It is not easy to make these decisions with some items.
Once I get that done, which will be in the course of this week, I will attack my Guest Bedroom. Since my daughter moved out a year ago I started using the closet for storage,  but not things that are actually needed, just things I had no idea what to do with it. So I will empty the closet, get rid of the clutter, because none of the stuff in there has been used in the past year. Then install a closet shelving system, and store my quilts, blankets, and sheets in there. Also use the hanging part for my scrubs for work. That will automatically free up my closet in the basement for the winter coats.

Health:
I have been making some changes lately in my eating, and have managed to not gain weight. I have not lost any either, but at least I stayed the same. What I do now is, that I pack my lunch for work, it saves money and calories. It is hard sometimes to say no to take out, but I feel more energized with it. Now with the weather getting better I will be spending more time working outside, and also walking the dogs. They did not like me dragging them through the cold snow, but now they get excited about our walks again. Keeping this routine up regularly all four of us should be able to drop a few pounds, my three fur babies and I.

Home:
I am getting excited to plan out what I will plant this year as Vegetable and Flowers. I have not quite decided on things yet, but those seed catalogs and pinterest are not making any easier for me. But now since the last bit of snow is gone, the clean up is starting. On the nice days when the rain let off I am working on getting the yard cleaned up and ready for the spring again. So I wear my stylish rubber boots, and out in to the wet and muddy yard I go. But it is just so nice to be able to be outside again.

Knitting and Crochet:
I am working on 2 projects at this time. I am knitting a yellow lace cardigan for myself to wear on those cooler summer evenings and mornings. I am also crocheting a pink lace cardigan which I am very excited about. It will also be a nice little cover up for the cooler times of summer.

 

Now to prove that I have not been completely lazy for the past 2.5 months, I have actually something to show. These socks I knitted in January. I used Knit Picks Palette yarn. One ball makes one pair of short socks in my size.

 

During the last big snow storm in the beginning of March I crochet this winter set. So come next winter I am well covered.

Quilting:
In February I escaped for one week to my daughters house in Florida, and bought some awesome beach themed fabric. Currently I am working on that quilt. It is slow progress, because it has a lot of HST. I decided to make them over sized and then trim them to size so my quilt will be as accurate as possible. That is of course the hold up. I make them in batches, as to not get overwhelmed.

 

This is the Hunter Star I made during retreats the last few times. It is a nice lab quilt, and I am very excited to have it done. The finished blocks are 6inch square. Now I am excited about next Quilt Retreat, because Sue and Susan who introduced me to the amazing Rapid Fire Hunter Star Ruler will be there, and there is no telling what they will introduce this time around.

This is a cat themed quilt I made for my daughter in Florida, and took to her in February. She is a cat lady in the making. She just loves being with her beautiful cat, and gets great joy from that precious animal when she gets home after a long day at work. She was very excited to have this cat themed quilt.

Well this is it for now. I hope tell more again next time, and hopefully not take such a long time to blog again. See you all soon.

The New Year Comes With New Plans

I have not been very diligent in posting my achievements. I am sorry, I did not even take a picture of the Baby Quilt for my Nephew's Baby. Well, but they really loved the quilt.

So here are some plans I have for the New Year, because 2014 was a "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of year. I don't like being disorganized and feeling like I am chasing my own tail all the time. So for 2015 Organization is my key word.

1. The whole work and home thing needs to be balanced. So I will get more organized with keeping up with my home, and not do these power cleaning sessions every weekend. One important step toward that is, to de-clutter my home. I looked carefully at my home the last few weeks, and saw that I have too much stuff I really don't love that much. So getting things out of the way will make it easier to keep everything clean and neat even after a long day at work.

2. I will get more organized with a healthy and balanced life style. I will make time to plan my menu and if need be cook ahead. A lot of times with the long work days we grab quick take out food. I would like that to be an occasional thing, not the norm. Nobody can feel good and energetic on take-out food. I will also make regular time for exercise. I already worked on this during the month of December, and can make time to go to my exercise room, and take some time to myself. I found out that I have my most creative thoughts while exercising. It is amazing how great ideas come to my mind once the blood flow is established.

3. I will make time to relax with some yarn and fabric. I just don't make time to sit and knit or quilt, because I feel guilty about all the other things that need done. A lot of times I get side tracked on Facebook too. So I will make the time and just relax with some "Fiber Therapy", renew  my spirit, and maybe get a project or two done.

4. I will also communicate more effectively on the Computer. Just getting caught up reading Facebook messages is not communication. So I will use my Computer time to communicate, not to waste time. After all, it is not very relaxing to read FB. But it is very relaxing and educational to read articles, or instructions on how-to do new knitting or quilting technique.

5. I will meet the deadlines on my CEUs (Continuing Education Units) for my re-certification. I get a CEU opportunity every 2 months and this year I will use all of them. Due to being so disorganized in 2014, I did not use them all, and feel quite guilty about it. So I will further myself professionally in 2015 by keeping up with the educational part.

Now I don't think my goals are too lofty or unattainable. I think with a little planning and discipline I should get a good handle on my issues. I will however keep up with my progress on here. This will keep me accountable, and perhaps someone has some hints or tips on how to improve on things.