Currently... June 2022

It's June, which means we're heading into the middle months of the year.  Somehow this got me to thinking about a lot about midlife and comparing the two. 

As we head into midlife, we often think that the best of life is behind us. That we are no longer as relevant or productive as we used to be. But when we look at the year, we might see that isn't true. At this point of the year, things have just warmed up. In the middle of the year, the most fruitful months are still to come. Some of the biggest and most joyful celebrations of the year are still to come.  

Perhaps we could learn from the year and think of life in the same way - that our most fruitful, most joyful, most celebratory days are yet to come!

Working On: I'm still focused on getting some to be purged, cleaned up, and reorganized. This month I will be sorting and reorganizing my cotton yarns. I had originally planned to do.this last month, but other things came up and I kept putting it off. I also have plans to clean out the cabinet where I store my spices and set up a new system for keeping them organized.

Celebrating: The only "official" celebration this month is, of course, Father's Day. I would also like to start focusing more on celebrating the little things in my life. I'm not quite sure what that's going to look like, but I think it's part of living an abundant life.

Wanting/Needing: You know what? I can't think of anything! I mean, I'm sure I could come up with something I want if I took time to really think about it. But, right off the top of my head - I'm drawing a blank. I suppose that's a good thing. I must be pretty satisfied with how things are right now.

Eating: I know I said it last month, but I am eating so much fruit. We bought our first whole watermelon of the season last weekend, and if that was any indication of what's to come - its going to be a great year for melons!  I have been eating cherries like candy. I'm still looking for good peaches and nectarines, but it's a bit early in the season. 

Loving: The man and I have been taking advantage of the annual passes for Biltmore Estate that we bought as our anniversary present to ourselves. The past two weekends we've taken the dogs and gone for a nice long hike on the estate.  

Goals for June:

• Organize cotton yarns
• Create Sunday posts for 3rd quarter 
• Create Thankful Thursday templates for 3rd quarter
• Read 3 books
• Post 10 new listings to Etsy shop
• Crochet a top for myself 

What are your plans or goals for June?

Currently... June 2021

June is here! Summer has arrived.  (Well, unofficially, of course.)

From this month forward, the 'Currently' post is going to look just a little bit different.  Since I have started the 'What I'm Reading Wednesday' feature, it feels redundant to also talk about what I'm reading in these posts.  To take its place, I'm adding a couple of new topics. These may change over the next couple of months as I figure out what is working for me and what isn't.  Any suggestions are welcome!

I didn't do so great with my goals for May.  I recognize that I haven't very good about breaking down the monthly goals into manageable smaller tasks for each week and each day.  That is an important strategy for completing any goals - taking them task by task, step by step until they are complete.  I will do better about using that technique in June. 

Working On:  I know... you were hoping I wouldn't say "getting my home office cleaned and organized" yet again.  But, yes - I am, in fact, still working on that very project.  I will make some good progress on it, then life seems to get in the way for a week or two.  When I come back to it I have to backtrack a step or two and then move onto a new portion of the process.  

I'm also working on updating my Etsy shop.  I need to rework/refresh my About page and make some updates and changes to the listings. 

Celebrating:  June is a quiet month for family celebrations.  There's Father's Day, of course.  But other than that there's just my mother-in-law's birthday at the end of the month before we kick off the busy month of July.  ( birthdays all seem to mostly fall within certain months in our family) 

Wanting/Needing:  Ideas for keeping the grandkid entertained this summer that don't include video games on his tablet or Nintendo Switch!  We'll obviously get back to our routine of having him read to me after lunch each day.  But, honestly - I have no clue.  I think a year of getting to stay at home all the time because of the pandemic gave me memory loss for fun things to do.

Eating: I'm still on my salad kick.  I have slowed down a little because I think the Man of the House might have been weary of how many nights a week I was serving them.  But I'm nowhere near stopping that train yet!  

I'm also snacking on the fruits of summer.  Watermelon, peaches, and cherries are some of my very favorite fruits and they're all in season now.  I am getting my fill of them now while they are at the peak of their juicy deliciousness, knowing that in just a few months they'll be mealy and less flavorful. 

Learning: As much as I crocheted, I've never really done clothing items.  A few baby sweaters here and there.  I made a skirt once that I am very proud of - then immediately gained so much weight that I've never been able to wear it.  And I once made a very simple cocoon cardigan for my mother.  I decided that I'm going to start learning some new techniques and creating some pieces for myself so that I can proudly wear my work! I know there's probably going to be a learning curve, but it's one I'm up for!  

Loving:  So very much!!  The fresh fruits I mentioned above.  I love that since the Man of the House and I are now fully vaccinated and things are beginning to open back up, we can start taking weekend trips together again.

Thinking About:  I have been considering reducing or eliminating the "made to order" listings in my Etsy shop.  There are so many new items I would like to try out and some things I would like to make for myself, but I feel as if I'm always so busy working on made-to-order and custom orders that I never have time to work on other things.  This is causing me to feel a little burnout.  The last thing I want is to start regretting or resenting my work, which means something is going to have to change. 

Our family Disney trip later this summer.  The gals are planning to do a little themed wear for the parks.  Animal prints for Animal Kingdom.  Disneybound for Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, and Disney t-shirts for Epcot.  I made the mistake (?) of searching Pinterest for inspiration and now I have more ideas than I know what to do with!  I am 99% sure I know exactly what I want for Animal Kingdom.  And I think I'm going to do something R2D2 inspired for Hollywood Studios.  I was mostly set on either Minnie Mouse or Snow White as my inspiration for my Magic Kingdom outfit - but now I'm thinking... maybe Tinkerbell?  

 Personal Goals for June:

• Complete cleaning and organizing home office (for real this time!)
• Finish the crochet top I am making for myself
• Update Etsy Shop About Page and Listings
• Clean out pantry
• At least 15 minutes of activity 5 days each week

What do you have planned for June?  Any goals for the month?

Currently... June 2020

Just when we thought that 2020 couldn't get any crazier - it goes and does just that!  

If I'm being honest, I'm really struggling with what to type right now. I wish I had the right words to express how I'm feeling.  I'm not going to pretend to understand what it means to live under the shadow of racism day after day.  What I can tell you is that God is definitely using the current spotlight on racism to show me a few things about my own beliefs, assumptions, and attitudes.    

I pray for peace in our country.  That we will all come to do exactly as Scripture tells us - loving one another.  Regardless of skin color, gender, political party, or anything else that may be dividing us.  

Reading:  Mercy House by Alena Dillon and Good Morning, I Love You by Shauna Shapiro, PHD.  I definitely recommend the second one if you are looking for a good book about mindfulness and self compassion.  I didn't do as much reading as I would have liked last month, so I hope to make up for it in June.

Working On:  Drawing exercises for myself and the grand kid to do together.  Getting back on track with my meditation and journaling habits.  Brainstorming and pre-planning some posts for the blog and social media posts and promos for my Etsy shop

Loving:  Having my local craft store open again.  I am still trying to limit my exposure to the general public, especially since on my first visit to this store I noticed that most of the customers were not wearing masks or taking much care to social distance from others.  But I am so happy to have easy access to yarn again and to be able to offer "made to order" items in my shop once more. 

Celebrating:  The only thing I can think of off the top of my head for June is Father's Day.  There may be more, but at the moment I don't know what that would be.

Wanting/Needing:  At the risk of repeating myself from last month - A new haircut.  It's been so long that my hair has grown out to a place where I'm considering trying something a little different.  We'll see.  I'm still not feeling safe enough when it comes to the virus to go sit in a salon chair for as long as it would take for a cut.  By the time I get there, I may have changed my mind about what I want to do with it. 

Dreaming About:   A summer vacation.  Lazy days on a beach or by a lake would be nice.  

June Goals:

• Meditate at least three times per week
• Journal every day
• Hang pictures in laundry room
• Create Sunday posts for July
• Create Thankful posts for July
• Write at least 3 additional posts for blog
• Start at least 1 new Christmas item for Etsy shop
• Write three new posts for shop blog
• Preschedule at least 15 social media posts for July
  

What are your plans and goals for June?

June Goals and Intentions

May was a mixed bag.  I had a lot of trouble sticking to my intention of Focus.  It seemed as if something was always coming up to distract me or throw a wrench into the plans.

I did slightly better with my goals.  I didn't get to bed or wake up as early as 7 had hoped.  But it was earlier than I had been doing; so it's all good,  I mailed out graduation announcements for the male offspring.  Made some time for fun with the Man of the House.  Didn't do as much reading as I would have liked.  But I did finish two books and start a third.

My intention for this month is Explore.  This means being open to new experiences.  Saying yes to opportunities that may scare me a little.  Stepping outside my comfort zone.

It also means exploring my faith.  Digging deeper.  Relying less on devotionals and  what others may believe to listen to my own heart and the small voice of the Spirit as I read Scripture each day.

My goals for June:

1)  Read more:  When I find myself with few free moments during the day, I have fallen into a habit of checking on my Etsy shop or browsing Pinterest (which usually ends up lasting longer than intended).  This month my goal is to reach first for whatever book I am reading instead.

2)  Spend time outside each day:  (if it's not raining) This might be going out on the porch while I have my morning quiet time, sitting outside to read or crochet, going for a hike or or taking a short walk.  It doesn't matter what shape it takes - the point is a little fresh air and sunshine,

3)  Organize yarn stash:  I want to get this organized by color and select some for a stash buster sale.  This will go a long way toward getting my office back under control.

What are your goals for the month of June?