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?

Currently... December 2019

November was not the month I expected it to be as it began.  Oh, sure - it started off normal enough.  My 50th birthday was lovely.  On the 13th, the Man of the House and I headed to Cleveland where we visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Christmas Story House and attended the Thursday night football game between the Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers.  (Yes, that game.  The one with the helmet incident.  It was crazy!)  After a fun trip and a very long drive home, we arrived safely at about 2am on Saturday.  

Later that morning was when everything went topsy-turvy.  I received a call that my father was being taken to the hospital with what appeared to be a heart attack.  He required a heart cath, followed by a triple bypass surgery.  It's all mostly a blur of long days and nights in hospital waiting areas and ICU rooms with my sisters and his girlfriend.  Fortunately, he came through the surgery well and is back home.  And while he has a long recovery period ahead of him - he's a stubborn guy with a determination to get back to his regular routines.  That makes two of us!

Reading:  I just finished The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  The first of the five classics I plan to read this year.  Now I am starting A Parchment of Leaves by Silas House.

Celebrating: Every step of my dad's recovery process!  Along with Christmas, my sister's birthday and the upcoming new year. 

Working On:  A collaboration between my Etsy shop and my middle sister's shop!  I'm not quite ready to share all the details yet, but it should be good for both businesses. 

Wanting:  To do some Christmas baking.  I haven't done in any several years, but for some reason I find myself wanting to whip up some Christmas cookies this year.  

Needing:  At least two entire days worth of sleep.  I didn't get a good night's sleep for about two weeks and I think I'm still paying for that.  It's probably why I caught a nasty cold right after Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, having a head full of sinus pressure doesn't help one get a restful sleep either.  

Making:  Lists and lists and lists.  Christmas lists - lists of who I need to shop for, lists of what I have already bought.   Grocery lists.  Lists of what I want to bake.  To do lists.  Lists of my lists.

Wearing:  A lot of dresses or tunics with leggings and boots.  It's comfy, and, as I mentioned last month, a good option with where I am in my weight loss journey rather than having to buy new pants every couple of months.

Feeling:  Extremely grateful and oh-so-very aware of how every single day is a gift. 

Enjoying:  Coffeemate Sugar Free Peppermint Mocha creamer in my morning coffee.  All the peppermint mocha flavor I adore, especially at this time of year - with very few Weight Watchers points!  

Anticipating:  The holiday season.  Especially cuddling up on the couch with a cup of tea or cocoa to watch all my favorite Christmas movies.

What is December bringing your way?

Currently... November 2019

Today, I have officially been walking the planet for an entire half of a century.  Fifty.  That number has me feeling a little shell-shocked.  I'm not all freaked out about getting older (like I did when I turned thirty).  I'm just finding it hard to believe that meany years have come and gone.  It certainly doesn't feel as if it has been that long. So much of that time has been amazing.  Some of it was pretty good.  And a tiny little bit has been down right rotten.  But every single moment has brought me to where I am today.  And I like this season of life - a LOT!

Reading:  The Testaments by Margaret Atwood and Everybody, Always by Bob Goff.  Just started the first one, so no opinion on that.  Enjoying Everybody, Always immensely!  On the "To Be Read" list for this month are The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff and Tidelands by Philippa Gregory.

Celebrating:  My birthday is just the first of our celebrations in November!  The Man of the House and I will celebrate our 27th anniversary on the 21st.  And of course there's Thanksgiving at the end of the month.

Working On:  Purging some of my clothing.  It is a wonderful feeling to have pants that no longer fit because they are too big - instead of too small!  Even my fitted yoga pants are now more of a loose fit.

Wanting:  To continue losing weight throughout the holiday season; or at the very least, maintain the weight loss that I have achieved so far

Needing:  Some cute, comfy, inexpensive leggings.  Rather than having to buy new clothes every couple of months as I lose weight, I have a few dresses and tunics that I can wear with leggings and sweaters to get me through the winter.  I figure it's much less expensive to replace leggings than jeans, etc.

Making:  Big plans for my Etsy shop next year

Feeling:  Pretty darn good!  I'm so happy to finally feel as if I have control over my weight.  I'm now closer to my goal weight than my start weight.  I'm seeing and feeling physical changes.

Enjoying:  Wearing all my somewhat-too-big-jeans before they get so big that I can't wear them anymore.  I haven't tried on my favorite jeans, which were too small before - but that's happening soon!  (fingers crossed)

Anticipating:  The Man of the House and I have planned a trip up to Cleveland.  We're going to the Football Hall of Fame, a Browns football game and the Rock n Roll Hall of fame.  And maybe a few other things that catch our fancy along the drive.

That's what November looks like for me.  What are you up to this month?

Currently... October 2019

Right now, it feels more like July.  But the calendar says October.  So, I'm going to go with that and trust that the temperatures will start too cool down very soon and feel a little more seasonal.  I think autumn has been cancelled and we're all just going to wake up one morning to discover that we've gone straight from summer to winter.  I know that some of you have already experienced this and are now digging out of several feet of snow!

Reading:  Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.  I'm finding it tedious.  I want to like it.  Really I do.  There are bright spots where I start to believe the story is starting to pick up.  Then it starts to get slow and monotonous again.  I don't care for Pip or most of the people he comes in contact with.  Miss Havisham is the only character that holds any interest for me at this point, and we see disappointingly little of her.

Celebrating:  It's a HUGE month for celebrating around here.  First we have the Man of the House's birthday.  Then, after over a year of planning and anticipation - the Female Offspring's wedding happens this month!!

Working On:  Etsy shop orders and wedding preparations

Enjoying:  All the trappings of Autumn. Pumpkin spice coffee, fall decorations, comfort food in the crockpot and the scent of fall candles.

Wanting:  To find some good books about time management, especially those working at home.  Any suggestions?

Needing:  Some new clothes.  Thanks to my continuing weight loss, my pants are all now too big and starting to get to the point where just tightening my belt isn't going to do the trick anymore.  I don't want to go buy a whole new wardrobe while I'm still in the process of losing weight. My solution may be to purchase a few swing dresses that I can wear with tights or leggings and top with a sweater if needed to get me through the cooler months.

Making:  Some changes to my daily schedule and my current system for blogging as well as scheduling my promotions for my Etsy shop on social media

Feeling:  Tired.  I have been trying to go to bed by 9:30 PM and start my day by 6 in the morning.  I'm getting up as planned; however, even though I go to bed early - I am not able to fall asleep until 10:30 or 11:00.  This leaves me feeling pretty tired in the later afternoon and always makes me think that this is the night I'll fall asleep easily.  Which doesn't happen.

Anticipating:  Several things...  The top of the list is probably when my youngest sister comes to visit for the Female Offspring's wedding.  I haven't seen her for over a year and miss her so much!  The leaves have started to change and I can hardly wait until the full colorful display appears.  Oh, and I have a pretty big milestone birthday coming up on the first of next month. 

That's where the beginning of October finds me.  What are you up to this month?

Currently... September 2019

Finally, it's here!  September.  The month when Autumn begins.  My favorite season of them all.  I love everything about Autumn.  Cooler temperatures.  Leaves changing colors and beginning to fall.  All things pumpkin spice.  Soups, stews, and chilis in the crockpot.  The beginning of football season.  Bring.  It.  All.  On.

Reading:  As the month starts, I am reading  Pachinko by Min Jin Lee and The Book Of Joy by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.  This isn't unusual for me.  I often will read more than one book at a time, especially if one is a novel and the other is nonfiction.  Later this month I plan to read another book for my Before 50 list, perhaps Great Expectations. 

Celebrating:  This month is our daughter's bridal shower!

Working On:  Planning the above mentioned bridal shower and helping finalize wedding details. 

Enjoying:  How I'm feeling since I started losing weight.  More on that in a minute...

Wanting:  To find an exercise that I can actually enjoy and look forward to doing.  So far, I'm not sure that exists.

Needing:  To find a dress for our daughter's wedding next month.  Come to think of it - I should probably do that pretty soon!

Making:  If last month was all about washcloths and exfoliating bath puffs, this month it's washcloths and cotton facial rounds - both exfoliating and original.

Feeling:  Pretty good about myself! During August, I reached 20+ pounds of weight lost and just before that I reached the threshold where I lost 10% of my starting body weight.  I'm starting to see some differences in how my clothes are fitting and how my body feels. 

Anticipating:  The Man of the House and I have our tickets and travel plans set to attend 2 NFL games this fall.  One in Charlotte, because... The Panthers!!  The second is in Cleveland, because he was born in Ohio and is a life-long fan of the Browns. I can't wait!

That's my life in a nutshell as we head into September.   What are you up to this month?

Currently... August 2019

This year is flying by!!  In just over 2 months we will be celebrating the wedding of the Female Offspring.  In just under 3 months,  I will turn the big 5-0.  Once my birthday rolls around, it always seems as if the rest of the year is just a blur!    But for now, I plan to spend this month enjoying my last few weeks with the grand kid before he goes back to school.

Reading:  Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak (author of The Book Thief).  Later this month I plan to read either Great Expectations or Alice's Adventures in Wonderland for my Before 50 list.

Celebrating:  This is a relatively quiet month for us.  The only celebration this month is my dad's birthday on the 10th.

Working On:  Still working on my office.  I have been steadily plugging away at it, and now it's almost done. There some detail things, like a lot of paper work that needs to be sorted/organized/shredded.  And some final organizing details - mostly sewing and craft stuff that needs purged.

Enjoying:  Trying new Weight Watchers recipes.  I have tried several off the app and website and haven't found one that I don't like yet.  Even the Man of the House and the Male Offspring have liked them.

Wanting:  Ice cream.  And donuts.  Or both.  Generally, all the things I try to limit or avoid now that I am determined to lose the weight.  Once I reach a certain milestone I will give myself a little treat.  But until then, I will continue to be strong.  (unless anyone has a secret for removing all the calories from my favorite foods?)

Needing:  I started Weight Watchers at the beginning of July.  So far, I am down over 10 pounds.  Now I need to incorporate more activity into my routine to help keep things moving in the right direction.

Making:  It must be washcloth and exfoliating bath puff season!  I have a steady flow of orders for both.  When I have a moment between orders, I am trying to work on new ready to ship dishcloth sets, especially for fall and I will soon be starting on Christmas items.

Feeling:  Alternately good and frustrated with my weight loss journey.  I keep reminding myself that it is just that - a journey.  Every journey has twists and turns, ups and downs.

Anticipating:  NFL preseason starts this month.  Which means that the regular season is just around the corner!  You may know by now that I am a big fan of football, especially the Carolina Panthers.  The Man of the House and I are making plans to attend a few games this year.  We already have tickets for the Panthers home opener against the Rams.  Now we're looking at making a trip to Cleveland to see his Browns play.

What is your life looking like during August?