Chasing Squirrels

I returned to counted cross stitch within the last two years; something I never anticipated happening, something that I certainly didn't think that I had the time for, but nonetheless  it occurred! It came about as the result of a Christmas gift from Quiltkeemosabe. I blogged about this unexpected return to handwork here, a year ago. I continue to enjoy the slow pace and the rhythm of the stitching. But, isn't it funny how we endeavor to make time for the things we desire to do, those very things that we never imagined being able to squeeze into our already packed-full days?  I want to quilt, read, study the Bible, cook gourmet meals, decorate beautiful cookies, keep up with this blog, visit with my friends and family, entertain, make Chrismons, keep an immaculate house and garden, exercise regularly and create beautiful cross stitch samplers in my free time. I want to do it all! I know that this isn't realistic, I don't choose to set myself up for failure by rushing around aimlessly; doing a little of this, a little of that, and not completing anything well.  I needed to come out and admit that I'm a squirrel chaser. I can easily be distracted by that next great thing that I want to do and rush off in pursuit of it, leaving myself lost and drifting without direction. Knowing that, and admitting it, is the first (and maybe the most important) step in taking control back and focusing on what needs to be done and what's the most important task at hand. Prioritizing is one of my greatest challenges; there's always going to be a "squirrel" dashing across my path! Being cognizant of that fact has freed me up to be kinder to myself. I'm granting grace; realizing that if I to stick with one thing at a time, and see that through, those other projects will still be there awaiting their turn, when that time is right. And so, I have returned to stitching in the evenings, when there's time. Slowly, I am finishing projects and am proud of the result, taking one's time has its own rewards; I'm not ever going to be the fastest or the most prolific and that's perfectly okay. 

Quiltkeemosabe made this beautiful project bag for me. Yes, those pesky, ridiculous rodents (the bane of my existence) are peeking out through the clear front to mock me~ I love it!

This zipper pull is an added embellishment. My friend knows me well! As the next weeks and months go by, you know where I'll be. Right here, doing my level best to ignore the scampering squirrels that surround me, both the actual and the metaphorical ones. 

Life is Good!

* Colonial Blooms by The Scarlett House. Stitched on 32 count Belfast linen, called-for WDW colors.  

Getting Myself Organized

While cleaning out a closet the other day (one of my daily habits currently-- closets, drawers, cabinets, nothing's off limits for a good purging) I came across eight UFO's that needed attention; well, truth be told, I came across more than eight but whittled the number down to eight (I chucked a few! Gasp!!) that I am either invested in enough, or love too much, to cull from the line-up. So, here are the lucky eight. With eight months remaining in the year come May 1, this is a no-brainer, one a month. But, how to decide which one comes first? I could do them numerically, as they're pictured; or, I could do a random draw and be surprised, or-- I could do what I've finally settled upon: what I'm referring to as the Dave Ramsey method. Anyone who listens to Dave on the radio knows that his claim to fame is helping to get folks out of debt and on the road to financial freedom. His method for paying off debt is to tackle the smallest debts first, creating a sense of empowerment for moving forward with the greater debts. Using that philosophy on my UFOs I have decided to tackle the ones that are the most completed first, finishing those should give a serious feeling of accomplishment which, ideally, will propel me onto the next and I can knock them out by the end of December. These will be in addition to what I'm already working on, so, wish me luck! I made a detailed listing of each project by number with how much is completed, percentage wise, what's in the box and what else needs to be done. That made the prioritization by my chosen method much simpler. I will begin with #3.

#3 is a child's quilt, the boy's version of the small alphabet embroideries competed a year ago from this book. I have all of the fabrics chosen for setting the little blocks into a log cabin. Stay tuned. 

Hold me accountable! 😬

 Today is Earth Day, from what I understand it's also the 50th anniversary of commemorating this occasion. In that vein, I'd like to share whats blooming and happening on the earth right outside the door here at Chez Goodneedle.

Flowers are blooming, birds are singing (and laying eggs!); we have three bluebird eggs in the nesting box and another family of Carolina Wrens nesting in a newly-created cavity located in a brick column slated for demolition on our patio. The demo on that will have to wait now until the babies fledge! Yes, despite the shut-down, the social distancing and the self-isolating life is, indeed, going on! Spring is full of hope and promise. Wash your hands🧼, stay safe and healthy, my friends!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace  in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. -Romans 15:13

Life is Good!

Up next: Getting Out

Creating Order

I reorganized the pantry yesterday, creating order out of what had become a drop-off zone for almost anything even vaguely kitchen related; chaos reigned in there. The floor was stacked with odds and ends as well as small appliances and the leaf for the kitchen dining table. Mr. Goodneedle suggested adding an additional shelf, around the top, to free up the floor space. It was a brilliant idea!  He took care of his part; but I knew, all along, that my charge would be to take everything out and not only rearrange the pantry into an orderly space but to cull each unused or unwanted object and toss every outdated food item. A task that seemed monumental to me as recently as three days ago was finished before lunchtime yesterday; today I am reenergized whenever I open the door. This photo represents much more than a neat and orderly pantry though; it speaks to me about discipline. Ever since my shoulder began aching my daily life has slipped into a disorganized mess. Yes, I have been keeping up with projects and deadlines but there's been no order to any of it; it's all been hit or miss. On Fridays, my self-imposed cleaning day, I've done what I could and left the rest... the cumulative effect of that behavior has not been ideal. Our Christmas dishes remained in the cupboard because I simply didn't want to even think about lifting the stacks of plates and moving them. I didn't realize at the time that the shoulder pain was ruling me. The last straw came this week when I left the laundry basket on top of the dryer and refused to carry it back to the bedroom, I knew how much that would make my arm ache if I did. Suddenly, I looked at what had become of my otherwise orderly life and laughed. Why was I being so stubborn; where was that discipline that I so desperately needed?  After the pantry re-do, with two doctor's appointments behind me and a schedule of physical therapy stretching out in front of me I happily took back the reins to my life! I can do this. I realigned my priorities and will follow prescribed directions to the letter. Today the house is clean; dusted and vacuumed like it hasn't been for months. Oh, and the Christmas dishes are safely stowed for next Christmas in their designated cabinet. I've created order in my own little nest once again; as well as in my mind and spirit, it's all good.

Life is Good!

Monday's Mission: Goals and Priorities

I don't know how many (or few) of you are still with me. We've looked at time logs and scheduling over the last two weeks and now we're down to the nitty-gritty; goals and priorities... or, why we're even looking at any of this in the first place! (I know it's easy to lose sight of a goal. I remember when I was in labor with my daughter, I looked up at the ceiling and there, on the light fixture, was a small sign, that read: "THINK BABY!" "Oh, yeah... now I remember why I'm here. For a moment the pain got in the way!") If you're still with me , reach around and give yourself a pat on the back; you deserve it, you rose above and conquered the pain (or whatever your distraction is)! I left you last week with ditching your television and your laptop if they were your time "robbers". The only people excited about continuing would be those who were addicted to All My Children, since it aired it's last episode on Friday; you have nothing but time to devote to something new! In all seriousness, your time wasters have been exposed and, hopefully, by limiting them and excluding (or at least moderating time spent) them from your schedule you have a fresh outlook on productivity. I have no idea what your stated objective was for beginning this journey, only you know that. You've kept time logs for a week and you've given scheduling a try; so, where do we go from here? Let's stop right here and see where you are and where you want to go... I'll throw an example out there, one of my own: the goal this month is to finish a wallhanging for my granddaughter's room, it is to be a birthday gift presented to her next Sunday. I have, probably, somewhere between six and eight hours of work left to complete the project; and I have one week to accomplish that. So, I know I need to spend a little more than an hour a day to reach my goal, can I work that in to my schedule? Yes, I can. Is it a priority? Absolutely, it is! I will make this happen, even if that means getting up and hour and a half earlier each day! If this were a Christmas gift; or even a birthday gift for, say, November it could slide a bit; I could devote smaller segments of time over a greater span. But, since this has become a TOP priority, I will schedule even a little extra time for this one. If the time isn't all used, and I have realized the goal, I will pour this time somewhere else... into another day or another task and move on to what's next on the list. I do set a monthly goal, by this time in the month it's clear if I am going to reach it or not, because of that I do figure in a few "mop up" days during the last week of every month, that way I don't become discouraged by falling short; the days are there if I need to use them. The time itself is finite, but the goals and the priorities change, they're fluid. What do you have to accomplish this week? How can you best utilize your objective to reach your goal? Don't be discouraged if you don't get everything done that you had hoped to... begin small and celebrate the little victories, they will spur you on to the next big thing! This entire way of thinking/planning/living is a habit to be cultivated; it takes time to nurture your plan and keep the time wasters away at the same time, (think of it as waging war~ guarding your precious time and fighting off the time-robbers, basic good vs. evil), as you get better at it, it will seem easier to manage. Next week we'll look at multi-tasking and tips for effective time saving! Until then... plug in bits and pieces of time, where you can, those that will help you recognize your priorities and reach your goals; and remember:

Life is Good!

"Don’t underestimate the power of small incremental changes. Dream big and constantly pull yourself in the right direction by checking off to-do after to-do…one small task a day can rapidly eat away at something that looks and feels unreachable."