AOG: 11/28 - 11/30

Yesterday I was thankful for the ability to craft.  I got in a full 4 hours at one crafting station and some more time with the crochet hook.  My crafting list for Christmas doesn't look too bad.

Today I am thankful that it is Saturday.  I kept thinking yesterday was Saturday, so today feels like a bonus!

AOG: 11/28/19

Hapy Thanksgiving!  Gobble til you wobble!

Today I am thankful for everyone being ready to go on time, for all the food finishing on time for us to go, for my great-niece to be in a great mood today and seeing Kim.

Harleigh was over-tired but very happy.  She interacted with all of us, which is progress.  She doesn't see us that more often, so we let her warm up to us.  We will be seeing her again at Christmas, so we will keep at it.

We had a great time.  We like to say that although we are a small family (only 8 of us), we are strong.

AOG: 11/27/19

Today I am thankful for insurance and a good checkup on Renee's dental implant.

(Now if the oral surgeon's office would settle the claim...)

AOG: 11/26/19

Guess who is home?  That is plenty to be thankful for right there!

AOG: 11/25/19

Today I am thankful for the process of government.  30 years ago today, Mayor Harold Washington died.  At that point in my life, there were Council Wars and all kinds of crazy things and politics were so damned interesting.  A few days after the passing of Harold came the famous late-night scream from Dick Mell that we had a mayor after he came out of the (honest to God) smoke-filled room.  My father was a life-long Republican / conserative.  My mother voted for entertainment value, and we lived in Cook County, where we vote both early and often.  We didn't live in the city, but it was the start of every newscast...

PSA:  Christmas is a month from today.

AOG: A Week's Worth! 11/18 - 11/24

Welp, I fell behind a bit!

Mon 11/18 - Both Ted and I were grateful for OSF On Call, a video call service you can do with a healthcare professional.  They got Renee diagnosed and on meds.  Ted did the call with her.

Tue 11/19 - My gratitute on this day was for friendly, helpful people at the bank when I closed my girl scout troop account.  There are always horror stories, and my experience was exemplary.

Wed 11/20 - While it's a guilty pleasure, I am always thankful for the TC show Survivor!

Thu 11/21 - On this day, I was so thankful for Ted!  He was home sick, but when I came home, he came outside and helped me with my tires.  Pro tip, when you have a tire rotation, the sensor system doesn't keep up, so the right front might now be the left rear. 

Fri 11/22 - On this day, I gave thanks for my country, and mourned the thought of yet another impeachment, the third in my lifetime.

Sat 11/23 - Yesterday we were thankful for good weather and the time and ability to check in on our girl.  She had been sick for the past week, and she sounded better on Friday, but we went and said hi after haircuts.

Sun 11/24 - Today I am thankful for rest.  I am truly getting into restful mode, which is hard for me to do.  Ted asked me my agenda for the day, and I replied, "No pressure!  I'm on vacation!", which made him laugh.  My to do list is a mile long and oh well to that!

AOG: 11/17/19

Today (hey, I'm on time!) I am grateful that I can sew.  I was able to make the child on the Angel Tree a pencil pouch in her favorite colors.  I'm also working on Christmas gifties, making 30 bowl cozies, plus a stocking and a coloring bag for one niece.

AOG: 11/16/19

Yesterday I was thankful for Old Navy!  I was able to cash in on a sale and get Christmas presents for the 3 little ladies in my life.  I  really did very well price-wise.

When Renee was little, there was nothing that I was more thankful for than clothes.  I try and pay that forward when the kids are little.  The 3 little ladies are the only little ones left - the boys are all adults now.

AOG: 11/13 - 11/15

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday...

On Wednesday I was very thankful for my massage therapist.  I go every other week or so.  A completely wonderful use of funds.

On Thursday, I was thankful for the chiropractor.  She works in conjunction with the massage therapist, and because of this, I am doing well.  Things still lock up and get stiff, but they get things unjammed and I am ready to go!

On Friday, I was grateful for choicetime.  My employer offers 3 hours of flexibility to your week and I used all of banked time earlier this week to come home on Friday and take a nap.  I feel exhaustion coming on and I am taking off the week of Thanksgiving, but that still means that there's one more week to power through.

AOG: 11/10 - 11/12

We had snow and ice and sleet and horrible wind.  Yes I know I live in Illinois, but even we say this is about two months too early.  Anyway, back on track here:

11/10 - Thankful for my ability to knit.  Long story about how I got there, and if you go back to the beginning of the blog, there is an emotional post about knitting.  Anyway, I am grateful that I can knit.  I made great progress on a wool sweater for me and blocked Harleigh's hoodie.

11/11 - Always grateful for the service of our veterans.  My dad served in peacetime, between WWII and Vietnam.  He drove a tank on Czech border. 

On this day, I also took some time to look up community projects on my guild website and saw that they had FINALLY put up all the efforts and their requirements for which we are sewing.  I noted that I could finish up On Ringo Lake as 2 laprobes and a wheelchair cover, with one orphan block left.  That certainly beats the big quilt, which had no home.  I would love to get these 3 smaller quilts to the hand binding stage by Thanksgiving!

11/12 - I am thankful for American Express points that can be used on Amazon.  I just spent only $22 out of pocket for holiday gifts for a child on the Angel Tree at work.  I did buy about $15 of things for myself, so basically the gifts were free.  All I need to is to make a pencil pounch in her chosen colors and the gift will be complete.

Aalso grateful for a husband who will drive me to all of my evening errands tonight.

AOG: 11/09/19

Today I am still thankful for my job.  I'm writing the post from my desk at work right now, taking a short break while I weed through tons of paperwork to make sense of it.  My team is 10, so I am constantly interrupted.  Sometimes I need to come in on a weekend and sort through the stuff that needs quiet thought and contemplation.

Also thankful for Amazon Music, which is blaring through my phone right now, keeping me company.

AOG: 11/06/19 - 11/08/19

I've missed a few days so here they are:

11/06/19 - I am thankful for my guilty pleasure of Survivor.  I'm in two polls and while I am out of one, I still have a remote chance in the other.  Also, homemade spaghetti.

11/07/19 - I am thankful for my quilt guild.  I haven’t been faithful in going, so I am making a push.  Now as an empty-nester, I need to make sure I rebuild my friends group and this is one way to do so.  Last night it was great to see a young man (10?) show his first quilt and then have the featured speaker be another young man (25?), who is a well-known designer.

11/08/19 - I am thankful for my job.  I worked 83 hours this pay period (usual is 77.50) and while it seems strange to be thankful to be working unpaid overtime, I am.  My team and I figured out on that afternoon we accidentally screwed something up and now we can figure out how to resolve.  We used that quiet Friday afternoon to make some serious headway.

AOG: 11/05/19

Today I am thankful for Election Day.  It’s the first Tuesday after the first Monday, so today is the day.  While 2019 isn’t a momentous year, next year it will be.

On another note, I am saddened by impeachment.  Any time our nation has to use this part of our constitution is a sad day, and we are now once again, doing this.  I was a child for Nixon, but an adult for both Clinton and this one.  3 times in less than 50 years is 2 times too many.  (Nixon really needed to be impeached, which was a bummer, because he was a pretty good president otherwise.)

AOG: 11/04/19

Tonight I am grateful for two three things:

My husband, who lent a sympathic ear to my work woes.  Work has been demoralizing as of late and so it's been hard for me to remain positive.  Today and tonight was the day I broke and could handle no more.  Problems still aren't solved but at least someone is there.

Babylon 5.  It's a TV show that is on in reruns if  you hunt for it.  We love it as a family.  Tonight's episode is the last one of the series - Sleeping in Light.  Excuse me while I weep.

My daughter secured an apartment for next year - a studio.  Long story there, but this is for the best.  Once it was confirmed, she sounded so much better on the phone.

AOG: 11/03/19

On this Sunday morning, I am grateful for all of the little things:  good coffee, a home to live in, money to pay bills, software to help track the money to pay our bills, my love of crafting, my ample stash, etc...  Just looking around where I am sitting and being grateful for it all.  Bless this mess.

I once read an article in Family Circle or some such magazine and it was the top 10 things the woman writer at age 40 was grateful for.  A loving husband, children, meaningful freindships were all there.  But #4 stuck out to me.  Just 2 words, but they needed no other explanation:  Good coffee.

Attitude of Gratitude (AOG): 11/02/19

Today I am thankful for two wonderful men in my life!

Jack joined our family 7 minutes after midnight on a Saturday morning like today.  Without going into detail, he is lucky to be here and and that same fierce determination (quoting his mother here) is what has made him the strong man he is today.  I was lucky enough to be the first family member to greet him when he arrived, so long ago when they lived on Grand and I lived on DuBois.  Named after his grandfather, since Harleigh's arrival, he has been fondly known as Uncle Jack 2.0.  Happy birthday Jack!

Marcus joined our extended family when he married my SIL Nene.  They are the wonderful parents of two amazing daughters.  Marcus is a quiet, strong, faithful example of how to be a loving and supportive spouse and father.  Trust me, he's a quiet man of few words, but the love of  family radiates from him.  We do not see him at every gathering; he is working to make their lives better, that is just who he is. Happy birthday Marcus!

Attitude of Gratitude: 11/01/19

For November 1, I am grateful for my love of cooking.  Today I was able to take fresh garlic, onions. leeks and scallions and make a wonderful risotto for dinner.

Being able to cook, and enjoying cooking, goes a long way to stretch a dollar.  Right now we have a full freezer, along with 2 full deep freezes.  Currently we are working on eat down what we've got.  We'll be at it a while.....

All the Loot

In my defense, I pretty much only shop during shop hops any more.  Or vacations.

This picture is sideways (sorry), and it shows what patterns I either bought or won as a door prize.  The Vintage Christmas was a total impulse.  I saw the quilt made in one shop and I kept hunting until I found the book.  I didn't know Alphabet Soup was even a book.  I thought it was just a digital download.  The Cottontail pattern (upper right) was another one that I saw at one shop and hunted for over 2 days.  The others were door prizes.

These fabs were just fun things overall.  A few were door prizes.  

The fabric on the left is one where I have it in white and I  was pleased to find it in tan.  The one on the right was little articles about towns with holiday names.  Thought it might be fun to use for block centers.

The below are all bee fabrics.  I did a shop hop over the summer and bought more bee fabrics to go with a panel that I bought in Florida in the spring.  Renee likes bees.  These are for a quilt for her.

These fabrics are themed.  3 are Lord of the Rings.  1 Route 66.  1 Star Trek.  1 Little House on the Prairie. 2 Minions.  2 Coca-Cola Polar Bears.

These are more fun purchases.  whites, blacks, greys.  Rabbits / bunnies.  30s.  Coffee beans on moss green.  The rainbow fabric is just fun.

Notions and other fun stuff!  Some stuff was definitely hippie-related and some was quilting related and some were things I bought.  That small cutting mat was a purchase but the little ruler was a freebie.  The best freebie was what's inside the little bag where the 3 peace sign buttons are pinned.  Those are flower bulbs - truly flower power!

And that is my loot this go around.  Whoo boy, that was a lot.

BRB

Be Right Back...

Whoever said that once you retire, you're more busy than ever never became an empty nester.  Same effect over here right now. 

Renee is overall doing well, but between my birthday, family weekend and BBQ she  wanted us to attend, we have been very busy.  Just lots going on in that space.

At home, I'm trying to rebuild my network of in person, real life friends.  Some things have ended, so I'm in rebuilding mode.  I sound like a coach of a professional sports team - it's a rebuilding year...as the song lyric goes, every new beginning comes from some other new beginning's end.

Work's been tense.  I'll leave it at that.  Just trust me, this has caused sleepless nights and long hours.

But back on a fun note, I took PTO today and I am going shop hopping!  It's the annual Central Illinois Shop Hop!  This year's theme is Quiltstock, a riff on Woodstock.  Groovy, man. 

Also wearing my #KramerStrong shirt today.  They wanted us to wear them this week, and today seems like a perfect time to do so!

Next post - shop hop loot.

Week 36

I overplan.  It’s a byproduct of liking lists.  I’m convinced.

Week 35 was maybe like 15% successful.  I will call that a win.  The peach sox were completed, and they, plus 2 more pairs, were blocked.  I want 10 things blocked by month end and 3 are done.  I got the knitting on the blue sweater to the point of needing to try it on. Trivia ended up being cancelled, so while we still ordered food instead of cooking, that meal was with DD, as she came home for the afternoon.  The computer desk did get set up and Ted redid some computer wiring stuff, so now I have an open shelf in a bookcase.  I did roast a chicken, used it all up and used up the whole CSA bag.  50% of my work meals were brought from home.  And we had the piano conversation. 

Most importantly, I sewed.  On whatever I felt like.  I finished making the pumpkin bodies for Bonnie Hunter’s Pumpkin Patch.  Yay!

Week 36 started off with a dead car battery for Ted.  That is an expense that will just have to be handled.  Trivia is on hiatus, so Ted and I are eating in, but will probably splurge on pizza this weekend – we have a hankering.  Another goal of 50% of work meals brought from home (I eat both breakfast and lunch at work).  Already at 80%, as I brought yesterday and today. 

Monday, I spent 45 minutes right when I came home and cleaned up the upstairs hallway.  Not quite done, but I got far.  I made dinner and cookies.

Tuesday – Picked up the CSA this evening and ate leftover soup.  Have my lunch tomorrow packed, so what helps.  Spoke to DD for a half hour, so that was a great use of time.  Now I hope to just pick up and tidy for the rest of the evening.

Wednesday – More car stuff I bet.  I would like to get a whole hour in upstairs.  I can dream.  Also start spirit socks (the yarn that needs to be wound).  Living room. Blue sweater.

Thursday – By this point, the car should be sorted out.  Meal planning should happen.  Trying to develop a 28 day cycle.  I think this is possible.  Living room done. More time upstairs.  Start the process for closet command hooks.

Friday – Done hopefully in the early afternoon.  Build the home blessing hour for this floor, as I was a bum last Friday.  Clean landing and set up table.  Command hooks.  Buy shoe racks and set up, as well as the new hamper.

Weekend goals:

2 hours upstairs

1 bag yard waste

Spice cabinet

Order sweater stuff for Loopy Grad School

Sort through new yarn – donated to me

Sewing

Get grays and greens picked out for pumpkins

Make 2 pouches

Sandwich one quiltHandwork cut out for use

Q3 UFO Finishes

I've got 2 finishes to report.

This one is Thisle Manor.  It was an online Stitch Along (SAL) from 2008, as the date is stitched into the piece itself.  I used a variated floss to stitch this one and then I spent what felt like (and actually was) years finding fabrics.  Then it took me forever to get the needlepoint and the fabrics together, then an age to get it pieced.  Quilting and finishing went at the normal pace.  I  bought a table top mini quilt holder for my new office (expected April 2020) and hope to show it on top of my new bookcase.

12" x 13", which is 0.269 yards.

This one is a BOM that was one of those Buck a Block Thangles things.  I reverse imaged some of the blocks or moved units around to get the block count up to 20.  I really like this one.

40" x 50", which is 3.09 yards.

Yay to be done!

Week 35 Goals

And to get more anal - let's get down to brass tacks and do this by the week....I do consider the week in 2 parts - when my work week starts until when it ends (usually Friday afternoons) and then the weekend.  Thus Monday starts my week in my thinking.

Sunday - rest day and list day - This was September 1.

Monday - day off - I finished the peach sox, did finishing on 3 pairs and blocked one pair.  Nothing else.

Tuesday - Running Renee around for all of her appointments.  Buy gas and pick up the application for the easy pay gas thing.  Trivia.

Wednesday - Clean off computer desk and set myself up on it!  Work on purple cardigan edging.  Order Moana fabric.  Do football lineup.  Lawn work. 1 hour upstairs.  Get handwork organized.

Thursday - guild for me - nothing will get done, except knitting.  Wind yarn if it's here..

Friday - done by 4! - Build the weekly home blessing hour for the floor.  I really need this!  Make a roast chicken.  Make sense of Good Fortune.  Lawn work.  1 hour upstairs.

Saturday - Dog pillow.  Sandwich one quilt.  Block peach sox.  5 garage boxes.  Lawn work. 1 hour upstairs.  Process chicken broth, either by freezing or eating.

Sunday - Dog pillow.  If done, order insert. Sandwich one quilt.  Lawn work. Garage racks.  Have piano conversation.  1 hour upstairs.

Breaking Things Down - September

None of this will get done unless I break it down into more manageable goals.  I have to include things like quilt guild, weekly trivia, Renee being around every once in a while and going back to Four Seasons to walk.  So here's my goal list for September:

Second Floor and Stairwell - Many things are best off tackling in 15 minute increments.  There is no way to finish an entire task in a month' some of these are just so overwheming, I'd just give up.

Her bathroom - 1 hour
Green room - 4 hours
Her room, just a quick tidy up
Hallway completely cleared off - 1 hour
Ledge completely cleared off - 1 hour
Box of books gone - Ted will help me with this one
Set up table on landing
Hanging white framed pics - block out space - order some pictures
Monthly blessing routine developed for my room and bathroom - do once to see if I can get it set up
Get shoe racks
Put up scarf hangers
Her linen closet - 1 hour

Main Floor - Same as the second floor - bit by bit.

Deep clean fridge
Spices
Eat out the freezers
Get rid of piano - see if we can agree to list it as-is and set a deadline and then we will curb the damn thing
Weekly blessing routine for this floor
Set up computer desk station

Basement

Monthly blessing routine for this floor - get it built

Garage / Yard

5 boxes a week to clear floor - 20 boxes this month
Desire to get through all racks and reduce by one rack - see if we can get one done, and make enough room for the books and still have room to spare
Put yard to bed for winter - 1 yard waste bag per week, so 4 bags is the goal

Knitting

Finish 5 UFO's - finish peach striped sox, blue sweater
Block 5 finished items - block another pair of sox and the green sweater
3 pairs of spirit socks - wind yarn and use as my busy time work.  They go with me to guild and trivia and car rides, etc.
Determine Loopy Grad School projects, get yarn ordered, get started on projects

Quilting

Guinevere - Good Fortune - get this organized on the white table for work
Get the flimsy pile sandwiched and quilted and into the handwork pile - get 2 to this point
Get Licorice All-Sorts to the Flimsy stage, and hopefully add a wall hanging - cut more black and finish l/e the pieces already cut.  Evaluate what other colors are needed and how much more is needed.  Cut needs.
Renee - Dog pillow - get done this month so I can give it to her on Family Weekend
5 more things (I'm not down there right now, so I leave this open-ended for now) - sort through and pick one to complete
** added item - mail one box of donation quilts.

Handwork

Daredevils done - block 1 is done.  Get caught up.
20 DJ done - 2 done right now.  Get 5 more done.

Sewing

Harleigh's Christmas stocking - order Moana fabric and make list for shop hop for other pieces needed
Sweatshirt jacket - make the black and white one
Make pattern using interfacing for sweatshirt jacket - by making the black and white one, I want to make a pattern to turn an old quilt into a cutter quilt and make myself a jacket
Mending - Mend 5 things

Filet Crochet

Practice technique
Spiral bound the book
Finish purple cardigan edging

Tatting

Nothing right now

Holidays

My birthday - plan menu for 2 meals, childproof my house, fall decor
Halloween - I'm not  fan of this one, so I don't do much, but a little bit

Biggest thing for Holidays is getting decor figured  out.  I want to make a fall curtain and that would be wonderful.  2 table runners and some other small pieces would be nice.  For the curtain I have a vision.  I also have some pumpkins string pieced.  I just need to finish / execute stuff.

Christmas gifting

Try making freezer jam in 2 or 3 flavors and having Ted taste it.  That will let me know if we are a go or not as a gift.

Frugal

Not sure if I can build up savings at all - might be reducing the little we have - but a few loose goals are to eat at home for all meals but trivia nights.  We have no more weekends out of town scheduled this month.  Also to bring breakfast and lunch to work 50% of the time for me, at least.  Also to sign up for the easy pay thing at the gas station.

Loopy Grad School

And as soon as I have all my goals for the Fall term figured out, along comes The Loopy Ewe with their Fall project fun.  Last school year, I didn't participate at all, and I tried Camp Loopy this summer with little success.  So I was ambivalent at best about this school year's program.

Loopy Grad School takes a project type and goes into the really crazy techniques.  Loopy Academy, its predecessor, was serious 4 school years - 8 semesters - of projects and techniques.  It was a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and when I was done (I was in the first graduating class), I learned / reinforced a lot of knowledge.  Now Loopy Academy takes it beyond.  One does not need to complete Loopy Academy before starting Grad School.  They're cool like that.

So you need to pick a project type to focus in.  They had me at steeking.  I need to learn to steek.  It was the one thing I wished I had learned in Loopy Academy.  To steek is to make a pullover sweater and then cut it up the middle to make it a cardigan.  Sounds nuts, but there times (many times) it's the best approach.

I have to pick 3 out of 5 techniques, so another will be cables and the last one is up in the air.  They do allow you to make 2 of the 3 sweaters in children's sizes, so Harleigh is getting some new knitwear...

The Loopy Ewe, how I love thee..

2019 Fall Term Goals

Fall term has started and she will be home on December 13.  She has like 3 finals that day, which sucks for her, but makes me laugh.

Second Floor and Stairwell

Her bathroom
Green room
Her room, just a quick tidy up
Hallway completely cleared off
Ledge completely cleared off
Laundry room cleaned out
Box of books gone
Set up table on landing
Hanging white framed pics - block out space
Monthly blessing routine developed for my room and bathroom
Swipe out closet from summer to winter
Get shoe racks
Put up scarf hangers
Her linen closet

Main Floor

Deep clean all cabinets
Deep clean fridge
Spices
Eat out the freezers
Get rid of piano
Weekly blessing routine for this floor
Move old sewing machine
Set up computer desk station
Buy sofa and chair covers

Basement

Monthly blessing routine for this floor

Garage / Yard

5 boxes a week to clear floor
Desire to get through all racks and reduce by one rack
Gardening stuff
Put yard to bed for winter

Knitting

Finish 5 UFO's
Block 5 finished items
3 pairs of spirit socks

Quilting

Guinevere - Good Fortune
Get the flimsy pile sandwiched and quilted and into the handwork pile
Get Licorice All-Sorts to the Flimsy stage, and hopefully add a wall hanging
Renee - Dog pillow
5 more things (I'm not down there right now, so I leave this open-ended for now)

Handwork

Daredevils done
20 DJ done - 2 done right now

Sewing

Harleigh's Christmas stocking
Sweatshirt jacket
Make pattern using interfacing for sweatshirt jacket
Make EF backpack using fabrics and interfacing - prototype pattern as well
Mending

Filet Crochet

Practice technique
Spiral bound the book
Make Kim's name as a gift
Finish purple cardigan edging

Tatting

Practice
Try and make some snowflakes

Holidays

My birthday - plan menu for 2 meals, childproof my house, fall decor
Halloween - I'm not  fan of this one, so I don't do much, but a little bit
Thanksgiving - Probably will be away for this holiday, so need to prepare Christmas for those I won't see at that time
Christmas - We usually don't do much, but I might do a bit more than last year, was seriously nothing

Christmas gifting - separate effort and post

I'm Back

I'm back.  Renee is all moved in.   She's been through her first week of classes, and we went up to her yesterday for the first football game (NIU beat ISU).  We spent the night at the campus hotel (yes, they really have a hotel on campus), and this morning, we grabbed her  for breakfast and then we drove around the area for a while with her.  She now knows where the Schnucks is, where the Hampton Inn is, where her closest Walgreens is and most importantly, where Ollie's Homemade Custard is.  We also went to Wal-Mart and grabbed her some more snacks.  She had already sent a list home for me to buy, and today was for just like Gatorade.  We also ended up with another piece of NIU merchandise each - Renee got a soft fleece pullover, Ted got a baseball cap and I got a hoodie.

She will be down on Tuesday for a oral surgery follow-up, so it's not like we will miss her for too long.  We are thrilled on how she is holding up.

So we got home today and now I am trying to lay out plans on what I want to accomplish by December 13, when she comes home for winter break.  Then I want to break that into what I can done here in September.  That's the next post...

Frugality Funny

The first foray into frugality was Saturday night.

Renee was trying out a 'brownie in a mug ' recipe.  Instead of dumping the cocoa powder in her mug, she dumped it into the sugar canister.  After much colorful language ("I am such a dumbass!"), I told her to just leave it.  Ted reminded her it beat her spilling sugar all over the floor. He's not wrong.

I came back to it and realized I could make brownies for all of us from that boo-boo and thus I made 'stupid brownies'. 

Ted was thrilled.

Please Stand By...

Just going through some transitions...

Sending our only child to college
Dealing with a heart attack scare
Dealing with the healthcare paperwork of said scare
A few annoying health things for me

So not a lot of crafting going on because all energies are going there....

So please stand by.  Move-in Day is August 23...

Cash/Credit Goals

I continue to think about the financial / lifestyle goals from The Prudent Homemaker.  (I was also thinking about when FAFSA would get my parent plus loan on Renee’s account, but that finally happened and I am in good shape mentally.)  I know the first goals for 2 financial things and how to incrementally grow them.  On the 7^th of each month is the best day to assess them – the biggest bills are paid and whatever is left in my account is truly ours.  So here we go.

Cash Goal        $1000 saved up between all 3 savings accounts

Credit Goal       $1000 reduction in the Discover card balance

Now the Discover card is a dicey topic.  I want it gone, but it has the capacity to handle a lot of emergencies if needed.  Renee’s implant will go on there; there’s nothing else that can be done.  So the Discover card balance will not be listed until September 7, after the tooth is on there. 

Here’s where things stand on Aug 7:

Cash Goal        $824.16 – need 175.84 to meet goal.

Let’s see if I can find that between now and September 7!

International Jane

I've mentioned International Jane when I talked about G-5 Poof.  Here it is.  My Poofs are in the corners.

Here's the back.  The siggies don't line up with the blocks.  My bad.

Close of an international siggie.

This Jane got around....

D-7 Meeting Place

I've got a nice little system going.  I have 4 different hand-pieced blocks going at once.  I cut one step for each one and then take the little stack upstairs.  I do a needle of a binding and then do all the handwork that I can.  I then head downstairs and start the process again.  It's maybe not the fastest way, but it's working for me.

After 4 or 5 of these repeats, D-7 Meeting Place was the first one to finish.  Some of the others just have a LOT of pieces and so it's slow going.

The block color is green.  The little ducks are just precious.

The goal is to hand piece this Jane.  So far, so good, but I'm only 2 blocks in.

Goals of a Different Sort

I love lists.  I admit it.

And goals are part of list-making.  After all, what are goals, except dreams with deadlines (at the most optimistic) or things that must get done for your mental health (more practical).

I read several different blogs, not always of the same viewpoint as me.  That's OK; it helps me learn viewpoints and stretches my world view.  It also can provide new avenues for me to reach my goals.

Sometimes I've had goals.  I wanted to own a home and either be very content or married by the time I was 30.  (Marriage was not a requirement - just a goal - and not one to compromise on.  I've been married for 23 years.  I got married when I was 25.)  I wanted to get my MBA by the time I was 40; I turned 40 in my last term of school work, a goal that I shared with many, and many celebrated right with me!

And as I get ready to send my girl off to college, I am realizing I need some new goals.  One goal I've had percolating for a while is to be out of debt by the time I am 60.  I turn 49 next month.

OK, I thought, that's do-able.  We refinanced the house a few years ago. (Always have your spouse meet you at the paper signing meeting with milkshakes.  OMG what a wonderful treat!  My love language is the little things and this is one of his top gestures!)  Anyway, we had been here 10 years and I changed it from a 30 year to a 15 year,  I knew I was close to the done-at-60 goal, and since the payment comes straight from my paycheck (mortgage through work's credit union), I make one extra payment per year.  I did some recent math on my mortgage to find out I have 12 years to go.  Not much adjusting to make this 11 years to finish on time.  However, I consider this managed.

Next up are cars.  Just finished paying off Ted's car.  I ask for 12 months of no payments from the driver before they ask for a replacement car.  I believe Ted will try to go all 4 years of Renee's college career before asking for another car.  He wants an SUV next time, as it is getting harder to bend down into a car.  Additionally, he and I love to roadtrip for vacation, so I am OK buying a nice vehicle for this purpose.  Hopefully we can replace and pay off his next car before I am 60.

Then there are the 2 Sonics.  Renee and I each have Chevy Sonics - hers is a 2013 and mine's a 2015.  They were bought used.  My car is to be done in 2 years and hers in 3, but I am making advanced micropayments on hers to make it finish when mine finishes.  For me, I've learned that when a car is 10 years old, I need to turn it in because then it's good money after bad.  So in 2025 I will get a new car, used no doubt, and probably another small Chevy, and have it paid for by the time I am 60.  For Renee, the goal is for this to be the only car we buy her.  She knows this and she knows she needs to replace her car a few years after she graduates.  (If something happens, we are willing to evaluate that situation as it happens.)

That leaves credit cards.  Well, that is always hard to handle.  I always overpay each month.  I try to get the other two to limit purchases but the struggle is real for all 3 of us.  Renee has moved over many of her fun purchases to her own accounts so that has been a help.  I keep reevaluating things and it will another thorough review once we adjust to life as empty-nesters.  Another financing thing will also end in 4 years, so that helps as well.

But the big goal - OMG, the Big Goal - will be the Parents Plus loans for Renee's education.  It's like buying Chevy Sonic every year for 4 years straight.  Please note she is taking loans as well, so she is not getting a free ride from her parents.  She also earned a scholarship for half her tuition and the other half of her tuition is a benefit from Ted's work, as her school and his employer are in the same university system.  These loans have a 10 year period and when she is done with school, I will be 52, so that does not make my plan.

This is where I am racking my brain.  I'm not deferring payment - let's get the show on the road.  Ted's car payment is done, so I can afford her payment for now.  But I want to just shorten the life of the loan.  I think I might do micropayments every 2 weeks.

The way I micropayment is to take the monthly payment and divide it in half.  Then round that up to the next $5 (no pennies.  just no.)  Make that payment every 2 weeks for 3 months.  Each quarter, I add $5 to those biweeky payments.  While it doesn't seem like much, I do make one whole extra payment per year, plus all those little $5 extra payments add up.   I've been doing this with Renee's care and I am 6 months ahead on it.  At this rate, I will be done with her car in 2 years.  So I am a firm believer in micropayments!

OK, that's a lot of what I am doing.  But yesterday I was on one of those blogs that is different from me and they pointed me to another blogger who, while the polar opposite of me, has some great money-saving, money-stretching ideas.  She also acknowledges not everything works for everyone, but everything should be worth a try.  Fair enough. 

She blogs at theprudenthomemaker.com, and the most intriguing thing is the idea on feeding her large family for 40 cents a day on average.  While I will never get that low, I wonder how low Ted and I can go.

And the challenge begins.  She talks a lot about being mindful, and while I won't post every week, I will post every once in a while on this...

I had an idea....

...and I went with it last night and today.

(First though, a note of frustration.  Tons of students and parents are receiving bills from the bursar's office.  Why, oh why, is this the weekend that the Parents Plus loan website has to be down for maintenance?  This was to be my day today - get the student loan.  Now I have to do it tomorrow night.  Whee.)

The idea?

Teeny tiny log cabin blocks.  Itty bitty ones.

I sorted through all of my 30s fabric and I have a lot of 5" charm squares.  You need more than a charm square to make a DJ block, however (painful personal experience here), and so I gotta use them up.

Well, the first two letters of my URL are LC for log cabin for a reason...

So I did some math.  I can get 4 1.25" strips from each charm.  Then I did some more math to see how many logs.  And then I needed graph paper and a calculator.  I had been doing all the math in my head for a few days (hey, some meetings are really boring), and now I needed to write it all down.

I can get up to the 9th log using the 5 inch strips.   Hey hey hey. 

So I decided to make 16 blocks.  That is how many centers I can get from a red charm square.  I decided to go ahead and use Kona snow for the light sides and then warm colors (pink, orange, yellow) and cool colors (green, blue, purple) for the dark sides.  I made 8 of each.

So not sure where this is going or how many I will make, but I did learn a few things.

I used 1 red charm and 2 of the other 6 colors.  I needed to add 4 more strips of each warm and cool to finish off the blocks.  So I need 2 more charms.   I am keeping all the scraps together; while the cast-offs may or not be usable in blocks for this effort, I can certainly cobble something together at some point.  For example, I have a lot of 1.25 squares left.  That's OK. 

Of course, it's G-5 Poof

Here's my G-5 Poof, done in yellow.  It was done by hand, and frankly my handwork needs some work.  One stripe is a bit wider than the other and my applique of the poof is so-so.  We shall see how things look by the end of this effort.

Time to explain the title of the post.  Years (and I mean years) ago, I joined a swap of lots of people.  We were each to make a DJ block multiple times and swap with a siggie square.  Many dropped out, but we had about 20 or so by the end.  I picked G-5 Poof.

I made the swap into a wall hanging which is at work.  It's called International Jane, as many blocks came from overseas.  I had so many leftover Poofs that they are the 4 corners of the wall hanging!

So of course when it was the first loose paper in the pile, it just made me giggle.  Of course.  It had to be.  How could  it NOT be? 

It was a full sheet of paper, so the next block up is G-6 Papa's Star, to be done in orange.  I now realize I am woefully low on orange.

And while doing this first block, I had an idea!  Stay tuned for how that idea turns out....

Monday Post About July

Updates on July goals...

Knitting - I have no desire to do the August Camp Loopy challenge and I was killing myself to get July done.  I decided to just chill out and not worry about completing anything on time. 

That being said, I did get some more of the body of the June challenge completed, as well as the second sleeve.  I use it for knitting in the car, at the dentist, the doctor, pub trivia, etc. 

The black Faroese shawl has a 12 row repeat and my goal is to get 1 repeat done per week.  It will take a while but the rows keep getting longer to knit.  Weekend mornings are the best time, as that is when the room is brightest, as the yarn is black.

Quilting - well of course, nothing new really.  Biggest thing is that I joined the Dear Jane challenge to do one block a week. 

We've been go-go-go for many weekends so I will be happy to be home and then to go into the basement and declutter and sew.  I need to make sense of the space.  And I hate to go down there now because Ted is not just gaming; he is frequently watching training videos for the new system at work.  So I do not want or wish to disturb him if he is actually working.

In many ways, life is in this holding pattern of getting ready to send Renee off to college.  There are things that have to be done and things I want to do that will be so much easier once she is gone. 

The Block That Started It All

The Dear Jane saga continues.

So, one member of my DJ small group was planning on attending the DJ meetup / retreat held periodically in Indiana, with Barbara Papadakis herself in attendance.  This guild member has attended several times and so knew Barbara well enough to know that the following was possible.

If Barbara is presented with a D-13 Field of Dreams block, she will autograph it for you to put in your Baby Jane.  Our guild member was willing to do this for us if we gave her the block.

I was on that, man. 

I picked that fabric because I love it.  I have found it in my travels in pink and purple as well.  (Yes, I am doing my Baby Jane in 30's, as it will remind me of my dad, born in 1935.) 

So then after having the aforementioned fabric placement crisis, I realized to get this effort off the ground this time, I HAD to find this block and mark it as green in the grid so I could do other blocks.

Whew.

I've done this and it means that the center square (always the best choice in Holly wood Squares) is pink  The corners are pink.  I am thrilled.  I might like pink.

So now it's time to get going.  I believe the goal this week is to take a piece of paper in the box, find its color and make it.  Don't care which block, just get one done.

Oh, Dear....Jane!

Oh Dear!!  Oh Dear!!

When Julie over at JulieKQuilts put up this post about Dear Jane, I said, why not?  So here I am and welcome if you come from that link!

Now that I declared myself, I better get going.  So I went to the basement where my studio is and tried to find my Dear Jane stuff.  Had a mild panic attack when it wasn't where I thought it would be.  Rifled through things - may have made a mess - not sure, was in a state of panic - will assess damage later.  Then I went to my trusty green notebook and looked at my inventory listing and it told me right where my DJ stuff was.  Amen for documentation.

So here's my DJ stuff:

I then had to dig for the book, which was of course at the bottom.  Not only was there fabric and the rulers in there but a whole ton of papers that I had copied from the book.  Clearly, I have tried in the past to get this project off the ground.  Found the book.  I needed the book to figure out where I was.

See, last time I valiantly tried to work on this effort, it was with a small group from my local guild. One member said she had to have the fabric matched to each block before she could start.  Some said that they wanted theirs to be monochromatic (oh, the idea of an all-pink one!).  Another was doing hers is redwork.   I thought I would let color placement fall  where it may. 

However I kept getting pulled back to the idea that Jane herself originally had, which was basically a barn-raising effect on the color placement.  After that  I threw up my hands, packed it away and here we are.

So how does all of this come together?  Stay tuned for the post about The Block That Started It All.

Update # 2 for July

Monthly Goals - Let's see where I end up.

Quilting:

Finish binding one thing to move down the Queen's List and get my Q3 finish in.  That's the post before this one.  I was #3 on the Queen's List I believe so I'm glad to move down!

Nothing else has been completed quilting-wise.  Knitting takes over.  

However, we did do the Eastern Central IL Shop Hop and boy, did I enhance my stash!  All in good fun.  It's my hobby, right?  a few places had really good sales rooms - Peanuts fabrics, etc.  Others had really unique notions and so I had to get some of those.  The lace zippers alone were worth it.

Knitting:

July Camp Loopy - I am behind schedule but persevering forward.  There is hope!

June Camp Loopy - One sleeve is done because having 2 circs going at the same time on the sweater meant the sweater couldn't travel well.  Since there was so very much knitting time (hours at the dentist office, hours upon hours in the car travelling to all the shops in the hop), I did get 3 repeats of the pattern done on the body.  That is a lot, I assure you.

August Camp Loopy - pick and buy for this project <--not started but must be done this next week

Tivo:

Tivo weirdness continues.  More of Durrells are gone, but again, I can watch on PBS Passport; I got 3 done this weekend!  I am the Night, a miniseries about the Black Dahlia murders, also disappeared.  So I took a minute to find it on demand and start watching it and it is a NO for me.  (And then it mysteriously reappeared.  I left it there for Ted.)  So no loss there.  Did watch two more of MacGyver.

I have tivo'ed a lot (omg a lot) of the PBS programming on the 50th anniversary of going to the moon.  That will be some solid immersive viewing when I start. 

Other topics:

Think about and start a walking plan, keto sounds good, so research that, and develop a plan on how to get this living room where we want it.  10 bags of donations from garage.  5 hours in the green room.  make sense of the lawn and garden. <-- none of this got addressed.  Oh well.

Let's see if I can remember to report in each Monday and then on July 31 / August 1.

i'm 2 for 2 on Monday posts, so hey that's good.

Q3 2019 UFO Finish

As I am #3 or #4 on the Queen's List, it's time for a finish, don't you all think?

A few years ago I asked to join a swap that revolved around the baseball season.  Long story short, lots of 6.5 inch charms are swapped each fall among the members.  And so each year I try to find a pattern that lets me use up the squares all together. 

I love the double slice pattern, but instead of starting with 10 inch layer cake squares and cutting and sewing and subcutting (ugh), I actually just cut pieces 5 by 6.5 or 5 by 3.5. I have a shoebox where I put the cut pieces when I process scraps and when it's full, it's time to make a donation quilt.   So I cut the 6.5 charms into these sizes, which left me with a strip from the large cut and a rectangle from the small cut.  I believe those just got processed in with the other scrap stash.  I don't believe I had quite enough charms so my stash supplemented the rest.

So here it is:  the Baseball Swap Double Slice.  Its owner has not yet been revealed to me.

Stats:

54 x 63
5.13 yards used

And with that, I will ask to be moved down!

Update #1 for July

Quilting:

Finish binding one thing to move down the Queen's List and get my Q3 finish in.

I'm #5 on the Queen's List, so I found the UFO to bind.  Did 2 needles yesterday and will do 2 needles a day until it's done.  Should be done this week.

Knitting:

July Camp Loopy - completed

I wanted to be at row 36 on the chart, and I ended last night on row 24.  Goal for this week is to row 68.

June Camp Loopy - through the sleeves

Got one sleeve done.  There's some road trip travel this week so I only wanted one active set of needles on the sweater.  I will work on this in the car this week.

Tivo:

Get through half of this list.  This 29 episodes - so 15 gone would be good.  I have a lot on my tivo and so I try to stay current, but some of the older stuff can fall off.  Final count on the tivo should be 170.

Unsolved : The Murders of Tupac and BIG 3 - deleted
Hillary 5 - done
Durrells 9
The Orville 2
MacGyver 4
Knightfall 6

OK, my tivo is wigging out.  It deleted 26 episodes of one show.  Then it deleted Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and BIG.  Then every couple of days, an episode of Hillary and the Durrells.  I am ticked.

I don't care about the Tupac thing and the 23 episodes of Chicago PD can be found on reruns without issue.  However, the 2 PBS shows really piss me off.

So I went to PBS Passport and set  up Hillary on my laptop.  Got my 5 charts for my shawl set up and promptly knit my way through all 5 episodes that I had left.

And that was my week!

July Goals

Monthly Goals - Let's see where I end up.

Quilting:

Finish binding one thing to move down the Queen's List and get my Q3 finish in.

5 things - I've thought about this and I want to complete 5 things in the basement to the flimsy stage.  Then I can add one project from upstairs and also start something new if I wish.

Then for every day that I am home for the day, I want to get one sandwiched.  Right now that looks like July 4, 6, 7, 14, 21, 27 and 28.  I have 4 flimsies I think ready to go, then add in the 5 above and I think I'd be doing pretty well.

Quilting - Once I get through sandwiching, I usually have a quilting plan.   If I do, then I just jump in and quilt it.  Only 1 quilt that is sandwiched languishes. 

Add 2 to the binding pile.  Hopefully more, but that's the minimum.

Knitting:

July Camp Loopy - completed
June Camp Loopy - through the sleeves
August Camp Loopy - pick and buy for this project
Block 2 things

Tivo:

Get through half of this list.  This 29 episodes - so 15 gone would be good.  I have a lot on my tivo and so I try to stay current, but some of the older stuff can fall off.  Final count on the tivo should be 170.

Unsolved : The Murders of Tupac and BIG 3
Hillary 5
Durrells 9
The Orville 2
MacGyver 4
Knightfall 6

Other topics:

Think about and start a walking plan, keto sounds good, so research that, and develop a plan on how to get this living room where we want it.  10 bags of donations from garage.  5 hours in the green room.  make sense of the lawn and garden. 

Let's see if I can remember to report in each Monday and then on July 31 / August 1.

Updates on Various Odds 'n Ends

June Camp Loopy never got finished on time.  However it will be finished because I love it and it's gorgeous.  No loss - I'll just do July Camp Loopy and keep working on the June one.

Vacation was wonderful.  Posts to follow.

Still loving the new-to-me laptop.  Nice to have and since it's small, that's pretty helpful.

I have adapted to my new Kindle.  I am currently re-reading Phillipa Gregory, now that I sort of understand who everyone is and how they are related.

Kim's 6th job offer at the job fair we went to in April was for Key West and she did it on a lark.  To make a long story short, she did accept that job.  She left for Florida earlier this month and their school board officially approved her hire.  Her new school calendar has hurricane days in it.  This makes me giggle. 

I am way behind on all my quilting.  The retirement quilt did not get done and I'm not worried about it.  Somewhere in all of that was Renee's high school graduation, and frankly that took my time and energy.  No one disputes that this was the best choice.  She had a great graduation and a great party and all was well.  It didn't rain (it was raining non-stop for days beforehand).

I have found the gift certificate for the quilt shop.  However I lost my medical credit card.  That was easy enough - ordered a new one and ordered one for Renee.

When I look ahead at the calendar for the next 3 or 4 months, I should be able to get to posting regularly.  I look forward to doing so.

I'm in the Clouds

So this t-shirt was my attire yesterday, as I went into work.  Yes, it was a Saturday, but system upgrades / conversions / whatever you call 'em have to happen on weekends.  And for us, on a weekend that lines up with a 3 day weekend near or including a month end.  Very specific, but very important.

While the 4th is on Thursday, we planned (and planned and planned - for over 3 years) for the end of this June.  We can use the 4th as a workday to get caught up just in case - our drop-dead deadline to get caught up is really next Friday night. 

So we started Thursday the 27th at 3pm.  Friday was uneventful - we were on schedule, actually about 2 hours ahead.  On Saturday I was contacted at 5.30 in the morning with an issue.  Got that figured out and we lost the 2 hours we were ahead, but that was still OK.  Rearranged a few tasks to see how things were - no big deal.  By 4pm we were back on track and in good shape.

This morning's call showed that we are now 6 hours ahead.  Things are going well.  One more critical process is running as I type this and then we will check one last thing.  If things are fine, which they should be, as we double check things as we go, then we will get ready for business as usual tomorrow, but in the cloud version of the system.

So yep, clouds are the theme of the weekend.  We are moving to the latest version of our system, which is now in the cloud.  While some things look different, the system functions the same way and some annoying 'features' of the old version are now better in the new version. 

So it's been a good weekend, and thankfully I didn't have to fight. 

And So It Begins...

Yes, that is an episode name in Babylon 5, a show that I love.  But neither here nor there, it is truly my status.

Today is the first day of PTO, which is the new term for what is called VACATION!  So exciting!  Vacation!  The trip is planned, the travelers are assembled, the car was sent for servicing, a baby Instant Pot was purchased.  We are raring to go!

And then comes illness.  Ted started on Sunday and I am running about 36 hours behind him.  Thankfully, I don't sound as bad as he did a few days ago, but it's unpleasant.  My sleep is horribly interrupted.  Anyway, Renee got him to Urgent Care / Prompt Care / Whatever You Call It, and he got diagnosed with a sinus infection.  Better living through chemistry.

Our trip is a road trip, and after we got all the places figured out and the general timeline, it was time to book hotels and he sounded horrible, so I didn't bother.  A few events require tickets and we hadn't handled that yet either.  Just as well - our lack of detailed planning has resulted in a flexible leave time.  Things has been edited, we will wing it more than we like, but certainly no more than we have in the past, and we will be off.

So today we rest.  I will work from home for a bit, we will pack, I will knit (OMG am I behind for Camp Loopy), I will process the CSA from Farmer Henry so  that we eat it today for our meals and/or it gets put up for winter, and the Jetta will get its stupid, expensive part.  Yes even the Jetta went down, days after the final payment on it was made.  The A/C wasn't working, and well, it is a road trip and it is summer.

Estimated departure:  tomorrow morning, after Ft. Jesse Cafe.

Well, Hello There!

I know none of you can see this because it's from behind the scenes, but hello from my new-to-me laptop.

About a year ago, I was time-sharing my laptop with my DD.  She had it most of the time and was gaming on it.  She killed it; it wasn't that kind of laptop.  She burned it out. 

So a replacement was purchased, but it was for her and at a gaming level.  She will take it to college.

Meanwhile, I haven't had a device of my own for a year.  I had just moved to a work laptop when this incident happened, so I figured I would cope.  But it is still life without access to your own laptop at any time, which is really nice.

Fast forward to the end of the school year, and since we chose to rent a device for the 4 years of high school (many advantages), the device was wiped and available to us once she graduated.  She went and picked it up today, the first day of availability.  It took us a bit, but we got the free copy of Windows 10 installed (she did it - I suck), I got Chrome installed and here we are. 

I am back!  With a (smallish) real screen!  And a (tiny) keyboard! 

So now I can blog again with regularity, instead of trying to cope around everyone else.

Moving Down

I'm Lady in Waiting #2 and thankfully the Scrappy Tumblers is a finish!

Back on March 24, I wrote this about it:

...I had started a top of all the tumbler shapes that came in the Bits 'n Pieces club.  There were never enough tumbles in any one color / shade / type to make anything.  So I just threw them all together.  I got it to a flimsy, sandwiched it with a frankenbatt, got it quilted it, trimmed it and got the binding attached.  It's sitting in the pile, waiting to be finished.  I hope to have tumblers to come up in the pre-cut challenge and then I can get a finish out real quick!

So yesterday we had to head north for haircuts and I got that sucker bound in the car!  This morning I snuck out and took a quick picture in my pjs.  Happy Easter / Passover everyone.

Here it is, in all its glory. 53 inches square, so 4.27 yards by my reckoning. Also my April pre-cut challenge quilt!

Excuse me while I email Ellen to move me down.  

Mid-Month Report

A mid-month update...

Quilting

Retirement quilt - flimsy - not even started, but I have decided to use the Quiltworx approach.  More prep work up front, but more mental health saved in the long run.

Fruit Cups - done done - not even touched

Scrappy tumblers quilt - done done - brought upstairs for handwork

Stars in Her Crown -  centers done - no progress, but I am going to hand piece this.  No point i getting frustrated with paper piecing when I am only making one of each thing.

BOM - to handwork stage - not even touched

Licorice All-Sorts - use as a leader and ender, so as far as I can get - not even touched

Harleigh's Easter gift - done done - not even touched and may sub something else for her Easter gift.

Knitting

Block 3 things - not even started

Get to 17" on fade sweater vest - not even touched

Mend 1 thing - not done

Crochet

Finishing on blue afghan - not even touched

Assess granny square afghan and get it half way to done - not even touched

Other

Braid t-shirt strips during the news every day (this will be sewn into a rug) - sadly, not touched

OK so it looks like I've done nothing and in many ways, it feels that way.  In my defense, I was gone 5 of the first 15 days of April, so there's that.  So here's my back half re-focus:

Quilting:

Scrappy Tumblers will get done.  Has to.
Retirement quilt - get going on it.  I have a feeling once I get going, it will be fine.  I need blocks of time and that is hard to come by, but I will have to force it I think.
Siggie Swap - just got the blocks back, so I want to get this done.  It's only 2 feet square, so not a lot of work.

Knitting:

Block 3 things
Knit on anything.

Crochet:

Work on both afghans.

Other:

Start braiding.  Try to double up