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...