This year I look forward to accomplishing more. Last year I had a very colicky baby boy who is still quite convinced the world will end if his mother happens to be out of sight, so I am quite behind. If you have ever been through extreme colic you may relate. It is my hope that separation anxiety will cool somewhat, and I can cross most of these goals off my list.
My year holds a move, and possibly two (one back to Washington, and hopefully another when we buy a house). Moves are very hard for me for reasons stemming from a childhood remodel. My childhood house was packed up in boxes, stored away. And it never came back out. I wrote a poem about it once. It was moving. I will see if I can find it.
I struggle emotionally during these times, and that is on top of just the normal stresses people undergo during a move. I know the man upstairs is giving me lots of practice in this area for a reason. Each time the cut feels so painful, with the re-opened wound having to surface and heal again. Each time I vow and remind myself, "This is ME, I unpack every box, deal with crap, and make a home" However I chose this path, I chose these stresses because I firmly believed I needed to follow God's prompting in my heart and that involved some extra moving that we were not anticipating.
These moves themselves are as a quilt. Each neighborhood and location has brought us many gifts we would not have realized if we had lived just in one place only. I remind myself of this quilt that is made, each place a patch. Like one of my teammates who chose each place as a tattoo on her leg. My quilt is more a mental marking.
Every move I make a vow to banish each and every cardboard box, as just seeing them in the house brings back hard memories for me on a personal level. The kind of level where you can't quite speak it, it is just a tramatic association; and sort of an unbalancing force that once must rid themselves of quickly and with determination. I am sure everyone alive has their own "cardboard box" issue.
I am thinking of for once, just unpacking a small portion of our belongings until we purchase a home. I struggle with this though because of the associations I place when I look at the boxes. I want to save the boys from boxes in their living space. So maybe the solution is just packing full the garage for a bit?
I am making my 2015 goals with all this in mind, and as such trying to be a little kind to myself realizing that probably over half the year will involve deconstruction and reconstruction of the household in addition to three young children to care for.
Goals:
REVIEW GOALS ONCE A MONTH!!
Household:
Go through/organize one drawer/area/shelf/box or container each day I am at home during the week.
I want to be ready for the movers and have things in order and easy to pack up. Unlike last time when I was pregnant and puking.
Start using up the pantry and limit myself to buying only what I can use in the time left.
Spend some time each month in the garage analyzing what I can put away or get rid off. I am thinking 10 min. per week before the move.
Personal:
Take more pictures. These boys are growing so fast and I need to take time to snap it up.
Edit together some of the snippets of video.
Reduce sugar consumption, be mindful of it and specifically add more plain water. This will be hard to measure, but my goal here is really being aware of what I am drinking during the day.
Try to get to the gym once per week(or push the workout into the next week to make up for it), and maintain b-ball games.
Live in the now. Enjoy where I am while I am there. Do not worry over the future or dread it or envy it. Simply do my best each day. Know that my best is enough. If nothing changes, nothing changes.
Blog:
Post once a week before move, or at least write down my ideas so I can spring from them when there is some quiet available. There is so much accomplishment that has yet to be documented. This next year I want to document what I make.
Use these posts as a way to aid in completion of goals for 2015; ideally posting once a month about goal progress.
Post a video.
Sewing:
-Keep my embroidery machine running as much as possible
-embroider my way through my design library so designs are ready to go into quilts when I have more time, but right now I can at least keep the machine humming...and besides it helps me de-stress and feel like I accomplish something.
-buy embroidery software
-make boys capes
-sew larger tunic size for Roman Soldier costume since studio will be packed up still around Halloween
-sew 4 things out of Burda Magazines or patterns
-make something to wear on vacation
-make some shorts for the boys out of clothing I need to re-purpose
-sew up all the flannel solid navy and green purchased for boys
-cut some blocks to piece by hand during move
-cut more pieces to use up scraps for snail trail quilt
-sew up the two wild full scrap bags I have in the garage (one done this past month!)use for mindless piecing and save larger scraps for specific things if needed.
Things to finish:
-one WIP per month of any variety
-quilting of rose quilt
-"Sailor's Joy" quilt blocks out of civil war repros
-quilted jacket
-cross stitching A's stocking
-cross stitch on "welcome" sign over vacation
-quilting of star of quilt
-quilt colored bar quilt for Aunt by summer vacation
-make something for me to wear on vacation
-pillows for the family's beds
-work on Mermaid quilt if I ever have large blocks of time
Studio:
-organize one shelf a month til move
-put all knit fabrics/ribbing in a tub and remove from shelf
-file all patterns back
-try to elimate WIPs, reduce WIPs in cube of WIPs
-file fabric thrown up above bookcase
