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Managing My Life

Use Your Stash

December always seems to be the time when I take stock and check what I need to change and improve. It seems I mostly do this when I clean for family visits over the holidays. Are your December days like this, too? I guess it is the feeling of starting a new year, of new beginnings. I look forward to getting organized and setting up better systems for managing my life and planning for the future. Then I won’t have to struggle so much with cleaning/organizing in the New Year.

Three Areas I Struggle to Manage Well

  • My Time
  • Crochet Projects
  • Family/Work Balance

How I Manage My Biggest Stumbling Block

Managing my time has been a huge stumbling block for me. It seems that something is always in the way of doing what I want to do. I recently had a conversation with our adult daughter which really opened my eyes. I was listing everything I had to do and why it seemed like I never had any time. Along with the list was my chief complaint that I am tired all the time. We talked about it for awhile and, finally, she said, “It sounds like you need a day off.” She was right, but my schedule is too full and too busy with too much stuff going on.

I took a long look at my calendar and started canceling things that were not immediately necessary. Just because something is good doesn’t mean I need to participate. If you take the rock, pebbles and sand analogy too far you can see yourself coming and going. Then there is no time to just be, to just enjoy life. Family, art, and creativity take time; you just have to know how to spend that time. Otherwise, you miss the small minutes that can mean so much. It is possible to structure your time so heavily that you never have time to look at the rainbow. or the flowers. I catch myself not looking my kids “in the eye” and telling them I love them. And I forget: why I started this crafty business in the first place; to tell my husband I love him; to laugh and have fun with my family.

Wow, I forget a lot. It must be the doer/manager part of me that is so strong. If you forget the sweet things in life, then you really don’t have a life!

Three Simple Things for Managing My Life

Delegating

I have been delegating more house chores to family members–the kids need the experience and practice, plus the knowledge that cleaning should happen every week. Whenever I can have someone else do a chore, then I do. Delegating to the kids to do their own laundry and “hiring” their help around the house has freed up some of my time and keeps the cleaning chores down to a dull roar for me.

Set Office Hours

I posted my office hours for my online sales venues. This helps customers know that I am not ignoring their comments on the weekend. I am truly off work. I also am trying learning to schedule work time around family/date night/me time. I’m getting better at it. When you work in your living room, your work can become your life.

Work Ahead

In an effort to reduce stress, I am trying to work ahead. From freezer cooking to errands to crochet patterns, I am attempting to work in advance of when it is due. This gives me a little spare time to fight off that cold or welcome the new Grandkids that arrive unexpectedly.

Now if I can just get my Christmas/Birthday shopping and card buying done early too!

You notice I did not say one word about crocheting, organizing yarn, or using my stash yarns. That’s because my focus this month is on using my stash yarn. Be watching for a post next week when I tell you all about the Use Your Stash Challenge because we must, after all…

Shop Our Stash First!

Already, I am getting so excited about it–I can’t wait to get started! I want to see all of your projects and ideas, and I can’t wait to feel the excitement as we all work through our stash and WIP’s (works in progress).

Use Your Stash Challenge

Talk to you later,

Karen

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Tuesday’s Project Progress – week one

It has been such a long time since I told you  my project progress and list of things to do for the week. I hope to keep this up over the year. It is so hard to do.
Here is my list of works in progress with photos whenever possible.

Yarny things:

Granny circle thing

Tuesday's Project Progress

Crochet shawl

Tuesday's Project Progress I love the colors in the scarf/shawl. It will be big enough to be a shawl  and yet small enough to wear with a coat. It matches my winter coat and most of my clothes so when I take off the coat I can still wear it.

Crochet shawl/scarf

I am making another one of these scarf/shawls. This one is out of sock yarn. I finally decided that I am never knitting socks. The double point needles keep slipping out of the yarn and I would drop stitches because of it. I have had the yarn for ages. It is a  lovely, grey, red, and blue self striping yarn. It is washable and will make a great scarf.

grey diagonal

Tuesday's Project Progress

I have had this in a partial state for at least a year. It is time to finish it but I just don’t like what it is turning into. So, I need to either frog it or finish it. What do you think?

blue and white Stripe

Tuesday's Project ProgressThis I will finish as it is for ChocolatesBabyShop. I love the combination of colors and it will make a beautiful baby blanket.

multicolor granny stripe

Tuesday's Project Progress

crochet hats of various kinds

Sewn things:

  • Various cup cozies
  • coffee press cozies
  • hot pads or pot holders
  • 2-3 aprons
  • a quilt that needs the machine quilting

I am also in the middle of cleaning/de-cluttering/ organizing the studio. (I am rearranging the furniture to make it more useable.)

That is a huge list and doesn’t include my home school mom duties, my housewife chores or just daily life. I am overwhelmed with everything that is on my plate right now. I need to take it one thing at a time. I know that I can get the important things done and the little things will melt away. I can also delegate some of the daily chores. Three things in my favor this week.

  1. I have a menu for the week.
  2. I have a calendar with appointments listed on them
  3. The post office will pick up from my mail box!

Well, I should let you go as I am needing to get on with my list for today.

Talk to you later,

Karen