Resolutions for 2014

After looking at 2013's resolutions and seeing how many of them I didn't accomplish, I'm a little hesitant to make them again.  :)  But they are all things I either would like to do, or need to do.  I am going to try easing into them in 2014 and not attempt them all at once.

Some thing I did do this year was that I was much better at finishing projects that I started.  I've been good about the following through.  I still have lots of projects that are unfinished hanging around from previous years and I'm going to work on finishing up those also.

I chose a random number of books to read, 104, or two a week.  That was a little ambitious.  I am rather surprised that I didn't hit my goal.  The reason is probably that when I had my knee surgery I couldn't focus on reading anything while I was on the pain meds.  Even TV was difficult.  So I lost about a month there.  104 is still probably a doable goal for me.  Since I got my Kindle, I always have a book going.  I love my Kindle!

When I had my knee surgery, I had to go to bed early as I needed help getting there.  It was amazing the effect it had on my blood sugar and my energy levels.  Of course, now I am back to my previous bad habits.  With the legislative session looming, I really need to get back into good habits of getting to bed earlier.  So my January goals to work on are getting to bed earlier and no computer after 10.

Jane

And time just keeps flying by..............

It's that time of the year again - resolution time.  The pastor asked how many people in the congregation make resolutions and there weren't many hands raised.  I didn't raise my hand either, but looking back at the past couple year-end blogs, I guess I do.  Here was last year's list:

1.  Get to bed at a decent time.  I've read all the information about how most Americans are sleep deprived and the toll it takes on your body.  I'm going to attempt to get to bed by 11 at the latest and hopefully more like 10:30 p.m.

2.  Turn off the computer by 10 p.m.  I get stuck reading something at the last minutes or playing a game and then the next time I look, it's way past my bedtime.

3.  Read 104 books.  This is a totally doable goal.  I read at least 2 books a week all this year.

4.  Work on my menu planning.  Some months I've done well, some weeks I have no clue what's for dinner.  This will incorporate even more freezer meals as I go along.  However, some of this will depend upon.....

5.  Start eating better.  I eat very few vegetables, too much cheese, and too many carbs.  It's been causing me to have elevated blood sugar levels and I need to get them under control.

6.  Start exercising some a couple times a week.  I'm limited in what I can do because of my knees, but I still have my gym routine for my upper body and the equipment to do it.

7.  Continue to destash.  I managed to get rid of 12 boxes of unused/uneeded stuff  in 2012.  I'm aiming for double that this year.

8.  Sew a couple of french fashion/other doll dresses this year.  I have all the supplies, just need to take the time.

9.  Paint and wallpaper the little bedroom.  It still has wallpaper from when Elsie was a baby.  :)

10.  Get my samplers framed and hung.  It's no good having them stuck away in drawers.

11.  Have a garden this year and really utilize what we grow.

12.  Continue to organize my stuff, finish projects that are started, and go through what I drug home from my mom's.  I want to sell the stuff I planned on selling, and fix what I planned on fixing, and just generally organize everything.

All of these are still relevant.  I did manage to get my mother's house finished and sold.  I got rid of about 15 boxes of stuff to either the Goodwill or to Elsie.  I have lots more to go.  Really, they are all still on my list.  Maybe I can do better this year.

Happy 2014!

~Jane

Wednesday

Work this morning, babysitting this afternoon.  No knitting today.  I strained my turkey broth and ended up with 4 quarts and a pint.  I think I'll make some turkey soup this weekend.  I did sew one bib this evening, finished reading The Book Thief and washed all the dishes needed to set our table tomorrow at Holiday Extravaganza.  I also added ribbons to the packages Elsie wrapped and made our little hostess gifts.  Just need to cart it all to the church tomorrow.  :)

~Jane

Tuesday

Today I spent babysitting my little guys.  I knew I had to get up an hour earlier than normal to get over there on time, with time to pick up some lattes, so couldn't get to sleep until 1:30 a.m. even though I went to bed at a decent time.  I hate when that happens.  Luckily, the boys were content to laze around today with me.  Elsie and I went shopping a little after she got off work.  We needed some centerpiece components for our dinner table on Friday.  I also wanted to get Zach a winter coat since the temps are supposed to be no higher than freezing for a week or so.  I have been bugging Elsie to look for Malachi's jacket from when he was that size, but to no avail.  While in the store tonight I remembered what happened to it...he stood too close to the stove one afternoon and the outer shell melted.  He was fine, but the jacket was toast.  Zach had had it with shopping by the time Grandma wanted to try a coat on him, but Grandma insisted.  It is really cold out right now with a wind.  With the wind chill figured in, it is only in the teens.  Don't want my little guy to be cold.

Tonight I spent the evening deboning Sunday night's turkey.  It is so not my favorite job.  I threw the carcass and all the odds and ends into a pot on the stove for a while to make turkey stock.  Then I transferred it to the crockpot to cook over night.  Meanwhile I made two turkey pot pies for the freezer.  I am really trying to build up my freezer meals before session starts.  We still have lots of turkey leftovers so will be able to have turkey and cranberry sandwiches for a while.

I've been working on Malachi's sweater.  I'm knitting the neck ribbing and then just the body to do.  I've finished up three more bibs.  I need to get another boy set of fabrics to finish up all the baby gifts I have in process.  Onto the girl bibs  now.  There will be no temptation to share them with Zach!

~Jane

Thanksgiving Weekend Sunday

Today was church and then I came home and made our Thanksgiving turkey.  Cranberries, mashed potatoes, squash, rolls, stuffing and gravy.  It was a good dinner, despite the fact that I figured out my stove's oven is not working.  Having to make everything in the smaller wall oven or on the stovetop was a bit challenging, but we made it. 

I spent the evening sewing more bibs.  I have some ready to take to work tomorrow and a couple more boy bibs to finish before starting the girl bibs.  I also  have to get the dishes ready for Holiday Extravaganza on Friday.  I'm bringing the dishes and glassware for a table of 8.  My daughter is working on the table centerpiece.  It is always a lot of fun.

After my daughter left for home, I tried calling her this evening.  No answer for several hours.  Then my son-in-law called to see if she was here.  Apparently he had been calling her also.  At that point, I got worried and drove across town to see that she and the boys were okay.  Apparently she left her phone in her car and hadn't received our 18 calls.  I helped her with her turkey that she was baking this evening and we talked some and then I headed home since I knew she was okay.  I guess she will always be my baby.  :)

~Jane

Post Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was yesterday.  We had a quiet day since we were traveling across town to have dinner with my husband's family.  My daughter and her family were having Thanksgiving with her in-laws, but we had arranged to bring pie by on our way home to spend a little time with them.  I made cranberries for the dinner and an apple and a pumpkin pie to have at my daughter's.  It was a nice evening.  Then my husband decided we should go to one of the stores having sales Thanksgiving evening.  He had something he wanted to get at a nice discount, like 80% off, so off we went.  We found the item and then waited 45 minutes in a long check-out line snaking through the store to pay for it.  That was the extent of our Black Friday-type shopping.  I am babysitting today.  So much more fun than fighting crowds.

I have several co-workers that have had babies in the past few months.  Work was too busy to let me make them something at the time, so I am getting caught up now.  I decided their babies are about ready for bibs, so I've been having fun making patchwork bibs for them.  Of course, Zachary can always use a few more also.  :)

My knitting project has been a sweater for Malachi.  Since the last one I knit him was way too big, I am measuring everything this time around so it will fit.  Then I'll make a matching one for Zachary.  I've learned you knit the biggest one first, as the younger child is the most apt to grow the most.  Sometimes it takes Grandmas a while to figure it all out.

I'm also working on cutting out three new pairs of pajamas for Malachi.  The ones I sewed him last year are getting rather small and worn, so I have three pieces of nice thick flannel to make him some new ones.  He is so appreciative, it is nice to make things for him.

Well, I had better get back to my babysitting.

~Jane

Missing in Action

My last blog entry was the end of August.  There has been so much going on here and yet, I've not taken the time to document most of it.  I spent most of the beginning of September trying to catch up on things since I was going to have my knee replaced the end of the month.  I made a number of freezer meals and bought easy groceries ahead, like chicken patties and chili and such.  I knew my husband was going to have to be doing all the cooking for awhile and I wanted to make it easy for him.  I also spent a lot of time doing leg raises and riding my recumbent bike to try and build my muscles up before the surgery.

So on September 24th, I went in for a total knee replacement.  To be truthful, I had totally unrealistic expectations of what this was going to entail.  I had done my prep work.  I expected for it to be a lot easier, but I hurt a lot more than I expected.  My leg was swollen for longer than I expected and I wasn't prepared for how much the surgery took out of me.  But in retrospect, the first two weeks were horrible, the next two not that bad, and I was back to work the end of the fifth week.  At six weeks, my surgeon and the physical therapist pronounced me released, as I could totally straighten out my knee, I could bend it 125 degrees (necessary to get up out of a chair), and I could walk evenly on it without a walker or cane.  It is still numb and sore, aches a lot, and will probably take several more months to totally heal, but it is coming along. 

After cleaning the bathroom today and steam mopping the dining room and kitchen, I went out to the greenhouse for the first time in a couple months.  I pulled some overgrown radishes and undergrown carrots for the chickens and then proceeded to dump out all the pots of soil and dead plants.  Most were the tomatoes I had had growing that had finally died off.  So the greenhouse is cleaned up and swept out ready for starting transplants in the spring.  There still is celery, leeks, beets and broccoli growing in the beds to continue to harvest.

I started knitting a new sweater for Malachi last evening and after working on it for several hours, I realized I had the wrong number of stitches for the gauge I was getting and had to pull it all out and start over again.  I cast on tonight and made good progress.  It is a pullover V-neck sweater knit from the top down.  I am hoping I can get it to fit better than the green one I made him earlier this year.  He won't be able to wear the green one for another year!  :)

~Jane