Felt Like Knitting

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Intentions for 2015

Today I read an article in the NY Times about resolutions.  The author, Ruth Chang, suggests we stop making resolutions and start resolving to become the person we want to be.  This fits very well with the Ten on Tuesday topic for today.

In 2015, I will work to become the person I want to be by...

Letting go of trying to be perfect:  I don't intentionally try to be perfect because I know that's an unattainable goal, but in an effort to do the best job possible I spend a lot of time and effort getting things just right.  I need that time for other things.

Spending more time with family:  Last year I set the goal of having monthly dates with my husband and my daughter.  That lasted for a while and I really enjoyed it.

Spending more time with my friends:  I find myself feeling envious when I read Facebook posts where friends are getting together.  As I've become busier, I've spent less time on relationships.

Spending more time with online friends:  I do keep up with folks on Instagram and some on Twitter and Facebook, but I miss being in touch on blogs.  

Taking more pictures:  I think about taking pictures after something has ended.  Like my family was here for Christmas/New Year's and I only have pictures of them right before they left.

Analyzing what gets in the way of being organized and fixing it:  At church and at school I am told how organized I am.  At home?  Not so much.  I want to find the things that get in the way of that.  An example is our medical paperwork.  I tend to save all that even when I don't need it.  Do I really need the insurance statement that says they paid for another allergy shot?  I don't think so.  And it certainly doesn't need to pile up on the kitchen counter...

Continuing to knit for others and using my stash to do so:  I do enjoy knitting for myself, but I enjoy knitting for others even more.  I'm knitting for the people at Pine Ridge through the For the Children of Pine Ridge group on Ravelry.  The people there lead hard lives and the suicide rate is three times higher than the average US rate.  In fact, a couple of weeks ago a 7th grader from the school we're currently knitting for committed suicide.

Taking better care of myself:  When I started teaching again in 2013, I didn't take the time to take care of myself.  I put on more weight, didn't make doctor's appointments that I needed, etc.  I started working on the appointments last year, but I still have more to go.

Improving my relationship with God:  God is always there, but I'm not.  My current Bible study book is called Discerning the Voice of God.  It's reminding me to listen.  Plus, I'd like to finish the chronological reading of the Bible that I started in December 2012.  It was supposed to be a one year plan!

Spend less time volunteering:  That sounds weird, doesn't it?  When I took on the council president's role in 2013, I had to give some things up.  I let go of a lot of the things I did with the contemporary band.  But it all still takes too much time.  I've been trying to do less with the council president role.  Like I was trying to attend most church events - not anymore.  I need to pare something else away to be able to have time for the other things on this list!

To share your list with others, head on over to Carole's blog.  You can also sign up for Ten on Tuesday notices.

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Things I Did This Weekend

  Ice cream social - yum!

Today's post will not be a problem!  We had a super busy weekend.  It was so busy that we didn't even go to all the events to which we were invited.

1. Wedding - Our friends' daughter got married and the ceremony was lovely.  I helped cut the cake and that went pretty well considering the cake had a ton of whipped cream icing and the cake itself was frozen.

2. Church - I went to church like usual yesterday, but this time I was in the pews instead of up front playing guitar.  The college guitarists are back from school and they were playing.  It felt very weird.

3. Worship planning meeting - After having lunch with Steve and a friend after church, I went to the monthly worship planning meeting.  That's always very interesting and usually a lot of fun at the same time.

4. End of year music department party - The choir, bell choir and band got together for an end of the season party.  The band plays all year long, but that didn't stop us from being at the party!  :)  While at the party, I played...

5. Cornhole - This is a fun game.  I had heard of it, but hadn't played it before.  I was very bad at first, but got better during the second game. 

6. Ice cream social - Our neighbors have an ice cream social every Memorial Day.  It's always a lot of fun and the weather was perfect this year.

7. Graduation party - We were invited to three parties, but only made it to one.   

8. Throne painting - I'm creating a prop for Vacation Bible School.  Probably more on this in a future post...

9. Book club reading:  I started July's selection - The Charm School

10. Phone conversations with my dad, my mom and one of my brothers - I always enjoy talking with my family.

What did you do this weekend?  To share your activities with the Ten on Tuesday group, go to Carole's blog.

Ten on Tuesday: Ten Things I Love About September

September leaf

1.  It's Steve's birthday month!

2.  The weather begins to be cooler and less humid.

3.  I can start getting fall decorations out!

4.  And soon we can start eating more "fall food" - more soup, stew, etc.

5.  School starts... for some people.  Some schools here have already been in for a month.  But I still think of September as the month to go back to school.

6.  The leaves are beginning to change.

7.  The knitting gets even better!

8.  It's okay to pull out my fall scented candles now.  I have a hard time finding summer candles that aren't too flowery.  There is never a problem with fall candles!

9.  That football feeling...  After I was out of college, I would get this "football feeling" on crisp Saturday mornings.  It made me want to be back at the stadium at school, watching the game.  (Speaking of football, did you watch the VT /GT game last night?  The Jackets were sooo close to winning!  It was definitely an exciting game.)

10.  I can start to wear my fall/winter wardrobe again.  It's much better than my spring/summer wardrobe because it includes shawls and scarves!  :)

To share your thoughts, join the fun over at Carole's blog!

 

Ten on Tuesday: Ten Things To Do At the Beach

                              Knitting on the beach at "Sharky's on the Pier"

Praise God - It never fails.  When I see the ocean, I realize again that the world is a very cool place and that God created it.  It's too easy to forget that when I am in my usual routine.

Knit - I take my knitting, of course!

Fly kites - One year we took our kites and that was great!  I keep meaning to pack them again...

Pick up shells - Some beaches are better for this than others or maybe it just depends on how close to the beach I'm staying.  If we have a condo on the beach, it's a lot easier to get there earlier.  

Sift sand for shark teeth - A lot of shark teeth can be found in Venice, FL.  My FIL has a basket on a pole that makes sifting easier.

Talk - We are usually with family at the beach, so we chat while we...

Sit in the sun -  I frequently stay in the shade of the umbrella, but sometimes it's nice to feel the warmth of the sun.

Eat - When we are at the beach at Sharky's, we have lunch there.

Go for walks - I love to walk on the beach with my family!  If there's a dog beach, that's even better.  It's so fun to see the dogs running into the water to retrieve balls.

Take photos - It's great to document our trips.  You won't ever see a picture of me that far out in the water.  :)

 

What are your favorite beach activities?  Head over to Carole's to share.

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Everyday Things That Make Me Happy

Not in any particular order...

Our dog

My family

Our garden

Scented soap (especially bayberry - Does anyone have a good source for handmade scented soap?  I'm about out.)

My iPhone!!!  (I love my phone!  It makes my life easier.)

Unsweetened iced tea

Hair clips (This one is odd, but I love having my hair up out of my face while I'm doing things at home.  I get downright grouchy if I don't have a hair clip available.)

 My guitar and playing in the band (Aside from being with my family, I think band practices and Sunday mornings are my happiest times.

 Knitting (or any other creative outlet)

Food (Lately it's been homegrown tomatoes and basil in my caprese salad)

I know I probably shouldn't count my dog and family since they aren't things, but my life really wouldn't be happy without them.  Plus I'm really tired and I can't think of anything else right now.  :)

What makes you happy?  Join us over at caroleknits.net to share your answers.

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Favorite Ways to Eat Strawberries

What a coincidence!  I bought strawberries to have for dessert tonight.  Here are some ways I enjoy eating strawberries.

1.  Fresh off the plant - So yummy.  We used to have some strawberry plants and I miss them.

2.  With lemon topping - This is my current favorite.  For the topping, mix together a small container of Cool Whip and a small container of lemon yogurt.  (I've been using Chobani brand.)  This is also good over pound cake, but it's much healthier alone.  Tonight I used fat free Cool Whip, but I don't recommend that.

3.  Dipped in chocolate

4.  Jam - My mom used to make freezer jam all the time and we would barely let it thaw before we dove into it.

5.  Freezer jam swirled into vanilla ice cream - This technique works well with peanut butter, too!

6.  Strawberry shortcake

7.  Strawberry pie - It's been years since I've had this.

8.  Strawberry rhubarb pie

9.  On spinach salad (with candied pecans)

10.  Sugared strawberries over vanilla ice cream (like you'd make them for shortacke)

How do you like your strawberries?

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Movies You Want to See Right Now

Rebecca:  We just finished reading this excellent book for book club and now I really want to watch the movie.  There is another version and it might be fun to compare both movies.

Get Low:  Our previous pastor helped write this movie.  It's about his wife's great uncle (or some relation).  They've been all over for film festivals for this film.  How fun for them!

Ides of March:  It was filmed at my alma mater, Miami University.  Can't wait to see shots of the beautiful campus.

The Hobbit:  An Unexpected Journey:  This isn't out yet, but I want to see it when it does hit theatres.

The Hobbit:  There and Back Again:  I'll have to wait even longer for this one.

Twilight:  Breaking Dawn 1:  Emma is over the Twilight thing so we decided to wait to rent this.  Guess we can see it now but we haven't gotten around to it yet.

Twilight:  Breaking Dawn 2:  I'll want to see this eventually, too.  (I know that's not technically "right now" but there just aren't that many movies I want to see right now.)

Lord of the Rings 1, Lord of the Rings 2, Lord of the Rings 3:  I've been wanting to have a marathon LotR viewing but nobody wants to join me.  Guess I'll just have to make a date with myself to watch them.

I'll throw in an extra since some of my movies aren't out yet.

Pride and Prejudice:  It's been a while since I've seen it.  Time to fix that!

There you go!  This was a hard list for me to complete because I don't see many movies and usually don't even know what's showing.  

What's on your list?  Head over to Carole's to share.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things You Want to Do in 2012

I feel like 2012 is a gift - all wrapped up like this pretty birthday present and we don't know what's inside.  But we can set some goals for the new year and decide on a few things we'd like to do.

1.  Organize the house - You've already read about this one.  I may not get the house cleaned or complete projects like painting the bathroom, but I will get the clutter purged and under control.

2.  Assist my daughter with graduation and college plans - Ooo, this will be a big part of 2012.

3.  Figure out what I'd like my next career to be - I have more ideas now than I used to, but I'm still not exactly sure what to try next.  

4.  Learn to play the piano - I've wanted to learn to play the piano for as long as I can remember.  Steve and Emma gave me a keyboard for Christmas so I pulled out my adult piano book and got started.  Jingle Bells, When the Saints Go Marching In, different voices - lots of fun!

5.  Get back to Jazzercise - Things got busy in the fall, then Advent and Christmas hit, then I was sick.  If I can just make myself get there a few times in the next week, I can get back into the routine.

6.  Get back to eating healthier - Too many sweets, too tight jeans...

7.  Improve the garden - We need to amend the soil again and I'd like to start more things from seed this year.

8.  Learn more about fitting hand knitted items - I've purchased the Fit Your Knits and Curvy Knits classes from Craftsy.  I want to be more confident about this and I also want to be able to help my students.

9.  Do more charity knitting - I feel so much better when I am knitting for others.  I'd specifically like to knit more hats for the homeless.

10.  12 Shawls in 2012? - This one is still a big "maybe" for me.  I can't decide if this is doable with my schedule or not.

11.  Get together more often with my knitting friends - I'm including #11 since #10 is iffy.  This year I have not hung out with my knitting buddies and I really feel out of touch.  Time to fix that!  And it's time to get back to keeping up with my virtual knitting friends, too!

What do you want to do in 2012?  Stop in at Carole's to share your answers.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Hostess Gift Ideas


I love today's topic - not because of my list but for what others will be sharing.

1.  Muffins - When I go to a party, I like to take homemade muffins (and maybe some pretty napkins) to the hostess.  I figure that the day after a party, it might be nice to have breakfast ready to eat.

2.  Wine - tried and true...

3.  Kitchen handsoap and a handknitted dishcloth - Lots of nice scents from Bath and Body Works

4.  Candle - from Bath and Body Works or from Pier 1

5.  Ornament - I like giving ornaments at Christmas, especially the Li Bien ornaments from Pier 1.

6.  Flowers - another tried and true hostess gift.  Unless someone is allergic to flowers, I think most people enjoy receiving them.

7.  Plants - if it's spring or summer, I'd give someone a potted herb or flowering plant.

8.  Notecards - I love notecards.  They're so pretty and handy to have around.

9.  Tea - I'm not sure that I've done this, but I think giving someone tea or coffee would be nice.

10.  ??? - Totally drawing a blank here.  This is why I need to read today's list from other people!

What hostess gifts do you recommend?  Check out the ideas on Carole's blog.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things You Want to Knit this Fall/Winter

Hello everyone!  What better way to jump back into blogging than to talk about what I want to knit?

Right now I'm on the sleeves of Vonica so I'll count that as my first item.  It will be so nice to have a new sweater to wear when it turns cool.

Having success with Vonica makes me want to knit more sweaters!  Maybe one or two of the following?

Breezy Cardigan or Effortless Cardigan

Evendim (love that collar!)

Eadon (love!)

Crane Creek (but without the pockets) 

Daedalus (maybe...still thinking about it)

or maybe an accessory...

Aestlight Shawl (have the yarn picked out)

Echo Reversible Drop-Stitch Mobius (I think it looks fun.)

Plover (cute hat)

What do you want to knit?

Ten on Tuesday