Staying on track . . .

It is the middle of January and it should be no surprise to anyone who has lived in the Northeast that we will most likely have a big snow storm or two during the winter. So while we await the first storm of the year, I am thinking about how I will get through the next several days of being snowed in. As I have been continuing my purging efforts around the house this month, that is part of my January 2019 focus, I have come across many unfinished projects and have added several of them to my TO DO list.

During the year, I often say to myself ..."when we have a winter storm, I will hunker down and  do one of those items on my list that requires a chunk of uninterrupted time". But the storm comes and the storm goes . . . and my list pretty much remains static. So, today, as I am sitting here watching the weather and wondering how bad the storm will be . . .if we will get the 20" of snow and the blizzard-like conditions they are predicting, I have decided that I need to rethink my old imaginary plan to knock those projects off my list.

The first thought I had is to create a project box for myself...something that has a name and a purpose...that I can open and find one of those undone projects inside that I always say I will work on during a storm, but never do. It might sound a bit simplistic, but for a person like myself, who is pulled in many directions by creative thoughts and urges, I am thinking this just might work. Of course, it will require some effort and stick-to-it-iveness on my part, but I am thinking of the good feelings I will have when I have accomplished whatever task I find inside. Once the plows have cleared the roads, we have shoveled our way out of the house and the sun comes back out, I will be able to feel that sense of accomplishment I anticipate.

So, today I will grab a couple of boxes and prepare some winter storm project boxes. I know one project will be a little flannel doll quilt that needs the binding sewn on. It is already pinned and with little effort, it can be finished. The next will be a box of photos that need sorting, labeling and sharing. I have a lot of photos, but one little shoe-box-sized project shouldn't be too daunting. I will make pretty labels for the boxes and place them in a prominent place on a shelf. I look forward to opening them on a snow day . . . maybe tomorrow!

For other things on my TO DO list that can't be put in a box, I might resurrect an old idea I learned about many years ago. I saw it in a magazine and although I can't give the person who wrote about it credit, I recall it was for families to use to get some household chores done. It might have included a reward system. There is ice cream in the freezer, so we are good on the rewards here. 🙂 The idea was to write down the chores on slips of paper, fold them in half, and put them in a fish bowl or a mason jar. I don't recall the details, but I have always thought it was a cute idea and it didn't involve any nagging or begging . . . which I know gets really tiring for parents! I might take a few of those unboxable items from my list and put them on slips of paper and bottle them. There are many little chores that take only 15 minutes or so to do, but I tend to tell myself I can do them later, and later never comes! The tedious microwave scrubbing and the dirty oven vents come to mind. Those old toothbrushes I save and some Q-tips will be my cleaning tools . . and that is probably why those chores never rise to the top of the TO DO list! Then there is the silverware drawer . . . how is it that it gets dirty inside when we put only clean utensils in it? For breaks, how about I actually watch some of the programs I have recorded that are taking up space on my DVR list? I mean . . . really . . . how many Hallmark movies can I keep on the list? At this rate, I will be watching them in July!

I am back on track in my studio . . . after a little post-holiday break and a vacation at Disney World. It took me a week or so to get back to my usual routine, but I am making things and, hopefully, I will get to those TO DO list items, too!

Click on the photo to enlarge it,

 if you would like a closer look.

February will be here before we know it!
I couldn't wait to break out the pink and red ribbons and trims and make this wreath!

Thank you for taking the time out of your day today to read my post. As always, I hope you and those you love are happy and healthy. Your questions and comments are welcome. You can comment here on my blog or on Facebook. I always read them and I will respond. And until we meet again, may the Lord hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Emmy

Cool Colors for a Cold January

When we are into the really cold weather of winter, I try to embrace it by using colors from the landscape inside our home. I took down much of the Christmas decor earlier than usual this year because after spending a week at Disney World, where everything was elegantly decorated for Christmas, I was on green and red overload! It really surprised me that I felt that way, but after seeing very tall tall trees decked out in every hotel lobby, restaurant and park, I was  ready for a calmer look inside our four walls.

I went to the closet to see what tablecloths I had ready to put on our dining room table and came across one that was my mother's. She had a lot of beautiful table cloths that she would use for special occasions. The one I found was one of her smaller ones and when I put it on our table, it fit . . . although it could stand to have another leaf in the table. But it works for me. As I handled the tablecloth and started to arrange the placemats and dishes, I was awash in memories of my mother and I started to wonder if she would like to see my pretty table with her tablecloth spread on it. I smiled and thought she would like it very much. 

If you would like a closer look, 

click on the photo to enlarge it

Cool Blue

A trip to the Dollar Tree for a little retail therapy provided the look I was wanting for under $25! I'm planning to get more use out of the new placemats, glass plates, bowls, goblets, and the glasses and trays on the mantle, when patriotic holidays roll around. The wreath was given to us for Christmas many years ago. I love how it all came together and it is in keeping with our 1846 house. 

When my mother was my age, she didn't have the spare time to think about decor and she definitely didn't have the conveniences that I have. She was still taking care of a large farmhouse and yard, cooking big noon-time meals for our family and the hired man who ate dinner with us, running errands, grocery shopping, and visiting and entertaining friends and relatives. Her shopping, conversations and friendships were not online. She drove to the store everytime she needed groceries, clothes, gifts, and household goods. She visited people face-to-face and when she couldn't drive to see them, she heard their voices on the phone. She organized her time and she got everything done.

The things we have now that are supposed to make our lives more convenient and streamlined might not really live up to our ideas of how effective and useful they are. For me, the time stolen from me daily by the notifications on my phone probably amounts to a couple hours, if I was to time it out. It makes me pause and rethink how I use the media and devices that are at my fingertips. And since it is a  new year, it is as good  time for me  to put into practice what I have considered many times. I am going to try to look at my phone fewer times throughout the day. I usually watch videos, read email, read and send text messages and look at Facebook in the morning while I wake up with my coffee. I will keep that routine because it is something I like and it seems to fit into how I spend the first part of my day. However, unless I need to make a call or send an email, I plan to put my phone down and look at it only a few more times during the day and early evening. That still sounds like a lot of time and maybe I will find that I can wean myself off of my devices more than I plan. Then I might enjoy more days like my mother and have the life I wish for. I would like more face-to-face visits and more phone calls. I miss hearing my friends and relatives voices. I think of all the things that I miss, what I miss the most is talking on the phone.

I am glad I have the opportunity to reach out to you via the internet on my blog, and I know it takes time out of your day when you read my posts. I am very grateful to have you in my life and enjoy hearing from you when you make comments. Your questions and comments are always welcome here on my blog or on Facebook. I read every one and respond. So, although I may sound like I am a little negative about using media and devices, I am not so much negative as I am learning to be more selective in how I use them . . . which I think is a positive approach. :-)

So, thank you for taking the time today to read this post. It is my hope that you and those you love are happy and healthy. And until we meet again, may the Lord hold you in the hollow of His hand.

Emmy

Resolve



Sunrise from our balcony at
Disney's Wilderness Lodge

It took a week away from home for me to realize some things about my life. Vacations are restorative, fun and, if you go to Disney World, immersive. Even on vacation, or maybe especially on vacation, I require a long wake-up time. Early mornings with my coffee cup in the quiet resort hotel suite gave me time to sort my thoughts about the previous day, look at our vacation photos, and plan for the day ahead. It also gave me the time to contemplate other things...especially how I structure and use the time I have every day at home. Away from the familiar surroundings of my house, yard and community, I could visualize days ahead spent in more comforting and productive ways...days with greater purpose for me and everyone with whom I cross paths. The goals and resolutions will still be listed on lined paper, highlighted, reviewed, rearranged, revised, and probably sometimes ignored; but for the most part I'll try to be more mindful and purposeful in my daily thoughts and actions. My keyword for 2019 is, and will be throughout the year, "resolve".


So, having arrived home with my heart warmed by time on vacation with family, and a fresh perspective on how I want the new year to unfold, I can say with enthusiasm that I am looking forward more to this new year than I can remember in the last few years. I am planning to tackle things that I have put off for a long time. Even though I have been trying to purge closets and cubby holes, there is still a lot of stuff I need to deal with. So, purging will be my January focus. This time I will not try to purge, but I will purge. There is a big difference in those two words, "try" and "will". By the end of the month, many things will be moved out either by donating them, tossing them, or selling them. When February rolls around, in just 25 days, I will work on something different and will work on it for the entire month. I don't know yet what it will be, but it will be immersive, like a Disney World vacation and hopefully my new approach will find me at the end of each month with a sense of comfort from my purposeful and productive approach.


Last year I stepped away from some organizations and from making commitments that would take away from my life with my husband. After four years of his attentive continual care-giving following my surgeries and hospitalizations, he deserved a break. The focus needed to change from being on me to being on him. The year was happy and uneventful. Of course, we had some things come up from time to time that complicated our days and challenged us. There were many opportunities for learning and better ways to do things we have always done the same old way. My decision to focus in 2018 on my husband and our home was a good one. It gave us our lives back and we returned to some normalcy. Now that I feel like I have my feet back on the ground, I hope to get involved again in organizations and activities that I enjoy. But for now, I need to focus on my January resolve and start purging.


Thank you for taking the time to read my post. As always, your questions and comments are welcome here on my blog or on Facebook. I will read them and respond. I hope you and those you love are happy and healthy as you begin this new year. And until we meet again, may the Lord hold you in the Hollow of His hand.


Emmy

Happy New Year!

Here's to a wonderful new year of old and new traditions, happy times with friends and family, and the hope that a new year brings. New Year's Day has always been a bigger deal to me than New Year's Eve. I have written before about my upbringing on a farm. On New Year's Eve, my parents and we children would cluster around the black and white TV and see the old year out and the new year in with Guy Lombardo. On New Year's Day we would have a big dinner, much like Thanksgiving and Christmas, and invite relatives to join us. It was a nice way to begin the many new years that we shared as a family. I miss those New Year's Day gatherings. The hustle and bustle of getting the dinner ready by noon, or one o'clock at the latest . . . farmers eat at regular times, even on holidays . . ., the warm yeast rolls just out of the oven, the relish tray filled with home-canned pickles, cauliflower, beets and other delights, The huge dishes of mashed potatoes, hubbard squash, fresh applesauce, cabbage salad -- never coleslaw -- , a ham or turkey, and my mother's scalloped oysters, followed by lemon meringue pie, mincemeat pie and pumpkin pie. After dinner there was a card game in the kitchen for the men and canasta in the dining room for the women. And later on, there might be time for the ladies to get their handwork out and do some crocheting or knitting or sewing little stuffed pincushions in cute animal shapes. I loved watching them and learning from them. Their hands were never idle and I was the happy recipient of so many things that their hands made for me.


Of course, the glitz of a New Year's Eve party always looked appealing to the little farm girls sitting on the floral-patterned rug in front of the big TV in our living room. As I got older I attended a few of those kinds of parties, and while it was fun to dress up and toast to the new year, it never gave me the same feeling of contentment as those New Year's Eves and New Year's Days on the farm. And living in Western New York means you may end up wearing a down parka over your glamorous sparkly dress and carrying your pretty high heels in your hands while you trudge through the snow in your ugly boots with lug soles. It can be pretty cold and snowy on December 31st and it kind of takes away from the dramatic feeling of making a grand entrance when you walk into the party bundled up like you are going on the the Iditarod Trail!

If you would like a closer look, click on the photo.

Happy New Year Wreath

Whatever way you celebrate this new year, I hope it is spent doing something that gives you a feeling of contentment. I have learned it is okay to celebrate and commemorate special days in my own way, with my own traditions and rituals. If you have special new year's traditions or stories you'd like to share, I'd love to hear them!


As always, I hope you and those you love are happy and healthy. Your questions and comments are welcome and if you comment here on my blog, or on Facebook, I will respond. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog post today and, until we meet again, may the Lord bless you and hold you in the hollow of His hand.


Emmy