Several More Books read which I've enjoyed.

I enjoy reading and continue to declutter my bookshelves one. book. at. a. time.  

It truly doesn't matter how fast this endeavor is taking as I am keeping up with the Book Club reads each month besides am able to conquer a few more titles during a month that come onto my radar.   

These are the titles with Authors that I've read (except that first one, notice the PUKE as my notation, could only manage about 50 pages and it wasn't getting any better!  lol) so far in 2023.  Only two came off my bookshelves and were donated to the local library when I was through.  The rest were loans from family, friends or the library and three of the titles were audiobooks.  Not bad getting 9 done since the 1/1/2023 if I do say so myself.

Chinese Art Brush Class Enjoyment

 Last year I participated in a ZOOM class featuring Chinese Brush Art class with a traditional approach.   It was enjoyable and I learned.  

This year another 6 week session was offered, so I jumped on board.  

Week 4 had us redo the lotus which we learned last week and then do a rabbit.  My attempts at those:  

2nd time doing lotus

my first rabbit

Not sure how many of these I'll be sharing with you, however I am enjoying the comradery of the class and learning while still creating.  It's nice to imagine creating art.  That rice paper is so delicate!

Cozy into Winter Stitched

 It's stitched.  Now I need to figure how I'll be FFO (I believe that acronym stands for Finally Finished Object or perhaps Finally finished Off - Either would be pertinent).  

It still needs pressing  and I'll be doing a running stitch around the outside of the design leaving 6 to 10  threads as the boundary.  This makes it easiest for me to square up and know the line to stitch on if I machine sew the finish.  Still debating on whether it's calling to be a pillow/sachet or a small framed piece.  

The design is "Cozy Into Winter" by Jeannette Douglas Designs.  Stitched on 32ct. Wichelt Café Mocha with the called for threads.  

Later.... and enjoy whatever you are doing. 

3 generations on Valentine's Day 2023

Though Hospice has been called in for my Mom's care, Mom is incredible.  She's as sharp as a tack at times, winded then exhausted and needs to take a nap in the next.   I keep letting her know how fantastic and awesome she is.  How nobly and strong, resilient and understanding she's is.  All such bittersweet times.  Yet she's but a shadow of her normal vivacious self.  

While spending a day with her, my daughter managed to stop in and was able to grab a selfie of the three of us so the orientation is backwards.  Would you believe this was the best pic of Mom as she didn't stop with her comments, thus T and I both laughing and Mom's mouth shape is just a tad off.  Now I just wish I could remember what she was saying.  

Myself, My Mom now age 90, fighting stage IV cancer for the past 14 months, and my daughter Thera

Cloth Spool Progress.

 Slowly am getting my mojo back.  Very Content… Progress. 

 The last of the necessary Spool blocks were completed this week.  

All 100 block units are done with 16 pieces each.  Next up, trim units if needed and then preview layout colors. 

Am hoping this center will be completed in February.  My Mom has been in Hospice Care now for 9 + weeks.   Bittersweet times and her Love, dignity, strength and resolve continue to be amazing. 

Creating without cloth

 For seasonal displays I share by the wreaths on the 2 main doors of my home.  Gladly, I have been doing this for decades and several years ago realized that a couple of months were neglected. February was one of them but no more. 

For the family entrance near the driveway I just completed the wreath above.  Makes me smile considering I was married for 48.5 years and loved thoroughly while my spouse was loving anything that came by much to my disgust and his promises of devotion while begging forgiveness.  What's that line?   "Once a Cheat always a Cheat".  So true while looking back at the infidelities he even used my faith to swear his allegiance and loyalty to our marriage when begging for forgiveness.  I trusted and continued to love  in time.   Well no More, I'm done.   

So Single is better as far as I’m concerned rather than being married to a partner that wasn’t truly there with the lies, abuse and disrespect both towards me and his oaths, promises, vows and commitments. 

The second wreath is still in the making but the wire snips that I need to use are still freezing. Thank goodness we aren’t dealing with below zero temps again.  Last Friday I awoke to a -15*F but felt like -35*F with the wind chill factor.   Today is much better though still only in the teens.    Will share that photo once it's completed.  

TTFN,

Jane

Came back 2 days later to share the Front door Wreath finished.
Home is where the Heart is.

  

Enjoying January

Stash busting my way through 2023 I'll share that I haven't bought any new fabric this year!   :-)

Haven't tallied any used either so far.   ;-(

January Objectives

Needing to carve time daily to sew, these are a few of my thoughts in how I hope to achieve them:

1. I hope to get 15 minutes in my sewing room daily.   Picking up in there counts as time spent correctly  here too.
2. Sew 1 needle pulling thread nightly when home. the "Cozy into Winter" by Jeannette Douglas Designs is almost done.
3. Pull out one UFO monthly and progress it, (I'm not even going to share the plethora of items here, of UFOs, PIGS, WHiMMS, etc... but if you've been following me for any amount of time you know there are plenty!) not to completion but PROGRESS.  **Wild Card** time will tell.

Since December 2020 - I've maintained 100 miles of movement each month.  Starting with a local municipality with their "winter challenge" of movement from 12/21/20 - 3/20/21 to either challenge yourself to walk, ski, snowshoe, bike, etc..  to hit 100 OR 200 miles.  Since I was tracking my movements it was noticeable that the 100 miles a month could be achieved with just a bit more effort so I personally challenged myself.  Albeit successfully!

I still do my form of intermittent fasting by only allowing a 9 hour window of food intake which my Nurse Practitioner suggested in December 2020.  Not limiting my diet choices yet still being mindful of nutrition, eating my colors and the different Macros ie: protein/veggies/fruit/carbs/fat .   To date my total weight loss is 93 pounds but that wasn't my objective.  Choosing this concept to help me stop my dis-eases progressions and so far its great.  Diabetic medicine is lowered and my  A1C is at my all time low of 5.6 and with the past months fasting Blood Sugars remaining between 71-94.  Asthma is still not idyllic that I live with but thankfully that's managed a bit better (since October 2022) when I saw another Allergist/Asthma Specialist.   Would you believe I was nebulizing 3 hours a day with 9 medication treatments and I would still be waking up at 2-3 am with a feeling of an elephant sitting on my chest and couldn't breath requiring me to nebulize even at that time.  I won't mention the other inhalers prescribed,  rescue inhalers PRN, and Oral medications and  with the lifestyle limitations and  adjustments needed for this was so tiring.   Truly my asthma, coughing, sensitivity to ? was a conundrum I dealt with for the past 13 years.  I kid you NOT!   The story is so long and tortuous so here again, I wont bore you with the trials.  Numerous Doctors, 6+ specialists, many books read, webinars attended, diet adjustments. etc., etc., etc...were embraced as I tried to figure out what if anything I could do.  This last past summer (2022)  while under so much stress of Mom and my broken Marriage my breathing difficulties increased and HIVES were added into the mix.  Can you say the level of Cortisol I lived with was not a friend!  Those hives plagued me for 4-5 months.  Different medication changes besides 4 months of steroids in order to breathe and not break out contributed to the stressors I was living that then I noticed my hair falling out by the handful.   Here again, I am thankful now since I live alone without any emotional, physical, financial threats that my hair is coming back in. Alleluia!  {btw- After showering I look like a baby OWL or Ostrich with my pin feathers hair coming back in. lol }    So I intend to continue my health journey improvements and Movements.   Also I implemented 20 minutes of Aerobics a minimum of three times weekly and held it there for the past 4 months.  So in addition to that I would love to get 2-3 days of intended area workouts starting next week 1/9/23.  Today managed to focus on movement /dance and thighs.  Not sure if or how I'll track this yet as it's another WIP.

The other arena am planning on doing is to continue to declutter one space, drawer, or shelf at a time then proceed to the whole room/area (focus).  Includes the whole residence of a first floor and Basement too eventually.  Evaluate what is wanted, needed then let Go of the rest.   I've decluttered the outdoors and garage.  Here's a couple of photos of the Kia going in for the first time in 5+ years on November 15th just before the first snowfall.    YEAH!!!  Garage or yard for that matter isn't done  yet as the temperatures kept dipping to freezing and I simultaneously was still doing winter readiness  Truly there was so much neglect to my home space inside and out for decades.  Not wanting to emasculate my husband at the time, I somewhat demurely made do and did only the most urgent items to not hurt his feelings or emasculate him.  Ughh!  All that lost time.  

I'll close with a quote I loved for a couple of years while reading E.J.Michael - Queen of the Sun.    

"Never forget that the light is infinitely more powerful than the dark.  When darkness crowds in around you, become luminous, and walk in the brilliance of your soul."        Having faith in Christianity I'm so blessed that the good Lord gave us these talents.   TTFN

Word for this Year - 2023 - JOY

 My word I choose and used last year was Resilient and it was perfect with all the inevitabilities going on.  A small tribute to a friend of many years who had RE words one year as her word of the year.  I smile when I hear an appropriate "re word" and think of Trudy.   As this new year approached, I knew Joy would be my word and true compass as I navigate life.  

My Hopes for this year are:

1. To continue the many necessary repairs and give attention to the other areas of neglect from the past 18 years since husbands' disability was first diagnosed and as I coped taking care of him, his health, budget with being  mindful of only the most urgent repairs as funds were extremely limited.  Can you believe his Medical bills from his heart transplant (2018) were paid in full just 2 weeks before he moved out in September 2022 and all the others are at zero.  [Yeah Janie!, great coping skills and budgeting].  
2. Budget wise my FICA score is great and I've created Excel spread sheets to assist in managing all my accounts, bills, debts, expenses and the ultimate bottom line and to live within my means. 
3. Declutter all my excesses in 2023.  Clothing, home goods, equipment, creativity supplies, and many other areas with too much..  I truly have enough and feel so blessed (I'm not bragging, just being realistic).  
4. Creativity managed in daily increments is what I hope to realize too.  

• No more putting UFOs off to handle another day but slowly implement their progresses into my daily routines with monthly achievements.  
• Am thankful that I still enjoy cooking occasionally yet am finding it difficult to navigate easily.  Even in this arena I have too much.  cookbooks,  equipment, food stores, etc...  Learning how to best cope- budget wise, maintain a healthy assortment of foods for nourishment all without waste or eating the same dish for 5 meals!
• I have inventoried many of my supplies and I plan to continue that while also establishing  appropriate storage in logical, useable areas.  Considering the art supplies, Accuquilt dies, Books, Quilting goods, even yard tools and garage set-up with how my mind works to retrieve items as  needed and stored sensibly.  Allowing myself a pat on the back here. okay a brag: Hoot hoot! as I  was able to get my Kia into the garage before the first snow storm in December of 2022.  No small feat as a vehicle wasn't in the garage since 2017!  I sorted, cleaned, gave and threw away so much and it took about 6 weeks as I also was heading into Winter and the yard chores to do solo!

So these are just some of my introspections as I reflect and I wish everyone a very

Happy New Year! 

Hello - Still here

 Hello

Many of my followers may have been concerned with my disappearance and diminished postings in the past several years as my priorities shifted.  

I’m healthier, thank goodness.

I’m no longer have husband living here, thank goodness.

Managing MY home (legal separation paperwork so it's truly mine) and years of neglect dealing with disabilities, again grateful and thank goodness. 

Did I know or see this coming- NO - however that is one consistent element of life. “CHANGE”

Am still settling in a “new to me life” as I assimilate. Most important lately is that question -  what do I want?  No more concessions, adaptions, excuses or divisions,   Just me. I’ll return with more hopefully soon as life has handed me many hurtles this past year and realistically my Mom just signed into Hospice two weeks ago.  But my ongoing Mantra is:

 "People over things,  E.V.E.R.Y.T.I.M.E!”

One thing that I haul about as needed and the current project:

Plan on turning those Santa Earrings into a scissor fob and a zipper pull for this project bag.

I just had to include one picture  (will be back to edit post as this is another first for me by creating this on my i phone).  

TTFN - J