Intentional (My word for 2018)

Hello 2018!  I hope that the new year finds you well.  For me a new year means reflection on the past, goal setting for the future and living actively in the present.  Personally (as well as globally) 2017 was a fairly chaotic year.  My husband's deployment at the beginning of last year, then a slew of house projects, my children's increased independence and my return to the work force (part time) this fall changed my routines and left me feeling a bit adrift.

So as most of us do, I have spent the last few days think about what I was for this year.  I have never been big on resolutions but I have decided that I want to be more intentional.

 

When you look up the definition you intentional you find...

 

in·ten·tion·al

inˈten(t)SH(ə)n(ə)l/

adjective

adjective: intentional

 on purpose; deliberate.

  *synonyms:deliberate, calculated, conscious, intended, planned, meant, studied, knowing, willful, purposeful

 To live more intentionally I need to break habits and set some goals.  To accomplish these goals I'm making lists and put them where I can see them.  That includes listing them here to try having some accountability especially on the sewing and crafting ones.

 

Goals:

1. Finish multiple UFO projects. I'm using American Patchwork and Quilting UFO challenge to keep me on track.  A few of these only require quilting and binding!

 

2. Make and wear more handmade garments.  I've created a "make 9" list to keep me focused. I'll be writing another post about the specifics of that next week.

 

3. Be fiscally responsible and eliminate some debt.  I mean that's the whole reason I got a job to start with.  I am being deliberate about putting money in savings to pay debt and treating it like a bill.

 

4. Work on my mental and physical health.  I am getting back in the habit of daily yoga using Yoga with Adrienne on YouTube.  She's an incredibly supportive and encouraging teacher.  She's got a 30 day program that just began called True and it's been great so far.   Yoga helps me feel more settled and calm my overactive mind.

 

5. Read more.  I "shopped" my bookshelf and have pulled a stack of unread books.  I'm make a list and have a doable goal of 1 a month.  You can find me on Goodreads if you want. 

 

6. Use time wisely, so I can be more present for my family.  On my days off I am going to better utilize the time I have to myself at home for sewing and crafting projects.  When my children and husband are home I am going to try to be more present in what they are doing.

I'd love to know what are your goals and resolutions for 2018 are?  Do you have any tips on how do you stay on track?  Don't forget to check back for a post next week about my list of garments I want to make this year.  AND I have a post coming soon for the first blocks of the Clementine Quilt Along.

Changes

Like most, we are preparing for back to school.  My oldest will be in third grade and starts tomorrow.  We met his teacher today and I feel positive about the up coming year.  The little one will be in Kindergarten, starting next week! (Ack, where has the time gone?)  She is very excited and we will be meeting her teacher tomorrow.  For the first time in 8+ years I will be left to my own device for most of the day.  I'm not quite sure how I feel about it!  I keep thinking about all the things that I will be able to get done...how clean the house will stay during the day, how much uninterrupted crafting time I will have, how much purging and de-cluttering I will be able to do....and the silence! I'm not sure how I feel about the silence...

Besides both kids being in school this year, we will also be preparing to move next summer.  The Coast Guard has let us stay in Kodiak for the last 7 year and it has been truly wonderful but it's time to move on.  Hopefully someplace closer to family!  This fall we will begin looking at lists of locations open to someone in my husband's position and decide which ones we are interested in.  After that we wait until they decide which they want to send us to. 

With more free time during my day, I hope to finish up all of my WIP's.  Undoubtedly I will start new things along the way but it would be so nice to move with everything finished.  I'm also hoping to spend more time doing some of my other creative pursuits.  I spent several years before having my kids studying Calligraphy but recently haven't spent much practicing because it's just too easy for one of them to run through and knock over the ink bottle or for them to spill something on the final project.

Overwhelmed with Clutter

I have a tendency to be a bit scatter brained and disorganized when it comes to my craft/sewing room. It also happens to be the dumping ground for anything and everything that doesn't have another place in the house. But this past week the chaos got so bad that I just couldn't do take it anymore.  Here is a collage of pictures that I shared on Instagram while I vented about how I was feeling. (Thanks to the lovely people who understood and encouraged me with comments on that picture.)  Even these pictures make me feel a bit crazy. 

 

This room is the first thing you see when you walk into our house.  Those big window look out in the the front yard which makes this a great space for light and for keeping an eye on the kids when they are out side.  But it's not a mess I want everyone seeing when they come in my house. The room only has storage under the window seat (that is buried in the bottom left picture).  I think a major part of the problems in this room center around the lack of storage/open storage issue. Because we live on an island with limited options I can't easily go out and purchase what I'd really like and I have to be aware of the weight restrictions placed on us by the military for when me move again.

I've had several different crafting passions over the years, so there are lots of things left over from those pursuits.  So I am getting really honest with myself about what to keep and what needs to go.  I've already got a pile of things to be donated and a pile of things I want to sell!  

I also hope that by doing this that I can get back in the habit of sharing more details about what I'm working on and start working on some projects that don't include fabric.

Really Random Thursday: Summer Wrap Up Edition

Testing...

Testing...

1...2...3...

Is this thing on?

Whew...I guess it's been a while!

 

Summer has official ended here in Kodiak. School started last week and we have a 2nd grader in our house.

He was apprehensive about school starting again, but after seeing his class room and meeting his teacher, excitement set in and he was ready to go back!

We've had a pretty busy summer.  It started with a 2 week camping trip to interior Alaska.  My parents drove up from Oregon and met us in Fairbanks.

We even stopped in North Pole, Alaska for a visit with Santa.

After getting home the hubby left on a work trip and the kids and I enjoyed some very nice summer weather. Kodiak's weather is usually pretty mild but we had about 3 weeks of temperatures in the 70's! That meant trips to the beach, climbing rock, running through sprinklers...

 

Not a lot of sewing happened this summer.  All though I did finish a couple of dresses for the girl and one for myself.  I'm hoping to write a post soon about them.