A New Year

This is the same post I make every year at the end of the year. Sometimes I adjust it depending on my needs or life situation. So far it has worked well for me.

A New Year is right around the corner! A brand new clean calendar! It is up to each one of us what we do with it. Each year I take the same same basic goals with a possible extra or two tossed in for good measure. I prefer to use "goals" instead of "resolutions" because I feel I am taking already important things in my life and putting my focus on strengthening them.

1. To make an effort to learn something new every day. The joy of knowledge is indeed a blessing no matter what you choose to learn.

2. To make time for myself. It's amazing what 15 minutes sitting on the deck with a hot cup of coffee and watching the birds can do for my soul. A little time each day to refresh my spirit is all it takes.

3. To take time to appreciate each day. Too often we forget to see the beauty around us and take the simple things in life for granted. My continued goal is to look with my eyes but to see with my heart. To enjoy life and all that is a part of it.

4. To enjoy my family and friends. I am lucky to have each and every one of them in my life.

5.  Organize and Simplify! Two key words I always yearn to make a part of my everyday routine but often lose focus on. Organize does not mean that I have to go on a cleaning binge each day. It just means that I need to get my life and things that are a part of my life in some sort of manageable order so that I feel comfortable instead of constantly overwhelmed.Not putting things off until the last minute can contribute greatly to this cause. Simplify! Just what it means - plain and simple! Stop making a mountain out of a mole hill. Do what I can and leave the rest. Don't take on more than I can handle or that will leave me stressed out.

6. To remember. So many people have come and gone from my life over the years and I want to keep their memories alive.

7. To keep my faith alive and strong.

8. A Random Act of Kindness. Like so many others, I was raised to do them. Only back then they were called "manners" or just plain "consideration for others". So many people still do these and without even realizing it. For the New Year coming up, I challenge myself along with each and every one of you to make RAKs a regular part of your life and to become more aware of them. Whether it means opening a door for a person, buying a stranger a cup of coffee, taking the grocery cart back inside the store or something else. Let us all strive to bring back those values and in doing so we will give back and make someone's day a little brighter.

9. To Forgive. Things happen that cause hurt, anger and resentment but often the people who cause these feelings don't know or just don't care. We are the ones left with the bitter feelings that only mount up and make us more and more miserable. I will let the past remain in the past and let go of these feelings so that I can move on with my life.

10. To use kind words and patience more often. I will try to live by the good old standard rule "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all".

And of course the New Year would not be complete without some fun goals!

1. Take more trips. Even a day trip can be fun.

2. No pressure. Keep the fun and joy in my hobbies. After all, that is why I started them.

3. Take more pictures

4. Continue to write in my gratitude journal

5. To blog regularly

6. To work on my Stitching Bucket List this year

7. Work on my stack of WIPs this year

8. Work on some Christmas stitching

Have a safe and Happy New Year. Thanks for stopping by! Until next time may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Until Next Year

Christmas was quite around here. The boys are older and go their own way to spend holidays with friends (but they always come home for food)! With the boys grown, there is not the same excitement and anticipation of Christmas morning. Instead we can sleep in now and then come out for a sweet tooth breakfast later on. The Grumpy Ol Gazer and I just relaxed most of the day. I stitched and he played around with his hobby.

The BBQ and Chicken and Dumplings were delicious and NO clean up! My kind of meal. We had an early pick up time slot for the Chicken and Dumplings on Christmas Eve so we just went in a little earlier and had a nice breakfast! I do love their pancakes!

One of my presents were two more project bags for my cross stitch. I like these alot.

I worked on A Virtuous Woman part of Christmas day but then I started a Christmas stitch as well. I found about 4 designs in my stash that I have either forgotten about or just kept putting off over the years. And I have had these for YEARS so I decided to start stitching  them this year! I started on Tate's Stocking by Raise the Roof designs. I love the design but I will be framing this instead of making a stocking. I like most of my Christmas stitching to be either a holiday song title or a verse from a Christmas song. Once in a while I will make an exception.

Our dryer died right before Christmas! It had been sick and making all kinds of terrible noises then one day, it just stopped never to run again. We once again have a dryer that is happily humming whenever someone puts in a load of clothes to dry. I guess we can count that as our Christmas present! It certainly beats going to the laundry mat every other day!

Until next time may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Have A Good One!

Christmas is a comin'

I had a birthday earlier this week. I have always enjoyed having my birthday so close to the holidays! All of the music, lights and festivities just make my day even more special! I had a nice day. We had a storm which I used to get some stitching done then the Grumpy Ol Gazer took me out for a birthday dinner at one of my favorite places with no clean up and a new dutch oven that I had mentioned wanting (and needing).

Several day later I stopped by my LNS with my birthday coupon and picked up a new project (like I really need one)! I was looking for a something Christmasy to start on for next year!

I had said once before that I had stopped cooking on Thanksgiving but I broke that little rule this past holiday. Because I had just gotten out of the hospital, I really did not want to stand in any long lines. Christmas is a different story though. I have never cooked on Christmas. We usually had family dinners to attend and when we got home everyone was always so busy "playing" with their gifts so I would just place an order with our local BBQ restaurant for a pan of BBQ with all the fixings and pick it up on the Christmas Eve. Everyone can eat as they please off and on all day (and into the next day sometimes). By now this has become a standing tradition. The BBQ is ordered to pick up on Christmas Eve and this year I added a pan of chicken and dumplings to the order. This (along with Christmas Eve leftovers) should last us several days or more.

I did not get any Christmas stitching done this year. I usually try to do at least one but I missed out this year so I will share several of my favorites from the past. I am already looking for one or two to do next year!

Poor Maidens by Plum Street Samplers

Feliz Navidad by Blackbird Designs

There is no update on A Virtuous Woman this week. I did not get very much done on her this week and I wanted to wait to get more done before showing her off but I am really enjoying this stitch.

Around the end of this month we need to do a big clean out around the house. We just have too much stuff that we never use! Just junky stuff (boxes, old papers...)  It seems like we just did this same thing about this time last year, too! How do we accumulate so much JUNK!

I probably won't post again until after Christmas so I hope everyone has a wonderful and Merry Christmas! Until next time may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

I'M BACK!

While I was in the hospital last month, the Grumpy Ol Gazer asked me what he was supposed to do with all my cross stitch if anything should happen to me. Wait A Minute! First of all, I asked him if I had been that bad. Then he told me that if I did not make some kind  of list for him he would probably just throw everything out. Supplies and finished pieces! Now, that got my attention! LOL. I doubt seriously he would throw out any of my finished work but he knew how get me moving! I know what I want done with each piece and my supplies but I need to get it in some sort of order that he could understand. Just in case.

I have been spending a good amount of time getting organized for 2020. I started a Stitching Journal with a page for each piece, the information about it and who should get it. Pages available at Etsy from blackcrowdigital. I have been working on this on the weekends.

I also ordered some organizational items. A project roll for keeping finished pieces looking nice until I can frame them.

And several project bags. One for current stitching and one for my good hoops. Early birthday presents from me to me. All from Etsy.

After starting feeling a little more like myself I had the stitching itchies. I wanted to work on Mother's Tree but I have been dying to start on A Virtuous Woman by Carriage House Samplers ( and I am using my new Hardwicke Manor hoop) so Mother's Tree is taking a break for right now. My call. I am stitching on 18ct. Aida Khaki by My Vintage Needlearts over at Etsy.

Not much stitching time the past week . We have had appointments and errands to take care of. We should be free for the rest of the month now and can do whatever we please. My infusions have been moved back a month so this will give me some extra free time to catch up.

We had a nice Thanksgiving. Our oldest son hung the lights outside the house and did a wonderful job. The Grumpy Ol Gazer helped me out in the kitchen so it wasn't so tiring because I was still pretty weak but everything turned out nicely. I did not get around to making a pan of dressing that the boys look forward to but I will save that for Christmas Eve dinner with a turkey breast. After an early morning doctor appointment the next day, The Grumpy Ol' Gazer and I enjoyed a lazy breakfast at Cracker Barrel.

Thank you to all my readers for being patient while I got my strength back and started to feel more like myself again.

Until next time may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.