Must... Share... ANYTHING!!!

You know that feeling you get when you’ve been busy working on various projects for Christmas presents and can’t wait to share with everyone all the fun things you’ve made, but can’t for fear the recipients will see them prematurely? No? Just me? Huh…

So I have been busy sewing up a storm, but alas, can’t post any pictures because they might end up in the wrong hands. You know, like on the person for whom the gifts are intended. That would be bad. Even though the chances of this happening would be slim to say the least for any of the people I’ve been making stuff for, I don’t want to risk it.

Every year I try to do one big gift for a different person, and every year I get started early and then set it aside thinking I’ve got plenty of time to work on it later. Then it becomes later and later until it’s a week before Christmas and the project has yet to be completed. I started it in September. It’s now December seventeenth. So much for not procrastinating this year!

Also, taking time off from blogging has had, well, mixed results. On the one hand, my mornings are not filled with obsessing and stressing over what to write about in the homemaking realm and actually much more relaxed and allows me to take my time drinking my morning coffee and checking the news. But on the other, I feel like the main reason I wanted to cut down from daily blogging was to refocus my efforts on writing fiction, as in one of the seven or so novels I’ve been working on for years now or the three or four novels or dozen or so children’s books I’ve completed and might need tweaking or rewrites or (gasp) submitted to publishers!

I’ve already wasted ten minutes writing when I should be sewing, so back to the grindstone. I just hope I don’t work my 1963 Singer Touch N’ Sew Deluxe Zig-Zag Model 600 sewing machine to death, because then I would be sad.

Puppet Bodies

I didn’t get as far as I had hoped on making the puppets yesterday. And not a single person is shocked.

First off, it’s not my fault I didn’t get the two smaller puppets done. Okay, yes it is. After picking out the fleece to use from my stash I brought in from the garage, I realized I still had to locate the actual pattern itself. I would have just printed off another one, but alas, out of ink. Anyway, I found the box with the patterns and began tracing the body, ears and arms. And then it was time to start dinner. Yes, I did get started a little late as there were too many chores to be done, but after dinner I finished up the bodies, flipped them inside out and now they are awaiting their mouthpieces and foam “skulls”. Tonight I should have them mostly put together except for hair and costumes.

Backburner Projects

Like dust collecting on my sewing machine, so are the days of my not quilting. I’m about to go all serial killer if I don’t get a fix in soon.

A little too dramatic? Maybe. But since this whole Christmas Season thing has started, many of my quilting projects have been put on hold. However, I’m wondering if perhaps I should start working on them again this afternoon when we get back from church. I mean, with everything we planned on getting for Christmas out of the way, the only thing we need to do still is bake cookies. Lots and lots and lots of cookies.

I’ve got two projects currently that I would really like to see done shortly, The Fall Quilt (and yes, I’m quite aware that we’re only a few short days from winter here in the Pacific Northwest) and the Frog and Fairy Baby Quilt which, honestly, should have been done ages ago. Not that I’m anticipating that much downtime during our Christmas vacation, but just in case, I’d like to have a project to start hand quilting should there be any. With only two more blocks on The Fall Quilt and a simple border and backing and binding for the Frog and Fairy Baby Quilt, I probably could have had both of these done yesterday after work. Alas, my mind was elsewhere… as in The Vampire Diaries and The Smurfs movie. Let’s try not to repeat that pattern again today.

One Week

While there are presents under the tree, and perhaps I should simply leave it at that, part of me wants to do more this Christmas. Then again, why stress?

With only one week until Christmas, it is only natural to feel the pressure to finish up those projects or grand plans before the day arrives. For us professional procrastinators, however, the one week mark is typically the starting point. Part of me is wondering just how far I can push this out while another part of me is freaking out that there are indeed only seven days left. I suppose I wouldn’t freak out so much if I had any clue just what I was going to do. Maybe this quilty… I mean guilty… feeling will go away after we have our annual Bake-a-thon next Wednesday with our good friends.

Twelve Days and Counting

Only twelve days until Christmas. Let the Freak-Out-Mode officially commence.

Okay, so perhaps I’m not the only procrastinator in the world, but the closer it gets to Christmas and the lack of presents under the tree tell me someone has been slacking off. I won’t name names, but I’ve got a pretty good clue of who it is… me. I guess that means I should be on Santa’s Naughty List.

One way to remedy absent presents is to simply go get some. But me being me, I’d rather make what I can and only buy when necessary. This isn’t always an available option, and the closer it gets to Christmas without anything really finished (or started for that matter) the more I resign myself to thinking store-bought is what will end up getting done anyway. I suppose if I wasn’t me, this wouldn’t be such a big deal, but alas, my procrastination sometimes gets the best of me.

Countdown to Christmas

With Christmas only a mere forty days away, it is probably time for us crafters to think about gifts we’d like to make. Or have I procrastinated this yet again?

Actually, a majority of crafters start their Christmas gifts months in advance. I used to start in September back in the day, but lately I haven’t been inspired to bother or have been busy with other projects. I’ll allow myself to be told this is the case. However, I know it’s because I’ve yet again procrastinated. Surprising? Not at all. I’ve been a procrastinator all my life. But realizing just how close Thanksgiving is made me also realize that Christmas is not far behind it.

So, what to make this year? My brain is aflutter with ideas and at the same time empty of ones that have any possibility of coming to fruition. However, another thought occurred to me, which is that it has been a few years since I’ve made Christmas ornaments. That used to be my expected gift to family, but the last few years have been, well, crappy, so my Christmas Spirit had been replaced with Bah Humbug. Perhaps it is time to once again start up this tradition.

Forty days until Christmas. Where did this year go?

Camp Crafts

I need to come up with a few camp crafts and I need to come up with them yesterday. Maybe procrastination isn’t the best strategy.

With our all church camp this weekend, and the fact that I’m already going to have to slack on some of my duties as co-director since I have to work until Friday evening, I also signed up to help with craft activities. I’ve got nothing. I mean, I have plenty of ideas swirling around my brain, but as far as actually making sure we have the supplies to create said ideas I’m at a zero. This is not at all unusual behavior for me either as I do tend to be a last minute kind of person, but it doesn’t make it any less stressful when my husband just had a garage sale and I had him sell off my huge allotment of beads and jewelry making materials and now have all these ideas on how to actually use those beads. Figures.

But the good news is that we have so much stuff at our church to make things too that I shouldn’t be at a loss when it comes to crafts. And really, let’s be honest, I only have to come up with a couple, maybe three, things to make. I’m sure I can figure that out in my sleep! Okay, so if I did, I lost it because I’ve got no memory of dreaming anything except for trying to get the theme song to ‘The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That’ out of my head. Funnily this is a recurring theme.

So it looks like either today after work and grocery shopping or more than likely tomorrow on my day off I’ll be working on finalizing my crafty plans for the weekend. Hopefully it will be fun. And if you have any ideas, please send them my way as I’ve never even been to a church camp or any camp whatsoever so really don’t know what to expect except for what I saw in the movies as a child watching ‘Earnest Goes to Camp’ and ‘The Addams Family Values’.

Boxes

Our dining room is currently filled with boxes. Most of them are still empty.

After going through the craft room and sorting between Keeps and Sells, I started packing up my fabric I’m keeping, about the only things not currently in boxes. Let me just say that while packing a large box filled with fleece is manageable, a large box filled with quilting fabric is not so much. But at least it is boxed and ready to move, right?

With one of the kiddos here for the last few days and other one since last night, and working, packing hasn’t been much of a priority. And with our fifteen year anniversary quickly approaching, as in two days, and the next day my stepmom’s birthday, the day after my sister’s birthday and the day after that my grandpa’s birthday, I’m uncertain when I’ll be able to start packing again. However, a room full of empty boxes are begging to be filled, so perhaps after the munchkins go to bed tonight we’ll start packing up some books or other stuff we won’t need to use in the immediate future. Who knows, maybe we’ll find a few “treasures” along the way to get rid of.

Busyness and Procrastination

One busy weekend behind me and another just ahead. On top of it all we need to crack down on finding a new place to live.

With all the excitement of my sister’s baby shower behind me, my attention is immediately turned to not one big order, but two for Saturday; both of which require my attendance. This Saturday is our friend’s 90th birthday party, for which she ordered 300 cupcakes and a large cake shaped like a grand piano (and yes, I talked to her about the financial part and we got the whole thing figured out… two deaf people shouldn’t have a conversation in a loud room!), and then we are off to another friend’s annual Mardi Gras celebration, for which I am making my rum-infused pound cake version of the traditional King Cake, also as cupcakes. Needless to say my Friday will be filled with cupcake baking and frosting!

But with all the hustle and bustle it seems we are letting our need to start packing fall by the wayside. I mean, we haven’t boxed anything up yet and we’ve got a lot of stuff to sort through still. However, I may be overreacting. Shocking, I know. There is a lot of stuff we know that we aren’t going to take with us, but until we find a place to live, there may be a lot more that we will have to get rid of as well. I mean, it’d be silly to hang on to all of our yard tools and equipment if we are living in an apartment, but at the same time I would also hate to sell or donate it all too since it took years to acquire all of the various tools to make yard work easier. Ugh.

I suppose this is all a good thing. I’ve either gotten paid for or will get paid for the cake orders this weekend which my profit from will be a little less than I earn in a week working, although I’ll put in more hours than I do at work making the cupcakes and cake. That money will be able to go towards moving costs, rent and deposits. And while the prospect of moving sounds daunting, and while I will definitely miss this house for sentimental reasons, the realist in me knows we simply can’t afford the upkeep of owning a home anymore and so renting may be a bit of a relief for a while until we are able to get back on our feet again.

King of Procrastination

Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow? That motto is all too relevant in my life.

This isn’t some revelation or anything but just a fact… I am a procrastinator. I know it, and so does practically everyone who knows me. However, with some pertinent stuff that has been needing to get done I’m beginning to think that my Save-It-for-Later ways are starting to catch up with me. Ugh. I guess that means I need to get to work.

I offered to be in charge of getting our church’s directory in order, updating addresses and phone numbers and email addresses and such and preparing everything to send off. Alas, I’ve had the packet for two months and while a majority of it is finished, I still haven’t gotten it all done. And it didn’t help that I misread the submission rules and made the whole thing way harder for myself, which, honestly, isn’t much of a shocker either.

My list of stuff keeps growing, and a majority of it from church committees. Postcard and poster files need to be sent to the printer for printing them mailed off; minutes need to be typed and sent not for the previous Christian Education meeting but the one before, assuming I can find my notebook I took the minutes in; updates need to be given for our Capital Campaign with new totals on the poster I made to show our progress; I need to put together a planning committee for the Spring Auction so that we actually have one; and I suppose I should start making the crowns for a little girl’s birthday cupcakes and, oh, I don’t know, figure out what I’m doing for her mini cake too.

Huh, so my goals for the week look a little grim, but I’m sure I can whittle down the list at least by half before the week is over. And if not, nobody will be at all surprised.

Things I Should’ve Gotten Done This Summer… and Didn’t

With today being the last day of August, it practically means the summer is over. And with that, all the summer projects I wanted to complete and didn’t.

Okay, so really, it isn’t the end of the world. I can always still do a majority of these projects, if not all of them. But, I had set a goal to finish them this summer and I think we got one out of a dozen things finished. Why summer? Simply put, they were projects that would require being outdoors or we would need to spend more time outside due to the nature of the project. Still, all is not lost, and other projects were added to the list due to necessity, which in turn, probably would have cancelled out some of the other projects anyway.

There were some things at the top of the list I really wanted to get done: paint our bedroom; paint, tile and put in a new shower surround in the main bathroom; replace the broken windows; thoroughly clean out the rock garden of weeds and trim the plants as needed; put in a shed in the backyard; clean out the garage; gravel the side driveway; put the gutters on the chicken coop. Hmm… it looks like the things at the top of my list are, well, everything left to do on the list. At least we got our closet cleaned out and clothes garage saled or Goodwilled.

Of course, other projects took precedent. Our roof, for instance, on the south side of our house has had a few issues now for a few years. The main issue being that because there was no flashing between the gutters and the roof rain would get between the crack and eventually rotted the wood, including the plywood under the shingles, the facia and soffet. The gutter nails weren’t even attached to anything in the center stretch and were barely hanging on from either end. Fortunately we have a roofer friend who helped my partner fix that issue and we paid him in imported Jamaican beer, which was our only cost along with the materials required. This project alone took up a majority of our nonexistent budget, as we could have replaced both windows and painted our bedroom with that money. Not that we necessarily would’ve gotten around to doing either of those things, but still, it was spendy and had to be done. If for no other reason than to get rid of the rampant bird population living in that portion of the house.

Alas, while the summer is not really over, perhaps there is still time to get a couple of the outdoor things off the list. I know putting the gutters on the chicken coop will be rather quick once we get a downspout for it, and with the cooler weather, it might be easier to clean out and trim the rock garden, so perhaps there is still some time after all to cross a few more items off my summer to-do list.

Vacation Bible School

In a couple days our church’s Vacation Bible School will begin. Which means in a couple days I’ll be quite busy with craft projects.

When I was a kid, Vacation Bible School meant that we would go to the church across the street from us (which we never attended, by the way) and partook in a variety of activities over the course of a week in August. I don’t ever remember getting anything religious out of it, but I do remember making placemats… and playing Red Rover. Kids being kids, and none of us really knowing each other’s names nor were wearing name tags, while playing Red Rover we would simply shout out the most obvious difference between us as the next person to try to break our line. Yes, I’m guilty of yelling four eyes to the only kid with glasses, but in my defense he called me dog ears thanks to my hearing aids I wore as a kid. It wasn’t malicious, it just popped out.

For the first time in a while our own church is stretching out V.B.S. over three half days, which has its ups and downs, but I think will be better for the kids involved. The past couple years anyway we’ve had one long day, which towards the end kids were a little rambitious (please note that I will use any random non-word in place of real words if it so suits me, which if you’ve read my blog over the last 225+ posts I’ve written since the beginning of the year, you’d know isn’t an uncommon occurrence.) Having half days will hopefully mean the lessons being taught towards the end of the day won’t be fraught with crankiness.

My part in all of this is that I’m making crafts, in particular rain sticks and bracelets depicting the life cycle of a salmon. Honestly I should have gotten all materials needed for this by now, but alas, I have an uncanny ability to procrastinate everything until the very last possible minute. I should probably read up on rain sticks or figure out a list of items to get at the craft store, hardware store and office supply store, but instead I’m drinking coffee and writing about my intentions. Good thing I’m not a real teacher!