YAWK 2011 (You Are What You Keep)

My friend Ann from the old Scrapbooking board took part this year in a movement called YAWYK ("You Are What You Keep") which encourages you to get rid of the excess stuff in your life. Ann did a scrapbook-related project, striving to get rid of 2010 scrapping items in 2010 by either using them, donating them, selling them, or tossing them. Even though she didn't start until June, she actually accomplished her goal!!

So.. I think I will do the same thing! I vow that one year from today my crafting room will contain 2011 fewer items than it does today! This will include scrapbooking, sewing, and needlework (knit, crochet, embroidery) items. I think this will be fun - I plan to use the same guidelines she did when it comes to counting items. You can read them here in her blog:
http://vexedangel.wordpress.com/2010/07/22/not-sure-if-this-is-possible-in-5-months/

I just read some blog entries by the person who inspired Ann, and it looks like she counted everything in the house (clothes, etc.) in her count of items. (Her blog is here: http://youarewhatyoukeep.blogspot.com/2010/06/getting-started-few-ground-rules.html )
I'm going to stick with the craft items though - having to list clothes, etc. just seems too complicated. I think I'll be more inclined to stick to it if I stick with one room. (Other items may fly out the door, they just won't be counted.)

Want to join me in the YAWYK for 2011?

Life Insurance - ugh!

DH got something in the mail today that started a conversation about life insurance. That's fine & dandy as long as I can stay semi-detached from the topic & just discuss it intellectually. When it comes down to the realities of it though, I don't really like to think about it. I'd say most people feel that way - I mean who wants to think about their spouse dying (unless they don't like them).

Anyway, I guess we're going to get some, so I'd like some input from YOU. Do you have life insurance? If so, do you have very much (you can be as specific or as vague as you want). What company did you choose?

Thank you! :-)

My Parents are Coming!

My husband just left to go get my parents & bring them up here for Thanksgiving. I haven't seen them since Christmas! This is the longest we've ever gone without seeing each other. I'm excited about seeing them & a little anxious about how they'll be... my sister (who had them at her house for 3 weeks recently) said they're showing signs of aging quite a bit with memory, hearing, and some mobility problems. However they are though I'm sure we'll have fun just being together.

I'm Baking Again!

I'm about to bake my second cake in less than a month! I used to bake a lot, but hadn't in quite a few years... I think I'm "getting my groove back". LOL

As you may (or may not) know, on October 1st we moved 300 miles closer to my family! For the first time in over ten years I'm getting to see them on a regular basis, and boy is it making a difference! I'm LOVING it! A couple of weeks ago I made a birthday cake for my grandson's 2nd birthday. (see pic) He adored it!

Tonight I'm going to try a new recipe I got from a friend earlier this week. It's called "Coal Miner's Cake" . I'm also going to make dressing using the recipe my grandmother used every year on Thanksgiving. Yum! These are both for a family gathering tomorrow. Being back close to my family has made it fun to cook again! :-D

This isn't Crafty or Artistic at All!

Most of the blogs I read are written by my "crafty" friends - those who use their talents to make beautiful/quirky/inspiring creations. While I love making things, I really haven't blogged much about that myself.

When I write it's mostly to clear my head of swirling thoughts or to work through things I don't talk about IRL. I hope this isn't annoying to those who arrive at this blog by clicking on a comment I've made on a knitting, sewing, or scrapbooking blog. I've thought of making a separate blog to use when commenting on those but I haven't. I figure my blog is just for myself, not to please others. That said, I do apologize to anyone who is disappointed not to find cool creations here.

Who knows, that could change. :-)

Ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch Changes...

I just added a pic to my last post & it got me to thinking, seeing the 2 photos side-by-side, about how many changes DH & I have endured this year. Somehow it was reassuring seeing that I haven't changed all THAT much really, at least not on the outside. I feel (internally) like I've aged a good 20 years just since that pic was made last May.

It was on the way home from the birthday party/picnic (where the pic was taken) that I got the call that my husband was in the emergency room with his heart rate insanely high and his oxygen level dangerously low. They were considering doing a heart cath right away. Hearing his voice & knowing he was all alone & that there was no way I could get there in time to help him through the frightening procedure was horrible! Fortunately it turned out he didn't have to have the hearth cath, but my confidence that he'd be fine when I was (400 miles) away was shattered.

Since that happened I've cut myself off from my friends & not lived a healthy lifestyle at all. The health crisis that led to his being in the ER that day led to an all-consuming fear, fear that I would lose this man I love so much. A move was necessary because of all the stairs in our home. Other changes, including his having to take a medical retirement, came about & the resulting decrease in income and increase in stress seemed to suck the energy out of both of us. Talking to friends just seemed to take more effort than it was worth. I had the urge to "batten down the hatches" and stay close to home. We both went into "automatic pilot" in a way.

This Spring I feel a bit of change in the air, as they say, and am hoping that the changes we're considering will result in a happier situation for both DH and me. That would be cool! Just having something new to talk about has been refreshing after a winter centered around ill health and fear.

I came across this Bible verse yesterday & need to make it a point to remember it next time things seem so overwhelmingly bad: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.” Psalms 46:1-3 I hope it will inspire you and bring you peace as it did me last night.

Saturday & the Silver-haired Nana

It's a brand new day - hurrah! I'm hoping to either do some sewing or make a few cards for FUN & to boost my happiness level. Creating things makes me very happy but sometimes I forget that & spend too much of my "free time" on the computer instead. (Easy to do since it's fun too, just in a different way.)

A few months ago I decided to stop coloring my hair & just see 1. how much white was hiding, and 2. how it looked that way. I've always just used temporary color that washed out in 6 weeks so it didn't take long for it to all be gone & shiny silver showed up promptly.

My husband likes it - he prefers it being "natural" so he was happy about my decision. None of my friends or co-workers said anything about the change. Then, last weekend, I saw my kids & my grandchildren for the first time since going natural. I was curious about what they'd think... I know Jas & Jen tend to prefer it when it's the style & color that it was when they were growing up... I don't think they like the idea of their mom getting older.

So, what did they say about the new silvery streaks in mom's hair? Nothing! (Maybe because their mom, aka me, taught them "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all". LOL!

The only person to mention it was my youngest granddaughter Bri, who is 5. We were coloring paperdolls to look like ourselves, & she said "Nana, I have black hair like you! Yours has some gray though, but that's ok! I love you anyway."

"Umm.. thanks" I said (laughing). "That's why I'm using the black glitter crayon for my hair - the glitter is the silver."

Brianna nodded. "Well, Nana, you don't have to worry. I will always love you no matter WHAT you look like!" she exclaimed & gave me a big hug. ROFL!

So... now I'm rethinking the hair color. Here's a pic - taken in a disheveled moment but it shows the color - or lack of!. As you can see there's not a LOT of silver, but it's definitely there. Also, for comparison, there's one taken 1 year ago when I was still coloring it. What do you think? All opinions welcome!

Grouchy!

Aaack, I'm feeling so grouchy today I can hardly stand myself! Guess I'm still getting over the fun & frolick (& many hours in the car) of last weekend! It was definitely worth it - I had a great time - but I feel like I've been "rode hard & put up wet" as they say.

My shoulder blade has a knot the size of Texas & is hurting like crazy, my Florida plans got cancelled (thanks a lot, BP Oil), and my stomach is killing me. Whine whine whine! The good news is that I have keep the grouchiness to myself & haven't yelled at anybody or anything like that. The fact that I didn't see a soul the whole time I was at work made that pretty easy. Can you believe it?? Even the mailman didn't come in to use the restroom like the usually does. I couldn've worn my bathrobe to work & nobody would've known the difference!

Luckily it's Friday so hopefully I'll get rested up & feel better. If the weather permits we'll plant some flowers tomorrow & get the front porch/sunroom fixed up for Summer. :-) I'm wanting to get a porch swing for the patio but so far haven't seen one I liked. Home Depot had the perfect one last Summer but so far this year they don't have it. Crossing my fingers that I'll find one soon! Swinging is so soothing - it makes things seem much better!

Sarcoidosis

A week from tomorrow my husband will work his last day at the job he's had for 25 years. He has been approved for a medical retirement because of the damage the disease Sarcoidosis has done to his lungs. I have mixed feelings about the retirement. Getting to spend more time with him will be great, but having it be because of a life-threatening illness is devastating.

If you haven't heard of Sarcoidosis (most people haven't) or aren't sure exactly what it is, here's the best website I've found about it: http://www.stopsarcoidosis.org/

I'll no doubt write more about this at another time, but right now just typing that one little (first) paragraph made a huge knot form in my stomach. We'll get through this & God will help us, but right now it's still taking some getting to the idea that his health and life are being affected so much by this stupid disease.