Sixteen days

Amy, my friend from Dorset, will be here in sixteen days for a four day break so I've got to get ready!

You may remember The Project which I started earlier in the month but sad to say I haven't done much of it.  Anyway I got stuck in yesterday and thought I had better report back.

Quite apart from making space for Amy to sleep I want to sort out some of my UnFinished Objects to make it a little easier to actually finish them.  So far I've found some Advent bunting, clothes hangers to be covered and used as presents and a crochet blanket.  My hope is that on sunny summer days I'll be able to feel very busy when I sit on my swing all afternoon!

I've also tried to introduce a little order into my home-made cards.  Finished ones tend to get tossed into a box and I can never find a suitable one when I need one so the stash just grows.  I've now utilised some Amazon packaging to create folders for Birthdays, Christmas, Thank you, Sympathy and so on.  I'll see if that helps.

I've sorted quite a bit to list on EBay - competition prizes, craft materials etc and will get them listed.  That's a time consuming business and lower priority than finding space for Amy to sleep!

I'm hoping to get back in there today and I might take a few photos.  Then again I might not. 

A project

I've got a project!  I needed something to help me break out of my lethargy and it's arrived.  My friend Amy, who lives in Dorset, will be visiting me in June.  I'm feeling excited already.

The lethargy will definitely have to go.  This is the room she will be sleeping in.  Or not if I don't do something about it.  

I keep telling myself that I managed to sort the playroom so I can sort this one too.

I've definitely got a project.

Marching Out and Anticipating April

March has been quite a good month here.

I've been beavering away at my playroom and it is now safe to start on the start-at-one-corner-and-do-it-bit-by-bit tidying.  I had to do the move-it-all-out-and-get-a-bit-radical routine first or I could have had a serious fall!  Anyway, here's the before  and today pictures.

I walked a lot more in March than I did in February but not as much as January so I'm hoping to concentrate on that a bit more this month.  I'm also trying some gentle exercises, some chair based, to improve my flexibility. 

I've revived my other blog with the aim of keeping myself to the financial straight and narrow and I've smashed my target of living below my means by £400.  I'm aiming for savings of £5000 by the end of the year. 

So, now to look forward to April.  Church-wise I shall be busy especially around Easter.  Auntie Hettie will be 94 this month so we are having a small tea party for her.  I've got several meals out with friends.  I shall do a lot more at the playroom and I want a few days out as well.

Bring it on!

Everything takes longer than it did!

Before I started

I've hinted at my Vision 2020 project a couple of times so here's what it's about.  I've often heard the phrase 2020 Vision, meaning perfect sight but I decided that I would go wonky on this one. I don't want perfection!   It just seemed to me that I would like to improve my life in various areas before 2020 gets here.  There are plenty of areas (financial, social, health etc) which I could improve so I've chosen just a few.

All my life I have fought a rising tide of clutter and I don't see that changing anytime soon.  I have too many hobbies, too many interests, too much memorabilia to be a minimalist.  And that's not really what I want anyway.  What I need is safety to avoid falls.  What I want is to have things in a state where I can find them, sorted to inspire me to create.  If I can't find things when I want them I might as well not have them.  

I decided that the place to start would be my playroom.    There are unfiled papers, uncompleted projects, things which I have dumped until I have time to put them away, just STUFF!  I thought it would take four or five hours but already it's taken nearly eleven and the end is nowhere near in sight. 

Maybe Vision 2020 will take until the end of 2020!

A Whole New Month!

I think months are great for planning.  There's enough time to accomplish something but not enough time to get bored with the plan.

March has thirty one days and there are still thirty of those to come.  Exciting!

In February I was busy but I didn't do enough steps so getting back on the long and narrow is quite important.  I've hinted at my big project, Vision 2020, before and it didn't get progressed much in February so that needs a shove in the right direction.  I'm thinking about reviving my other blog.    Lent starts Wednesday so I am quite busy church-wise.  

And this post illustrates my problem - I'm full of good ideas and devoid of concrete action

Oh dear!

Update: I've revived my other blog

HWJ & WDFH?

My most important aim this month was to keep my spirits up.  January can be such a bleugh month but this year it really hasn't been too bad.

Sharon did more than her fair share at helping by taking me out for a delicious afternoon-tea-at-lunchtime.  Hard to feel depressed when there's a treat like that.

Mandy hosted her usual card making session.  I say "usual" but we never know what we will be doing until we get there!

I received three comping wins and had the pleasure of sharing them with others.  I've even been over to visit Jack this morning and he and Mrs Jack were glad to get a tin of Quality Street.  

I think I've got a bit fitter by increasing my daily step count.  I've started work on my Vision 2020 (more to come on that one), I wrote eleven blog posts, I've knitted a scarf, I've led worship on three Sundays and baptised two babies as well as conducting one funeral, Annie-the-home-enhancer and Paul-the-gardener have both been and helped me, I've been to Women's Institute and Trefoil Guild, I've been out for several meals and in between all  that the usual round of daily life has gone on. 

I've also got plans for February.  There will be workmen in doing house maintenance and improvement next week.  I've got a short break booked.  I'm going on a snowdrop walk,   I've got lunch booked with friends several times.  I'm going to a book launch.  And there will be the usual round of daily life again.

I might find time to write a few blog posts as well!