Nesting

I've begun nesting again.

This morning, with everything else that needs to be done (such as washing, organizing, and folding Tater Tot's clothes, as well as find places for everything we received at the baby showers), I decided it was time to tackle the writing desk in the dining room. My laptop was tired of being a gypsy in my home, with no real place to stay.

I was tired of not being able to see my writing desk, much less actually use it.

A little blurry, but that's to be expected from an older 3GS iPhone. 

Look at that beauty...

I can use it now...

Christmastime's a-comin'

It's after 10 pm, and well past my bedtime, and I am tired.

Although I have not subbed for awhile, I've been putting in full days of work on Christmas preparations. Today marked the nearly-finishing of Wade's big surprise, which I ruined when we had a disagreement and I had an inevitable pregnancy-induced meltdown. He did not, however, actually see the big surprise. He just knows what it is.

It's a quilt.

I am a seamstress, but I am by no means a quilter. This is truly only my second attempt at making a bed-sized quilt. My first one was a twin size patchwork for a missionary at my church when I was 12; it was my community service project to fulfill a graduation requirement set forth by the state of Maryland. I swore to my mother that I would never make another quilt.

So, 16 years later, I make another one.

The good news is, I'm not quilting it, nor am I tying it. I will be paying a reasonable fee to a friend of mine to do the quilting for me on her longarm machine next month, and I will then attach the binding and finish the project completely.

Speaking of finishing projects, I've done some serious crafting over the last couple of months:

54 little girls's dresses
5 knitter's tool fold-ups
2 handknit Christmas ornaments
2 pairs of felted slippers
2 women's owl cowls (the cable pattern looks like owls--super cute!)
1 handknit stuffed bunny
1 pair of socks
1 men's cowl
1 mustachioed purse
1 bearded hat (pictured earlier this fall)
1 cloche hat (in progress)
1 quilt (semi-finished)

That's 72 items since September/October, most of which were completed last month.

Just to show you what I've been up to...

I'm going to bed now...

Feelin' Mighty Fine

Today was a good day.

Why? Well, let me tell you.

I finished reformatting my knitting patterns that I've been working on since...oh...January? And I compiled said knitting patterns into an ebook. It's for sale in my Etsy shop, as well as in my pattern store on Ravelry.com. There is also a print version available, though in limited quantity.

This seemingly small accomplishment was my big goal for 2012. It feels really good that I was able to do it!

And not only that, but I've had 4 orders over the last week through my Etsy shop, plus a custom request. So that's 5 orders. In a week. This is unusual for me.

I could get used to this...

I'm feelin' mighty fine tonight.

The End is Near!

Today, for the first time this week it seems, I did not sit at my sewing machine and cry due to stress.

The dresses are almost complete. The coat tree has been removed from my dining room. I will finish the dresses and I will clean and decorate for Christmas in a matter of days, as well as complete my Christmas knitting and sewing.

That's a good feeling.

An even better feeling is this: once this order is completed and shipped out, I will be able to pay off one of my credit cards in full. We can then take that monthly payment and (What's that? Spend it on yarn?!? A great suggestion, but NO.) apply it to another card that needs to be paid off. After that comes my car, which is paid thru June, and then the big credit card. We should, in theory, be able to have all of these paid by next February.

That's roughly $8k that we will have paid off in just over a year, provided we can stick to our budget and not "cheat" on it.

For those of you that don't know me well, this is a huge deal.

The "big" credit card that was mentioned has been pretty near its max for the last 2 years. Why? I pretty much drained my bank account in order to purchase my home in 2010. Driving 3 hours round trip for work (180 miles PER DAY) did not do my pocketbook well. In order to avoid overdraft fees from the bank, I would use my credit card on gas and groceries, and pay my bills with my measly paychecks from the AACPS. And then, later that year, I was in pretty desperate need of a new couch. So, onto the card it went...

...and then I just put off paying it in full.

Now, my monthly payments barely make a dent. I know that once we get the little ones paid, the big one will come tumbling down far more quickly than the company would care to see. Interest, after all, is how they make their money.

My car is old. It's a 2005 Chevy Cobalt, and is slowly losing functions. It was paid off, back in 2006. And then, due to a failed relationship in which there were financial obligations that had to be cleared, I was forced to take out a title-secured loan on my car for 90% of its current (in 2010) value. So, in essence, it's actually my student loan that I am paying off against my car.

Because we live in the city and happen to not be "city folk," our first short-term (less than 5 years) goal is to get out of the city and not take a loss on our quaint little duplex in the North End. Paying these things off and having that extra money to sock away will help us achieve our goal, and many goals beyond that one.


The end, my friends, is near.

Therapy sessions

As you all know, things here at my house are getting to be a bit stressful. With the dresses still not quite finished, Christmas fast-approaching, and a baby that seems too big to make it the entire 40 weeks, I feel like the clutter is just closing in around me at a record pace.

Come to think of it...it is.

I've made the decision that although I will set up the Christmas tree, I will not be spending time hanging ornaments on it. I am tired and have too much to do.

Recently added to my to-do list: therapy. But not just any type of therapy--yarn therapy. I will be taking a day sometime next week, after the dresses have been packed and shipped and my house is reasonably clean and my tree is upstairs and not in the basement, to go to every single yarn shop I can in the surrounding area. I don't even need to buy anything...just browse.

Much like snuggling a furry pet and letting that soothing feeling of warm fur and affection calm a person, yarn has the same effect on knitters. Yarn doesn't wiggle around and try to steal a toy or a treat away from other yarn. It doesn't bark, drool, stink to high Heaven, or leave muddy pawprints on my floor. Now don't get me wrong--I love my dogs dearly, even in all their stinky drooliness...but sometimes, more yarn is just what the doctor ordered.

The Grinch

Not much has changed since my last post.

The dresses are still being finished. My house is still a mess. It's also still not decorated for Christmas. My Christmas knitting and sewing projects are not yet done...and I haven't even started my baking.

I feel like the Grinch is stealing my Christmas already!

What's worse, I feel like he's stealing my Christmas spirit...