Why I, a Mormon, Observe Lent

Lent is upon us again. Every year as this season comes around, I find myself examining my life and reflecting on what I should be giving up for Lent. And every year I do come up with something.

But, in our theology and practice, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints don't observe Lent. It's not a part of our religion at all. However, when I learned more about Lent, I decided that it was part of the good that could be brought, however informally, into our lives.

You see, Lent in it's most basic form is temporarily giving up something in order to draw closer to God.

In some cases you can use Lent as a kick start to give up a vice, such as smoking, that you would like to give up permanently. Or maybe you've noticed that you are spending too much time doing something that has potential to take over your life, so you want to break the habit before it gets out of control (such as playing video games).

I love the idea of taking some time to ponder my life (which I do a lot anyway). And take a specific focus on what I can do to become closer to God.

If you don't believe in God, you can take the opportunity to give up something or work on something to help you come closer to your true self, or be more in tune with nature, or to simplify your life. You can think of it as an update to New Year Resolutions as well. Only with Lent, you don't have to do it permanently, just for 40 days.

Need Ideas of What to Give Up?
Really it can be pretty much anything. One year I gave up naps, it nearly killed me too. Chocolate, sweets in general, is popular. I've known several people who give up their social media sites, like Facebook and Instagram, as well. The nice thing is that it is personal! You pick whatever it is that you feel is holding you back personally, and give that up or work on improving it.

I hope that those of you out there who don't observe Lent have gained some insight into it, and will consider perhaps trying it out one year. You'd be surprised at the good it can do in your life.

Taking the Plunge

Well folks, here we are. It’s the halfway point in August, children have headed back to school, parents are recovering from vacations, and the population in general is hoping for cooler weather now! (at least where I live, it’s been ridiculously hot.)

As the new school year begins, children are eager to start a new adventure. University students are looking forward to their semester, some with dread (shout-out to the grad students out there!). While we often focus on the New Year as a time for new beginnings, the beginning of the school year is just as much a new beginning as the New Year is.

And I am making a new beginning this month. A big, scary, exciting beginning.

You see, when my summer job ended this month, my husband and I decided that I would not go back to work. Full time freelancing it is! This is a temporary experiment, but if it goes well I will not go back to work full time as a teacher.

Those of you who know me, know that not having something to do is absolutely insane for me. I can’t just sit and do nothing. I’m just no longer working a 9-5 job, with bosses and co-workers and rules and stuff.

I’m full time freelancing. And hopefully it works out. Last year I was able to actually pay rent a couple of months from my freelance income, but being a full time student and having two jobs, freelancing was way too hard emotionally and physically. This girl needs her sleep! So I stopped all my income streams except for one job to focus on finishing my Masters and getting my big girl job.

At the beginning of this summer I slowly began to re-start my income streams. It’s slow going, but of course it was the first time around too. Only this time, it’s lot more scary. I mean, before it was ‘extra’ income to go toward debt repayment, retirement, and savings. Now, it’s gotta pay the bills for real.

He seems awfully cheerful for an octopus...

I once heard (possibly on Pinterest) about the octopus method of income. Meaning, you need to create multiple income streams, so if one has a bad month or quarter, you still have 7 more to fall back on. While I don’t have 8, I do have a few up my sleeve.

Here’s the plan:

• ·         Editing and Proofreading: I’ve reopened my gigs on fiverr. So far I’ve had a few takers, and they are pretty easy. The difference on fiverr this time around though, is I’m not offering APA specific editing. I did last time around and that was the bulk of my work.  Unfortunately, that opened me up to being asked to write term papers for people, not just edit them. I actually contacted the advising professor of a doctoral student who solicited paper writing services from me. If I had to write all my papers for my degrees, you can suck it up and write them too. The upside to now is that most books are quite a bit longer than term papers, so I get a larger payout per job.
• 
  
• ·         Etsy: My etsy shop has been hugely neglected. In fact, I don’t remember the last time I got on there and updated. Now that I have more time, I plan to get a lot of sewing done, and post a lot of it on etsy. I’m convinced that while you really want to do a quality job and post amazing, wonderful creations on etsy, it’s also a numbers game. The more items I get up on there, the more likely it is that people will see my work, the more likely I am to find buyers. Right now this isn’t a huge focus of income for me, but it is there.
• 
  
• ·         Teaching Lessons: At the beginning of the year,  I posted on takelessons as a sewing and knitting teacher. I’ve gotten a few students, but these students tend to want to learn one skill and then are good. It’s a good temporary income for me. If I can get a few more students, and have them leave positive reviews, it will hopefully lead to more students. I’ve even had people contact me through this venue to inquire about seamstress services such as hemming and custom making skirts.
• 
  
• ·         Writing- I’ve been looking at various ways I could make a little money off writing. I’ve loved writing since I was a very young child and have always done it. Most of my writing is what I would consider “closed door” writing, never to been seen by actual people. But, in past years (thank you university) I’ve found I quite enjoy writing for other people as well. Hence the blog. I would like to move the blog to a better platform, and potentially connect it with a shop so I no longer have to rely on etsy for online sales. I’ve also started drafting some tutorial type articles to post on fiverr, and have even submitted some to takelessons for their blog series. Now that I have more time, I will be researching other venues and start submitting to them in the hopes of bringing in a few dollars here and there from something I already am doing.
• 
  
• ·         Arbonne- I’ve become an Independent Consultantfor Arbonne this summer. And I LOVE IT. It allows me socialize, and share about some wonderful products that I use and love as well. It helps my little introverted self meet new people, and it will get me out of my house on a regular basis, because let’s face it, I could sit at home and knit and sew and edit and write all day. No matter how introverted you are, that’s not exactly healthy. And I seriously have fun doing the spa parties. Seriously.

And there it is. The multiple income stream plan. It has already led to some blog posts being written, and I’m sure it will be a grand adventure. It might work out beautifully, and I never have to go back to work, or it might be a bit of a flop and I will go back to teaching in a couple months. We will just have to see. 

The Last Yarn

This week I received a package in the mail. This was a very important package. It contained the Last Yarn. Three skeins to finish off a custom order, and one skein for a Very Important Project (more on that one later).

I had set a goal this year to use what I have when it comes to stash. I have not been very good at not acquiring stash so far this year, but heck, the year isn't quite half over so I think I'm ok. I mean, I've got a whole 7 months to catch up right?

Last year (or was it two years ago?) I did a 100 day no buying challenge. I made it about a week past the 100 day mark, and felt pretty good about it. About the no buying part, as I recall not a whole lot of knitting got done, so not a whole lot of stash got moved out.

This time around though, I have planned projects. I have several WIPs that I'm focusing on. Stash will move out! I have been stalking a Ravelry thread for finishing WIPs this month, and have 'joined' from home (not by officially joining the threads, just reading them for motivation). And have been following a thread called 100 Balls in 2016 as well as a destash thread.

Current Goal(s):
Finish WIPs before casting on a new project
No buying yarn!

Stash Goals 2016

We've made it  to April. A time of year when some have abandoned the "resolutions" they made back in January. If you are a regular reader, you know I don't like the whole New Year Resolution deal. I just like setting goals, because you can do that any time and adjust them and be successful with them.

As I had a few days home over the winter break, I once again was frustrated and overwhelmed with the amount of stash I have. I have been trying, quite unsuccessfully, to reduce my stash. Fabric to zero if possible. And yarn by.... a lot. It would free up an astonishing amount of space in our apartment. (We've also been going through things and have a sizable donate pile.)

In order to reach a goal, you have to have a plan in place though. Here's THE PLAN.

Yarn
Overall Goal: Use 3 balls of yarn for every 1 ball acquired   Revised (already): Move more skeins out of stash than I acquire. So far, I'm not doing so great at it, but have a game plan.

The Plan:
1.  Find one skein projects, such as baby sweaters (for the Etsy shop and to have handy for baby showers), and use up all the single skein sock yarns I have.

2. The Box: I have a box. I've filled it with dishcloth cotton to start with. The goal is to use up all the yarn in the box without acquiring more of the same kind of yarn.

3. Make all those sweaters for myself I've been planning and buying yarn for.


Fabric:
Overall Goal: No more stash. Buy fabric as needed only.

The Plan:
1. Finish all the partially done projects hanging out in the closet, and basket. Yes, there is a basket for sewing projects as well.

2. Make the clothes I had planned for myself.

3. Use pattern books to find suitable patterns for the fabric I have. Again, probably baby stuff for the Etsy shop and baby showers. (I know a few lot of pregnant folks, it's that season of my life.)

4. Do not buy fabric. Ha! Revising to a 100 day no buying streak (like last year)

5. Sew every day. Just 15 minutes a day will add up to 7+ hours a month. And on weekends, once I get going I usually end up sewing a lot longer than 15 minutes.

A New Motto

I have a wonderful friend here in Knoxville. Recently she said that her family has adopted the motto: One is better than Zero. That really stuck with me. Some of us (including me and my friend) have the tendency to start out a day with big plans, and when something goes wrong, we throw up our hands and say "Well, there goes the whole day!"

Then we sit on the couch and watch Netflix for the rest of the day instead of continuing on with what needs to be done. And feel guilty because we got absolutely nothing accomplished.

No more, folks. No. More.

Because I tend to remember things a little better when they make sense to me, I adapted the motto to be "One is Better Than None".

I get a point for remembering something I need to do, even if I don't get around to it. I get a point for opening the dishwasher, even if I don't load or unload it. I get a point for pulling the cleaning stuff out, even if I don't get around to actually cleaning yet. I get a point for changing the toilet paper when it runs out. I GET A POINT FOR EVERYTHING because ONE IS BETTER THAN NONE!

Since adopting this motto, I find that I get a little more done. Why? Because a lot of little ones here and there can add up to a 10 over the course of a day. Ten ones is still a ten at the end of a day. Heck, you could do twenty ones and get 20 points for the day!

Try it, you might like it. ;)

Welcome 2016!

Every year I tell myself I will blog more. This year is no different, but I really hope that when it comes to actually blogging more, I really want it to happen.

To help myself out, I've put blogging in my schedule for the week. This way there is actually time set aside for me to blog.

I will also keep up with some of the regular posts I started in 2015. The Monthly Totals will continue, because I like those ones. I like seeing the super productive months all in one spot. And the not so productive ones, well, hopefully they help you feel good about what you accomplish.

I will also continue doing the Featured Finish Object posts. Of course, I will only use personal projects for these. The first one of the year will be up soon, and I will explain a little more about what I hope to accomplish with those posts when I publish the first one for the year.

I have a lot of fun things planned for the year ahead! If you have anything you would like to hear about from my perspective, or any Pinterest pins you'd like to see someone attempt before you do them, let me know!

Have a great 2016 folks!

100 Days of Sewing- Sort of

So, awhile back I decided to sew every day for 100 days straight. And I almost made it.

You see, I started in the summer when things weren't as crazy as they could have been, so I did awesome. Then, two weeks ago, I started a new job. New job, new hours, new responsibilities. It was a bit overwhelming (and still is). On the night of day 72, I crawled into bed exhausted. As I drifted off to sleep I realized that I hadn't sewn that day. At all. Had this been a few months ago during school and all that, I would have dragged myself out of bed and sewn a seam, lost sleep would have been no big deal.

But I just couldn't. I was waaaaaay too tired, and stressed, and worried about being late to work and falling asleep in training, and all that stuff that could make the new bosses not look too kindly on me. I decided it was okay to take a break, and it's been a couple of weeks now.

Today is day 50 of no buying yarn (minus ones needed for a custom order placed). 50 Days! . And it's day 31 of no fabric. I'm on a roll! So I decided to go ahead and take advantage of the streak and start 100 Days of sewing again. I'm sure I can make it, no problem. I've got quilt blocks, quilts, a skirt, and an alteration already lined up to be done. Not to mention the giant box of stash that needs to be used too!

Here's a look at what all got finished-finished in the first round of 71 days:
(Not pictured, yet, a vest for myself and a bean bag that I will be posting on in the near future)

I was concerned about my reading...

This summer as I've been reading and recording the books I've been reading, I became slightly concerned with the amount of books I was reading. You see, I love reading and I read a lot. But according to my calculations, I am behind for the year.

Yes, I have not read as much this year as I have in years past. And it worries me. Odd, yes, but reading is something I love to do and if I allow myself to stop doing things I love, I become a very different, not so great, person.

Then a lightbulb went off in my head. I have been reading a lot more than is showing up on my books page.

As of this month, I have edited (which means I read them entirely) 34 books and papers on fivver. While some of them were 2 or three page papers, some of them were unpublished novels of over 100 pages.

So, while I feel like I'm behind with my reading, I think I really am not. I haven't kept track of page numbers on fiverr, but it should be near 1,000 pages in Word. The next step for me is to keep going, so I can build an awesome portfolio. Maybe one day I will read for a living!

Whole30 Day Zero

I start the actual diet tomorrow. I have to admit that I haven’t finished reading the book, as a graduate student I have a lot of other readings, and writings, that I need to do. And I’m super diligent about my self-care, and while this diet is part of self-care, I really wanted to read some novels this week too.

Here are two WTF thoughts I’ve had so far.

1.   Smoothies are discouraged, especially for ‘breakfast’. WTF?  I love smoothies, they fill me up and I know I’m getting some of the nutrients I need from the fact that I can pack 3 servings of vegetables/fruit into one smoothie. I don’t add sugar to them either, so yes sometimes they don’t taste great. While I understand that dairy and dairy replacements are not allowed, I can still make a smoothie without those. (I tried yesterday, it was gross, but it might have been the combination of fruits I had in it.) This might be a part that I go rogue on from time to time. Sometimes, I just need a smoothie.

 2.     Corn. I love corn. I always counted it as a serving of vegetables or a nice, low calorie, healthy snack in the form of popcorn. But CORN ISN’T ALLOWED! Apparently it’s considered a grain? This one will be a little difficult, but I will stick to it, and just be glad I finished by celebrating with some popcorn.

The Game Plan (for Now)

I explained earlier that we are poor college students and I can’t make myself throw away every non-compliant food in our house (Think of the food storage!), so I’ve come up with a plan of attack for this aspect of our lives.

First, I threw away all opened food that would go bad by the end of the 30 days. Mostly chips and cheeses and some other miscellaneous dairy products.

Second, I moved all non-compliant foods out of the ‘easy access ’ cupboards to less accessible ones. (In case you’re wondering, I’m super short so the only easy access cupboard for me in our kitchen are the below the counter ones. That’s why I used quotations.)

Third, I went through our freezer and fridge, and put stickers on all non-compliant foods in there so there is a visual reminder that those aren’t compliant. Foods that would keep for the 30 days like ketchup and frozen corn. This way I’m not going to have to constantly read labels or try to keep a list of what is and isn’t allowed.

Fourth,  I will be going to the grocery store to pick up some replacements (like olive oil instead of the cheaper vegetable oil we’ve been using) and to stock up a little on meats in addition to my weekly fresh vegetables and fruit stock up.

Finally, meal plan. I love meal planning, it makes the week much easier all around. I know exactly what to get at the grocery store, and don’t end up wasting money on unnecessary things. And at the end of a long day, it’s nice to know that the meat is defrosted and ready to go, you have everything you need, and sometimes, when I use the crock pot, the meal is ready and waiting for you! The book has recipes, the website has recipes, and I’m pretty sure if I searched Pinterest, they would have recipes too.

Stay Tuned... 

I did my measurements last night, since I started that detox treatment which claims I ‘might lose weight’ with it. Psh. I’m pretty skeptical about this since the last ‘detox’ treatment I tried was total bunk. The placebo effect was very strong in some people for it. But I was raised by scientists, and do approach things with an experiment mindset (let’s see if this really works, here’s a, there’s b, do I really get there following these instructions, etc.) so I think (hope) that the placebo effect doesn’t occur with this detox, and the diet afterward! 

Whole 30 Preshow: Act 2

The closer it gets the more I'm ready, but also not so ready to do it. I'm especially worried that my husband will not follow the diet plan as closely as I am going to, and then get frustrated when I'm being so picky about things. It's a big deal to me, doing Whole30, and I have to do it right if I want it to work the way people says it does.

I kind of had the thought that I would do some "test" days leading up to it, where I would do Whole30 for a day, but if I wanted milk at night or a scoop of ice cream it would be okay because I hadn't officially started. After reading some more about it, and really thinking about how I work, I decided this is not a good idea. When I start I'm going full throttle, no test days, and no cheat days (as per the rules of Whole30). My husband doesn't know this yet, but I also plan on going through our cupboards to pack away the biggest temptation foods we have. 

Whole30 tells you to throw out your foods that are non-compliant. But we're college student poor, and the thought of just throwing away all of the food storage we have (what little we do have) made me sick to my stomach. It's good food, and it will still be good come May 1st. Financially, for us, throwing away all that food is so stupid, we might as well start eating out for every single meal we eat AND use our credit cards to pay every time.

I didn't plan it this way, but I also got a detox kit that I wanted to try. I got it in the mail today and will start it tonight. I'm not sure how Whole30 approved it will be, but I'm going to do it either way. I should be done with it by Wednesday which was my original start date, but with the way I'm feeling, I'm bumping the start date up to Saturday, Sunday at the latest. 

I noticed that a lot of people online talk about how much weight they lost, "I lost xx pounds!" But I haven't seen anyone really talk about losing dress sizes or inches in the waist or anything. So for me, I'm going to take my measurements as well as my weight at the start and end of Whole30. As much as it pains me to say this, I pulled out all of my shorts and not one of them fits anymore. Not in a "oh, it's a little snug" way. In a "I can't do up the button" way. Oy vey. So, while I won't post beginning and ending weight and inches, I do plan to let you all know with my own "I lost xx pounds AND xx inches" testimonial. 

 I'm also going to make a real effort to get some regular exercise in, hopefully that will help my muscle tone be better. I've been feeling rather flabby lately. With my record with exercise,(Remember when the bike broke my arm?) it probably won't be anything beyond some simple yoga, calisthenics, minor weightlifting (at home) and walking. 

Enjoy the Spring Weather (while it lasts, it's suppose to get back down to January temps this weekend for us.) 

Well, there goes one of my goals...

I truly meant to be better at posting here this year. I feel like I did freakin' awesome in January, and then February happened.

We moved, school started getting more involved, and well some things flew out the window.

So here's a quick note for you all, I am working on some things that I hope will actually make it out of my head and onto the blog in the next few weeks and months.

Preview: Precuts Party for the #sewmystash2015 challenge:

 See ya in a few...

It's February

Happy February Everyone!!!

This month I have some great things happening. First off we're moving to a bigger apartment (yay!) which is big enough that I will have my very own office/craft studio! I'm hoping having a designated space, away from the video games on the giant tv, will help me to be more productive in the sewing arena. Not to mention the fact that this new apartment is quite a bit cheaper than our current apartment. It's going to help a lot when it comes to paying off our debt and actually being able to maintain some savings (right now every time I get some savings under my belt, some disaster happens that needs to be paid for. Like school.)

Secondly, I am participating in the February Hat-a-Thon in the Stash Knit Down group over on Ravlery. Since I am a grad student, and working two jobs, I decided to participate in a team, so I only have to make a couple of hats instead of the full (26 hats) or half (13 hats) marathon. Maybe next year....

Finally, The Yarn Haven retreat! I was able to go last year on a scholarship, and this year we saved up some $$ and it's counting as my Christmas/Birthday present. I'm super excited to spend a weekend hanging out with the lovely ladies that I've gotten to know and love over the past year and a half on Thursdays at Knit Night. Hijinks and knitting will occur.

Of course, I can't forget that February is the MOST IMPORTANT month because the MOST IMPORTANT PERSON was born on February 28.... my Beautiful Mother!

Anyone got some great plans for February up their sleeves?

New Years Resolution Motivation

As we enter week three of the New Year, some of you may have already fallen off the resolution bandwagon. However, remember: Just be a little better than you were yesterday. You can start over, each week and day is a new start. And remember, this is YOUR life, not someone else's. Be sure to focus on you and you will become the person you need to become.

Progress

Hey, you see that little widget to the right of this post? Yeah, that one about the knitting. See that big number?

Yeah, that 10,000+ number. That means that I've knit over 6 miles of yarn this year. While it's only about half of my initial goal of 13 miles, it's still quite the accomplishment. I've never kept track of how much I've knit in a year before. It's kind of cool to see what I've done even if I don't have pictures of every project I've done.

I'm hoping to get another mile or so done before the New Year. And with classes done for the semester, a couple of long plane rides, and two weeks of 'vacation' between me and the New Year, I think I have a decent chance of getting them in.

I will post a picture montage of projects done this year, once the year is over, with the official count of yards/miles knit. Then, new goals will be set and we'll journey into a New Year full of potential, adventure, and probably some frustrations when it comes to knitting projects (among other things.)

Just wanted to celebrate a bit early, ya know?

Friday... A Regular Post?

I stalk blogs. I just do. I want to be a better blogger and so I stalk people who blog to see what they do that I might be able to do something similar. But in my own way because I don't think it would be nice to blatantly copy someone, unless it's a really really good idea.

So, maybe, just maybe I might start doing a weekly tip post on Fridays. Maybe.

We're gonna give it a try okay?

I have a hobby of sorts. It spawns from the same motivation that David Bach gives in his book, "Smart Women Finish Rich". Every woman has a right to be educated about finances. That way if she never gets married, or is somehow left single later in life, she does not flounder financially. She knows what's what, how to manage money, what a retirement account is, how to make investments, and how to calculate things like mortgages and how much to save.

My little tidbit for today? Well, a lot of financial advice things that I've seen in the past say that you should try to be saving at least 10% of your income in some sort of retirement fund. However, for women, you should be saving 12-15% of your income. Why?

Because, on average women live longer than men by 5 years. So if as a woman, you are saving 10%, for the last five of years of your life, what are you living on? Not much, that's for sure.

So, how do we go about saving this money? Well, we can get into that over the next few weeks, I guess. Rally, women! We can be financially educated!

From A Girl who Wants Farm

Goal: 13 Miles

Earlier I posted my "Goal for the Year" to knit 13 miles of yarn. 13 miles because it's 2013. Get it? Get it?
Well, I though maybe I'd share with you all some of the ways I will get to that goal. (Also, over on the sidebar there's a little widget that tells you how much I've knit so far for the year.)

First some baby sweaters:

Little Sister's Dress  

Milo
I already have the yarn (olive green and dark blue) for both of these, as well as tentative recipients in mind. But am open to make them for someone who really really wants them...

A sweater or two for myself:

Chaste Sanna

Tourist Sweater
Both of these were gifted to me by fellow Ravelers. (If you knit and have not discovered Ravelry, go there, now.) I haven't decided on colors yet, I personally tend to gravitate toward grays and blues.

If I get really ambitious and brave I will attempt a beaded shawl:

UnsinkableAgain, made possible by the gift of beads from a fellow Raveler. (Yes, this pattern isn't beaded, but it 'spoke' to me. If you knit, or quilt, or sew, you get what I mean.)

And finally, since I've had some good success with ambitious blankets in the past, I have decided to knit at least 13 squares from the The Great North American Afghan.

There are multiple versions of this afghan from different years of publication, I have two of them so that should give me at least 13 squares that I like enough to knit up. I also plan to do this in black, hot pink, and gray (white if I can't find any gray).

And of course, since it's me, I'll be knitting plenty of socks. In fact, I joined the 13 Socks in 2013 group over on Ravelry. Let's be honest here, it's an addiction. I already have yarn for three pairs, plus baby size ones from the scraps. I might as well make it official.

4 Miles

And this is what 4 miles of socks looks like (minus a pair that is snowed in at the cabin...)

And minus the pairs that were Christmas presents. They are with their owners now, not me. :)

Goal for the Year

  I don't like the term 'New Year's Resolution". Probably because I feel people use it as a way to say they're going to do something that they don't really intend to do or don't think they can accomplish, but that's okay because it was a "New Year's Resolution" and people don't ever keep those anyway so no big deal. Right.

  A few years ago I took to having a "Goal for the Year" instead. I've found the best method for me is to have one goal. Any more than that and I might end up getting overwhelmed and not accomplishing any of them because it's just impossible. I can make short term goals, mind you, or longer range goals. But for my year goals, one is the magic number.

Last year it was to make 12 pairs of socks for myself over the course of the year, one pair per month. And I completed that goal two days ago. (Go me.) Then I got to thinking what my goal for the upcoming year should be. The socks had a "12 in '12" theme, so maybe I should do a "13 in '13" theme. After checking out some things on the knitting website, I decided on a goal.

I'm going to knit 13 miles worth of yarn in the year 2013. You will notice that I have added a widget to the sidebar on the blog here that will track the yardage that I have knit. For those of you wondering, 13 miles = 22,880 yards.

I'm not sure why knitting has been the focus of my "Goal for the Year" the past year and now, but it is something I like to do, so why not? Granted I have more things I want to accomplish in the coming year, but they aren't do or die like I feel the "Goal for the Year" is. It's a serious thing, this Goal for the Year, it has to happen no matter what.

Having said that, my dad sat me down today. He said "I have a goal for you this year." After explaining that I have a big year ahead of me full of really cool things that I'm doing, he said, "You have to take it easy."

All I could do was throw my head back and yell, "DANGIT!"

So I set a goal this year to knit a pair of socks for myself each month. And I did really well. Until April. That being said I just finished up my May socks, and have regressed back to the April ones.

May Socks

Technically I did two pairs in March, so I'm not really behind. But it's still bothering me that I still haven't finished the pair I started in April. So before starting in on the June pair (which will be a plain pair of socks so it gets done!), I am going to attempt to get the April pair done first. Sigh.

The Second Pair of March Socks

If you're interested in this project, I have a board on my Pinterest called "Happy Feet" with pictures of the socks as they are made. It's quite fun.

And I really do have happy feet when they are clad in hand knit socks.