Be Better

Here we are again at the very beginning of a brand new year.  2014 was a great year.  We did a lot of cool things and shared so much love and laughter.  It was also a time of adjustment and mourning. Without my Dad here I felt that missing piece of myself all the time.  I know I always well.  The pain isn't as sharp but I am always aware. I know he is in Heaven and watching over me and with me all the time and that is what makes me OK.

But like I said, 2014 was still a great year. And I know 2015 will be also.

I have a theme for the new year... Be Better.  A better person, a better knitter, a better crafter, a better friend, in better health.  All those things and more.

So with that theme in mind, here are a few things I am planning for myself for the new year.

Eat healthier. Exercise more. Feel better. No real plan in place for this other than just do it! I'll keep you posted on my progress. I want to lose weight and I think keeping up with these things will be a great start.

In addition to that, I want to be a better knitter.  For Christmas I got some great books that I can't wait to read and dig into.  I know learning more about technique will help be be a better knitter.

This year I was also gifted by my wonderful husband a spinning wheel.  I can't wait to spin more and over the course of the year be a better spinner.  Which I am already well on my way here since before I had the wheel I couldn't spin at all.

Better crafter for me means trying new things.  I want to sew more and there are a few other crafts I want to try.  My daughter loves doing crafts so I want to encourage her in the arts and crafts as well this year.

Doing all these things will make feel better, and if I feel better, I know I'll be a better friend.  Which all this boils down to me being a better person.

Tomorrow I will discuss more details on goals for the year. Until then, have a wonderful New Year's Day!

So Much Goodness

Back in the fall, the hubster and myself went on a long weekend getaway to Blue Ridge, GA.  We had so much fun that we went back the weekend after Thanksgiving and took our daughter with us.  This is such a wonderful town and scenic part of Georgia.  If you haven't been I would highly recommend. There is so much wonderful things to do.

While we were there we visited Mercier Orchards.  What a wonderful place.  On our first visit, I purchased a small jar of Bunch O' Berries Jam.  Well, that didn't last long. Oh my word at how much goodness had been squeezed into that tiny little jar.

So when we went back in November, I thought, yeah, I've got this figured out.  This time I'm getting the big jar!  Well, the big jar did last longer. But sadly not as long as I'd like.  Between me and the Wee One, that stuff was gone fast.

Thankfully, a friend of hubster has family in Blue Ridge and went for a visit.  This kind soul brought me back, count them, three big jars! Oh yeah. That's right!Now we're enjoying this yummy goodness again and this time, maybe, it will last until our next trip to the orchard!

Making it Happen

Hi there! It is hard to get back in the swing of things. I'm working on it.  And sometimes I think to myself what in the world can I post about and I think I have a great idea and then I can't seem to find the time to get out on the blog to actually post it.  So I'm making a deal with myself, no pressure posting but at least post a couple times a week. And see where it leads.

So that's what I'm doing.  I'm making it happen!

And you know, really it's like exercise.  You have to make the time for it because there is never enough time.

Here's the thing. I have some big plans I want to execute on and in order to do that I have to have a real plan, and I believe keeping up with regular posts on this blog are really going to help me execute on those other plans. So watch out world! LOL!!

Now. With all that being said, what in the world am I going to post about today? I'm going to post about socks! Yes! That's right. Socks.  Knitting socks in fact.

You see, I knitted my first pair of socks about.... four years ago.  My lys (local yarn store) had a sock a month a few years back where they featured a pattern and yarn and treated it like a Knit-A-Long with prizes for those who completed the socks within the time frame.  I really wanted to like knitting socks. But.... I did not. Using those double pointed needles was the worst thing EVER. So I decided I would never knit another pair of socks again.

After a while though, a friend kept telling me I needed to learn magic loop and knit socks that way.  I thought she was crazy.  Because how could any method make knitting socks fun? I resisted for a long time until I got a bug to knit these incredibly cute little Owl Puffs. In order to make these fun little guys, I learned magic loop.  And guess what? I liked it!

Once I'd made a few Owl Puffs and then using magic loop to finish off a couple of projects I really liked the magic loop.

This new found enjoyment of a new to me knitting method, combined with my epic project of knitted my family Christmas Stockings, which are just really large socks, I decided to give sock knitting a second chance.  Who would have ever thought, certainly not me, that I would now be addicted to knitting socks. Since the Fall, I've made five pairs of socks with number six on the needles.  One other thing I'm enjoying is learning heels.

I will write up another post on socks and actually include pictures in that one.  If I can figure out how to do that.  My. My. How things change when you're not around for awhile. So yeah.  I will have to relearn the upload and adding of photos.  In the meantime.  Yay! I posted!!