Autumn rush

We are almost at the end of October and I have yet to post anything since sometime in September. To be fair, there was one major change in my life that I'm still adjusting to as it keeps changing on me.

I now work full time so you can imagine how much less time I had than before. I started back in mid-September right after my last post. It's been about 2 months and there have been only 2 weeks in which I have stayed under 40 hours. I've done more than a few 12 hour days because I can't say no, which is a little bit of a running gag at work. It's been a bit stressful and it's been a bit of a sharp learning curve but I'm getting there. The worst part has been the constant schedule changes as some weeks I'm working during the day and other weeks I'm working evenings as I'm trying to get as much training done as possible.

This has, of course, made changes in the household as we're all trying to adjust to the fact that as I have less time than before we need to all pitch in more together so that the house stays clean, animals are taken care of and we're all fed ourselves and that we still find some time together as a family. So far we're doing okay. Some days are better than others but we're getting there.

It doesn't help that it is autumn, which has always been a busy season for my family and this adjusting has to happen in the middle of it all. I am armed with my planners though and that's been helping with keeping things organized and descending into complete chaos. My husband and I also make it a point to chat every night to keep each other informed with what's happening to the both of us and to our family. Some things are still falling to the wayside and I'm fine with that, as long as the major things are being taken care of.

I do miss my time to work on my personal projects but I do what I can when I can and remind myself that I could go to sleep late to work on my own stuff but I need to sleep because of everything that happens during the day. Maybe once things calm down a bit we'll work out a better routine and hopefully I'll get to back to posting more regularly.

Post, No Post

Oh, I'm terribly late with this. Last month became a bit of a train wreck and I was just trying to pull myself out of the debris that's scattered everywhere.

It was a mad scramble for the beginning of the school year with information from the school being wrong and barely enough time to fix it and be able to start the school year without too much of a hiccup. It was down to the last minute and that's something I hate happening. I'd much rather start a little early and take my time getting what's needed and working on things at my own pace then trying to rush things last minute and feeling unsure if I was able to get everything done properly. I'm still trying to get things done and school's been in session for a few weeks now.

My house is still a wreck. There isn't anything I can say to make that better.

It is September so there is that. We are currently in heat advisory though. This year has just a been a mess and I'm seriously hoping that going into autumn might make things better but at this point it's just wishful thinking. 

That's about it for now. Hopefully, I'll have something more interesting to post. This is just a bit of make up post but it's something, as late as it is. 

Time is moving

I'm a bit late with this but by only 2 days so that's not that bad. I'm a bit behind on other things still but I'm working on it, sort of. I actually don't have a specific topic to discuss today so I thought I might wing it to see what pops up.

It's more than halfway through the year. I'm a bit excited about that because I'm honestly ready for this year to be over because it's just been a mess of a year but it also freaks me out because I feel like it's going way faster than I thought it would.

A lot has been happening. I finished out my first lettering challenge. I'm fairly happy with the results and even happier that I was actually able to finish it out. I originally thought that I might do a different lettering challenge every other month but I decided to just keep jumping into it and started another lettering challenge right away. I was so wanting do an art journal challenge for myself but I still need to brush up on a few techniques before I can dive into that. I'm definitely enjoying the creative challenges that I've set for myself and super proud that I've kept up with them.

Oddly enough, I've been contemplating how I might change up my planner system to something a bit more streamlined. I have no idea how I might do that or whether it's a good idea to even think about switching my system out because it's been working and working well for me. I've done great progress on a lot of things though there are areas that I really need to work on but that's always how it goes.

Work may be changing up for me. I've been in a few interviews for my workplace for different positions. I have no idea if things will change and if it does, that's going to change my whole world.

My house is still a mess.

I guess it's just a wait and see period. That's it for now.

In a Planner World

I've taken my first steps into a bigger world. I'm now part of a planner group on Facebook. I joined the Llamas Love Lettering Group, which is a group that focuses on planner stuff and lettering all encouraged by Cindy Guentert-Baldo.

I've been watching her on Youtube a lot and she's one of my favorite planner people to watch as she's funny and more importantly, her brain seems to work in a similar way as mine when it comes to planning and such. She also does a lot of creative projects that I can get into myself along with art supply reviews. I'm not sure how much I'll be joining along with comments and such but I've started and we'll see how far I go into the planner rabbit hole.

This is late but I'm posting this on time so I'm getting better with keeping up again! Go me!

Challenging more

I was doing so well for a long while with posting regularly and on time but then I just fell off the bandwagon. This posting has been a good indicator of how far along or how far behind I feel with my general goals. If things are on time, I'm right on schedule with this little blog of mine but if I feel like I'm falling behind, the timing gets all screwy. Obviously, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything that's been happening.

For the past several weeks, I've been on overdrive with trying to get everything done. My daughter finished school last month and now we're just waiting to get information about her new school since we decided to switch her out of public school and into a charter school. It's been interesting trying to parent a preteen with the trappings of modern life. My house is a mess and I'm still dealing with insurance trying to get everything ready so that things might finally progress along. The weather has been up and down with thunderstorms every 4 days and just recently there was a heat wave, which made working in a warehouse so much fun. At this point, I don't think I know any other speed besides ludicrous speed. I honestly can't believe that it's already July. The year is halfway through and I feel like I've barely got anything done.

Of course, it's not enough and I have to add another thing to my to do list. I've been learning lettering and focusing on brush lettering and calligraphy. Luckily, that was indeed one of my things to learn this year so I'm ahead on that, slightly. To keep practicing, I decided to start up a challenge for the month of July. It's a lettering/journaling/doodling challenge on the topic of Harry Potter. Of course, I'm focusing on lettering this challenge. It's been fun so far. I'm hoping it'll be another thing that I can say that I completed this year.

Shell Shy

It's difficult being a person. I find myself to be more cat than a human at times. Once I like you, I claim you and I want all your attention. If I haven't claimed you, I'll take you in whatever doses I choose and no more. I'm perfectly happy being a hermit and not making an effort to talk to people who I'm not forced to see everyday and even with those people, I'm fine with simply not saying anything. I suppose that's just being an introvert though.

When things are difficult around me, I have a tendency to turtle myself in. When my emotions are chaotic and barely under my control I find it worse to be around people as their emotions tend to throw my own emotions off even more. This year has been very trying for me and my family so far so I've barely held onto my sense of self and have avoided people to not add to the drama that's already happening. The year is halfway through and I can't keep avoiding people, as much as I'd like to. I'm making steps to reach out to people again. 

Writing letters was the first step to getting used to the idea of starting conversation with people again. I started messaging people. I finally contacted someone to hang out, face to face. I'm getting there and hopefully it won't be long until I'm a person and not just a shell of a turtle. 

Summer's Almost Here!

I'm still here and still not sure what to do with this blog. I feel I should do something productive with it but I honestly have no idea as what that might be. I've continued journaling and that has helped with making sure my head doesn't feel too full with excess emotions. My planner continues to give me a great boost in productivity. I'm not sure what else I need after that.

I don't have much going on right now as I'm a bit busy dealing with life issues. I woke up a few days ago to a loud boom, in which a guy ran the stop light in front of my house, hit a van in the cross traffic which sent the van into my front door and the car into my car. I don't even have words on what a mess things have been and still are. The weather has just been crazy for the past several weeks with barely just a day or two of sunshine before rain and cloudiness settles in. I love the rain but I'm a bit sick of it at this point. I need some nice weather to stick around for a while.

It's the the last full week of May. Next week starts the month of June so before I even knew it, summer is just around the corner and I am so not ready. It seems the weather decided to just skip spring and go straight into the hot season. It's super hot or super rainy with not much else so far but hopefully we can sneak in a few nice days in between.

I'm going to make it my mission to enjoy this summer though. Spring was a wash in many ways but I'm determined to try my best to turn things around. We may not have major plans to go anywhere but we can still enjoy time together as a family and see friends again.

Is 2018 over yet?

I'm kind of hating on 2018. I've never come close to such a negative feeling toward a year but this has not been a good year so far. I honestly fear it might get worse and we are not even halfway through it yet.

I'm not going over the things that have already happened so far but to add to all of it, a dear friend of mine passed away just a few weeks ago. I hadn't talked to him face to face for years but he had been such a major part of my life in the past. I hate that he's gone. I can't imagine how his family is still dealing with everything.

I feel bogged down though I am trying to move forward with everything. I'm not sure what to do anymore for this year but I'm trying to find something to hold onto. I am sorry this post isn't all that interesting. I'm still contemplating pulling this down and maybe putting it up as something else entirely but I'm still not sure. My mind is just wandering into different ideas for now and it has yet to make a decision.

I hope your year is much better than mine.

Enduring Second Winter

February was InCoWriMo. The plan for March had been to get started on the yard but the weather was crazy with a nor'easter every week and that trend has continued into the current month of April. Actual spring weather has just started in the last week. Yard work has at least been started but I have no idea when it might continue and when it might finally get finished. I almost feel bad for my neighbors who have to see my eyesore of a flower bed because I know I'm not a fan of it.

In April we were supposed to start our outdoor survival courses. With the weather trapping us indoors and giving us a second winter, we were wanting to spend time outdoors with walk and hikes. While we would be out there, my husband wants to brush up on our survival skills with small lessons like pointing out plants that might be harmful to us and such. We're all actually looking forward to it. 

In the meantime, I've been working on my calligraphy. I've always been complimented on my handwriting and I actually do like my handwriting but I think it'd be fun to do different styles and I've always loved word art but I want to put up my own sayings with brush lettering. 

And now, I will leave you with a quote:

"Perseverance and strength of character will enable us to bear much worse tings." 

--Charles Dickens

2018 check, check, 1, 2, 3

I am still here. Of course, I'm a couple of days late but that is because on the day that I would have posted I did actually journal a bit. I'm not completely done with this blog yet though. Sooner or later, I may actually have to change this blog to something but I'm not sure to what yet. I still need time to think through this.

Time is not something that I have a lot of. It is already April and 2018 has been a mess of a year so far. My sink broke the other day and it cost me just an arm to have it fixed. It was worth the price to get my sink fixed so quickly as living without a kitchen sink is a really annoying thing since we have no dishwasher. My kid is getting braces this year but for the first stage, she is getting just a spacer. Just a few weeks ago, I had to get a tire replaced. What this all means is that I am in a decent amount of debt right now.

I'm doing good on some things and other things I feel as if I'm floundering. I'm doing well with my Flowbook challenge. I like the nice break it gives me to focus on something that is out of the ordinary to do. I actually went jogging the other day and I'm hoping to go jogging again if the weather would not flip out every other day. I've been reading books and played video games. I'm writing letters, which has been so much fun. I'm proud of myself on those ends. My planner system is doing a good job of keeping me organized and not feeling as if I'm constantly forgetting things. My health is a bit of a mix up. I'm more tired and though I try to get to bed on time, it doesn't work out as I'm trying to give myself extra time to work on things that I want to do. It also means that I'm taking more naps, which is a good thing as when I need the rest I'm trying to not resist so hard but it also means I'm not far off from wearing myself down again. I took a nap today, which was only supposed to last 30-45 mins but I didn't wake for 4 hrs. I've been trying to keep healthy but I keep craving sugary things and I'm starving when I get home from work most nights so I end up eating way more than I should for being so late in the evening. Worst of all, I feel a little down lately. I'm not sure if it's stress from everything or that I am legitimately feeling down because of my bipolar.

I'm going to keep going though. I don't have any other choice but to keep taking each step forward. I'll get there, wherever I am supposed to be though it may be a tough journey. Maybe I'm just walking up a very large hill.

For every page there is a turn . . .

I've had this blog for the past 8 years and been fairly diligent with it. It started out as a class assignment and I just kept it going for no particular reason than my own amusement. I know no one reads this and I'm perfectly happy with that. It's just a spot to occasionally put down my thoughts without worrying about who might find this. If someone does stumble along this, well, there isn't really anything all that interesting on here. I think it might be time to move on though. Having this blog prevents me from journaling in an old fashioned notebook and I miss using a pen to do so. It's definitely more convenient to type out my words as there are times when my hand can't keep up with my brain but it's slightly less satisfying and I'm trying to move on from always convenient to more mindful. I still need to consider this some more though. For anyone, who does see this in the mean time, I hope you have a great day cause that's all I've got for now.

Stuff and nonsense

Despite the date being a day late, it is just after midnight for the date to change to the next day but I have not slept for the night so this post is not late! Also, for once, I have a topic that I want to discuss.

I’d like to say that I’m like any other person who likes their stuff but it’s not completely true. I do like stuff and I like collecting stuff but at the same time I could honestly leave behind like 75% of my possessions. I would feel sad about not having those items but for the most part, it wouldn’t take me long to simply move on without them. There are certain items that I would have a really hard time letting them go but the majority of it wouldn’t be a problem to me.

I know that stuff is simply stuff. It’s great to have while I’m here but I can’t take it with me in the end so I try not to get worked up over things too much. Most of it can be replaced. What I do have must have meaning for me. It has to have a memory or function, preferably both. I don’t want something just for it to sit in a dark box for me to never see it, so every few months, I purge things. If I don’t have use for it, I find a new home for it. Preferences change so things around me must be changed to reflect that.

My decorating style is a reflection of this as I lean towards simple, clean designs. I don’t like feeling cluttered. I like space and organization. Having too much stuff around makes me feel chaotic and out of control. To me, it feels like stuff and nonsense! That is all!

Madd for March

It's March! I can hardly believe it! This is just a few days late and going to be another update.

February blew by in a breeze. It's the shortest month of the year but I don't think any of us expected it to go by that fast. InCoWriMo is finished and I completed my version of it by writing at least 2 letters a week. In total it was 10 letters and I have already received 2 replies. Next year I'm doing it the right way and will write a letter everyday.

I came up with the idea of a reflection journal. My plan is that there will be an overall theme for the year that I want to focus on and then for each month there will be a theme that I need to work on as a person that will fit in the year's overall focus. I'm going to figure out at least 3 things on how to work on that subject and then journal a bit about why it's important for me to work on this particular topic., I'm going write a bit whether I feel if I fulfilled those 3 points too. I was kind of already doing this since the beginning of the year in my mind so I figured it was about time I simply put it down on paper. I'm just glad that I finally figured out a use for the Tototo notebook and pet set the hubby had given me so long ago.

I'm not sure if I'm going to have a big project for March yet. I still have a tiny bit of time to figure it out.

2018 so far . . .

Once again, I am a few days late with this post but at least it's better than a whole week late like last time though so I've made some progress, which is actually what this post is going to be about, so it all comes around full circle. 

It's been going well so far. Last month was a month of rest and reset. 2017 was a super busy year and I wore myself into the ground and I definitely needed some time to let my body basically heal up. This month has been a working progress on what I want to happen for 2018. I got my Chic Sparrow notebook and I absolutely love it. It's been a huge help with keeping me organized and focused with what needs to be done when I'm out of the house. 

I've been able to finish up a few small projects. I have also added new projects. I got a book about mindfulness and I have a goal to do at least 1 thing from that book a week. I have already finished reading 4 books and I've started reading my 5th book. I'm super excited and proud of myself that I'm already a fourth of a way through my goal for the year and it's only the 2nd month into this year. I'm really hoping that I won't lost momentum and will keep with it so that I might up my goal if I finish a decent amount of time before the year ends. I've already finished a small crochet project along with a large crochet project. I now have no excuses to not be working on my hubby's Mega Man blanket. I really hope that I can at least made good progress on it this and next month. I have even watched a few movies though I have not watched any new movies for my movie challenge. I've not been doing any learning last month or this month, which is really bad on my end but I'm hoping to change that next month. This month is a bit busy with InCoWriMo. This month I have been very excited to say that I have been taking some good Me Time with playing Mass Effect 3. I need to work on being social a bit more though as I have yet to contact any family for the past few weeks. 

There's still time though and with my planners and journals I definitely notice that I'm way more mindful of time and how I'm spending it. I don't feel as overwhelmed about things as I'm more aware of what needs to happen and how I need to make other things happen. I think I was feeling the same way back in 2017 after doing the planning and journaling for the last half of the year and just overestimated how much I thought I could handle. I'm super proud that I did everything but I'm not thrilled that it was at the cost of my health and how instead of jumping into the newness of 2018 I had to still rest up. It's a lesson learned, for now anyway until the next update. 

In case of writing to do . . .

Once again, I'm almost a week late with this blog post. On the plus side, I'm just about caught up on everything and doing my best to ensure that I'm not pushing myself too hard so there is progress.

I have added a new project to my never ending list to bust boredom and expand my horizons. I found InCoWriMo, which is International Correspondence Writing Month. They even have a list of addresses for people who are participating and I'm planning on joining in since back a few months ago I had expressed interest in doing something of this like. I unfortunately missed the actual start of this project but I don't want to miss out on all the fun so I'm putting my own twist on things. Instead of a handwritten letter everyday for the month of February, I'm simply going to do just a letter a week. It's a bit of a more doable goal for me. I have picked 3 international addresses to write and 1 here in the US. I'm hoping this will work out in the long run!

Mindful Time

Oh, I'm a week or so late with this one. I have been using that time as wisely as I am able to, trying to catch up with work. It has been marginally successful but obviously, I'm still not done. I will admit that playing catch up already in just the first few weeks into 2018 has me a bit worried and I'm hoping it won't be a trend that repeats itself too much or be a sign of bad foreshadowing for this year 2018. I'm determined to be positive for the time being though and I'm going with the idea that I'm simply finishing up 2017 karma. Moving into 2018, I have given myself a challenge for this entire year.

I had seen a review on youtube for A Book that Takes its Time, an Unhurried Adventure in Creative Mindfulness created by Flow magazine.

It's supposed to help me be present in the moment and get my creativity to flow and enjoy the little things in life. I thought it would be fun to give it a try and my goal is to read and do an activity from the book at least once a week. It has articles to read, recipes to try, journal cards and small notebooks to fill and other such different things to do.

I'll see how it works out and hopefully, I'll enjoy the journey of the book. It's a pretty trendy thing to do a word of the year and I'm thinking my word of the year might be mindfulness.

Out of 2017 and into the New Year

I was doing so good for a long while about keeping this updated within a day or two at most and this last month was just a fail on more levels than not posting to this blog. The end of year stress got to me.

I caught a stomach bug and I have seriously never been that sick in my entire life in just one night. I had to call out of work the next day, which almost turned into a really bad situation. It took a week to recover and then right on Christmas Day, I was sick again with a very bad cold, which took another week to recover. Having to work in a warehouse, in which the temperature inside is barely tolerable compared to the temperature outside does not help speed up recovery. Any progress on anything was completely halted as I barely had enough energy to enjoy the holiday.

It's 2018 now though so it's a good time to start anew. This month of January will be used as a catch up and recovery and refresh month. I need to get caught up with last month's stuff before I can move onto the current month stuff. I also need to take my time doing so to make sure my body is completely recovered so that it doesn't relapse twice again. The last step is just getting ready for this year and making sure plans are in place to continue to make progress on things around me and on myself.

So, here's to a new year and new beginnings and all that.