Tag: holiday

End of the Year Hustle

by eileentroemel, posted in Life

The family got through mom’s possessions.  We got them divided up, organized and sent off to the appropriate sibling or charity.  This includes the difficult task of dividing up her jewelry.  Saturday was a very long and emotional day.

Now I’m working on gifts and projects.  I had five student worker gifts to make – can’t say what at this point.  Since Sunday I’ve gotten four of them done.  I’m hoping to make the last one tonight.  I’ll take pictures of them as they are new patterns and then ask my husband to please wrap them. 

This is the rest of my immediate needs for crocheting:

  • 3 baby bibs – moved up because the publication changed the date for the issue they’re going in
  • gift for my daughter’s boyfriend – again can’t say
  • blanket for the woman who organized my blog post
  • slipper socks for my niece
  • scarf and hat set for a client
I think these are the immediate needs.  I am still working on a blanket for my niece which I may submit to the publication – I may be too late for the issue.  I have to check since they rearranged dates of issues.
I’m hoping to get all of these done within the two weeks.  After I get these done, I’m going to think about making things for the markets I’m hoping to participate in.  However, I have a lot of writing things to get done as well.  
I’m sure I’m going to be bouncing back and forth between tasks.  It’s all a balancing act for me to keep moving forward in both of these areas.  
I’ve been feeling too scattered so I wrote up a to do list for my writing.  I need to break down some of the tasks into pieces so I can check them off but I’m hoping with the list, I’ll be able to focus a little better and spend less time bouncing around and more time accomplishing things.  
Work is winding down for the end of the semester so this means I can think about more things.  I’ve also got a long eleven days off over the holidays.  I’m looking forward to this as I’ll actually have about three days in the house alone.  I’m hoping those will be productive days for writing.  On the days where I’m sharing the house with other people I’ll work on things like posting patterns on Ravelry or marketing as that is easier to be interrupted than writing.  
I’m also hoping to start going through some of the photo albums of my mothers.  This is going to be a task as there are dozens of them if not hundreds.  Without a doubt there are thousands of pictures to look through, determine if they are good enough to scan, and pick the ones the family will be interested in.  My mother was a prolific photographer who snapped shots of everything.  Collectively, we’ve already decided we can’t keep them all and there isn’t time to scan them all.  Still it’s a big job and will take time.  I’m hoping to take a few hours on one of my days off and work through a number of them.  
After I get done with the pictures, the next thing will be the slides.  This is going to be time consuming as well.  Both my parents took a lot of pictures.  This means I’ve got lots of slides to go through from the beginning of their marriage to about the 70s (I think).  This will be slow going as well.  
All of this should keep me very busy through the end of the year.  I’m hoping to rest a bit during my eleven days off and come back to my day job a little less stressed.  I’m also hoping to get quite a bit of work done while I’m off. 

Next

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Life, Writing

With Ken gone, I had a couple days to myself at home.  I enjoyed the time on my own.  At one point I realized nothing had been said.  I was playing a game and cursed the game out loud.  It startled me which also made me laugh.

I’ve finished the projects for my sister and now I’m turning my attention to my own projects.  I have the student worker gifts done and now am prepping to make for the faculty.  This weekend I hope to gather the items and do any shopping I need to so I can settle into getting the items made.

At the same time, I need to finish an article and get it submitted.  I also have a crochet pattern which is going to be published which I need to make up again.  Once it’s made up, I’ll send it off to the publisher for pictures.  These are the three most urgent things on my radar.

I think the gifts will take me through most of November and then I’ll be going back to writing and crocheting in more balance I think.

I’m looking forward and thinking – it isn’t that long until we are in the holiday craziness.  My middle daughter is already talking about where we are going on Black Friday – i.e. which JoAnn’s store we will go to.

My day job will get busy – crazy busy – in November.  I’m hoping with the changes we’ve made it won’t be horrible.  Registration always is stressful with a heavy influx of emails.  I’m hoping for a lighter year as we’ve been steadily making improvements.

From now until the end of the year, I’m going to be busy both at my day job and at home working on projects.  I still have my two bigger projects I’ve been working on and I’m hoping to have those done before the end of the year as well.

The Holidays

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Life

The insanity of the holidays always makes me grumpy.  This year I’m missing my girls but I’m trying to make the best of it.  Vicki is home but the other two are in Georgia.  I’m missing them and I’m missing the all day game playing, movie watching, and being together.

Ken and Vicki went off to his family gathering.  They likely won’t be back till late afternoon or early evening.  I’m working on the computer for now but then I’ll be going back to crocheting.  I currently have two projects in the works for Vicki – an apron which will be a mix of terry cloth and crochet cotton and a shawl which I’m crocheting.  If I could figure out how to work on both, I would.

Yesterday Vicki and I went to Festival and got groceries.  We shopped their sale items and had a ton of coupons.  We spent $250 and saved about $120 between sales and coupons.  Today I was going through the receipt to split up her items and mine.  I noticed several of our coupons didn’t take off.  I called them expecting them to say there was nothing they could do since it was yesterday.  Instead they refunded the money and gave us two coupons for a dollar off.

Tomorrow we are going to do as much as possible with the girls in Georgia.  I’m sure there will be video chatting (or at the very least phone conversations) but we are also attempting to go to a movie at roughly the same time.  Saturday when Beth is over, we’ll open gifts and have more family time.  I’m also hoping to go see a movie on that day.

Aside from the holiday stuff, I’m hoping to get a number of projects done.  I’ve pulled out one of Vicki’s bags and have been working on the projects in it.  I finished two skeins of yarn to make her hat, wristers, scarf out of one and hat and wristers out of the other.  I’ll see how far I get by the end of the weekend.  I may have to shift things to determine what I’m going to work on.  As is normal – I have a LONG LONG list of things to do for her.

I’ve got classical music on.  I’m babysitting the two grand fur babies – Sasha and Ava.  I’ll be going back to crocheting shortly.  All in all, a good day so far.  Just one more day to get through with the holiday silliness and I can put another year behind me.

Prepping for Vacation

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Life

Four days of work left before my vacation.  I can’t wait.  It will be good to have a break and just be at home.  I don’t have to shower or dress if I don’t want to – though the other people at home might object if I go too long without showering.

My plan – tackle the boxes of yarn for Vicki and get as much done as possible.  I’m currently stalled on the blanket I’m working on.  I’m doing a more intricate border and it is taking longer.  However, I’m hoping to finish it tonight and move on to one of the other three I have prepped.  Two of them are smaller so if I do complex, it still won’t take as long and one is a blanket but needs a simple edging.

Once I’m done with these four, I have four more to do – two for my mom and two for Vicki.  Then I also have the basket full of material which needs washing – though I think most of that will be decided on after Vicki comes home.

The semester is winding down.  The work load is easing off.  I’m saying goodbye to one student worker as she student teaches next semester.  Otherwise I’m just wishing them all happy holidays as they finish off their finals and head for home.

My desk at work is getting clearer as I finish up a number of tasks.  I’ll be cleaning up some tasks so they can be marked as complete – at least as far as I can take them for now.

It is nice to clean up and clear off before I go on vacation.  It means when I come back to work, I’ll have emails to deal with but few URGENT projects.

This year I find myself wishing my daughters could all be home.  I feel a need to have them near for family time.  I know the two in Georgia can’t make it home but I am missing them.  We will video chat on Christmas.  I’m looking forward to spending the time with them that way instead.  I think we are all going to try to go to the movies on that day.  It’s convoluted but we will all at least be doing the same thing – if not together at least at the same time.

I know part of this is my normal holiday grumpiness.  It’s just hit me a bit harder this year.  I’m coping.  My crocheting and meditating help me deal with my feelings.  Crocheting – creating really – helps to lift my spirits.  I know I’m creating things which will brighten people’s spirits.

My inner dialog has been rough the past week or so but as I work on a project, produce more, it helps me be kinder to myself.  I can’t really explain how or why but it does.  Also, I’m clearing out some of the clutter in my living room with each project.  As the room gets neater, I start to feel better.  I’ll get through the stack of projects and then I’ll put away most of the yarn except my container of projects.  We do have to prep for the grand fur babies coming home, one of which is a mischievous bugger who gets into everything.  Clear up, clean up, and prep for the visit.  That will be the weekend.

Holiday Busyness

by eileentroemel, posted in Life, Writing

I edited and refined two stories to submit to a contest.  I don’t know how either of them will play for the company but they are strong stories even if one is a little controversial.  That’s what I did with my morning yesterday. 

A friend came over and she graded while I worked on editing and crocheted.  I made her a lovely cowl and then worked on editing.  It was a good day, yesterday. 

I work two days this week and have the rest of the week off.  I’m looking forward to the time off even though it will be busier than I normally like to be.  Vicki will be home and I wish Gin and Stephanie could come home but we will video chat with them for the holidays. 

I have five days off but each and every one of them is booked so full, I could wish for a vacation from the holiday.  Hopefully it isn’t too crazy but I have the feeling this is a futile hope.  I have all this stuff to do with Vicki and at the same time I have all this stuff in my head I want to get done. 

I’m looking at getting one book out in January – I’d like to get the fourth Wayfarer book out – Wayfarer Negotiator.  I am working on edits right now which always takes a bit but hopefully shortly after the Christmas holiday, I’ll have time to finish refining it. 

It will be on to the fifth book after that.  It needs the edits on the computer and all the extras.  Hopefully that will happen shortly after I get four done.  However, I have the Defenders third book to work on.  I want to finish that before I dive into more stories.  Once those are done, I’ll dive into my pile of starts or my ideas and see what comes out as interesting. 

Over the five days off, I’m hoping to get my craft room organized so I can have my yarn organized and easily accessible.  I know I want to work on a few smaller projects but I also have three larger projects to do. 

At some point I’ll find a balance amongst all the things I do – I hope.  If I don’t, I guess I’ll continue with the craziness of working like a mad woman on crocheting to get things done and then switching to writing and so on.

Busy!!!

by eileentroemel, posted in Uncategorized
It has been a busy weekend.  Yesterday I took my quiz, read part of a chapter, posted twice to the discussion board for one of my classes, baked bread, crocheted, helped Vicki with cookies, and made ornaments.  I’m probably forgetting stuff but that is the general gist of my Saturday. 
Today I did a lot too.  I’ve baked bread, helped with cookies, run errands, bills and budget.  Now I have to go finish one Christmas present and wrap all the presents.  If I still have time after that I’ll probably work on my short story.  I need to read it one more time before I submit it. 
I’m going back to work tomorrow.  Vicki will have an exceedingly busy morning as she is making lasagna for my student workers and faculty.  She will bring that in hot along with the homemade bread I made today.  I’m also taking a bunch of the GREAT cookies she made. 
I don’t know how many dozen it turned out to be but she made about fifteen batches.  They all look, smell, and taste delicious.  She tried two new recipes.  I think they turned out wonderfully. 

Life, Laughter, Love

by eileentroemel, posted in Uncategorized

I’m pretty sure I’m stealing this phrase from Stephanie but it very much fits my weekend.  It has been joyful to have all my kids at home.  We’ve enjoyed a lovely weekend being together and enjoying each other’s company. 

Yesterday we had our Christmas celebration and it was great to be together.  We also had an open house and what a reminder of the great friends we have because so many of them stopped in.  There was lots of laughter and conversation. 

Today was more insular.  We just really hung out at home.  We watched movies, played Euchre and other games.  We had meals together.  There was so much laughter and love flowing none of us wanted the day to end.  Nothing spectacular happened today and yet it did because we all just hung out together enjoying being together.  We laughed a lot and enjoyed our time together.  It has been a wonderful weekend.