Tag: projects

Catching Up

by eileentroemel, posted in Life

Over the weekend, I got three manuscripts edited and worked on two other manuscripts.  Ken and Vicki did all the errands on Saturday.  Sunday we went out to breakfast.  We have a couple of places we like but wanted to try other places.  So we went somewhere other than our favorites.

The food looked and tasted good but all three of us had unpleasant stomach issues after going to this place.  We will not be returning to that place for a Sunday meal again.

Saturday, I spent a couple hours at Natureland.  I can’t hike anymore which makes me exceedingly sad as it’s such a nice park.  I sat in my car and edited while the beauty of the place helped me cope with a few things.  I parked in an end stall in order to be out of the way and in the shade.  The tree closest to it seemed to reach down to try to tease me.

It was productive for me to be there.  I turned my phone down.  I worked on editing.  I watched the lake and the trees.  I watched the people come and go.  I wrote two scenes (by hand which means I need to type them up).

Sunday Vicki and I worked on food prep for the week.  I cut up a bunch of stuff for her for lunches and supper tonight.  I made pudding for Ken and Vicki.  We got a lot of stuff done.

Surprisingly, we sold the snare drum which has been on Facebook.  I thought we were going to sell Vicki’s table and chairs but unfortunately the guy never showed.  When I messaged him, he said he couldn’t get a van.  It would have been nice if he had let me know.

We still have a few things to sell and they are listed on Facebook.  I’ll see how they go.

Every weekend we’re working on things in the house.  Ken’s been painting our bedroom.  We picked a color and they went to get.  I thought it was darker but didn’t say anything.  Ken got two walls done and had to go back for more paint.  When they mixed the color, it was different.  There was a bit of back and forth.  It was decided whoever mixed the first gallon did it wrong.  So they got the new gallon for free.  They talked about leaving one of the walls the darker color and painting the other three walls the lighter color.  I’m good with that.

Vicki’s been working on getting her space more organized.  She’s been painting, building shelves (book and bedside table) and a desk.  She’s been working on organizing her books, getting lists made, and making it portable so she can have lists so she knows what she needs to purchase.

I’ve got several crochet projects I need to work on but the writing has been pushing me.  I’ve finished a number of things.  I have a meeting with my artist to see about covers and other things.  I’m hoping to finish several projects and get them published soon.

I’ve been getting journals from all sorts of places.  I took one of them and made it into my writing to do list sort of.  On one page I outlined what I’ve got the projects I’m working on.  I’ve been losing track of what stage I’m at for different projects.  This means I’m doing work twice when I shouldn’t have to.  Hopefully this will help me keep better track of where I am for the projects.  It will also prompt me to work on different aspects of the projects like writing the synopsis and so on.

In the journal I think I’m going to work on pages for marketing things as well.  Maybe take a page per book and write where I’ve sent requests for book reviews.  I have a hard time tracking this which again leads to a duplication of work.

I feel like I’ve been so busy, I hardly have time to breath.  I know it’s good because I keep going but there are times I want to just take a moment.  I guess that’s why I went to Natureland – to take a moment.  Even though I was editing, it changed my perspective.

Is Showering Really Necessary?

by eileentroemel, posted in Life

It’s pay week so the normal chores have to get done.  Bills are paid.  Grocery list needs to be made.  I’ve got to go through Ibotta and Checkout 51 to see if we can get any rebates.  We need to make up a menu for the next two weeks.  I need to clip coupons.

Fortunately, I have  more time to do these tasks since I’m off this week.  Today I’m slow getting up.  I woke up sleepy despite going to bed early last night.  My plan for the day – pay bills (done), take a shower (I guess), check diggers hotline to see how far in advance we have to schedule, work on edits for Wayfarer Conviction, read the rest of the Wayfarer series, and remember to have meals.

Yesterday I got to tell my daughter I was at 90% for reading a book and she needed to go away while I finished.  She’s usually the one telling me this – but she reads a kagillion books in a year.

My vacation is going well.  I’ve crossed off a number of things on my todo list and I’m still working on several of them.  Progress is good.  I’ve also had down time to veg.  I’ve worked on the business side of my writing / publishing stuff.  I’ve finished writing a novel and am shifting to the editing phase.

Next I want to do some crocheting.  I’m trying to decide if I will take a day to binge watch a series or movies while I crochet or if I’ll do it during the evening.  I’ll have to see how things go.  (This is more of my zen approach – sort of).

The hardest part for me during my vacation?  Remembering to shower and eat.  I get involved and forget to do both.  I’ve listened to a lot of music and read several books while I’ve been off – a few not the Wayfarer series.  It all goes to me taking time to take care of me and do the things I LOVE to do.

One downside to cleaning and organizing my craft room – I want to crochet and create.  I can feel that edging into my brain for let’s do this now.  We were putting away some amazing yarn and I wanted to get my hands on it and make good stuff with it.  I can feel the switch from writing to crocheting coming.  However, I have a lot of editing to get done first.  Right now, characters are pushing on me more than the desire to crochet.  I’m going with the flow of things for now.

Foolish Mortal Making Plans

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting, Life

Finished an afghan and started another, this was in my plan for yesterday but driving to Prairie Du Chien wasn’t.  My middle daughter needed some help so we met her in Prairie Du Chien.  I woke up with a well thought out plan in order to get some tasks done around the house and with crocheting.  Before we left to meet her, I got some of the projects done – paid bills, clipped coupons, made out a grocery list.  The rest of my plan – out the door.

We got home early evening and I was able to finish off the afghan for my niece and start another one for my youngest daughter.  I did a sample, took pics, and sent it out for approval.  Then I tore it apart and did it for real.  What does this mean?  For starters, I had to make some decisions about how I was handling some of the yarn – it is multi-colored and the yarn can’t easily be carried.  In order to use as little yarn as possible, I had to decide when I was cutting off and when I would carry it along.  Next I need to find a clipboard, ruler, and highlighter so I can keep track of where I’m at.  I’ve found a highlighter – multi colored so that helps.  Ken found me a clipboard just now.  Next is a ruler – I have a big one but can’t find a little one.  I could improvise but I’ll have to see what I can find.  I asked Ken and he is great at finding stuff.  He just brought me the PERFECT one.  He’s so good!

Today I plan to have a quiet day.  I want to watch West Wing (yes this is my current binge watching program) and crochet on the afghan.  My daughters will all be home in a little over a month.  If I could finish this afghan for her to take home – that would be wonderful.  It’s a corner to corner graphgan.  For those who don’t speak crochet – corner to corner is like it sounds – instead of working across and afghan, I work from one corner to the widest point and then back to the opposite corner.  A graphgan is a picture which has been turned into a graph.  Each square on the graph because a stitch (or in the case of the corner to corner a set of stitches).  It will be my first of this style.  I’m liking how it’s turning out so far but we will see how the rest goes.

Next I want to look up a temperature blanket.  This will require some research so I can find out the daily high temperatures for the years each of my daughters was born.  Then I will create an afghan based on the temperatures.  One row per day in a color designated for the temperature.  It should be interesting to see how it works out.

Ken was busy yesterday and today.  His list of things to get done was interrupted as well.  Still he managed to get a package to the post office, run errands this morning, and work on laundry and other household chores.

We’re both hoping to settle in today to relax – him watching football and me crocheting and watching West Wing (or other stuff).  Oh and Sherlock is on tonight!  I can’t wait to see the new episode!

End of the Week

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

Spring break is next week.  The past two weeks at my day job have been rough with the hectic pace of summer registration and advising going on.  This week in particular has felt like it was two weeks rolled into one.  I work most of next week and it should be nice and quiet at work.

Our weekends have been jam packed with stuff too.  We’ve either been doing things or we’ve been running errands.  This means I don’t feel rested when I get back to work.  I’m hoping this weekend will be different.

I have a list – as always – of things I want to get done.  I’ve already crossed off the paying bills, submitting to publications, and a couple of other small things.  Next will be making a grocery list, doing coupons, and prepping for the grocery store.  I think I’ll ask Ken if he wants to do the shopping on his own.

If he does, I will take tomorrow to work on publishing three crochet projects and editing Wayfarer 10.  If I can get all that done and still have energy to work at the computer, I will try to do some more submissions.  There are a couple of projects I want to work on as well so I’ll see what Ken wants to do and how I can help.

I took Monday off work and I’ll be hanging out at home alone.  I’m looking forward to not setting an alarm for the next three days.  I’ll have to I suppose so I don’t sleep too late but in theory no alarms.  I’m glad it’s Friday and I have three days to do what I want to do with no commitments to anyone other than Ken.

Birthdays, Visits, and other Distractions

by eileentroemel, posted in Writing

Busy weekend equates into compressed time for working on writing or crocheting.  Yesterday I got together with my family to have lunch for mom’s birthday.  It was a good time and I think she enjoyed herself.  There are several people who have March birthdays including one of my sisters and that sister’s mother-in-law.  They always like to have a birthday lunch with mom to celebrate all of their birthdays.

After lunch TJ Jahns came to my house and we worked on several projects.  I’m creating a website for her and her artwork.  She has some pretty amazing stuff.  I had gotten so far with it and needed input from her which she gave.  It is now published but still a work in progress. (Check it out at TJJahns.weebly.com)

TJ and I are working on a new book.  I got to see her drawings and talk about her ideas for the pictures for this project.  I’m so excited.  She is taking one of my poems and turning it into a graphic poem.  It will be wonderful when she gets through all the pictures and I can’t wait.

After she left, Ken and I watched a little tv before he went to bed.  I worked on manuscript editing last night.  I was so tired by the time I was done, I crashed.  Purposefully, I didn’t set my alarm for early today but woke up on my own.  I usually do better when I can wake up of my own accord.

Today promises to be busy.  I have several projects to work on as long as my legs can stand me sitting at the computer.  One of my friends is coming over this afternoon.  It will be wonderful to see her.  Once she goes, I’ll be working on manuscript editing again.  Murder Next Door is close.  I want to read through it one more time – I feel it needs something but I can’t quite put my finger on it.  Here is the cover for it – done by TJ Jahns.  I’m LOVING it.  It fits exactly what I wanted.  Wayfarer Trials has a couple of large edits to it so it may need a second round of edits as well.  When I rearrange scenes as I’m planning to do, I have to let it sit before I edit it again.  It has to make sense the way I rearrange.  I like the scene I am moving but to have the flow better, I need to move it so I have to write the transition for the scene in a different place.

It is going to be a busy weekend, has been already and I’m not slowing unless I’m forced to.  Hopefully by the end of the weekend I’ll have three manuscripts ready for final edits and moving towards production.

More Projects

by eileentroemel, posted in Crochet and crafting
This weekend a friend of mine – Ana – visited.  I had a wonderful time just chatting with her.  It had been a long time since our schedules meshed and we had been able to get together.  So this last week I made her two small gifts. 
This long scarf was made with Sashay Twist yarn.  I love the way it turned out and the colors in it.  I’ll be getting this again to make more goodies with it.



This was made with scrap yarn – I had a partial skein left from some other project and hoped it would be enough to make a scarf / cowl.  I also put on there buttons from my mom who gave me a bag of old buttons.  They matched it nearly perfectly and fit Ana’s style.




Vicki picked out this yarn from one of the big buys I’d done.  There were three skeins and I was hoping it would be enough for a shawl for her. 

This is the back of the shawl wrapped around my sister Alicia.  The color is purple, blue, black which doesn’t come through wonderfully in the picture.

Here is the front – it ended up being long enough to wrap around her.  I am certain Vicki will love it. 
The shawl took me about three days to finish – it is a simple mesh using triple crochet and chains. 
The scarf for my niece is a combination of techniques.  I did a zigzag scarf for the base.  Here are the directions:
Ch 5
Row 1:  DC in 4th ch (counts as 1st DC, dc in last ch (3 dc)
Row 2:  ch 3, dc in each st
Row 3:  ch 3, turn piece, work 2 dc in end of row (with turning chain counts as 3 dc)
Repeat rows 2 & 3 until piece is long enough.

 When the scarf was long enough, I did the chain and leaf technique I used on Vicki’s valances with the crocodile stitch.  I worked my way randomly up the scarf making it look like a vine and leaves.  Then using blue and purple I created simple flowers to add to the ends of the scarf.  She will get it on Monday and I hope she likes it. 

 

Today I’m moving on to two more projects that have been sitting in my basket for a bit.  I’m not sure how long they will take but I’m hoping to finish them up soon.  I have a long list of holiday gifts to make and want to start on them before the craziness of the next semester starts.