Will Try to Keep This Short!

There's been a lot going on in the past month I've ignored my poor blog.

My last post was literally one month ago & we'd just started our gym membership. I'm happy to report that we've kept up going twice a week! One of the many great things about having my built-in work-out partners is that even when one of us doesn't feel like going, someone else will urge the rest on. There's only been once that we came out feeling rough & tired. Usually it's rejuvenating.

My younger daughter decided to return to homeschooling. And I LOVE, love, love the homeschool lifestyle, but the amount of time I had to work with in terms of preparing & planning subjects has left me in a bit of a tizzy. No worries, though, as we're up & running mostly on time & mostly full steam. 

Besides working out & school-planning my brains out,  I've been quilting. Here are the latest:

Wizard Top; QUILTED with Meandering Loops & Stars (freehand)

Hearts & Squares Top; QUILTED with Puffy Heart Meander (freehand)

Green Lattice & Yellow Squares Top; QUILTED with Puzzle Piece Meander (freehand)

Navy & Cream Half-Square Triangle Top; QUILTED with Bubble Meander (freehand)

Poinsettia Top; QUILTED with Bubble Meander (freehand)

Blue Floral Panel Top; QUILTED with Butterfly Meander (freehand)

Ladybugs & Hearts Top; QUILTED Custom (freehand)

Paisley Stars Top; QUILTED with Puzzle Piece Meander (freehand)

My older daughter started her first college class.

And my younger daughter turned 16.

One other thing I'll mention... a year ago in early September we were cleaning out a muddy, soggy, smelly post-flood mess. I'm so glad we're not dealing with THAT! It seems unreal that it's been a year already though. Time sure does fly...

Quilt Finishes & Some Babble

Pink/Green Star Top; Quilted with a Leafy Swirl (freehand)

Multi-Colored Hexagon Top; Quilted with Puzzle Piece Meander (freehand)

(sorry the pic is kinda dark!)

Turtle Top; Quilted with Stippled Water (freehand)

Sorry I've been so lame at blogging lately! I'm restructuring my days, so I hope to be attending to tasks more regularly now. 

I've been quite challenged finding a balance between work & family & friends & household obligations. And I know I'm not the only person looking for the most efficient way to work from home while not getting too sucked into what's going on IN the home at the same time!

I admit I've always been one of "those moms" who was more apt to drop those chores to go have some fun with the kiddos (and maybe even let them drop theirs as well.) I still hold that it was a great way to raise our kids~ not perfect, but we've made lots of terrifically fun & meaningful memories with our kids. So yeah, over the years I've had neighbors or family drop by & have been embarrassed by the strewn toys or laundry piles waiting to be folded, but... well, what can I say?? 

That stuff is easier to get to now that the girls are older. HOWEVER, the myth that older kids don't need or want their parents like younger kids do should really be put to rest. 

Truly lots of older kids are still vying for their parents' attention.

Well, I'm off on a tangent... What I'm trying to say is that there are still lots of fun things & household things that come up ... rides to/from places, games, Coach bag shopping, nails, Algebra homework help, lessons, bike rides, clothes shopping, lunch dates, proofreading papers, finding lunch money, finding missing belts/braces wax/shoes/etc. orthodontic appointments, pet care, running for project supplies at the last minute, food gathering, shopping, shopping, and more shopping. 

Then there are the piles of dirty laundry & dishes calling to me as I walk by them... the stack of bills waiting to be paid... the random stuff that seems to grow in my house which needs permanent homes "somewhere"... the letters to penpals to answer... a sewing project I *should* work on... the sewing project I *want* to work on... dirty floors that should be swept or vacuumed... meals to prepare... garbage to gather & take out...

When you "get" to be home all day, how do you go about organizing yourself to make sure you get certain things done on a regular basis?? 

I've designated several days a week as absolute work days, and a couple days as errands/household duty days (that can also be work overflow days.) Saturday is a work day, and Sunday is our Family Day. We're not necessarily doing anything together, but we're NOT running all around in separate directions either. 

I would love to hear from other's on this. What's worked for you?? And how do you deal with those around you whom don't understand *how* working from home works?? 

p.s. Stay tuned for pictures from my Shop Hop this past weekend = Eye Candy!!

New month, new beginnings....

In an effort to gain some sort of control over my own life, I'm trying to implement scheduling my days. Some of this was already going on since I'm still homeschooling my 14  yo dd, however, the rest of the day not considered "school time" has been hit or miss as to what gets accomplished. On some level I enjoy this freedom & relish that I have that luxury. On the other hand I desire to accomplish something more just for me....

Don't get me wrong, I consider molding & teaching my children to be of utmost importance, however, there are a good many more hours in the day that gets swallowed up with????? Sometimes there's so much to do, I just stand looking around, head whipping back & forth wondering where to begin. It's about then that I decide to "research" something online & the hours fly away. 

One of the first changes to my daily schedule includes Smokey the spastic lab puppy. Look at that sweet face & the fabulous mess he's created in the background!! 

He's being walked daily again, and I try to do this first thing in the morning before the day gets away from me & I still have time to shower afterwards. I know the exercise is good for me, will boost my mood, yadda yadda yadda, HOWEVER, "walking" the lab isn't a regular walk. It's more like power walking & still hanging on for dear life. I've read Ceaser's book on being a Dog Whisperer & so far even my yelling (let along my whispering) hasn't resulted in tremendous change. I've even tried jogging to pick up the pace, but it's still like I'm hanging on for dear life & I'm just waiting for the wrong step that lands me prone on the ground getting a serious case of dirt rash (it's not road rash, because I usually walk/jog on the wooded trail.) 

Sounds peaceful & ideal, I know. And sometimes as my body is being punished with the high rate of speed it's traveling too early in the morning, and in between yanks on my arms that jerk my whole body out of step, and also while trying to watch for Smokey's 100 lb body coming to an abrupt halt right in front of me while investigating some fantastic smelly smell... SOMETIMES I have time to catch a glimpse of the Susquehanna River just beyond the trees I'm running amidst, and it's a beautiful, calm, serene (until I land my foot right in the middle of 3 inches of soppy mud & feel it slowly seep into my white sneaker.)