The best intentions paves a road...

Well, I have every good intention of getting stuff done over the weekend, and it just didn't happen.  I guess the planets didn't align or something, but I was never able to meet with the organizer and I just stayed busy all weekend!  I do have new lists though!  I made lists of things that I want to get done around the house for each room and I have goals.  I just need a timeline incorporated now.  Here is a little of what I want to do, I am not going to give you all of it at once because it is a lot.  I have a list will 12 different rooms and then I have a sub-list for each room.  I don't want to overwhelm you (I do that to myself enough already).  So, I will just give you a few rooms and a few lists at a time! (translation:  heeeyy, I can totally stretch this subject out to a couple of different blog installments!).

• My list (and yes my sub list):

•   Room that I want to tackle:
• Living Room
• n
• The Sub list:
• Living Room
• Clean off seating areas
• Clean off tv trays and put them away
• Place coffee table
• Clean off media center
• Put away Christmas totes (yes, everything has been taken down and is in totes in the corner)
• Clean off bookself
• 

 
**edit**  I had the dining room and kitchen here too, but then I felt too overwhelmed and had to remove them.  That is what gets me in trouble in the first place, trying to do too much at once.  

So, that is the beginning of it, I can't believe I have had the guts to show you the before picture, but hey...I warned you that I am a hoarder and I am working my way out of it!  Hopefully this will motivate me to hurry up and show you the after pictures!

Until next time...don't let gravity get you down!!!!

Jules

On to the next great yarn adventure!

Look, it's a little blanket baby!  I hope it grows up soon!

• Since I was so successful in a timely completion of my last blanket, I thought to myself "self, you should totally make another blanket, I bet you could do this one even faster, maybe shave off a whole week from you current record of 2 years and 1 week!" It just so happens that as I was diligently working on Pinterest (I've got to keep my boards full you know) I came across a beautiful blanket called the Wool Eater.  I promptly jumped to the blog it was posted on (here) and they have started themselves a little ole crochet along (CAL).  Well, I can't pass that up! I mean, it's almost like having a list of what needs to be done!  I LOVE LISTS!!!

•  So, I got started on the little thing and it is looking so cute!  However, I did start very late at night and I had to redo that blue round that I am working on twice before I finally figured out the correct way to handle it! 

• And, since I have the CAL, there is a handy dandy list telling me how much of my blanket should be done and when it should be done!  I am so excited!  I am a little behind, but since Paul is STILL out of town on his "quick 3 day job" that he left for over a week ago, I have some extra time to work on it this weekend!  I hope to be all caught up to the current date by Sunday! Yay!

• Here is the schedule, I just started it and I am already done with round 4!!

•  Of course, it will be more difficult and take longer for each round the bigger it gets, but that is okay, I am still excited!  

 WHAT'S GOING ON THIS WEEKEND?

• I have tons of other stuff to get done this weekend.  I am starting to work on the house, and I will be posting before and after pictures of each room as I complete them, even though the before pictures are completely humiliating!  I always say I am a borderline hoarder...erm...yeah, I think I crossed that line!  It looks so much worse in the pictures!! I even took pictures of my messy kitchen before it got cleaned! Ewww!  I hate cleaning.

• So, come back next week and see what I've been up to, I am actually doing quite well about photographing everything so at least you have some interesting pictures to look at!!

Finally finished!

Well, I finally finished something huge!  Well, huge for me! Two years ago while on my anniversary weekend at a B&B I started an afghan.  I used the 10-stitch pattern and some awesome yarn that I got from Joannes. 

 Here is the yarn and the swatch from when I started.

The yarn by itself

This is the first part of it (notice the size with the dvd in the center for)

I then didn't touch it for a year!!!  I decided that this year I was going to finish it, the size was just until I ran out of yarn and I had 4 huge skeins!!!

I finally finished it on 1/18/12!!  The end result is 63" x 69"! (see the dvd to gauge the size of the blanket)?  That is huge!  I am using a ton of exclamation points here!!!!  It is so soft and squishy and warm!! And it is the first thing that I have made for me in a long time!  I am so glad to have finished it just in time for the cold weather we are having now. 

This is the blanket folded in half on the couch with a dvd for size gauge.

•  I am quite please with myself, so much so that I think I am going to start work on another blanket, hopefully this one won't take me 2 years to finish! LOL

Dry Erase Calendar

So, I was exploring on Pinterest and I saw this wonderful idea for a dry erase calendar.

Source: theaestheticwriter.blogspot.com via Julie on Pinterest

• And, since my darling husband has the ability to forget anything said to him about what we should be doing and when...I thought it would be a great idea to have a calendar right where everyone could see it and could no longer use the excuse that they didn't know!  It was either that or I was going to have to start having him repeat back to me what I just told him so I know he would remember it.

• The one on Pinterest was made with paint chips, which is quite clever, but not something I have just laying about.  So, I decided to modify it a bit.  

•  I used a matted picture frame that I picked up from the thrift store for $4.98 (I really wish I had process pictures).  I then took 2 pieces of 12x12 scrapbooking paper in the design of my choice (why should anyone else get to choose, I am the one making it).  I taped the page together to make one large piece that fit in the mat that I wanted to use.  I used a pencil and traced the inside of the mat so I would know how much space I had to work with.  I then measured it off and made 2x2 squares (I did this in pencil).  I had a bit of room left at the top of the page so I used that space to write the days of the week.  I then went over the squares with a black sharpie. (curse it all that I didn't do process pictures, I am making one for my sister too, so I will add the process pics next week with hers).

• I then taped the paper in place on the back side of the mat so it wouldn't shift and I put it all back in the picture frame.  I then used black sharpie to write directly on the glass (it won't wipe off with your hand while you write, but you can erase it really easy with a Mr. Clean eraser) the month & year, numbering the days, notes on one side and grocery list on the other.  I actually wrote the days of the week on the glass too because I didn't think about putting it on the paper before I got the frame put back together.  I did make sure I put the paper as close to the glass as I could so I could make sure I was writing directly in the squares.

• After I was all done I used some of the command picture hanging strips and attached it to the side of my refrigerator where you can't miss it!

Friday the 13th is a good day for me!!!

Well, it has been 6 wonderful years with my wonderful husband!  This is the first year it has fallen on a Friday since the day we were married.  Yes, we intentionally got married on a Friday the 13th!  It was a great day and a beautiful wedding!

• It has not always been easy, and we sure have been through a lot of tough times together, but he is my rock and I know that he will always be there holding my hand through the fires!  It has only made us stronger and happier!!  

• Tonight we went out to a nice dinner and then went to the hockey game and watched the Missouri Mavericks kick the Allen Americans all over the ice!!!  We won 6 - 4!  It was a great ending to a great day!  And a great beginning to another fabulous year to come!!!

One more time!

Working on the blog again.  Actually I was starting another blog because I thought this one was consumed by the interwebs because I couldn't find it when I looked for it.  But then when I started the new one and made my first post, this one popped up on my profile.  So, here is my general post from the new on with the current ideas for my blog!!!

ABOUT ME

1. I am 41, my name is Julie or Jules it doesn't matter.
2. I have 2 daughters, 1 granddaughter, a great and tolerant husband 2 dogs and cat.
3. We live in Independence, Missouri, it is a suburb of Kansas City.
4. I work part time as an administrative assistant (they call me the den mom at work) and
5. I (attempt) to operate a yarn company from my studio at home.
6. I love to knit and spin and sit like a zombie in front of the tv.
7. I am a borderline hoarder. I say borderline because I am attempting to stop it now and I don't like to shop.
8. I have been married for 6 years tomorrow.
9. I suffer with occasional bouts of depression/apathy (I am just coming out of a 6 month one)
10. I don't keep a clean house, I let things get piled up and out of control and then I get overwhelmed and can't start anything.
11. I am the youngest of 5 kids
12. My mom and grandma moved here about a year ago and live about 5 minutes away from me and I run errands for them and help them out.
13. My husband has a job that he has to travel a lot, sometimes it gets me down.
14. I have never successfully written a blog, I always get distracted or just get writers block because I don't think I have anything interesting to say.

WHAT THIS BLOG WILL BE ABOUT

1. What is going on in my day to day life. The exciting and the boring.
2. Probably my adventures in house keeping and organizing (I am having a professional organizer come in and help me dig this mess out soon, I will probably talk about it).
3. My attempt to gain control of my financial life and get the hell out of debt
4. Me whining about numbers 2 & 3.
5. Probably there will be yarn and knitting as that is what I do a lot of.
6. Couponing! I am trying to learn to coupon (not like on tv, but just to save money)
7. Craft projects that I do, I am starting to do more and it is fun!
8. Things I have found on Pinterest (Pinterest has replaced Disney World as the happiest place on earth)
9. Things I have done with what I have found on Pinterest
10. Family - love them, hate them, love them more!
11. Health stuff - I say this because I have been trying to lose weight for 30+ years and I know I will bitch about it sooner or later!
12. Anything else that tickles my fancy or that you ask me to tell you about!

WHAT I WANT FROM YOU

1. Comments - if you are out there, and you are reading, say hi. I am convinced that I will be the only one who ever reads this, but I will be so excited if someone else does.
2. Suggestions - if you have questions for me or if you want my opinion on something or if you just want to know something from my vast pool of knowledge. Ask, suggest, input!
3. Money - give me all your money because I am so super awesome you want to pay me for my fabulous words!!
4. Humor- You see, I was joking on #3 and I want you all to know that I will use sarcasm, humor and/or ridicule to amuse myself here. If I offend you with that please let me know. I won't change it or stop doing it, but I will be more specific and include you personally when I ridicule!!!

Well, I think that's about it for now, thanks for taking a look around and I hope to see you around here again!

Jules