A New Blog and Looking Ahead

Over the course of the last 6 years, I have had no less than 4 different blogs.  Others revamp their blogs and change their direction.  I change my blog when I want to change direction.  And so again we start from scratch.  This Blog is mainly for crafting relating items and paper crafting is the main stay of that. It may include some food and possibly some homeschool (mis)adventures.  But we'll see where it goes.

Considerations for Looking Ahead

I'm a homeschooling momma to 2 wonderful, albeit obnoxious children.  The homeschooling is getting easier the longer we do it as we find what works for us and what doesn't.  I've realized that I'm not happy if I don't take time for crafting.  I mean I'm REALLY, REALLY NOT Happy.  Last week, I hadn't had any me crafty time in a while and I was a super grouch. Don came home from work on Tuesday night and sent me to my craft room and cleaned the dinner table.  I finished a layout that I had started and been piecing together for weeks and started another layout.  I finished the newly started one the next day. Don was out that evening and the kids got to eat in front of the TV while I played in my craft room.  When Don did get home, I was in a much better mood. I love to being grounded!!!  I’d like the opportunity to go to my room and think about what I did more often.   

Demands on my time through the week: God, exercise, school, house chores, daily Must Chores (cooking, dishes, laundry), crafting, website – pseudo business one that I want to start, kids quality time, hubs quality time, family quality time, accounting (ie paying the bills) and other projects (you know, that stack of filing, organizing my digi photos/supplies, cleaning the hall closet).

How can I make them all fit? I should mention that we are wintering at the Ohio house and hoping to put it on the market this coming spring.  So a big project is to go through everything and if we don't love it, we say bye-bye.  The MI house has even less room and since 2 of the bedrooms aren't even close to refurbished yet. That's a lot less space.  The downstairs isn't refurbished, but at least it's livable, especially if I get a coat of paint on the walls - but I don't have to worry about that until March.

So back to how can I make it all fit? What should I focus on in the craft room?  So many decisions….

1^st – I am not a chronological scrapbooker. I do, however, keep my albums as close to chronological as I can. I’m also not going to lose sleep over the 15^th going before 18^th if it works better to have it that way.

2^nd – I have limited time and I want to do as much as possible.

Looking Ahead

For my scrapbooking/crafting goals:

1.  I know I want to USE MY STASH.  I have 2 of those 66 quart sterilite bins full of pattern paper. And a huge stack of card stock. 

2.  I want to do at least 52 layouts - whether it is a traditional, digital, or pocketed page traditional.  52 Layouts averages 1 per week, which may not be doable, but it is easy to catch up on if you only miss a week or two at a time.  Just have to remember to schedule the time. Yes, this may be overly optimistic.  But I'm feeling good about it this year, which is saying something. Usually I set that kind of goal wondering how I'll fit it in. 

3. I want to make homemade cards and send to our friends and families.  I want everyone to get a birthday card and if the month is light on birthdays, we'd send a thinking of you card to a few people every month.  But I'm not going to beat myself up either.   I'd love to participate in OWH. 

4. I have to finish the new quilt for my great niece and buy replacement fabric for the first one and finish it.  I'll also have another niece or nephew in July'ish, so I'd like to complete a quilt for that baby as well.

What's your scrap/craft goals for the new year?