Improvements
Good morning! How has your week been? Can you believe it's the last week of June? After some brutally hot temperatures we were graced yesterday with a beautiful day of low humidity - truly refreshing. My backyard is quiet now that we stopped feeding the birds (raccoon raiding during the day, ugh). I will put the feeder out again in the fall and hope that Ms. Raccoon has forgotten all about the free ride.
We are knee deep in home improvements. Last week the insulators finished doing the attic, this week we have chimney/brick pointers removing bricks that are 'spalled'. What a NOISY day yesterday! Frodo, bless him, slept through the chaos, but Holly didn't know where to hide. She usually is under our bed but the jackhammering was on an outside wall to our bedroom. Poor Holly.
She is amazing though, once they leave she is out and about - resilient! Wish us luck! Next week or the week after is a new roof and gutter installation.
While home improvements occur, I'm trying to improve my time spent on some cross stitch. I haven't picked up this project for over a month. I have such a challenge with white thread on 'off white' fabric. However, I am getting into a groove 75% of the time putting my needle in the right place. Also I am quicker at realizing when I am not in the right place faster and correct the errors. So that, my friends, is progress!
I've been doing lots and lots of art journaling but I don't want to put it here since it's private and has all the feels. So just imagine me writing and writing, reflecting and pondering life's great mysteries. Do you journal? I find it therapeutic and a wonderful way for self expression and documenting ordinary life.
End of June is a great time to reflect on the year and write out what I want to do for the second half of the year. Of course there is a LIST happening, it's ambitious. I've been knitting some Christmas gifts since January, but have a few ideas that I'd like to explore for other gifts.
Do you complete a mid-year review of projects or goals?
Oh wow, those are some major home improvements! We're more or less done with most of those on Curaçao, but we do have some big plans for after we get through the smaller details of really finishing everything (painting, putting on trims, things like that). My husband would rather move on to the next big project though.
ReplyDeleteI love that cross stitch house! You have more patience than I do with those tiny stitches.
I don't journal. I think it could be beneficial, but I never feel at ease when I'm putting feelings on paper. I usually forget to do mid-year reviews and lists for the next six months, but maybe I'll try to do it on my blog. Accountability is a good thing. ;-)
I find white thread on off-white or any fabric to be really hard to do. I don't know if it's my eyesight, or my brain just doesn't want to make it work. But I love what you have so far on your project.
ReplyDeleteLots of home improvement at your house! It's a good thing you could find people to do those things and that they could get whatever supplies they need. My poor neighbor has had a partial fence "in process" for several months while the fence guys wait for more posts. Your cross-stitch home improvement is looking good!
ReplyDeletePoor Holly. Glad to hear she recovers quickly though. I journal daily and it is such a help to me. I am able to jot down my thoughts, feeling and daily activities. I also have daily "to do" lists to keep me on track. I do have a crafting project list I make each year in hopes of using up some massive amounts of stash. I am glad to hear I am not the only one with issues of using white floss on off white Aida cloth. I have 2 cross stitch patterns on the go and both if them have slowed because for this reason.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it is the end of June already the time is flying by. I love the photo of the flowers. It sounds like it has been busy for you and Holly is probably happy the noise is done now. I like your cross stitch so far it looks great. I know I abandoned my cross stitch I want to pick it back up eventually. I agree this is a great time of year to reflect and think about what to do for the rest of the year! I used to journal a lot and now I mostly write in my 5 min journal on an app and try to remember to write in my one line a day journal. I like reflecting back on what I wrote last year. I like your idea of the art journaling that looks fun.
ReplyDeleteHappy 1st week of summer! What a pretty photo of flowers in your yard. We have a lot of wildflowers. I made peach jam last week and strawberry jam this week. Love that quote in your journal, I've had some health issues and yes, must remember it's temporary.
ReplyDeleteHow'd it get to be June already? Our kitty likes to hide under the bed, too, but she mostly does it when we have visitors and always when the GK arrive. That looks like a pretty X-stitch, and it's a good reminder to me to do something else than knit. At the moment though we've been doing lots of yardwork because we've actually had some sunshine!!
ReplyDeleteWhat is that beautiful pink flower?
ReplyDeleteI have no idea, I snapped the photo on my daily walk :)
DeleteHello - I love that quote from your journal. So true, and something I need to remember. I can't even believe that the year is halfway over. It seems to be going so quickly. I hope all of your home improvements go well. See you again soon!
ReplyDeleteGosh that sounds like a lot of work going on at your place, you will be glad when it is all done. I do journal, sporadically when the mood takes me, I totally understand your need to keep it private.
ReplyDeleteLove your cross stitch x
I do not know who I would be if I did not journal and these days, it is a life line to sanity. Oh boy.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on the home improvements. :)
Goodness, you do have a lot of home improvements going on. Best of luck. I do journal but enjoy writing with little embellishment. This year I am keeping a "kindness" journal that includes some stickers and other visuals like postcards, photos, tags because kindness is my word of the year.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your home improvements dear :-)
ReplyDeleteBeauty and Fashion/Rampdiary/Glamansion