UFOs

When my mom died a little over eight years ago, I inherited all her sewing and craft supplies.  It took my dad a number of trips in his minivan to bring everything over.  There were three sewing machines - an embroidery, a serger, and a "regular" one, a sewing desk, a cutting table, and loads of material, notions, crafts and supplies. 

 

When I first got it all, I went through the material and got it sorted out and stored in tubs.  It was interesting to see when the fabric was purchased by the evolution of Joann Fabrics bags.  But, most of the stuff remained as it arrived, packed in a variety of boxes and bags.

 

When Himself's aunt started adding to my stash, I decided that it was time to get things better organized.  As I started opening some of the bags and boxes, I found projects mom had started but never finished.  There were several counted cross stitch pictures, a crewel embroidery one, a bedspread for what had been her newly redecorated bedroom, and a couple of clothing items. 

 

As I handled the items, it took my breath away.  Mom started these new projects thinking she would have more time.  She was optimistic.  The cancer wouldn't win.  But it did.

 

I got to thinking about what my unfinished objects, UFOs, are.  I have a cross stitch sampler from our wedding eighteen years ago that is half finished.  There are a few more cross stitch pictures in process, a couple of dress patterns with material waiting to be sewn, a quilted wall-hanging in pieces, a quilt started for our guest room, and yarn purchased for a crochet scarf.

 

But, those are things.  What about the phone calls left unmade?  Or the dinner plans postponed?  And the emails and letters left unwritten?  Maybe Mom had craft projects uncompleted because she spent her time with and for people, talking and listening to them. 

 

I think I'm going to work on a few of my UFOs this week.  Care to join me?

 

 

AMDG

Time, Words, and Getting SMART

The last two weeks of December at work were really slow and quiet.  Maybe a quarter of my coworkers were in the office.  The rest were out celebrating the holidays and leaving whatever  needed to be done, which wasn't much, to the rest of us.  Let's put it this way - it was so quiet that the Hairy Beast came to work with me, twice.  The second time he even had a friend to play with!

 

Now it's the end of January!  How did that happen???

 

Once everyone was back in the office after the holidays, things got crazy busy.  I have a lot of projects going on, my manager was out of the office unexpectedly due to the death of his mother, and I moved offices. 

 

We've been fairly busy at home as well.  Christmas decorations were taken down and put away.  We move out all the living room furniture and shampooed the carpet.  Last Saturday we took advantage of the unseasonably warm sixty degree weather and drove down to Amish county to stock up on a few necessities.  It's been a blur of a month. 

Earlier in the month, many people were coming up with what their "word" for the year was going to be.  I wanted to come up with one that was positive and glorious and profound.  Hope and Change sounded good, but I think they've been a bit overused, no?  If I really thought about what I wanted for this year, one word stuck out - Reduce. 

 

I didn't make New Year's resolutions.  Those always seems to go by the wayside rather quickly.  Instead, I wrote down my goals for the year.  I tried to be "SMART" about them - Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound.

 

When I looked at my goals for the year - lose weight, eliminate sugar from my diet, clean out the basement and garage and sell or give away what we don't need/use, spend less, shrink debt, exercise more, watch less TV, read more - many seemed to have one thing in common: the need to Reduce something. 

 

It's not a glamorous, sexy word.  It's not profound like I had hoped.  But, it is accurate and something that has been weighing on my mind.  And, it has the potential of having an impact on my life.  At least I'm hoping it will.

 

 

AMDG