Have you heard the saying, "Idle hands are the devil's handiwork"? I grew up hearing it, though I don't remember the source, and used to think it was just a silly old saying from "way back when." Well, then I grew up some more, and spent more than enough time with "idle hands" and can personally say that the saying is true! When my hands aren't busy and my brain isn't engaged, bad things happen. My mood drops, my attitude drops, my productivity drops, drop. drop. drop. Lucky for me, I figured this out quick enough and started making myself busy! Little did I know that school would keep me as busy as it does!
I've started a handful of things this last year (year as in, my birthday year...so from May 2010, not January 2011) and am quite proud of where I'm headed. You already know about school, but here are a couple other projects I'm currently working on,
1. Saving money
2. My marriage!
3. My second quilt
4. Making my first skirt (yes, for me to wear)
5. Decorating my house
On saving money: I'm a great shopper, but that doesn't always mean the extra cash goes into my savings account! Oops. This year, though, I've diligently set aside money from every paycheck for different categories (car emergency, vacation, college expenses, etc) and have followed it pretty well (Whoo!) My problem still lies in putting too much stuff on my pretty little credit card. That's part A of part 1....tame the card. Afterall, what good is saving if you're borrowing for other purchases?! The discipline is there, though...just need to redirect it a little bit.
On marriage: I've been working on this one, technically, since 2005 when I made the biggest decision of my entire life! But, really, truly, working on it with my husband's best interest in mind and purposely doing things in favor of staying married...that started last January. It's a different life between being married and doing your day to day thing, and being married with your partner front and center in your focus! It's a lot of work, but the outcome is so much better when you put yourself after your spouse! I'm not saying it's easy (psh.) but I am saying it's worth it!
On the quilt: When I started my first job as a nanny, in 2003, I decided to start a quilt. It gave me something to work on during nap time after I had done my cleaning. Start to finish, it took me about three years to complete because I had no idea what I was doing and needed help with it (aka...I shipped it to New Jersey for my aunt to bind and quilt stitch because I didn't have what I needed to do it myself). I finally had the finished product in my hand a year into my marriage and the weekend of my brother's wedding, when I saw my aunt again. I was so excited! My quilt was fantastic and I MADE IT! (well, mostly..). My husband and I use that quilt on a daily basis and I'm excited to be starting another. The first was made of "patriotic" themed fabric and articles of clothing from the kids I nannied for. This second quilt, is going to be made of my husbands old college/fraternity t-shirts and fabric that represents his fraternity symbols and colors. I started last week and hope to get a huge chunk of it completed this summer!
On making a skirt: I have an extra room in my house (I know, poor me...) that I've decided to make a sewing room. And that's because, I have three sewing machines (yes, three) and have never used any of them! One was a gift for my wedding, the other a hand-me-down from my mother-in-law, and the third, a hand-me-down from my grandmother-in-law. I have a generous family. :) With a whole room and lots of machines dedicated to sewing, I thought I might want to start making something. The room isn't done, yet...but that doesn't mean I can't buy fabric! I've already told you about the quilt. Second on the agenda was a skirt. I have one I love that I bought forever ago. I can't find another like it and it's something I probably wear once a week all summer long. Why not make another one?! So, I am. Fabric has been purchased along with necessary notions. But the the pattern...well, that's debatable. I don't like being told what to do, so I may venture out on my own.
Decorating my house: I'm pretty sure this is a never-ending project, especially if we keep moving before I get one house finished! As I mentioned, I'm working on the sewing room right now. I've purchased accessories, have the furniture (maybe that should be on the list too, because it needs refinishing!), and just need to choose a paint color. I'm going nautical (I'm kind of a prep dork when it comes to nautical anything) and using dark blue and white as a base. From there....well, like I said...never ending work in progress!
What projects are you working on? What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time?
Happy Saturday! Enjoy your weekend!
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