Active Revamp

I regret to announce that I think I'm in another funk again... Hence my neglect for regular posting. Sorry. In all honesty, I've been really feeling the need to write, but haven't had a clue of what to write about, so that has been my shabby excuse for not writing. Dumb, I know...

Anyway, some updates!

Thanksgiving was wonderful. I hope you all had great ones also. Every year, my family spends Thanksgiving with my Dad's cousins and family, so they are my second cousins. (Sorry if that was a bit confusing...) We've grown up as close to them as cousins, and it's always a grand time. Truly a Hallmark Thanksgiving. We sit down to a feast, then clean up and visit, then have some dessert and visit some more. And then my Great Uncle Andy (my Dad's uncle, who is an incredible jazz pianist) will announce that we need to break out the instruments and get on with the annual jam session. And then we jam. Emmy and Greg play their violin and cello, Dad and Uncle Andy will play piano together, and usually I play too. It is so much fun, and we look forward to it every year with great anticipation.

So now that Thanksgiving is over, we can officially listen to Christmas music!! Caleb and I put up our tree this weekend. We were excited to see what Cillian would think. He was interested in it for a little while, but his attention span was pretty limited. It was close to bed time though, so he was tired. And now our Christmas tree is up! After Cillian was put to bed, we set up a game of cribbage and played by the tree while listening to Christmas music, snacking on oreos with eggnog (Caleb) and hot chocolate (me). Then we turned the Christmas music to some more peaceful tunes, sat on our couch, cuddled up together, gazing at our tree, laughing and talking, and just being. I love this tradition we've made.

As far as projects go, I haven't started the stockings yet (but need to), and I'm really coming along on some scarves for Christmas gifts. They're looking great!

Alright, I have a bit of venting to vent. I wish I was the kind of person who loved to clean and work hard around the house. But I'm not. I really am such a kid in this respect. I have such a difficult time making myself do these things. And it's great once I do them because then I a) don't have to do them for a while and b) feel good about being productive and having accomplished something. You would think that would be enough incentive to get me going. But no, it's not.

There are so many projects that need to be done - going through closets and organizing, purging of junk, etc. Mainly the organizing part. And I'm pretty good at that kind of thing, it's just that I create an even bigger mess once I start a project like that, and half the time I don't even finish it. (The whole starter thing again - I'm an excellent starter, but I can't finish something to save my life...) And yes, I'm just making excuses to avoid having to do any work at all.

So, the point of this rant is that I need to just humble myself and refuse to stay in this mold that I've stuck myself in. I can change! I don't have to be a lazy-good-for-nothing all of my life!!! I'm going to have a house to run someday, and honestly, the thought terrifies me! I can barely keep up with a two-bedroom apartment!! But, I can change, and I can start NOW.

I'm off to do some laundry for starters. Then maybe some organizing. Cillian's closet sure needs it.

I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday. I'll be writing more soon.

Cheers!


Here's the Quote of the Day:

"We advance toward humility by means of trials. He who rests on his virtue without suffering tribulation has the door of pride open before him."

~ St. Isaac the Syrian

A Drawback and a New Project

Apologies first off for not having been as consistent as I would like these last several days.... I really have not been all that motivated!

Some updates -

The running has been going really well. I'm halfway through the 8-week program, and I can already tell my endurance is starting to build. I love feeling capable like this.

I lost about 5 pounds last week within a few days, so that was a super nice surprise. Currently, I'm not exactly sure how I weigh, but I'm sure it's around the good weight.

A new development and unfortunate shortcoming is that I have a kidney infection of all things! I noticed a pain in my right side last Saturday night, felt feverish, later took my temperature, and discovered I had a slight fever of 101.3 degrees. My first reaction was dread that I would get Cillian sick with a fever, or Caleb. Better me than either of them!

Sunday night, I researched my symptoms and figured out that I probably had a kidney infection. Monday morning, I called urgent care and went in to get checked and they confirmed it. I got the antibiotics right away and have been on them for nearly four days. My side is still sore (almost a post-surgery soreness, but as I've never had surgery I'm not entirely sure...), but improving slightly, so I think the antibiotics are working. They said if the pain gets worse than it was originally, I should go to the ER. That would be exciting!

But I'm sure I'll be feeling better very soon. The sad thing about all of this is that I'm taking a week off from running, if not more time. It's absolutely killing my momentum. I was doing SO well, and now I'm slipping behind. I'm halfway through it, so all I really have to do is to pick it up again. But I'm debating on whether or not to repeat the last week of running I did and then go on, just to ease into it. Suggestions and advice would be very welcome on this subject. :)

On a very exciting note, I have decided to make stockings for me, Caleb, and Cillian for this Christmas! I'm super thrilled about it. I'm designing them and then I'm going to hand-sew them, since a) I don't own a sewing machine and b) I think it'll be more special. Yes, I'm aware that it will take me a considerably longer time finishing them this way, but I know I can do it, so I'm going to.

On Tuesday, I took a spin in Hobby Lobby (my favorite store) and found all kinds of wonderful potential materials for the stockings. That inspired the official designing. I'm not going to purchase anything until I know exactly what I need. They are going to be the most awesome looking stockings ever... I can't wait to start.

While I'm on the subject of projects and crafty-type things, I finished the scarf I was knitting, and now I'm on to some more knitting. I always have to have something going on with my hands. And that's why knitting is perfect for me! I bought a beautiful cream yarn as well as a deep wine red yarn in one of my favorite brands, Caron. It's so silky and soft, and it just makes gorgeous scarves.

So, I'm experimenting with some more knit patterns for these two yarns. I'm having a bit of trouble with the checkered pattern I wanted to try, but I'll figure it out.

Here's to recovering from infections, starting new projects, and getting motivated to keep working hard!

I hope you are having a thoroughly thoughtful Thursday.

Cheers.


Here's the Quote of the Day:

"Silence is golden - duct tape is silver."

~ Anonymous