Getting The New Year Of To A Good Start

And so another year has come and gone. A brief review of my goals from last year are mixed. I was able to blog more, but then when Summer hit and things got busy, I fell behind and lost my groove.  I did add new products to my shop line-up, but I did not have as many items in my shop as I had wanted.  I did not go to any craft fairs, due to a lack of finances. No money, no booth fees and no canopy, which I would need even if I had the booth fee. (But the past is the past, time to look to the future.)  And I won't even go into the loosing weight thing...

Well, now it's a new year and a new chance to work on my goals.  So, how is this year going to be different? Is this the year I finally get my act in gear? That's the plan, and I'm sticking to it.

Easy one first.  Me, or more accurately, my whole weight/health thing.  I am exercising at least a little every day, which is better than not doing anything. It's a starting point. The difference is I am writing down everything I do in a fitness journal. I remember back before I was really a "grown-up," (no kids, no real bills, still living at home) I was so into weight training. I went to the gym 6 days a week for two hours every day, and I kept a fitness journal. That journal really did help me stay on track and give me a little push to do better the next time. Nothing fancy, right now it's just a piece of notebook paper, but I want to get a small notebook I can carry around with me, so I don't miss anything.  I record the date, the exercise and how many times I did it, if there are repetitions involved. If I walk, I record the distance. (Back in my heyday I would do crunches for the duration of a whole song and not count reps, in which case I would write the name of the song so I know how long I did them.) So, there's the first one. I might add a food journal with that. Still contemplating...

Workout and fitness printable mini planner by Sweet Simple Life

Now for the biggie. Getting out of debt, or at least ending the year with less debt.  As some of you may know I live in a lovely little resort area near the beach. It's beautiful and a great place to raise a family, if you can find the work. This is the off-season and jobs are hard to come by. I know, I've been looking every day. So, either I find enough work, be it full-time or a combination of part-time gigs to bring in some more money or I figure out a way to make my Etsy shop, TheGoodOleDays a successful venture.  My game plan? To help me stay motivated and hold myself accountable I've signed up with Jon Acuff's 30 Days of Hustle.  Jon is the author of two really great books I've read and recommend, Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work That Matters and Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job & Your Dream Job.

Each day brings a new task to focus on. This is a recap of the first week for me, thus far.
Day 1...What is your goal? Easy peasy. To find a full-time job or get my Etsy shop moving in the right direction.
Day 2...Why? Getting out of debt, getting a good night's sleep, being able to dream beyond basic necessities...really the list is endless, but these are the biggies.
Day 3...How will you accomplish your goal? 1) Scheduled blocks of time devoted to job hunting and working on my shop. 2)Apply for jobs that I am qualified (or overqualified) to do. 3) Getting up earlier so I can be more productive.
Day 4...Fun; How to making working towards you goal enjoyable.  1) Listen to music when I sew. 2) Make an inspiration board. 3) Sewing IS fun!
Day 5...When are you going to work on your goal?  Mondays and Fridays are limited because I am a caregiver for my mother. (Actually, my schedule could change at the ring of the phone.) Tuesday-Thursday are my real work days. Mornings are for job hunting, then I move on to my shop until the kids come home from school. Before bedtime I check my email for replies to applications I've sent and see if any more jobs have been posted.
Day 6...Where will you work?  The computer and the kitchen table. (One day I'll have a sewing room all to myself.)

So, I know this is a long one, but it's been a while.  Do you have a plan of action for making your dreams a reality? Here's to us and a great and productive new year!

Putting Christmas In Perspective

Ah, Christmas. A time of mistletoe, pictures with Santa, strangers warmly greeting each other as they pass by...(I'm not going to comment on the spectacle that was Black Friday. The images speak for themselves.) As you know, I'm an old fashioned kind of gal. I like things simple, and I love the Christmases of days long gone by.

Fresh Live Christmas Wreath

I love to hear my grandmother tell of the candles (yes, real candles) on the tree, fresh greens draped on the mantle, and new doll dresses lovingly sewn by her mother for a well-loved baby doll. It was the time of the Great Depression. There wasn't much money for new, shiny presents. Jobs were hard to come by, rations were commonplace. And yet, Christmas still came, somehow it still came.

Christmas apron made by my grandmother

Times have been tough for many of us these days, as well, though hopefully not as hard as it was back then. Christmas just can't be about shiny new gadgets and electronic devices. I, for one, am taking a step back. This will be a creative Christmas. The boys obviously don't have dolls I can make clothes for, but I do have a few ideas that I think they will appreciate.

Real Cranberry Garland

Won't you take a step back with me? I don't mean go back in time or take away the gadgets, but find some way to make it truly a special time. Create your own Christmas cards, make ornaments or gifts for family, cook up something yummy.  I'd love to hear your ideas.

As for me, I'll be sharing some of my ideas here.  (Just don't tell the boys. I'd hate to ruin the surprise.)

Monday Mojo...With A Little Help From My Friends

We all have those days when we feel the weight of the world is resting not so firmly on our shoulders.  When you're feeling that weight, just reach out to your friends. They are they, even if you don't know it. No man (or woman) is an island. We are social creatures. Let your friends help you through the rough days.

I am thankful for my friends, and I hope you all know who you are, when my days are heavy and I need a little help. This one is for you, because I could not do this alone.

You're Thankful For What?

I've got a Toyota Matrix. Got it when Little Man was a baby because I knew I couldn't keep crawling into the back of my Saturn Coupe much longer to strap him into his car seat.  Now Little Man, and my Toyota are both 10 years old. For a person, that means he's still got a lot of life left to live, but for a car, not so much.

My awesome, reliable car now has over 192,000 miles racked up under the hood and it desperately needs a new clutch.  Let's just say you do not, ever, want to get stuck behind me coming out of a full stop. My car chugs along at snail's pace for quite a while now, like a little old lady pushing a walker.  Pushing the gas pedal to the floor or pumping it does no good. Neither does yelling at it or pleading with it. Believe me, I know.  And no matter how close you get behind me, flash your high beams, or honk your horn and yell obscenities, you cannot intimidate it, or me, to go any faster. Just not going to happen.

But, and here's the strange part, I have learned to be thankful for my slow little car.  It has taught me to relax, slow down, and enjoy the ride. It's kind of zen-like and freeing to not be caught up in the race. I'll get there when I get there, until the day I won't.  So go ahead and stress yourself out trying to make me go faster. I'm good.  Better yet, why don't you just pass me? I'm in no hurry.

(So, yeah, I know the car needs to be fixed. We're working on that, but for now I'm also doubly thankful we live in a small community where most of the speed limits are 30 or slower. Yeah, for Lower Slower Delaware.)

Monday Mojo...Yeha Noha (Wishes of Happiness & Prosperity)

Too many Mondays have passed without a Monday Mojo, and for that I apologize. I missed it and I know some of you did, too.  I know many of my choices have been silly and upbeat, but with Thanksgiving only days away, I thought I would chose something especially for the holiday.

I came across the CD, Sacred Spirit, one day while shopping in a bookstore. I was overcome with a sense of peace and reverence. Of course I bought it and it became one of my favorite, go to Cd's.  The song I chose for today, "Yeha Noha" is one of my favorites.

I hope you enjoy this Monday Mojo and I wish for you much happiness and prosperity, whatever that may mean to you.

Feelin' a Little Like Stretch Armstrong...Without the Stretch

Yup, that's me, well at least that's the BitStrip me.  (I do pretty much look like that, give or take a few pounds, and yes, my hair is lighter than my profile pic.)  Anyway, this cartoon in particular called out to me yesterday because this is how I've been feeling lately.

I suppose it would be more accurate if I were drawn with a few more arms, but I'll just go with two and the two directions pulling the hardest.

One one side is my mother. At 94 she is doing well, physically, but she doesn't think so. Of course she has slowed down considerably and she's not nearly as spry as she once was, but then that's to be expected.  The problem is that she has dementia. It is so difficult to watch a loved one struggle with this; the confusion, the paranoia, the time slips, and losing them bit by bit every day.  I help her as much as I can, but it's never enough, or at least that's how I feel. Plus I feel utterly useless a good portion of the time. I can't force her to remember what just is not there and I cannot control her moods. I just do what I can do.

Then there's the other side, pulling just as hard for my attention, but just not aware he's doing it; my lovebug, my Little Man.  He has ADHD and needs just a wee bit of help staying focused on the task at hand. I love him just the way he is, with all his quirks and goofiness, but when it's time to get down to business, I know if I'm not there, in the same room with him, the work won't get done. (And don't even let me get started on the whole school thing. That's a post all to itself.)

So, you see my dilemma? My mother or my child. How can one chose one over the other? So, I go back and forth between the two; trying to give each of them the attention they want and need, but always feeling like it's never enough.

I sure could use a clone right about now.

Food For Thought

Warm and Snuggly

I love Fall; the colors of the leaves, the briskness in the air, pulling the sweaters and warmies (hats, gloves, scarves, and leg warmers) out of storage. So I thought I'd share of few of my favorite warmies with you. If you're in a cooler climate, I hope these help take the chill away, and if your idea of cold is grabbing a sweatshirt, sit back and enjoy, just the same. You never know when you may be visiting one of your chilly buddies.

AddSomeStitches, pixiebell, threemagicsheep

ArlenesBoutique, passionknits, Periay

JustColor, LaimaShop, yastikizi

CloudberryFactory, jewellerybijou, mademoisellemermaid

Promotion Commotion

Last Tuesday I decided to offer my facebook page to other small business owners to promote themselves. I would like to make this a regular feature on mt page. So, here's the post for today. If you'd like to participate, comment below the post. Like and share to get more views. Today, my wall is your wall. (Please, family friendly items and comments only.)
Go to my facebook page to join in.  See you there!

Post by TheGoodOleDays.

Girl! Where have you been?

Yes, I've been away. No sugar coating it. I was doing so well with this blog and then Summer happened. I didn't realize how busy it gets here. All I did was work. Living at the beach is not nearly as glamorous as I had thought it would be. (What happened to my deep, dark tan and my moonlit strolls on the beach with my husband? Where did my fancy drink with the little umbrella go? Why did my husband and I feel like two ships passing in the night?) And then Summer ended, all the vacationers went back home and pretty much took our jobs with them, mine included. What do you write in a blog when you have no job and no money that doesn't sound like a poor me pity party?

Things haven't changed much. Still no job and not much money, but my outlook is not quite so doom and gloomy.  I see this as just the way things are meant to be right now.  My mother, who has dementia, needs my help more and more, and my son, who has ADHD, continues to need that little nudge to get his homework done and stay out of trouble.

So, with these things in mind, along with the lack of daytime work available, I have a renewed determination to work on my Etsy shop and make it successful.  I have been working on my pictures and I have added a new line of checkbook covers to my selection.  Before I ran out of money from my Summer job I got the things I needed to finally start using my Serger and I updated my business cards, since I have lived in a different state for over a year now.  Unfortunately, craft shows just are not going to happen for me this year, so the focus is on the online business.

Just a few days ago I got my own domain name and am currently shopping around for a web hosting site so I can expand my reach.

I do apologize for not being here. I missed it, but I did not want this to be a downer, and that's just what would have happened. So I am back, my batteries are recharged, and I'm good to go.