2016 Promises to Try

I don't think I made of list of promises last year, which is interesting but odd. I have been wanting to sit down and do this for a couple of weeks but things have been insane around here. Ever since Thanksgiving it has been one thing after another. Thankfully, it seems to finally be winding down.

So, my promises. Remember, these are not earthshattering things but more or less things that I want to do to better myself. They can be health oriented, hobby oriented, spiritually oriented - whatever I want to improve upon this year. Here goes...

1. Lose weight. Yep, I went there straight off the bat. I want to lose 50 pounds. It's not a lot but I think it is a realistic goal - and honestly, any loss would be celebrated by me. I still need to talk to my doctor about how to do this but it's on the radar and I've got 52 weeks in which to do it. Having Diabetes has made this a challenge but I'm not giving up yet.
2. Read at least 4 new books this year. I will be the first to admit that I put pleasure reading by the wayside first when it comes to things that need to be dropped in order to make time. I don't like that about me because I do love reading so I'm going to make time to do this for myself.
3. Sew clothing for myself. Oh yeah, I really want to do this one. I love to wear skirts and dresses but for some reason, in order to purchase a skirt or dress for myself I need to take out a small loan. Cute dress for Hobbit or Peanut runs me about $25 but the exact same dress for me is $65 or more. Not sure why but whatever... so to combat this, I'm going to learn to make my own.
4. Knit an adult sweater. It's been taunting me. I want to do it. I'm scared to do it. I will do it - well - I will try to do it.
5. Knit a colorwork hat. I want to knit a colorwork hat. I have wanted to do this for a bit now but again, I'm scared to do it... and again, I will try.
6. Sew a purse. Not a tote or project bag but an actual purse. This will become a reality. I love purses and to make my own would be awesome.
7. Improve our credit rating. Pokey and I want to buy a house and we have a few hiccups on our report. Nothing major but we are just shy of where life would be easy for us. We've been working on this for a few years now and I want to make this the year that it's all straighted out and we can buy a home.

There you have it. My promises to try. We'll see how I fall out 365 days from now. I hope you have set some realistic things for yourself to achieve this coming year. As long as you promise to try, you have succeeded. So what are you going to try in 2016?

Taking (crafting) Stock

So I was feeling rather unaccomplished this past year, as far as crafting goes. I normally make a ton of stuff but with all that went at work (promotion and then working two roles for several months), family issues, and general health challenges I just felt like I was flop. I gathered up all my projects for an end of year review blog post and found that I wasn't as bad as I thought - not as good as I normally am but not as bad as I feared.

I counted them up - there are 52 projects here. That's one yarny project a week for the entire year. That doesn't even take into account my recent sewing adventures!

Sometimes, when you feeling down, all you need to do is take a good honest look at what you've done. Chances are, it's more than you think.

Something different

I have been toying with trying a podcast for a while now but was just too chicken. Welp, yesterday during my lunch hour I gave it a go. For some reason, the audio and video get out of sync later on the video but I may have a solution moving forward.

So here it is, my first ever attempt at vloggin'... podcasting... taping myself and feeling awkward... there, that's the best description of it right there. As my mama says - be kind.. and if you can't be kind, just be quiet. I know y'all will always be kind though, we crafty folks are always supportive - even of failed projects because they are also learning experiences.