Tag: quilts

2022 Goals December Update

Posted on by Kimberly Anne
2022 Goals December Update

Here is my 2022 Goals December update:

Fail: Lose five more pounds. I am maintaining my weight but currently not losing much. However, from December 31 to Thanksgiving, I was down 4 pounds.  By December 31, my next loss was nothing.  Not a pound.  I will admit that starting off in January I am slowly heading down.

Maybe: Ancestry: Contact at least two cousins. I have reached out to 2 cousins but have not heard from them. I tried someone else. Does an attempt to contact someone mean I contacted them, but they didn’t contact me back?

Complete: Read 30 books. I have read  46 books,  reading two books in December.  I will admit some of them were shorter than your normal novel. Reading is always easy for me.  I crave reading.  If only I could crave walking and exercise.

Partial: Get through at least my second and third drafts of the book I wrote in 2021 and finish the first draft of my second book. On June 11, I started a class to help me write my second book’s first draft. I have created an outline for that one and written about 10,000 words. I have completed my first book. My first letter to an agent was sent in October, but then I decided to make some significant changes before I sent it out to anyone else.  So I have completed the drafts of my book written in 2021.  I am only in chapter 4 of the second book.  So it’s incomplete.

Fail: Visit three states I have not visited before. We planned to go to New Mexico, Wyoming, and North Dakota this year. We traveled to New Mexico in April. In September, I changed the plan to go to North and South Carolina. All reservations were made. And then plans changed again. We went to North Carolina and decided to go home due to my health. So we will not complete 3 states this year. I was confident about this goal, but it won’t happen.

 

Completed: two quilts. I plan to finish a quilt for my son-in-law and one for my daughter-in-law. I pushed it and worked on the quilts three days in a row, eight or more hours a day. It was exhausting. On August 30, I brought them to the quilter to be quilted. I picked them up in October and have machine sewn on the bindings.  Then I started the hand sewing of the binding. That is the most time-consuming step. I finished the hand sewing and wrapped them up for Christmas presents. They were finished a few days before Thanksgiving.  Before Christmas, I made a doll quilt for each of my granddaughters for their baby dolls.  I might make more in 2023.

Fail: Walk 1000 miles. I have attempted this for four years and never reached it. This year, I have walked only 667.6 miles. . I walk more often, but I think I will end up, if I’m lucky, getting to 700.  And I didn’t make 700. Once again, I will have to put this on my list for next year.

December was the last month of my attempt to finish this list.  And I didn’t do so well. How did you do on your goals? Let me know below. How I did this year has led me to make some tough decisions for 2023. 

 

2022 Goals August Update

Posted on by Kimberly Anne
2022 Goals August Update

Here is my 2022 Goals August update:

Goal: Lose five more pounds.

I am maintaining my weight but currently not losing any. I need to get more serious about losing weight. No progress in June, July, or August

Goal: Ancestry: Contact at least two cousins. I have reached out to 2 cousins but have not heard from them. I tried someone else. Most of these cousins are a lot younger than me, and I think that may be why they are not responding since I’m old. A great excuse, isn’t it? No progress in June, July or August.

Complete: Read 30 books. I have read 32 books. I read 3 books in August. This goal is complete, but I’m not stopping reading.

Goal: Get through at least my second and third drafts of the book I wrote in 2021 and finish the first draft of my second book. I have joined a group that will help me with this. And I have a writing coach now, so that should help. She and I talked on the 31st of January, and I’m excited I have been going through the third draft and making changes. On June 11, I started a class that will be helpful in writing my first draft of the second book. I have created an outline for that one.

The goal for book number one is 55,000 words, and then we will discuss the next step. I plan to be working on my 3rd draft until I hit that word count. Currently, I have 1,103 words to go. Great news – I have found two people to be Beta readers. I joined a group of fellow writers who are working on their memoirs (like my second book,) so I have been making progress on that. I currently have 4,590 words done on my first draft.

Goal: Visit three states that I have not visited before. We are going to New Mexico, Wyoming, and North Dakota this year. We traveled to New Mexico trip in April. I need to plan the other trip to Wyoming and North Dakota. However, I am thinking about changing that trip to North and South Carolina. No progress in June, July, or August.

Progressing well: Complete 2 quilts. I plan to finish a quilt for my son-in-law and one for my daughter-in-law. I pushed it and worked 3 days in a row, 8 or more hours a day, on the quilts. It was exhausting. On August 30th, I brought them to the quilter to be quilted. They should be done in early November. Then I will pick them up and put the binding on. At this point, this should be easy to complete this goal.

Goal: Walk 1000 miles. I have attempted this for 4 years and never reached it. I need to be really serious about this year. The fifth attempt must work. So far this year, I have walked only 405.5 miles. If I did this evenly each month, I’m about 261 miles behind, which is an increase, once again, not the decrease I had hoped for. I’m getting further behind each month, which isn’t good. I did walk a lot more in August, but these 100+ degree days aren’t helping my situation.

August was good for my reading, writing, and especially my quilt goals. I finished the book goal, and I am very close to finishing the quilts. Now that the quilts are done I should be working harder on the writing.

How are you doing on your goals? Let me know below. Keep working toward your goals. We can do this.

2022 Goals May Update

Posted on by Kimberly Anne
Goals update for May

Here is my 2022 Goals May update:

  1. Goal: Lose 5 more pounds. I am maintaining my weight, but currently not losing. I need to get more serious about losing weight.
  2. Goal: Ancestry: Contact at least two cousins. I have reached out to 2 cousins but have not heard from them. I tried someone else. Most of these cousins are a lot younger than me, and I’m thinking that may be why they are not responding since I’m old. A great excuse isn’t it?
  3. Goal: Read 30 books. I have read 19 books. This goal should be easy to reach.
  4. Goal: Get through at least my second and third drafts of the book I wrote in 2021. Finish the first draft of my second book. I have joined a group that will really help me with this. And I have a writing coach now, so that should help. She and I talked on the 31st of January and I’m excited. I have been going through the third draft and making changes. I am starting a class on June 11 that will be helpful in writing my first draft of the second book.
  5. Goal: Visit three states that I have not visited before. We are going to New Mexico, Wyoming, and North Dakota this year. We traveled to New Mexico trip in April. I need to plan the other trip to Wyoming and North Dakota.
  6. Goal: Complete 2 quilts. I plan to finish a quilt for my son-in-law and one for my daughter-in-law. I already had the pattern for my son-in-law. I have purchased all the fabric, but I have barely cut out any fabric.
  7. Goal: Walk 1000 miles. I have attempted this for 4 years and never reached it. I need to be really serious about this, this year. The fifth attempt must work. So far this year, I have walked only 245 miles. If I was doing this evenly each month, I’m about 170 miles behind. I’m getting further behind each month, which isn’t a good thing.

May was good for my reading and writing goals. I had hoped May would be better for my quilts. June needs to be intensely working on my quilts if I’m going to have them ready for Christmas. How are you doing on your goals? Let me know below. Keep working toward your goals. We can do this.

2021 Goals May Update

Posted on by Kimberly Anne
May Goals

Here is my list for 2021

  1. Status: Complete our front yard landscaping. This is an absolute must since it’s carried over from last year.
  2. Status: Lose 5 pounds. I lowered this, but since I ended the year up instead of down, I will lose 5 pounds from my beginning weight of 2020, not 2021. I am currently gaining weight. That’s not good.
  3. Progress: Ancestry: Type up the list I already have started on my mom’s mother’s side. Spend time contacting at least 2 cousins. I have made contact with two cousins; however, they have not answered me back.
  4. Progress: I have finished 24 books. I am on track to make this one. Read 45 books.
  5. Status: Ride my bike. This can be a challenge because of my balance issues that seem like they will be permanent.
  6. Progress: Visit three states that I have not visited before. This was a great goal last year, and we did it, despite Covid shutdowns. I have made a lot of progress on this, including deciding on the states and the places we will visit in each state. I have started mapping out the days we will be at each location. Hopefully, I will finish the first week of June, with a plan to travel in September.
  7. Progress: I’m doing much better than last year. I have three baby quilts cut out already. I have started sewing one – it is now about 3/4 done. Complete 3 quilts. Adult or baby. Instead of all baby, I might get working on a quilt for my son-in-law and one for my daughter-in-law.
  8. Progress: I’m not as far as I should be, yet, I have walked 268 miles. Walk 1000 miles. I have attempted this for 3 years and never reached it. This year it is in writing, so I hope I will complete it at last. However, I have to speed things up to come close.

In May, I read five books. I feel like I made progress on my ancestry plan because I contacted two cousins. But since they didn’t respond, I feel like it’s not real progress. I did get really ambitious about our trip for this fall to three states. I have written down every place we will go, and I have it marked on my maps. In the next week or two, I hope to finish plotting it out by days and finding lodging where needed. When there is something special nearby, I will come up with some locations for meals.

My weight remains an issue, and I know why. I don’t do anything to lose weight. Instead, I promise I will eat only 2 cookies, and before I know it, I have eaten 5. The month of May opened my eyes to how heavy I really am, and I hope to see changes in June.

How are you doing with your goals? May was a busy month, so I’m hoping that maybe in June, I can make more progress. Hoping, however, is not enough. I need to be making progress. Do you have a secret that you use to accomplish your goals? Please comment below.

2021 Goals April Update

Posted on by Kimberly Anne
April Update

Here is my list for 2021

  1. Status: Complete our front yard landscaping. This is an absolute must since it’s carried over from last year.
  2. Status: Lose 5 pounds. I lowered this, but since I ended the year up instead of down, I am going to lose 5 pounds from my beginning weight of 2020, not 2021. I am currently gaining weight. That’s not good.
  3. Status: Ancestry: Type up the list I already have started on my mom’s mother’s side. Spend time contacting at least 2 cousins. I have reduced this goal to a more doable goal.
  4. Progress: I have finished 19 books. I am on track to make this one. Read 45 books.
  5. Status: Ride my bike. This can be a challenge because of my balance issues that seem like they will be permanent.
  6. Progress: Visit three states that I have not visited before. This was a great goal last year and we did it, despite Covid shutdowns. I’ve already picked the states, so I am ready to start planning. Last month I changed my three states to include a visit to an old friend and I’ve started looking for things to do in those states.
  7. Progress: I’m doing much better than last year. I have three baby quilts cut out already. I have started sewing one – probably about 1/2 done. Complete 3 quilts. Adult or baby. I might get working on a quilt for my son-in-law and one for my daughter-in-law.
  8. Progress: I’m not as far as I should be, yet I have walked 209 miles. Walk 1000 miles. I have attempted this for 3 years and never reached it. This year it is in writing so I hope I will complete it at last.

 

 

 

In April, I read 7 books, started sewing on a quilt, and spent a little time looking for activities in the three states we are going to visit.

Of course, my weight has once again gone up. It’s really my fault no matter what I blame it on. In April I took a bad fall that had me scraped and bruised practically everywhere, including my chin.

How are you doing? I’m hoping that now that it is spring I will make more progress. How about you?

2021 Goals – March Update

Posted on by Kimberly Anne
March Goals update

Here is my list for 2021

  1. Status: Complete our front yard landscaping. This is an absolute must since it’s carried over from last year.
  2. Status: Lose 5 pounds. I lowered this, but since I ended the year up instead of down, I am going to lose 5 pounds from my beginning weight of 2020, not 2021.
  3. Status: Ancestry: Type up the list I already have started on my mom’s mother’s side. Spend time contacting at least 2 cousins. I have reduced this goal to a more doable goal.
  4. Progress: I have finished 12 books. I am on track to make this one. Read 45 books.
  5. Status: Ride my bike. This can be a challenge because of my balance issues that seem like they will be permanent.
  6. Progress: Visit three states that I have not visited before. This was a great goal last year and we did it, despite Covid shutdowns. I’ve already picked the states, so I am ready to start planning. This month I changed my three states to include a visit to an old friend and I’ve started looking for things to do in those states.
  7. Progress: I’m doing much better than last year. I have three baby quilts cut out already. Complete 3 quilts. Adult or baby. I might get working on a quilt for my son-in-law and one for my daughter-in-law.
  8. Progress: I’m not as far as I should be, yet I have walked 156 miles. Walk 1000 miles. I have attempted this for 3 years and never reached it. This year it is in writing so I hope I will complete it at last.

In March, I only made progress on four of my eight items. That is one more than the previous month.

Of course, my weight has once again gone up. Too much stress in my life right now is what I blame it on. But it’s really my fault no matter what I blame it on. I’m the one that buys the cookies at the grocery store.

How are you doing? I’m hoping that now that it is spring I will make more progress.

2021 Goals – January Update

Posted on by Kimberly Anne
January Goals update

Here is my list for 2021

  1. Status: Complete our front yard landscaping. This is an absolute must since it’s carried over from last year.
  2. Status: Lose 5 pounds. I lowered this, but since I ended the year up instead of down, I am going to lose 5 pounds from my beginning weight of 2020, not 2021.
  3. Status: Ancestry: Type up the list I already have started on my mom’s mother’s side. Spend time contacting at least 2 cousins. I have reduced this goal to a more doable goal.
  4. Progress: I have finished 4 books. I am on track to make this one. Read 45 books.
  5. Status: Ride my bike. This can be a challenge because of my balance issues that seem like they will be permanent.
  6. Status: Visit three states that I have not visited before. This was a great goal last year and we did it, despite Covid shutdowns. I’ve already picked the states, so I am ready to start planning.
  7. Progress: I’m doing much better than last year. I have one cut out already. Complete 3 quilts. Adult or baby. I might get working on a quilt for my son-in-law and one for my daughter-in-law.
  8. Progress: I’m not as far as I should be, yet I have walked 57 miles. Walk 1000 miles. I have attempted this for 3 years and never reached it. This year it is in writing so I hope I will complete it at last.

In January, I only made progress on three of my eight items. And that progress is not as much as it should be if I’m spreading this out evenly. But I am further than I was at this time last year. Of course, my weight has once again gone up. Too much stress in my life right now is what I blame it on. But it’s really my fault no matter what I blame it on. I’m the one that buys the cookies at the grocery store.

How are you doing on your goals? Please let me know how much progress you have made in the comments section below.

9 of My Favorite Things

Posted on by Kimberly Anne
Favorite Things

Remember Mary Poppins singing These are a Few of “My Favorite Things.” Her favorite things included things like raindrops on roses, bright copper kettles, snowflakes on noses, sleigh bells, and warm woolen mittens. Most of these things are sensory. They make a person happy and bring a smile to your face. They are nice things, but a little different from my list of favorite things.

We could make so many lists of things. How about things we cannot live without? My list of the actual things I can’t live without would include clean water, air to breathe, food, clothing, a safe place to live, etc. But those items are pretty much the same for everyone. That is except for people that are living in poverty and do not have access to shoes or clean water or enough food to eat. In a comparison of my life to someone living in poverty, pretty much everything I say I can’t live without is not even on their list of minimum things they would like to have. I am very aware of this and in no way is this meant to make light of them or their situation.

Unlike Mary Poppin’s list of favorite things, my list may not matter to you, but they do to me. Actually, if I had to live without most of these items, I could. But, to maintain happiness, I would have a hard time living without them. I admit they aren’t in order of importance. The ninth item is actually the most important to me. And I will admit it would be extremely hard to live without that one.

Continue reading “9 of My Favorite Things” →

2020 Goals May Update

Posted on by Kimberly Anne
May Goals
  1. PROGRESS: This is subject to the Coronavirus. I have visited AAA, of which I am a member, to pick up maps to assist me in making my plans. At this time the states I hope to be visiting are Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. In May I started my list of cities to visit and places where we will eat, tour, and sleep. I haven’t finalized that yet or made any reservations. Visit 3 states I haven’t been to before. I desire to visit every state in the United States in my lifetime.
  2. PROGRESS: I have completed 25 books toward the 30 I plan to read this year.
  3. COMPLETED: I am continuing physical therapy. However, my physical therapist had given me permission to attempt driving. So on February 19 my husband road along as I drove. We went on the freeway very briefly, mainly driving in town. Since then I have driven several times by myself This was probably my most important goal since it has given me the freedom that has really brightened up my days. Drive by myself.
  4. Due to the Coronavirus, this is on hold: To have the hearing in my left ear improved to 30% or all options pursued. Another result of my brain tumor surgery. I have contacted my surgeon and he doesn’t have approval yet to start scheduling the 115 surgeries he is behind on. So this may take a de months to happen.
  5. PROGRESS: We have planned out the front yard and the old lawn has been removed. The sidewalks were removed and forms put in. We will get the cement poured on May 5. In the backyard, the garden is almost done. Grapevines have been purchased but need to be planted. The radishes are up. We have hung sunshades on the patio. The sprinklers have been started in the front. Our garden is complete and we have already had 7 zucchini, 1 crookneck squash, and lots of radishes. Have our front and back yard landscaping completed so we can enjoy them.
  6. PROGRESS: My husband had made a little progress on this. None since then. Clean up/organize our garage so I can park in the garage.
  7. PROGRESS: I have lost four pounds. This would be exciting, but I haven’t been feeling 100%, eating less, so I hope that I can maintain it. Lose 10 lbs.
  8. COMPLETED: It feels great to no longer have any house or car payments. Pay off all debt. This was on my list for last year and I came close, but not quite.
  9. No PROGRESS: Begin and finish three baby quilts.
  10. PROGRESS: I have been in contact with a second cousin. This is really one of my last things on my mind, hence it is not going quickly. I have started typing up my history on one side. Ancestry: Tie at least 10 more people that are my second or third cousins to my family tree.

May was not as productive as I had hoped. I need to get going on the baby quilts since they are not something I can make in a day, especially since I send the quilts out for the actual quilting. I’m not giving up yet. If you have goals set, don’t give up on yourself either. We have the time to do it if we put in the effort.