Goals? What are those?

OK well, I've been partially derailed this month. Most of you know DH was injured in a bicycle accident on the 22nd. Since then, there has been little accomplished in this household that didn't revolve around him. While certainly he didn't do this on purpose and cannot change the fact that he has needed a great deal of help to do everyday things as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery, he has still been...well, I'll be kind...a typical male patient. Let's just say that my going on Diva's volleyball trip to Memphis has a lot to do with DH still being alive. I do want to know how I can do every load of laundry in the house on Thursday, be away for two days, and come home to EIGHT loads of laundry that needed to be done before going to bed on Sunday. I recognize one load was Diva's volleyball clothes, but STILL.

So, you get a partial goal vacation this month. To summarize: I did some stuff. Didn't get to other stuff. Completely punted a few stuffs. My life is so exciting.

What you really want: pictures of stuff. :-D

Earlier this month, I took two very amazing classes through my LNS with designer/teacher Susan Greening-Davis. Susan KNOWS STUFF. I learned tons about finishing and textiles. What I really like about her is that she shows you the technically "right" way to do things, explains the logic/reasoning, then tells you when it's really needed and when you can get away with cheating. She's all about the end result. I also like that her designs and kits are focused on finished items. Her stuff isn't available through LNSs, only through her trunk shows. Most are limited editions and include everything you need to finish the project. Here's what I bought:
Spooktacular Stitching:

Celebrations of needlework 15th Anniversary Spot Sampler:

Starry Night Hanging Ornament:


The class projects were a stitching seat cushion with pockets for your stitching supplies (very handy for Moonlight Stitching at the LNS) and a discontinued Longaberger basket with doo-dads for holding supplies. There are not photos of the finished product, but here are pics of the kits and my progress:



Really, the best part of the classes was just talking to Susan. Worth the cost of the classes. She's traveled all over and studied needlework and textiles. Font of knowledge. My dream is to take one of her needlework trips abroad. I think she's working on one to Ireland for 2011 or 2012.

Later this week, I will post updated pics of MTM and NSTR. Those are the only projects to see any stitching progress this month. I'm hoping September will be more productive!

I did buy boxification supplies to further my ambition to be Melissa. I bought The Book with the fabulous instructions, and Fabrics.com had a silk dupioni sale, so I indulged a bit.

Don't know when I'll actually make one, but my hope is to make at least one before the end of this year.

August Goals/ July Progress

That's right, time for goals again.

Stitching Goals for July

1. Stitch two small projects while at the lake (Red Dragon Bookmark by Dracolair and Oh Christmas Tree by Charlotte's Web Needlework in the 2009 JCS Ornament Issue). Not really. Red Dragon is half finished. Didn't have as much stitching time at the lake as I expected.


2. Complete the finishing for the slipper portion of Snow Queen's Slipper.Nope. I have all the supplies, but I seem to be suffering from finish-finishing anxiety.


3. Stitch 10 hours on Nativity Story Table Runner. YEP and then some!


4. Stitch 10 hours on Medieval Town Mandala (hoping that will finish the current town).YEP, see post below for photographic evidence.


5. Make a master list of all the projects hiding in my closet that have been stitched but are in need of finishing and determine finishing requirements. Nope. Still living in denial. See #2 above.


6. Attend Moonlight Stitching at the LNS on July 24. YES! Had an absolute blast!

Non-stitching Goals for July

1. Stick to eating plan - lose 4 pounds (I said it would be a tough month)YES - officially lost 5.5 lbs for a total of 35 lost to date!


2. Exercise at least 14 days, including 3 body pump classes.YEP - lost track of exact number but roughly 19 days and five body pump classes


3. Order new sofa. Yes, current delivery date is 8/31, but I'm not holding my breath.


4. Attend ADFP meeting for professional development. Meeting post-poned until August, but unfortunately, I will be unable to attend on the rescheduled date.


5. Determine CPE requirements for the remainder of year and decide which classes to take. NOPE. Really need to do this.


6. Update professional profile and begin to develop marketing plan.NOPE. Total fail.

Yeah, so July was only so-so. Eh. Whatever. In the words of one of my favorite heroines, Scarlett O'Hara, "Tomorrow is another day!" You can stop laughing at/with me.

So what will happen in August? With the start of Diva's volleyball season and Perfectionist Child's football cheering season, who knows! But, in my perfect dream world, here's what I hope will happen:

August Stitching Goals

1. Finish current page on NSTR. Probably about 20 hours.
2. Stitch one of the over-one bugs on Elizabethan Sweete Bag.
3. Stitch 10 hours on MTM
4. Finish THE SLIPPER (really, somebody hold a gun to my head and make me, PLEASE!)

August Non-stitching Goals

1. Stick to eating plan -lose 5 pounds. Will be tough as I am getting closer to my goal which means slower progress.
2. Exercise at least 22 days (see #1 above).
3. Map out CPE requirements for the rest of the year.
4. Update professional profile and begin to develop marketing plan.
5. Figure out new daily/weekly routine now that kids are back to school.

Sorry the formatting for this post is not consistent. Blogger apparently does not like me today and will not let me make the formatting uniform.

So we'll see how it goes. In other life notes: I had Diva's entire volleyball team, varsity and JV (21 teenage girls) spend the night at our house last weekend. I lived and my house is still standing. Judging by the shrieks and giggles into the wee hours, I'm reasonably certain a good time was had by all. Everybody wins. :-D I did have to send DH out for a long bike ride the next morning as he was suffering from estrogen overload. Perfectionist Child had, and lived through her cheerleading initiation (involving much humiliation in front of the football team). I hated it for her, but she took it pretty good-naturedly. Today is/was PC's first day of high school. She was a nervous wreck this morning despite (or maybe because of) the cute boy who hugged her at book day yesterday telling her he hoped she'd hang out with him today. Diva was jealous. Diva still has the boyfriend and the boyfriend-drama. I'm gonna be shocked if he lasts through half of volleyball season. And that's really all I have to say about that!