Spiderman Quilt

 

My amazing daughter spent the last month or two making a Spiderman quilt for her boyfriend. She has made several dresses, but she has never made a quilt. I'm not sure if she looked up general instructions online or just followed a vision. All I know is that she bought the material and seeed it on her own. Once again, I am in awe of her talent. 

Un-Loaf Review

 

I made the viral un-loaf over the weekend because I was unable to take the time to make sourdough for the last few weeks. (It normally takes the whole Saturday). As I was telling Chad how much I was missing having it in the house, I remembered people talking about the un-loaf in the sourdough group I follow on Facebook and decided to try it. 

I started the process Saturday night after getting home from the Mammoth game. It was late enough that waiting 14+ hours meant that I didn't have to do the shaping until after church. Then, I was able to take a nap (my favorite after church activity) while I waited for the next rise. After that, it baked for about an hour with the lid on and 5 minutes with the lid off, so I was able to relax while it baked as well. 

At first, I was a bit disappointed in the final product because it isn't as tall as I'm used to and it wasn't as tangy as I wanted. However, I realized that it isn't going to be the same as a classic sourdough boule because it is made with a different process. Also, the tangy flavor comes from the started. I'm not sure why, but my starter seems to be losing its flavor. 

That being said, I will be making this again. I have grown to love sourdough bread for many reasons, and this is a way to have it without being stuck at home for an entire day every time I want to make it. I will, also, make more traditional loaves when I am able. 

January 2025 Bullet Journal

I am determined to make this month more productive than last month. I won't be disobey trying to make Christmas magical for my adult children, and I hopefully won't be so sick that I land in the ER with asthma issues. I will, however, be working daily on my goals. I have made spreads in my bullet journal to do this. 

First, I have a page that lists my goals of the month and has a tracker to mark off the days that I have completed them:

Then, I have my Miracle morning tracker. On the opposite page is my affirmation for the month. 

Next is my "no spend" tracker. I could be more of a low spend type thing, but Chad and I came up with rules that we both agreed on that we feel will lead us in a better financial path. 

My next spread is for cleaning. This of course is the bare minimum. I hope that everyone else will pitch in. We'll see. 

The only other tracker that I am using is one I made last month for the book that I want to finish and implement what I have learned soon. 

I will be keeping track of my hobbies without a tracker, and the conference talks are being marked in the book. 

December Bullet Journal Spreads

I have made a plan for December and put it in writing. I know we are a week into December, but I'm ok with that. There are still plenty of days to work on and accomplish goals this month. 

When making my plan, first I decided on what goals I wanted to focus on and used those goals to make a December cover page. 

Then, I went down the list and made bullet journal spreads for each goal in the order I listed them. My favorite is the one for tracking miles (the first goal).

My next spread is for the Miracle Morning. I'm not as happy with this one because I tried to use colors from the washi tape, and I'm just not a fan of brown. It works with my theme, though.

Then, I made one for a book that I really want to finish to help me towards my weight loss goals. I love the colors I used for this one! I wanted to make sure to include the appendix, so I made circles for each.

Finally, in conjunction with my affirmations, I will be tracking the amount of time that I clean. This is the only page I made without washi tape, but I think it turned out fairly well.

In had a lot of fun making these. I found most of my supplies at Hobby Lobby. Some of the stickers and the markers were things I already had around the house. Sometimes I still can't believe I have become a person who enjoys this kind of thing.

Book Store Haul

For date night, Chad and I decided to go to Barnes and Noble. It’s a bit of a drive, but very worth it to be able to walk amongst the books rather than buying them online. We are both in a self-improvement phase of life, and some our books reflect it. 

My haul:

His haul:

Many Projects on Needles and Hooks

 

I have many things on hooks and needles right now, and I am kind of loving it. I have the cushion I am making with my birthday yarn that is a little over half done and put on hold until I get the pillows stuffed in it so I can crochet around the rest. It’s not a huge priority and may wait until I am done with this semester’s classes. I have a shawl that I am mostly knitting at church because it is simple and doesn’t need much attention. Noel asked me to knit her a sweater and even picked out the yarn and pattern, so of course that has already been started. Then there are the socks I’m making for Eric and his girlfriend for Christmas because I have no idea what to get them. I had them approve the yarn and give me measurements, so they know what they are getting. I’m ok with that because I know they will be used. I am of course only making one sock at a time, but it is fast and easy. The last project in my sights has not been started yet but needs to be done for a January birthday for my friend’s daughter: boot cuffs. 

I love knitting and crocheting (mostly knitting). I love that people are recognizing this talent. It’s making it even more fun!

Ready for the Lights

 

Noel finished the puzzle today. All of the missing pieces were found in shoes, on the floor, and with all of the other pieces. 

When I said I may not mount it with the lights, Noel was sad because she wants to see it with the lights now that she put so much work into it. I told her I would work on it, but I ram into a small issue; the puzzle glue that cam with the puzzle is solid. It will have to wait until I can get some glue. I guess we will just cover it up for a few more days. 

Puzzle Update

 The puzzle is coming along decently. Noel has done most of the work, of course. I put in a few pieces and got yelled at for daring to want to do the mountains/plateaus before the sky was done. We’re past that past now, so I will probably work on it a bit more. I’m now sure what order she wants to do it, but technically it’s my puzzle…right?

We did hit a few small snags. First, we are most likely missing at least two pieces. We bought it at a thrift store and knew that was possible. Second, it is on our kitchen table, and eating around it can be difficult. We have covered it a few times, but we mostly just have every one get their food in the kitchen and sit down. 

With pieces missing, I’m not sure I will be able to Mount it with the lights which makes me a bit sad. Maybe, I can use the lights for something else. Christmas is coming quickly…

Ghosts!

A few months ago a friend asked if I could make these ghosts for her. Then, she went out of the country for a few weeks, and I forgot about them. As people put up Halloween decorations this week, I suddenly remembered and sought out the pattern. They were very simple to make. I had fun with the sparkly yarn and colored eyes. I would make them again for anyone who asked. 

Hat #2

 

I have finished Sean’s hat. This one took longer because Sean has a bigger head than Noel. I think I made it a bit too long, but he seems to like it. I’m going to work on Eric’s next. I think I will make it about 5 to 10 centimeters shorter (the pattern designer is from South America), but his head is about the same size. I am at a point where these hats are a labor of love. 

I’m Happy

I love knitting, and I love sales. Today, I get to combine the two. I went to Hobby Lobby to get yarn for a beanie Noel requested for all of her summer camping trips this year, and found out the yarn was on sale. That meant I could buy yarn for Eric, Sean, and Marleah as well all at the same time. (I know. I probably would have anyway.) I also picked up some for myself along with interchangeable needles and stitch markers. I am excited to get started! Knitting is my happy place!