Hello 2025

Going into is honestly a bit scary. I have no idea what the future brings. All I know is I need more direction in my life. My hope is that by tweaking a few things, it will be one of my best years. 

This year, Chad and I will be working harder on our finances. We will be doing a no spend year (more to come on that). As we do so, we will work harder on paying off debt and building some sort of homestead on our kettle plot of land. I'm hoping this bring us closer together.

My crafting will have a new theme. This will be the gear of gifts. I will be making gifts for friends and family throughout the year. This will save money and break down my yarn stash a bit. I am already working on Eric's birthday present. I will for sure blog about this as I go as well as recap last year's theme, the year of the sweater, in future posts. 

I hope to finish my degree this year, but this is a very scary thing for me. All I have left is my internship unless I get procrastinate too long. Then, I will have to take a few more classes as well. I really want this to be done. I am just not good at being around new people and searching for something like this is terrifying. 

I will continue to work on my faith journey this year. I love that prayer and scripture reading have become a part of my morning routine. I want to incorporate General Confidence talks and regular "Come, Follow Me" study as well. My hope is to also make it to the temple at least once a month outside of our twice a month shift as ordinance workers. I am at a point in my life where I crave spiritual guidance. The more I learn about the Lord and His plan, the more I want to develop my relationship with Him. I hope I am in a better spot by the end of the year than I am now as I continue to grow my faith and knowledge. 

It is scary going into a new year. I hope that these goals will give me the direction and discipline I need in my life. 

Hobby Time

My daughter has had a few emotional weeks, and the closer it gets to her birthday, the harder life seems to be for her. (I won’t go into details because it’s not my issues.) She isn’t a big fan of being comforted which breaks my heart because I just want to fix everything for her. 

Tonight, she just wanted to leave the house, so we headed out after dinner. First, we got gas (originally our only plan). Then, we headed over to Micheal’s to get craft supplies. As we walked through the store, she seemed to perk up a bit. She found some pints and supplies for a project she had in her head and asked me to make her a sweater. We left with everything she and I needed for these projects. I know it didn’t solve her problems, but my hope is that she will use this as a healthy coping mechanism. 

New Hook

 

For my Friends sweater, I need two hook sizes. For the most part, I use the larger hook (the one I already broke and had to find a replacement for). However, I needed to use the smaller one for the cuff of the sleeve a few days ago. I was excited to go back to a pretty, sparkly hook, but I quickly realized it was flimsy and worried about breaking it without a backup. I didn’t want to have to go to a boring one. Thankfully, I don’t have to. Through the magic of Amazon, I was able to find a pretty hook with a rubber grip. For only $5 I was able to order it and have it delivered today. I am excited to use it for the next cuff and both frames! 

Learning to Tat

As of Sunday, I am no longer working with the youth at church. For the most part, I have been happy about this change. I have time when I am upset about it, but I am getting used to the idea…I think. 

Today, I had to figure out what to do with myself while Noel was gone and Chad and Sean watched their show together. I decided that I would finally sit down and learn tatting. I tried last week and realized I needed to watch the DVD to understand it better. Tonight was my chance to do that alone. 

It was actually nice to just sit in my room alone as I learned something new. It has been a long time since I have been able to do this, and I know the time will be consumed with schoolwork next month. I am happy to say that after rewinding the video five times and continuing to practice for another hour, I successfully figured out the basic stitch and made this:

It isn’t much, but it’s a start. Yay me!

Tatting? Sure

 

The more needlework I do, the more I want to learn. I had thought I would be happy with knitting and crocheting, and I have been. I cross stitched here and there growing up, but it was never something I enjoyed as much as my dad or grandma. I’m not going to say that I would never do it again, but it does not grab my attention right now. Macrame has yet to appeal to me. Tatting has never quite been on my radar. 

Before I left a few days ago, my stepmom asked me if I had thought about learning because she had a book she wanted to give me. As I thumbed through the book, my first thought was, “I haven’t considered this, but I really want to learn to make that heart.” Guess what I am now excited to learn when I have my 7 week school break? How to tat!

When She Asks, I Create

 

Noel has been making plans for the summer and asked me to make her a washcloth and beanie for the first camping trip. Of course, I said I would. (Why would I deny someone who appreciates my craft?) She picked the yarn for the washcloth Friday, and I got to work Monday. It was finished yesterday, so I made a Chapstick holder to go with it. Hopefully, we can make it to Hobby Lobby in the next few days to get the beanie done. Once hers is done, the boys have requested one as well.