Day 31 - Tuesday

Daily Tasks

photo - bench:  I found this statue today on my walk to work.  It's off to one side of a building, mostly hidden from the street.  I'd never seen it before, but caught a glimpse today out of the corner of my eye when I was looking for something to take a picture of.  There's a man sitting on a bench opposite this lady.

stitching:  1 hour, 1 minute on Mother's Arms (by Mirabilia).

Day 30 - Monday

A major accomplishment today - see below under Stitching!

Daily Tasks
photo - intruder:  This black cat likes to hang out on the bank in our backyard - at least until Fred comes out and sees him. 

de-clutter:  45 minutes on organizing my scrapbook supplies.

stitching:  1 hour, 40 minutes on Summerland.  After 301 hours of stitching, I have FINISHED the cross-stitching on this one!  I started this project in 1996 (no typo).  I have about 2-3 hours of backstitch left, but the end is in sight. 

Beautiful, isn't it!?  Done on 14 ct. sky blue Aida, 3 over 1.

Day 29 - Sunday

Daily Tasks
photo - planter:  They put new flowers in the planters outside the front door at Merrill Gardens.  A nice bit of color in the winter.

stitching:  1 hour, 12 minutes on Summerland.  I actually finished the cross-stitching!  This project was started in 1996, so this is a major achievement.  Probably 2 hours worth of back-stitching left to do, and we can cross this off the WIP list.

Yearly Tasks
layouts (1/24):  finished a layout called "Relax".  It's pictures of Charissa and her Papa in the hot-tub.  I didn't take a picture of it - maybe tomorrow.

Day 28 - Saturday

Didn't get much done today -- I seem to have down with a chest cold.  Coughing a bit, but just generally feel crummy.  Hopefully I'll feel better by Monday.

Daily Tasks
photo: garden:  This is the rock/garden arrangement Mom sees outside her windows.  I've circled her living room window; her bedroom is to the right of the living room, hidden by the carport roof in this photo.

stitching:  1 hour, 12 minutes on Summerland.

Days 25, 26, 27 - Wed, Thurs, Fri

So, for these three days I was either traveling or with clients.  Wednesday and Thursday in Chicago and Friday in Calfornia.  These days, all I managed to accomplish was my daily photo.  But, that's better than nothing!  I'm back on track today, so I will be posting my Saturday entry tonight at the usual time.

Daily Tasks
Wednesday photo - court:  So this is the frozen basketball court of our hotel, north of Chicago.  I'd been on the plane almost all day, and this was my last chance to snap a picture.

Thursday photo:  sign:  The freeway sign directing us to O'Hare.

Friday photo:  view:  My first time taking a photo out the plane window.  I think it came out pretty well.  I'm not sure what mountains these were - we were flying over northern California at the time.

Day 24 - Tuesday

Daily Tasks
photo - traffic:  Well, this pic did not turn out as planned.  I was standing in the park-and-ride, trying to get a picture of the traffic on the road I take home, and my line of sight wasn't what I hoped for.  Oh well.  Tomorrow's (and Thursday's) pictures will be from Chicago and hopefully those will be better.

stitching:  1 hour, 2 minutes on Summerland.

Yearly Tasks
layouts:  Got some paper cut for a layout.  I'm working on some pictures of Charissa and her Papa in the hot tub.

Day 23 - Monday

Daily Tasks
photo - posies:  Today was a blue sky, white fluffy cloud day - a welcome change from the snow/rain.  So were these posies in a planter found a block from my office.

stitching:  1 hour, 1 minute on Summerland.
de-clutter:  15 minutes (or more) on my email inbox at work.  Nothing at home - took a break. 

Day 22 - Sunday

Daily Tasks
photo - groceries:  Needed to pick up a few things for dinner. so stopped at Albertson's.  Mom loves to go grocery shopping, so I brought her with me.  It was a bit of an adventure, since it was raining heavily, and Mom has to hold onto me to walk until we get her a grocery cart.  At least she had her hat on, so she didn't get too wet.

stitching:  1 hour, 9 minutes total.  20 minutes on QS Curl Up, which finished the 7-hour rotation.

Next up is Summerland (artist Marty Bell, published by Pegasus Originals).  I'm in the home stretch on this one.  Spent 49 minutes on that.
de-clutter:  15 minutes on desk.

Yearly Tasks
card making:  Created a birthday card (1 out of 24) using MME papers.

Day 21 - Saturday

Daily Tasks
photo - walk:  The sidewalks were clear, so Mom was finally able to get outside for a walk.  I bundled her up with a sweatshirt, coat, gloves, scarf and hat.  She was still cold, and we didn't stay out long, but it was good for her to get some fresh air.

stitching:  1 hour, 5 minutes on QS Curl Up with a Good Book.  Will definitely finish the 7-hour rotation tomorrow.
de-clutter:  15 minutes on the top of my desk.

Yearly Tasks
Scrapscription:  completed 3 more pages of the "Travel Adventures" album.

Day 20 - Friday

So, the rains have come, and the snow is leaving.  Let the floods begin!

Daily Tasks
photo - slush:  Taken with my phone, from my car window, as I was backing out of my driveway.  There is slush, but still LOTS of ice.  The main roads are clear, but as you can see, our local roads are horrible.

stitching:  1 hour, 5 minutes on QS Curl Up with a Good Book.  Should finish the 7-hour rotation on this one tomorrow.
de-clutter:  15 minutes on kitchen cupboards.

Yearly Tasks
Scrapscription:  Completed 2 pages of "Travel Adventures" album.

Day 19 - Thursday

Daily Tasks:
photo:  enough. Another day, another picture of something snow-covered in my yard.  This is getting ridiculous.  We were supposed to have rain today, but we instead got about 3 more inches of snow.  I'm supposed to work at a client's office tomorrow - hopefully the roads will be clear enough for me to drive there.  I'm a snow wuss when it comes to driving.

stitching:  1 hour, 20 minutes on QS Curl Up with a Good Book.
de-clutter:  15 minutes on a kitchen drawer

Yearly Tasks
Scrapscription:  Finished the title page of the next album "Travel Adventures".  This one uses canvas covers and Simple Stories papers.

Day 18 - Wednesday

Daily Tasks
photo - winter:  I hate driving in it, but I do love the look of it.  This is driving down our street (I'm a passenger - I try not to take photos while driving.)

stitching:  1 hour, 2 minutes on QS Curl Up with a Good Book
de-clutter:  15 minutes on a drawer in my desk

Yearly Tasks
Scrapscription albums:  Completed Merry and Bright (1 of 18 down).  Here are the first couple of pages.

Non-fiction reading:  Finished my first (of 12) books -- Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach.  Lots of fascinating information about what has happened historically (and what still happens) to us when we become just "mortal husks".  It doesn't sound like a funny subject, but the writer has an amazing sense of humor, and I had a hard time reading this on the bus because I kept laughing.



Day 17 - Tuesday

Daily Tasks

So, I was in New Jersey all day today, which means the only daily task that got done was my photo.  I realize this isn't a very exciting picture, but given the fact that my exposure to Jersey was limited, this is what you get.  The car rental return at the Newark airport.

Back to normal tomorrow.

Day 16 - Monday

An early post today, since I'm leaving in about 20 minutes for the airport.  Tomorrow's photo will be of lovely New Jersey!

Daily Tasks
photo - gazebo:  However, for today's photo, we are still in my backyard.  Gazebos are nice in the summer - not as usable in the winter.

stitching:  1 hour, 3 minutes on QS Curl Up with a Good Book
de-clutter:  15 minutes in the hall closet.  I expect one more 15 minute job and this one will be done!

Day 15 - Sunday

Daily Tasks:
photo - tree:  Well, it snowed quite a bit this morning - we got a total of 5-6 inches.  This tree is on the bank in our backyard.

stitching:  1 hour, 4 minutes on QS Curl Up with a Good Book.
de-clutter:  15 minutes in spare bedroom.

Yearly Tasks:
Scrapscription albums:  finished pages 5-8 (out of 12) of "Merry and Bright" album.

Day 14 - Saturday

Daily Tasks
photo: snow:  Well, we had our first snow of 2012 today.  We got a little over 1 inch.  Apparently, the big storm is supposed to hit Tuesday night/Wednesday, which is a little worrisome, since I'm scheduled to fly home from New Jersey on Tuesday night.  Anyway, today's picture is from a bush that's outside our back door.  I wanted something different than the usual pictures of the dog in the snow (although I took those as well).

stitching:  1 hour, 43 minutes on Blue Moon, which finishes up the 7 hours on her.  Here's a progress picture, along with a picture of the full chart.  Next up is QS Curl Up with a Good Book.

de-clutter:  15 minutes on the papers under the counter ledge.  Mainly shredding.

Day 13 - Friday

Daily Tasks
photo - geese:  Taken from my car window while driving to Michael's.  It would have been nice if they had faced the camera, but the light turned green so I couldn't wait for them to turn around.   I know that Canada geese can be a pain, but I do like them.

stitching:  1 hour, 1 minute on SK Blue Moon
de-clutter:  15 minutes on the loft upstairs.  I worked at a client's office today, and I didn't think they would appreciate me decluttering THEIR office, so I refrained.

Yearly Tasks
reading:  About 2/3 of the way done with my first non-fiction book.  I'll hold off on revealing the title until I'm finished.

Day 12 - Thursday

Daily Tasks:
photo - fish:  We take our fish and clean water very seriously in Seattle.  You can find this painted near quite a few storm drains downtown, as well as other locations in the area (like Boeing).  We don't want any waste water (from washing your car, for example) draining in Puget Sound - it's bad for the fish.  (In case you can't read it, it says "Dump No Waste - Drains To Sound".)

stitching:  1 hour, 1 minute on SK Blue Moon
de-clutter:  15 minutes at work on a desk drawer; 15 minutes at home on shredding papers.

Day 11 - Wednesday

Daily Tasks
photo: corner:  This is the closest "major" intersection to our house.  Even though it says City of Mill Creek on the sign, our address is Everett.  When we first moved here, the post office insisted we were in Snohomish, which is a city north of us.  Oddly enough, houses south of us have a Snohomish address, but we don't.  It's a very confusing place.

stitching:  1 hour 8 minutes on SK Blue Moon.
de-clutter:  15 minutes on my scrapbook supplies.  I didn't go to work today, so nothing there.

Day 10 - Tuesday

Daily Tasks:
photo - manhole:  I hadn't really noticed before, but some of the manholes downtown have Native American art on them.  Here's one for Seattle City Light.  I'm not sure what this art means, but it's a fairly common image around here.

stitching:  1 hour, 1 minute on SK Blue Moon.  I'm certainly enjoying stitching this one - I just love the colors, and the confetti isn't too crazy.  I'm having to skip one symbol, however, since I'm missing the floss.  803 is very hard to find, apparently.
de-clutter:  15 minutes at work on my Outlook Sent box; 15 minutes at home on the hall closet.  I found a sweater that I had knit for Katie when she was small - she outgrew it before I finished it, unfortunately.  I bought the yarn in France, when I was there 25 years ago!

Day 9 - Monday

Daily Tasks:
photo - blue:  These trees are outside one of Tom Douglas' restaurants, and I just love those blue lights.  When I was cropping it, I realized that the Space Needle photo-bombed my tree picture!  How rude.

stitching:  1 hour, 5 minutes on my new start:  HAED's SK Blue Moon.  Beautiful blues and purples, which is a nice change of pace from the pinks of Fairy Flora.
de-clutter:  15 minutes on my email at work; 15 minutes on my desk at home.

Day 8 - Sunday

Daily Tasks:
photo (roses):  I forgot my camera when I went over to Mom's, so I took this with my phone.  Apparently these are winter roses or something, since they appear to be blooming in January.

stitching:  1 hour, 34 minutes on Fairy Flora.  That completes her 7 hour rotation (91 hours total), so tomorrow I will start on my next project.  It's a new start - a stitch-a-long from HAED of a Storykeep - Blue Moon by Linda Ravenscroft.
de-clutter:  15 minutes in the hall closet.  Found quite a few things to donate.

Yearly Tasks:
WIPocalypse:  Measi has the link up for posting, so here's my first update:

I also stitched for a couple of hours on QS Curl Up with a Good Book, but I don't have a picture of that one.

Day 7 - Saturday

Daily Tasks
photo:  aftermath -- Each year we let the Boy Scouts take away our Christmas Tree.  We leave it in the street with a donation attached, and they take it, chip it and recycle.  It saves us the trouble and gives them money for their troop.  Win-win.

stitching:  1 hour, 14 minutes on Fairy Flora.
de-clutter:  15 minutes on the kitchen cupboard with all the plastic containers.  Eek!

Long Term Tasks
Scrapscription:  Finished pages 1-3 (out of 12) of the "Merry and Bright" album.

Day 6 - Friday

Another work week over, and not a moment too soon!

Daily Tasks
photo:  No, this is not a black and white photo.  It's just a dark tree and a grey day.  This is a very tall tree, directly outside my office building.  I love the way the nest is only visible after the leaves have fallen.  I have no idea if the nest is in use or not - I look at it every time I walk by the office window, but haven't seen any birds.

stitching:  1 hour, 4 minutes on Fairy Flora.
de-clutter:  15 minutes at work on my desk drawers; 15 minutes at home in the master bedroom.

Day 5 - Thursday

Daily Tasks:
photo:  This is a giant red popsicle.  Seriously.  A popsicle.  Balanced on one stick.  I just adore it - it makes me smile.  Random person included in photo for scale.

stitching:  1 hour, 2 minutes on Fairy Flora.
de-clutter:  15 minutes at work on bookcase and FedEx supplies; 15 minutes at home on spare bedroom.

Year Long Tasks
Scrapscription album:  Spent about 10 minutes before leaving for work on the cover page of "Merry and Bright" album.

Day 4 - Wednesday

Well, I was right.  This was harder to accomplish on a work day!  I got the daily tasks done, but nothing extra.  Part of the reason was that I was late tonight - bus late then horrible traffic.  Spent a little less time with Mom, but still home later than usual.

Daily Tasks
photo:  Unfortunately, this is January (and December and February and November and October) in Seattle.  Rain and puddles.  The leaves clog the storm drains, and it makes crossing the streets an adventure.

stitching:  1 hour, 2 minutes on Fairy Flora
de-clutter:  15 minutes at work on bookcase; 15 minutes at home on small under-counter table.

Day 3 - Tuesday

Last day of vacation! 
Daily Tasks
picture:  No one said every day's photo would be exciting.  Here are the mailboxes for our block.  Ours is the one in the middle with the rusted bottom.  A funny story about these mailboxes.  When we first moved into this development, there was a homeowner's meeting.  One neighbor wanted these mailboxes torn down because she felt they were a tragedy waiting to happen!  Someone was going to poke their eye out on that roof when reaching for their mail.  That was my last homeowner's meeting.

stitching:  1 hour, 1 minute on Mirabilia's Fairy Flora
de-clutter:  15 minutes on a kitchen cabinet


Weekly Tasks
walking:  .8 mile on treadmill.  I probably won't get the 10 miles done for the week, but I'm starting slow.


Yearly Tasks
Scrapscription album:  Worked on "Merry and Bright", one of the 2010 Christmas albums.  Got the background paper adhered to all the chipboard shapes.

Day 2 - Monday

I have a hunch this will be harder to keep up with when I'm back to work on Wednesday...


Daily Goals
picture taking:  This is the front of Merrill Gardens, where my mom lives.  They did have Christmas lights on the actual building, but now just the ones on the trees are left.



























stitching:  1 hour, 9 minutes on QS Curl up with a Good Book (HAED).  That finishes the 7-hour rotation for that piece.  Next up:  Fairy Flora (Mirabilia).
declutter:  Cleaned out and organized 1 kitchen drawer. 

Day 1 - Sunday

Daily Goals
picture taking:  Here's Fred in the grass.

stitching:  1 hour and 8 minutes on QS Curl Up with a Good Book.
declutter:  15 minutes in master bedroom closet.


Long-Term Goals:
2009 album:  found all supplies and counted number of pages left to do.