Monday Meanderings

Here's a wee sneak peek at my own little special corner to myself. I'll show more pictures later on this week - as well as some before and after pics of our storage area.

• Once again, we have survived the 4th without having our house burned down by the neighbors!
• Seriously, I worry every year. We live in a wooded neighborhood, and it's always dry this time of year.
• A special thanks goes out to my MIL, who had dinner with us last night and then whisked the girls off to go see the fireworks display put on by our city. The girls LOVED it, and we enjoyed the quiet evening at home watching the Star Wars marathon.
• It was actually the first time the Pixie was included...and you can imagine how excited she was when she got home.
• It's almost 9:30, and they are both still in bed....
• A good question would be, "Why don't you like the Fourth of July?"
• Answers include - but are not limited to - loud noises, explosions, too many scary home fireworks, neighborhood boys shooting fireworks which explode just beyond the windows on the back side of my house, living so close to the city limits/fireworks stands that I have to deal with that for at least two weeks - often until 11 or 12 at night, terrified pets, upset children......you get the idea.
• My high-school sweetheart called me a 'fraidy cat once.
• He was right.
• I actually like going to see professional fireworks displays - but it's also something I can easily live without, not being terribly fond of crowds.
• When I was little, I loved the 4th - which we celebrated in the country, rotating homes with several families from church that we always celebrated with. There was inevitably a bonfire for a wienie roast, sometimes a hayride, lots of watermelon and the fireworks (which didn't start to bother me until I was a teen). One of the other families ran a fireworks stand, so we often had a really good home display.
• Moving on.
• A quick note or two about my blog. This is my home, and a place where I can freely use my voice on whatever matters I choose. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it. I censored myself a couple of weeks ago over a comment I received, and I will not be doing that again.
• Likewise, if you are someone who knows me in real life and are concerned about my behavior - please contact me directly rather than leaving anonymous comments. Most of my friends know how much it bothers me when people use the Internet or email to air grievances. It may have been kindly intended, but it came across as cruel and frightening - especially as it referenced something I have NEVER mentioned on the blog.
• Moving on again.
• I can't believe what a difference a week has made in our home. For the first time - perhaps ever - I actually feel that I have a place in this home. It's comforting, and I feel that I can perhaps stay here for a while after all.
• I love my little corner...and the girls are already starting to respect that.
• Cleaning out our storage area has taken a huge weight off of our shoulders...as well as getting a huge amount of junk out of our home. I think our new motto is 'Simplify, simplify, simplify.'
• The house as a whole is - for the first time ever - just about completely cleaned and organized. There are a few spots (the coat closet and pantry) and a few more projects (The Princess's school papers and 10 years of photos) but by and large the house is done.
• And I don't know what to do about that!
• Seriously....it's a bit overwhelming. Good, but strange.
• Even better...the girls are responding well to their 'new' home. They are being really good (so-far, fingers crossed) at cleaning up after themselves.
• I did a good, thorough, stash reorganization yesterday. That was fun, too.
• One of the reasons behind the stash mess was to start a couple of very basic projects that can travel with me. Most of my current WIPS are a bit on the too involved side. I now have a pair of socks down at my desk and a simple shawl in my knitting bag.
• I have lots of knitting things to show you this week! Yay!
• By the way, I finished frogging a piece of malabrigo laceweight yesterday. Saddest thing ever. I'll probably not be buying any more of that yarn - soft and buttery as it may be.
• I am NOT participating in Le Tour De Fleece this year. I have enjoyed it for the past two years, but found that it didn't accomplish what I had hoped - which was a radical change in my spinning habits. Plus, I have other things to do this year.
• Having said that, I moved all of my spinning supplies to my new space. As they are now a lot more accessible...and are in a permanent home...I hope to spend more time with them.
• As the girls are home, we are going to spend this week working to get back to our normal summer schedule...whatever that may be.
• This week is also about getting back into the habit of taking care of myself - both with nutrition and exercise.
• Full disclosure - my weight is up considerably. I put ten pounds back on in the months following the surgery. We were more concerned with how I was feeling than with counting calories, and to be honest I just didn't have the energy for it. In the last couple of weeks I've been eating like crazy, and so I wouldn't be too surprised if my weight were up another five or so.
• That decision last week to not go work out didn't help....although in retrospect I wouldn't have done it any other way given how much work we were able to accomplish.
• I feel horrible. My clothes are all too tight and my hands, feet and face have been swollen for the last couple of weeks. Time to fix that.
• I'm heading to the gym in a bit, and as of today I'm back to tracking my calories with My Daily Plate. I'm thinking about setting forth some solid goals as well.
• I struggle with this, you know. A lot of me really hates the fact that I have to work so hard and have to record every bite. The healthiest people I know DON'T have to do anything like this. In fact, the healthiest people I know rarely think about what they are eating. Then again, the healthiest people I know didn't grow up with such a warped relationship with food and body-image.
• The good news is that I can change that for my girls. They will have much healthier relationships with their bodies.
• And having said that, it's time to get moving!

Have a great week everyone!