Reviewing a Year of Projects

WOW...our last post for a Year of Projects ....

My Year of Projects List for July 2012-July 2013(see updates in green Italics)

My Afghan Goals:
To complete 12 afghans:
10 from donated squares (9 down and 1 to go)
1.. Summers End
2.  Sandbox 
3. My Granny
4. Christmas Time 
5.  Buckeye Blitz
6.  Box of Crayons 
7.  Arapaho
8.  Desert Rose 
9.  Iris and Lillies 
Complete Candy Corn Afghan (longest work in progress project EVER)
Finish the Feather and Fan Afghan (knitted), that finally has a name, Sea and Sand
  **Sea and Sand in the works

The afghan picture is Sea and Sand, it is very close to finished.  I'm doing the last couple of rows of the final section, the dark gray section.  Then need to work in end, launder and block.  

I did not get the last afghan of the 10 made from donated squares.  I lost steam. 

The goal accomplished last year, learn to cable. I want to make a skirt for myself using this new skill. Need to re-find the pattern for starters.
**Well it seems I'm already altering in come capacity.  I am working on a cable scarf which I never put on the list, needed to practice the cables I thought; plus was traveling and needed a small project that would travel well.  The cabled scarf DONE

I want to make time for working on items other than the above afghans. I kept so busy with those last year, many other wanted projects didn't happen.  Didn't really accomplish this so much.  Seemed there never was enough time to do much beyond the ghans.  A few small things here and there only.

Cast on....I know there are other methods beyond the traditional one I always use. I get all tangled up when I try to do the thumb one and so ....do it old school...the long slow way. Would like to learn another faster cast on.

Did not accomplish this either.  Egads, I'm not doing to well.  

I have a knitting machine, haven't used it in over a year. In fact removed it from my office in order to make room for my antique Treedle Singer Sewing Machine. Would like to set up a space in the basement and use it some again for accomplish quick things for charity, Bridge and Beyond.

Nope...no headway with this either beyond talking with hubby about the logistics of how this might work.

Personal Projects:
 Need to block a blue scarf I knitted AND cable scarf mentioned above
Want to try the above mentioned cable skirt
Misc whatever items for DD (perhaps the jewel tone traveling scarf now in the works) and family, made scarf intended for DD, but ..colors didn't come out the way I hoped. (that was the above cable scarf, and she tells me she really doesn't need another, yet.  So perhaps it will be donated.  Project turned into a Green Sweater which is in the works.
perhaps even some washcloths for myself....in the works

No further headway with the green sweater for DD, never got around to blocking said scarves, and the cotton cloths I initially made for myself, ended up being gifts for others.

So, I conclude I did NOT do well with my list; debating about whether or not to get on board for the up coming year.  I went quite a few weeks without posting and linking because I didn't feel I had much to report.  We'll see how the sign up goes, and how the wind is blowing before I make a final decision.  Though, I'll not lose contact either way, as I think I have you all in my blog log.

Inviting you all with or without yarn to pop back in tomorrow for Memory Monday.  I've been enjoying posting pictures from the way back machine, but your memories don't have to be from long ago....unless you're as old as dirt, like me....you may not have pictures and memories that old.  Grab the badge, post a picture and tell us the story or memory of the picture, link back here and visit others.  Let's make Monday a less dreaded day.
 

Busy and Fun Times on Friday

 It's Friday, always a favorite day for many.  Link up with some fun folks, click the Random 5 button and join Nancy and the rest of us.  Sorry to all my friends I have nothing finished craft wise to join in on Finished Object Friday today.  Still working on the infamous HUGE Afghan that is Sand and Sea or Sea and Sand, think I keep switching how I type the name.  Which sounds better anyway?

• Having knitting or crocheted as much as normal past couple of weeks, have been working on my SIL, Jan's genealogy...thrilled with how much I've found for her in such a short period of time.  Particularly given one of the family names in Jones!
• On countdown til we leave for vacation with our Darling Daughter...we just don't get to see her enough
• Catching up with my grade school friend last Saturday was soooooooooooo awesome.  We had a great time, took pictures, shared stories and laughed alot.  Looking forward to our next outing.  Will be blogging and sharing some pictures in a few days.  Stay tuned, please!
• Work schedule is about to become wild and crazy, over booked, and double booked...hope I have the umph for it.  I'm not getting any younger you know.
• Hoping to get to Shakespeare in the Park this weekend.  Every-time I think we're gonna go, hubby's too tired, or the weather doesn't cooperate.  We've not made it all this year.

 I mentioned working on my SIL's and Wendy's family tree above, and want to share with you a fun project to do with the kids...big and small.  Join me please over on Flat Stanley's.  The project will be posted later today, just click the tree to pop over.

For those that like blog challenges, pop over to Paula's.  Her June challenge is about to end, but she's having one in July too.  Check it out.  I may only participate here and there, with work kicking into high gear, and I've done 3 month long blog challenges in the past 3 months.  I might not be able to blog daily in July.  But, know she'd love some folks to join her.

Still trying to Memory Monday up and going with more participants.  Please pop back on Monday, and join in.  Linky Love, Meme's blog challenges that are a specific day of the week don't require a huge comment...time wise so they appeal to me...join in.

Mom You Fascinate Me

Today's blog prompt from Paula's June Blog Challenge is to write about someone who fascinates you and why.  This is My Mom, she was probably about 16 or 17 here in this picture.

She fascinated me because she and many women of her time did so much.  They married young, had children young, cook and cleaned and did laundry when there no short cuts.  Modern conveniences didn't exist, keeping a house was hard work from sun up til sun down.  They didn't have time or money to have manicures, pedicures, massages, girls night out.  They didn't didn't have "me time".  They didn't belong to the gym to stay fit, they didn't need to.  Working day in and day out was enough exercise.  They didn't talk about being stressed out the way young mothers do today.

Think of the time and effort alone it took to do laundry for a family of 5.  Wringing out the laundry, 1 piece at a time in the wringer washer operating the crank by hand.  Then lugging heavy wet cloths outside to hang them on the line...back inside to start the next load, back outside to take the clothes down etc.  The process had to be repeated many times over.  And because everything came off the line stiff, wrinkled then the long process of ironing, hanging, folding and putting things away.

There were no microwaves to heat something up quick, nor fast food joints around the corner, no frozen meals for convenience.  Every meal had to planned out,  things removed from the freezer and cooked.  There were no dishwashers beyond ones pair of hands.  Garbage disposals came along much later, so wrapping up and taking out the trash was a constant thing.

She sewed most of my clothes, she went fishing with my Dad on his day off, she made things come together with her creativity.  When I think about her, aside from missing her since she's passed 4 years ago; I am fascinated at what she accomplished in a day.  Makes me think that perhaps kids who's relationship wasn't what they wanted with their mothers, might not have realized what all they went through.  I'm fascinated that she did these things every day and still had time to jump rope with me, teach me to knit, play jax sometimes.  Parents weren't kids best friends back in those day, how could they be...there wasn't time for that.  There was work to be done, those light hearted moments of play were very special.

Old Time Christmas

It's time to have fun with Memory Monday.  Pulled this photo from the way back machine.  This was probably a day or two after Christmas, or later in the day on Christmas Day.  My older brother Chuck with Bozo the Clown Punching Bag,  Me with my easel chalk board, and my younger brother Mike...always the cowboy!   My brother Mike would get up in the middle of the night and boot his cowboy boots on...sometimes he'd go back to bed wearing them, he loved being a cowboy.

Grab the badge, link back here, add yourself to the linky and visit others.  Let's share a fun, funny, cute memory.
 And today's prompt from Paula's is to write about your favorite movie.

The first one that came to mind is John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in "The Quiet Man".  We watch it every year around St. Paddy's day, we quote from the memory often.