Setting goals

I'm not sure I'm happy with Elle's comment about the flannel bits the other day. She said there are DOZENS of quilts in those scraps, and well, I hope not dozens, but there will be a lot. Slow, steady, and focused will get all that flannel out of my house. 

I pulled the two kits from the shelves and added them to that area. I also found one bolt of flannel fabric, but I'm sure at least four or five more are sitting in the fabric bolt area. So yes, if I were to make tops of what is in the baskets and use the bolts for backing, there could be dozens of quilts. Sigh. 

I reviewed my list of "to be quilted" quilts to add to the mix. Oh gosh --- 

FLANNEL quilts in the "to be quilted" pile

I found eight quilts, each marked FLANNEL as if it were a bad word. Why did I do that? I have no idea, but I might just pull those out next year, and they will get added to the pile of quilts to quilt. I don't want any of these flannel quilts, so they will get quilted and donated. And I'll be making progress. 

Here's where I run into problems. I have a plan—it's a good plan. It has a beginning and an end, and the materials are set out. What could possibly go wrong? I get excited about the next thing to do after the flannel, and it gets in the way. So I must be very focused and manage all the flannel in 2025 and NOT get mixed up with anything other than the usual stuff on my plate. 

It's all about goal setting and visualization. I must focus on the visual of all those flannel quilts going out the door; I cannot think too far forward. I've been good with the stack of twenty quilts that were pulled a while back, and I'm on track, so hopefully, I'll manage for 2025 without getting excited about that next thing until the pile of flannel is almost gone. 

I can't express how great it feels to let go! It was hard, and I'm sure I'll have moments in the future, but the more I declutter and give away, the easier it becomes. 

Speaking of goals, I had an appointment with a personal trainer yesterday. I need to make some changes in my life and some help to get me started. What is the issue? While I exercise (spin class twice a week and walk daily), there are better things to do. The spin class and the walking are excellent, but I need to cut back on the walking and start some strength training and stretching. 

So, instead of setting a crazy number of km to walk in 2025, I need to make a walking goal and a goal for the number of times I go to the gym for weight training. Why is this important? Bone density is the first one. Walking and spin classes are not necessary doing anything for bone density. I also have poor posture and need strength training to correct it. Lastly, if I want to maintain my mobility, I need to stretch. 

I have the time! I can substitute some of these other activities instead of walking, so it's all a question of rejigging what I do and where! I'm not good on my own for that - or, shall I say, I need a little boost to get me started. So, personal trainer, it is. She is quite nice, and everything is now done through an app on the phone so they can check on us! Yikes! But since I'm a numbers person, that's right up my alley. 

That means that I have community project goals set for 2025, as well as personal care. I'm working on what classes I'll be teaching. Most of that is already done, so here I am one month before the start of the new year, and I'm almost ready! These are NOT resolutions; these are goals on what I want to achieve, and I've got a plan to get there. Of course, the decluttering is still in the mix. I could set a goal of completing the office by the end of 2025, but since that has become a part of my daily life (more or less), I'm good without a specific goal. Besides - that will be a constant in my life for the rest of my life!

I also try to set out a small list of things I want to accomplish that day. It helps me to focus. And using the blank page on the back of those page-a-day calendars is a great way to kill two birds with one stone. 

What was one project for yesterday? To hang up this cowbell!!

The cowbell with it's new strap

It was rescued from the farm and has been hanging around the office for over a year - probably several years. I bought some seatbelt strapping and a buckle and made a strap for the bell. A leather strap would have been more genuine, but this works! 

What's inside the bell? A big heavy nut! 

The inside of the cowbell

The bell is now hanging off the gazebo. Hopefully, it won't start clanking too much, or I may have to move it! I swear I heard it in the night! But what a familiar sound—the cows coming in from the pasture for milking! We only had a couple that we milked, and it was for us. GASP—drink unpasteurized milk!

The bell in the gazebo

When I was hanging up the bell, I noticed a very thin layer of ice on the pond—at least the part that doesn't have moving water. Yes, it's that time again! 

Thin ice on the pond

And what's wrong with Murphy? I know I'm packing stuff and putting it by the front door, but she should be used to boxes being filled. There are days when she is so clingy that I'm surprised she can function! While I love her and give her attention, there are times when enough is enough! 

MOM - I NEED you!!!

So I grabbed her blanket and put it over her, and she walked to the other end of the house and ditched it! 

MOM - a blanket is not the same as love

I'm reading more in the storage magazine. OK, so I get the labels thing. It can help to know what's in a box, and it can help children identify where things should be returned. But my perspective is that I'd be spending loads of time managing the labels on things! Buy clear containers and be done with it! But again, the magazine has lots of information on storage, which is the focus of the magazine, but very little on getting rid of garbage! 

How many labels are too many?

I need to change my pharmacy. It's in the mall, and I'm not even sure why I connected with them. My thought process was likely that the doctor could send the prescription to the pharmacy, and when I passed there on my way home, it would be ready for pickup! NOT!! They have been a total pain, but since I never had a reason to visit often, I didn't care. 

But TWICE in the last two weeks, the doctor sent them a prescription. I give them the benefit of the doubt (from past experience) and wait a day before I call. "OH -- it's not ready, but we can fill that within the hour." Seriously?? Are you waiting for me to confirm that I want it filled? Why did the doctor send the darn thing? I've found that they were not cooperative at all with other things, like when I was trying to find an alternate for that bone density one. 

Time to change! I'll wait for the next prescription or refill and then change. 

On my way home from the grocery store, I pass this bank of mailboxes. Good grief—a package had been delivered to the mailboxes and left beside them. It was not protected, and anyone could have walked off with it. 

Delivery to a mailbox? 

I was doing so well on my preparation work for today's class that I completely forgot about quilting a quilt! It never even crossed my mind until much later in the day. 

I need to keep working on the project because it requires a TON of pins, and I have none left. I've had to leave a few pieces hanging without pins, so I must be careful. 

The pins are used up!

The big question is—do I pack that project to take to the retreat? I already have too much packed in my two bags of projects, but this is a fun one, and since I'm on a roll, I'd like to keep working on it! OK—it's easy enough to pack; it may go in a bag. 

Oh, one interesting thing happened at the gym. After we went through a whole list of questions about why I wanted to change up my routine and work with a personal trainer, etc., we did a few things on the floor. One of them was a flexibility test. I laughed when the results showed that my left leg (the one with the issue) was MORE flexible than the other one. This tells me that this is NOT a muscle thing but a nerve thing!

Time will tell, and hopefully, we can find a resolution soon. I can function, and that's all that's currently important to me. I can sleep in a manner of fashion, but it would be nice to not have to deal with this pain. But I'll get over it! 

Here is the link to the final blog on QUILTsocial for the Husqvarna Viking Quartz 29. It's a cute machine! 

I had a great learning moment yesterday. I can't share it yet because it's for my software classes, but I'm excited about it! There is so much to learn, so little time! And more files got deleted from OneDrive. I need help understanding why the list of files on all three computers is different. Aren't they supposed to sync? 

On that happy note, it's time to start the day—well, it started hours ago, but it's time to keep moving! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!