Setting good habits and goals

I need to catch up in answering the comments, and there are some exciting ones! And yes, Elle, I know what you mean about keeping the place clean. I was doing a great job until I went away last week and came home with new stuff to deal with. It doesn't help that I have a few extra sergers at the moment that don't belong to me, and they take up space. 

I puttered a bit yesterday and got more stuff put away, so I'm in good shape. Having a home for everything is exciting and makes for more relaxed sewing. I'm a convert -- I'm not just quite finished yet! 

I've also developed two new habits, and they are both good. Now that I keep my Happiness Journal beside my bed in that cute container with a choice of colored pens. It's FUN to write a few sentences every night. But what's even more fun is when I read the previous years' entries. I started that journal in 2012, and I only wrote for part of the year, and then in 2013, I wrote a bit more, but again, I didn't keep it up. So there will come a point when I'm not going to have anything to entertain me before I write. 

So that's a good habit, and it works perfectly for me. I get to spew my heart out in the morning on the blog and a few sentences to empty my head before I go to bed. I'm good. 

The second habit concerns the kitchen. While the kitchen is tidy, and barely anything sits on our counters, it's sometimes a "chore" to keep it that way. No more! While waiting for the kettle to boil for tea, I deal with things that need to be put in the right place. Emptying the dishwasher, putting the recycling in the garage, and whatever else fell on the counter during the previous day. Yep --- the counters are clean in about the time it takes for the kettle to boil. 

That's the beauty of getting things in order -- it takes mere minutes to tidy it again. I know - the office is another story, but that's OK. I'm making huge leaps and bounds. Now if I could get DH to deal with the broken pair of glasses on the kitchen table. The next time we have dinner together (which is rare -- he's always on the phone), I need to mention it to him and make him make an appointment to repair them! 

The good news is that I'm ready for all three presentations this morning. The homework is sewn, and the pictures are taken, labeled, and in the presentations. Phew! I knew I could make it, but it's always tight. The big question remains -- will I finish the homework for tomorrow? That's UFO day. 

So Murphy is a goof. There's no other way to describe her. I wasn't looking forward to the walk knowing the sidewalk would be treacherous. Thankfully, they were pretty good, and only the occasional slippery spot. 

I spotted a long branch on the path in the forest. I tried to move it off the path, but someone decided it would be a good idea to get that branch and bring it home. 

MOM -- let me move this for you

We're not talking a short one -- the darn thing was at least 20 feet long. She tried -- oh yes, she tried, and she managed to move it down the path, and even better, it got dropped on the side, but not before I had to pry it out of her mouth. 

MOM -- I've got it! 

I finally managed to break off a small part for her, and she was just as happy. It didn't last long before she lost interest, leaving the branch behind. But definitely entertaining. 

MOM - look at me with  my branch

The trees (only on one side) were covered in ice. 

Pine trees covered in ice

There were tiny icicles everywhere. On cars, signs, and anywhere the rain could freeze. 

Icicles on the signs

It was quite pretty, and at several moments, the sun came out, and it was like walking in a world of ice, yet the sidewalks were good! It's a shame you can't really appreciate the beauty in this picture, but trust me, it was a sparkly kind of scene. 

A sparkly day

Even later in the day, when I went for my afternoon walk, the trees were still coated! 

Lexi isn't interested in sticks, but she's a swimmer! OK -- so she's not. But we had to ford this big "lake" on our walk. Over the years, people have put branches on the left that we can ford across without getting wet! This is part of a stream that is primarily dry all year, but it can be pretty wet during spring or whenever it rains. 

The BIG pond

So here's something else totally bizarre in our neighborhood. They are still trying to re-shingle the roof of this apartment building. I've shown pictures before, but I don't remember when I took those pictures. The shingles are sitting in bundles on the roof, and in that gusty wind on Wednesday, they were trying to put more shingles on. Would you want to own a place in a building where the shingles are being put on like this? I'd like to know how long it will take before they need to redo those shingles! 

A roof being re-shingled

So this is how the girls at our house roll. Lexi is a princess, and why would I want to sleep outside when I can sleep near my Dad. 

Sleeping in Dad's office

On the other hand, Murphy thinks it's her job to melt the snow in the backyard. Yep -- that's one spot where she lay in the morning. 

Where Murphy was

And then she thinks it's OK to lay on the step. She has all this flat ground or the deck, but the step is more comfortable!!!

MOM -- did you need something? I'm pretty busy! 

The weed guys were going around yesterday, probably trying to drum up new business. They came to the door and asked if we wanted their service. DH said NO -- we don't have grass. The guy was persistent - what about the backyard? Nope. Not even a little patch? Nope! And we like it that way, but I bet people have visions of a giant mud pit! We will need to get some more mulch this year. 

Another customer quilt was completed. I have a couple to trim, and I'll try to get that done today, although my UFO homework is my priority!

Customer quilt - DONE

And when I was looking for a particular color of fabric, I came across this in my stash. Hmm -- why would I have cut this shape? No idea, and it may not even be mine. But I used it in my block, and it looks just fine! 

A weird fabric scrap

I also managed to fix the ribbon on my latest Virtual Challenge medal. This was for completing my KM in 2023, and now it'll hang straight on my rack. 

My 2022 Conquer Challenge medal

Here are my medals so far. The ones on the left represent the three challenges I've completed. Route 66 - 3559.8 KM, Appalachian Trail - 3167.6, Pacific Crest Trail - 4000 KM for 10,727.4 KM that I've walked from December 30, 2019, in these challenges. 

My medal hanger

The ones on the right are the annual challenges where I've set the goal and used it to track my TOTAL annual distances. 2020 - 4,828 KM, 2021 - 4,200 KM, 2022 - 6,600 KM. For the years 2020 and 2022, I added some cycling and spin classes. So the total for the three years is 15,628 KM. My goal this year is 4,400, only walking/hiking. All are aggressive goals, but I've proven I can do it! 

It doesn't matter what your goal is. It could be one KM a day -- that's awesome. You should NEVER compare yourself to someone else. The instant you do that, you are setting yourself up for failure. Only YOU know what YOU can do. I like to push myself, and that makes me happy. If you can't push or don't want to --- then don't! And you have to be comfortable and able -- right now, I am, but I know the day will come when I can't walk the distances any longer, and I'll have to face that when it happens. For now -- I walk! 

It was easy to set up those new habits. I made them easy (a huge step), and they are simple yet very effective, and I get a reward for both. Reading the previous journal entries and seeing the clear kitchen makes me happy!

On that note, I had better get moving. It will be "cool" walking this morning, but it's OK when you're bundled up. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!