Monday, December 28, 2009

My Husband Has a Problem

The past couple of days, I've been cleaning. Not just everyday cleaning but the stuff you do every now and then. First it was the garage, then it was the closet in my bathroom, then it was under the kitchen sick. I also scrubbed the grout in the bathroom with a toothbrush and SoftSoap with bleach (the grout was really buggin me) and cleaned the shower door with a razor - a razor really helps with the water spots. This morning it was the linen closet. It's not a big closet but bigger than most. I started by taking every single thing out of it. I counted 22 empty boxes in there courtesy of my husband! Telephone boxes, laptop box, a modem box, all sorts of stuff. Including the box for his shoe inserts from The Walking Company. Crazy Man! Why would we need to keep that box? There was even a sunglass box in there! I didn't take pictures because he thought I was nuts that I even counted them!

Yesterday, we celebrated Christmas with the boys as they were at their fathers for Christmas Day. We went and saw Sherlock Holmes, ate dinner out, and came back to open gifts and have dessert. It was great to spend time together just the 4 of us. Jacob's schedule is so different than everyones that it can be hard to get the 4 of us together at once.
Chris loved the big mirror we got him. It's the kind you lean against the wall.
On Christmas Day, I gave Greg the Noro Striped Scarf I made him that I have not posted about here. I think he reads my blog.
Noro Striped Scarf by Jared Flood (aka Brooklyn Tweed)
Ravely Link Here

Here's the 4 of us before the movies.
Can you tell Jacob just loves to get his picture taken?
The remote to the camera wasn't working so I had to set the timer and run!
Note to self: Time to head back to the gym!

Does anyone know an easy way to change my blog from 2 columns to 3? I'd like a sidebar on each side of my blog. I'd also like to be able to do it without messing up what is there already. I struggle with blog formatting. So many of the tutorials are greek to me! I've made a change or 2 already but it's been slooow going.

Do you set crafting goals each year? I've seen a lot of blogs with an ambitious lists of things they'd like to do in 2010. Does it help get things done? I'm thinking of setting some simple attainable goals for 2010 but still mulling it over. I don't like the feeling of having a deadline for something that should be fun. But then again, I do have some projects that I would like to finish and 2010 IS a whole year! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Happy Stitches!

25 comments:

Barb said...

Hi Jackie...sounds like you had a great time ......and all that cleaning...you can come to my home next.

http://www.lawnydesigns.com/2007/10/how-to-make-3-column-template.html

only takes seconds, well minutes...

valerie said...

Great photos Jackie...sounds like you had a nice Christmas. I haven't figured out goals yet. All I know is that I have more projects I want to do than I have time. I want to do ALL of them!

The boxes is funny! I'm guilty of stashing them too but not 22...maybe 3 or 4!! lol

Unknown said...

Chris is HOT!! yum....haha Barb has a link on her blog for a 3 column blog, I'll find it and email to you. I was able to follow it and do it, you will be too. hang tight, let me find it

Unknown said...

I just emailed you the link for a 3 column blog.

Margaret said...

We tend to collect empty boxes as well! lol! I've been trying to get hubby to be better about throwing them out, so hopefully that problem will go away. Your boys are handsome fellows! I'm glad you all got to celebrate a fun Christmas together. I want to see Sherlock Holmes at some point too. The scarf is wonderful, btw. Isn't Jared Flood amazing?

Shelleen said...

your boys are handsome. We have a small crawl space for an attic and it is full of boxes lol.
I also will be setting goals for 2010 and posting on my blog. I will keep it at the top all year and edit as I go along.

Maria said...

I usually make a list of crafty things I would like to make in the new year, but I am not putting any pressure on myself about them. It is just ideas, not deadlines. I want to make three quilts for my nephews and niece next year and restore a small stool with paint and new fabric, I also have some embroidery projects I would like to finish. But there is so much more out there that will come my way and tickle my fancy. :) How did you like Sherlock Holmes, is it any good?

PS: Hoarding empty boxes must be a husband thing. ;)

woolwoman said...

Jackie - your "guys" are so handsome - what a nice family you have. Love the photo of G in the scarf you made - too bad I did not make my goal with Jody's scarf but soon! Hope I can get him to model it and the finish photo of your scarf if very artfully arranged.

I quit posting or making goals several years ago. For me - it was just a constant disappointment and caused me to focus more on what I did NOT get done than what I did get done. It took some of the fun out of the process and generally speaking it is mainly the process I am interested in focusing on in my life. I'm sure everyone has different views about this but that's mine! Hope you are planning to have some fun on your vacation and not just clean every minute LOL - Mel

Sherry said...

wow i wish i could get the energy to clean out some closets and things, i still have to get my decorations down ugh! Happy New Year

Pat said...

I've messed up my blog trying to do things to it, so I leave it alone now....LOL Want to clean out some more closets? I have lots you can do!!!

Tammy said...

i've never made a list and tried to achieve it in a year, although it seems do-able. the thing i worry about is, would the list be like a new years resolution? i hate resolutions, they don't seem to be useful to me, but i might just try the list idea and see what i can do or how badly i wonder off course with other projects rather than the ones i think i'll do.

FlourishingPalms said...

These are very good photos. Thanks for sharing your family with us. Greg's scarf is great. Sounds like you're in a cleaning mode. Can you share some of your motivation with the rest of us!?

As for 2010 goals... funny you should mention them. Check out my blog to read about my Ten in '10 resolution. Won't you join me?

Ruth's Place said...

Lovely pictures of your boys.

I tend to set loose goals that can be interpreted in a variety of ways, so that I don't 'break' any of my resolutions.

JudiB said...

Hi Jackie..must be that time of year..I am also in the cleaning mode. Oh the stuff we keep..ugh!!! lol.
Great family..looks like it was a super Christmas.
Happy New Year.

Judi B.

Siobhán said...

What a good looking family you have, Jackie! Your sons are H-O-T!

As far as changing blog stuff, I found that asking blogging friends that were much more experienced than I am was helpful (sorry I can't help you on that score!), but also I found invaluable help on You Tube. I'm a visual learner, so it was helpful to type in blogging questions into the You Tube search bar & see what pops up.

As far as crafting goals, I don't usually set them. Like Melody said, it's too easy to be disappointed, and my stitching is fun. I just try to go with the flow. I am hoping to stitch more from my stash this coming year but we'll see how that goes.

Happy 2010!

Faye said...

What is it with saving those boxes??? We do it at my house too..but sometimes you have to just let go of them!!lol...I love your post about the "nesting" you have been doing..Good work!! And, I see you are working on Quakers and Quilts...Love that piece..I just got mine back from the framers. Enjoy your blog...Keep up the great work!! Faye
carolinastitcher.blogspot.com

Carol said...

Oh, I am starting to feel guilty about not getting to some serious cleaning out, purging, straightening up around my house, Jackie!! You are a whirlwind!

Great scarf and great looking family!

No clue on changing the blog, but it looks like you're getting some helpful suggestions--good luck!

Anonymous said...

I don't set "goals" for my knitting, but I do tend to think in general terms of some things I would like to accomplish. Like you, I'm afraid setting a concrete goal would just add stress to what should be fun.

I did go through the yarn stash and organize it. I really need to stash down some of the sock yarn.

But, I'm waiting until New Years Day to start any new projects --- fresh start and all that hoopla.

The picture with your boys is really nice. You'd never know you ran to get in the picture. LOL

julia said...

I don't set goals. I just sew for the grands all year long. Your family looks so happy!! I need to get into that kind of cleaning mojo!!! Happy 2010!

Daffycat said...

I never really set goals as I'm terrible about keeping them! I do like having the "monthly" stitch set aside and squeeze in some other things in-between but that is all.

Good luck curing DH of his boxing habit!

Crazee4books said...

Hi Jackie,

Thank you for leaving such a nice comment on my blog recently. It's
so nice to "meet" you.

Thanks too for your best wishes regarding my weight loss. Yes,
Weight Watchers is certainly a fantastic program for loosing
weight and learning to eat healthy.

Had weigh in tonight, which I was very nervous about after eating
all kinds of stuff over Christmas.
I was amazed to discover that I'd
lost nearly a pound and a half which earned me my 75 pound charm.
I am now assigned more daily points to try and stop the weight loss so I can finish maintenance and become life time. I'm not use to people telling me to "eat more!!".

Sounds like you and your family had a great Christmas. What did you think of the Sherlock Holmes movie? It hasn't had terribly great reviews but the trailer looks good.

I haven't set crafty goals in the past but I think that I may for 2010. I would like to stitch more next year. I have so many wonderful things in my stash that I'd like to stitch, but I'm a slow stitcher and I have to have a magnifier and very good lighting when I stitch so am limited in where I can set up to stitch. I really need to learn how to finish stitching projects too and get some of my done stuff out of drawers and on display. We'll see how that all works out as the year progresses.

Your Christmas dishes are so pretty!! Bet the table looks lovely when it's all set with them.

We are "enjoying" very cold temperatures right now...it's
-7 Celsius (-14 with the
wind chill) Do you think that
you could send us some of that
heat that you've got down there?
Now that Christmas is over and
we don't need the snow for atmosphere (and didn't get it
anyways) we're quite ready to
enjoy some nice, warm weather.

If you've got a minute I've got
a dusty, furry, cluttered house
that could use a good muck out.

Good luck with the blog adjustments.

Cheers!

IrishGirlieKnits said...

Looks like a great day with the guys!! Great family photo :)

And I love the scarf!

Brigitte said...

Very nice to read that you were having a great Christmas season. Love your family pictures.
I always think about stitching goals at the beginning of a new year. I do not make endless lists but think about WIPs that I want to finish and new projects to start. And no, it doesn't help to accomplish more, it's just for the fun of it, lol.

Janaina said...

That scarf is looking fab!Love the colors!

Mylene said...

Great family pictures, Jackie.

I joined in a Zumba class once a week and it's quite good to motivation for me. Ealier i thought to ry and do some kind of training at home or go for walks few times a week but with the bad weather i just don't have the mood to do so. But with the class, i need to go as i paid quite an amount for it.