Natalie 2015: Simplify and Streamline (revisited)

It's that time of year to revisit the Natalie 2015 theme and see what has been accomplished and what I can focus on for the rest of the year.  Each year, I like to post my goals on the blog(2008, 2013, 2014, 2015) but often times I don't revisit them until the new year comes around again...not this year!  Let's do this now so I still have time to focus on my theme and see what needs to be adjusted.  So no it's not halfway through the year but you know the start of the new school year always feels like some kind of start so we'll go with that. The original goals posted at the beginning of the year will be in italics...my response and updates will be next to them.

Crafting:
1. Organize my stash so that it's visually pleasing and not just stored away. I am currently in the process of culling my stash.  Instead of just making it pleasing to look at, I decided I wanted it stored in safe place but organized.  I also wanted to rid my stash of the filler yarn/fiber and only have stuff I love or plan to use.
2. SPIN MORE!  This is big.  I really want to give Pilar some love this year and spin spin spin!  It's been a while since I spun and I just need to get back to it. Major fail on this one...but I did just started spinning again and really am enjoying it like I always do.  It just goes back to having to store my wheel out of the way from little hands...and so it's out of sight and sometimes just feels like it would be too much effort to set up.  Planning a spinning OWL for the next term of the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup so that might help keep things going.
3. Take more classes. This coming year, I hope to take more workshops and crafting classes.  I want to learn more techniques but mostly I want to learn from those teaching. I haven't managed to take more classes yet....
4. Teach more classes. This got put on hold because of my surgery and life.  I am planning another class in Oct though at Stash - a place for yarn.
5. Travel to a fiber festival!!  This is huge!  I REALLY REALLY want to make it to a festival this year.  We have plans in the works but hope it works out as well as we are planning. A fiber festival isn't working out but I did sign up to attend my first ever knitting retreat Into the Wool Retreat at the beginning of next month in Tennessee!  I'm SO EXCITED!! I am working on a way to attend the Florida Fiber-in with my local knitting guild but as of right now I might only make it out to one day...which is totally better than no days.

Personal:
1. I'd like to simplify our home by purging all the things that are not used/played with or don't have a place in our home.  This especially goes for clothes that don't fit and trinkets that don't hold emotional attachments or have a place to live. This has been a big win so far. I still have a lot to do but I've also accomplished a ton!  I've already purged a LOT of just stuff from my bookshelves, kitchen, and new office area.  As I said, I'm still working on my stash and need to do another pass through my clothes and the girls clothes but I've done a lot already!  It feels great to have less stuff!  It's also much easier to keep things clean when everything has a place to go.  The kitchen is doing amazing because I visited the Homer Laughlin China Company factory store on our trip to OH and I got some amazing steals on a bunch of new stuff for my fiestaware stash!  I love this stuff and want more but have to purge if I bring stuff in.
2. I'd like to purge my wardrobe into a smaller one that only has clothes that I love and make me feel good. Sadly, I still have "maternity" clothes that get worn here and there.  They must all GO! Doing this and it feels good! I have purged my clothes down to only stuff I love.  I bought new clothes and got rid of everything that was maternity or didn't make me feel amazing when I put it on.
3. Make it through the construction that is about to begin on our home and really decorate our living room and rest of the house with pictures and more. Construction on the bathroom and roof are complete!  YAY and boy was that an experience.  I haven't tackled the living room or putting up many pictures yet but I'm getting there.  I have gotten some frames but need to print more pictures and buy more frames soon.

Parental:
1. Focus less on bedtime routine and more on enjoying the time with my girls.  NOT saying I'm going to get rid of bedtime routine but often at night I feel like it's this race to get them to bed before it becomes a meltdown battle of over tired girls.  This stresses me out and I end up not enjoying the time we have together as much.  I really would like to focus more on enjoying the time and less on racing through the time.  This has been an ongoing focus.  When my workday is stressful, I have to focus harder on giving myself and my girls grace but I've been doing good with being mindful of this time.
2. Start having dates with each of my children.  My girls love to be together but I also feel they need some alone time with me.  I would like to start having fun outings with just one of them at a time.  We'll see how this goes.   We have not been good about this because we don't get a lot of time together as a family due to our work schedules.  We tend to focus on family time together on weekend.  It's funny though because this weekend Special K and CGR are going to the Rays game with others and I'm getting to spend the afternoon with just Ria.

Relationships:
1. Schedule monthly date nights with my husband.  We are good about doing date nights but we often realize we haven't had one in a while and then plan one.  I would love to do this monthly in the new year. This has not been nearly consistent enough but we have managed to get some dates in there.
2. Focus more on what I'm bringing to my marriage than what I'm getting.  I feel this is such a better way to love and helps to curb the tit for tat mentality that can often cause grief.  Still focusing on this and it's been great!  Sometimes I get caught up but I refocus and it changes how I react to things.
3. Plan more time with my sisters.  We always love going to brunch together but do not do it often enough.  Downton Abbey is starting soon and we always watch that together on Sunday nights and it's nice to be with them.  Need to work on this for the rest of the year...we haven't been intentional enough with this.

And to finish off I would like to cut out the excess in our life and focus on the good and what truly matters.  Focus on our family and our home.  Give our journey to God and know that he has big plans for us and enjoy the ride that he takes us on.  All I can say to this is Amen!

How are you doing with your theme/resolutions you set for yourself this year?  Are you struggling with any and need to refocus?  Have any made a big impact in your life?

5 common sayings that apply to both knitting and life

 1 - One Stitch at a time or One Day at a time

When you are knitting, it's often helpful to focus on one stitch/row/project at a time.  You can easily get overwhelmed by a project when you look at the whole sweater of thousands of stitches or when you are faced with an "area 51" full of unfinished projects...but if you take each stitch or row or project at a time, you can easily see how you will end up with this beautiful finished object.  This is similar to life in that when you look at all that you need to get done or all the plates you are trying to keep in the air, it's often easy to get overwhelmed and think it will all come crashing down.  However, if you simply look at each task individually and focus on what you can do now and not worry about the long list of todos but just the one, you feel like it can be accomplished.

2 - Focus on the bigger picture or Focus on the whole project

This is the very opposite of the first one but this often helps keep things into perspective.  Sometimes we get so focused on the one stitch we can't figure out or the one issue in our life that is stressing us out the most that we often forget to focus on the big picture.  In knitting, when we only look at one line in a pattern or one stitch, we can't see how it works with the others. We sometimes have to stop and look at how it will flow into the rest of the stitches so that we can see how it will effect the next stitch or row, which would help us figure out how to do the individual stitch causing us the trouble.  This can benefit us in life by reminding us that life is so much more than dishes, laundry, traffic...our relationships with others are so much more than one interaction. It also can help us when we are faced with something that didn't go the way we had planned.  I often talk about God's big plan for our life.  While I can't see that big plan or know what it entails, all the little things that I do or things that happen to me all are part of it.  I don't know what God has planned but I do know that it's wonderful and so much bigger than I can even dream.  Just like all those little stitches add up to a sock or cardigan.

3 - Trust the Pattern or Trust God/Your Gut/Your Heart

Many times patterns can be confusing when we read through them.  There is a new technique or we just can't visualize what they are trying to have you do...this is when you have to just break it down and do one action at a time and trust that the designer knew what they were doing.  Don't get me wrong, designers can make mistakes so trusting them might cause you to make a mistake but to start you just need to go through the motions and trust it will work.  This goes for life to.  Sometimes we worry too must or over think situations but sometimes you just have to trust it will all be okay.  You just have to blindly go forward and trust your gut or your heart.  Sometimes you just have to say God this is in your hands and go forward.  Just like the pattern will, your life will all work out just fine.  Side note...don't get me wrong...both life and the pattern will need some work for it to magically work out but you have to have faith and trust that it will and let that trust guide your actions.

4 - Practice makes perfect

Now this is a no-brainer!  It goes with pretty much everything in life and knitting.  Unless you practice something, you will never get better.  And yes...I know sometimes you never will get perfect at somethings but unless you practice you will never get any better.   When I'm teaching new students to knit, I often tell them knitting is about muscle memory.  It takes 5-10 minutes a day to teach your hands what to do.  If you want to accomplish something in life, you need to dedicate some man power or brain power to that thing.  If you want to be a better mom, you have to think about what you envision a better mom to look like.  Then focus on doing that 5-10 mins a day and then it will become second nature.

 5 - You are not in this alone

I'm not sure what I would do without my knitting friends or mommy friends or our family.  Having someone to encourage you through a project or help you decipher what that designer was trying to say when they said whatever it is in the pattern is a huge help.  Knit-A-longs are so popular because it helps when you are knitting the same pattern at the same time as someone else or in many cases a group.  You may have that same issues come up and can support each other through. It's also helpful to have people around to see what they are knitting and enable you.  In life, having a support system is vital!  I don't know what I would do without my family and friends.  They have stepped in to help in so many ways I don't even know where to start.  Even right now, we have friends and my FIL helping my husband replace our roof.  Literally they are helping put a new roof over our heads!   

Something I've come to realize lately is that I need to foster my relationship with my mommy friends.  Just as Knit-A-Longs are great for support, so are having friends who are going through the same stage as you are.  Especially because sometimes parenting feels very lonely.  Having someone say "me too!" is something that everyone needs sometimes.  Especially when we are all in the thick of it.

Happy Knitting and Living!

What sayings do you think apply to both?

Where to begin...we'll start with 10.

Where do you being when you have been on a 6 month hiatus from your blog?  How do you get back to posting on your blog when there is just so much to say?  These are the questions that have gone through my mind over and over again the last couple months.  I haven't forgotten this space I've called home for OVER 7 years!  I've often thought about moving on and starting a new blog or finding a new theme or or or...but I keep coming back to I've been blogging here at Barknknit since I started blogging and I just can't let it go yet.

For my first post back since January, I'm going to just recap the past 6 months.  So, here are 10 important things that have happened in the Barknknit family the last 6 months:

1. My girls are both 6 months older and when it comes to little kids that is a LONG time!  Both are now going to the same preschool and are learning new things so quickly.  I feel if you look at them long enough, you can actually see them growing before your very eyes! hehe! JK.

2. Special K and I went on our first weekend away without the kids!...I may actually write an entire post about this one but for now I'll just share that it was so good for everyone.  I'm glad that Special K and I got to spend some quality time being a couple and enjoying what makes us us.  This was also the first vacation in 6 years that did not involve visiting family so there is that...

3.  Maria learned to walk(at 10 months just like her sister)...this changes the game but it's so exciting!  Again...she's just growing up too quickly!

4. My father came to visit from Panama...He spent 3 weeks with my family here and we spent most this time celebrating his 80th birthday!  The girls enjoyed every minute with him here and we miss him so much.  Looking forward to his visit this winter.

5. Carmen had her 2nd ballet recital...this one was tap and while she had a little bit of a meltdown when she saw us watching her, she did great!

6. Maria turned 1!  I can't believe the year went by so fast!  She is such a smart, happy, and loving toddler.  She talks a lot and is always trying to do what her sister is doing.  She's also my climber but I know this and do what I can to prevent major falls.  She is such a blessing.

7. Grandma Shari came to visit...Special K's mom came for a weekend visit and we had so much fun!  The girls enjoyed having her here and we all went to a Rays game...along with so much more!

8. Promotion at work into management...I was promoted earlier this year at work into a  management role.  This has been exciting/stressful and my first time managing a team of at first 20+ but thankfully now my team is 9-10 people.  I've learned so much already and learning more every day!

9. Podcasting again...yes, I've starting podcasting again!  I'm so so excited about this.  My friend Alicia and I started a new podcast Mastering the Knits!  We talk about our journey through the Master Knitter Program, beginning with the Hand Knitting Level 1.  We also talk about our life, crafting, and more.  It's been so fun and we are so happy we've had such great feedback from our listeners!

10. There has been knitting and spinning...oh has there been so much knitting in the last 6 months!  I'll have to dedicate a couple posts to update you all on all that I've finished!  Here is a snapshot of one of my finished objects...a hat for my dad modeled by Carmen.

Hope you enjoyed this list!  I look forward to talking to you all more!

Happy Catching up!

What have you all been up to in the past 6 months?  Please comment and say hello!