What I'm working on now ... paper piecing!
I don't have any great frugality updates for you, other than I haven't been spending much money. In fact, I have purchased no fabric, books or yarn in 2014. I have requested two interlibrary loans and as a result have established a nice email correspondence with a very helpful librarian at my local branch. His name is Patrick, and he's giving me all sorts of good insider information.
In other news, I found two pairs of Will's clean socks the other night and left them outside his door, as he'd already gone to bed. I believe this was on Sunday. As of today, Wednesday, they are still sitting there. When I say I left them outside of his door, I mean I left them front and center outside of his door. As in, he would have to step over them every time he entered or exited his room.
They are clearly his socks, and they are clearly clean, but I'm fairly sure it will never, ever occur to Will to pick them up and put them either on his feet or in his sock drawer. They could very well sit there until he goes to college.
I don't really understand boys.
My two favorite Christmas presents so far: 1) My Fit Bit pedometer. I slip it in my pocket every day and it tells me how many steps I've taken, how many calories I've burned, and what time it is. It also flashes me a little smiley face from time to time. When I sit down at my computer and pull up the Fit Bit site, all my information gets synced and I get all sorts of positive feedback for steps taken and calories burned. Hooray! I am a champ!
I fear that my Fit Bit device is also recording all sorts of other information (credit card numbers, prescriptions, calls made), and feeding it to various authorities, possibly the NSA. But that little smiley face makes it all worthwhile!
Seriously, I'm trying to lose twenty pounds by my 50th birthday (May 30th, put it on your calendars!), and the only way that's going to happen is if I keep track of what I'm eating and make exercise a priority. My little Fit Bit makes keeping track fun.
2) My other favorite gift, and probably my very favorite gift, is a birdfeeder. It hangs outside my kitchen window and has quickly become the gathering spot for all the neighborhood birds and, unfortunately, the squirrels. The Man keeps saying he's going to make it so the squirrels can't get on it, but I say good luck. Last summer I had squirrels drinking upside down from my hummingbird feeder. The squirrels are ruthless and will stop at nothing. Fortunately, they're so fat they fall off from time to time, and the birds get a turn at the table.
Almost time to order seeds! Here in North Carolina, we'll start planting our spring gardens next month. Will this be the year I convince the Man to turn the front yard into a pumpkin patch? Stay tuned!
7 comments:
What is it about turning 50 that makes us want to lose weight all of the sudden? I did it AFTER I turned 50 and have managed to keep it off!!
I don't understand boys either. They are just like that. They won't stay there until he leaves for college because you won't let them be there that long. He knows that!
Love the paper piecing. I did that once some time ago and it was fun. So precise, such perfect points. The colors are spectacular.
That's a funny sock story, Frances.
I've been wearing my pedometer, too. At this point, I'm analyzing my days and how easy it is to sit around A LOT.
Our squirrels are also well fed, thanks to the bird feeder. Wish they made a squirrel feeder that the birds could use as the birds really need the calories.
It is not just boys who do that! In fact, I think my son would pick up the socks while my daughter would think that that would be a wonderful place for the socks to live forevermore.
I have one squirrel in my backyard who only makes appearances a couple of times a year. I think watching squirrels eat out of a bird feeder would be great fun, but I can see where it might be annoying if your goal is to feel the birds.
Well, this won't encourage you but my 24 year old (living at home & paying rent whoo hoo) washed a sweater and left it on a dining chair. I moved it to the stairs where all he would have to do is bend over and pick it up. But no. It still sits(or lays?) there for over a week now. I'm thinking I might wear it and see if he notices.
Will continues to behave in ways that make me think he and Mr Busy are related.
My sister in law had nasty things to say about squirrels and bird feeders. I thought they must be like possums that eat electrical wires and can be quite destructive. No...they just eat the bird's seed. I like the mental picture of fat little squirrels falling off the bird feeder though!
Our grandson "Scout" made bird feeders for Christmas presents, pine cones with suet and seeds all over, to hang in the yard. We hadn't had any such things since we noticed the cats took advantage of the birds when they hopped down to get the spilled seed off the ground.
But now we have no cats, and no squirrels SOooo we have chickadees feeding at our pine cone! I think I like them even better than cats.
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