Knitted Earbud Pouch, Updates, and Reading On

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. It snowed here a lot in Toronto all day Monday and into the night. We got 15 centimeters of snow. I was able to leave work on Monday in the early afternoon to work from home which was nice. Once I was inside and out of the snow, it was okay that it was a winter wonderland outside and pretty when looking out the window. Today I was also able to work from home and avoid the snowy roads for a little while longer. The streets are still not plowed properly on some side streets and cars are getting stuck in the snow. I am hoping tomorrow will be better when I drive.

I finished knitting a small pouch for my earbuds using a pattern called Earbud Pouch by Mary Keenan found on Ravelry. It was the perfect quick knitting project I was looking for. I needed somewhere to put my earbuds instead of just throwing them into my bag to take to work which gets them all tangled or I lose them. Now with this pouch I will be able to keep them from tangling together and they are more compact. The yarn I used for this project is Manos Del Uruguay yarn in the colorway Happy. I had some leftover from when I knitted the fingerless mittens using this yarn. I love the white with the pops of color in the yarn.

Lots of room inside for the earbuds

Pouch with the earbuds fully inside

I have been working on knitting the fingerless mittens for my mom and will be gifting them to her soon. I will be looking at some yarn projects on Ravelry to figure out what I will make next and then will be heading to Michael's soon to buy some yarn. I am due for a yarn shopping trip.

I have been reading Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty and cannot wait to read what happens next. I am so interested in the characters, their stories, and what will happen to them on this retreat. I have also been reading How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie every morning for about a week. I am applying the principles I am learning from the book in my daily life. I like reading it in the morning because then I can think of the tips when I am going about my day and how to best interact with others in a respectful way. I finished reading The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod and have been loving my mornings since applying the steps to have a miracle morning. I will be sharing my experience with the miracle morning in a blog post soon.

Joining along with Frontier Dreams for Crafting On and Small Things for Yarn Along.

Thank you for visiting my blog today! What are you making and reading this week?

Have a great day

Back to Routine, Planning, and Reading On

Hello Friends,


I hope you are doing well. I have been slowly getting back to my regular routine, back to regular work hours, cutting back on sugar, and getting back to exercising. I think of this time as a transition to a different frame of mind because during the holidays, I indulge quite a bit and eat what I want and sometimes exercise and other tasks I should do fall by the wayside. For me, January is a time to pick it all back up again, and sometimes the focus feels so intensely the opposite from a month before when I am enjoying indulging and getting into the spirit of the holiday.

I have been writing in my planner on Sundays and meal planning and updating both my planner I have at home, and the planner I take to work. This helps me start the week of right by designing the week I would like to have. Choosing the stickers and making to do lists for each day helps me to focus in on what I would like to accomplish each day rather than just winging it on the day and letting myself do whatever I feel like, which is nice sometimes too. I like to choose a quote sticker to stick at the bottom left corner under notes of each weekly spread that will be my inspiration of the week. This week I chose the sticker in the photo below that says "it always seems impossible until it is done". I chose this one because I am trying to get things accomplished this week, like choosing things to give away to declutter, finishing knitting the fingerless mittens, making progress in my reading, and working on finishing courses for work. Th quote reminds me that all that we want to accomplish seems like a lot and impossible at the time, but we can do it!

Keep working away at it then you will be done

I have been working on knitting the fingerless mittens for my mom and the second mitten is coming along. I will be sharing how they turned out soon. I am planning on making a trip to Michaels this weekend to buy some yarn that I will use to start knitting my shawl. I will also be looking up some shawl patterns on Raverly. 

I have been reading Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty. It is so good and the characters are so interesting. We hear the thoughts and see things from the perception of different guests at the house including Frances, who is a middle aged woman and Ben and Jessica, who are a couple in their thirties. I am so fascinated by this book and wondering what will happen next at the Traquilium house. I ordered The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod on Amazon tonight because I have heard some great things about the book from vloggers that I watch. I am so excited to start my mornings off right and become more productive and accomplish my goals.

Thank you for stopping by today! Please let me know in the comments below what you do to get back on track at this time of the year and what works for you.

Have a great day!

Books I Received for Christmas

Hello Friends,


I hope you are doing well. I have been getting back into the routine of regular daily life after the busy and wonderful holidays. I also have been trying to cut back on sugar and get back to eating somewhat healthily. I wanted to share with you the books I received for Christmas this year. Receiving books always makes me feel excited and full of hope for new beginnings and to take something special from each one. I usually ask for both fiction novels and also books I can journal in or that inspire me to live a great life in the New Year. This year I received both books I asked for and some others that I saw in the store or were gifted to me as a surprise.

1. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

I received the book Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty for Christmas and have really been enjoying it. I like the description of the house they are staying in and I love all the wonderful descriptions of both the outdoor and indoor setting. Moriarty does such a good job at making you feel like you can see exactly what is going on and it feels like a movie you can't wait to un-pause every time you pick the book back up again. I like the characters already and find them interesting and each with their own struggles and quirks.

2. A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult. 

This one has been on the best seller list for quite awhile now and it really piqued my interest. The subject matter is serious of a shooting and all that occurs in that situation. I am so curious about this
book and to see where Picoult takes this topic.

3. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory 

This book is about a man and a woman who first get stuck in the elevator together, and the man is
looking for a date to a wedding and asks the woman to be his date as his fake girlfriend. It sounds like it will be really funny and heartwarming as well.

4. A Year of Living Happily: Week-by-Week Activities to Unlock the Secrets of a Happier Way of Being by Lois Blyth

This book looks like it will be an amazing tool for me to keep living positively and seeking happiness in 2019 and future years. I saw this one while Christmas shopping with my mom and sister and my mom bought it for me because I got excited about it. Thanks Mom! The book starts with an introduction on happiness which I have read a bit of on Christmas Day. Then there are activities for each week. This week's activity is "looking for happiness" and the task is to start a happiness journal to record three things each day that brings you joy and pleasure. I started this last night and wrote a few things for each day this week that made me happy and it has been a great practice. It is much like a gratitude journal, which I have found so helpful in the past in focusing on the positive instead of the negative.

5. Superfood Smoothies by Julie Morris

This book is jam packed with so many amazing smoothie recipes. It includes 100 different recipes to try and I will make an effort to try most of them. I really enjoy making the banana peanut butter smoothie I have mentioned on the blog before but want to expand my horizons with trying new
smoothie recipes. I will be trying one of these recipes out next week! My Fiance bought this for me for Christmas so I should make him one too!

I am looking forward to this year for reading because I have received some amazing new books and I always have my eye on more amazing reads. I love perusing Goodreads which I helps me to discover the next book I want to read. I love looking at the Goodreads awards at the end of the year and deciding what to read based on nominations as well as the winners. The site got me interested in Nine Perfect Strangers and A Spark of Light.

I am still knitting away at the mittens and the second mitten is almost done. I am looking forward to sharing them with you when they are finished and gifted to my mom.

Thank you for visiting my blog today! Please let me know in the comments below what books you received as gifts, purchased for the New Year, are excited to read, or are reading right now.

Have a great day!

Happy New Year 2019!

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Happy New Year! Liam and I had our sisters over with their partners last night. We played games, ate lots of chips and appetizers, and of course we watched Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve. It was wonderful welcoming the New Year in great company and having a fun time.

A few decor items I got for our party

Liam and I ringing in the New Year with a party hat

 In knitting, I am still working on a gift for my mom. It got a bit busy and I did not finish knitting her some fingerless mitts. I will be working on these up to the New Year and trying to finish them to gift them to her. For this year, I would like to focus on knitting a shawl. I will search Ravelry for a pattern I like, then purchase the yarn early on in the New Year to get started. I also still have to sew up the seams on the Wool and the Gang Farrah Billie Jean top I finished knitting last year, I will be getting onto that this month.

I received two Happy Planners for Christmas. I got a regular-sized planner and a mini planner and will be using the regular size at home and I will take the mini planner to work with me in my bag. I am excited to use both and see how that goes. I wanted one that was easier to carry with me to record notes and throw into a bag and refer to when I am out and about. I am thinking of using the mini planner for mostly work related notes and reminders to keep me organized and focused and inspired at work and home and the larger one for personal goals and more related to home, blogging, knitting, and other interests of mine. Did you also get a Happy Planner for the New Year?

Two planners this year 

In reading, I am still reading Inner Life of Animals by Peter Wohlleben and also started reading Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty which I received for Christmas. I have been reading it a lot lately and I am so excited to be reading a book that really interests and excites me again. I love those books you just can't put down and it has been awhile since I felt that way. I received a few other books for Christmas that I am excited about reading which I will share with you soon.  I will be really focusing a lot more on reading in the new year and I have a goal to read 15 books in 2019. In 2018, I enjoyed the selection of books I read and was discovering so many amazing books to read and adding them to my to-read list. I will focus more on reading as many as I can in 2019.

I shared with you all my resolutions for 2019 in a blogmas post. I am a big believer in resolutions and have always made them, whether it be choosing a word or a few to focus on for your year ahead, or choosing goals to focus on for the year. I think that it is has a similar power to creating and saying affirmations to ourselves like I am going to have the best year yet because I am going to do all of these wonderful things for myself and others. I like to start the year off with that intention and it usually inspires me throughout the year as I refer back to my list.

Thank you for visiting my blog today! I will be returning to my regular posting schedule of posting entries on knitting and reading updates early in the week(Tuesdays or Wednesdays). I will make an effort to try to post twice each week. I really enjoyed posting more during Blogmas and will make an effort to post more often in the New Year.

Have a great day!