Knitting Baby Blanket and Planning for Goals

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. This past week was busy with taking care of the baby and getting things done around the house. The week went by so fast and Friday we had another snowstorm. Those days are nice when we could stay home it was nice watching the snow fall all day long. This past weekend we visited with family. We actually all slept in today, I was worried about daylight savings time and getting less sleep but we got more which was surprising. 

I knitted some more rows of the Arches Baby Blanket by LJM Designs found on Ravelry. I like how I am understanding the pattern more so I can look at it and then don't have to refer to is as much now. It will make it go along much faster. I like to take some time during Evan's naps to knit a couple of rows here and there.

I read more of Book Lovers by Emily Henry this week. I try to read a few pages a day and am enjoying the storyline. 

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Evan was noticing Millie more this week and looking over at her from his play mat. It will be so cute as he grows and they interact more. 

I was doing some planning today in my Happy Planner. It is hard to find the time lately to plan and keep checking throughout the week. I planned some of my week and will revisit it during Evan's naps. I planned some upcoming blog posts and also some knitting projects. In the busyness of being a mom to a 3 month baby it feels so nice to pause and think of that I would like to accomplish in the future. I still watch YouTube vlogs that motivate me to achieve my goals. One of my favourites vloggers who I find so inspiring is Carter Sullivan who does monthly resets. She is always working towards her goals. I also like watching videos by Selena Trevino. She also does planning for her months. Some Mom vloggers I like are Meghan Livingstone and Caitlyn Neier. If I take time to watch their videos I always leave wanting to work towards my own goals and moving forward in my plans. One of my goals I am working towards right now is finishing Evan's nursery. I am close to getting everything completed and ordering his rug next. Then just need a book shelf. We put together his crib last weekend.

Thank you for visiting my blog this week and hope that you have a great week ahead!

Knitting Baby Blanket, Updates, and Reading

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. Happy Sunday! The past two weeks I have knitted more of the banket. It is still a slow process since I have been trying to squeeze in time to knit in between taking care of my baby. I am liking the Arches baby blanket pattern by LJM Designs and how the blanket it turning out so far. I ran into the problem of tangled yarn this week which slowed me down. I finally made the decision to chop off that bit last night so I could continue knitting. 

I read a few pages of Book Lovers this week, this is where I am at in reading. I really want to get back into it. Yesterday I was checking out some book series to get into this year. I enjoyed reading book series in the past like Twilight and wanted to find a good one. I found some by Colleen Hoover the Ends With Us series and she has some other series by her I can check out afterwards. Anyone read her work? I look forward to putting more time into reading as the year progresses and also knitting too. 

Millie and Evan have been really keeping us busy. Our cat Millie is so good around our baby Evan and she is gentle and keeps her distance. I look forward to when they interact more and hope it is always gentle. Pictured below is Evan on the Lovevery playmat he loves going on the mat and looking around up at all the pictures and objects hanging down. Here is is doing tummy time and does not love this as much but he is so strong and holds himself up for a few minutes. Millie was cuddling up on the couch this past week. She usually goes on her cat tree but she was wanting to be closer this week,

Thank you for visiting my blog today and I hope that you have a great rest of your weekend! I have made the decision for now to post on Sundays as it is easier to get some extra time when my husband is off work for the weekend to write my blog posts. 

Joining along with As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday.

Have a great day!

Trying a New Hobby, and Knitting a Baby Blanket

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. This week is flying by! I can't believe it is Wednesday already. I am happy it is almost the weekend. This weekend is a very special one in our little world here, because we are finally getting a sectional couch for our living room! We spent a lot of time thinking of what we wanted, and decided on a gray sectional sofa-bed. If we have guests over (when Covid is finally over) we have somewhere people can sleep. We are excited that we are making our new condo townhouse more of a home and perfect for us. 

I started a new hobby this past weekend and it is really enjoyable. Cross stitching! Some of you may know that I was planning to try it out this year. I am so glad I got this "I can't Adult today" cross stitching kit. It is a fun design, and I can't wait to hang it up somewhere after it is done. I bought this one online from Michaels.

I had no idea what I was doing at first. I watched a couple of videos, and then just tried to wing it. I ended up with a pretty nice U of the design, but realized I should follow some sort of pattern or way of doing this that is more efficient. I found a video on YouTube by HeathersHappyStitches to help guide me with steps on stitching in the right order. Her instructions are clear and easy to follow along. I have always looked to videos on YouTube to help me with knitting projects. I find watching someone guide me through it a helpful way for me to learn.

It is fun trying out new hobbies. I love knitting, but it is fun to step outside the box a bit like I have seen so many other knitters and crocheters do. It is fun try out something new once and awhile to challenge myself. What are some other hobbies you enjoy?

I started knitting a baby blanket for my sister, she is due in late April. She is having a baby boy and I am so excited to be an aunt! We used to talk about having kids so much and now the time is here for her and she will be a great mom. She loves the color gray for baby items and her wardrobe, so I went with what I know she would love and got a bunch of gray yarn to start the blanket. 

I got Snuggly Wuggly yarn by Loops & Threads in the colorway "soft Gray". It looks a bit beige at times in the different lighting, but she likes beige too so that will work. I got five balls of yarn, and think I will even have some left over to knit up a hat or some booties. I can't wait to see all the little baby things together. I am knitting the blanket using the pattern Simple Lines baby Blanket found on Ravelry by Heather Tucker. 

This is the wrong side of the pattern

I am still reading Didn't See that Coming by Rachel Hollis and Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. To be honest, I haven't been reading a lot lately. I mostly read in the mornings, but I have been focused on knitting, cross stitching, doing yoga, or meditating. I want to prioritize reading again to finish these great books soon. I really benefit from using my mornings for reading and other things that fill me up for the day and help me to feel refreshed and happy. 

I had to share an adorable picture of my parent's cat Moo from last weekend that makes me smile. I have to have some cat content on the blog once and awhile! My mom always shows me their cats Moo and Roo in our Facetime calls because since moving away, my sister and I miss seeing "the guys" we call them. I miss visiting and petting them and cuddling them.

Joining along with As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday.

Thank you for visiting my blog today. I hope that you are having a great week and that you are keeping busy with things that make you happy. 

Have a great day!

Blogmas Day 17 - What I Read in 2020 and Plans for 2021

 Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. One of my favourite posts to write during Blogmas is to share what I read in the current year, and what I plan to read in the upcoming year. This year was a crazy and unprecedented year. I turned a lot more to what gives me comfort: reading, knitting, and blogging. I read a lot more this year especially because I had more time at home and to look into books that I would like to read. I really enjoy reading self improvement books and also listening to them on audiobook through Overdrive. Please read below for books I read and I am currently reading in 2020, and then books I would like to read in the new and promising year of 2021. 

Books I read in 2020:

From Goodreads

Normal People - Sally Rooney - The last book I finished. I really enjoyed the story of the two characters. 

In Five Years - Rebecca Serle - Nice story but I wanted more I think.

Girl, Stop Apologizing - Audiobook - Very motivational and enjoyed listening to it while driving.

Everything is F*cked: A Book about Hope - Mark Manson - Interesting and informative.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill - Abbi Waxman -So cute! I loved this one.

One Day in December - Josie Silver - Very cute story. I would read again I loved the love story.

Average is the New Awesome - Samantha Matt - Very good book to remind us average is okay.

Big Magic - Elizabeth Gilbert - Good book for thinking of your purpose and creative goals.

The Testaments - Margaret Atwood - Loved this book and can't wait for more Handmaid's tale episodes.

Help Me! - Marianne Power - Loved this one! So fun to about read her yearlong journey 

Good Morning Good Life - Amy Schmittauer Landino - Inspirational and loved learning more.

Total Money Makeover - Dave Ramsey - Got more information and I got out of debt this year!

Currently reading: 

Atomic Habits by James Clear - Good so far and I am thinking more about making better habits.

Beach Read by Emily Henry - Good, I like the characters and story so far.

The Miracle Equation by Hal Elrod

Books I want to read in 2021:

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. This is a book I have wanted to read for quite some time now. I love reading books like this about people's journeys to find happiness and find themselves. I read her book called Better Than Before and really enjoyed it.

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Home Body by Rupi Kaur. I really enjoyed her book of poetry called the Sun and her Flowers and I am excited to read her new book that came out later this year.

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Didn't See that Coming by Rachel Hollis. I enjoyed her other books and her style of writing. I am interested in reading how she coped with her separation and the big changes in her life following that event.

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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - This book won for best in fiction on goodreads this year. It sounds so interesting and a fun read.

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The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. I started the audiobook for this one this year and I could tell it would be good. I didn't get around to listening to it much this year, so it would be great to read it in the new year. 

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The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I read his book called A New Earth and I remember it really having an impact on me, and still does to this day. I would love to read this book by him as well because I want to live more in the moment.

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Thank you for visiting my blog today for Blogmas day 17! I enjoyed putting these lists together and both reflecting on the year in books and also planning for the new year of reading. Please Click here to read last year's post on what I read in 2019 and plans for this year. I read a lot of the books this year I planned to last year. I love to read and really enjoy learning new lessons and also enjoying some good fiction to get lost in a new world as well. What book did you read in 2020 that you enjoyed and what do you plan on reading in 2021?

Please click here to read my other posts from Blogmas 2020.

Have a great day!

Knitting Spiral Socks and Reading On

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I finished knitting the first spiral sock using the spiral socks pattern by Patons found on Ravelry. I get into the rhythm of knitting the 5 row repeat and it is such a good pattern to knit while watching TV or doing something else at the same time. It has been a great project for the Summer because it is light and easy to carry around on trips. These will be so cozy to wear this time of the year when it is getting a bit cooler out and I am reaching for warm socks again.

In my happy place

Progress

 I love how this self striping yarn looks and enjoy knitting with Patons Kroy Sock yarn in this colorway of coastal stripes.

I finished reading What to Expect While You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff. I learned a lot about how to get prepared for tying to have a baby or trying to conceive (TTC) as they used this term a lot in the book. I will keep these tips in mind when the right time comes for Liam and I. I am getting married next May and would love to start a family after I get married. I am still reading The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory. It is such a fun book and was perfect for the summer. Next up on my to read list is The Miracle Equation by Hal Elrod. I have it in an ebook format from the library and I am excited to read more of it. I really enjoyed Hal Elrod's first book called The Miracle Morning and its ideas and strategies for a better life really resonated with me so I think a follow up book with even more tips will be great as well.

Joining in for Yarn Along with Ginny at her blog Small Things and Crafting On over at Frontier Dreams.

Thank you for visiting my blog! I enjoy you visiting and love reading all of your comments!

Knitting Hat and Reading Updates

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well and enjoying your weekend so far. I have had a busy couple weeks at work, I volunteered to take on another task for a couple weeks so I have been preoccupied with that.  I did not get much knitting and reading done during this time as I was planning for meetings and thinking of ideas for those. I have also started getting into wedding planning and looking for a venue and it is coming together now so I am getting more excited for the big day. 

I knit quite a bit of the Michele hat at one point and almost to the point of finishing it, then I realized I was not happy with the part of the hat with the slip stitches pattern, I had knitted a bit too much and missed some slip stitches, so it was not raised on one of the sides of the hat. So I frogged it to start over because I knew I wouldn't be happy with it as it was. I have started again with the pattern and I am on round 11 out of 29.

Pattern: Michele

I decided to take a break from reading Thinking Fast and Slow and I am now continuing to read A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult and started reading Quiet by Susan Cain. A Spark of Light is good so far, I find the first bit a little confusing to figure out who each character was. I feel a bit more like I understand the set up now and feel like I will get more into it now that I passed the first bit. I started reading Quiet years ago and never finished it, so I am looking forward to reading it again during my morning routine.

Books I am reading

It is getting warmer out now and I am getting excited and hopeful for Spring to come soon. It has been more enjoyable walking outside lately to the gym, and it is nice not freezing when stepping outside. It was snowing a bit more today and chilly, but I am hopeful that it will stop snowing soon and warm up. The first day of Spring is this coming Wednesday on March 20th, so it should be a lot warmer.

What are you working on and reading this week?

Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope to see you again soon!

Hat Knitting Progress and Resolutions Updates

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. It was another snow day today and I was able to work from home. I am so grateful to be working in a job now that I can work from home, I enjoy it so much and can avoid going out in bad weather.

As some of you had reassured me that the hat would indeed turn out okay and fit, I am happy to say you were right and it does fit! I am glad I decided to go with the number of stitches that the pattern called for. they say to cast on in the pattern as it just makes following a pattern easier for me. I am loving how this hat is turning out so far and like how the slip stitch every other row and every 6 stitches creates the vertical lines along the hat. I am following the pattern 'Michele' by Sarah Punderson on Ravelry. I also love how the yarn looks in this pattern with the white and the speckles of purple. The yarn is from Fleece Artist and the yarn is Blue Face Leicester DK yarn. I am noticing that I am so drawn to white yarn with speckles of color.

I have been thinking of my resolutions that I made in January. I have been making progress slowly on each of the goals I made. Monday night I was grocery shopping and was glad I brought my reusable bags and also my produce mesh bags I bought at the Superstore. I also almost picked up a plastic bag with baby carrots as a habit because I love having them with hummus as a snack, but I picked up a a few carrots tied together with an elastic band instead to use less plastic. I will take some time today to chop them into small pieces and put them into a container to bring to work. As for knitting a shawl, I have been keeping this goal in mind and will be looking out on Ravelry for a fun pattern. In my reading goal, I have read 3/15 books so far for this year and am currently reading two which are A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult and Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. According to Goodreads I am one book ahead of schedule for my goal of reading 15 books, so that feels good.  For my knitting goal of knitting 12 projects, I am on project 3 now so I feel like I am in a good position to meet my goal for knitting and plan to knit a lot this year. It is always fun to knit some smaller projects as well as one larger one which will be the shawl. I have been looking at some venues for the wedding and there is one we really like so I will probably have that resolution completed soon. We are getting married next Spring so we need to secure one soon. For weight loss, I have been working out a lot and eating cleaner, but I can definitely work harder on both. I haven't weighed myself in a few weeks but have been feeling slimmer. My personal trainer tells me to just focus on how clothes fit more than the number on the scale so maybe its a good thing I haven't replaced the battery in the scale yet.

Joining Frontier Dreams for Crafting On and As Kat Knits for Unraveled Wednesday.

Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope that you have a great day!

Knitting a One Size Fits All Hat and Reading On

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. This weekend my sister came by to visit and we had a great time catching up having dinner, a sleepover, and an all-you-can-eat sushi lunch today. It is fun when she visits me in Toronto and we make a whole weekend hang out of it. She left now and the rest of the day I plan to work on writing in my planner to plan for the week, knitting, doing laundry, and meal planning for the week.

 I started knitting a hat using the pattern called "Michele" by Sarah Punderson from Ravelry. So far I have cast on 100 stitches as directed as it is a one size fits all pattern. I am using the yarn by Fleece Artist and using size 4.50 mm needles so far as my smallest needles to obtain the correct gauge. I really like how the hat brim is looking so far and hope it fits properly. I will let you know on Tuesday how it is turning out and if the 100 stitches were enough to fit my head.

I am still reading A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult and Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. Both are good so far and I am interested in reading more of them. I will also make some time this afternoon to catch up on some reading.

Thank you for visiting and hope you have a good weekend too. Hope you have a great week!

Knitting Hearts and Reading On

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I can't believe how soon Valentine's Day is now. It is right around the corner.  I decided to knit up a small heart for Valentines Day this year just for fun. I used a pattern from Julie & the knits blog. It is a quick knit and I was thinking it would make really nice garland if you string some of these hearts together onto a long piece of yarn.

I am still reading Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty and things are getting interesting. I know I always say that in every post lately about this book, but there will be something happening soon, I can feel it and it makes me want to just read and finish the book in one sitting. I might just do that this weekend.
I am still also reading How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie during my morning routine each day and I am almost finished reading it. I have been applying the tips he suggests and already feel like I am more patient with others and empathetic than before. I look forward to revisiting the lessons by going over the points I underlined every now and then to refresh myself on the strategies on how to best get along with others and do business with them.

I got to decorating a bit for Valentine's Day today by putting out the two stuffed animals above. I received the monkey from Liam last Valentine's Day and I bought the dog with the heart when I was single. I don't usually decorate for Valentine's Day because it comes around so fast and is a quick holiday, but I saw them sitting on my chair in the office along with many others and decided to put them out on the living room chair. Do you decorate for Valentine's Day?

Joining along with Nicole at Frontier Dreams for Crafting On and Ginny at Small Things for her monthly Yarn Along.

Thank you for visiting my blog today and please leave me a comment below. I love reading your comments on my posts and really appreciate hearing from you.

Have a great day!

My Experience With The Miracle Morning

Hello Friends,

I hope you are doing well. I wanted to share my experience so far after reading The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod and including the practices into my mornings. Hal Elrod who is a writer and motivational speaker and he developed the system of incorporating the six SAVERS into your morning. The savers stand for silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, and scribing. By doing these six tasks each morning, it does not take long before you start reaping the rewards of putting in that time each morning to focus on yourself. You can do it for an hour or even as little as 6 minutes. One morning I decided to try the shorter version, so I did each task for a couple of minutes and still felt like I got the miracle morning experience it was more like 15 minutes for me. I was thinking of incorporating knitting into my mornings soon once I buy yarn for a new project. I have really been enjoying the meditation part of my mornings and use an app on my iphone called Insight Timer. It was recommended by vlogger named Chelsea Dinean, so I gave it a try and I love the guided meditation and talks to incorporate into my mornings another good one my sister uses is called Headspace. The meditations make me feel calm, at peace, and confident.

The books I read and write in for January

I first heard of the Miracle Morning by watching a vlog on a book review for the book by Milk and Honey Life. I was fascinated after watching her vlog because she explained that it was all about working on aspects of yourself that I have wanted to focus on in more depth for years. They were always on my to do someday list like mediate, read some personal development books, exercise in the morning, and read affirmations.

I am currently doing the savers in the order of meditation, affirmations, visualization, writing in my journal, reading, and then exercise. I do it in this order because the meditation calms me and gives me clarity before I begin, then the affirmations are motivating. The visualizations follow because I can then visualize the future I want to have after the affirmations are read a few times.  Then I journal and write in my notebook about the day before or what I will be doing or focusing on the day of the entry. Then I write a list of three things I am grateful for. I will then fill out my Q&A book I have, I am on my second year of filling it out now. Last year sometimes I forgot about filling it out for days and weeks, but now I have it in my basket so I will do it every morning. Then I am onto the reading and I have been reading the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. The time to read these types of books in the morning is wonderful because I usually put off reading in the evenings or get too tired, but now I have the energy to read them in the morning. Then I exercise for 10 -20 minutes. I have been doing yoga as my preferred workout for my miracle mornings because it continues to create a calm and peaceful morning and I enjoy stretching in the morning to wake up my body.

The Miracle Morning has already been positively affecting my life after doing the routine for 20 consecutive days, and I feel more motivated, focused, strong, and am accomplishing my goals. You can read more about it on the Miracle Morning site here.  I plan to do the 30 day challenge of doing the Miracle Morning and I am almost there.

Please let me know in the comments below what your morning routine looks like and if you have tried this routine before.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you have enjoyed your weekend and have a good week ahead!