I’m heaving a huge sigh of relief this week. I work in a field where the large amount of
work is done at the beginning of the year, and it starts to slow down after
April. This is the first week since
January where I wasn’t being flung 10 different directions, meeting last minute
deadlines and counseling people off tall ledges. And just in time—it’s looking like spring has
finally sprung!
Because I’ve been mentally checked out of things that are
not work related, this means that my house is trashed. All my knitting/crochet projects are strung
around the living room, hovering somewhere between finished and “frogged.” There’s one project that seems like it will
never end, and when I finish it I shall dance a jig while lighting the spent
yarn tubes on fire.
Last year I was on medical leave after a surgery, and spent
most of my time cruising Pinterest for ideas on how to organize and store all
my knitting gear—yarn, needles, patterns.
My system of keeping it in a pile by my favorite chair in the living
room was becoming an eyesore and a constant source of mocking from my
husband. There were some gorgeous ideas,
but 1) I didn’t want to put a whole lot of money into it, 2) while I’m “crafty”
I’m not especially “good” at it and 3) some of it looked like it would require
me to have access to a band saw and I just don’t see that happening. Instead, I used the Pinterest posts as
inspiration while I crafted something simple that met my need for organization
while not breaking the bank. And this is
what I came up with:
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The shelf is from Wal Mart ($20) and the baskets are from
Dollar Tree. Is it insufferably cute and
camera-worthy? Oh, good god no. But it gets the job done and I can shut my
basement door and not think about it—and my husband has one less thing to mock.
Anyway, what was my point?
Oh, yes, that Pinterest is a great source of inspiration but I don’t
have the time to do most of what is actually pinned on there. And I’m now putting all those projects back
where they belong in my awesome storage area at the bottom of the basement
stairs.
In other news, I’m still working towards my blue belt/red
stripe. I think I have everything nailed
down but still need my one-steps signed off.
My kick (reverse back foot kick) continues to give me fits. I just need to practice and not whine about
it. To say that I lack confidence in my
kicking ability would be an understatement.
I don’t know what it is about kicking, but I tend to just get all in my
head and start talking myself out of it.
I usually do well when I don’t think about it and also it would be great
if I could test via closed captioned TV and not in front of a board of
judges.
My oldest daughter has also decided to say “sayonara” to
karate—for now. She had her reasons and
I can’t judge what goes on inside the mind of a 12-year old girl. She actually stayed at it far longer than I
expected her to. Although I’m sad about
it—it was something we all did together and talked about and really enjoyed as
a female unit in the family—I’m happy she isn’t so unhappy anymore. Whatever it was, be it body consciousness
(she is very very tall) or just frustration at not advancing as she had wanted,
she really retreated into herself and just lost her love for it. I also think she thought she was letting me
down. I’m hoping that in time she will
miss it (I still catch her kicking and punching) and rediscover her love for
it.
So here’s to spring and new beginnings and all of that. I’m sure that my newfound housekeeping skills
will stick with me (don’t count on it).
