School, Sew, Run

These are the 3 things I have been up to lately...

School - I got accepted into Graduate School! Starting in January I will officially be a student again! I am very excited! Lately, however, I have begun the task of figureing out how to manage my new student-status along with my other responsibilities such as working full-time, being a caring and present spouse, and of course continuing my sewing. I know I will have to use my time more effectively, which ultimately is a good thing. I am also a bit concerned with weather. Indiana winters can be a pain. I am thankful that I have dear friends I can stay with if weather is bad. I also plan on saving up vacation days in case I get stranded in Indianapolis for a day or 2. If weather is awful, and I can't make it to class, that will have to do. I value my education (and the money I spend on it), but I value my life more! So no need to worry Mom and Dad! :)

Sew - Oh man, I have been a crafting machine lately! I've been finishing up a project involving crinkle- stuffed animals. This project took for.ev.er. Small tedious projects are not my thing... but it did improve my hand stitching and applique. I still haven't figured out the blind-stitch, but I will eventually. Anyway, I finally finished the project a few days ago! Hooray! I am now on to making making masks for a masquerade ball the the husband and I are going to through my work! After that I am making a gift for a friend that is getting married, and then I will make my first dress for myself! I have everything bought for it - I just need to make it! I also have a friend getting married in December and will be throwing her a shower/hen night and helping with wedding decorations. I can't wait! Obviously Sewing will have to take a back seat to school, so I hope to get a lot of it done in the next few months!

Run - I am up to running 18-20 minutes and walking 16! I am pretty proud of myself! I haven't noticed a change in the way my clothes fit, but that is okay. I have been eating too much bread and chocolate... so it is my fault. I like having more energy though.

On another note, my former roommate from college just got married in Barbados and I couldn't be happier for her and her spouse! I watched the video of their nuptials during work today. I cried, smiled, and laughed; all the hallmarks of a good wedding in my book. I know their marriage will be even more beautiful! Congrats Rose and Joe!

Learning Curve

Our Apt is decorated, the tree is up, and the gifts are wrapped. Hooray, Christmas Season is finally here! I've learned a few things this year that hopefully will help me be more prepared come Christmas 2011.

• Start Projects Early - Every year I find great things to make people and every year I wait until the last minute to create them. I am a procrastinator but I do not thrive under pressure, which is very unfortunate. Mrs. Attempted Domestication, on the other hand, is a first-class procrastinator. In college she would wait until the night before a term paper was due, grab a box of cheap wine, and go to town. by 7 am she had written a masterpiece professors would fawn over.

• Take time for yourself (and your spouse if you have one) - Last night The Husband wanted to take some time and relax together, but I told him I didn't have time. After all, the floors needed to be swept and mopped, I needed to continue my sewing projects, and he had dishes to do! However, I then decided that those things could wait until tomorrow. The Holiday Season isn't about a clean floor and dishes; it is about the love that God gave us through Jesus and each other. Spending time with yourself, loved ones, and fabulous friends is not only a great gift, but it is also a necessity! So we relaxed, and it was wonderful. It gave me time to refocus, which was just what I needed!

In therapy I am learning to take responsibility for my actions and thoughts. In essence, it is up to me to change this behavior. It is hard to re-learn how to do things, but it is also empowering. I have the power to change things in my life in order to make things better! So, I am going to change this for next year. If I fail at it next year i'm not going to kick myself over it, I will brush myself off and try again.

Happy Holidays!

Potpourri

Sorry for the blogging break friends, but I was actually working... as a volunteer coordinator it always gets a bit busy before major holidays. Everyone wants to give back at the same time!

Anywho...

Things are going well here in good ole Indiana. Since it is the holiday season (YAY!) the husband and I will be spending a lot of time in the car traveling from here to there... which really means that he will drive and i will play sudoku and we will both listen to NPR for 3 hours straight. Because we are slightly obnoxious NPR fans, almost all of our stories start with "I heard on NPR that..." We are okay with this, but I'm not sure everyone else is.

My sister's baby shower went so well! My sister looked beautiful of course! We played the required game, ate delicious food, and she got a crap ton of awesome stuff! It was a great time and I got a ton of compliments on the invites, which was nice. Okay, very nice.

Now that the shower is dont I have to get cracking on the Christmas presents I am making. I am only making gifts for 2 people, but I am also going to make a ton of coffee sleeves... they will be great stocking stuffers! Speaking of gifts, the husband and I decided to forgo expensive gifts and to go on a trip/adventure instead. We still wanted something to open on Christmas though, so we are giving gifts of 20 bucks to each other. I'm pretty excited about this!

On another note, the husband and I are starting to build actual adult wardrobes. We are shopping clearances, sales, and consignment stores for all the 'essentials.' Goodbye ironic t- shirts! Hello v-neck sweaters and knee-length dresses! Of course I will still be wearing my vintage wear and retro dresses; they are the epitome of classy! And to top it off, this was not even my idea; the husband stumbled upon a mens fashion blog and the rest is history!

Okay, one more thing: I have started going to therapy again, and let me say the it. is. life-changing. I REALLY like my therapist. She knows what shes talking about, she gives me practical exercises and tips on how to manage my anxiety, and she makes it fun! We are focusing on my fear of storms, tornadoes, fire, water, and anything else that can potentially kill you and/or your loved ones. We are using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to treat the anxiety, and let me say... it is empowering!

I hope you all are doing well too; enjoy the holiday!

Funny Tidbits

This past weekend some funny things happened:

• While turning off the lamp on his night stand before going to bed, the husband knocked a full glass of water on his head and on his side of the bed. It was awesome. We covered it with a towel and promptly went to sleep.
• While napping this weekend, I was dreaming about knitting, sewing, and crocheting when the husband woke me up. I responded with "big crochet." What that means I have no idea, but apparently he can crochet big. Also, I was very mad at him because he laughed after I said "big crochet." After all, he was supposed to know what I was talking about! :)
• Our nephew apparently sneezed on the communion at church on Sunday; we were in the second row.

Also, a no-so-funny but rather important tidbit of info: my sister officially received her masters of Education Diploma! Congrats Sister!!! I am proud and a bit jealous!