Getting to Grips with 2016

The festivities are all over for another year and now it is time for me to look forward to what I want from 2016.
As any one of you who knows me personally can attest I am about as far from being a domestic goddess as it gets. I try to keep up but with the hoarder husband and my yarn habit I will admit that I am fighting a losing battle. This year though I want to at least give a bash at getting it under control. I mentioned in my last post he 2 out 1 in for my yarn but I and DH seriously have to take a look at our clothing situation. Can you believe I am still wearing a couple of jumpers I bought from a store called What Everyone Wants back in the 1990's. I am sure I have more stuff from that era and it is time for it to go.
This is also the year I want to get my recycling habit sorted. For the last few months I have been trying really hard to get the stuff in the right bins and this year I will be re-doubling my efforts.
Another thing I want to do this year is sort out a savings plan that I can stick to. I want us to have some spare pennies to use to enjoy life with. The first thing I plan to do is get back to a Christmas savings plan with Park. I used to save for the vouchers but for some reason I stopped. This will be restarted this week. The second thing I plan to do is pop a regular amount of money in a jar. I spotted the 365 day savings challenge on FB and I have already begun. Also as a bonus this year has 366 days so an extra £3.66 will go in the kitty.

 It seems such an easy way to save.

The new year also brings lots of new series of our favourite TV shows. I am looking forward to the return of NCIS, Midsommer Murders, Silent Witness and many more. Sometimes there is nothing better than curling up with some easy knitting and a great TV show.
Talking of TV over the holiday season I got bored with the usual repeats and decided to go searching through Sky to see if anything caught my fancy. One which I thought I would try was Glee. Well where the heck was I when this was on? 4 episodes in and I was hooked. The storyline reminds me of Fame from way back in the 80's but the music is fantastic and if I am feeling a wee bit down watching an episode guarantees to cheer me up. I just hope Sky keep the box sets on long enough for me to watch them all.

Having Fun with Hexis

Life

I was sent an e-mail the other day. It gave me great pause for thought. It was an obituary published in the London Times a couple of years ago which laments the passing of common sense. It touched me greatly as I also realised that in my lifetime, short as it is in the grand scheme of things, we have also lost taking responsibility for our own actions. People are too ready to blame someone or something else for where they are in life. Now I am not saying that there are not genuine cases where others are to blame but it simply cannot be the case for everyone. I have experienced bullying in my life which wore me down so much I considered doing all sorts of nasty things to myself, but I have on more than one occasion picked myself up and restarted living for the good things in life. I have seen my husband being ground down on a daily basis by chronic pain but we still laugh together and try to do fun things whenever we can. 

However it galls me to hear youngsters who have never lived and have had it all handed to them on a silver platter complain that it is not their fault that they cannot find a job, take drugs, are alcoholic etc. I know I sound like an old fuddy duddy but I was taught when I was young that if I wanted something I would have to work and save to get it. Now this may have been doing the dishes, hoovering, dusting or whatever but I know I felt a great deal of pride in myself when I took my hard earned cash to the shop to buy what I craved. Likewise when I started work that pay packet at the end of the week meant so much. I paid my dues for bed and board, put some aside for bus fares and work expenses and what I had left was mine to do with what I wished. Never that I can remember did I moan that if I could not afford the latest gizmo or clothes or whatever that it was someone else's fault. And above all never would I dream of stealing.  If I wanted it it was my responsibility.

Similarly if I fell over or broke something it was me to blame, no-one else. I took care of my belongings and they lasted. This is something I do to this day. It saddens my heart to hear the culture of blame in today's society. Maybe it is time to resurrect common sense and taking responsibility but I fear we may have gone too far.

Off the Needles

Nothing much to show this week, just a few Hexipuffs for my Beekeepers Quilt 

 I have been knitting these off and on for nearly 2 years and have finally perfected my technique. I am using magic loop and when I pick them up they go quite quickly. I am stuffing them with old pillow filling which I wash and dry so I am recycling as I go and using up all the fingering weight leftovers I have been collecting over the years.

I have nearly 100 of these done now and the jar I was collecting the finished ones in is overflowing so to my rescue is a plastic shoebox.

 

I am looking forward to watching this fill up albeit quite slowly.

On the Needles

The same projects as last week although a couple have moved forward somewhat. Hopefully next week I will have a finish to show other than hexis.

I hear the yarn and needles calling me.

Stay safe and happy crafting.

Mary