Happy Birthday, Creative Hodgepodge!

Two years ago, on July 3, 2009, I posted my first entry on this blog. I had just turned another year older, and was trying to focus on certain areas of my life. I was enjoying retirement, but felt too many of my days were wasted. I needed accountability, the type groups like Weight Watchers use to get results. By setting goals putting them out in public, hopefully I get more motivated to follow through. So I decided to start with two areas of my life that were most important to me, and get the ball rolling.

So how has this plan worked out? Well, I'd say there's been a moderate amount of success. In the writing side of my life, I've written in this blog every week for one hundred and four weeks! My first novel is almost finished, and a short story is going to be published this month. I'm still super excited about that.

In the arts and crafts side, I've made hundreds of quilt tops for the church Quilt Guild, hundreds (maybe thousands) of fleece hats for Warm Ears ministry (fortunately the materials are provided for both groups), knit and crocheted a couple of afghans, a few baby items, a lot of flower vases and some other miscellaneous projects. There HAS to be less fabric and yarn in this house than there was two years ago! And of course there's scrapbooking. I tend to purchase for myself, my daughters, and occasionally my granddaughters, so I can't say that I've cut down on scrapbooking stuff. In fact, I bought myself a Cricut cutter, so the scrapbooking stuff takes up more room than it did before.

Once in a while a granddaughter or a daughter will come over to help me "organize". We'll work together and get maybe half a room done, and then it's time to eat, or one of us has to leave. Let's just say organization still isn't a strong point around here.

I've had to add another goal to the original two. I've had some health issues, so some of my publicly stated goals have had to do with weight loss, or general health. I've lost - and regained - about twenty pounds. Last week I signed up for a 5K walk, so now I've got to get in training for that. I've been walking, so I need to keep that up.

So, on this second birthday of Creative Hodgepodge, I'm raising a glass (actually, it's a mug of decaf coffee) and toasting myself. Goals are good. Reaching them is even better.