Losing Your Mojo?!

So, the hoopla of New Year's is fading, and you're realizing that some of your resolutions are as well!  Well, don't despair, just shift your perspective a bit.  I really found Jones Loflin's and Todd Musig's book "Juggling Elephants" really helpful.  Their premise is that life is like a circus (I know, doesn't sound that original, but be patient ;-) and you are the ringmaster.  But, the ringmaster cannot be in all three rings at the same time, so you need to focus on starting a quality act in each ring, then allowing 2 of the 3 rings to take a back seat while you concentrate on 1 of the rings, then shift around, just like the ringmaster at a circus!  For example, I have hardly been in the computer ring this month -- the blog, the website, the FB page, etc., all need some attention, but the only way I was going to be able to produce some quality samples for Looped Yarn Works (and hence some new wonderful patterns!) was to focus almost exclusively on them.  Now, the trick is to shift back to the computer before things get too stale there.  (And, I have to admit, the family/friends ring has been getting a lot of attention lately too, but that's really what it's all about now, isn't it?!)  I really like their "3 D" technique as well -- Delegate, Delete, Delay -- for when I am feeling overwhelmed. Question how any task you choose to undertake will help you accomplish your purpose. Take greater accountability for what you do-and don't do.



Ok, your action item today is to figure out your three most important rings and which one you want to concentrate on this week.  Check out the authors' website and blog for more words of wisdom and pick up a copy of the book here!

Such Cute Stuff!

I'm so fortunate -- I've got lots of eyes and ears out there, keeping me informed about all things crochet going on in the world!  Like this great website with some pretty amazing amigurumi creatures on it:

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/79935

And this one with some great home decorating ideas for knitters and crocheters:

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/193866?utm_campaign=updates&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery8&d=0&w=96527

And little Gabe modeling my Summertime Baby Hat:

Keep those websites coming my wonderful little spies!

Tulsi Tea and Car Seat Blanket

So, as part of my New Year's resolution to get back in shape and healthier, I've been trying to avoid drinking soda.  Fine, but what to drink instead?!  Yes, I know, water should be the answer, but even though I've stepped it up, water just doesn't always cut it.  I love tea, both hot and iced, but don't want to overdo it either, and while I was shopping for different teas, I came across Tulsi Tea.  "Tulsi" is an herb, translated as "holy basil" (I bought the tea at http://www.ishopindian.com/, which is a great way to get Indian items delivered right to your door if you don't have an international grocery store near you).  I found a box of tea bags, in which the tulsi and some black tea are mixed together.  When a co-worker saw the package, he said that he used to have a tulsi plant and put it in his tea all the time.  It's really quite tasty (not as strong as regular basil), and it's supposed to contain lots of antioxidants.

And, the car seat baby blanket is done!!  The baby shower is today, so whew!  The mom-to-be is having a girl, and she has chosen pink and black as the color scheme.  So, what do you think?!

And It's Already Sunday

Well, the weekend is in effect already over :-(  It's been a relatively productive and happy one though, so no complaints I guess.  In the waning hours left of my Sunday evening, I thought I'd share with you a concept that I've heard a number of motivational gurus talk about -- The Power of an Hour.  Since 20-minute blocks of time seem to be optimal in many ways for starting new and better habits (it's long enough to have a realistic impact, and it's short enough that you can tell yourself that you can stand just about anything for 20 minutes
;-), think of an hour as a chance to kick start three important activities that you want to make a part of your life.  An hour total, again, is not that long of a time.  We can certainly cut out one TV show or net surfing session in order to gain the benefits of the three "good" activities you are going to adopt.  Jack Canfield recommends reading, exercise, and meditation, but perhaps you want to pick crafting, cooking, and reading.  Whatever the activities, 1) decide what they are, 2) grab an egg timer and set it for 20 minutes, and 3) start!

It's Only Thursday

What a long week!  But at least it is the home stretch...

Last night was a lot of fun, though made for a long day.  I started a crochet group in my condo building, and we met in the community room from 8 to 10 PM.  We had about 10 people (we even welcomed the knitters ;-).  Everyone brought their projects to show off and work on, and a few of the crocheters said they are interested in doing some charity projects as well.  I'm really excited about that part because I've really been wanting to do something of that nature on a bigger scale for a while now.  I now need to do some research to see what the possibilities are.  At this point, we're planning on meeting just one night a month, but it's a start!

Otherwise, I'm finishing up some hats and mittens for friends and a really cool (if I do say so myself!) car seat blanket for an expecting mom -- pictures and pattern to be posted soon.

So I leave you today with an action item to follow up from last week's post:  you should now have a list of 3 or 4 specific goals you're going to focus on this year.  Now, start planning and writing down your first step towards one of those goals.  For example, I set as one of my goals to get 1000 followers.  Ok, so how am I going to go about accomplishing that?  One manageable step I can take is to go to three forums this weekend and comment on posts of interest to me so that people out there can meet me and start to get to know me, check out my site, and hopefully like what they see and "like" my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter.