Gosh, I knew it had been a while since my last blog post, but I didn't realize it had been that long!
For more than a year, now, Donald's been sole owner of his web-design business, and I've been pitching in where I could, originally with small, sporadic jobs. I've been depositing checks, mailing invoices (before everyone switched over to email), copywriting, emailing reports to clients, occasionally doing some of the simplest parts of building websites and filling in the content-- that kind of thing. As time has progressed, the work has become more consistent. I still handle the monthly checks and assist with the occasional data entry, etc. for new sites, but my primary focus is on copywriting-- specifically, writing for SEO (search engine optimization). I usually enjoy it when I have an idea. When I don't have any ideas (or the idea involves researching and writing about health problems and medical procedures 😱), it's somewhat less enjoyable! Still, there's satisfaction in doing the best I can on each assignment and scratching it off my list. Every task I do saves us money we'd otherwise spend to hire someone else to do it, or takes some of the burden off Donald so he can focus on other parts of the job.
Even at the present level, I'm not working that many hours a week, really, but it does add up over the course of a month, and it's no longer just sporadic writing tasks, but a monthly list of recurring jobs that have to be fitted in around everything else. Even very part-time work still takes time (not to mention mental bandwidth) that previously would have been free. I'm happy to contribute toward the business where I can, but I suspect I've become less productive in some other areas of life as a result.
Work is just one factor out of several, though. If I want to accomplish more, I need to re-evaluate where my time is going and possibly make some changes. I have jury duty coming up toward the end of January (~SIGH~ not looking forward to it, this time...), but once that's past, I think I should implement some changes in how I allocate my time, energy, and mental resources. I am very much a creature of habit, so the key to success will be getting into better habits and routines. I'm ready to get back to doing more of the things I love (and wasting less time on things I don't)!
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I've finished another diamond painting. There was a two-pack of them. One was a spring/summer scene with birch trees, shared on an earlier blog post. The other picture is a fall scene with trees in autumn colors. I took a break from this one for a while, but it's finished, now.
It's a pretty picture, but there's not much to say about it. (Is there ever much to say about diamond paintings? As long as you don't run into problems, probably not.) I was glad to finish it. The leftover drills are stored away, and I've started on the next one, which is a gift from my youngest sister, Kimberly. It's a fox and a dandelion. I'm enjoying it and just taking my time and working on it when the mood strikes.
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I crocheted some snowflakes for Christmas, to put in with a few gifts. I made a few for Mom, and a few each for Carrie and Kimberly. There was one left over to keep, and I plan to make a few more for myself, over the next year, to have ready for next Christmas.
I've made crochet snowflakes before. Looking at my notes, it was 2018, apparently, though I'm not sure if that's when I crocheted them or when I finally got around to blocking them! This time, I used a few patterns from designer Julia Hart, who designed the doily "Oculus of Stars" that is my current doily WIP. I really love her designs, and her patterns are written very clearly, with step-by-step photos and diagrams to make everything as clear as possible. That said, I did find one of the patterns a bit more challenging than the others! I think it was "Wintertale Snowflake". I only made one of those, though I plan to go back and make more, now that there's no time crunch.
The patterns I used are "Wintertale Snowflake", "Inscribed Snowflake", "Frostvale Snowflake", and "Frostarra Snowflake", all designed by Julia Hart. She has other snowflake patterns, as well. Eventually, I may try some of the others, but those are enough to keep me busy for a while! Some of her snowflake patterns are free on her website (such as the ones linked above); others are paid patterns (available on Etsy and elsewhere), but they're very affordable. ($2 per pattern, as of this writing.) You definitely get your money's worth in her patterns, in my opinion-- especially if you make several snowflakes!)
I couldn't remember how I blocked the snowflakes, last time. Some people use watered-down glue for snowflakes, but I think I used the same starch I typically use for doilies, just not nearly as diluted. That's what I did this time, anyway. I only barely added water. Hopefully they'll hold their shape. If not, they can always be blocked again. (With glue, if desired.)
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The wool is some I had on hand, from Donald's mother the last time I visited Sweden. It's a bit of a rustic type of wool, too scratchy for wearing next to your skin, so I thought this would be a good use for some of it. The yarn colors came out more pastel and Easter-ish than originally planned, but I guess that could still be okay for Christmas. They're pretty colors, anyway, and if I don't use it for ornaments, I could always make some felted pot holders. We'll see!
I didn't take photos of the sides of that box, but I do still have the original images saved, so I'll share those:
