Welcome WIPocalypse Post

I'm joining in WIPocalypse again. I've enjoyed this one for several years now. The idea is to finish all our WIPs (Works in Progress) before the apocalypse. How would that ever be possible? Only if all the designers suddenly quit designing. Only if all my stash suddenly went missing and all the stores closed in the world. There is no way I will finish them all. So I just do my best and enjoy the ride while I can.

First I guess it would be nice to know a little about me. My name is Katie. I am happily married to my husband Fred. We have a wonderful son named Jeremiah who is now 21 years old. Wow. That's just not possible. He has a disability called Cerebral Palsy so I devoted my life to being his caretaker when he was born. Best job in the world. Cross stitching was something I could do with my hands while watching him grow up. I've always loved crafts so doing something when sitting still was definitely a requirement. We bought a house with my mom 12 years ago. We traveled all the time together and have been so fortunate to be so close. We made so many amazing memories with all our amazing travels. In December 2017 she had a stroke. It was luckily mild but still affects her overall health so being a caretaker for her became another part of my life. We also have a close relationship with my Dad and Step Mom. They bought 16 acres and decided to make a private family campground gathering area about an hour and half from our home. We bought a 12x24 shed last year and converted it into a home away from home. Our little cabin. Now that traveling has slowed down we spend most of our time there if not here at home. Now you know a little about me. Let's get to my stitching.

I've sorted my WIPs into two totes (mostly haha). I listed all the contents of those totes on my Goals and SALs tab above. This year there are 75 things on the list. Now this isn't a completely accurate count. Since the fairy calendar I'm working on is really only one project on that list instead of 12 separate pieces like they can count for. Oh well. It's a good starting point.

I also like to use this SAL as an excuse to keep track of what I've been working on since the last check in. Every day I make a note in a planner about what I've worked on that day. This helps me know how many days I've spent on a project. Also because of #24HOCS I now keep track of my time on a stop watch. If I put my stitching down I just stop the stop watch and then start it again when I pick it back up. I love having an accurate idea of how long each project takes now. So I've been using Jen's planner that's available on Etsy to keep track of my monthly #24HOCS challenges. Jen is the host of the #24HOCS. I also use a weekly planner that Jeremiah buys me for Christmas each year. For the last 3 years he was getting me a Walking Dead calendar but honestly the squares were so little I would run out of space a lot. They use a whole page for a large photo instead of writing space. So I told him this year I wanted something different. We looked and looked and most of them were flowery or girlie. If you know me well you know that's not me. Then I found the perfect one haha...

It's ornery and hilarious. There are real snarky phrases throughout and they make me laugh a lot. Here is a glance at this week...

Pardon the bad words. More than enough room to write everything I need to write down.

So as far as goals this year let's see...

• Finish the monthly Fairy from the Lili of the Valley Calendar every month

• FFO the fairy and at least 1 piece from my Box of Shame

• 4 Bottles on 99 a month to finish 99 by the end of 2020

• A list of 24 pieces I would really like finished for the A-Z challenge in #24HOCS you can read these on the right hand side of my blog page 

As far as SALs I'm participating in...

• First Saturday of the Month Jo's People Choice
• 10th of the Month Fully Finished SAL Hosted by Rachel
• 15th of the Month Gifted Gorgeousness Hosted by Jo
• Last Friday of the Month Smalls SAL Hosted by Mary unless the date changed
• Last Sunday of the Month WIPocalypse Hosted by Measi

• Stitchonomy Year of SALs First one is starting February 1st. There are going to 6 throughout the year with giveaways if you complete them all. Link on the right side of my blog.
• IHSW (International Hermit Stitch Weekend) 3rd full weekend each month. Try to stitch along with participants all over the world. Warn your family. Grab your stitching. The chores can wait. 
• #24HoursofCrossStitch Monthly Acrostic Challenges and other fun challenges
•  Any Blog Hops that the lovely Jo Hosts

That might be all. We'll see. I just love joining in these fun challenge/SALs so I always keep my eyes open for new ones.

My word for 2020 is stress-free. I want to enjoy every day the most I can. Stitch when I can on what I want. Finish things that make me happy. Finish old pieces so they can be displayed like they deserve to be. Enjoy life in general! I look forward to seeing what the year brings.Thanks for stopping by. Hope you come back.