Rayen

Before the no-spend new year arrived I invested in two more lots of yarn. This 7.5 lbs. pile of remnants and scraps looked like a bit of a mess, but I'll have fun sorting it out. This small lot had a couple of yarns with brands that I wanted to try out in colors I want for my stash. I'll post pics of both lots once they arrive. I really had a blast designing this cardigan to clone one I'd seen in a shop window last year, and I'd like to make more crocheted garments next year. I'm also hoping to make some free pattern scrap projects that I find online and rate them. Since 2026 is likely to be my year of crochet it should be lots of fun.

Since our much-anticipated holiday plans were cancelled by others, my guy and I decided to head to Tables Beach on Christmas Day. We both love the beach, and it's a restorative place for me. While we sat on the sands and basked some hungry seagulls landed to beg for snacks, but I don't feed wildlife. I did get some neat pics, though. I also was able to let go of a lot of negative emotions that I don't want to carry around with me anymore. There weren't many people there; just some families from Patrick AFB, which was right across the street. The kids had fun, and it was fun watching them. Christmas at the beach is definitely my favorite way to celebrate now. After our beach visit we went to have a late lunch/early dinner at Hibachi Buffet , which was excellent. We'll definitely be visiting there again. Spending time together is a great consolation prize; my guy and I always have fun when it's just us. I've also learned some important ...

I usually do a simple "wishing you" holiday post, and I will still have a wish for you at the end. That said, changes are coming directly ahead in 2026 that will cause people a lot of suffering and grief, particularly those with serious health conditions who can't afford to pay for health insurance anymore. I can still maintain coverage myself without dipping into my retirement account, but only because my guy will be helping me pay the ridiculous premiums I must fork over until I turn 65 later this year (and since I've financially supported him for the last 25 years, this is only right.) My advice on the outrageous health insurance situation is to seek support and low-cost or free medical treatment via programs in your state ( NAFCC is a good place to start), as well as ask family for help with paying for health insurance if possible. Because of the health insurance situation and the rising cost of basically everything I am planning a no-spend year in 2026. I...

I started off 2025 with a terrible experience that for me took a lot of time, meditation and forgiveness to get past. That seemed to set the tone for the entire year; I'd be happily working, and then suddenly some disaster, ailment or unkindness would derail me and then I'd have to work my way through the fallout. It was that classic lather, rinse, repeat situation that never seems to improve. This past month has been a mirror to the first one, ending 2025 as badly as it began. My relationships shifted and changed, the world became colder and more hateful, and it seemed like there was nothing I could hold onto while I recovered from whatever cruel thing that had happened -- only there was. My creativity was always ready to pull me out of the poisonous to me situations, as well as my writing and my wonderful day job. It sounds trite but it's true; that really helped me manage all these toxic incidents without sinking too deeply into depression. To see some of my...

I started off the month by spraining my finger, but that didn't stop me from crocheting. I made a dishcloth and scrubbing pad out of the strangest cotton yarn I've ever thrifted. Once my sprained finger mended enough to come out of the splint I stitched the first two mini-quilts for December: an art piece using junk jewelry that I called Inner Child, and an homage to Etsy seller 14carrot, who inspired this project, with one of her lovely quilt tags. As physical therapy for my sprained finger (and because I finally learned how to do a granny stitch rectangle properly) I made this throw out of thrifted yarn in fun, non-Christmas colors. My third mini-quilt for December was this stitch practice piece with a pretty vintage Napier snowman brooch that I thrifted. This fourth mini-quilt for the month was a patchwork piece I salvaged from a pillow cover with a concealed panel during my quilt detective days. My fifth mini-quilt for December and the very last o...

Some news that is both bad and good: evidently my old writing blog, which still attracts over 3K visitors per day, isn't considered valuable enough to merit Adsense advertising, which passed on investing in it. Since my personal blog has much, much lower traffic I've removed the Adsense connection here, too. I was hoping to use advertising to cover some of my medical insurance premium costs, but I'll have to find another way. The good news is that it's kind of a relief, as I would have no control over what they chose to advertise on my blog. In other words, never mind about ads showing up on the blog -- not happening! Ha.