Parts and Parts

It's starting to get good around here. Mother Nature is still messing around. Warm temps, enough to melt the snow and be able to see dead grass and the sidewalk. Then in an instant, there's more snow. Right now I'm looking out the window and it's trying its best to squeeze out tiny snowflakes. We at least have another two, if not three months of winter left. I do recall one year that it snowed on Memorial Day.

Okay then... I'm doing better about not allowing others and their drama and nonsense get to me. I am my own person, I know what I want, and I know what I have to go to get what's right for me. I've got a doll show coming up and I've been busy. I cut out body parts that I had sewn last week and started to turn the pieces.

I am also attempting some male bed dolls. Yes, they had them, dressed in fancy suits or as sailors. I think I will add some golfers and playboys.

Hey!

I know it's been a bit but the first three weeks of the first month of the New Year have been a bit sucky. And I wasn't kind to myself. Yep, still working on that. I do know what happened but don't want to go over it now that I've dealt with it. The past rearing it's ugly head once more. I think that will always happen so I shall continue to move on. I think more morning pep talks are needed. I did get a wonderful writing pep talk from a lovely friend in North Carolina. I told her of a problem I was having with one of my stories and she got me to seeing things in a different way. And I've been getting encouragement from a couple of doll makers who work in air dry clay. I'm going to finish something in that new medium, for me, this month. It won't be perfect but I'll have something to show.

I did manage to get down into the dungeon this morning and finally get some sewing of the body parts done. For several days, it's been freezing down there and one time I was wrapped up so much I looked like Ralphie's brother on his way to school. I believe that put a damper on many things and well... the slope got steeper and the slide ensued. I finally got Raggedy Ann done. Oh my gosh! It has been crossed off the list. I also have been sketching and forgot to take a pic and I will do that tonight. But she is done and I can give her back to her owner.

Feeling better about things, so let's hope I can keep it going. Sometimes I feel like a teenager with all this creative angst. Stay warm.

Starting

It's really hard getting a start in the New Year. First, you have to figure out what day it is after all the days off for holidays and whatnot. Then it's finding and getting back into some kind of schedule, which I have to cut myself some slack and remind myself that I'm still in the first week of everything new. The weather isn't helping, being 20 degrees below normal for this time of year and all I want to do is hibernate. But I can't.

I got my first new doll pattern done and a prototype made up. I need to make a few changes but I'm liking the doll so far. It doesn't look like much but it's a start.

I think I will finish three at a time to see if I really like the pattern. I've also gotten in a second edit for two short stories. Not much happens when my work schedule is midday but it's still early in the month to figure that out. Stay warm and have a good day.

Happy New Year!

Day 1, page 1.

2018. A new book in my life. Right now, I'm feeling pretty good. I got on the scale this morning and was back down to the weight I had before Halloween. Last year I wanted to lose 10 pounds. Well, I lost 12. That's a way to get a new year started. The beginning and end of last year threw me down a hole of dead fish and I struggled to make sense of things. But there were some nice points last year. Yes, I shall start to write down the nice times and events and personal progress. Last year I:

• Challenged myself to read 39 books and succeeded. I read for fun. My goal for this year is 45 books and include more non-fiction.
• Visited South Haven with a friend. I really like that town and saw a great lighthouse and went sailing on a sloop.
• Got in touch with two young ladies I used to take care of. It was a great reunion. This year we plan on seeing more of each other.
• Reconnected with a costume pal from university. My new partner-in-crime.
• Discovered the town's wonderful library.
• Designed new dolls that I will start creating this year.
• Got into an upcoming doll show in the spring.
• Got a part-time job.
• Went up north with new partner-in-crime, saw more lighthouses and finally visited Mackinac Island. That was fun.
• Made some new friends.
• Saw an old friend from high school.
• Bought myself a new light box for myself for Christmas.
• Wrote 4 new short stories that will be edited this year so I can find an e-zine for publication.
• Got new glasses. I can see!
• Finished NaNoWrimo (National Novel Writing Month) with 50,411 words. I will be participating again this year.
• Made my Halloween costume and wore it to a party. Got 4th place. 
• Went to Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween art show with partner-in-crime.
• Went to a teddy bear show with another friend.
• Went to the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts) with a college friend who is one of my biggest cheerleaders. We sat in the Atrium and drank wine.

I'm sure there were a few other nice things, good things that happened but this year, I will write them down. Let's make that a thing to do in 2018. Let's remember the good things that happen to us and not give the bad things so much space in our heads. 

Have a great first day.