The last week of December is always an interesting seven days in between Christmas and New Years. School vacation for some children, short work week for companies, taking down and putting away decorations for many, and reflecting on the past year while looking forward to the new one.
Thinking – I do a lot of thinking:
- Our first snow arrives tomorrow – where will it be on the range of 3-12″
- Can I get myself back on track to walk 10,000 steps a day instead of 7-8,000
- Blogging – how many times I want to post, do I want to update the theme, and how many blogs is reasonable to read and comment on
- Will I have to succumb to spending more than 10 minutes a week on Facebook because that is how families communicate now
- Do I need to practice texting so I can make these thumbs move into the new millennium
- Where do I start on the long list of quilting projects I am interested in completing
- What types of plants do I want to grow and what do I need to order for the 2016 gardening season
- Will AT&T enable WiFi calling for Android phones so we can finally get rid of our landline and use the money for something besides receiving political calls
- How to take my new Canon DSLR off automatic since I’ve read the book and still can’t figure it out
- Looking into whether an April trip with friends to DC and VA is viable
- Camping season starts May 15th, and we need to trade trailers
- Will we like seasonal lake camping
- Researching information about our September trip to Ireland
- Dreaming about where we want to travel to after Ireland
My head is spinning, hope it doesn’t fly off. 🙂
So what are you thinking about this week as you reflect on 2015 and envision 2016?
A lot to look forward to there Judy! I’m torn between making plans or taking one day at a time. Both approaches have their appeal.
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Definitely. I take one day at a time when it comes to steps for sure – one day I make 10,000 and one day I make 8,000 and have to be satisfied. 🙂
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Whew! I am exhausted just reading your to-do list. 😉 I am contemplating another major knitting project and my easy chair is surrounded with bags and bags of possible colours (might be red-orange-yellows, lots of textures, handspun & store-bought yarns. No rush, got all winter….
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Does this major knitting project have a category – afghan, sweater?? Love your bright colors. 🙂
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We still have family coming to visit tomorrow so our decorations won’t come down until after New Year’s Eve. I got a new potting bench for Christmas and I am already thinking about what I want to plant. I’m in full blown planning mode for a short camping trip in January. Happy New Year!
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Family is good, twinkling lights are wonderful, a new potting bench is terrific, and a camping trip in January is unheard of in these parts. You go girl, and send us photos through your posts. 🙂
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I’m thinking it will take me all next year to recuperate from YOUR list of plans, so I’m not gonna do any thinking for myself!! LOL!
Wishing you and yours a healthy, safe and happy New Year. If you have the healthy and safe, the happy is a given. Hope 2016 holds many surprises, friend, all good ones! Hope too you win the lottery or find a boatload of one hundred dollar bills!
Just promise you will keep the blogs coming….they make my day!
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Love your decision to not think for yourself – keep things easy. LOL If I win the lottery or find a boatload of money, I will gladly share with all the lovely people, like yourself, who make my day with your wonderful comments. I’ll keep you posted on any winnings. 🙂
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I’m still coming off the holiday and its excesses. I love being off-schedule. A good excuse to just do what I want! The only chore I’ve managed is laundry! With the unseasonably warm weather (prior to today!) I was outside taking lots of long walks. Haven’t even pondered the coming year or any goals! Later perhaps? 😉
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I’m still in a sugar coma and trying to figure out how to get back to Greek Yogurt after a couple of weeks of cookies and candies. 🙂
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Sugar coma – that describes it exactly!
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I will be working on that in a few days… HOpefully no withdrawls..
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You’re a pretty well organized person – I’m sure by Valentine’s Day you’ll have most of your questions answered!
I really want to get into hand quilting the pink rose queen size I’m making for Bree, but I keep getting interrupted!
Whatever you do, keep your blogging schedule, please!
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I watched a YouTube last night on how to do hand quilting because I’ve never tried it. A queen sized quilt should keep you busy in the evening for quite a while. Can’t wait to see it. 🙂
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That sounds like a great 2016 bucket list! I have less on my list, however larger endeavors. The one common thing for us is looking at new trailers. We’ll be looking for 2017, but if something comes along, we’re on it. Have a wonderful 2016!
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Texting. Still hate it. But I have this to offer: a simple explanation of the exposure triangle for newbies from the online (and free) digital photography school website. It’s a great place to begin and leave “auto” behind. 🙂 http://digital-photography-school.com/mastering-the-exposure-triangle-for-newbies/
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Ooh, thank you so much. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that information. And, texting is just hard for me. My thumbs had years of training for a space bar and they fit quite well there. Now along comes this miniature keyboard that is suppose to be masted by thumbs? I have to key the message before I put the person’s name in or it never fails I somehow hit send and off goes some gibberish. 🙂
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Yeah…enjoy. Sign up for their newsletter and get tips every week. RE: texting…it’s not just the keyboard. It’s keeping up with the abbreviations. Miserable. imo (translation…”in my opinion!”) 🙂
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I will second digitalphotographyschool.com!! Such a great site.
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I like the way you have short term plans rolling into longer and much longer term. You must have an organized mind Judy. Maintaining a high step count in the winter can be difficult. If you come up with any good ideas, please share. Enjoy the short holiday week.
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I do have a organized mind which can be a blessing for me or a real pain for someone else. LOL The sun was shining this morning so I thought I’d take a walk in the neighborhood down the road before the snow flies. I’m cruising along, listening to music, and spy a hands down terrific hockey ring in a backyard – 3′ wood walls and benches lining it. Wow – I was impressed. I slowed down and was trying to figure out how I might get a photo without stepping on their property when I stepped on this tiny circle of ice and got to meet the asphalt up close and personal. I just banged my knee and elbow – no real issues except for my pride as I pulled myself up, dusted myself off and got on my way. LOL Back to the boring treadmill. 🙂
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Ouch. I’m worried about ice this winter because Maddie really seems to need her walks. I won’t go if there’s ice. I hope your knee is ok.
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Have you got a pair of Yaktrax? I keep them on one pair of boots that I use for shoveling, clearing and walking and can say they have kept me upright quite well. Well worth the small cost.
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I have something for snow blowing but not sure they would work well on sidewalks. Most of our walk is paved. I’ll look into these. Thanks.
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I haven’t had time to think yet, Judy. We had family here for Christmas and our daughters are still here. Our younger daughter was supposed to leave a bit earlier, but her flight was cancelled and she can’t get out until early Wednesday morning. So we get to enjoy her for another day. 🙂 I work tomorrow all day and then I have to plan a little bit for New Years Eve Day and New Years, as a friend is coming over for a bowl game blowout. 🙂 Perhaps by next year I’ll have a few minutes to think and plan.
Good luck with your list!!
janet
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Family and an extra day with a daughter is a wonderful present and friends to spend New Years with is another gift. You’re doing well so far. 🙂
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I agree, Judy. Plenty of time to think and plan.
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Interesting list! I am embarrassed to say that my 10K steps have dropped to 5K and so I’m working back up to 7500 until I get myself back in line. So far today 6499…sigh. I love vacation planning. I haven’t been to Ireland yet. We, too, are going to VA in the spring, Monticello, Madison and Monroe, and then in the early autumn Glacier National Park on Amtrak sleeper…I love trains. So I too am now starting to dream about 2017…I’m thinking Greece, solo or not, while I can still climb up to the Acropolis. Have a happy new year!
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Steps are hard this time of year but I try to think that those 5K are better than 4K. 🙂 Monticello was one of my very, very favorite visits. Beautiful. Now, I’m off to check out Glacier National Park on Amtrak. LOL
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All good things to think about. It is a reflective time of year – time to consider what we want to let go of, and what we want to embrace. Here’s to 2016 – and a year of happy travels, productive gardens and satisfying projects! 🎉😀
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I do a lot of thinking, at least I thought so until I read your list. I’m not nearly as consumed with plans and planning anymore 😀 I tend to only be thinking about about 1-2 days ahead …
During the 4 years I lived here, it’s become obvious that almost all the plans or ideas I have; whether they are practical, craft-oriented, etc can never come off as conceived because there’s no way to make them happen with the resources available or because the resources that are available are so expensive it makes the project impossible. Sadly, many dreams and ideas have died because of a lack of the wherewithal to make them happen.
The cost of living here is very high, the items available for purchase are either very cheap or very expensive – you get what you pay for. Items for a craft project, a sewing project, or any other project must all be hunted down, purchased at multiple sources, all of which are located in Helsinki – nearly an hour away.
Most people gave up on sewing when the fabric prices got too expensive. The fabric centers and seamstresses all vaporized in the 1980-90s. Now there is one major fabric outlet catering mostly to designers.
A lot of homes here are filled with non-essential cheap junk and Ikea-brand furnishings. Craftsmen /quality wood furniture is hard to come by.
I teeter between wanting to be healthy and fit and not giving a damn. It’s easy to give in to defeatist tendencies when most things that were so easy to do and come by in the States are hard to come by and tough to do here.
The language barrier is problematic. After trying to learn Finnish but only being moderately successful and still not getting it, I will give Swedish a go in the hope that it will be somewhat easier to pick up.
I can offer a couple tips that might make using your camera easier.
The aperture and speed work on a sliding scale so to speak. You can obtain a good picture within a range of aperture settings and speed settings -to a certain point, but then you will have blurring and darker images which are undesirable unless you’re trying to achieve these on purpose.
You can safely hold the camera and achieve blurry-free shots when the speed is set at 60 or higher… there are tricks for lower speeds, but even these and lower settings are best with a tripod to ensure a blurry-free image.
For normal images an ISO of 100 or 200 is probably ideal because it allows for a high quality image without grain or distortion. Faster film speeds are helpful when you are trying to capture a shot during a sports match or a child running, etc./action but the shots may be grainy and have distortion.
Set your film speed at 100 or 200. adjust your shutter to 1/60 for this trial. (this means the shutter will open and close in 1/60th of a second. adjust your aperture (the ring on your lens with numbers on it) until you are letting in enough light -possibly f5.6 on your lens. you should see some sort of meter inside the view-finder window as you look through it at your image. Now take a couple test shots of an image choosing an aperture setting in several selections. make a note of what you are doing if it’s easier, then compare the images. the closer your aperture f -value (amount of light let in) matches your shutter speed 1/1200, 1/125, 1/30 etc (the quickness of the shutter opening and closing) the better your image may be.
when you go outside in normal daylight there will be a greater amount of light available than indoors (typically!). so you will have to adjust your aperture setting higher (restricting the light). the reason for this is that too much light will make your image over-exposed and washed out.
there are settings, a slower shutter speed -longer exposure for example that will produce excellent results but you will need a tripod for slower speeds because the shutter of the camera remains open for a longer period of time, and any movement at all will affect your image, possibly making it blurry.
You can find additional information online or through the help of other photographers in your area. They can explain and show you using your own camera what sorts of effects are possible, and what to avoid doing for the best results. best of luck!!
Happy New Year!
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Thank you so much for the camera tutorial. I will print it out and give it a try. The information about purchasing items in your homeland must be quite frustrating at times but it must also bring out the creativity in you to repurpose things. I have to say that is a challenge I love. I guess I need to be more thankful for all the purchasing options I have. We have chain fabric stores, some fabric options in box stores, and quilting stores with upscale patterns scattered around. I don’t know what I’d do with myself all winter long if I couldn’t sew. I don’t know any languages except English so I can only envision the challenges of learning how to speak fluently in another language. You have so many inside and outside projects going at your home that I applaud your determination and always look forward to reading all about them. Can’t wait to see your new garden space. 🙂
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Given the amount of snow that you had last year, I’d be thinking does each hoist of the shovel equal a step? 🙂
As to cameras, for the most part I use two settings : automatic and the one below it ; no flash.
Those two settings combined are called “no headache” 🙂
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Oh – I like no headache. LOL Funny you mention the steps and the shovel because when there isn’t too much, I can pick up 3-4000 steps just shoveling our turn around parking area so I volunteer to do it. It is coming down like a blizzard right now with what looks like 3-4″ on the ground already. I think I’ll have a chance to pick up a few steps this morning. LOL
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I can see you and I are kindred spirits–my mind races at this time of year, too! And I think/worry about many of the same things–just trying to get a handle on this year they call 2016!
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Judy….you are awesome! I love how much you ‘consider’ all the things in your life…from big to small, you are a perfect example of living consciously. About Ireland……I think you and Dennis should come and camp here at Lake St. George for a weekend this summer, then we can have some serious pow wows about your trip to Ireland. There are so many ‘must see’ places that won’t be written in guide books that I want to tell you about. Also, a few places to rent that may be off the radar. I’m sure Sally will help with this as well. I am so happy to think of you going to Ireland …you will love it!!!! Truly, you are such a fun and inspirational fellow blogger ( friend)……(a poorly written sentence, I know) but I love reading your blog and your appetite for life…applaud, applaud !
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As the snow falls, the thought of camping in your beautiful area of Maine sounds wonderful. 🙂 We are really excited about Ireland and Dennis has been spending time researching craft breweries. I guess he wants to make sure we are hydrated for our touring. LOL If I was 15 years younger, I’d be looking for property near you so we could farm away together. 🙂
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What a pair we would make!!! And yes, staying hydrated is important! Spoke with Sally this morning…..any way we can help with regards to Ireland….we’re on board to do so! Snow falling gently here…lovely! Finally winter! Spinning wheel out and ready to whirl! Tell Dennis I brought home a great Irish ale called ‘ Sheep Stealer’ made by Black Donkey brewing company in County Roscommon. Quite yummy. See, I have Dennis’s back with regard to ‘Tour dE pint ‘ in Ireland. Keep me posted.
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Gosh Judy, that really is a lot of thinking and what ifs!! For me the past year has been quite wearing on many levels, but I look forward with hope renewed and restored to new adventures next year…..I’m not entirely sure what the adventures will be….but I’m certain they will unfold in their own good time 😉 More trips northwards to the Isle of Skye, some lovely family time southwards on the sunny Isle of Menorca in the Mediterranean, a new crop of fruits and veg to nurture, harvest and eat, and blogging, writing, photographing, painting and creating are all certain…but not fully pinned down yet!! Enjoy your year 🙂
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You may not have it on the calendar yet, but it sure sounds like a busy, fun filled 2016 for you. 🙂
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I guess that’s how it always works out 🙂
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I bet your trip to Ireland will be so amazing! I went when I was 17 and really liked it. You should only blog as much as you can without stressing!
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Glad you had an opportunity to visit Ireland and enjoyed the visit. Yes, blogging should be fun not a job. 🙂
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Your list just puts me to shame although I admit I did start at document called “My Dreams” today in hopes of knowing what it is I really want to accomplish this year. Wish I had wonderful things like a trip to Ireland to put on the list but I am also very practical. That won’t happen — so you will share your trip with me! Here is to a great 2016.
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I like ‘my dreams.’ 🙂
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Love your list, Judy! Here’s to exciting new possibilities in the New Year!! First on my list is updating technology to devices that will be much ‘smarter’ than me.:) I’m dreaming garden dreams, thinking about some home projects, and thinking about a possible trip Across the Pond, too. I absolutely must get my number of steps back up, as well. Since we have ice and snow on the ground here in the Midwest, some brisk laps around the mall are on my calendar! Happy New Year, Judy! ♡
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Those smart devices do have their issues. The first time my phone started talking and telling me there was lightening in my area I couldn’t figure out where the voice was coming from. LOL Same thing here with walking in snow and ice. 🙂
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We honeymooned in Ireland in September and it was absolutely splendid. Don’t overplan. It’s a wonderful place to let spontaneity run rampant. There are B & Bs everywhere and you can always find a place to sleep wherever you find yourself as evening approached. Hang loose and figure out how to get your camera off iAuto before you leave 🙂
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LOL Yes, getting it off automatic is a huge goal before I head to Ireland.
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LOL ! I had the same thought about the landline cause of political calls! And so want to go to Ireland someday! Have those thoughts about my blog too!
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Sounds like a busy year ahead…I’m just about over Christmas (we return home today from a lovely stay with family in Portugal), so your call to action on 2016 has given me something to think about on the flight. All the best for 2016!☺
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My brain always whirls with plans this time of year too. Because we are just starting out on this property, we need to figure out how much we can undertake in the spring … orchard, bees, gardens … and we need a little time to travel!
I will be curious to see how you like the seasonal lake camping. Keep us posted. Also, if you do make a trip up to Lake St. George and have any extra time, let me know. We live close by.
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It is going to be so much fun to follow all your spring projects. 🙂 And, yes, if I head back up that way I’ll give a shout out.
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A fun post. Exciting to have a new camera. Good luck with experimenting with manual mode. Enjoy. I look forward to seeing photos and hearing about quilt projects. Happy 2016.
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I’m glad I’m not alone in all of the thinking going on!! A list a mile long and I don’t know where to start 🙂 just need to pick something and chip away! So wonderful to think about traveling and planning for future trips. I love doing that!
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The time between Christmas and New Years always feel like a kind of limbo. Like I am caught somewhere between the past and the future. It’s a time of planning, making lists of changes, possibilities, and hopes for the next year while saying good-bye and sometimes good riddance to the current year.
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Exactly. 🙂 I say good-bye to 2015, but I certainly said good riddance to 2014. Here’s hoping we both have a really good 2016. 🙂
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Sounds like I could cut and paste your list for myself – including a trip to Ireland! Happy New Year!
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