Valentine's Day Cards

 There are several styles of cards I enjoy making.  Some including stamping, watercolor, die cutting, foiling, etc.  Sometimes I enjoy what I will call paper crafting.  It involve using patterned paper and ephemera (usually die cut piece I receive).  The Valentines Day cards I made this year involved using Tim Holtz Palette Ephemera pack that was included in the February card kit.  I was very much inspired by Vicky Papaioannou's video.  

February Book Wrap-up

 

Take Me - I'm Cozy

 We attended a concert of the West Virginia Symphony last Saturday evening at the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences.  My attention was caught by the yarn b0mbing of the sculpture in the area outside the Center.  Be sure and read the message in the last picture of what is pinned to the scarves..

Summary of January 2025 Reading

 

20th Anniversary

 I am shocked and excited to say that today is the 20th anniversary of this blog.  It all started on January 31, 2005 with this post:

I've always thought that this would be a strange thing to do -- an online journal -- blog sounds so -- well -- yucky. I've seen so many interesting blogs lately concerning knitting, so I thought that I would give it a try.

I am a multi-tasking kind of individual. I am a mom -- I have two sons -- an eleven year old and an eight year old. I am a wife, a daughter... I am a research associate in endocrinology. I volunteer at my church as the chairman of our Nurture Committee.

I also am creative -- that is, I like to create. My current hobby is knitting. On my needles right now are two scarves. Both are being knitted in farrow rib using Encore bulky yarn -- 75% acrylic and 25% wool. They are for my two sons. One is red and black; the other is forest green and black. I must finish them at the same time in order to please both sons. :)

You can tell from the post that the blog began as a Knitting Blog, and was in fact only about knitting. There were some "life" posts, but it was mainly knitting.  In those 20 years, I've posted 359 times (including this post). 

A few things have happened on the blog since then.

• I learned how to add images to posts.  At the beginning, I was posting the images as separate posts.  
• I was a part of a blog ring, but those have gone away.
• I changed the template to this kind of dreamy blue one with a sailboat you almost can't see.
• As my hobbies expanded, I changed the name to Sandpiper Creates (although the address has always been mom4gj.blogspot.com).
• The new template gave me the ability to add pages, so there is a page for each type of hobby and there is a library page that is linked from my other blog.
• I started a second blog for faith posts (sandpipersthoughts.blogspot.com).
• I am still a mom - but the sons are men now.  I'm still a wife, but our marriage is older (and still wonderful). I work at a different place doing a completely different job; I've been there 16 years.
• There have been some years that I didn't post much, and two years (2007 and 2008) where there were no posts. I made a decision along the way that I wanted to keep the blog up and running. My goal now is two posts a month, which is manageable.  Expect that same schedule this year.

So, here we go, into year 21, full of creativity and life.   

Reading Stats 2024

 For the past few years, I have shared my reading stats.  Maybe it makes me a little nerdy - but I'm not.  I'm very nerdy, and I like statistics.  So here we go for 2024. 

I read a total of 67 books in 2024.  This compares to 56 books in 2021, 35 in 2022 and 52 in 2023.  This is higher than any of the previous years that I have tracked.  I'm not sure why. I seemed to have read more at the end of the year:

The graph above is from my Story Graph account - an account I started in 2024 for its statistical tracking.

Here are how the stats worked out:

Question 1: What was the format of the book?  Hard copy? Kindle? Audiobook?  Audiobook is the winner, at 80%.  I read a lot as I drive to work, using audiobooks, so this is not surprising. I started reading from my Kindle more at the end of the year, using a 5% of the book per day goal.  Amazingly enough, when you read a book, you eventually finish it.  :-)

Question 2: Had I read the book before?  Again this year, to make sure I didn't get in a rut of only re-reading books, I set a goal of at least 30% new books. 52% were new books to me.  This is down from last year, but I'm OK with that.

Question 3: What was the genre of the books I read?    The winner this year was romance, at 36%. followed by fantasy at 25%.  Last year's  "winner" was mystery.  Another one of my goals for 2024 was to read at least 4 "spiritual development" books.  I read 6; that category came in at 9% .

Question 4: When were the books published?  39% of the books I read were published between 2020 and 2024; close behind that was 30% of the books from 2010-2019. 

Question 5: I gave each book a star rating of 1-5.  I gave each star rating a definition (which is too much stuff to share in this post) - fiction and non-fiction had different rating definitions.  My average rating was 4.0.  My lowest rating was 1.5, and the highest was 5.  

This is my Goodreads profile if you are interested in seeing what I've read.  This page is my Blog Library.  I list faith books here (or other books I've blogged about) with links to the posts.

Reading Goals for 2025

On September 8 I wrote about my 2024 reading goals.  While you can see from that post that I have a few concerns about setting reading goals, I do like having them overall, and want to set some for 2025.  

1. Read 50 books.  So far this year (as of December 19), I've read 64 books.  I've already met the 50 book goal, but 64 books seems like an anomaly compared to previous years.  I'm going to keep the number at 50 for 2025.
2. Read 18,000 pages. My average book size this year was 360 pages.  If I read 50 books, that will be 18,000 pages.  Number of pages is a new goal for me.  I'm able to do it because I have created a Story Graph account.  Story Graph will convert audiobooks to number of pages.  
3. Read at least four Spiritual Development books. 
4. Read at least 30% new books.  As of today, 53% of the books I have read have been new to me.  I like re-reads, but I don't want to only re-read.  Hence this goal.

This isn't a reading goal, but I also want to revamp how I track my reading in my bullet journal and in my reading journal, so I'm giving that some thought. 

I'm keeping updated accounts in both Good Reads and Story Graph.  So far that hasn't proven to be an issue at all. I like what each one provides even though at first blush it might seem duplicative. 

I love data!

By the way, this is an image from UnSplash of someone else's library. Do you love to look at pictures of wonderful libraries?  I do.

Update on End of Year Book Tag

I thought I would take a moment to update the End of Year book tag post that I uploaded on November 11. After that, I'll talk (later this week) about the reading goals I'm setting for 2025.

Is there a book you have started that you would like to finish by the end of the year?

I finished Hounded - a book I started on January 25.  I also finished Go Tell the Bees that I'm Gone by Diana Gabaldon - a book I started sometime in 2021.  I discovered (she says facetiously) that if you read a little bit of a book each day, you can get to the end.  I found as I read these books, that I wanted to read a little bit more than a little bit each day.  Two books down that I have wanted to finish. 

Do you have an autumnal book to transition to the end of the year with?

I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, my sort of autumnal book. 

Is there a new release you are still waiting for?

The Mirror (The Lost Bride Trilogy #2) by Nora Roberts was released on November 19.  I read it (listened to it). 

What are three books you want to read by the end of the year?

As of November 19, this was my TBR so far for the rest of the year:

• Inheritance (The Lost Bride Trilogy #1) by Nora Roberts - Finished.
• Artificial Conditions (Murderbot #2) by Martha Wells - Finshed today.
• Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood - Finished.
• All the Good: A Wesleyan Way of Christmas - Finished - maybe before Advent or very close to the beginning of it.
• The Mirror by Nora Roberts - Finshed.
• Hounded by David Rosenfelt - Finished.

Is there a book that you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?

The Mirror was a five star read for me - a new favorite. That's not shocking. 

Stitching on Paper

 This is a terrible picture - sorry.  I was in a rush.  

In the image are stitched paper light bulbs and the gold sockets.  This is my first attempt at stitching on paper.  The bulbs were cut using Stitched String Lights Etched Dies from Spellbinders.  I cut them from foiled paper so they would be shiny, and then I stitched them using DMC gold thread.  I did this on a trip to and from Pittsburgh - they were a car craft. 

Soon, I'll assemble them on what I imagine will be two Christmas cards using the cord die that comes with the set. 

Do I like stitching on paper? Well, it was a little fiddley.  The sockets are very small. The thread was slick - it had no gripping power on the paper, and the road was rough. I'm not sure this project was a good test of whether I like this kind of crafting or not.

Looking forward to creating the cards, though.

End-of-Year Book Tag

I was watching a video from Katie is Reading on YouTube. She talked through questions from an End-of-Year tag. I enjoyed thinking about the questions, so here they are with my answers.

Is there a book you have started that you would like to finish by the end of the year?

On January 25, I started Hounded by David Rosenfelt. It is the 12th Andy Carpenter book in this series. I habitually read these books on my Kindle (instead of listening to them). The problem is that I don't find much time to read books (with my eyes) unless I am reading them for a specific purpose (like a class). I would like to finish this one by the end of the year. I'm 50% done with it.

Do you have an autumnal book to transition to the end of the year with?

I think you could call this an autumnal book, although I don't reserve reading this series to any particular season. I started a reread of the Harry Potter series in December of 2023. I'm currently reading #7 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I'll finish it either this week or next.

Is there a new release you are still waiting for?

Yes - I'm looking forward to the release of The Mirror (The Lost Bride Trilogy #2) by Nora Roberts on November 19.

What are three books you want to read by the end of the year?

I have more than three. Here is my TBR so far for the rest of the year:

• Inheritance (The Lost Bride Trilogy #1) by Nora Roberts - a reread to be ready for the second in the series.
• Artificial Conditions (Murderbot #2) by Martha Wells - I read #1 this month and really enjoyed it.
• Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood - I read the first two in this series, and only have this one left.
• All the Good: A Wesleyan Way of Christmas - a book to read during Advent
• The Mirror by Nora Roberts
• Hounded by David Rosenfelt

There will be more - I just haven't picked them out yet. I would like to find something fun for the Christmas season.

Is there a book that you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?

I really enjoy books by Nora Roberts, so The Mirror could become a new favorite. It wouldn't be shocking, though.

Have you already started making reading plans for 2025?

No, not really. I am working my way through the Amelia Peabody books by Elizabeth Peters, so I imagine I will read some of those. If I finish that series, I might start another series of hers as a reread. I'll probably throw in some more Murderbot books. There will probably be two JD Robb In Death books released - I'll read those. And I'll pick up at least one new Andy Carpenter book (by David Rosenfelt).

I'll probably set a goal of at least four books for spiritual development - that was one of my goals this year. That will probably include The Gospel of John by Amy Jill-Levine.

Pumpkins

Navy and Green

Orange and Yellow 

Late last month I posted that I had purchased yarn from Fibre Space to knit using free patterns from Blue Sky Fibers.

Last week I knit two pumpkins with the Blue Sky Fibers Woolstok yarn.  They were mini-hanks, so there wasn't enough of one color to knit a solid pumpkin, unfortunately.  I like them, though.

• Yarn: 2+ mini-hanks of two different colors of Woolstok Yarn
• Needles: Size 7 double-pointed needles

 

Card Basket

When I finish a card, I take its picture, initial the back, match it with an envelope, and put the envelope and card in a plastic sleeve.

The cards are then categorized into my card basket - birthday, anniversary, etc. 

I love it when my basket is full!

 
 

Work Planning Routine

Monthly Plan

I've talked about bullet journaling on this blog, but I thought I would take a moment to talk about how I plan for work. It's very different than my life planning. 

First, our staff gathers each year for a planning retreat. We set goals, review strategic planning, and set dates for the next year. This provides much of the basis of my planning for the year. That said, items come up during the year that are added to the plan. Plus, there are things you just can't plan for that have to be incorporated.  

Each month, I take all of those components and combine them into a plan for the month. What has to be done this month? What would it be helpful to complete this month?  This is divided into topics - each one centered around a different strategy.

From that, I create my weekly plan.  I do this planning on Monday morning.  I consider what events I have on the calendar for the week and what "to do" items should (or can) be done each day.

Weekly Plan

I use that to plan each day in my Franklin Planner.  I use the Leadership two-page per day planner.  On one side, I create a to do list. I prioritize the list with A (must be done), B (should be done), and C (could be done).  I then number each A, each B, and each C.  The right hand column of the left hand side of the two pages I use to list meetings, etc.  I also add tasks (and I do this at the beginning of the month for the whole month) that are done every month on a certain day (for example, on every Monday, I add a task to check our computer back-ups and make sure they are working.

 I use the right hand side to right down notes from the day - phone calls, etc.  

This is how I plan when everything is going as it should be. That's not only the case, but I do reach more goals when I follow this routine.

Franklin Planner 2 pages per day

Seasonal Yarn and Patterns

One of my favorite yarn stores is Fibre Space in Alexandria, Virginia.  I've only been there twice, but it's a great yarn store.  A week or two ago, I received one of their regular emails. They were featuring a bundle of mini-hanks of yarn from Blue Sky Fibers. I purchased the Fright and Delight set.

What attracted me to this set were the free patterns from Blue Sky Fibers.  I downloaded the pumpkins, acorns, and leaf patterns (from this page). 

Travel Craft Planning

I like to take crafting with me when we travel, and I have found, through trial and error, that what I pack makes a difference in what I accomplish.

I am most successful if I pack a planned craft project.  For example, in the photo above are eight cards I made on a trip to Columbus.  This is what I packed:

• Stamped map background, trimmed to fit on the card bases
• Card bases, cut and folded
• Focal image, stamped
• Sentiments, stamped and trimmed, ready for use.
• Limited markers to color the focal images
• Adhesives 
• Scissors

When I have a plan and the materials to complete it, I can spend some time - usually in the evenings, when we are back in the room, watching TV, putting it all together.  Packing supplies in this kit-like fashion not only gives me a plan, but it eliminates the "what will I do" feeling.  

Alternatively, when I have taken a large bag of supplies with no plan, I don't do anything. I don't even break open the bag.

Reading Goals

I've been thinking about goals - reading goals, specifically - and the real effects they have on reading.  

My reading goals this year are:

• Read at least 30% new to me books.  I like to re-read books, but I want to make sure I am always reading some new material.  In truth, I have no trouble meeting this 30% goal.  Last year, I had this goal, and I read 69% new books (books I had never read before).  I think this goal achieves a good balance between indulging in my reading joy of re-reading great books (or books I read a long time ago) and making sure I am reading new things, too.
• Read at least four books that will help my spiritual growth. So far this year, I've read three, and I have a fourth one almost complete.  Last year, because of a class I took, I far exceeded this goal.  I think this one is a good goal that makes sure I am reading books for spiritual growth, and am still leaving room for books for fun.

Reading, for me, is mainly for the joy and pleasure of it. I like storytelling and stories - books are great stories to read for fun.  I also read for intellectual and spiritual growth - and I like doing that. I want goals that will help me to balance the fun of reading with my reading purposes.  These two goals are doing that.

I don't have a written goal for how many books to read in a year. Last year, I read 52 books.  I just looked that up as I was writing this post, and I was surprised to find it wasn't 48. In my mind, I have have had the goal of reading 50 books for the year - what I thought was two more than last year.  Does it really matter how many books I read? No. But I can see the unintended consequence of this unwritten goal.  I find myself choosing books that are shorter than others so that I can read more of them. That isn't a goal of mine; I don't mind long books. I don't want to avoid them. I makes me wonder if I should switch to a page number goal, or just forget it. In 2022, I read 35 books, and it was fine.  I don't really need a goal to encourage reading - I read.  

But still - 50 books sounds great to me. 

Reading Journal

 Let's talk about my reading journal.  

I started using a reading journal because I most often either read a book on my kindle (to prevent the continual accumulation of books in my home) or listen to audible books.  I find that I miss book covers.  Isn't that strange?  One of the main reasons I use a reading journal is that I include a picture of the cover so that I can flip through the book and remember what I have read - nostalgically. I also like it because it tracks information about my reading for me.

I use an A6 (Pocket) navy Leuchtturm 1917 notebook.  For each book, I include the following:

• picture of the cover
• star rating
• title
• author
• type of book (kindle, printed, audio)
• date completed

That's not a lot of information for a reading journal. It doesn't include any thoughts about the book itself (other than star rating), but that's all I want to record.  This meets my needs.  You should meet your own needs!

For each year, I also include a few pages of reading stats.  (If you want to see my reading stats, they are here.)  I track method of reading, copyright date, first time or repeat read, genre, and star ratings.  

Journals

 This is my stack of notebooks.  Here is what I use them for, from the bottom to the top:

1. The brown leather loose-leaf notebook on the bottom of the stack (that looks like it needs some care) is a Franklin Planner notebook that holds my Franklin planner pages.  In the world of digital planning and bullet journaling, I still find that the Franklin Covey two pages per day set up is the best format for my day to day planning for work.  I use the Leadership Classic refill in my Logan Open binder (the link is to the zipper version - they don't have the open one anymore apparently).
2. All of the other notebooks are Leuchtturm1917 dotted A5 (medium) notebooks (except the top one).  The navy blue one is my bullet journal.  In our house, we call them blue books, and we say that the blue books know all.  This is where I record our daily life (other than work). Each month has a theme - each book holds six months.
3. The Port Red one is my Lay Ministry notebook.  I am the Associate Lay Leader and Director of Lay Ministry in our Annual Conference.  This is the notebook that I use to plan and track it all.
4. The next one - the stone blue one - is my General Conference / Juridictional Conference notebook.  I was a reserve delegate to General Conference and a delegate to Juridictional Conference - this is the notebook where I tracked the planning and the voting.
5. The Forest Green notebook holds the notes from training / educational events.  
6. The Pacific Green notebook is the book I use to record notes from work meetings.
7. The notebook on the top of the stack is a navy A6 (pocket) notebook.  This is my reading journal.  In a future post, I'll explore this book with you. It's very simple - not at all like the more decorated and extensive reading journals that I see on the internet. Those are great, but not what I wanted to do.

Poema Tweed

 We were recently in Las Vegas / Henderson, and I stopped on Sin City Knit Shop (Henderson) again.  Great shop, helpful staff.  This time I met the person who dyed this yarn.  That was fun.

I, of course, purchased yarn.  

The yarn is Laines du Nord, Poema Tweed.  It's a blue green yarn (of course) with lots of yardage.  While I was in the store, I saw a scarf knitted with light weight yarn on larger needles, and I liked it.  She didn't have the exact yarn, but this is the same brand.  It is color 506.

Knitting Mural

This is a mural painted on the outside wall of Fiber Space, a yarn store in Alexandria, Virginia.  I've mentioned them before - whenever we go to Alexandria, I make a stop here.  I highly recommend - friendly, great stock, just a fun place to visit.  

And isn't that a cool mural?