Palm Sundaes

Yesterday we commemorated Palm Sunday by using Jessica's idea for dessert:

Palm Sundaes

I wasn't about to try making the bibles out of fig newtons.  Even though they're adorable, I'm pretty sure it would be a near occasion of sin for me.  Not my idea of a good time.  I never have very good luck with those tubes of icing.

Baking cookies is my idea of a good time, though.

I saw this video and was inspired:  Go ahead and watch it!

Watch CBS News Videos Online

I just loved the idea of making sugar cookies by hand.  So I did.  TMax helped because he gets into this stuff, too.  So we made the circles of flour and sugar with the egg in the middle and mixed up our dough without measuring or using anything mechanical.  

Then we cut out the cookies with a knife into the shape of palm fronds.  They were perfect little sugar cookies, much easier than if we measured everything and dirtied all that extra stuff.

(Well, I'm not seeing my pictures right now.  I don't know what's up with Blogger.  Maybe they'll magically appear later!)

Spring Cleaning

My basement is soooo clean!  And we were sooooo tired yesterday!

Thankfully, we had already decluttered the playroom a couple of weeks ago.  Madden had sort of decluttered his room (to the extent that 16 year old boys are capable of).  So all we had to do yesterday was CLEAN.

Starting in his room, we dusted down all the cobwebs, moved the furniture and vacuumed behind everything, and dusted the entire room.  Then we did the same to the other rooms in the basement.

Then, while I scrubbed his bathroom from ceiling to floor, my able, energetic boys emptied the storage room.  The Little Princess cleaned inside the bathroom cabinet and did the mirror.  We cleared out some more unnecessary stuff, and moved on to the storage.

Okay, that required a lunch break.  THEN we tackled the storage and managed to consolidate some stuff, give away some stuff, and put it all back in neatly.  It's amazing how much easier it is to navigate in there!  The bittersweet thing is that I only have 2 boxes of baby clothes that have to be saved, and I've gotten rid of most of our hand-me-downs!  The youngest 3 have a box in their rooms, but that's all!!!

We managed to accomplish everything we did because we (mostly) worked together.  We did our schooling quickly in the morning, which wasn't too hard because Fridays are rather light. and then we all went to work together.  If I had had to do it all alone, it wouldn't have gotten done, or it would have taken twice as long.  I can't even imagine trying to empty the storage room on my own.  I can imagine how badly my back would have hurt if I did it all alone; it's bad enough as it was!

Sometimes I think it would be so much easier to just do it all myself and not have to crack the whip over the children.  Don't we all tend to think that?  I'm not the only one making messes around here and not cleaning up; I'm not the only one not dusting my room thoroughly every week; and I'm not the only one living here.  So I shouldn't be the only one doing the hard labor.  Plus, I believe I have a real duty to teach my children the proper way to clean so they'll have some idea what to do when they go away to college or move out.  Therefore, we work together.  Many hands do make light work.  We have our little episodes where little folks fight over cleaning the same thing, or stop working altogether, but we managed to hang in there for just about 3 hours to finish that whole floor.

Today, I worked on the garage with TMax for a couple of hours.  It's much, much better now!

I have something like 13 bags of stuff in my van to go to Goodwill tomorrow.  Our trash dumpster is full and trash day isn't until Friday!  Yet we tackle the upstairs tomorrow, and the main floor on Tuesday!  That will be a bit more challenging with daily activities and a full school schedule....

7 Quick Takes

1.

I can't believe it's Friday.  Already.  And Palm Sunday is just 2 days away.  Lent goes so quickly sometimes, especially when you're having a hard time wrapping your head around it.

Some people are able to give up coffee or whatever and just breeze through Lent.  Yes, maybe a little sleepier than usual, but they make it.  And then go back to drinking coffee when it's over.  It seems like every year is a huge struggle for me to stay faithful to my commitment(s).  Every day is a new battle.

I find that 2 things generally happen.  One is that God had other plans for me and He twists my sacrifice around to suit Him.  Not me.  The other thing that happens is usually an unexpected change that I didn't know I needed.  

Okay, to be fair, I knew I needed it, but it wasn't really on my radar for Lent!  lol.

I'm reminded daily that I'm weak and I can't do anything on my own, only through Him and with Him.  And in case I couldn't figure it out on my own, He has one of my really wise friends tell me so!

2.

We enjoyed the Solemnity of the Annunciation yesterday while eating waffles for dinner.  They were delicious, though we're still not clear on why they're traditional.

Now, it's back to Lent.

(Did you 'take the day off' yesterday?)

3.

After looking at tons of posts on $5 spring decorations from Lindsay's blog party, I'm dying to make a trip to the Dollar Store for some supplies.  I might even spend $10 and do 2 (or more) projects!  There is a serious lack of Easter decoration in this home, and that's just not right.

4.

Looking at my calendar, I can see that today is the day I begin deep cleaning my house for Easter.  One floor at a time.  Fortunately, we've done a fair bit of that as we went through the bedrooms decluttering, but it will still be a big job.

I don't know how I'm supposed to do this and school, too.  

5.

I was so excited this week to win the MikaRose giveaway at Betty Beguiles' blog.  I've got to go pick out my new dress today!  I think that was a little present from St. Joseph since I won on his feast day.  Now, it's not exactly what we've been praying for, but I think it means he's got us covered.

6.

I'm happy to say that I'm getting back into the habit of exercising every day.  Or nearly so.  I'm aiming for 5 days a week.  I'm back in the basement doing The Firm workouts, which I love.  Have you checked out the Exercise TV on On Demand?  I like to use that on alternate days for an easier workout like 10 minute abs, or yoga.  There is all kinds of stuff, even parts of Jillian's evil 30 Day Shred.  I have that one, and I frankly don't think that anyone should do it for 30 days.  Everyone I've know who has done it, has looked great and dropped it after 30 days.  It's just too intense.  Every other day is fine, people.  Alternate your workouts!  :-)

FYI, today is not an exercise day by virtue of the fact that I'll be getting up from the computer and doing seriously strenuous housework at an aerobic pace in order to get it all done!

7.

Have you been watching Molly?   We have.  We keep the popup window open all day so we can see what's going on.  She's had 3 of her 6 eggs hatch.  It's really neat to watch her feeding the owlets and see them growing.  We've even seen her hack up an owl pellet!  It's not so fun when she rips the head off a rat and eats it whole.  Or pulls the intestines out of a baby bunny bit by bit and then horks down the liver!  But it is fun telling you about it.  ;-)

Her spouse, McGee, is keeping quite busy hunting for them.  Since they're in CA, he usually arrives in the middle of the night when we're not watching, to bring a supply of food for the family.  He sleeps elsewhere during the day.  I keep thinking how tired Molly must be because she's up quite a bit during the day to feed those babies!  I hope she's resting at night, but she's always wide awake when we tune in early in the morning.

~~~~~~~

Have a Blessed Friday!

Stop by Jen's for more Quick Takes.

Giveaway!

Have you heard about Jessica and Charlotte collaborating on Garden of the Good Shepherd plans for the Easter season?  It sounds like a lot of fun to do with your little ones.

If you don't already have the book (as I don't), you might want to hop on over to Become What You Are to enter Sue's drawing for a copy.

Dark Monday

Sally Clarkson's post today is a must-read if you, like me, are scared and saddened by the turn our country has taken.  It's appalling that our elected officials have so steadfastly refused to heed the wishes of their constituents, and have caved in to the pressure of the president.  Where are the checks and balances?

In the midst of all this "hope and change" there is one constant.  Jesus still awaits us in the tabernacles.  He's still there to comfort and hold us during these trials.

And that's good to know.  He gives me reason to hope.  (Gosh, I hate using that word now, lest someone be confused as to Who is giving me Hope!)

What I Heard Today

The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown.
His scepter shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings.
But mercy is above this sceptered sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings;
It is an attribute of God himself;
And earthly power doth then show like God's
When mercy seasons justice.

                         ---William Shakespeare

The gospel account of the woman caught in adultery is very touching when you stop to think of Christ's mercy.  I think Msgr. has given this homily before and he always closes with this passage from The Merchant of Venice.   I'm glad our God is a merciful one, especially during these trying 40 days of Lent.

 

7 Quick Takes (St. Joseph Edition)

~1~

Happy St. Joseph's Day!  

Here's a photo of our little altar that we've had up for a couple of weeks.  We didn't do the full altar with all the foods, but we had fun making our "icon" and framing it.

Prayer to St. Joseph the Worker

O Glorious St. Joseph, model of all who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work in the spirit of penance in expiation of my many sins; to work conscientiously by placing love of duty above my inclinations; to gratefully and joyously deem it an honor to employ and to develop by labor the gifts I have received from God, to work methodically, peacefully, and in moderation and patience, without ever shrinking from it through weariness or difficulty to work; above all, with purity of intention and unselfishness, having unceasingly before my eyes death and the account I have to render of time lost, talents unused, good not done, and vain complacency in success, so baneful to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all to imitate thee, O Patriarch St. Joseph! This shall be my motto for life and eternity. Amen.

~2~

The community garden commences tomorrow.  I have to go and help mulch, and paint, and prepare my bed.  Excited.  Yet...somehow.....not.  I hope it goes better this year.

~3~

Pipster looks like he has the makings of a designer.   

Should I be worried?

~4~

Did I mention that I registered for the American Heritage Girls convention this summer in Cincinnati???  July 15-17.  The Little Princess and I will be attending together since this is an anniversary year (AHG is 15!) and there are activities for the scouts, too.

I'm excited about it, and I'm wondering if any of my Ohio friends want to get together for a little while!

~5~

Have you wondered about the SwagBucks swidget on my sidebar?  Don't look!  It's not there anymore!  I moved it to the bottom of the page so you could see the whole thing---especially the part where it says "Sign Up." ;-)


Read up on it.  Swag Bucks is a way of searching and earning "bucks" for that Stuff We All Get.  You get bucks for shopping at their places (which I don't do!), or for just using their toolbar to do your regular internet searches.  There are also special SwagCodes and SwagHunts that make it fun and help you get more bucks faster.  


We're using our SwagBucks to buy Amazon gift cards, which we're saving up to get something like Wii Fit Plus, or a KitchenAid stand mixer (since it doesn't look like I'm going to win one from PW!).  We're up to $15 in gift cards so far.  It may take a while, but it'll be FREE when we get it!


And yes, I get SwagBucks for referrals, if you sign up through my swidget.  So, there.  Full disclosure. :-)


~6~


I am so sad that Phoebe the hummingbird has left her nest and her non-viable egg!  We were so excited about watching it hatch.  I hope she'll lay another clutch in the yard (they say she has 3 nests there!) and we'll get to watch that one.


~7~


Finally, prayers for a sweet little girl, newly adopted from China, would be greatly appreciated.  She had open-heart surgery last week to repair a congenital defect; the surgery seemed to be a success until she went into cardiac arrest.  She has been on an ECMO machine for the past few days, and while her heart appears to be responding, she seems to have suffered severe brain damage from the cardiac arrest.


Her name is Kerrigan.  Please pray for her complete healing and for her loving family to have strength and courage during this extremely difficult time.


~~~~~


More Quick Takes at Jens.

Hemming Jeans

Last weekend I hemmed a pair of cute jeans that KT got at Plato's Closet.  They looked great on her except that they were "Extra Long."  She's got nice, long legs, but these were just too much.  They evidently had been the property of someone KT's height----they were way too long for her, too----and the bottom couple of inches were worn and holey from walking on them.  I was able to get rid of that messy part with the hem so they look practically new.

Checking around on the internet, I found a super-easy way to hem them so that the original hem remains intact.  Sounds weird, I know, but it really works.

Well, they look perfectly new, since you can buy jeans these days that look old and frayed.

Sorry I didn't take a picture, but we were busy all day!

Bird Watching

Thanks to Margaret, we're riveted by Phoebe the hummingbird.

Especially now that there is a lizard, who attacked her nest yesterday, perched below to try again!

Christ be with me

Christ within me

Christ behind me

Christ before me

Christ beside me

Christ to win me

Christ to comfort and restore me

Christ beneath me

Christ above me

Christ in quiet

Christ in danger

Christ in hearts of all that love me

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger

Have a blessed day!

Disgusting, Disappointing, and Sad

This news about the Girl Scouts of America.

We quit years ago when I saw the direction they were headed with Planned Parenthood and lesbian leaders.  I won't even buy a box of cookies to support them.  I understand the local troop gets a mere 10% of the money from their cookie sales.  So if you buy them, you are most definitely furthering the twisted agenda of the national organization, no matter how pro-life or Christian your local troop claims to be.

I never thought I would be a girls' scout leader, but I'm proud to belong to the country's premiere Christian scouting organization, American Heritage Girls. 

As an American Heritage Girl, I promise to be:

Compassionate - Understanding others in fellowship, empathy, kindness, and caring. Respect others' opinions and emotions.
Helpful - Willingly serve others.
Honest - Always tell the truth and keep my promise.
Loyal - True to God, family, friends, community and country.
Perseverant - Continuing to strive toward a goal despite obstacles.
Pure - Keep my mind and body pure.
Resourceful - Wisely use my time, materials and talents.
Respectful - Honor my country, be obedient to those in authority and courteous to all.
Responsible - Accountable for my own actions. Reliable in all situations.
Reverent - Faithful and honoring to God. Respectful to the beliefs of others.

7 Quick Takes

1.

I had another episode of insomnia last night.  I don't know if it's true insomnia, or not, as I always go to sleep easily, but awaken suddenly, hot and sweaty with my heart racing.   Often, there is a nagging worry associated with it, too.  I don't know if it's what I eat (when I'm on strict low-carb, I have NO sleeping difficulties at all), or if it's a hot flash (Heaven forbid!).  What do you think?

Anyway, last night, I realized that I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep as long as I was hot and my heart was racing; it would take a while to calm down, so I could use the time wisely and come down to the computer to check on that nagging worry.  So, I came down to find out that I still have time to sign the kids up for Swim Team.  We didn't miss the deadline.  whew!

I got a head start on my blog-reading (lol) and then went back upstairs with my Magnificat and ipod (for a flashlight), so I could read for a while.  I didn't read because I was sleepy, so I tried to sleep, and couldn't, because, get this:  I was too cold.

It took a while to warm up, but I think I was awake for only an hour instead of the usual 2.  

2.

It looks like I'm going to be going to the American Heritage Girls annual convention in July!  It looks like it will be a lot of fun, especially since my new co-leader is going to go with me.  We're going to have a blast learn a lot about running our troop better.

3.

I've been working on getting my two youngest children to read more in and out of school.  They're not the readers that most of the rest of us are.  I'm wondering if that's because we got too busy to read aloud to them as much as the others.  That makes me sad.

Pipster has been doing a little book club this year with a couple of boys his age.  He has enjoyed the books they've read and discussed.  They take turns picking them.  Right now, they're on The Great Brain.  I've never read it, but he keeps telling us of these gruesome episodes, so I wonder if the book and the nightmares are related.  To take his mind off it, I read Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle to him and the Little Princess last night.   It was so entertaining that I'll have to continue.

In preparation for our camping trip last weekend, we got a book-on-cd for the drive.  There wasn't much that we were interested in except Inkheart.  We're still listening, and the bit he has heard inspired TMax to pick up his copy off the shelf and finally start reading it.  I'm really enjoying it; it makes me want to read lots and lots of books aloud!

In case you're wondering, No, we haven't seen the movie, and I don't think we will until we read all 3 books, in case it's one of those movies that combines all the stories into one.

4.

KT and Hitch have been home since Saturday for their Spring Break.  It's nice to have them around a bit.  We don't see a lot of them because they still sleep late, and occasionally go out to see their friends, but their presence is noticed and welcomed.  I'm even happy to have extra laundry to do----it reminds me that they're home!

Lots of conversations with KT revolve around what she's going to do with her life as she has only one more year of college!  Shocking!  When did we get that old????

5.

What Quick Takes would be complete without a knitting update?  

Not much is on the needles these days.  Just a mindless 2x2 ribbed hat; something I can work on in the evenings, during school, while chatting for hours at the Friday Fish Dinners at church.  

And I'm thinking winter will be over before I'm done with it.

6.

You know, we went on that frigid camping trip where the nights were down in the 20's and the days were in the 60's?  It seems like we've only had a few days of warmer weather and the red bud trees are already getting their buds.  There is color out there!!!   Lots of trees are putting out buds!   I'm so excited to see some relief from the endless, dreary, winter brown.  Brown grass and leafless trees have their own stark beauty, but it is even lovelier when we begin to see hints of spring.

7.

I'm not making much progress on my 40 Bags in 40 Days.  I'm just not very motivated.  After going to the basement to use my sewing machine yesterday, I am much more motivated to declutter the basement TODAY.  Lets see how many bags of trash and giveaways we can accumulate from down there.  It's a mess.

~~~~~

I hope your weekend is Clutter-Free!

Visit Jen for more 7 Quick Takes.

Turbaconadas

This post is part of Kelly's Real Food Wednesday.  I was going to post it regardless of the day, ;-), but you can find more real food posts at Kelly The Kitchen Kop.

~~~~~~

Yesterday afternoon, I was telling KT about the yummy chicken enchiladas my sister-in-law Kelly made while I was staying at her house.  She says she got the recipe from me years ago, but I don't remember ever making them.  You know, one of those things you find on the internet and print out and never make use of?

You don't do that?  Oh.

Anyway, I was telling KT the recipe:

2 C shredded, cooked chicken
4 oz. cream cheese (that's half a block)
1 small can of chopped green chilies.

I used a mixer to blend it all together and it had the happy effect of making the chicken even more finely shredded.  That was a surprise to me!  I had never used a mixer on chicken before, but it made the job of enchiladas much more doable.  They've been such a chore for me that I would only make them on rare occasions when I had all afternoon to spend on it!

~~~~~~

We decided to make turkey enchiladas because I already have cooked, leftover turkey in the fridge.  But KT was in a creative mood.

Instead of chicken, we'll use turkey.

Instead of chilies, can I have bacon?

We still used the same ratios of meat and cream cheese,

and rolled it in a whole wheat tortilla.

Instead of enchilada sauce on top, can I have sauteed mushrooms and onions?

Instead of monterey jack cheese, can I have smoked provolone?

Don't leave them in the oven too long or they get tough!  

Dinner around here is hard to time because I never know when exactly Dh will be home with Madden

(traffic is unpredictable!)

I suggested the addition of gravy made with bacon drippings to add a little more moisture.  Just use your basic gravy or white sauce recipe.

Voila!  The Turbaconada!

It was quite delicious!

A New Day

I need lots of New Days to start over.  Thank God He provides them all the time!  :-)  I'm so glad to be back home after that week in ICU with my brother (who is still recovering nicely, though not as fast as he would like.  Thanks for asking.).  And then I spent the next few days doing laundry and cleaning (40 Bags), and getting ready to go camping last weekend.  I didn't feel like I was really home since it was "spring break" and we were still really busy.

Now the unusual busy-ness is over and we're back to the reality of homeschooling, which I love.  Some days, like yesterday, it is really, really hard to remember why I love it.  I had lots of opportunities to bite my tongue---the kids would probably say that I failed miserably, but I know that there were many, many times I succeeded!  Even on the bad days, there is the joy of getting to spend all day with my beautiful children that God has given me.   I don't like thinking about how quickly these days are going to come to an end.

Each day with them is such a gift!  Each day I get up there are new opportunities to say "yes" to God and do better at my Lenten sacrifices, or just my daily duties.  Do you think about how lucky you are to wake up every day?  I mean, really think about it?  Or do you groan, like me, overwhelmed by thoughts of everything you have to do today and all the things you'd like to change or do better at?  (It's hard to be a Melancholic, let me tell you!)  We all contemplate the gift that life is when tragedy strikes us or a loved one, but what about every single, normal, unremarkable day when everything in your life is going smoothly?

There are so many things I want to change, and I'm tempted to make sweeping changes that affect the whole family, but I won't.  I'll concentrate on just of couple of things, for me, that will still affect the family, but in a good way, I hope.  One physical, and one spiritual.  That should be enough, don't you think?  I don't want to take the risk that Satan will think I've taken on too much and come tempt me away from all my good intentions.  Maybe I can just sneak these under the wire without being noticed.

What do you think?  Are you taking on too many Lenten penances?  Are you taking life for granted?

7 Quick Takes

1.

This should be another "tired" edition of 7 Quick Takes.  Insomnia is driving me nuts this week.  Awake from approximately 3-5 a.m. every night.

2.

Very Quick Takes this morning because I've already spend a lot of time here this morning and I need to get packing.  Literally. 

I'm taking my 2 youngest camping with American Heritage Girls for the weekend.  It's family camping this time, but I'll be one of the only ones without a spouse present.  Fortunately, one of my good friends will also be single batching it a widow alone.  We're going to set up camp side by side and have a good time!  Even better, she has a boy Pipster's age and they haven't seen each other in a while.

3.

The weather forecast for Saturday.  Saturday night's low will be just as low.  

BRRRRR.

4.

My brother says that there is no bad weather for camping, only inappropriate clothing and gear!

5.

My brother, who will NOT be camping this weekend, has been doing great  since his surgery.  He hit a little bump in the road yesterday after his vocal chord surgery on Wednesday.  He had an injection to plump up his bad chord and making swallowing and talking better.  Then, last night, he had trouble breathing and had to take a trip to the ER.  He seems to be fine, though; he must have overdone it yesterday.

6.

I put a little tally in the sidebar of my 40 Bags progress.  I haven't had but a couple of days to work on it.

7.

Looking forward to getting back to normalcy next week.  School.  Housekeeping.  Seeing my college kids home for spring break!

~~~~~~

Have a Warm Weekend!

Visit Jen's for more 7 Quick Takes!

Holy Water Fonts

They shouldn't be filled with sand.  And they shouldn't be empty.  We need the sacraments AND sacramentals during the very trying times of Lent.

By all means, go read Father Z's post and find out why!

Olympic Gold

Sara wins the gold!

Here is the hat that I made during my 6 days sitting in ICU.  It's the oh-so-cute hat that the American team wore during the opening ceremonies.  I found the pattern on Ravelry.

Intarsia, knitting with more than one color, can be a lot of fun.  However, it can also be a bit of a headache, as well as painfully slow at times.  One section of the blue and white at the bottom has a painfully obvious mistake(not in this pic) in it.  At least I think it is painfully obvious,  but I guess that just lets people know that it really was hand knit and not made on a machine.  Besides, it would have to be a huge mistake for me to find the energy to frog several rows of intarsia after discovering it.  This was just one, little, white stitch out of place, not worth the headache of frogging and untangling yarns twisted around each other.

Another problem with intarsia is that you have to carry the unused strands of yarn very loosely across the back as you go.  As hard as I tried, there is still a bit of pucker around and between the reindeer.  It's not noticeable when wearing it, though, as the hat is rather tall and smooshes down on the wearer's head.

I learned another skill, which was one of Yarn Harlot's suggestions for the Knitting Olympics, which was a bit of a revelation for me.  The pattern says to use a provisional cast-on so that when you reach the end of the blue band, you take out the cast-on and knit each stitch together with the live row that you're on.  That gives you a nice, seamless band on the inside of the hat that you didn't have to sew by hand.  I love the finished look, although I think I made it a lot harder on myself than it had to be.

My go-to blogger, Tech-Knitting, said she doesn't use a provisional cast-on, but prefers a regular cast-on and just knits 2 extra rows, snips a stitch and unravels the two rows.  I tried that method since I didn't have time to sit and learn the provisional cast-on before I left town, but in hindsight, it would have been 10 minutes wisely spent.  

Taking out that 2 rows and knitting it to the live rows was one of the longest, most painstaking knitting processes I've ever gone through.  I think I wasted a full day on that back-breaking, neck-aching activity.  Unraveling from the bottom up is not as quick and easy as from the top down!

Nevertheless, it is finished.  I did the finishing work the last afternoon in ICU (Thursday) before the Olympic games were even over!  I gave it to my sister-in-law, Kelly, and her family who hosted me during my stay and kept me from losing my mind during the long week.  It was soooo nice to be able to "come home" after a long day at the hospital and relax with them.  They're so much fun!

(Now, Kelly, you have to take a picture of someone modeling the hat and send it to me!)

I'm glad the Olympics are over.  I'm glad I had a fun project to work on (the nurses enjoyed seeing the progress).  I don't think I'll do it again though, since I could never have completed that project in 2 weeks without extended time at the hospital.  I'd rather not go through that again, frankly.

I think I'll just stick to knitting in my free time and avoiding deadlines.

Yes.  Christmas counts, too.