Going forward

 It's a new year.  Couple days in.  It's weird...we've had a couple of utterly beautiful 60+ degree days (it's currently reading 71 on the wireless weather station readout).  In January.  In SW MO.  You know, spring weather. 

(It'll be back to winter weather by the time the kids start school again on Wednesday.  It is SW MO--we have four seasons, but never in any particular order, or for any set amount of time.)

We've gotten all of the major repairs the house needed done--the roof and the carport (which we knew about), and the patio roof (which we didn't, until it fell the fuck off the house).  In so doing, we've drained the savings down to the minimum level, but it's done.  

Christmas is done.  We're done with familial obligations we didn't choose to take on for a few months.  Done with the regularly-occurring expenses required of us by government fiat until...April, when we have insurance coming due for cars and house.  

The days are done getting shorter, and have started lengthening again.  Yeah, we've got another three months of random winter storms headed our way, but we can see the finish line from here.  

It's time to move forward.  

I'm not doing resolutions this year.  I'm setting goals and projects.  What's the difference?  Goals aren't necessarily concrete--projects are.  

I haven't fully decided on all of what I want to plan on this year, but I've got a few ideas.  

On goals...I am going to spend fifteen minutes, twice a day, every day I'm not actively sick, cleaning, straightening, and decluttering (no, that's not counting the cleaning, straightening, and decluttering I do in the kitchen while the microwave is running).  There's a lot of progress made doing just that much.  And then the house can be maintained with that. 

 I'm going to spend at least another fifteen minutes, twice a day, every day I'm not sick, at my sewing machine.  I've got a bunch of scrunchies cut out to make, and I need to make a few pairs of PJ pants for the kids and some for me.  

I am going to spend a couple hours a day working on edits, and a couple hours writing.  

As for finances...I am going to rebuild the savings account without losing ground further.  Than I have to.  Considering the stupid fuckers in charge have discovered that they can tax money by ramping up inflation, the three-to-six-months' expenses is...not what it was three years ago.  

Projects...I have some knitting projects currently on needles.  I have a mostly-finished lacy shawl made with baby yarn, another (which I'm not happy with, and will probably pull out) in sock yarn, and a vest in worsted weight wool-blend yarn.  That last...it's for Odysseus, and I have the back panel finished, and about a third of the front panel.  After that?  My sister's acquired yarn, and has asked me to make her a small afghan, and I have yarn to make a larger one for my living room (my loveseat needs something draped over the back of it).  

I'm planning some sewing projects...I have a bunch of fat quarters cut for scrunchies, and I need to cut some elastic lengths, and just...sit down and make them.  I need to figure out the cuts for sleep pants (I've got the fabric: polar fleece, sweats-type jersey, and flannel), and get those dealt with, now that I have a permanent station for cutting things out.  

The other big project--one that's probably going to take multiple months--is clearing all the stuff out of the garage and getting that set up for a wood-work type workshop.  

Writing projects...I have a finished post-beta reader first draft (and mostly-finished revision) of the second book in the Liquid Diet Chronicles.  I have a finished first draft of a science fiction book that I'm strongly tempted to publish in parts...and then re-publish in one BIG part with an epilogue (that would be The Shrodinger Paradox).  I need to finish a revision of that one, and then it'll be ready for beta readers.  

And then, there's a couple of WIPs.  There's CPA, and there's a couple of ideas for short story collections...one has about half the planned stories finished.  The other is still in the planning stages.  And is basically just a vague concept idea, at this point.  

I don't know how many of the projects I'll be able to complete in the coming year.  There really is no telling whatsoever.  I'll try to revisit this at the end of the year.  If I can remember.