Silencing the Inner Critic

I've been harsh on myself this summer. We are our own worst critics, right? In May I was diagnosed with early Graves' Disease which is apparently quite common in Type 1 Diabetic women my age. GREAT. I'm in the early treatment stage which means blood work once a month and medication daily. Said medication makes one gain weight. Like a pound a week. EVERY week no matter what you eat. Good times. So like I said, I've been harsh on myself and spending way too much time looking in the mirror and being critical.

The rest of my time I spend feeling blue and achy and tired. I'm so over feeling meh 24-7. So enough is enough. Yesterday I had my first ever accupunture treatment. I have a dear friend who swears by it and after speaking with her recently I decided to go for it. I told the therapist I needed relief from my lower back pain and to rid myself of the general malaise that has settled on me. She told me she would need to target my stomach as that is where my energy flow was a real mess (not her exact words but this is what she was getting at.)

I'm not needle shy. I take about 6 shots a day on average and have blood drawn once a month. Even with that said you cannot feel the needles. I know everyone says this but it's true. Like, for real. I had 10 needles inserted, 1 in each hand, 2 in each calf and 2 in each foot. Take that STOMACH. I could feel it working. I felt little pulses at each point and a general shudder a few times. It was very relaxing. Once I had the uncontrollable urge to laugh like a maniac (I didn't) and I have no idea why. Afterwards I felt great. Lighter, even. More energetic. Certainly better. I'm going back for more next week.

So here I am. Not being critical (mostly) and not being meh. Hopefully this leads to more blogging and more creating. Oh and more maniacal laughter.

Getting Ready for the Annual Christmas Craft Party

I'm dreaming of fall and one thing on my mind are the projects we will create at this year's Annual Christmas Craft Party in November. We've been having this event for a few years now and the ladies are getting quite crafty! Here are some of the things we are currently considering for this year's get together:

Cute styrofoam ball cupcake ornaments -



pinned here.

Felt ornaments -



pinned here and here.

One year we made felt birds and everyone loved them! There are so many options for these, too.

Crepe Paper Trees -



pinned here.

I LOVE these but I know they may not be everyone's style.

Snowman boxes -



pinned here.

These have long been on my list. If we choose this project it will most likely be the only one we do (usually we make at least two things) and I'll need everyone to chip in $7 to purchase supplies.

Decisions, decisions. If anyone from the craft party group is reading, please speak up about what you'd like to make this year. If you are interested in following our ideas you can check out our Pinterest board HERE.