the pink panther's to do list

looks like this:

(Hands up if you got that theme song stuck in your head now!)

My to-do list looks a little different. As I mentioned before, I am in the middle of changing my job. I will start my new one in August, but still have some holidays left. So the first two weeks in July will be non-working time. I will spend a few days visiting a friend in Hamburg (sooo excited) but the rest of it is reserved for ME! So here is a list (because I love making lists) of the things I want to get done in that time:

1.  Sew
I learnd sewing in school. Which means, I kind of know how to operate a sewing machine. I managed to shorten the curtains for my old appartment. But that only happend because my mother sat beside me the whole time and talked my through that, step by step. But since then I wanted to be able to sew my own clothes. So I hope to find an easy and understandable online tutorial (preferably in german - any suggestions and helping links are more than welcome!!) and finally unpack that sewing machine I got for christmas.

If everything goes as I plan (I want to make a skirt. A skirt can't be that hard. That's my theory), I see a new addictive, appartment-space-needing, storage-place-consuming new hobby (with the potential threat of stockpiling) on the horizon. The man will be thrilled.

2. Run
I work in an office. And in my new job I will be working in an office as well. This means hours and hours of sitting in front of the computer. That's why I started running, back in March. At first, I ran three times a week. Then my knee ached. So I paused. Then I started again, this time just twice a week. Then I was tired after work. It was hot. So there were weeks when there was no running at all. Then once a week. Then again nothing. Yesterday I went for a run after a four week pause. Oh boy. I looked really similar to that pink panther on the top. So, number two on my to-do list: go jogging. At least for 30 minutes, at least two times a week. And because I live in an area that is flat as a pancake: Throw in at least one bike ride. I always feel better and more energetic after I did some sport. Need to keep remind myself of that.

3. Read
When I was at university (I studied German language and literature) I managed to read about a hundred books a year. In 2014, I read 14. So far. That's not enough for me! I need to take more time for reading. A two week holiday is a good time for that. Don't you think? 

Although that's not a temporary resolution. Things will be better in August, when I will commute by train and not by car. 80 minutes solid reading or crocheting time a day. That should do it.

4. Cook
I love to cook. And I recently discovered my love for baking! I got a wonderful cook book for my birthday in March - It's called Vegetarian Austrian. Now, I'm in no way a vegetarian, neither is my extremly carnivorous man. But I need some inspiration vegetable-wise. And the book is wonderful. It's beautifully illustrated, the recipes are organized after the seasons and it also includes some yummy-looking bakery. This will certainly please the man. Maybe he won't see the new balls of wool and the new piles of fabric if I feed him enough sugar.

And last but not least:

5. Crochet
I got my newest order of wool in the mailbox today. And the best part of it: I won't have to pay it! It's the yarn that I need for my first ever commission. Woohoo. Remember the pillow I made for myself? I posted a picture of it on facebook and a friend of mine liked it so much, that she wants one for herself. And who am I to decline such a beautiful wish. She's a crafter herself, so she knows and appreciates how much work goes into a handmade item. I can't wait to start working on those lovely green granny squares. 

The yarn is a cotton/acrylic mix as she wanted it to be very soft and snuggly. I never worked with it before, but the colors look lovely, the texture is really nice and I think it's always interesting to try out new yarns.

From July on, I have 15 days to tick off everything on that to-do list. Things get complicated by the fact that I will spend 6 of these 15 days in Germany with a very lovely friend. No time to sew. No way I will be running there. No time to cook.
Easy is not a word I use very often.