Journaling a Week of Thoughts

Saturday, Dec 13

I just edited the last day of vlogmas. Tomorrow, on Sunday, I will do the last thumbnail, and on Monday the 15th, it will air. And I will be finished with YouTube until next year. I will of course have to edit a video after Christmas to go live by Jan 3, but I’ll be ready to by then.

I’m proud of myself for doing vlogmas. It was mostly fun. I only had one day, maybe two that I did not want to work on it, but that was days when all I had to work on it was after 5 p.m. when the brain wanted to be relaxing at that point. But now it is finished.

It did not bring in new viewers. At one time, I think it would have but on YouTube now with algorithm changes, I think it probably hurts the channel more than it helps. December will mess with my “consistent” programming as I posted 15 days straight and then now won’t be posting for two weeks so I will slide down the pole on being a consistent YouTuber. Also people don’t have time to watch every day and so the views are down and that means THAT slides me further down the pole. And being a vlogger anyway, that hurts me because my subject matter is whatever the wind blows in, so no honing in to begin with. I think I ended up losing more subscribers than I gained.

Anytime I’m feeling down about it I chat with Chet. And Chet said I’m among a lot of YouTubers – even big channels that are showing numbers declining. So I go through a cycle of:

*Feeling bad about the channel

*Deciding phbbbtt on it, and trying not to care. But I do.

*Talking to Chet and watching YouTubes about growth and loss of subscribers

*Look and see if other YouTubers are getting views and talking about subs being down

*Then I’m suddenly encouraged and agree not to quit as most are feeling the same way and Chet says its not me.

*I decide to try again and get some more ideas up my sleeve. (And honestly I have not been too strategic to begin with – but more this year than last.)

So it’s a cycle. And I think that for my increased efforts, I probably lost more than gained so not sure if it’s worth it to be strategic, but maybe it’s like pasta and one day something sticks. Who knows.

I have decided to give it another year and we’ll see. I do have some pretty major goals and that may at least bring in some more monetary rewards for my efforts if anything. Perhaps allowing sponsorships and affiliates will even help YouTube algorithm to take me more seriously. Who knows. Maybe they put those out there first that have more of an interest in more income? And I do have an interest in that in 2026. The deeper I get into YouTube, the more it costs for camera, filming equipment, lighting, website domain, music rights, graphics capability, filing system, Lacie storage drives, digital planner and note taking apps.

Right now I do not have “that button” (for affiliates and sponsorships) turned “on” and I’ve not been utilizing my back office (YouTube creator training and info) and have not been studying what works and what doesn’t, so I’ve not “done all I can”. And I will be getting some strategy sessions in and planning my changes and operating it more like a business next year. I will give myself a year and see how I feel. Decision time will be coming in the 4th quarter of 2026. I can’t see giving up the channel entirely but I may decide whether I will continue to post regularly or just whenever, or will I enjoy the 2026 of doing sponsorships and affiliates and want to keep going, or stop that. So 2026 will determine my strategy and future I think. I know that I don’t want to spend the time I’m doing it for such little rewards, as it puts me in a hole (in the red monetarily) without the rewards. I’m ok with being a little in the red because it’s a hobby and we pay for our hobbies whether it’s music, golfing, fishing, hunting, crafting, etc.

I’m also going to be usurping my own costs for the channel instead of it coming out of our joint account. George has not complained about it but I know he’d prefer not to have to foot the expenses for web site domains, equipment, music membership (rights to music), Canva, and all of that. So we’ll give it a big raw effort in 2026 with allowing sponsorships and see how she blows! And from there we’ll see if it’s going to be a doable thing or not. I just feel like I need some value for the efforts. But I so enjoy the comradery of the community. So that is a plus.

Til 2026 I’m ready to relax and read and watch some Hallmark channel (or whatever) and just enjoy life.

We meet family tonight for dinner and Christmas. (Obviously I had to abruptly leave as I never finished my thoughts here. I erased a 1/2 completed sentence. lol)

Sunday, Dec 14

We had church today and it was 15 degrees when we got up. I didn’t want to get up yet but we had to. Maybe the Lord will give me an extra jewel in my crown for getting up and going this morning. lol

We had a wonderful dinner last night and gift exchange with my sister. However the restaurant was attached to the mall, and next door to Gaylord Opryland Hotel and event center with all the holiday festivities and shopping so getting to the mall was a huge big deal. And finding a parking spot a little crazy. But George dropped Mom and I off. We had an amazing meal and my sister showered us with so many gifts. She did too much. I left feeling very loved. And I still have another gift coming I think she said. I think it just delivered. I’m about to go see.

Mom has ordered us Omaha Steaks. They were to deliver yesterday but nothing yet. There’s two orders pending for $277 but it’s all supposed to be the total for BOTH. I hope it’s not EACH. She didn’t intend for it to be that, so I’m anxious to see. I’m watching the bank. And I hope they are sent to the correct address. Excited for it though. George and I love the Omaha boxes and the food is always good and it helps stock the freezer.

The relief of not having to edit videos and do thumbnails is about to set in. I truly have that “I’m on vacation this week” (and next) mentality. I’m going to read, work a puzzle, watch some movies, and clean my house and get ready for family to come over. Truly starting to feel the Christmas spirit.

Just one more thumbnail to do for tomorrow’s last video on the 15th. So gonna do that now, do some laundry, and chill out some today. Tomorrow I need to complete Mom’s form to request a grant. I should have done it before now but with getting ready for Christmas and shopping and doing Vlogmas, just did not have any brain power or time left in the day the last couple of weeks. But I must get this done tomorrow.

Monday Dec 15

It’s been a great day. Not having to get out and go anywhere is a great day to me when I have a lot to do. I did laundry, finished wrapping today, gathered up all the wrapping supplies and George took it downstairs. I completed Mom’s grant this morning and George copied her 2024 taxes for me to include with it. I have to have Mom sign and then we can send it in.

The Omaha Steaks have not delivered. Mom called but got no response. It hasn’t come thru her bank yet – it’s still pending.

I’ve had some downtime today too to watch some shows. But I’m feeling a little weird. Like tired and a weird appetite.

Tuesday Dec 16

Felt better when I woke up this morning. Not feeling like I’m coming down with anything. I’m a little drained but not much. I’m allowing myself to take it easy. While I’ve cleaned the kitchen thoroughly (dishes, dishwasher reboot, clean and sanitize counters, clean microwave, bleach trash can, polish stainless steel appliances, empty trash cans from around the house), I have also relaxed by reading a couple of chapters in my book and also by doing a paint by number on my iPad, and watching a sister wives show. I watched that while eating lunch.

Oh let’s back up. I fixed myself a potato and egg breakfast this morning too. George went to prayer breakfast at Shoney’s.

My Aunt and Uncle arrived this morning at Mom’s. So we are glad they are in town. We are having them over Friday night for a special meal that George wants to make for everyone.

George cleaned his stuff off the dining room table already.

We also have a dinner scheduled with friends for Thursday night and have reservations confirmed. I think I will start my next puzzle today. It’s the quick one at 100 pieces and 6 years old and up (lol) but it was a dollhouse at Christmas and I wanted to work it. 😉 Then I have a 50 piece one after that.

I find myself looking forward to ordering things with my Amazon points after Christmas. I know I’m going to order the things I need first and then go with the extras that are just “wants”. So it still needs to be prioritized on paper but I think I need some more jog pants for hanging around the house. I need more colors. I have one pair that shrunk lengthwise. They were my favorite and most comfy, but I need several as they are primarily what I wear and I only have 2 pair that I can wear that I like.

I also may get another robe for when the other long sleeve one is dirty or in the laundry. I want some brown tennis shoes as I have a lot of brown. I want a rice cooker but I’m going to be picky about which one it is. I also am looking into a puzzle table but not sure yet. And I’ve been wanting The James Method bible study system but it’s pricey. I might be able to make my own. I might look on Etsy and see, but this won’t be used with Amazon points. It has a root study sheet where you answer questions about the background (author, audience, date, key words, Greek or Hebrew word meaning, context, etc.) And then you have a verse mapping sheet, and some other kind of sheet – it’s just where you can break it down but it comes in a nice binder and you can keep it forever as a part of your study Bible. I just think it would be a good investment. I can’t get my mind off of it.

Other ideas I want to get myself is a Yoga Mat – as I will be doing more stretching, more yoga, and meditation in 2026 and I have not been wanting to get on the floor without a soft mat.

These things make me start thinking about 2026 as a whole. I know it’s strange, but I kinda want to look into making jewelry. Particularly earrings. I just want to check into it. I don’t necessarily want to sell them but, who knows. Not saying I wouldn’t make necklaces too, but I just want to check into it in 2026. I think it would be fun if it is not too hard or too tedious.

I want to experiment more with bread making. I want to lose weight, but I am open to learning how to make healthier bread than we can buy. In doing that, I’m wondering if I need a mixing bowl. I might invest in one before long. They are pricey but I don’t think I can knead the dough like it needs to be done. I am wanting to bake and experiment with healthier recipes next year.

I didn’t meant to get ahead of myself but these are just things that are on my mind right now as the end of the year approaches.

I need to work on Mom’s November financial analysis that I keep up with. I waited this time til Vlogmas was over.

Here’s the Zen Color that I finished this morning.

Ok that’s all that’s on my mind currently, lol. I need more coffee and get Mom’s thing done. I’m loving these relaxing days. Still getting some things done though.

Wednesday, December 17

Oh I’ve been having some fun – now that I have been off from my normal schedule. It’s allowed me to venture down some paths and see new things and revive some excitement within. It may sound geeky, but I’ve totally been considering these systems to dive deep into my learning, tracking, keeping up with things, etc.

*Learning the PARA Method. Organizing files by: Projects, Areas (of Maintenance), Resources (just things you access on a periodic basis, and Archives.

• Projects are things you are currently working on which means those are the only files here, and nothing to get in your way.
• Areas – All the other stuff/files you need sometimes to maintain various areas of your life. These are not projects but just “areas” of your life. Obvious in name, right?
• Resources – Just things you need sometimes to access – Maybe like Recipes, or Health Notes, How To’s and all that.
• Archives – Things you are done with, rarely access or need but don’t want to throw away as it might be valuable or become active again.

Is this not brilliant? There’s a book about it but why read the book when you have Chet to explain it to you? (ChatGPT)

*The James Method. The more I think about this, the more I want it for my Bible Study. Oh my goodness. Just thinking about it makes me look forward to daily bible study even more. And you can keep it always because it comes in a cute binder that you can add to.

*Microsoft 365 with Excel for the Mac. I’ve thought about this for a couple of days. I miss Word and Excel and Outlook. I like the way I organized with it. I used it at work. I need it at home now with Mom’s finances, my YouTube finances and Tracking, and personally for my projects. (Oh and I can use my PARA Method, lol). I can let my Less Hustle More Coffee YouTube account buy this for me. Also I can allow other people to have an account, so George won’t have to renew his unless he wants to. He already has Microsoft excel, but I’m going to get the one that includes outlook and I am going to have my emails drop into it and I will enjoy using that again.

So suddenly I’m a little more excited about 2026. I was moderately excited for it, but this makes it much more exciting and I’m up for the importations and changes so I can keep up with some of the changes coming about in 2026 and keep up with business expenses and income, etc.

With the onset of Microsoft 365, I will likely use Notion less. Notion has been the place I’ve parked my lists in absence of a Word and Excel program. I used its spreadsheets like excel. And it has some good templates for making and keeping lists, making a personal calendar, and for parking data and its appeal is that it has been free! It’s worked well for me for a time. I really liked the fact that you can dress it up with photos and graphics etc. I’ll probably still keep it for a few things.

What I like about Notion:

• Ease of list making
• Pretty pages
• You can do so much with a page
• Creating Hyperlinks to other pages to go deeper
• It’s free
• It can act like WORD in a way
• It can act like Excel in a way (but not as efficiently – for me anyway)
• You can check things off by using the check boxes.
• Access and use with multiple devices
• I like using the weekly goal planner though for planning a week out and organizing it. It’s helpful to quickly eyeball the week and plan what tasks should go in each day.

What I don’t like about Notion:

• Sometimes the page wigs out, especially when working with columns
• Something changed where it would not let me copy and paste anymore within the cells when using a spreadsheet
• I’ve lost data while working with my phone and had to create it all over again.
• I decided it’s easier to work with it on the PC and just reference it on your phone.
• I’ve seen a template “Peter out” or “weird out” on me. Over time it kinda just fell apart. I’m sure I’m the culprit but the original template is no more and it doesn’t work as good. (????)
• The spreadsheet is just not the same as excel and I have expectations that I need beyond that. I’m unwilling to learn a new spreadsheet and also untrusting. I want to use what I know already.

I also found someone on YouTube that was more of a list person than me. She is autistic she says and her channel is Joy Agenda. She doesn’t show her face but she shows her hands and her lists. And there are a lot of them. It goes even deeper than I do with mine. But it’s intriguing and I could listen to her all day because I totally get where she is coming from. It’s like she is speaking my mind out loud at times. I don’t often go that deep in my lists but at times I have been known to think that deep and then go “nah maybe not”, it’s too much. She seems to write all her things out. I cannot do that. I have to my things more organized and it’s been a challenge for me to finally go digital with the iPad and Notion and the Mac. But I have carefully developed my systems for what I’ve needed with a few weeks here and there.

Last year I added Good Notes when I bought the iPad. The iPad allows me to digitize my handwritten notes and to have planning files and notetaking files and make temporary lists that help me do projects etc. And I can now organize that by PARA as mentioned above. 😉

The digital world comes at an expense but not too much of one. But the Bible app will be a written one and I’m totally ok with that!

Anyway, I’ve worked hard today. I vacuumed across the house and did a lot of baseboard and behind the tables and chairs and underneath things and did the mopping. Dexter is at doggie daycare. I did not do the sunroom as I ran out of steam. But it was a work out this morning. George was gone when I did a lot of it. He came in and saw me eating, watching a YouTube channel, sipping coffee and herbal tea and working a puzzle and had the audacity to say “oh you are having a lazy day huh?”. He did not see all the hours while he was gone to drop Dexter off, go to the gym, and to Walmart. lol. I quickly set him straight.

I also bleached the bathtub and mat. I need to windex but I have lost steam.

I worked the puzzle though – the easy one. Boy it sure was easy too. 100 pieces, but I loved the scene.

I also enjoyed my devo this morning sitting at the table like this and able to stretch out and write. It’s been hard to write with Maddie in my lap. I love our morning time though but I can drink coffee and plan my list with her for the day, and easily do World Bible School. Then I can move to the dining room table for my devos. When I get the James Method, I’ll need the space for that.

I was also wanting to read the Bible in Chronological order in 2026 too. So we’ll see if a combination of those things (chronological bible and James Method) will work.

Anyway, I’m going to go see if I can get a few more things off the list. But I’m ok with reading too, lol.

Oh and the Omaha Steaks are supposed to deliver today or tomorrow. I was thinking today but today is the 17th and I think she said 18th. I can’t remember. Anyway, we’ll see. My sister and I are wondering if this thing that was shipped in dry ice a week ago, will even still be cold. It got hung up in shipping. If it is not frozen when we get it they will have to reship. This scares me. I am particular about my food. I don’t think it’s good to be thawed and refrozen, etc. So I don’t know.

Thursday, Dec 18th

Wow, a lot can happen in a day “tech wise”. I went ahead and downloaded Microsoft 365 to see what the deal would be and cost and to see if it would let me use it free for a month or so. I asked George if he could add me to his and he just said to get my own, b/c I don’t think he wanted to fool with trying to figure out how to get me signed up for it. We could do a family cheaper than two singles, but he didn’t want to deal with it. Well when I tried to sign up myself, it told me that I already had an account so I reset my password and it looks like George has just been renewing from my old account every year. So he’s on my account I guess. I hope he is anyway. I hope I didn’t knock him off. lol. I cannot see him on there anywhere. So hopefully it did not mess with him. Or maybe we just haven’t hit the 5 device limit. I have it on Mac, phone, and iPad. Anyway, I have played with it yesterday afternoon after I blogged and then also today. I have set up some things in Excel and also have set up Microsoft Office email. And my calendar and everything has integrated beautifully. I did not have to download outlook to my phone because it integrates with apple email and syncs. I’m so shocked. And the outlook automatically integrated with my gmail calendar. Didn’t even have to do anything. Wow! So easy.

It’s been a relaxing day today, just working on some planning of goals and doing two loads of laundry. Watching YouTubes, eating, lol. George went to the Frist Center with his buddy Ron, and Thad and Bryan I think he said. They went through the McCartney set up at the Frist Art Center and ate at Peg Leg Porker for lunch (like old times at Gibson). He is back early and we have a dinner tonight. It’s supposed to storm. Anyway feeling very happy today and peaceful as I relaxed and did what I wanted today and also very happy about how the technology is working together. Now I’m even wondering about renewing the planner for Good Notes. Because I can do it Microsoft and it integrates. So I won’t have to renew that. No need to pay for both, but I haven’t had to pay for this Microsoft yet anyway. It told me I already had a subscription through October of next year. So hopefully George still has his.

Friday, Dec 19

In a really good space today. For the first time in a long time – maybe since childhood? – we are ready for Christmas in most every way and I am in “play mode”. I’ve been playing/cleaning a bit for a couple of days, just doing tidbits of cleaning. And it’s been feeling so good.

We had dinner with friends at Hermitage Steak House last night and laughed and talked and it was so nice sharing and swapping stories with our friends. The worst part of the storm came while we were there at the restaurant. Otherwise we were driving in moderate rain showers. The cold weather hit this morning. At 10:00 a.m. this morning it is 36 degrees.

George’s sister is coming by this morning and we are doing the exchanges of packages (not to open) but to hold for Christmas Day. She’s coming through and going back home to Maryville and a good time for us to swap our gifts and then we will save for Christmas Day.

12:50 now. George’s sister came and spent some time with us this morning and she’s on her way back to her town. We swapped out packages. And I’ve been working on the Christmas table for tonight’s little dinner with Aunt Martha, Uncle Ken and Mom. George is working on the dinner itself. They will be over in a few hours.

Still no sight of the Omaha steak box but it’s supposed to be delivered today. The date changes daily. Mom seemed like she was tired of the subject itself so I told her I wouldn’t mention it again. If it comes it comes. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. She had just told us to be on the lookout for it so I was letting her know every day that it didn’t come yet. I thought she’d want to know. So I was telling her but I think she’s tired of hearing about it. So I won’t mention it again. I hope we do get it as we’ve been looking forward to it.

The “kids” as we lovingly call them, (my daughter and her family) are on their way from TX. As I type this they are about to Jackson, TN and almost here. They will be spending the night at Cody’s parents. They have the nursery and plenty of bedrooms. So they always land there. His Mom is fixing their dinner tonight as they will be exhausted from 12+ hours on the road in one shot. We will get to see them tomorrow. And I will start my new Blog Week over.

I like blogging like this. I am doing it for me. Anyone that wants to read it can. I’m sharing it so they can. But I don’t care how long, how short, or if words or misspelled or auto corrected. But it’s been a good day. I’ve finished my REST devo book. I’ve discovered it comes from a company called The Daily Grace Co. And they have a lot of other lessons.

Anyway, I’m going to get off of here and do something else. I have moved the puzzle table to my office to get it out of the way for Christmas. I think I’ll start that next Christmas puzzle soon. The harder one. lol

Hope your season is going well. I sure am enjoying my break and not having any deadlines.