Image by Mohamed_hassan on Pixabay. It's that time of the year. Time to set some new goals to plan where I will spend my time. A lot of people do a whole year at once. I prefer to look at it in quarters and adjust as needed. Though I always have a too large list of things I want to get done, I have been overly ambitious in the past and that has left me feeling like a failure when I don't complete everything on my fantastically unrealistic list.

Image by Mohamed_hassan on Pixabay. Unfortunately, I have had to cancel or postpone many things in 2025 as the kitchen renovation took up a lot of time along with just surviving. Hopefully, I will be beyond this soon and I'll at least get some more reading, writing, and crafting done because I'm not someone who loves renovation type DIY. I much prefer making cute and spooky crafts instead.

Luminaries placed paper lanterns in the snowbanks in my brother's neighbourhood. On Monday, our concert sold a record number of tickets and the night went well. I was nervous because I hadn’t performed in front of a large crowd since 2000. Despite the initial scariness, it was wonderful to return to something I love. It was off to my hometown the next morning.

DIY and Projects My week began with a car that wouldn't start. Was it the battery? The starter? The cold? Who knows. I was immensely worried about it though. I needed my car for choir, Christmas shopping, and travel in the coming days. It felt like 2025 just wanted to screw with me a little bit more before the year was over.

DIY and Projects This week, I cleaned up the grout haze. After I finished sealing, I touched up the wall. Later, I cut the two pieces of baseboard needed for the fridge area. The baseboard needed a light coat of paint. At the end of the weekend, I handled the toe kicker. But I had gap issues. The first one was where the baseboard and tile met, or rather, didn't meet.

Three weeks left of 2025 and I'm looking forward to it being over with. I know that isn't the most positive thing I could say, but I don't think it's an unusual sentiment. I'm regularly struggling to get these blog posts out on time and I apologize for that. Arts & Crafts I began knitting myself a necktie for the upcoming choir performance.

Another week bites the dust... Before I get into my weekly updates, I am offering condolences to all in Hong Kong right now. I can't imagine what you are all going through. It's quite violating to have something like the very structures you have lived with for so long to result in the devastation you are going through. Decluttering and Minimalism…

Decluttering and Minimalism I'm really excited to have made so much progress on my kitchen in the last week or so because it has helped me realize what comes next. I have a plan for my music/reading area once my fridge is back where it belongs. Most of it is just reorganizing things I already have. I'll need to get one item from IKEA and I eventually plan to get another item later on.

Image by beauty_of_nature from Pixabay. Decluttering and Minimalism I got a lot done around the condo on Monday and Tuesday. There is much to do yet, but steps forward are always welcome even if they are small steps. DIY and Projects I made some very small progress this week on the reno. I plan to do a lot more on it next week now that I can devote the mental energy to it.

It feels ridiculous that the year is almost over. With only seven weeks left, I didn't feel like I had accomplished much. Too much energy was spent on things that really weren't part of my path. At least I figured it out and adjusted, I suppose. All that said, I was looking forward to getting back on track and committing to myself.

Arts and Crafts I'm getting so many ideas lately for art for my kitchen. I had originally thought I would do a ton of cross-stich or embroidery, but I think I'll be doing a mix of things because needlecrafts take a lot of time. I can have art sooner if I do some easier things using paints and other techniques. I found some stencils online that use layering techniques and they're good sizes for small wall art.

Image by Mohamed_hassan on Pixabay. Unfortunately, I have had to forgoe many things in Q3 and don't expect to get back to them until next year as the kitchen renovation has been taking a lot of time along with just surviving. Hopefully, I will be beyond this soon and I'll at least get some more reading, writing, and crafting done.

As I was recovering from Con Crud, I didn't know how much I'd get done on anything this week. It turned out to be quite productive. Arts and Crafts I decided it was time to repair my spooky snow globe. But it did not go well at all. I finally had all the items needed. It was to take about 36 hours for the glue holding one piece together to be good.

Will this week be the answer to life and everything? Unlikely. Truthfully, I didn't love The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Just not my style of comedy. Also, I like when there is a clear plot. But I suppose the world we're living in right at this moment may be more absurd than the novel. DIY and Projects Plans for this week included finishing all the steps needed to get my fridge back into my kitchen.

Decluttering and Minimalism I got rid of a small storage ottoman this week. I had originally intended to reupolster it, but it wasn't worth the work given the shape it was in and that it was shedding vinyl all over my condo. I decided I would get a new one if I even needed it at all. I don't think I do.

Decluttering and Minimalism In the coming weeks, this will be a big focus for me when I'm not working on the kitchen. I'm very close to being able to move some things into their proper places. Once the first cabinet is in place, I can relocate my reading chair. Once there is some flooring in the kitchen, I can relocate my fridge.

DIY and Projects Other than the paycheque limitation on getting materials, which I hope to be on the other side of after a new range hood and countertops, time and health have been bottlenecks. Energy as well as I have been working two jobs for the past couple of weeks. One week left on that exhausting piece. But I'm also in perimenopause and that has been complicating things.

DIY and Projects A plumber wasn't an expense I wanted. It can be hard to find a good one that doesn't charge a ridiculous amount. I had a good experience with Roch at Tipi Plumbing though. A lot of plumbers in Ottawa won't do actual residential needs. Some only do new build homes. 34 weeks later, I finally have a functioning kitchen sink!

DIY and Projects Monday had me without access at work, so I worked on my sink install during that time. I got everything connected and there was a leak in the worst spot to have it: hidden up behind the sink where there is no space to do anything. Spent, I left that for the following day to fix. I hoped I would be able to move the cabinet out enough to access the leaking spot without having to disconnect anything else.

2SLGBTQI+ It's Bisexual Visibility Month! For awhile I identified as a Late Bloomer Lesbian, but it's never felt quite right to me. It felt like I was diminishing the previous relationships I had with men and well some parts weren't ideal, other parts were enjoyable. I haven't had any interest in men in a long time, so these days I refer to myself as a Female Exclusive Bisexual.

Coming Soon

Below is a list of works in progress and other unpublished pieces. Flash Fiction - It Couldn’t Hurt - The Madness Monologues - The Funk of Dating (Comedy): A woman talks about how hard it is to date. Novels - Scion: An alien boy flees his home after he is marked as a threat to all existence. (In-Progress) - Sparks: Josy is a divorced woman who is rebuilding her life.

// // window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); // gtag('config', 'G-JXQQ8MZNQZ'); My name is Rae Roy and I am a professional writer with over a decade of writing experience. I write scripts for film, theatre, television, and interactive content. I am experienced with English transcription and described video. I also write novels. I live in Canada's National Capital Region.

Well, the tarot card I pulled for this week was The Hanged Man, which suggested not a lot of progress was to be made. That I was just stuck and should just accept it. I decided to keep working at things regardless of that. It is just a piece of cardboard after all. One that happened to state how I was feeling about a lot of areas in my life, but still.

Monday. Again. But it was back to work this week. In a new portfolio. This is a change that has been coming since mid-March, so I was happy it had finally arrived. I had new buildings and teams to work with. The heat wave finally broke on the weekend and I hoped that would hold true for awhile. As we approach fall, my schedule is falling into place.