Is Being Irresolute a Resolution?

Do you make resolutions?  I quit many years ago.  I enjoyed reading people's resolutions though.  They are going to get healthier, not buy fabric and use their stash only (I am not even going to attempt that one), finish up UFO's, I am not going to try to keep track of their resolutions heck I can barely figure out what  I am doing at times.  If they succeed I am joyous and cheer them on, and if they lapse I will lament along with them or ignore it whichever way they choose.  Some choose words that they are going to live by for the new year.  Kind of a mantra.

So if I choose to not make a resolution does that make me irresolute?

My quilty goals for 2014?

Sew many quilts sew little time.  Just look at my UFO page.

My immediate goals I want to finish my jewel box quilt, and the Lazy Sunday Mystery quilt from Quiltmaker magazine.  I am hesitant to make any goals right now since I will be going back to work and it is not stable so it is kind of just fly by the seat of my pants.  

I want to do more slow stitching, cross stitch and embroidery.  This is my mom's house at Christmas.  At one time I was making everyone a cross stitched stocking.  I am a wee bit behind, and I need to get caught up.

There have been many additions to the family over the past few years.  (ahem and some deletions)  I have Gabriel, Finley, and Cayden (grandsons) Nikole (my gorgeous SIL) and Pablo the newest Nephew, Dustin (the SIL) and one for my hubby.  I love my dad's comment, can't we just pick names off of some of the ex husband stockings and reuse them?  All she would have to do is add the new updated names? I would also like to make a set for my immediate family here in Michigan, and hey maybe a set for the daughter's families for their homes too?

I am going to be more proactive about writing down or sketching ideas.  I don't know about you but I always have loads of ideas for presents right after Christmas.  I need to work on those throughout the year.

I am going to donate more quilts to charity.  I have been on a pace of  one a year.  I would like to do much more, there is such a great need.

I am going to join a quilt guild.  What better place to get you mojo working than with others with the same love.  This one is going to be tough for me.  I am not a joiner, and am so shy.  Seems like every time I get the nerve up something happens that day and changes my plans. 

I  would like to take some classes, and there are a couple of LQS that do sit and stitch a couple of times a week.  I need to get out much more other than just to work.  

I am going to enter a quilt into competition.  I am shooting for the county fair in August.

I am going to try some new techniques.  Applique', foundation piecing, use some new tools.  Always fun to learn something new right?

What worked for me in 2013?  Making monthly goals, listening to books on my Kindle while I sewed and machine quilted, rotating projects so I had lots of variety which not only added to my UFO, but also helped me improve my skills this past year.    

Finally my word for the year?  There are so many which would be appropriate.

I am going to remember to always be Grateful.

I need to remember to grateful for the good times as well as the bad times, and remember that everything happens for a reason, which I may not understand at the moment but eventually it will become revealed and become a learning experience.

It's a Wrap

Welcome to 2014.  Wow this past week has been a blur.  Christmas Dinner with the Ancient Ones, a car wreck for the minions and minion mamma, an impromptu dinner with the Crash Clan, Sunday Dinner with the oldest daughter and her family, and a total surprise on New Year's Eve, of having the minions for dinner, all New Year's Day, and the next day too.  The mamma and daddy are working since it is snowing lots, so they have lots of properties to clean up.  Also means that DH is working lots.

2013 was a year of changes.
DH and I were married in January.

The Finn was born. 

and Cayden

How fast they grow. 

What I finished this year.

Pictures Left to Right:
1.  Lillian and Karena's quilt, Lela's quilt, Sewing Machine Cover , Summer Meadow quilt, sewing supplies bag
2.  Raindrops on Easy Street, Coin purse, sewing supplies bag, and thread catcher, DH mug rug, mug rug for blog hop
3.  Pin cushion for blog hop, curtains for family room, spool pin doily, pumpkin pincushion for blog hop, pumpkin pincushion for blog hop
4.  Folded star pincushion for blog hop, Marissa quilt, Star Struck table runner, Waterfall quilt for blog hop, Cider Time mug rug for swap
5.  Wandering Geese mug rug for swap, pincushion/sharp, star struck table runner, Icy Swoon block for Christmas Exchange, Stars and Bars for Lincoln Schnibbles

Somehow I still missed Aubri Jo's quilt, and a coin purse I made for my oldest daughter.

I started lots of stuff and am still working on them.  I kind of like to have lots of variety.

Farmer's Wife

Jewel Box

Barns

 

 

Country Charmer

I finished a couple of flimsies which need to be quilted.

Ginger Rose

Hugs and Kisses

I have several projects which are almost completed tops also. 

The year had lots of changes, and challenges and I have learned loads.  I have enjoyed blogging and I hope you enjoyed my blogging also.  Here is to a wonderful 2014!

Quiet Christmas

Christmas was a lovely day.  This is the first time for many years that only adults were in attendance.  We had a small intimate dinner of Ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans, fresh baked dinner rolls, sweet potatoes, and Strawberry-Cranberry Jello salad.  With a choice of Lemon Meringue or Pumpkin pie to finish off the feast.  I pulled out the China and it was lovely  to sit and visit.  Way too much food remaining. All the kids were spending holidays with their significant other families, so no little ones running around.  Lots of oldesters though.  They ranged from 73-91 years old not including me and DH. The Ancient ones had a great time sitting and visiting and really did not want to go when I shoved them out the door homeward because it was snowing. 

The kids were supposed to come on Sunday after church for Sunday supper, and to open gifts.  How many people used to have Sunday Supper with their grandparents and or other family members after church?  My memory may be waning at times but I remember many suppers with the grand parents.  Maybe that should be a new tradition for our household at least once a month.

Plans change though, the youngest daughter was in a car wreck, and totaled her van, which was the only vehicle big enough to haul her and the 4 kiddos.  While she is feeling very distraught and frustrated, I am so very thankful that she and the kids were not injured, and it was just her car. 

DH cleaned the house, which meant of course the family room sewing machine was closed up, and my little crazy wee projects put away, the machine on the dining room table was put away as well as the cutting station and everything he could not decide where to put it ended up in my sewing room. 

I put stuff away and had enough room to work a bit on my jewel box quilt.

Still plugging away.  I have twenty-three of the thirty-six blocks done, and a bunch more staged.  All I need to do is sew like the wind!

Merry Christmas

May you and your family have a Blessed Christmas.

Colette

Playing the Numbers

Have you every started really considering how many parts are in a block or a quilt of a certain size you want to make?  Remember my Jewel box quilt?  I was so proud of myself I was thinking halfway there.  Maybe I should kind of get all my black HST ready.

Looking at my block.  It means I need 8 of the HST per block.  Which translates to 4-4 7/8 inch black matched with 4- 4 7/8 inch cut Batik block... you know the drill draw the line down the center, sew 1/4 inch on both side and you have 2 HST.  I grabbed my handy dandy calculator cause I don't do math anymore in my head since I no longer work in the industry that I used to.  OMG!  That translates to 144 blocks to make and since I get 2 blocks at a time so I need 72.  I started counting....I have 10, 24, 36, 48 all of them.  OK I will admit I have been taking my time writing this post. 

Now I just kind of have to let myself go and finish up my blocks because while 18 of the blocks were actually kind of color schemed these I am going to attempt to go a wee bit more scrappy looking.  I finished one and then I had some chores to get done.

DH got the two walls painted that we had peeled the awful wallpaper off of and because the walls had not been treated correctly the wallboard paper peeled, the primer actually bubbled and peeled....let's just say nightmare.  DH put a light skim coat over the wall we he primed, and then painted.  OK everyone how many of you end up doing some kind of major home improvement project before Christmas. 

Today was family cookie day.  The oldest daughter and her two daughters came as well as the youngest daughter and her 4 children.  We also used it to celebrate Gabe's 5th birthday since last week was the snowstorm and everyone was working.

We made lots of the "family cookie recipe" and they were all frosted and got sprinkled.  Some more than others.

We had pizza lunch, and cake.  Then watched a movie.

OK I know this sounds mushy but this picture brings joy to my heart.   From left to right.
Gabriella, Finley, Addyson, Emmalyn, Xander, and Gabriel.  Love to have the cousins here to play together and spend time.

After they left we at least got a Christmas tree up.

It needs decorations, but I am banished from the attic until I am much better.
Then DH was called into work.  Water main break.....oh well overtime and I have some knitting to do.

Yes this is the same dishcloth I told you I am very slow.  I also have a slow stitching project that I came up with finally for DH.  What do you get the man who have everything?  Including me?  While it may not be ready for Christmas it will definitely be ready for our upcoming anniversary.  OK off I go I am going to take advantage of him being gone and go drag it out and work on it! 

Oh Snow!

We have been hit with snowstorm after snowstorm.  What does it mean?  DH is working lots of overtime with the city, the youngest daughter who decided to be a stay at home mommy works for a landscape company to help shovel at $10, and I get to look out the window at the wintery lovliness.

I love fir trees in the snow. 

Because his momma was working The Finn came to stay the night, and the next day. 

Finn was not feeling his usually finny self.  He spent most of the day on the couch with his Rheema, either just playing with his toys, or occasionally mauling me.  Finn loves his Grandpa Jeff and kept watching for him to come home. 

In the mail I got a couple of goodies.

This lovely Charm pack and cute card and gift tag from Lesley the Cuddle Quilter.  Lesley hosted the Country Charmer QAL all year and I so enjoyed the QAL even though I did not finish my quilt.  It is a definite one I want to complete soon.  Don't you love the lovely note card it is even quilty looking!

Earlier in December Jacquelynne Steves hosted a blog hop called the Holiday Hullabaloo.  Several bloggers were invited to share a Christmasy project with a give away and Jacquelynnne would provide a surprise pack for the winner for each blog.  I won the giveaway from Connie at Freemotion by the River.

Two beautiful quilt patterns, a super cute notecard/stationary set, and a gorgeous pendant.

As to the sewing/quilting?   I hit the halfway mark.  I have 18 blocks completed. 

While I have had kind of a method to my madness all along-- which was to kind of keep a color scheme going for each block I am kind of thinking that the final 18 are going to be more random.  Hmmm took me a year to make 18 I wonder if it will take me another year to make the final 18? 

Slow Going

I am a terrible patient when it comes to healing.  My knitting is rudimentary at best and slowwwwww. I hate sitting and watching TV and really wanted to sew. 

Yesterday I cleaned up the dining room table (no I did not pick up any sewing machines to move them) and ironed, cut strips, marked, sewed and ironed some more and finished 1....yes count it 1 jewel box block!  

Which made block 13.  I then thought I need to get a handle on how many blocks exactly I need for this quilt.  Each block is 16 1/2 inches which is 16 inches finished.  I would like this to be a nice big quilt so 6 x 6 would make a nice big 96 inch square quilt.  That means I would need 36 blocks total and I am at 13.  Yowza that is a lot more blocks. 

When DH returned from work yesterday, he sanded, washed, and primed the dining room walls and I continued to cut, and marked the black I have been using for this quilt. 

Today was supposed to be clean house for family cookie day today.  Instead I woke up this morning because it was just too quiet.  I looked outside and it had began to snow.  DH and I got up, had a cup of coffee and out the door he went.  Even with just a couple of inches he wanted to plow our drive, ancient uncle's drive, and the lady next door to get a jump on it.  I teased him that he just needed a little testosterone. He smiled and said there was a method to his madness.  DH no more and came back in and sat down to drink another cup of coffee and he was called into work for the city he works for to sweep/broom, and salt all day long.  DH never hung a plow today on a truck, but he is taking a break for a few hours to come home, plow our driveway again, and salt, change into some dry clothes, eat, fill the boiler to keep me warn and toasty and head back into town. It is still snowing quite heavily and does not look like it is going to stop for several more hours. 

While watching the snow I did another block today.

It is still snowing, I am all warm and cozy watching White Christmas and enjoying the quiet.  I think that family cookie day may be cancelled since the daughter and her significant other have been plowing and shoveling snow for over 18 hours so far today and they have to go back and redo the original properties that they did at the beginning.

Hope everyone is safe and warm.