Pages

Showing posts with label list. Show all posts
Showing posts with label list. Show all posts

Thursday, February 18, 2016

A List of Quilt A Longs

Here is a list of current, about to happen, or future quilt a longs {QAL} that you may or may not be interested in joining. All are free. There may be options in which you can purchase fabrics and the like; but, I prefer to choose my own.

  • As you all probably know, I am desiring to be a part of the Gypsy Wife Quilt A Long. The quilt is unique and fits me to a T. I have been wanting to make one for some time now and even purchased the book. This may help me get into the groove and start making the quilt.

    splish splash stash
  • I have been following the Ugly Christmas Sweaters QAL even going so far as to color in some free coloring pages whenever a new block is posted. I think it would be fun and humorous to have a quilt for the guest room in December. If I do make one, I'm going to try to include just a tad more reds and greens along with the orange/gold to make it more "Christmasy".

    Sew Fresh Quilts
  • Craftsy has a block of the month (BOM) that is free! The instructor is Lynette Jensen (founder of Thimbleberries). Check it out here: 2016 Block of the Month.
  • If you like stars along with a variety of other blocks, Starry Night Sampler Block of the Month might be the one for you and it begins on February 15th.


  • The Splendid Sampler Sew A Long by Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson. A mystery that consists of 100 6" blocks. Two blocks are released per week (Sundays and Thursdays) with two holiday breaks. There are 83 designers and a variety of sewing techniques.

    Spledid Sampler Sew A Long
  • If you or someone you know loves mincraft, this QAL may fit the bill: Minecraft Sew Along. A block is posted every Monday and they are currently on block 5.

    Minecraft Sew Along
There are tons more quilt a longs out there. It is just a matter of finding them and picking one (or more) that fits the bill for you.

Friday, January 3, 2014

2014 Word of the Year and My Stupid List

Word of the Year

2011 – Do
2012 – Finish
2013 – Anew (Afresh)

2014 – Focus

I have been so unfocused lately that it is driving me insane. I am sure it is driving Dan crazy. So, the word of the year for 2014 is focus. I need to take a deep breath and center myself. I am going to endeavor to concentrate on one thing at a time. One project at a time. One task at a time. One meal at a time. And, get it done. You get the drift.

As for setting goals this year, they are not extensive as I seem to just out and out fail due to life and other reasons. So, it is just a simple 52 weeks:

  • Savings Challenge

    This is an incremental challenge that I find very easy to do. Since there are two of us, I am setting aside $2 for the first week, $4 the second, $6 the third and so on and so forth. {To find out more, just search for “52 weeks savings plan” as this challenge is viral.}

  • Books

    I miss reading books and have not really enjoyed reading them for a long time due to a variety of reasons including judgmental souls who told me that I was being anti-social and needed to be more involved. I have been unhappy trying to fulfill my promise (to get them off my back) to try to participate. By the way, this was years and years ago – before I got married. Well, I am done with them. I am returning to my first love and that is books and I do not care what others may think of me. By the way, this challenge may or may not include books previously read. Also, I may choose to read young adult or preteen books which often are quick reads and exactly what I need for that moment.

  • Projects

    This will be a variety of things such as crafting, organization, baking or cooking (new recipes), etc., and etc. For example, I may want to alter several composition books; so, that could be my project for the week. Or, I may want to clean out and organize the extended pantry which is currently driving me batty. So, that could be my project of the week.

Simple enough, right? Right. <---- That is sarcasm in case you did not read the emotion behind the word.

And oh, we have officially gone on to the “no spend month” only it will extend into two or three months. The exceptions to the rule is 1) travel and hotel costs (to visit family) and 2) house and related expenses to continue work. How is that for fun start to the New Year?

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

2013 Word of the Year

My word of the year for 2012 was “finish”. I also started a #FinishYear list. (If you’re interested, you can go see my 2012 Blog post here.).Did I finish anything?

Honestly, for the life of me, I do not remember finishing a single project. However, I was walking a mile and progressing to two miles until we started packing for the move back in May. And, I was making and creating meal plans for two weeks at a time until the move. All things went to pot once we landed this new house back in May and started changing the flooring from tile to hardwood. As a result, my goals changed. You will never know what life will bring you. I do have to say that creating a specific list was semi-successful for me. So, I will continue to do just that along with keeping the word of the year.

I am currently trying to be positive; but, when you have been sick with allergies and then with a severe cold since before Christmas time, it is hard to not get discouraged when you feel like you have more bad days than the good. It is tough struggling with depression and the usual chronic pain and then when you are knocked down for the count by an unexpected sickness… Well, you get the picture.

I think I am on the mend. I pray that I am on the mend. I currently have a little rattle in my chest and a tad bit of stuffiness in my head. But, today I feel more like me.

Let’s see, my 2011 word of the year was “do”. And, 2012 was “finish”. I will keep on using those words. What word should be added to these words of the past? What shall be my word for 2013?

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

~Lamentations 3:22-23~

The one word that keeps repeating in my mind is “anew” – a very lovely old-fashioned word. Anew means fresh or again.

Yes, every day begins afresh. I need to remember that no matter how I fail; I dust myself off and start again. If I fail to get something planned done, I can do it the next day or the next time I have the opportunity to do so. Yes, “anew” is a good word. I shall make that my word of the year.

As for my goals for this year, they are simple and yet so complex. If I look at the big picture, I get overwhelmed with all that needs to be done. However, if I break it down, it does not seem so huge. The biggest goal that both Dan and I have is to complete remodeling efforts on the house by the beginning of April. We have two major remodeling efforts and the rest is all cosmetic.

The first major effort is converting the garage into a studio/guest overflow room. I am really looking forward to starting on this project. We hope to get started on this sometime this month or early in February.

The second effort is replacing the kitchen cabinets. As time goes by, both of us just do not like these cabinets. They are mega-cheap looking and the style is not our cup of tea as we like the simple look such as Craftsman, Shaker, or Mission. We decided one day to just replace them all instead of taking the time and effort to paint them or change the look. Don’t you worry, I am frugal. I am sure we will be able to do this with a minimum cost without getting into debt and still have awesome cabinets that fit our style.

I am not sure if we will do the cabinet project before or after April. I would love to get it done before next year. I would love to get all things done to this house (with the exception of the bathrooms) this year and just live happily ever after. I have learned through experience of our first home to not wait. If you wait, you will never get what you want done. And, we are not exactly getting younger. I would like to enjoy this home finished for many years. Key word is finished.

In the meantime, Dan has been working on the casings for the doors and windows (which never had them). Keep an eye on his blog because he does infrequent updates on the work. In fact, he has written recently about the door and window casings. I have been very remiss about blogging on this part of our lives. I should remedy this in the future. But honestly, I rather leave that up to him as he does all the hard work. I just have the vision – I am the designer and interior decorator. Ha!

Dan is also putting down the baseboards. And, because I’ve been sick, he’s been doing the painting by himself. I feel so bad because I could not help him; but, I just did not have the energy to do much of anything.

Anyway, we are doing one room at a time as for as the casings and baseboards. The kitchen is being completed. All the casings around the doors and windows are completed with the exception of the one above the sink. We are postponing that one until we redo the cabinets. It is my hope to get the window enlarged as it is such a tiny pathetic little window. If we cannot due to costs and/or other factors, it will still be easier to put up the casings when we put up new cabinets.

The next room for casings and baseboards is the living room. And then, it will be the hallway of many doors. We are doing the open areas first and then the bedrooms. One area a time. One weekend at a time. When I recover from this current sickness, I can get started on the painting. Not only do the casings and baseboards need to be painted, but the walls need to be painted too. I’ve already decided on the color for the kitchen and the paint has been purchased. I have also tentatively decided what the living room color will be. I just haven’t picked out the exact color yet.

My one other goal for this year is to continue taking a picture every single day. I may or may not do a daily, weekly or monthly challenge like I did for last December. If I do, I will link or refer to where I am getting the “topics” for the day within the post(s). When I am sick, about all I can do is snapshots. But, at least I am taking pictures. Today is an exception to that rule as I did not nor am I planning to take a picture. But, I shall resume tomorrow.

I do hope everyone will have a blessed and wonderful year.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

My Word of the Year & #FinishYear List



I tried the UFO concept with Judy at Patchwork Times; but, I was an utter failure with that effort. I think it's because it focused only on the crafty/quilting part of my life. The Word of the Year, which replaces a list of resolutions, was a better effort for me. The word is often a concept that we desire to embrace, a quality we wish to embody, or something we wish to have more of in our lives.

My word of the year for 2011 was “do”. I accomplished more than I ever did before. There is always room for improvement though. I decided to make “finish” my word of the year for 2012 and extend the word “do”. They complement one another, don’t you think?

But, I still need something more than just a Word of the Year. I’m a list person. I need something to shoot for. Most of the time, making resolutions never worked for me and I think I know why. They tend to be too general and need to be a little more specific to work.

Jon Acuff turned on the light for me with his ”Finish Year” concept. He is doing a series of posts to help us set up our lists. I think this concept may just work because the focus is on efforts not results, which may be the biggest bane to my existence.

{Start from the last link I provided above and work your way through his newer posts to get the gist of what “Finish Year” is all about.}

So, I listed items in the car on the way up to the Dallas area to see family before the New Year. Dan wanted to know what I was doing; so, I explained the concept to him and how it is done. He kind of joined in with his own list.
Here is my original list:
  1. finish the Layer Cake Quilt. In the process, learn to machine quilt.
  2. read at least six books
  3. hand quilt Dan’s quilt
  4. clean / purge the office
  5. clean / purge the Master Bedroom
  6. make meal plans (every two weeks)
  7. save up for “new” car
  8. make flying geese blocks using charm squares and special ruler
  9. take a stitch on Tuesdays
  10. add money to house fund
  11. walk a mile (two miles is ultimate goal)
  12. either relearn to play piano or learn to play a mandolin
  13. establish an etsy shop for crafts
  14. write down thoughts frequently – once or twice a week
  15. design a quilt
  16. learn to swallow a pill
  17. organize my fabrics onto “bolts” – 2 or 3 a day should get me there eventually
  18. finish the cross-stitch project that is half done
  19. take a picture once a week
Here is Dan’s list:
  1. finish the mustang!
  2. relearn/play the banjo.
  3. finish the desk/nightstand
  4. learn custom framing and matting.
  5. finish professional photography – at least establish a SmugMug account and even get some business cards
We are supposed to wean the list to five. Dan is fine. However, I am not! Ha! So, on the way home from the Dallas area, I weaned down the list. Let me tell you, I had a difficult time weaning the list down. I noticed that there were several small items that could be done every day until the task is completed. So, I weaned my list down to five keeping the original list separate so that I can add to the new list whenever one is eliminated. I also created a separate list that could be worked on in a routine manner (aka Flylady).
Here is my five:
  1. I am going to finish learning how to swallow a pill. I may not ever learn how; but, I am determined to try.
  2. I am going to finish the Layer Cake Quilt. In the process, learn to machine quilt.
  3. I am going to finish saving up for “new” car. We only need a couple more thousand.
  4. I am going to finish walking a mile (two miles is the ultimate goal)
  5. I am going to finish cleaning / purging the office. I can only do this if Dan helps the process as half the stuff in there is his. I hate to nag him; but, this is important to me.
Here is my secondary list (in no particular order):
  • I am going to finish making meal plans (every two weeks).
    {I started and completed the first plan on 1/2/12.}
  • I am going to finish writing down thoughts frequently – once or twice a week – journal style.
  • I am going to finish organizing my fabrics onto “bolts” – 2 or 3 a day should get me there eventually.
    {I started this on 1/4/12.}
  • I am going to finish taking a picture at least once a week
    (I started this on 1/2/12.)

I've placed my #FinishYear list inside my calendar organizer for safekeeping and easy reference. Here's to hoping for a more successful year!