Block 3

This is the 3rd block in the Romance Continues Block of the Month by Marti Michell. This picture is a bit blurry, but I actually think I like my fabrics better than those that come in the block of the month kit each month. I haven't shared those yet, have I? I'll save that for another blog post.

I've also got a large quilt that I need to start binding. So far, the strips are cut and sewn together.



Next is the ironing and attaching. And then finally, the hand sewing. This is probably my favorite part of quiltmaking - it means another quilt is almost finised. And since my bff is coming to visit next month and needs to sleep under this quilt, I'd better get moving.

Panic - Not!

Okay....I tried to log into my blogger account and couldn't. So I kind of panicked, thinking maybe I'd been hacked. But no...I was just using the wrong password or email or both. When did life become so packed with information? So full of content? So distractingly crazy.

I could sit and read blog posts all day because there are just so many good blogs to read - couponing, quilting, cooking, etc. (By the way, spell check doesn't consider couponing a word. Yeah, right!) Plus articles on the latest news, saving money, celebrities and so on. And then there are the TV programs that I can access online. Oh yeah, add working on the budget to the list. Ahhhh...so much to process. And meanwhile, my backside just grows and grows. Must ... get ... control.



That's why I'm going to go for a walk tomorrow morning. I might not be fast, but at least I'll tie on the shoes and get in some steps. Right now the mornings are perfect for enjoying outside. While I'm at it I'll take the time to talk to God about all that I'm thankful for and all I need to entrust to Him. I'm looking forward to it.

A Little Bit at a Time

So ... if sewing soothes the soul, why don't I do it every day? Well, the answer is simple - time. One has to think ahead and plan a little so that when one has the chance one can just get going. I'm working on this, so that I can make good use of the snippets of time that appear in my life.

Having goals also helps to make wise use of time. I have a dear friend coming to visit me in approximately 3 months. She will be staying in our "guest bedroom/husband's hobby room." The bed we have for this room is a futon (we hear it's hard as a rock, so we bought an egg-crate topper, but I digress). I would like for my dear friend to be the first to sleep under an Americana quilt that I hope to have complete at that time.

I bought the parts for this quilt in a kit series from Jo-Ann about 10 years ago. I thought it was so cute back then. Over time I grew to be less enamored with the quilt top. But as it's completion comes closer I am once again finding it attractive.

The goal for this week was to contact the quilter and find out when she could pick it up. You see, this quilt is rather large and I'm a little out of practice when it comes to the art of machine quilting, so I opted to have someone else tackle this job. I was a little surprised when she told me she was available the next day, which is today. So last night, my next goal of seaming the backing fabric, was set for me.

Here's a little peek of what the backing looks like.



When I get the quilt back and have finished binding it (in less than 3 months, hopefully) I'll post a pic. I'm excited for this quilt to be completed and this goal to be met. But it didn't happen quickly. It took a little bit at a time.

Sewing Soothes the Soul

The days when I get to sew are the best days of all. There's just something about sewing that soothes the soul. Not just any kind of sewing will do. It's the creative/productive kind of sewing that we quilters enjoy.

I'm currently in a new experience called a Block-of-the-Month. The quilt I am assembling is The Romance Continues, by Marti Michell. This quilt calls for templates - little plexiglass shapes that create perfectly cut fabric pieces that fit together perfectly and create the perfect quilt block.

Well, being the cheapo that I am, I decided that I didn't want to purchase the templates and would try to create the blocks using some other, more standard, rulers. But before I actually make the block I'm supposed to be making with the fabric that comes as part of the block of the month program, I am cutting all the pieces out of some scrap fabric I have, to make sure that things will go together as planned. This is what I call fun. After I make the "trial block," I then go on to make the official block.

Today I cut out my trial block and laid it out to make sure I understand how the pieces to together. This is all I have time for today. This counts as sewing. This soothes the soul. Another day I will stitch them together. What fun!

A Positive Attitude Can Make A Big Difference

Fred and Johnny are two guys who made a difference. They both had what others would consider to be menial jobs. One was a postman and the other was a grocery story bagger. But both were genuine in their care for others. And that is what makes them special. Read more about Fred here and watch this video to see Johnny's story.

What you choose to focus on is so important that it can spill over to how you treat others. If you want your interactiions with those around you to be positive then take time to make sure you are getting that positivity into your psyche. Read books about thankfulness, success and overcoming challenges. Listen to motivational audio files. Go to church. Study people in your own life who are upbeat and hopeful. Take cues from others who have mastered the art of encouragment ... like Fred and Johnny.

Say something nice to someone today.

Renewed Focus

If I have so much to be thankful for, then why have I only written one blog in the last year or so? I think that I sometimes have difficulty acknowledging publicly my belief in God's provision for my needs. And yet, I wholeheartedly believe that all I have is from God.

It is much easier to complain about all I don't have than to take the efffort required to focus on the many blessings I do have. It just seems to be human nature (at least for this human) to gripe. And yet, I know that it is better, for many reasons, to focus on the positive.

Today I am thankful for Allrecipes.com where I found the tastiest Barbeque Chicken Salad recipe to have for dinner last night. We didn't have all the ingredients on hand, but I was able to zip into our local Target and quickly grab them. Zipping into Target was an option because, in a surpising twist, I got off work early yesterday. After dinner there was time to watch some TV with my daughter (Diners, Drive-ins and Dives) while working on my hexagon quilt. Another flower is complete - Yay!



Hopefully this will be the beginning of a renewed focus on thankfulness. Stay tuned.

Life in Texas

We've settled in ... sort of. The house is under control. Furniture is purchased, decorating is in process and we're feeling pretty comfortable in our new space.

With the kids starting college next week schedules will be solidifying. Hopefully, jobs will be on the horizon for them as well. I have a part-time job now and will be working regularly scheduled times for the unforeseeable future. My husband is still job-hunting so there will be more adjusting when he begins working. It's a good thing this process is gradual. I'm not sure we would have survived the transition intact if everything had slammed together at once.

We are facing the tough reality that the cost of living isn't quite as inexpensive as we first thought. This is a bit of a hurdle and will prove challenging for us since only one of us is employed right now. We'll be living off our savings. So for the time being we will be pinching the pennies pretty tightly. Now, I'm no stranger to coupons and frugal living, but it has been a while since we've needed to live this lean. I'll need to draw on the resources that I have gathered to creatively stretch our budget.

I have to keep reminding myself that God is the blessed controller of all things and our circumstances aren't a surprise to him. While reminding myself of this I need to focus also on utilizing the skills and talents he's given me to make the best of my resources. I know this part of life's journey will probably not be easy, but who said life was easy. I'm going to make the choice to remain thankful in my circumstances and rely on the promises of God to see me through.

I hope to share what I learn - whether practical or philosophical - in this blog. Join me on the journey.