I set a goal to make my way through my half-started projects and piles of project ideas that I have stacked up.  Now when I say that I have a stash, it is much  smaller than many crafter/sewer/quilter types, but it is still taking up way too much space in my life.  I have also been wanting to work on expanding my sewing skills.  A couple of weeks ago I dug into a few projects.  I finished a few things that I still need to take pictures of and I started and finished a baby quilt.  I really have no clue who this quilt is for.  I bought the fabrics at our local quilt shop a few months ago and was dying to do something with them.  I machine quilted for the first time too.  Here is a poorly lit bathroom cell phone pic.  I will have to take some better pictures when we get a sunny day here to show how vibrant the colors really are.



I stopped working after Thanksgiving, but may be returning to work shortly.  My time at home has been wonderful.  We have eaten many home cooked meals, our house is getting better organized and I made a ton of progress in the fitness department.

This year has started out thoughtfully.  I haven’t set any new resolutions, but I have done a lot of thinking about how to live my life better.  How to have fewer regrets.  How to worry less about things I cannot control.  One night when I was feeling quite antsy and unable to go to sleep I came across this talk.  It has helped my perspective tremendously.  I have choices.  I can choose to be happy and I can choose to have faith no matter what cards I am dealt.

“Choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism.” – Bishop Edgely

All of that is easier said than done, but I have a feeling that I am going to need to exercise my faith this year.  I will be constantly reminding myself to CHOOSE the things that are going to make me the happiest.

I will be catching up the blog with all the recent happenings so stay tuned.

Friday should have been a working Friday, but I had a little bout with a stomach bug and spent the day sleeping and resting on the couch.  I attempted making a batch of rolls to have with dinner.  My plan was to let the bread maker do the dough making and then I would form the rolls.  I quickly found a recipe, threw in the ingredients, and went back to laying down on the couch.  After reviewing what I had just done in my head, I realized that the recipe called for no fat, no sugar, and too much salt.  I tried my best to make it better but they came out sour and dense.  The dogs thought they made great treats though!  That should probably teach me a lesson about cooking while sick and groggy.

Saturday morning I got up early, determined to rid the flower beds of weeds and dying flowers.  All of the recent rain made quick work of pulling out the major junk.  I stuffed two trash bags full before feeling hot and sweaty and determining it good enough for the day.  Around noon I looked outside and it was bright and sunny and pouring rain.  The sun was quickly chased away and the rain settled in to stay awhile.  It rained hard.  Our yard quickly filled with water and the gutters were so full that there was only a small strip of street worth driving down.  I needed to make a quick trip out to the grocery store so I hopped in the truck and prayed that the flooding wasn’t worse other places.  It turns out that less than 2 miles from our house the streets were completely dry.  The clouds just decided to unload on our little neighborhood, and unload they did.

I really enjoyed the RS broadcast this weekend.  I always feel buoyed back up after another session.  I really wasn’t feeling like going but pulled myself out of the house and was really glad that I did.

Sunday was a good  relaxing day.  Homemade blueberry muffins, a long bubble bath, everything going well at church and dinner made by James.  Have I mentioned that I love it when he cooks dinner.  He doesn’t use recipes, loves the spice cabinet and always turns out something yummy.  He is especially wonderful at transforming leftovers into a meal that is even better than it was in its first life.  Last night he made green chile enchiladas.  Green chile anything is his specialty.  I can’t wait for my lunch leftovers today!

I am looking forward to a quick four-day work week followed by a relaxing loungy weekend.  Maybe there will be cinnamon rolls!

Yesterday we scored 2 packages of boneless pork chops, 2 kinds of greek yogurt, a dozen brown eggs, and a gallon of milk for 50% off.  James may have also thrown in a carton of Blue Bell, that wasn’t half off but was still amazing.  If you can get Blue Bell where you live you must try the Snickerdoodle and the Caramel Turtle Fudge Cheesecake.  So yummy!

We filled the weekend with indoor projects.  The couch got a good vacuuming.  I worked on steam cleaning some spots on the carpet, and started rebuilding some window woodwork destroyed by a previous resident dog.  James finished his project of fixing all the blinds and some of them even got a good scrubbing.  We are getting so close to being able to check a few more projects off of our never-ending home to do list!  I love it.

I got to spend lots of time in the office sorting and organizing boxes.  James helped me go through a few boxes and we are making more progress in making it an efficient space with room for both of us to work, a guest bed, and storage.

Sunday morning I yelled for James when I saw the dogs stalking a hummingbird that lost its way and got stuck in our screened-in porch.  My attempts to help it were futile when it buzzed its wings any time I came anywhere near it.  James was more patient and was able to guide it back out into the rain where it joined its other friends in our tree.

Meeting packed my Sunday.  It was ward conference and so I was in and out of the house from 9am- 5pm.  We finished the weekend off with grilling steaks at the edge of the garage to stay out of the wind and rain.

James and I sometimes like to wander through resale/thrift/junk shops.  We often find interesting things and almost never take anything home with us.  One day I fell in love with a type set drawer.  I really wanted it but the storekeeper wanted $40 for it.  Completely out of my price range, especially for an impulse buy that was also a big project.  We ran into a sweet older man from church who saw me carrying it around and then parting with it.  He was friends with the owner and made a deal for it and brought it home for me. 

I wanted it so much because I remember my Grandma having one when I was little.  I am not sure if she kept her thimble collection or some other little trinkets in it. Mom, do you remember?  I don’t have a thimble or any other tiny collection like that, but I do want to find a way to display it for sentimental value.

Mine isn’t the one pictured above, but it is pretty similar.  I need to spend time putting some elbow grease into it and then hang it up.  I did a search and found some pictures of things other people are displaying in theirs.  Any ideas for mine?

Images found: here, here, here, here

I am really great at dreaming up and starting projects, but not so good at finishing them.  It is a personality flaw that I have set my mind on overcoming.  Starting and not finishing projects means that they just sit around and collect dust and take up valuable space in my house.  Thus, creating more chaos in my life. I have an office full of good ideas and not-yet-completed projects.  We also have a bunch of odd projects around the house to be completed to get our home into better shape.

Last weekend, I set a goal.  I am working through all open projects before I take on anymore.  (Yikes!  That sounds so painful.)  I am trying to only go to stores for supplies to put finishing touches on already started projects.  I was able to get a big pile of holey husband clothes repaired, out of the office and back into his closet.  We also started and completed a fun baby gift that is going to make its way to the mailbox tomorrow morning.

Okay, here I go.  If you can’t find me I am hiding away in my office trying to tackle the denim quilt that I have piles of jeans stored up to cut into squares.

The internet is quite inspiring and I have a hard time keeping track of all the inspiration.  I started a tumblr blog to organize all the sites that I keep bookmarking.  Feel free to stop on by and see what inspires me, what I want to make and things I want to buy.  I am still working on the page layout a bit, but I have emptied out most of my google reader starred items and cleaned out my bookmarks.  Things on my desktop are looking more tidy already!

Truth be told, a good chunk of the projects that I have in there are for children and babies.  I don’t have either at this point but I can’t help to dream and mentally prepare myself with tons of things to make when the time comes.  I also have lots of crochet quilting, sewing, and home crafts to keep me busy.

Click here to visit: I like pretty things

PS. The photo at the top is from a street market that we wandered through in Paris.  I loved the colors and would love to have brought one of these home with me, but backpacking stopped me from buying a lot of “treasures”, which is probably a good thing.

Things that are making me happy:

• New sweaters that I am already sporting in my frigid office.
• An impending trip to Michigan-Fall, apple orchards, good friends, new adventures!
• An impending change in seasons in our part of the world.  I keep reading of other people starting to feel the shift elsewhere, hopefully that means we aren’t too far behind.
• A super clean kitchen. We have been very diligent dishwashers this week.
• The husband
• 4 day work week, 4 day weekend, 4 day work week
• Crafty projects filling my home office desk and trickling out in to all parts of the house.
• Christmas is coming and presents are already starting to take shape.
• Variety in our cooking.  Yummy new recipes tried.
• Hope, Dreams and Goals starting to come to fruition.
• These two photos taken in Paris on our trip that I still need to finish sorting through photos to write about.

I was preparing a lesson for Young Women today, when I found this quote.  I was stopped dead in my tracks.  Maybe a bit of an answer that I have been looking for, but knew all the time.

“It is by serving that we learn how to serve. When we are engaged in the service of our fellowmen, not only do our deeds assist them, but we put our own problems in a fresher perspective. When we concern ourselves more with others, there is less time to be concerned with ourselves! In the midst of the miracle of serving, there is the promise of Jesus, that by losing ourselves, we find ourselves!

“Not only do we ‘find’ ourselves in terms of acknowledging guidance in our lives but, the more we serve our fellowmen in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our soul. We become more significant individuals as we serve others. We become more substantive as we serve others—indeed, it is easier to find ourselves because there is more of us to find.

“George McDonald observed that ‘it is by loving and not by being loved that one can come nearest to the soul of another.’ Of course, we all need to be loved, but we must be giving and not always receiving if we want to have wholeness in our lives and a reinforced sense of purpose.

“Sometimes the solution is not to change our circumstance but to change our attitude about that circumstance; difficulties are often opportunities for service. …

“God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom. The people of the Church need each other’s strength, support, and leadership in a community of believers as an enclave of disciples. In the Doctrine and Covenants we read about how important it is to ‘succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.’ (D&C 81:5.) So often our acts of service consist of simple encouragement or of giving mundane help with mundane tasks—but what glorious consequences can flow from mundane acts and from small but deliberate deeds.

“As the contrasts between the ways of the world and the ways of God become sharpened by circumstance, the faith of the members of the Church will be tried even more severely. One of the most vital things we can do is to express our testimonies through service, which will, in turn, produce spiritual growth, greater commitment, and a greater capacity to keep the commandments” (Spencer W. Kimball, “There Is Purpose in Life,” New Era, Sept. 1974, pp. 4–5).