Needles and Pens

So, if you check out that little "UFO Challenge" list along the right side of the page, the one where I was supposed to finish one UFO per month this year, you might notice that I haven't finished one since, oh, March or so... but good news! I just finished my September challenge quilt, with barely a moment to spare. This quilt started out early in 2009, as a mystery quilt with Hugs from Helen . I remember being super excited to find all the fabrics I needed right in my stash. They weren't "perfect," but they worked. They looked bright and cheery and Eastery, and since I've never made an Easter quilt, I felt totally justified in starting something new. I kept up on the mystery steps, right up to the finished top. I even found a backing in my stash got it all layered, pinned and ready to quilt... ... then I got completely hung up on the quilting. I wanted to do some free-motion meandering in the white spaces, though I have always been most comforta...

Slowly getting back into the sewing groove now that fall is underway, and here is a picture of my latest finish... A cuddly heart quilt for this little cutie, my newest great-niece, Nora... I thought it would be fun to use leftover pink bits from her cousin Amber's quilt and cousin Zoe's quilt to make all the pink hearts, so they would all tie in a little bit. (Nora's mom is an interior designer and recently shared pics of Nora's nursery on her blog, Decorator in a Box . Check it out... do you think the new quilt will fit in?) And just for fun (and to keep my motivation rolling), I finished this little tote bag the other day for my grandson, made from a panel I won in a "Get 'er Done" Challenge drawing... Just perfect for overnights at Grandmas! :o)

That's how far behind I am on my quilt journal. But it was worse a few days ago, when I hadn't yet made it to the end of '08. I finished a few pages this weekend, so there is progress! September 2008, a healing quilt made by our quilting group for a member with cancer: A handkerchief mini-quilt wall hanging: These pages were already done for September and October '08, when my grandson was expected/born. I don't know how I got them out of order, but we'll call it "new-grandma brain": More new pages, Christmas '08 gifts: And Aaron's First Christmas quilt: I grouped all of my Quilts with Love quilts onto one page for 2009: May 2009, my brother-in-law's Quilts with Love quilt: October 2009, my friend Kelly's bridal shower and wedding: Now just a few more pages to go, and I'll be into 2010! LoL

A few days ago, my sister and I were talking about back-to-school time and a major change in my routine this year. For a long time now, I’ve been accustomed to having several quiet hours in my day to get things done while the kids were in school. Suddenly, all of that has changed. Due to fluctuating work and school schedules for my older kids, I find myself with precious little time alone these days. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, and yet I’m having a heck of a time adjusting. My resistance to it has left me positively lethargic. I’m accomplishing…. Nothing. Change is hard. My sister, having been through all of this already, shared these words of sisterly wisdom. “You’re just going through an adjustment period. It’ll get better.” And I guess it really is as simple as that. Life is a series of never-ending changes. You can dig your heels in and resist, making yourself miserable in the process, or accept the change and get on with it. And so, I resolved to look for t...

... was a busy one! And since I've lapsed on my blogging once again, here's a little recap in pictures: My husband and I celebrated 25 years in June... Here we are, cutting the cake... Our daughters singing for us... Our parents... Our wedding party... And our own little family... The anniversary party was just the beginning. From there, it was a non-stop, go-go-go summer. There was Tim's piano recital... A trip to the zoo... A "new" car... "New" bikes, too... And a new puppy for Aaron... We watched the flowers bloom... Went tubing down the river... Watched a parade or two (that's Tim on the unicycle)... Took in some music (that's Emily on the stage)... And still found time for some good, old-fashioned summertime favorites, like popsicles... And the tire swing... Here's the one bit of sewing I did (a project almost too easy to count), some new window...