Needles and Pens

So, last week was so incredibly productive for me that today I'm kind of sitting here in a daze wondering, "Now what?" and anytime I feel that way, I know I need a list, ASAP. First priority this week, finish what I didn't do last week! Straighten up that basement room and get the TV hooked up and GET ON THE TREADMILL. lol (Even without any extra exercise, I managed to lose another three pounds last week. Imagine the fat I could burn if I added a daily workout to the mix!) One other house project that's been driving me crazy: Clean out the front hall closet. It is stuffed with coats and things that nobody wears, while all over the house there are piles of coats and things that they do wear. This has got to change. I had the first sale from my etsy shop on Friday -- yay!! The buyer requested personalizing with the baby's name, so I need to get that done and then get it packaged up. I also need to replace that item in the shop. It wasn't even listed ...

Well, again I didn't quite complete everything on this week's to-do list , but I did accomplish a lot -- and even squeezed in a few things I hadn't planned! My Monday shopping spree netted mostly batting and thread. Much-needed, but not too exciting to share about. However, I did buy a pretty piece of yellow minky for a future quilt back, and I couldn't resist a couple of heart print flannels for Valentine's day. I made those into receiving blanket/burp cloth sets for my new Etsy shop, Hushabye Street ! I'm having so much fun making things for my shop. I don't know why I've put off doing this for so long. It's quite a learning experience, but not nearly as overwhelming as I'd imagined. I just hope that business will take off before long. If you know of anyone expecting a new baby in the family, I'd be so grateful if you'd share my link with them! :o) The quilt I posted about on Monday is also finished! I finally decided I needed ...

Okay, so it worked pretty well last week. Here's what I plan on accomplishing this week: Straighten up the basement, so I can start using my treadmill (I'm down another two pounds this week, but I'm ready to step things up a notch - literally!) Get the TV hooked up in the basement... so I can start using my treadmill Paint Tim's bedroom Finish another quilt And the quilt I'm working on is this: I put the blocks together over the weekend, pulling colors from the "Woodsy Wonders" panel in the picture. I had planned to use the panel as the backing, but now am having other ideas. I need to make a final decision on the borders and get a move on if I want to have this finished by Friday! But first, I'm going fabric shopping! I have a nice, fat gift card that my husband gave me for Christmas, and with all the sales today, it's the perfect time for a shopping spree. :o) Ready, set, go...

In an effort to hold myself accountable this week, I posted two main goals on Monday to have finished by Friday. And... it worked! Okay, so we didn't quite finish everything, but progress was made! My son's bedroom is one layer closer to clean, and the paint is purchased. In the color of his choice. Very, very yellow. Suffice it to say, this is going to be one bright room. (And we've had some pretty bright rooms through the years.) But I'll do almost anything to inspire the removal of the last few layers. As for the quilting I wanted to get finished -- it's finished! Here's a photo I took before it was washed and crinkled, outside on the fresh-fallen snow. I couldn't resist. You can hardly tell that's really snow, but it is. See? I really had fun with the quilting on this one. On the center star, I did straight-line crosshatching through the checkerboard and into the star tips, and then more straight lines around the diamond surrounding the...

Okay, I've taken a little down time to recover from the holidays, and another week to get my horrible diet under control (no more sugar headaches, and I've lost six pounds since last week -- yes!), so it's time to get back to work around here. Maybe if I blog my good intentions, it'll give me the push I need to get going. First off, this has been screaming, "Finish me!" for awhile now: It's a baby quilt that will eventually be listed in my new Etsy shop (another project I've been working on). I have a bad habit of giving away my inventory, so I really need to get cracking and get some more new items in the works! My other big job this week is to get a start on fixing up my 14-year-old's bedroom. Several months ago his sister moved into the basement bedroom and he took over hers, but we never re-decorated, so... it definitely doesn't "fit" him at all. And, it's a pit. Major cleanup needs to happen first (the hardest part wil...

Whoops! I have been a bad , bad blogger... ..but I'm all done kicking myself over little things like not keeping up with my blog. And since we're not too far into 2013 to still reflect on 2012, here is the Christmas letter I wrote (but never got sent) for my Christmas cards (which did get sent... on January 3rd. Blogging is not the only thing I've been slow about!) Season's Greetings 2012, with love to our family and friends, It's been quite some time since I've written a Christmas letter, but this year it seems more important than ever to look back and reflect on our many blessings, and share them with those we love (even if I am a little late!). In the words of one of my favorite authors, we are so thankful to God Almighty, who has – for now – blessed us with these... Nathan is 25 years old now, in his seventh year working as a heavy equipment operator. In April of this year, he took the big leap of becoming a homeowner, buying a nice three-bedroom...