Friday, January 6, 2012

Hawaii or not?

I am excited about the possibility to go to Hawaii for a drawing and quilt workshop in February. I am planning on going there anyways to see DD who was transferred there in November for her job. I found out about this workshop just this week and it is with a quilt artist, Esterita Austin, that I have longed to take a class with for quite some time. There is also a 2 day workshop with a fabric dyer there that does all the hand dyeds for Esterita. It feels like really short notice to me though and I am not sure if I can manage it. Originally, I was planning on going in March or April. So I am just not sure what to do. Any suggestions?

I got many of my errands done yesterday except for getting to Joann's. I need to get there today if possible. I plan on finishing the baby quilt today and then if I have time and energy I will go to Joann's. This headache that I have been suffering with has taken a lot out of me but I feel pretty good this morning so hopefully I can get back into full work mode.

This is a short post today as I want to get right to work while the motivation is good.

Have a great day, be kind today and be grateful for all you have even if you think that it's not much. You have this day to make the most of.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Progress on this weeks projects

I got a lot done yesterday. I started quilting the first of matching baby quilts that will be for twins. I am about 2/3 of the way done with it and then will start the second one as soon as I finish the first. They are adorable, just as I am sure the twins will be.

I am at a stand still on the t-shirt quilt. I still have not gotten to the fabric store to get the black or gray fabric that I need for it. I am going to run a lot of errands today and so it will be one of them.

DS tried to make some bread in the bread maker last night and found that the belt on it broke, so I will be off to buy a new belt and then see if we can get some good home made bread.

I have been suffering from a headache pretty much since Tuesday. The consequence of going off caffeine cold turkey. It comes and goes at times but when this phase is over I think I will feel a lot better.

I still don't have any photos of anything yet although I could take one of my desk. I did get it cleaned off and organized better. Now to see if it will stay that way or if I will need to implement some other organizational tools to keep it tidy.

For the most part the desk looks quite similar to my previous post photo but the main differences are that I added a binder for organizational projects and cleaned out my inbox. Also the storage underneath the desk I repurposed. I moved the teetering pile of books to the nearby bookcase and brought the basket that holds my office supply tools closer to the desk where I will actually be using them. We will see how this works out for me. I am not sure if it still is the best set up but sometimes you have to try things out before you stumble on just the right set up. So don't be discouraged if things don't work out just quite right the first time you try something. Readjust and try again.

Have a great day, do something kind for someone else and be grateful you woke up this morning.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

The unexpected

Have you ever had one of those days? I am starting out with one and it is only 7:15AM. My alarm didn't go off on my phone this morning. I don't know why it didn't work. It is set, everything looks right but it didn't go off. So what that isn't a big deal, right? Well, it not. Not in the big scheme of things. I just can't follow my normal routine and therefore I feel out of sorts. How often does that happen to you and what do you do about it. Do you just chuck the rest of the days plan and schedule or do you get back on board as quickly as you can and save the day. My first inclination this morning was to climb back into bed. How dumb would that have been. I would have been even further behind than before. I need to change my game plan in the middle of the game and not get stuck in a rut that won't move me forward.

I have found that I can't give my best to the day until I have given my worst to the Lord. Now that might sound to you that I am not giving 100% to God but that is where you are wrong. You see I am giving 100% to Him. I am giving to Him my lack of desire to get out of a nice warm bed, I am giving to Him my selfishness, my greed, my desires and wishes. I am giving Him all of me so that He can give me more of Him. Then with Him at the helm I can trust that the day will go in the direction that He desires. I can be changed from the selfish sinful person that I am into the image of Christ who always responded to everyone's cries for help. So I give my worst to Him so that He can give me His best. That is a pretty good exchange. Go to any place of business and ask for an exchange like that. What will they say or do for you? Nothing. God has a pretty good exchange rate. He is an amazing God. If you haven't had any dealings with Him perhaps you should consider it. He truly wants to give you everything good for your everything bad. We have choices everyday and at some point we need to make some good ones.

I hope you day is spectacular. I know mine will be because He is in charge. Be kind to someone else and be grateful for something that disrupts your day.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Back to normal schedule

This is the 3rd of January and I feel that this is the first day of normal routines beginning again after the holidays. Yesterday was Monday but it was still a day off for most businesses and schools. Today everyone is back to work and down to business.

Prime Timers meet again today at the church. I need to prepare a schedule for them so they can know what we will be doing when we meet this month. It has been a lot of fun leading this group. We had a lot of snow last night so I am wondering if the group will be small today or if they are brave enough to come out in spite of the snow.

I worked on a t-shirt quilt yesterday, I didn't get too far. I know how I want to proceed but I need to get some fabric to use to piece the t-shirts together. The customer wanted black or gray for this and I have a small piece of fabric that I think would be fabulous but not near enough for the entire top so I will have to go to Jo-Ann Fabrics before I can go any further. I did stuff a pillow that goes with the quilt yesterday. I also worked on getting projects and supplies ready for a retreat I will be attending in a couple of weeks. I am going to try to plan better this year and not let things like this overwhelm me.

My plans for this week, the good Lord willing, will be to get the t-shirt quilt top put together. Register for a week end class on pieced landscapes with Cynthia England. Type up a schedule for Prime Timers. Clean off and organize my office desk. I think that will be quite enough for one week along with all the other normal stuff that must be kept up with. One other thing, I am trying to break my caffeine habit so my goal this month is to make water my beverage of choice. It seems I can't just drink one glass of tea a day, I drink about a gallon. Not good. So we shall see how these plans progress over the week. Photos of things to come.

Monday, January 2, 2012

New Year, New Focus

Here we are looking into a new year. Are you hoping for something new and exciting for this year? Are you hoping that this year will bring comfort and peace? Are you hoping that you will get through another year no worse off than it started? Where do you look for strength and inspiration? Do you float a long going with whatever tide pushes you forward or backwards? What are your goals and aspirations? We tend to think about things like this at the start of a new year, make resolutions that we are pretty sure we won't keep up with after the second week or so. How are you going to make this year look different than the last?

My goals and aspirations are not important in the scheme of things. I need to know what God's plans and desires for my life are. That will give me a new focus on what this new year should look like and something to work towards, with His help of course. Nothing that I can do on my own will ever match up to what He has designed for me. I need to keep His plan, His will forever in my forethoughts if I am going to have a life that really matters.

So for this year I plan on walking it out with my Lord and Savior, Jesus, and see where He takes me. I think it will be a great adventure and I am sure that I am not ready for it but He will not ever leave me a lone to face it in my own strength. I am excited to see where He takes me. I also pray that you will let Him take you on the most exciting adventure of your life. I will be sure to share all the exciting things that occur over the year. How can I be sure that there will be exciting things in store for me? I found my destiny in the scriptures.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land."

This is what I am believing and basing my decisions on for the new year. I hope you find your destiny in the Word of God also and that this year will be the best year ever.