Gearing Up for the Big Finish

 

In preparation for the new year, I decided to drag all my UFOs, PIGS, HFIs and PNYSs* out of their hiding places, i.e., drawers, cupboards, bins and boxes, and lay them all out to see exactly what was there.....46 Items so far.  (I say "so far" because I KNOW there is a table topper started in a class at PieceMakers when I lived in California...but I can't find it...how many years ago was that????  Maybe I accidentally finished it?  Nah, scratch that.)

This is what it looks like with projects all laid out on the floor, on the cutting table, in bins and in boxes.

 

Notice the big stack of plastic project boxes on the left.  And, a few items are not even pictured!
Four WWITs* projects are already in the "Pass 'em On" pile.** 
And a few other items have been re-homed to a quilting buddy.

 

 

All-in-all I believe there are about ten items in this pile.  That's a good start.

 

Next step, list each item on a 3 X 5 card and put the cards in a cute box I uncovered during this process.  Repurpose and reuse, eh?  That would be a good slogan for 2024 "Repurpose and Reuse."

Next, assign a "Difficulty to Finish" number.

1 =  Difficult, will take some time.
2 =  Moderate, Pretty easy to finish up if  I would just stop Talking about it  and  Just Do It!
3 = Easy, finish more than one-at-a-time and knock them out.

Finally, plan for the coming year.

 

 

Purchased these from FB Marketplace:  Twelve cubbies....
one for each month....how handy is that!  ***

These will be for the American Patchwork and
Quilting UFO Challenge for 2024.

BTW:  The Challenge is different this year HERE.  In a nut shell, APWQ is no longer drawing the number and posting it on FB each month.  Each person assigns their own number.

 

 

 

 

 

The bins were not  as big as they appeared in the Marketplace listing, but I think they will work very well.

I've already assigned the Month to a Number for the entire year for the UFO Challenge using a random number picker via the internet.

I'll admin, I did cheat on January's number..I wanted to get off to a quick start so I picked easy projects to finish up for January. 

 

 

 

 

 

As a finishing touch, I used double-stick tape to tape these foam panels to the closet doors.  Instant bulletin boards.  Again, Repurpose and Reuse. (I don't remember where these came from, they were in the garage.)

Perfect for pinning instructions, pictures,  etc. to keep me motivated because "out of sight is out of mind."

Now to tidy up. 
Ready to rock-and-roll.

 

My goal for 2024 is to see how may FFOs* I can rack up.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!

 

*PHD = Projects Half Done
UFO = Unfinished Object
PIGS= Projects in Grocery Sacks
HFI = Half Finished Items
PNYS = Projects Not Yet Started (but fabric and/or patterns already purchased.)
WWIT = What Was I Thinking
FFO = Finally Finished Object

**There is a store in Nashville that will take crafting items.  SMART Arts & Crafts.  HERE

*** I bought these from Facebook Market Place, but I think they are shoe boxes.  Amazon has something very similar.  HERE

The Best December Birthday of All

 Without the birth of Jesus, there would be no Christmas story.

Without the Cross there would be no salvation story.

 

 

 

 

Can You Stand ANOTHER Birthday?

December is a busy month for birthdays in this family.

Miss Catalina is 4, Already!!

A smile that will break a thousand young-men's hearts one day....a long time from now....after Medical School...

From that first day to this....

I love You to the Moon and Back...!!!

Just Like That He's 12 !!!

When I was told this little guy was "on the way." I did not think I could love him as much as my first G-son. 
After all, the first one came first, gobbling up all the love.

But then I met him...He captured my heart from the first moment I saw him. 

He has grown into such a sweet young man.  And, he's always sooo full of FUN!  Sometimes he just makes me laugh.
He is always a Party just looking for a place to happen! I mean, look at that smile...you can visualize him conjuring up mischief.

 

There are not enough words to express how much I love him.

 Happy Birthday, West!

Taking Stock

2024 will be THE YEAR to tidy up my life.  I feel like I have clutter in my brain and everywhere I look:

 

 

Pictures saved on my laptop with no organization
Quilt Patterns saved on my laptop with no organization

Paper stacks all around my desk

Certainly Sewing and Quilting UFOs
Face Book Saves (mostly quilt patterns and ideas and recipes)

YouTube Saves (mostly ukulele music and tutorials)

I don't even want to THINK about Pinterest.
I might just let that one fade away, I have not even looked at it in a long time.

 

I could just "close the door" to the "messy room"...the messiness in my head...and just move ahead,
but that option makes me feel out of sorts, unfinished. Like an unmade bed.

 

Now here it is mid-December, about to wrap up 2023....And, isn't this the time of year we tend to take stock and decide to make changes?
It even has a name: New Year's Resolutions.

I always say I'm not going to make resolutions...

I think I have only one Resolution for 2024: 
Keep It Simple! 

I mean, REALLY, how many recipes do you actually need? 
How many quilt patterns do you actually need? 

It's time to purge the messiness from my world.*

*I feel better already!

The Countdown Has Begun

 

 

My list of things to complete before Christmas is ALWAYS too ambitious! 

Rather than FRET about it, I'm just going to enjoy the time in the studio and do what-ever I want to do.

This is the time of year to relax and enjoy the process.

The American Patchwork and Quilting UFO number for December is TWO.  (They didn't even have to tell me the number this month....I'm quick that way.)

So far I don't have ANY of the items for #2 even on my radar.  But I WILL finish Ana's new Curtains and Cata's baby doll quilts before the end of the year....not for Christmas.

That's not to say I haven't done anything...I have.  I made a bunch of these cute Quilter's Ornaments.

And, as you can see, I'm putting my Christmas Tree together.

I put a few packages together and will take to the P.O. today.

 

Of Course the Miss Molly Wall Hanging is finished and ready for gifting. HERE

I am working on one more item that I had hoped would be finished by Christmas.  Alas, it will not. 
However, it will make a nice New Year's gift.  

A long-time friend of mine, Miss Martha, asked me to finish this pillow top for her. I do not know the history, where it came from, etc. I'm working on it now.  It requires hand quilting...which I have never done before and am not doing a particularly nice job now.  But, done is better than perfect, right?

I'm adding red borders.

    

 

 

 

It IS beginning to look (and feel) a lot like Christmas.