Looking back at The List

Accomplishing Goals; I decided we needed an update to the list from the beginning of the year so here it is. As of 3/19/10

1. Hunting; This hasn't happened, and I'm kind of sad because I'd like some meat, but I'm okay with it because I don't wake that early for anybody!
2. Bra fitting; No money equals no shopping.
3. Pedicure; Waiting for true sandal weather-like consistent days of hotness.
4. Traditional Quilting; I've learned some traditional patterns, but have started drifting to more modern practices.
5. Regular Cooking; I now cook at least 4 to 5 times per week with leftovers on the other nights.
6. Teaching my husband to cook; He literally laughed in my face, but he's gotten more curious about what/how I'm making new things....so it's still possible.
7. Sell a painting; Very difficult because I am attached to my work. We'll see if any commissions come up.
8. Lobster; Not yet...eating out doesn't happen much right now.
9. Water Aerobics; My husband laughs at my knee length shorts I wear over my bathing suit and I'm not brave enough to wear a swimsuit in front of people without them...so this hasn't happened.
10. Gray; I'm embracing...most days. There have been a few where I wanted to grab a bottle of color, but mostly I'm telling myself it's okay.
11. Acupuncture; Still waiting to make this happen.
12. Re-trying food; I've come back to cabbage, carrots, peas, hominy, olives, stewed tomatoes, and frozen green beans. Some I still don't like, but I'm trying.
13. Quilts; I've completely finished three, and have 3 in progress. Half way there.
14. Being Creative Daily; I don't have much proof, but I do make lots of little sketches and lists of ideas.
15. Guitar; working on getting one first, then we'll learn.
16. Artistic Encouragement; this is an ongoing thing between me and my mother.
17. Concealed; This is still on the table because I know I won't carry.
18. Camping; My husband's a city boy...and we both love our amenities.
19. Old projects; I have not tackled this yet.
20. Blog It; Well, I've blogged, but not regularly. I just hate not always having the pictures, so I'll try to be better.

I think that even though I don't have as much done as I'd hoped on some things, I'm further on others. Like I said originally this isn't a have to list, it's try to and it's all about learning and making progress.

Baby Steps

So, I've decided I like baby quilts. These are so easy to crank out in just a couple days and you feel like you've really accomplished something! Here is a little girl quilt 30"x 27". A closer look. Just a simple flower print for the back with some purple binding and hot pink thread. And the pile of new fabric I need to iron and get on the shelf. I went in for yellow and orange, and somehow ended up with more green and pink. I don't know how/why, but this is usually the case.

Progress comes slowly

First things first, getting organized. I've cleared off a shelf that held a number of decorative items so that it could be better used to house fabrics ready for quilting. I obviously need to add some oranges and purples to the stash. More to come... If you look at the far right of this picture you'll see part of the shelf when it still had decorative items in it. I started working on a dresden quilt with some brighter fabrics in January. Decided tacking it to the wall would make things easier, but a step stool is required for this process. Here are the triangle squared in progress for the border....This took FOREVER! Piles and Piles of half square triangles...2 1/4 inch squares. Tiny little half square triangles. Here is the dresden with it's borders! Hopefully this will get quilted and bound by the end of February! More to come.

A Work in Progress

Started quilting this garden squares quilt this week. I started this quilt at the end of 2009 with my mom. It was the first pattern we'd ever used and just started learning what we were doing. It was really the inspiration for learning more about "traditional" quilting.

Borders...

Fancy Strip Borders on my new machine

Square Quilting

Still have a ways to go, but am starting to see the end of the tunnel for this first quilt. Expect more to come.

Food

So far this year I have re-tried carrots, cabbage, stewed tomatoes, hominy, and olives. It turns out carrots and cabbage aren't so bad, in fact I rather enjoyed them. Stewed tomatoes were a great addition to my beef stew, but the hominy and olives I just still can't do. That leaves at least 4 more items to be re-tried during the course of the year and I think we are doing quite well. I am in the progress of finishing two other quilts-pictures to come so we are moving ahead quite nicely. More to come...