January 2014 Highlights

January 1, 2014 - We have been living on the hill, off the grid for a year.

January 7, 2014 - Both Trevor and Adam started a new sport. They are trying Lacrosse for the first time.

January 12, 2014 - Luke rode in his first dirt bike race! His seat fell off in the first heat so he placed last. He came in 2nd in his second heat. He didn't trophy, but came in 4th over all. Adam also rode in his first race. He got a First Time Rider Trophy, but did so well they placed him as a beginner. They didn't believe he was a first time racer. We had to convince them it was his first race ever. Adam placed 2nd in the first heat and 3rd in the second heat. He got 3rd over all. So proud of both boys.

January 19, 2014 - Luke and Adam are at it again. They raced their dirt bikes again today. All bikes were in working order, seats stayed put. Luke came in 3rd in his class but didn't get a trophy, there weren't enough riders and he needed to pass one more racer. Next time Luke! Adam placed 2nd in his class and got an awesome trophy. Great job boys!

January 31, 2014 - We brought home an 8 week old puppy. Her name is Riley.

Friday's Feature

Hi Everyone!

I have someone I would like you to meet.

Her name is Christie and she is my good friend who runs JoElla's Attic.

She's new to this thing we call blogging.

She just started so there isn't much material, but I know she is going to do a great job and give us a lot of useful, fun information. 

That's the kind of girl she is.

Feel free to check her out and give her some bloggy love.

Love you Christie!

I can't wait to see where this blog takes you.

Hope's Quilt

Hope's quilt was a fun one.

I had joined an I-Spy fabric swap and received a lot of fun 4 inch squares with so many different objects on them. I ended up with 200 squares. I had joined other I-Spy swaps so I have an arsenal of fun printed fabric. 

A few years ago a dear friend of mine was in the process of adopting a little girl. Her name was going to be (and still is for my dear friend) Hope. What a beautiful name and it was perfect for this little girl. So when the baby shower was planned and held I knew I needed to make a quilt for Hope and her new mamma. I went through all my I-Spy squares and found all the ones that had pink in them. 

The quilt isn't anything fancy (I can only do simple when it comes to quilts). I made the center out of four squares in order to make one 8" square and then added pink sashing. As you can see by the picture below I then sewed more squares together to make a larger square around the sashing. I did this until I felt the quilt was done. The back is a fun giraffe print. 

I still think of this little girl and the life she could have had with my dear friend. Sadly my friend's heart was broken when the baby mamma decided to keep the baby. In my mind she is still Hope and it saddens me that this baby could have had a wonderful life with the family that was willing to give her a new and amazing life.

Even though Hope isn't living with a new family the quilt sits in a drawer. Maybe it will be Hope's, but maybe it will go to another little girl who means just as much, if not more to my dear friend. Love you sweet lady.

Giggles for Kaley

A friend of mine is pregnant. Due in about 4 weeks. Well, I had to go ahead and make a baby quilt. As you can see her name will be Kaley. I am looking forward to meeting her. Her shower is this Saturday and I'm sure her mom will be excited to share this fun quilt.

This line of fabric is called Giggles by Me and My Sister. Isn't it adorable? I love the colors together. In fact I am tempted to purchase a few more charm packs and make myself one. I made this quilt using this version of the disappearing nine patch. It's quick, it's easy, and it's fun to put together.

 

She's Open!

I'm soooo excited! For Such a Time Designs is back in business. Aly is back from vacation and hard at work today. I know I am excited, I have a few things on my list to purchase. I plan on ordering some spoons that say "My ice cream spoon" and have the boys name put on the handle. That will be perfect for Valentine's Day with a small cup of ice cream.

For my honey I am ordering a couple of forks, one fork will say "You and Me" and the other for will say "Forever". I also need to purchase a special order I had her make before she closed shop. I will have to show you when I get them.

The forks below are the ones I purchased late last summer for my honey. The handles have our anniversary stamped on them. June is a bit far, but I will keep them safe until I can give them to him for our anniversary. Go check out Aly's shop and tell me what you would order for yourself or a loved one.

Word of the Year - Balance

2013 was a year of change. We had a lot going on and had to adapt to all the change. We moved, off the grid. It took some adjustment, but turned out well. We have all adjusted and it is working.

I am borrowing Pleasant Home's idea and assigning 2014 a word. My word is actually the same as hers......Balance. I have a hard time balancing it all, house, husband, kids, sports, errands, and my own bit of fun. There are things I want to do and things I need/have to do.

For instance I want to sew, take a hike, walk the dog, run/walk, do my exercise videos, garden, and the list goes on. I need/have to clean the house(s), do the laundry, complete Quickbooks, file paperwork, do the invoicing, go grocery shopping, cart kids around, pick up parts (sometimes) and that list goes on.

Now the tricky part is to find the balance to do it all. And do it successfully. Its tough, but doable. My priority now is to get my taxes done well before tax time so my accountant can better help me and my husbands business. I figure if I do it on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the next month and a half I can get it done.

Another priority is to sew. I have about 5 quilt tops in progress. I need to focus on one and get it done. I know it will make me feel so much more accomplished if I can just get one done before I move on to the next. Again, it has to do with balance and prioritizing.

I'm thinking writing the word in big, bold letters might help me keep BALANCE in my life this year.

What is your word/goal for 2014?