A Word About My Word


Catchy post title, right? More on that later in the post!

So it has taken me about a week to recover from last week which sounds insane but seems to be true. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving and few days afterwards. It was filled with shopping and decorating and hanging out and it left me really pooped. I didn’t blog too much. I was keeping up with Twitter but really didn’t tweet much either. I’m feeling back in the game today so yay for that! I’m sure the fact that I’ve actually been on the treadmill four times this week might be helping in finding my mojo again.

In terms of the treadmill and thanks to my mom’s suggestion, I’ve found a way to tolerate getting on it…

Yup, that’s right, I put my Ipad right on that sucker with earphones and the Quilt Show! I am catching up on all the episodes I was lagging on and I’m learning while I’m walking!! It seems to make sense. The episodes are basically broken down into 10- 15 minute segments and I can get in two segments per walking session. I also watched some Missouri Star Youtube videos on there as well.

I received this picture of the Leahbelle’s Garden wallhanging that my mother made for my aunt. It is covering my aunt’s air conditioner. The air conditioner is right in the middle of her dining room wall and this was the perfect way to cover it.

You can find this pattern in my Etsy shop by clicking on “Leahbelle’s Garden” in the previous paragraph.

Earlier this week, I made my grandmother’s gingerbread. I call it gingerbread cake just to distinguish it from the cookie variety! It was sooooo delicious, I could barely stand it. Amanda and Lindsey are helping me devour the entire pan this week. It is delicious with cool whip and also heated up slightly and topped with vanilla ice cream. I will work on posting the recipe under the “Recipe” section of the blog. It’s made with coffee and I used a good, strong one and it is to die for!

Here is the best picture of the entire Thanksgiving weekend to me. How beautiful is my mother trying out the featherweight?

Love her. Love that she loves quilting as much as I do. Hope I look as lovely as she does when I’m 70.

Ok, on to the word about my word. For the last several years, I have chosen a word for the upcoming year a la Debbie Macomber style. Debbie is the author of the Cedar Cove books and so many more wonderful stories. She is famous for Mrs. Miracle and a lot of the nice, Hallmark movies. She chooses a word to try to live up to for the upcoming year. Words I have picked in the past have included, “Flourish”, “Trust” and “Guilt Free”. You get the point, a word that will motivate you or a word that you can focus on throughout the year.

In addition to having a word, I’ve also had many New Year’s lists of things I want to accomplish throughout the year. I list out projects I’d like to complete or start, charity quilts I’d like to make, committees I’d like to join, etc. So here’s the big news, this year…I’m not doing any of it! I’m not picking a word and I’m not making a list. That’s right. I’m setting myself FREE. I’m going to let go of hanging a list and a word over my head for the year. Crazy? Unorganized? Maybe. Maybe not. I have read and seen many of us struggle this year with not feeling worthy because we didn’t accomplish all of our quilting goals. Some of us were nearly despondent over it. I’ve read it in your blogs, I’ve seen it in your tweets, I’ve felt it myself.

Quilting brings us joy in lots of ways. For some of us, it’s not only a hobby but also a job. A job we love. A job we are passionate about it. Why are we making it so hard and stressful? Why is it a competition to see how many finishes we can post? Does it really make any of us feel better? I doubt it. I’m taking it back a step, dialing it down. I do have a family to care for and they are first on my list. I have other things I need to do on a daily basis. I love to quilt but I’m just not going to make a federal case out of not living up to crazy goals I set for myself in January. Or a word that I picked out when I felt like everyone else was choosing and I should too. Nope. Not gonna do it. I applaud those of you who will do it and I hope that you meet each and every goal you set. I hope you live by your word. I truly do. I also hope you don’t stress yourself out or lose your love of quilting trying to do it. I will be working diligently as I always have but I won’t be worried about the results as I usually do.

So that’s my word about my word. Now I’m off to quilt!
Have a super day.
Sandi

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2 responses to “A Word About My Word”

  1. This is a lovely and thought provoking post, Sandi. I’m so glad you’re feeling more energetic. Your love for your mother and priority of family and self worth are so special. I’m going to use your iPad idea, and make that gingerbread. “Free” wiould be a hard one for me. At my age, 62, I feel a different sense of time, as far as quilting and life are concerned. Some complex thoughts in my head, I guess. I’m trying to reevaluate what I’m doing also.

  2. Sandi, I totally get what you’re talking about. As a matter of fact I was just thinking on the way home in the car while I was driving that I haven’t finished anything this quarter that I set out to. I made new stuff and finished them, got 2 commissions which were not in my plans, but haven’t got a single UFO done. I’m working religiously on 2 of them, but haven’t got to the finish line yet. I know it’s still just November, but still. So I understand your point of view. Family first. Always. Hope You’ll have a peaceful Holiday Season!

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