Happy New Year!

This is the same post I make at the end of each year with a few changes here and there to suit the time of my life. It may get old to some but it works for me.

A New Year is right around the corner! A brand new clean calender! It's up to each one of us what we do with it. Each year I make the same goals with a possible extra or two tossed in for good measure. I prefer to use "goals" instead of "resolutions" because I feel that taking already important things in my life and putting my focus on strengthening them.

1. To make an effort to learn something new every day. The joy of knowledge is indeed a blessing no matter what you choose to learn.

2. To make time for myself. It's amazing what 15 minutes sitting on the deck with a hot cup of coffee and watching the birds can do for my soul. A little time each day to refresh my spirit is all it takes.

3. To take time to appreciate each day. Too often we forget to see the beauty around us and take the simple things in life for granted. My continued goal is to look with my eyes but to see with my heart. To simply enjoy life and all that is a part of it.

4. To enjoy my family and friends. I am lucky to have each and every one of them in my life. I have been blessed with so many online friends and each day I am grateful for each one of you! My online stitching and blogging friends are a very important part of my life!

5. Organize and Simplify! Two key words I always yearn to make a part of my everyday routine but often lose focus on. Organize doesn't mean I have to go on a cleaning rampage each day. It just means I need to get my life and things that are a part of my life in some of manageable order so that I feel comfortable instead of constantly overwhelmed. Not putting things off until the last minute can contribute greatly to this cause! Simplify! Just what it means - plain and simple! Stop making a mountain out of a mole hill, do what I can and leave the rest, don't volunteer for more than I feel I can handle or feel will stress me out!

6. To Remember. So many people have come and gone from my life over the recent years and I want to keep their memory alive.

7. To keep my faith alive and strong.

8. A Random Act of Kindness. Like so many others, I was raised to do them. Only back then they were called "manners" or just plain "consideration for others". So many people still do these and often without even realizing it. For the New Year coming up, I challenge myself along with each and every one of you to make RAKs a regular part of your life and to become more aware of them. Whether it means opening a door for a person, buying a stranger a cup of coffee, taking the grocery cart back inside the store or something else. Let us all strive to bring back those values and in doing so we will give back. I would love to hear what you did today to make someone's day a little brighter.

9. To Forgive. Things happen that cause hurt, anger and resentment but often the people who cause these emotions don't care. We are the ones left with bitter feelings that only mount up and make us more and more miserable. I will let the past remain in the past and let go of these feelings so that I can move on with my life.

10. To use kind words and practice patience more often. I will try to live by the good old standard saying "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."

And of course the New Year just wouldn't be complete without a few just plain fun goals!

1. Take more trips. Even day trips can be fun.

2. No pressure. Keep the fun and joy in stitching. This is why I started in the first place! I actually have several special projects planned for this year but will keep them a secret until I start.

3. Work on some WIPs I have been neglectful of. Each stitch on them brings me a little closer to a finish!

4. I also have a lot of freebies, smalls and magazine patterns I have been wanting to stitch.

5. Take more pictures.

Have a safe New Year's Eve! Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Christmas Dreams

First of all, let me send a big Thank You to everyone who helped me clear out some of my stash on my Wishlist blog! There are still some items left, some have been marked down and a few more have been added.

And then there were two. I don't like working on more than one piece at a time but sometimes it just can't be helped! Every time, I go through my stash (for whatever reason) there are patterns screaming my name. Their voices just got louder and louder over time until I could no longer ignore their cries for attention! It was beginning to resemble a "stash war". "You promised to stitch me up this year. Time is running out!" "Just because I wasn't designed yesterday doesn't mean I'm over the hill!" "You don't appreciate me anymore!" So I caved and gave in to them! I could not see working on more than two but maybe this effort will show my stash that I love each and every one of them and they are NOT forgotten!

As you can see in the above picture, I am still working (slowly) on Backyard Birds. I have had a love/not so in love relationship with WIP 2. I brought it home because I love the design. I still do but I would pull it to begin working on but change my mind and put it back for whatever reason (usually because of the long color sections). This went on for more than a year until I saw that Vonna had started it and her progress on it. After visiting her blog over and over and over to take "just one more look", I finally decided to pull it out and actually begin this time! Can you guess what design it is?

Don't you just love how we (as stitchers) enable each other with our work? I do! I see a piece done by someone else and I just HAVE to do it. When someone sees my work and tells me they love it so much that they are going to stitch it too. That is the ultimate compliment! The talent, the creative ideas, the bond that it all creates! I may not stitch as fast as other but that's ok. Each day when I pick up my stitching, I say a prayer of thanks that I am able to do it again because with each turn of my needle, I realize just how much I missed it during those years when it constantly caused migraines.

I am so excited about the new stash that is on it's way to my house! Fabrics! Wonderful, beautiful stitching fabrics! And some charts as well! While we were running a few errands, I stopped to pick up some DMC so I will be ready to stitch when they arrive! Just a peek of the patterns that will be delivered soon! Do you see a theme here? LOL.

Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart!

Sale Page Updated

I have updated my sale blog once again. Some items are marked down and there are some new items added. Thanks for looking!

December Days

I could come up with all kinds of excuses and reasons for not making many blog posts lately but honestly, it's mostly just plain laziness! I keep thinking that I will wait until I have something exciting or clever to write about. Well, that's not going to happen! *wink*

After my three finishes over the long Thanksgiving weekend, I had planned to continue on with my Christmas stitching but then I remembered Backyard Birds by La D Da. I had started this piece when DH had out patient surgery on his elbow back in September. I had hoped to get more done on it before posting any pictures of my progress but I had a bad spell with my stitching mojo. Then I decided to work on other themes for a bit but I have picked it back up and am working on it steadily! I have changed a couple of colors (nothing major) and I am using an Ivory 18 count Aida.

I made a recent update of my charts for sale on my Wishlist blog. I hope you find something you like. Maybe an early Christmas present to yourself? With the arrival of the holiday season, also comes more baking. Not just turkeys and trimmings either. Cakes, pies but mainly lots and lots of cheese cookies! A batch of these will disappear around here before they have time to cool off after being taken out of the oven!

December has arrived and I have my Christmas wish list all ready for Santa! But I also get to make a birthday wish list for later this month! In the past, I have tried to be good and only ask for what I need. Pooh on that logic this year! LOL. I gave my list to DH last night thinking he would either break out in laughter or give me a "are you out of your mind?" look. Neither happened. He just sat there and nodded as if he was (pretending or not?) taking it all in. Now to wait and see if my "wishes" come true!

After my last blog post, I was asked what were my stitching goals, wishes and dreams for 2013. I still have to go through my stash but for right now I am wanting to work on some WIPs to finish them off. I have some A&E designs that I would just love to get stitched, primitive marking samplers (a must) and I want to do more Christmas/Winter pieces for our bedroom and, of course, there is always new stash that cries out to be given attention! That sounds like plenty to me!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend! Until next time, may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart!