I don't know about you, but I have spent way too much time online shopping during these long weeks of staying home. So here is what is I bought!!

A fat quarter bundle of Catalina by Fig Tree. I got my shipping notice, so I expect in a few days! The colors are so happy...I couldn't resist the blues!

Picture source

 This purchase was an impulse buy on a day when I was sad. It's Gypsy Soul by Basic Grey and I bought yardage of Grunge that goes with it called Soothing. If money were no object, I would have at least one yard of every single Grunge color in my stash. I seriously love that fabric...

And, one more purchase. A fat quarter bundle of Alison Glass wovens called Kaleidoscope. I want to play with this rainbow deliciousness next. I have had my eye on this bundle for over a year and when I found it on sale, it was a no brainer! One of my most favorite low volume fabrics is Alison Glass' Meadow print in wisp from her 2017 Sunprint line. I used up what little I had in my applique quilts I shared last time. I scoured the internet and I found some more from two different shops. My first order came the other day and I am waiting for the second one to show up. 

Have you done any shopping to enhance your stash while on quarantine? It will be interesting to see if there will be some sales coming up to get people to buy. What are your thoughts?

I don't know about you, but I have spent way too much time online shopping during these long weeks of staying home. So here is what is I bought!!

A fat quarter bundle of Catalina by Fig Tree. I got my shipping notice, so I expect in a few days! The colors are so happy...I couldn't resist the blues!

Picture source

 This purchase was an impulse buy on a day when I was sad. It's Gypsy Soul by Basic Grey and I bought yardage of Grunge that goes with it called Soothing. If money were no object, I would have at least one yard of every single Grunge color in my stash. I seriously love that fabric...

And, one more purchase. A fat quarter bundle of Alison Glass wovens called Kaleidoscope. I want to play with this rainbow deliciousness next. I have had my eye on this bundle for over a year and when I found it on sale, it was a no brainer! One of my most favorite low volume fabrics is Alison Glass' Meadow print in wisp from her 2017 Sunprint line. I used up what little I had in my applique quilts I shared last time. I scoured the internet and I found some more from two different shops. My first order came the other day and I am waiting for the second one to show up. 

Have you done any shopping to enhance your stash while on quarantine? It will be interesting to see if there will be some sales coming up to get people to buy. What are your thoughts?

Hello!!! 

Raise your hand if you are so very tired of staying home and you miss your friends...

I am a homebody at heart and there is no place I would rather be than at home, however, this time of separation and not being able to go to church or to spend some time with a friend over a cup of tea has been really hard! Much harder than I thought it would be. The good that has come out of this season is how God is exposing areas in my life that need to be fine-tuned...He is using this time for my sanctification and teaching me things that I could not have learned in any other way. In His loving-kindness, He is showing me areas in my life where I am far too self-focused, impatient or selfish. I am thankful for God's grace in my life...

Of course, like many others in the quilting community, I have been using this time to create. So far, I have made four quarantine quilts...

The font I used for the applique in all the quilts is a free font called KG Always A Good Time.

I needed to encourage myself, so I searched for something that would reflect this season of life we are all in and also be an encouragement for future times when life is hard. The sun applique can be found  @Sew4Home. The quote is by Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables.

I was in the mood for a super low volume quilt...

And, finally, #stay@home...I am so in love with this one! I can say that with no shame about my own work because it was NOT my brainchild. When I was looking online for inspiration for my next project, I stumbled upon the blog of Anne Boundy of Said With Love and she had a quilt she made with her friends where they swapped Dwell houses. You can see it here: Said With Love website. The moment I saw her layout, I knew I had to make it! I chose to use several lines by Lella Boutique with mine. I love the soft spring-like colors. I also used a variety of low volume fabrics for the background fabrics. 

Take care, my friends...This dark night will end and the sun will rise!!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we are ourselves are comforted by God.                 2 Corinthians 1:3-4  

Hello!!! 

Raise your hand if you are so very tired of staying home and you miss your friends...

I am a homebody at heart and there is no place I would rather be than at home, however, this time of separation and not being able to go to church or to spend some time with a friend over a cup of tea has been really hard! Much harder than I thought it would be. The good that has come out of this season is how God is exposing areas in my life that need to be fine-tuned...He is using this time for my sanctification and teaching me things that I could not have learned in any other way. In His loving-kindness, He is showing me areas in my life where I am far too self-focused, impatient or selfish. I am thankful for God's grace in my life...

Of course, like many others in the quilting community, I have been using this time to create. So far, I have made four quarantine quilts...

The font I used for the applique in all the quilts is a free font called KG Always A Good Time.

I needed to encourage myself, so I searched for something that would reflect this season of life we are all in and also be an encouragement for future times when life is hard. The sun applique can be found  @Sew4Home. The quote is by Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables.

I was in the mood for a super low volume quilt...

And, finally, #stay@home...I am so in love with this one! I can say that with no shame about my own work because it was NOT my brainchild. When I was looking online for inspiration for my next project, I stumbled upon the blog of Anne Boundy of Said With Love and she had a quilt she made with her friends where they swapped Dwell houses. You can see it here: Said With Love website. The moment I saw her layout, I knew I had to make it! I chose to use several lines by Lella Boutique with mine. I love the soft spring-like colors. I also used a variety of low volume fabrics for the background fabrics. 

Take care, my friends...This dark night will end and the sun will rise!!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we are ourselves are comforted by God.                 2 Corinthians 1:3-4  

Every Valentine's, some very talented ladies in our church create a fabulous dinner for us with games and a theme. This year was Alice in Wonderland and we had a Mad Hatter Tea party. There were some great costumes last night and I didn't get one picture! Anyway, trust me, it was amazing! I have never gone in costume and I usually wear jeans and a sweater, but this year, my goal was to wear a pretty dress....

And I did...

My lovely roses...

Next year, I am determined to join the fun and dress up in the theme they have chosen. 😁

Every Valentine's, some very talented ladies in our church create a fabulous dinner for us with games and a theme. This year was Alice in Wonderland and we had a Mad Hatter Tea party. There were some great costumes last night and I didn't get one picture! Anyway, trust me, it was amazing! I have never gone in costume and I usually wear jeans and a sweater, but this year, my goal was to wear a pretty dress....

And I did...

My lovely roses...

Next year, I am determined to join the fun and dress up in the theme they have chosen. 😁

Remember this pretty bundle? The fabric is called First Romance by Kristyne Czepuryk. With Valentine's Day coming up and the sweet hearts that are featured on this fabric, it was time to make something with it. 

Most of the fabrics I buy are precuts and fat quarter bundles tend to be my precut of choice, followed by fat eighths and charm packs. When I am looking for a pattern, I want the pattern to make good use of the precut. I don't want a lot of leftovers, if at all possible, and I want a pattern that is versatile enough to be used with scraps.  

9-Patch Pivot by Carried Away Quilting met my criteria and then some!! What a fun and easy pattern! It is such a great use of a fat quarter bundle.

9-Patch Pivot by Carried Away Quilting

For my version, I chose to use the low volume fabrics in the fat quarter bundle for the neutral part of the pattern that surrounds the 9 patches.    

Here are the fabrics all sorted and ready to be made into 9 patches. 

Aren't they cute? And I love how she wrote the pattern so that you don't lose any points! 

I really love this quilt and I know I will use this pattern again to make baby quilts from my stash. 

 I only needed four more 9 patches to add to the 9 patches that were leftover from making the quilt.  Being able to make a baby quilt from leftover fabrics is a huge bonus in my book!

After it was all done, this is all that I had leftover to add to the string scrap pile! Love that!!

Do you have a favorite precut? What patterns do you like to use with them?

Remember this pretty bundle? The fabric is called First Romance by Kristyne Czepuryk. With Valentine's Day coming up and the sweet hearts that are featured on this fabric, it was time to make something with it. 

Most of the fabrics I buy are precuts and fat quarter bundles tend to be my precut of choice, followed by fat eighths and charm packs. When I am looking for a pattern, I want the pattern to make good use of the precut. I don't want a lot of leftovers, if at all possible, and I want a pattern that is versatile enough to be used with scraps.  

9-Patch Pivot by Carried Away Quilting met my criteria and then some!! What a fun and easy pattern! It is such a great use of a fat quarter bundle.

9-Patch Pivot by Carried Away Quilting

For my version, I chose to use the low volume fabrics in the fat quarter bundle for the neutral part of the pattern that surrounds the 9 patches.    

Here are the fabrics all sorted and ready to be made into 9 patches. 

Aren't they cute? And I love how she wrote the pattern so that you don't lose any points! 

I really love this quilt and I know I will use this pattern again to make baby quilts from my stash. 

 I only needed four more 9 patches to add to the 9 patches that were leftover from making the quilt.  Being able to make a baby quilt from leftover fabrics is a huge bonus in my book!

After it was all done, this is all that I had leftover to add to the string scrap pile! Love that!!

Do you have a favorite precut? What patterns do you like to use with them?

Dear Lauren, you asked me about this quilt, but unfortunately, I have no way to answer you via email because you have your email hidden. Here is one way to fix that if you are interested! I hope you find your way here to read my answer!

There is no pattern for this quilt, it is made with half square triangles which are blocks that look like this:

In my quilt, half of the block is white and the other is pink. The diagonal layout is accomplished very simply by how the half square triangles are oriented. I know your grandmother could make a quilt like this very easily for your baby. The half square triangle is a very versatile and common quilt block.  I hope this helps!!

******

And, now to the rest of you...If you ask me a question or leave a comment and you don't hear back from me after a few days, it is mostly likely because your email is hidden and I have no way to reach you, which makes me very sad. If you do a search, there are a ton of bloggers who share how to fix the no-reply setting. Here is one.  If you are unsure if your email is hidden, be sure to add your email to your comment/question. You can also reach me via email by clicking on my profile picture. It will take you to my profile and there is a link to my email. 

While I am writing a post, I may as well share a glimpse of what I am playing with these days...I'll share what these lovelies are being made into soon! For those who may be interested, the fabric is First Romance by Kristyne Czepuryk by Moda. 

Until next time!! 😁

Dear Lauren, you asked me about this quilt, but unfortunately, I have no way to answer you via email because you have your email hidden. Here is one way to fix that if you are interested! I hope you find your way here to read my answer!

There is no pattern for this quilt, it is made with half square triangles which are blocks that look like this:

In my quilt, half of the block is white and the other is pink. The diagonal layout is accomplished very simply by how the half square triangles are oriented. I know your grandmother could make a quilt like this very easily for your baby. The half square triangle is a very versatile and common quilt block.  I hope this helps!!

******

And, now to the rest of you...If you ask me a question or leave a comment and you don't hear back from me after a few days, it is mostly likely because your email is hidden and I have no way to reach you, which makes me very sad. If you do a search, there are a ton of bloggers who share how to fix the no-reply setting. Here is one.  If you are unsure if your email is hidden, be sure to add your email to your comment/question. You can also reach me via email by clicking on my profile picture. It will take you to my profile and there is a link to my email. 

While I am writing a post, I may as well share a glimpse of what I am playing with these days...I'll share what these lovelies are being made into soon! For those who may be interested, the fabric is First Romance by Kristyne Czepuryk by Moda. 

Until next time!! 😁

It's that time of the year where quilters are beginning to plan and make temperature quilts. Although I am not making a temperature quilt this year, a fellow blogger,  Joanne @ Canuck Quilter posted her original design for a temperature quilt that caught my attention and she is offering the pattern for free! Check this out! 

Not only is this a clever design for a temperature quilt, it's also a great design for using up scraps! 

I made this baby quilt yesterday and that included figuring out the math, so it goes together quickly! 

I am going to make another one, but I am going to change the layout. I discovered by reversing every other row, it creates a circle effect and I want to try that!

Some other ideas I had: 

1 - Use left over jelly roll strips for the colored fabric 

2 - Rainbow quilts 

3 - Single colored quilts 

4 -Two colored quilts

5 - Super scrappy quilts 

6 - Create an ombre quilt 

It's fun finding a pattern that is so versatile, quick and easy! 

In my quilt, I used 2 ½" squares instead of 2" squares that the pattern called for and it finishes at 

38 ½" x 42 ½".  Here is the math if you want to make one like mine. Please refer to Canuck Quilter's Temperature Quilt pattern for instructions on how to assemble your quilt. 

Colored fabrics:

228 - 2 ½" squares 

OR 

114 - 2 ½" x 4 ½" rectangles (great way to use jelly roll strips)

Background fabric:

Cut 10 - 2 ½" strips and sub cut into

Fabric A)  42 - 2 ½" x 3 ½"

Fabric B) 72 - 2 ½" squares

Fabric C) 72 - 2 1/2" x 1 ½"

When you download Joanne's pattern, please take the time to thank her for her generosity! 

It's that time of the year where quilters are beginning to plan and make temperature quilts. Although I am not making a temperature quilt this year, a fellow blogger,  Joanne @ Canuck Quilter posted her original design for a temperature quilt that caught my attention and she is offering the pattern for free! Check this out! 

Not only is this a clever design for a temperature quilt, it's also a great design for using up scraps! 

I made this baby quilt yesterday and that included figuring out the math, so it goes together quickly! 

I am going to make another one, but I am going to change the layout. I discovered by reversing every other row, it creates a circle effect and I want to try that!

Some other ideas I had: 

1 - Use left over jelly roll strips for the colored fabric 

2 - Rainbow quilts 

3 - Single colored quilts 

4 -Two colored quilts

5 - Super scrappy quilts 

6 - Create an ombre quilt 

It's fun finding a pattern that is so versatile, quick and easy! 

In my quilt, I used 2 ½" squares instead of 2" squares that the pattern called for and it finishes at 

38 ½" x 42 ½".  Here is the math if you want to make one like mine. Please refer to Canuck Quilter's Temperature Quilt pattern for instructions on how to assemble your quilt. 

Colored fabrics:

228 - 2 ½" squares 

OR 

114 - 2 ½" x 4 ½" rectangles (great way to use jelly roll strips)

Background fabric:

Cut 10 - 2 ½" strips and sub cut into

Fabric A)  42 - 2 ½" x 3 ½"

Fabric B) 72 - 2 ½" squares

Fabric C) 72 - 2 1/2" x 1 ½"

When you download Joanne's pattern, please take the time to thank her for her generosity! 

When my box of goodies came in, I told myself I had to get some scraps of my own used before I cut into the new fabric. Out came all the 2" squares I already had cut up in my scrap bins. You can read about how I have my scraps precut to useable sizes HERE.  

I sewed them all together and tossed them into a bin. 

One by one, I sewed them together to create 4 patches. 

Next I added 3 ½" squares to the 4 patches. I took those sets and created a double 4 patch. These final squares measure 6 ½", so I could have added a 6 ½" square to them and eventually make a double-double 4 patch measuring at 12 ½". I love this kind of quilty math!! Maybe next time. 

I had enough to make one baby quilt at 42 ½" x 54 ½"...

and two more at 36 ½" x 42 ½"!

My 2" squares are mostly gone, but I still have a pile of 3 ½" left. I tried to make a dent, but like most quilters, I suspect, you can hardly tell I used any and yet, I have 3 baby quilts to show for it. They aren't fancy, but they are still cute! And I love this kind of mindless sewing. 

This one I made using left over princess fabric from a long time ago. Some little girl will be happy to have this quilt to call her own...

In my quilt closet, I have 5 baby quilts so far ready to be quilted and donated to Bridgehaven! 

My to-be-quilted pile is stacking up! 

Are you making any dents in your scraps? What are your favorite ways of using them up? 

When my box of goodies came in, I told myself I had to get some scraps of my own used before I cut into the new fabric. Out came all the 2" squares I already had cut up in my scrap bins. You can read about how I have my scraps precut to useable sizes HERE.  

I sewed them all together and tossed them into a bin. 

One by one, I sewed them together to create 4 patches. 

Next I added 3 ½" squares to the 4 patches. I took those sets and created a double 4 patch. These final squares measure 6 ½", so I could have added a 6 ½" square to them and eventually make a double-double 4 patch measuring at 12 ½". I love this kind of quilty math!! Maybe next time. 

I had enough to make one baby quilt at 42 ½" x 54 ½"...

and two more at 36 ½" x 42 ½"!

My 2" squares are mostly gone, but I still have a pile of 3 ½" left. I tried to make a dent, but like most quilters, I suspect, you can hardly tell I used any and yet, I have 3 baby quilts to show for it. They aren't fancy, but they are still cute! And I love this kind of mindless sewing. 

This one I made using left over princess fabric from a long time ago. Some little girl will be happy to have this quilt to call her own...

In my quilt closet, I have 5 baby quilts so far ready to be quilted and donated to Bridgehaven! 

My to-be-quilted pile is stacking up! 

Are you making any dents in your scraps? What are your favorite ways of using them up? 

Last week, I was gifted with a box full of goodies by a fellow quilter who was destashing. She generously donated the fabric for me to use for the donation quilts I like to make for our local pregnancy support center Bridgehaven. 

She told me she was sending scraps...

What I received was fat eighths, fat quarters, half yard cuts and yardage!!  

For the last few years, I haven't been adding a lot to my stash. What I have realized is by adding these interesting fabric pieces, it has greatly enhanced my stash and given it new life. I am ready to play!!

Thanks, Jocelyn!! 😘

Last week, I was gifted with a box full of goodies by a fellow quilter who was destashing. She generously donated the fabric for me to use for the donation quilts I like to make for our local pregnancy support center Bridgehaven. 

She told me she was sending scraps...

What I received was fat eighths, fat quarters, half yard cuts and yardage!!  

For the last few years, I haven't been adding a lot to my stash. What I have realized is by adding these interesting fabric pieces, it has greatly enhanced my stash and given it new life. I am ready to play!!

Thanks, Jocelyn!! 😘

Chic Sparrow travelers notebooks are one of my favorite guilty pleasures that I discovered a couple of years ago. They go hand in hand with my love for fountain pens and quality writing paper. They really are awesome!! I bought the  Blue Jay in the B6 size to use for my quilting journal and I filled it with two Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks. 

Why not buy one of the quilters planners or journals that are out there? Partially because of the expense, they have to be replaced every year, and they include things in them I am not interested in like a calendar. It makes much more sense to create my own so I can set it up with only the information I want to keep track of. Besides, Chic Sparrows are awesome!! 😁 Yes, I do have to physically write out the information, but fountain pens are also awesome!! 😎

I am printing pictures of the quilts on regular printer paper and glueing them on the facing page. I like having a visual of the actual quilt along with the information. For now, I think this set up will work. I can always change things up in the future if I change my mind. Being able to be flexible is another bonus for writing it out on my own. There is plenty of room to write notes under the picture if I need to, as well. 

Do you have a system for keeping track of your quilts and other projects?

Chic Sparrow travelers notebooks are one of my favorite guilty pleasures that I discovered a couple of years ago. They go hand in hand with my love for fountain pens and quality writing paper. They really are awesome!! I bought the  Blue Jay in the B6 size to use for my quilting journal and I filled it with two Leuchtturm 1917 notebooks. 

Why not buy one of the quilters planners or journals that are out there? Partially because of the expense, they have to be replaced every year, and they include things in them I am not interested in like a calendar. It makes much more sense to create my own so I can set it up with only the information I want to keep track of. Besides, Chic Sparrows are awesome!! 😁 Yes, I do have to physically write out the information, but fountain pens are also awesome!! 😎

I am printing pictures of the quilts on regular printer paper and glueing them on the facing page. I like having a visual of the actual quilt along with the information. For now, I think this set up will work. I can always change things up in the future if I change my mind. Being able to be flexible is another bonus for writing it out on my own. There is plenty of room to write notes under the picture if I need to, as well. 

Do you have a system for keeping track of your quilts and other projects?

A new year...New beginnings...The first day of a new year stirs up anticipation of hope and excitement in my heart like when you open a new notebook to the first clean page and prepare to write. The possibilities seem endless...

It's the perfect time to reflect on the goals I set up for myself last year, both personal and creative, and make new plans for the things I want to strive for in this new year.

My quilting goals for 2020:

1 - Make donation quilts for Bridgehaven.
~ In 2019, I only donated 7. I want to do much better this year. I hope to double that number. 

2 - Continue to use up my stash.
~ I did really well last year, but it will always be a goal to use up what I have. 

3 - Continue with being very selective about what I add to my stash. 
~  I did really well in this area last year, as well. I was tempted many times to buy fabric because it was pretty, or on sale. I have to say I have zero regrets about not buying fabric I wanted. Just because I love something doesn't mean I have to own it. Too much fabric in my stash overwhelms me and causes my creativity to shut down. Less is more in my world. 

4 - Learn one new technique out of my comfort zone.
  ~  I didn't do this one last year, so it is added again to this year. Not sure what that one new technique will be, though. If you have some suggestions, feel free to share!

5 - Set up a notebook to keep track of my projects as way to record what I created as well as keep track of who it was gifted to, fabrics used, pattern used, etc. I hope to share more on this at a later date. I am still in the figuring out how to set it up phase.  I purchased Chic Sparrow travelers notebooks for this purpose, so I must use them!

6 - Sort through my fabric and scraps. It's time for some of my fabric to find new homes,  someone who can use and love them.

My personal goals for 2020:

1 - Love my husband more.  

2 - Memorize at least one new scripture or sections of scripture a month. 

~ In 2019, I memorized 29 verses, which boils down to 18 sections of Scripture. My longest memorization was Titus 3:4-7. I use the Bible Memory app and I find it to be helpful. I did buy the full version, but you don't need to. 

3 -  Read my Bible regularly  

~ In July of last year, I downloaded the Reading Plan app and found a  beginners reading plan that took me through some of the Bible in 5 months. I have tried many times to read the Bible in a year and failed. The beginners reading plan took out most of the law so it was easier to get through and it was an encouragement to know I could finish what I began. This next year, I am going to read the Bible using the Five Day Plan. The goal will be to get through it in a year, but I will not fret over it taking longer than that. The goal is being in God's Word regularly and learning more about Him, not how fast I read through it. One way I help myself to stay engaged with my reading and to help my mind not wonder too much is to have the ESV Bible app on my phone read it out loud to me while I follow along in my Bible. 

4 - Continue to stay on the Low Carb High-Fat eating plan. 
~ 1000 x's YES! The KETO way of eating has changed my life and the life of my husband. My arthritis is gone. No more aching knees and hips. I've lost 55 pounds and went from a size 14-16 to a size 4 - 6. 🙌Russ is no longer pre diabetic and has lost over 50 pounds. He went from a size 42 waist to a 34. 👏 Our only regret is we didn't start this change earlier in our lives, but we are grateful we did when we did...

5 - Be an encouragement with those I meet. Greg Koukl at Stand To Reason sums it up well in his mentoring letter: Give 'Em Heaven 

~ Everyone has a story. Everyone has suffered in some way or is in the middle of suffering. When I was in the midst of great suffering six years ago, having someone be kind made my pain so much easier to bear. And you now what? 
Being KIND is not hard! 
Extending GRACE is not hard!
My goal last year was simple. When shopping, I wanted the people working there to know they were appreciated and give them reason to smile. One store where I frequently shop offered me a job 3 times this year. I politely declined, but it's nice to know they are happy to see me when I stop in. 😄I'd like to think I made a difference in my corner of the world by bringing some kindness to those I have met and I want the same for this year. 

6 -  One of my favorite t shirts says: Hold on I've gotta overthink about it. I would like this to NOT be true of me, so this year, I am going to make a conscience effort to stop 
overthinking. 
every. 
little. 
thing. 
The bonus will be it won't take me hours and hours to write one simple blog post. A girl can dream, right? 

I'd be interested in hearing what your dreams and goals are for the new year. Please share! 

A new year...New beginnings...The first day of a new year stirs up anticipation of hope and excitement in my heart like when you open a new notebook to the first clean page and prepare to write. The possibilities seem endless...

It's the perfect time to reflect on the goals I set up for myself last year, both personal and creative, and make new plans for the things I want to strive for in this new year.

My quilting goals for 2020:

1 - Make donation quilts for Bridgehaven.
~ In 2019, I only donated 7. I want to do much better this year. I hope to double that number. 

2 - Continue to use up my stash.
~ I did really well last year, but it will always be a goal to use up what I have. 

3 - Continue with being very selective about what I add to my stash. 
~  I did really well in this area last year, as well. I was tempted many times to buy fabric because it was pretty, or on sale. I have to say I have zero regrets about not buying fabric I wanted. Just because I love something doesn't mean I have to own it. Too much fabric in my stash overwhelms me and causes my creativity to shut down. Less is more in my world. 

4 - Learn one new technique out of my comfort zone.
  ~  I didn't do this one last year, so it is added again to this year. Not sure what that one new technique will be, though. If you have some suggestions, feel free to share!

5 - Set up a notebook to keep track of my projects as way to record what I created as well as keep track of who it was gifted to, fabrics used, pattern used, etc. I hope to share more on this at a later date. I am still in the figuring out how to set it up phase.  I purchased Chic Sparrow travelers notebooks for this purpose, so I must use them!

6 - Sort through my fabric and scraps. It's time for some of my fabric to find new homes,  someone who can use and love them.

My personal goals for 2020:

1 - Love my husband more.  

2 - Memorize at least one new scripture or sections of scripture a month. 

~ In 2019, I memorized 29 verses, which boils down to 18 sections of Scripture. My longest memorization was Titus 3:4-7. I use the Bible Memory app and I find it to be helpful. I did buy the full version, but you don't need to. 

3 -  Read my Bible regularly  

~ In July of last year, I downloaded the Reading Plan app and found a  beginners reading plan that took me through some of the Bible in 5 months. I have tried many times to read the Bible in a year and failed. The beginners reading plan took out most of the law so it was easier to get through and it was an encouragement to know I could finish what I began. This next year, I am going to read the Bible using the Five Day Plan. The goal will be to get through it in a year, but I will not fret over it taking longer than that. The goal is being in God's Word regularly and learning more about Him, not how fast I read through it. One way I help myself to stay engaged with my reading and to help my mind not wonder too much is to have the ESV Bible app on my phone read it out loud to me while I follow along in my Bible. 

4 - Continue to stay on the Low Carb High-Fat eating plan. 
~ 1000 x's YES! The KETO way of eating has changed my life and the life of my husband. My arthritis is gone. No more aching knees and hips. I've lost 55 pounds and went from a size 14-16 to a size 4 - 6. 🙌Russ is no longer pre diabetic and has lost over 50 pounds. He went from a size 42 waist to a 34. 👏 Our only regret is we didn't start this change earlier in our lives, but we are grateful we did when we did...

5 - Be an encouragement with those I meet. Greg Koukl at Stand To Reason sums it up well in his mentoring letter: Give 'Em Heaven 

~ Everyone has a story. Everyone has suffered in some way or is in the middle of suffering. When I was in the midst of great suffering six years ago, having someone be kind made my pain so much easier to bear. And you now what? 
Being KIND is not hard! 
Extending GRACE is not hard!
My goal last year was simple. When shopping, I wanted the people working there to know they were appreciated and give them reason to smile. One store where I frequently shop offered me a job 3 times this year. I politely declined, but it's nice to know they are happy to see me when I stop in. 😄I'd like to think I made a difference in my corner of the world by bringing some kindness to those I have met and I want the same for this year. 

6 -  One of my favorite t shirts says: Hold on I've gotta overthink about it. I would like this to NOT be true of me, so this year, I am going to make a conscience effort to stop 
overthinking. 
every. 
little. 
thing. 
The bonus will be it won't take me hours and hours to write one simple blog post. A girl can dream, right? 

I'd be interested in hearing what your dreams and goals are for the new year. Please share!