A Fresh Start
I love the beginning of the new year. I feel like life gives me permission to start something new. While I realize that I can start anew any day of the year, it feels different in January.
This afternoon, Ross and I joined my family for a New Year’s Celebration. Festivities include food, games, and a pinta with prizes. This year we got 2 DVDs, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Blue Brothers 2000. Here’s a photo of my grandmother taking a wack at the pinta.
So what’s next? Well two of my friends will be having babies in the next month. They need quilts. I decided to start making quilts with stuff I already had. The first uses novelty fabrics bought as an I Spy kit. I bought this years ago. The kit included 40 5.5″ squares. Once I laid out the squares, I was a little disappointed in the fabric selection. There are some duplicates. Needless to say, I have enought to make another quilt. I think the sashing and the border pull the blocks together.
The second quilt uses blocks I made this summer. The pattern is from the March/April Fons & Porter magazine. On their own, the blocks didn’t thrill me. However, I love them with the black sashing. I look forward to seeding this quilt come together.
In January, my goal is to quilt three quilts. I have another quilt that has been waiting for over a year to be quilted. It is time to finish it.
Apart from these quilts I’ve made other goals for myself. This last year was a long year for Ross and I. Lately things are looking up for us. I want to capture this momentum and accomplish a lot. So here is the short list:
- Do not eat any refined sugar during January. This is all about creating a balance. In December, I go to far the other way.
- Do yoga twice a week.
- Read six classics this year. So far my list includes Les Miserables, East of Eden, Don Quixote, and 100 years of Solitude. I’ll select others as the year progresses.
- Update my quilt goals (see sidebar) on a monthly basis.
- Complete a four generation pedigree chart
- Live a greener life. I want to be better about recycling and such.
- Find out what it would take to get an MFA from the University of Utah. I have a lot to prove, but I think I can do it.
February 1st, 2007 at 3:26 pm
[...] At the beginning of the month, I set a goal to not eat refined sugar for a whole month. The first week was hard. There is always plenty of junk at work. At home we still have left over Christmas candy. (I really need to either give it way or throw it away.) After I got over my sugar withdrawal, I was ok. My mind and my body were able to communicate. Instead of eating because the clock said, “It is time to eat”, I ate because my stomach said I need more fuel. In fact, I’ve been ok without sugar. I think it bothered my family more than it bothered me. [...]