5 - Charm Quilt finish 2021

This charm quilt was made to replace the one that was stolen in my van back in 2017.  Charm squares are from fabrics from my stash as well as some from friends.  I love a charm square quilt because it uses sooooo many prints things you never would assemble together.  

The back is all random fabrics I had intended to use a single solid but then decided to use prints I would never put together in years.  

This is actually the very first quilting cotton I bought?  It’s a weird Michael Miller hot sauce print I have no idea why I bought it.  But I only just now like 20 years later at using it.

2020 List Recap

Surprisingly I complete 28 items from my list another 10 or I started but never finished as well.  So many things cancelled due to the pandemic, like traveling, thrifting, play dates etc.  I also didn’t hardly quilt which seems surprising since we were home more.   I did do a lot of home projects that weren’t listed because well we hadn’t bought the house when I made the list.  (Photo above is unrelated but from New Years)

Completed items.

1.MOVE - done 

2.Make bruschetta - done

3.40th List - complete

6. 40 before 40 - complete. 

8. 4th Birthday Party Thea - complete 

9. 6th Birthday Party Jones - Complete

10.Buy some “patterned clothes” - done. 11.Buy/Make new bed frame - done 

12. Up Average step count (currently it’s about 6000 on weekday and 10,000 on weekend).  Complete - Overall average 9k the weekend went way up and the weekday was slightly higher

12. Listen to a new podcast - complete listened to DropOut 

13. Launch a new training program at work - I think I launched like 10

20. Repair my pink/yellow quilt -done

22. Visit zoo - complete bought passes went 3x

23. Cross stitch something - complete

24. Get big calendar - complete bought 2

27.  Vote - done

28. Monthly “hikes” with my kids.   - we maybe didn’t take a specific one but we probably did 12+ 

30. Fairy house - done 

31. Donate socks - done. I gave them money instead

34. Get Chai with Kathleen - done

36.  Play date with Brooks - playground

37. One second Everyday - done 

38.  Help jones with his you tube channel - done

40. Swim laps - done 

46. Make doughnuts - done 

47. Summer bucket list - done 

48. Find Jones a Summer camp - done 

50. Music jar - done

52. Make new list - done

16 Cheese Please 2021

When talking about goals for this year we wanted to have one like Kathleen’s where we get to explore flavors,  she did banana ice cream, ginger, chai and now is on avocados.  She also collects things like soap or other “related” items.   We don’t really want to collect up a bunch of trinkets but we want to taste different things. So we decided to taste our way thru cheeses by trying at least 50 fancy cheeses. #cheeseplease2021 

Tonight we kicked it off with North Sea Cheese.  It was very a flavorful cheese you could perhaps taste some garlic or onion in it, and my kids surprisingly liked it.  We ended up giving it 2 of 5 Cheese wedges though because I wanted it melted into a grilled cheese.  

2021 List - Guess what it’s shorter!

This year we are kicking off the year in Pandemic and so things are very “questionable”.  Last year I had a bunch of things cancelled or changed because of the quarantine.  So this year I am putting letting less things on my list, but some things are more time intensive.  So for example I am planning to make or do something creative 365 days a year, I also want to average 10k steps which means I might take daily walks to get there. Both of these items I am doing a tracker with so hopefully I get there.  

So here’s my list:

1. Family Vacation
2. Finish out my 40 donation 12 to go
3. Try Punch art
4. Finish city Sampler 
5. Finish Charm Square Quilt - COMPLETE
6. Quilt for new niece - done
7. Make 365
8. Paint cabinets
9. 10,000 steps a day (the end of 2020 I was averaging about 9k so maybe this is achievable) 
10. Get the extra frames put up or donated
11. Hang the school photos - Complete
12. Finish paying for daycare :)
13. Plant back garden 
14. Builtin or Shelves for TV wall
15. Hang the barn door for master bath - complete
16. 50 Cheese tasting
17. Art journalling 
18. Paint shed 
19. Bike the whole connector trail
20. New desk -Bought
21. Launch the work book club at work
22. Document kid stories
23. Get a clothes line
24. New friend invitations x3 (S&A, M&A)
25. Make new list

36 - play date with brooks

Ages ago (like October). We finally got to meet up with my brothers family at a playground.  We played a long time and the kids loved it outside at a great park in Fishers with masks.  It’s sad that this is the way we have to socialize as a family now.  But if this is what it takes to avoid getting our family sick then we will do it.  They seem so much older now.  

Art Club Santa Gnomes

Over the weekend we made some Santa gnomes.  We used scrap chipboard I had saved, scrap fabric and foil leaf.  I drew the shape on the chipboard and gathered small fabrics.  They got really excited about the foil and liked rolling it into balls aka bells. 

I love how their projects turned out they are so cute.  

I put them inside of frames I had minus the glass because of the raised bells.  And hung them up in the hallway.  They are so fun.  

Phew

I have been very absent on my blog for several years occasionally popping in to update on my list.  but I feel like I should document this moment.  This election season has been so anxiety ridden.  After RBG died I called my senators 3 times, I donated money I probably should have saved for a car, I wrote letters and I felt anxious.  I am generally not anxious.  Our current president though is just so awful and hateful.  I truly believe he only cares for himself.  

We voted early in person here in Ohio and on Election Day we went shopping and to the park and raked leaves.  Later we watched the incoming returns talk about additional anxiety I had trouble sleeping all last week. I am truly sad all these people find trump an appropriate choice I just don’t get it.  Anyhow suffice to say when the news came out Saturday I was so relieved and excited. 

I also feel so delighted we will have a women Vice President.  I cannot believe we haven’t had one until now.  The works not done yet but I feel very good about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s upcoming presidency.  

Halloween 2020

I love making Halloween costumes.  I will be sad when my kids don’t want me to. Thea wanted to be Rapunzel from Tangled specifically.  Jones wanted to be an Enderman from Minecraft (for the record I didn’t know what that was and he doesn’t play Minecraft except at friends houses but somehow knows all about it.) 

Thea’s dress originally had puffed sleeves but they looked weird so I ended up removing them and allowing her to wear a shirt or coat under her dress.  It’s made from quilting cotton i had in my stash and ribbon that matched.  I made her lizard and pan from things in the recycle bin and tape.  

Joness costume is made from a painted morph suit + the big square head covered in tape with purple sticky foam around the eyes.  I also made his sword from cardboard and reinforced with tape.  

For trick or treat our neighborhood association requested everyone stay distanced and do little “tables” or stations for the kids so you could see them but separated.  Everyone made cute displays, shoots, music, slides, light up things and it seemed very safe. 

Bonus costumes.  Jones wore his age 2 Spider costume to school (still fits) and Thea was JoJo Siwa for her school as well. 

Tuesday 10 - October

1. Fall leaves.  We have a bazillion trees and so we have a bazillion leaves. 

2. Youth soccer.  Jones is doing so good he’s scored 4 goals this shortened season this year.  Thea however sometimes seems disinterested she would much rather have done dance but it’s an inside sport, with the pandemic we need outside sports.

3. Graveyard Elsa got some clothes on.  Thea did the sweater and I gave her pants

4. After 5 long months we finally got our sofa!  Now I want to paint the walls. 

5. The trapeze swing.  I have debated whether or not it’s worth the costs to update the clubhouse or not.  In the meantime I bought a trapeze swing which was well worth the $20 already! They practice flips and tricks and it’s perfect addition to our other swings.

6. The new bike trail in oxford.  It’s got a starting point super close to the house it’s super convenient and sooooo pretty in the fall.
7. Preschool field trip!  Say what!  Theas class got to take a field trip to the pumpkin patch because it’s outside and they can transport the tues/thurs kids (there are only 7) in the schools bus and still space them.

8. My Halloween sweater.  

9.  Jones will return to school.  I am some what apprehensive but honestly he NEEDS school so we will take precautions and hopefully it will be okay. 

10. Theas makeup skills.  She did “nice” makeup for me.  I look like a forth witch from hocus pocus?

Fall 2020

Fall is upon us now.  It’s gorgeous here the leaves are changing and the weather is soooo nice.  Photo above from 9 years ago at the pumpkin patch and one from 2020.  

Things are so much different now with kids, then when we got those pumpkins 9 years ago.  For example despite getting 8 pumpkins at the patch and carving 4 between the kids and I nobody actually let me pick what to carve.  We run thru the corn mazes, and pick sunflowers for the volume of seeds not the actual beauty of them.  (My kids want to plant a bazillion sunflowers next year).

I made a pumpkin tree.  All the plastic pumpkins were purchased at a thrift store and I drilled holes in the bottom to let rain water out. I would like to get a few more because 15 seems better than the 9 we have.  

We are super into Halloween decor and have added to our collection of things this year.  Thanks to the dollar store for cheap pumpkins, skeletons and skulls.