The Bane of My Existence

In general, I suppose I have nothing against laundry. Actually, if I had to make a list of favorite chores (is there such a thing?), laundry might make the list. I do LOVE the scent of clean clothes, and it's wonderful to snuggle into a sweatshirt straight from the dryer.

However, I hate folding laundry. I usually leave that for my husband to do, which is why we often live out of laundry baskets...oops. Still, there's something that I dislike even more than folding clothes.

I detest having to walk half a block--outside--to get to the laundry room.

It's especially awful in the winter, when there are days where I don't even venture outside to get the mail (and, if you know anything about me, you know how huge that is. I. LOVE. MAIL.). I certainly don't want to be going back and forth in the freezing cold to do my laundry! And so, I get a pile like this:

It's not pretty, I know. I'm almost ashamed to share this with you.

Almost.

Wordless Wednesday

A Start

I've started working on another lap quilt, even though I haven't finished some other projects that just need to be completed.

Oops.

Anyway, this one has been formulating in my mind for a while. I have a ton of floral fabric, and I was inspired by my mother-in-law's gardens to make a quilt that resembled, well, a flower garden. I wanted something that looked like wildflowers with green pathways. I settled on a modified version of the log cabin block in Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson, and I decided on the straight furrow variation to set the blocks.



I can tell just by looking at these blocks that it's not going to turn out the way I pictured. I think I should have used a single green fabric, probably a solid, to distinguish it from all the other fabrics. Still, I love all of the color and the busyness of these blocks, and I'm excited to finish it.

Life List, Sort Of

I saw this meme on Chara's blog, and it reminded me of an activity I did in 7th grade. I participated in a workshop where we were asked to write out a "life list." It's pretty self-explanatory--we each made a list of things we wanted to do/accomplish in our lives. I honestly don't remember what was on the list that I made in 7th grade, except that I wanted to ski in the Tetons, but I have made a few lists since then. Some of the things mentioned in this meme are on my current list, and some are things I never would have thought of, but I might just have to add them:-) Just for fun, I posted my current list, which I made a couple of years ago, in the sidebar. That way, I'll (hopefully) never lose it!

Things you’ve already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font

1. started your own blog
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. visited hawaii
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to disneyland/world
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo
11. bungee jumped
12. visited paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the statue of liberty
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the mona lisa in france
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon
28. ridden a gondola in venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise
33. seen niagara falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the leaning tower of pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen michelangelo’s david in person
41. sung karaoke
42. seen old faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight
46. been transported in an ambulance
47. had your portrait painted
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the sistene chapel in person
50. been to the top of the eiffel tower in paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theatre
55. been in a movie
56. visited the great wall of china
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookies
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood
65. gone sky diving
66. visited a nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a cheque
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in Times Square
74. toured the everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in london
77. broken a bone
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the grand canyon in person
80. published a book
81. visited the vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire bible
86. visited the white house
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the alamo in person
96. swum in the great salt lake.
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee

Wordless Wednesday: 3rd Anniversary Edition

A New Year

We've had a quiet, restful start to the new year, which was just fine by me. The last few weeks of 2008 were so busy, and I'm perfectly content to sit, reflect on the year gone by, and dream of the year to come.

I'm not a huge fan of resolutions--it's probably the word that I dislike more than anything else. Anymore, it's a loaded word, and I feel as though making a resolution is more like making a demand upon myself and allowing no room for setbacks, let alone failure. Frankly, it's a recipe for disaster in my world.

Of course, it's so important for a person to have goals, and the first of the year always has me thinking of the things I'd like to do over the course of the next 12 months; there are always going to be things that I'd like to accomplish, and that's how I like to think at the beginning of a new year--what would I like to accomplish. Not 'What should I do?' or 'What must I do?' Those things will always be there, and I really try to be mindful of them, but what I like to focus on at this time of the year are those things that I want to do simply because I feel that they'll make me happy.

These are some things that have been floating through my mind for a while:

1. Learn to knit. I've been so nervous to sign up for a class, but there's a free one being offered at the library, and I think I'm going to do it. It's a small class, and doing hands-on work with someone who knows how to knit has got to be the best way to learn.

2. Make more time for reading. Of course, being able to actually say, "I have two hours to sit and read," means that I will have to...

3. Learn to be better organized. It really has become necessary for me to learn to budget my time, and maybe even make a schedule. I truly believe that, if I can accomplish this goal, it'll be easier for me to accomplish others.

4. Seriously study German. We're headed to Germany again in June, this time for almost a month. While it is definitely the case that I can get by with knowing the little German that I do, I'm not really comfortable with that. I've dusted off my German textbook from college and started making vocab flashcards again, and I'm really quite excited to get started!

5. Take more photos. I dropped the ball on Project 365 last year, and it was primarily because I often felt that I wasn't doing things that warranted photos, and I would often leave my camera at home when I went out. I think the key here is to be more open-minded and to view everything as a photo opportunity.

6. Be mindful. It sounds very vague, but I think this is the most important goal I've made for this year. This one applies to every aspect of life, from the food that I choose to eat to the ways in which I interact with people. I'm excited to see how my life can be better by following through with this goal.

There are so many more things I could add to the list, but these are the most important to me. I think 2009 holds a lot of potential, and it's up to me (and you, too!) to make the most of it!

Happy New Year!