One year of something new can change your world. That's all it takes to change a person completely... I'm sure of it. That's all it takes to develop a love for something and want to share it. One year is all it took to make my tiny doable pile of scraps turn into this heap of loveliness!
I love this basket! This is my look-at-it-and-remember-everything-I-actually-finished-this-year basket. There is something really great about creating something. We spend most of our days doing tasks that will never be complete...never be finished. I will always and forever have laundry to do. I will always get to pick up stuff off the floor. Dinner will always need to be made and family will always need to be taken care of. Although these things are extremely important and fulfilling at times these things are never really finished. A quilt, on the other hand, when completed, is finished, useful and will always be beautiful to look at..unlike my kitchen floor. Sometimes it just feels good to do something and know that it will become a finished work.
Can you believe it has been a year since we started sharing our lives and ideas on this blog? It feels like just a week or so ago we were all sitting around my dining room table at 2 in the morning thinking of fun topics to write about and where we wanted this blog to go. We hoped it would uplift and inspire our readers. We also hoped it would help us discover new things that are praiseworthy. For a year now we have sought after those things and it has changed me!
I am the most unbalanced person on earth. I always will be. I try to do it all and I literally feel like I have to. I put way to much on my plate and I say yes to everything I'm asked to do plus I add on more only to find myself tired and overwhelmed. I catch myself grumbling and throwing a pity party the day of the task but the truth is I love everything I do and I should be grateful for all of these experiences. I don't have to go to work and hate 8 hours of my day. I take it all on because I know I'll grow and I know that there are hoped upon blessings waiting around the corner for my family.
Busy schedules push out time for self and for serving others. I can tell you that this blog has kept me centered on the things that are most important regardless of my workload. I have made time for sewing, for cooking, for writing and for pondering. I know myself better. I know my limits now and I know how to use my time for things that matter. I have made time for baby quilts on blessing days, time for added holidays traditions and memories, and experienced fun new ways to brighten my home and strengthen my testimony. Today as I think back on our year, I am happy with what I've learned and so excited to keep seeking after these things that are praiseworthy.
I wanted some tangible way to share this with you. So... leave a comment with your name letting us know what keeps you coming back to our little world and one of you will get the scraps from my past - fabric pieces from the things I have made this blog year. Big and small pieces that I love and that I look at often, from our quilt along, tree ornament tutorial, stuffed chickens, skirts for weddings, aprons for newly married sisters, Sadie's baby clothing memory quilt, bibs, a work in progress for a special little girl of mine who needs a quilt for her big girl bed, and blessing quilts 1,2 and 3 soon to 4 and 5. This way you can make something awesome and pass on the feelings I get when I create.
So leave a comment. Don't be shy. You know you want to. I'll pick the random winner next Monday (Nov. 22nd). You'll also want to keep coming back every day this week. There will be more!