Monday Musings - A Fresh Start Every Week

 Mondays are always good days - my husband would always tend to dread Mondays because they would be the start of a new work week before he retired, but I have always loved beginnings!  To me Monday is a new possibility, something that could be the start of something great, a fresh page in the calendar.  Or a new project (wink, wink).  

Of course, that love of new beginnings also comes with a burden if you don't complete all of those new projects!  Thus I am working through my second year of Gail's Quilting PHD program.  I've fallen a bit behind schedule this year, but here is my progress to date:

I see lots of finishes, but I am also starting to pile up the newly started projects as well.  I really don't want to end the year with more UFO's started than finished! So far I have finished 6 UFOs but I've also started 5 other projects that aren't finished!  Hopefully I can get some of those tamed over the next few months.  Truthfully I'm doing well even if I don't complete the program - I'm working toward clearing out space and discovering a lot about what I enjoy doing the most.  I do love a long term sampler style quilt, but I'm only allowing myself to have one going at a time in the future.  There are several I have my eye on for when I finish my Farmer's Wife quilt!

I'm really enjoying these 6 inch blocks, some of them are easy, and some are more challenging.  I was hoping to have all the blocks finished by the end of September and assemble my top.  I took June off, so need to get back in gear - three blocks a week was a nice pace, and a treat to look forward to during the weekend.  

I also enjoy projects that you can complete in a weekend.  This new sample of my Sweet and Simple pattern is a good example of that.  Sadly, I did not notice I had that lower right block turned the wrong way until after I had the whole thing quilted!  Oh well, it's still a pretty quilt!  It's a good reminder to slow down a bit when making these quick projects...

Designing is also something I really enjoy!  June Mini Madness 2021 was a challenge this year, but I'm so glad I persevered!  I also really enjoy the monthly Island Batik Ambassador challenges - I have the July project finished and plan on showing you what I did for that next week.  I need to work on sharing the other Ambassadors challenges - I've definitely gotten behind on that as well.  Something to add to my calendar for this week.  

Oh, and on Wednesday (July 21) I get to show you what I received in those June Island Batik Ambassador boxes that arrived!

It's also always a good idea to schedule in some fun!  We enjoyed visiting a couple of lighthouses in June while our oldest daughter and her husband were visiting.  I think this week's adventure will be an outing to the county fair!  It will be fun to look at all the animals, see the quilts on display and eat some fair food.  It's all about balance - work, play, duty, fun.  We missed that last year - and will be all the more appreciative of it this year!  My weekly calendar is definitely looking a lot more varied that it was this time last year.

Hope your week is balanced just right for you!