New Year's Eve

 2024 is on it's way out, and in rides 2025. Long post, no pics.

Let's do a recap of 2024, first quilting, sewing, crafting:

    - 6 baby quilts

    - 1 quilt published (OBW in fall colors)

    - 1 bed size quilt (Bonnie Hunter paper pieced pattern)

    - 1 wall hanging

    - 1 Memory quilt made

    - 1 Christmas throw quilt made

    - 5 quilted bible bags (large size)

    - 15 quilted crossbody bags

    - 5 denim bags

    - Two leather belts

    - multiple rope baskets

    - built a bench from a live cedar board

    - Painted 5 bird pictures in Acrylics (copied another artists work)

    - Made 3 bowties

    - Sewed a new skirt and pants

Next other happenings:

    - Jesse Neutron, our 15 year old cat, passed away :(

    - Saw the Northern Lights twice from our home

    - Quick trip to Paducah for the Quilt Show

    - Updated master bedroom (new bed, night stands, lamps)

    - Puzzle lost an eye in a fishing accident :(

    - Did the "Hello Garbage" epoxy-like finish on our car garage and screened porch (still love it!)

    - Had a visit from the kids for two weeks in July and a week at Thanksgiving

Books Read (all were 'read' as audible books):

    -  Killing of the Witches by Bill O'Riley

    - The Winemaker's Wife by Kristin Harmel

    - Secrets We Left Behind by Susan Elliott Wright

    - Bridge to Haven by Francine Rivers

    - Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

    - Masters of the Air by Donald Miller

    - Homefront by Kristen Hannah

    - The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson

    - Band of Brothers by Stephen E Ambrose

    - Once We Were Brothers by Ronald Balson

    - I was Anastasia by Ariel Lawson

    - A Woman of Words by Angela Hunt

    - Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

    - The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

    - The Frozen River by Ariel Lawson

    - The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jake

I am so, so, so thankful for all the experiences I've had in 2024...the crafts, sewing, learning, reading.  All of these wonderful hobbies that enrich my life so much.  I'm constantly in awe of all there is to learn in this big beautiful world God has given us.  2025 is expected to be my last year of working.  I've worked about 20 hours a week for several years, after my 'official' retirement in 2015. One more year to go, but then I have days like today where the 10 hours passed so fast and I was doing something I really enjoy.  Jim thinks I might want to just cut my hours back to maybe 8 a week in 2026.  That is an idea.  I have to stay busy and I don't rest well, and don't enjoy watching TV.  Always active doing something.  Although I have watched two movies with the hubby since Christmas.  That's probably one more than I've watched all year, ha!  We watched Six Triple Eight (good movie about the black female soldiers in WW2), and Carry On (thriller about terrorist in an airport).

Resolutions for 2025? I have a few thoughts.

    - Read the bible through (I've done this the last several years using the Grace to You website. It's great!)

    - Run a few races.  Would love to do another Half Marathon, but don't know if I have it in me at, soon to be, 66.

    - Continue running 3x a week and try to get outside on some of those

    - Have more people over to share a meal at our home - at least one a quarter.

    - Submit a quilt or two for publication in one of the quilting magazines.

    - Read a book a month

    - Make a large denim, leather trimmed back pack

    - Make a leather purse

    - Make a scrap quilt from my stash

    - Purge my craft closet

    - Organize the pantry

    - Do some more painting

    - Finish the board and batting on the remaining two Dining Room walls

    - Spread love, kindness, joy, compassion to others. (this isn't always easy with my introverted self)

    - Practice thankfulness every. single. day.

I love lists.  Lists help me accomplish things, and keep me on the path I want to go.

Again, so very thankful for this, another year, in the books.

Smile, do great things, spread kindness!

  

December 2024

 I've continued to make bags.  I gave ten away, then sold another 9 or 10 with the proceeds going to our local food pantry, Hands of Mercy.  

I love the little backpack purse in the above picture.  I kept it and use it a lot.

After getting my fill of bags, I found a free stocking pattern online by Fancy That Design House.  I loved it when I saw it and decided to make a couple.  Well, two turned to three, then to five, and I stopped at six!  

The kids got to come for a visit the week of Thanksgiving.  We took them to the Comedy Barn, and they loved it!

While they were here we all did a Turkey Trot 5k.  The kids' first one and they did great!

Lots of playing with Puzzle. She adores those children.

                                    Emma and I had matching hairdo's one day.  :)

Lots of playing outside.....every......single.......day.  Very thankful we had good weather the whole week they were here.

Time to get out all the Christmas quilts.

                                                Puzzle with her new toy, and her daddy.......

                                                        Pose for a treat, Puzzle!!

I recently learned how to make cranberry juice. Easy, peasy, and tastes so good with sparkling water.

Today was a busy day, making bread, Christmas Jam, chex mix, and potato soup.

......And I did finish a quilt recently.  This was a memory quilt made for a widow friend, out of her husband's shirts.  He passed in August, and I wanted her to have it before Christmas.  A great, quick pattern for a lap size quilt.  Tried a new quilting pattern and I really like it.

                                                    Merry Christmas from Rachel and Jim