Goal Setting for 2014

My oldest, The Monster, is very big into goal setting thanks to her public education. We work hard at breaking down the details and steps necessary to reach her goals. In that process it has reminded me that I need to do a bit of that myself.

So, here goes. In 2014 my studio goals are:

1. To turn all quilt tops sitting in my closet as of right now into completed quilts. There are 10 of them. And 2 others already being quilted.

2. To distribute all the Just One Slab quilts before the end of winter.

3. Stay on top of my accounting with a monthly sit down in front of a spreadsheet and a pile of receipts.

4. Revamp my website and blog (with the input from all of you!)

5. Produce at least 1 new pattern for sale.

6. Finish one of my novels.

7. Complete at least 3 quilts in a series I've got planned. This Mountain Meadows would be the first one in the series, but I have sketches for many more.

8. Teach the girls, as they ask, how to use the sewing machine on their own.

9. Make exercise a daily part of my life again. (I consider this a Studio Goal because it is part of my overall time management for work.)

10. Start and finish my third quilting book.

Those are the big goals. It does not account for the ongoing, must do, and just for fun sewing and writing commitments that are there every day as well. And of course all the awesome unplanned things that could still come up. Oh yeah, and that family thing that happens outside of the studio too.

Yes, I am insane. And I wouldn't have it any other way. How about regular updates on all of these, so you can help keep me in check? They may be more like reality checks, but I am not scared in looking at this list. I think teaching the girls to sew on the machine themselves might the most frightening thing of them all!

Jane Austen Update (Weekend Reads)

So... it's been two and a half years since I confessed that I hadn't read any Jane Austen. I thought I would give you an update.

I've read three now - Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Mansfield Park. Phew.

Here is the next shocking confession: I didn't particularly like them. Now, I didn't hate them, but I certainly didn't love them. And I expected to love them. When faced with an evening alone and the TV to myself I search for a period drama. I love Downton as much as as anyone else (and boy are there plenty of parallels between Downton and Austen). I adored all the Bronte books when I read them. But, at times, these three Austen books were a bit of a slog to get through. I finished Mansfield Park at some point last winter and decided to take a break from Austen.

I'm not dismissing their value as literature of the the English language, nor the enormity of their story and the fact that they were written by a woman. There were, however, many, many times that the detail was intense and the plot very, very slow. More than once I wished the BBC had done a miniseries on all of the books.

(As an aside, I do totally get the Colin Firth thing now.)

You know what? I think I would have loved these if I read them in my 20s. When I had a romantic view of romance and still thought drama in a relationship was admirable. I too was daydreaming of marriage and that being an end result as opposed to a beginning. Now, approaching 40, I consider it romantic when my Hubby empties the dishwasher and drama means The Evil Genius thinks the world is out to get her again.

Don't worry, I'm not giving up. I will finish the other three, maybe even this year. I've got lots of tea on hand.

Friday Favourite - Hoarfrost

It's snowing again here. And by again I need to point out that we've had snow on the ground since before Halloween. I clearly remember leaving a thunderstorm in Houston at Quilt Market and returning to a storm here. Winter is long. That's why you have to take the pleasure where you find, embrace the beauty too. Whether it be...

... a perfectly shovelled walk (yes, there is such a thing).
... snow angels.
... any time spent in the mountains.
... the fields of straw covered in snow against a blue sky.
... skating on the outdoor ice.
... buildings snow forts and mazes in parks.
... snowball fights.
... the quiet that envelopes the world when the snow falls.
... hoarfrost.

Oh, hoarfrost. I revel in hoarfrost in the winter like I do a good thunderstorm in the summer. Weather is going to happen so let it give you a thrill!

Sometimes you go to bed knowing it will happen. It is cool, but not warm and you can feel humidity in the air. Sometimes it is a Christmas morning surprise when you wake up and the world is white. Not the ground and the tops of the trees only, everything is white. And it is magical and pretty and you can't help but twitterpate.

For those of us who like to take pictures you wish the sun would come out a bit so the light makes the world even more magical. But that is a terminal wish because the sun causes all those fragile crystals coating the world to melt and drift away. So go for a walk, sit in the window with tea, or look through the branches and the beauty.

Tell Me About Yourself

Some say that blogs are going the way of the dinosaur. It may or may not be true, but I truly enjoy this space and have no plans to go anywhere. That being said, some changes are coming. I would love your feedback and a bit of information about you, my readers, to help guide my journey.

Could you please take a few minutes to answer these questions? It will help me understand my audience here at Dining Room Empire and be able to provide content you are interested in.

The survey will be open until January 10 at 11:00 pm.

And when you are done the survey, please leave a comment letting me know you answered. There will be a give-away of fabric, books, and more for all survey respondents.

Click here to take survey

Thank you so for your feedback.
Thank you for continuing to join me here.