Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Hello 2009

quilt 007

To tell the truth, I wasn't very excited for this year to begin. 2008 was so exciting! I had surgery, quit my job, moved, started school, and made a bunch of new friends. In 2010, I'll be finishing my degree and (hopefully!) starting a new career. 2009 is like this weird, in between year that I must trudge through to get to the other side.

So naturally I set my standard 8 million resolutions, which I do every year, and then forget about them until December when I look back on my list and realize how much I didn't accomplish. "Wow," I thought, "That's really depressing". So I scrapped my list and wrote a new one, and when I looked at it, I realized that every resolution I made could be lumped into one category, and that became my single resolution for 2009.

This year, I resolve to make my life as beautiful as possible. This includes my usual "be more tidy" and "exercise!!!" resolutions, but it also includes crossing things off my craft list, throwing my energy into a larger, more planned out garden this summer, spending as much time as possible with my friends and family while also taking time for myself, and working through all my bookmarked recipes. It means that I am going to try to notice and appreciate the little details every day, take walks, be outside. I want to never feel as if a day was wasted. I want to limit my crankiness and try to bring happiness to other people's lives as well. And, the best thing about this resolution is that if I fail to accomplish one of the items on my list, I will still have accomplished many others, making 2009 a success.

quilt 011

I got my year kicked off with a new sewing machine (thanks mom!) and the completion of this project. It's a lap quilt that I started working on in August, using a vintage tablecloth as the top rather than patchwork. Getting this pile of batting, fabric, and threads up off my floor and morphed into something functional (and snuggly) made me happy, neatened up my space, and adds something a little bit more special to evenings curled up on the couch with a book. (The picture up top is a sneak preview of my next project, an embroidery sampler, which I plan to frame and hang above my desk for inspiration all year.)

I hope your 2009 is as great as mine is going to be! Happy New Year!


xoxo
Rachel

1 comment:

HangryPants said...

First, I cannot believe you made that!

Second, thanks for the Flat Out tip for Shop Rite. I tried one in Nutley I think it was and they didn't have them. I will look some more!