New Year Inspiration

Life seems to be speeding up the older I get. The evidence? Look how big my kids are getting and how long it has been since I posted here. Does that keep happening with each passing year? Some days I feel like I can barely keep up with everything and other days I remember to slow down and look around. It is hard to be present: to see those sweet little faces looking up at me and asking to play, to listen to their thoughts about life, to feel their warm embraces, to recall the importance of slowing down and taking the time to be purposeful in each day, each activity, each moment I have. Please don't think I have figured this out. Truth be told, most days have moments when I choose to be online again or look at my to do list for the 10th time in an hour as if something will magically be completed instead of actually doing something on the list.

A new year brings so much hope and encouragement. We talk about goals for this year. It is a time to set aside bad habits and begin again. This year has me thinking about what are the most important roles or things in my life right now. I'm learning that sometimes I need to say no to good things in order to focus on the few things I can maybe learn to be great in. Being a mom to three young kids is definitely near the top of that list. Being a godly wife is too.

I have some specific ideas and goals I'd like to work on that relate to the things I share here. I'd love to keep growing our little garden and see how much we can actually grow and harvest from it. Hopefully, more crafting and sewing time will appear in the schedule now that the house is unpacked and mostly organized. I have never really shared this much before but I'd like to work on my writing. The goal is not a book or anything crazy like that but simply to learn how to communicate better through the written word. Naturally, the blog is a good place to practice if I can get in the habit of sharing here more often.

What are your goals for this year? What are you excited about? What are you anticipating for 2013?

Inspiration Saturday: Quilts

I am wishing for fall and cooler weather. Autumn is my favorite season. I love the cooler air, the sweaters, warm tea and cocoa, slow cooking soups and stews for dinner, making homemade bread every few days, and just about everything else that comes with the season. When the weather gets cooler I love having homemade blankets to snuggle under. I have seen some amazing quilts online lately and wanted to share some with you. So grab some tea or cocoa, pretend it is cold outside, and enjoy the eye candy.

Fabricworm recently shared this soft Bella By the Sea or by Land quilt. I love the gentle curves and color choices. This would be a great pattern to showcase some of your favorite larger prints.

Blue Elephant Stitches inspired me with this simple white and lime zig zag quilt. I love the playful backing she choose. I think something like this would look amazing in any kids room or even in a living room. Imagine something simple like this with a fun Anna Maria Horner print on the back or even one of her flannels to add a little warmth. Jolene already sold this quilt but go check out her store for more cheerful goodies.

Finally I saw this adorable heart quilt on Pinterest. It is a quilt from earlier this year from Heather Cartwright at Quilt Barn. The quilting on this totally makes the quilt. I am eager to try something like this. I don't know if I'll do a whole quilt though. I'm thinking some sort of winter inspired table runner might be fun. We shall see.

I love finding inspiration online. There are so many talented artists and sewers out there. If you have been inspired by a quilt recently share a link in the comments so I can check it out. If you want to see more of the quilts that caught my eye you can check out my Pinterest board.