Old Fashioned

Hello, dear friends! I can't tell you how happy it makes me to be back in this space again after such a long time. I almost don't know where to begin, so I'm going to just list a few things on my mind this afternoon... 

1. I'm going to start blogging again. I've been missing the creative side of things for a while now -- writing, sewing, etc. -- but I wasn't exactly sure what to do about it. I have zero desire to jump back into marketing and social media which brought so much stress to my former life, but I've been feeling a real yearning for the old days over a decade ago when everyone was sewing and blogging for the fun of it. Spending a little time each day with my favorite blogs was like dropping in on a few friends for coffee and a long, friendly chat. Things have never been quite the same since everyone moved over to social media. So I've decided to be old fashioned and return to my blogging roots because that's what I really love. I'm looking forward to being on here more often in the days ahead.

2. I have a new puppy. Last fall we lost our two precious dogs, Fritz and Emma, to cancer over the space of only a few months. It was absolutely devastating, and I can't tell you what an empty hole it left in our hearts. Thankfully, we were able to bring a new puppy into our home at the start of the Christmas season to help all of us start to heal again. Sam's official name is actually Samwise Gamgee (my husband just finished reading all of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books to us in the evenings), and the name is a perfect fit for this guy. He's a 5 1/2 month old bundle of energy and a ton of work -- like having a baby in the house again, honestly -- but we just couldn't love him more. 

3. Little Joe is all grown up. My rescue kitten is a cat full of attitude nowadays. He especially loves the girls who stop by his room to play with him at all hours of the day. I don't know that he'll ever forgive me for all those baths I gave him when he was little and we were trying to keep the dander allergies at bay, but I love him just the same. He's perfectly content to spend his days perched on the ledge where he can survey the world outside the second floor windows. 

4. The girls are all teenagers now. Still trying to wrap my brain around this one. For all the challenges that come with helping your kids grow up, there's nothing so wonderful as raising kids that are a delight to be with each day. These girls and their daddy can make me laugh like no one else, and our family time in the evenings -- eating dinner, reading books aloud, watching old movies or shows, and ending with prayer -- is absolutely the best part of my day.

5. My sister's family moved to Texas. I can't even begin to tell you what a total game changer this has been for us. Having my sister, her husband, and her two girls living only 20 minutes away is AMAZING, and my parents are over the moon to have all of their children and grandchildren together again. Sunday dinners after church, the girls' new "cousin clubhouse" in my sister's backyard, using every holiday on the calendar as an excuse to throw another party at one of our houses -- it's been a year of joy having them close by, and I couldn't be more grateful.

6. Sewing is slow these days, but it still makes me so happy. I've been working on a stack of Greek Cross quilt blocks for the last few months from this book by Suzuko Koseki, hoping to finally make the king size quilt that's been on my bucket list all these years. I don't have nearly so much time in my sewing room as I used to, but I still enjoy every chance I get to play in there. Though I still love my small projects, I've been trying to spend more time on quilts this year, and I have a list of projects I hope to start in the months ahead.

Thanks for listening, friends. It's so good to be back.