The sweetness of Valentines Day is in the air. I know it isn’t until tomorrow but it is a lovely thing when it falls on a weekend. It feels much more special and that you could actually have some sort of Valentines dinner with a tablecloth, candle and a drink. We most likely won’t so I made a heart quilt with Fat Quarter Shop and I am displaying it over my great grandmothers treadle sewing machine. I worked very hard to get a good picture and I am pleased with the results.

Since the pandemic hit, I have been trying to find ways to mark the time with a special thing to do on holidays and other special occasions. I am beginning to see the value of rituals, special occasions and special activities that I used to think were a bit, well , not needed or even silly.

This week was coloring a Valentine page with my hand lettering on it. I printed off a free Valentine and spruced it up. I also began to research what the Lunar New Year was and how it is celebrated around the world. I then became obsessed with a plant at my local grocer packaged for this occasion. I saw it 2 weeks ago and decided I needed to get it on Lunar New Year. It was a quest.

When I went there last night, they had 2 options for LNY plants. I couldn’t have been more thrilled! One was a multi pack to keep a little plant and seeds to give away , one was a larger plant . I went with the larger plant with a pretty red card in it for the Lunar New Year. It is to represent good fortune, I think, because the common name of the pilea is a Money plant or coin plant. Plus it was a deal so I picked up a cute second plant because I wanted it. My thrifty husband had a coupon to use for them and we were both happy to bring them home. Fun little things to do that mark the day, what we did and a quirky little memory made in a year that is a sea of everything being the same or Groundhog’s day. Which we know, without the old groundhog telling us, that we will have 6 more weeks of winter around here.

I have been working hard on finishing things this week. I finished a customer quilt and started the last longarm customer quilt on hand. Then I will tackle my quilt tops. I usually have a natural break in customer quilts this time of year and I am good with that! I also dug out my hexie quilt to hand sew and made progress on it. I found a stack of crocheted granny squares that are going to be made into 3 little girls purses. I have practiced my hand lettering in my journal and spend a good part of the week resting , recuperating from the second Covid vaccine that totally kicked my ass and spent time dreaming of gardens by watching gardens shows on my streaming services while I hand stitched. PS I was thrilled to get the vaccine so do not misinterpret what I am saying. I didn’t feel well after either one and that is a sign that you are making antibodies. It was working! However, when your body is working so hard you may feel a bit under the weather and need to be kind to yourself. I had to take time off work. Most folks did and that is OK!

I have a long weekend with Presidents Day on Monday and I took an extra day off for good measure. It is a weekend to play, get caught up on chores, and be kind to each other. I have no plans, no goals and no place I have to be. I am just going to let the next 4 days unfold and go where the energy takes me.

Quilt on!

Vicki