This is the most wintery Saturday of the season. It’s been really cold this week and some below zero temps. Today it is 5 degrees F . The sun has shown itself a time or two over the past week, but today it is another grey day that may hold more snow. I am happy that the day light moments are coming a little sooner and sunsets just a little later. I am pondering the end of this most January of Januarys and looking forward February. Lunar New Year. A sign of changes for us. I hear that it is a New Moon on Feb 1 and that means it is a time of innovation and independence. Yes, get rid of the status quo and let’s make things happen.

I am starting my Triple Irish Chain, a simple Zen project. I am also working on quilting my quilts and so far they are a zen all over swirl. The puzzle, super challenge quilt is coming back out Dear Jane. I have found some online tutorials on YouTube, as well as EQ tutorials. But the best help I found was this website :

https://hobbystash.com/tag/dear-jane/

I will talk about this more in my podcast this week, but I felt Dear Jane may have been beyond my skill set. I messed up 2 blocks that were circular and I couldn’t figure out how to make them. I sewed them up looking decent but they were way too small. Then for some reason I thought all of the blocks were all the wrong size. Uh. no just two. But after nearly a year had passed from the moment of putting the blocks in a little project box on a shelf for a time out, I had it in my head that none of the blocks were the right size and that frustration was why I stopped. Not true, with the help of reading through the blog I have some ideas on making these two pesky blocks right and help on all the rest of the blocks from someone who has made this quilt! After measuring up all the blocks, I was inspired to try again. This is not a 30 day project. It is a marathon not a sprint and will test all my skills. 2022 is young and I am ready to pick up the challenge.

So that moment has been what my week has been all about. Getting inspired to keep going forward on the plan I made Jan 1. Added a little more exercise and I will keep building on where I am. I have had more balanced meals. I have taken the time to not multitask and just be more present. I am journaling daily, taking time to breathe and time to just watch the birds at the feeder. I have dreamed about my garden, watched BBC garden shows and shopped seed catalogs. I have got my pens and watercolors out, made stickers, set up my February journal and ready to do this with intentions set for success.

I am ready for February, and I am feeling really good about it.

Vicki