What's Your Motivation?

Lately I've been pondering what drives me to start new projects when I have other projects that are still in the works. I've got about four total knitting projects on the needles, and am already contemplating starting other projects that have caught my fancy. Also, I've got about a dozen sewing projects in mind, and I find it difficult to finish one project before I start a new project. Do you have this problem?

My conclusion is that I think I like to learn new skills and techniques, so when I feel like I've got the hang of something, I'm ready to move on. Case in point, I'm currently working on a duvet cover (amidst a few other things) for my sister and soon-to-be-brother in law. Already I have learned how to sew with piping, match up patterns on a big project, and how to do buttonholes. Now, these probably seem very basic to anyone who has sewn for a long time, but seeing as how I only picked sewing back up about a year ago, this has been quite a big project for me. Now that all I have to do to finish the project is sew the top and bottom pieces together, I feel my motivation beginning to wane.

The same is true for my knitting projects. I get excited to start a project that has new techniques in it (cabling, yarn overs, color work, etc.) but then once I master the new skill, I'm ready to move on to the next new thing.

So, what's your motivation? What gets you excited about new projects?

How Big is Lincoln??

Merry Christmas! card

This was the picture on our Christmas card this year. I made the tutu skirt for Ruthie Jo, and Aaron helped me take pictures of her. What do you think? :-)


And here are some funny blooper pics... I love the way she looks like she's giving us the stink-eye in the first one! :-)

Cute Kiddos

A friend of ours recently asked me to make some fun stuff for his sweet niece and nephews. Here are the results!

Superman Cape

Bib, Burp cloth, & Receiving blanket set

Chalk board applique shirt...complete with pocket for chalk! :-)

Applique onesie

Applique Initial Shirts...

Crayon Roll

Papa Sharp

This week was bittersweet for Aaron and I. His grandfather, affectionately known as Papa Sharp, passed away Monday morning. Obviously we grieved the loss of such a great man, but at the same time it did allow us (me, really) to get to meet and know some of his extended family. I wanted to share something that Aaron wrote about his Papa Sharp. Get out the tissues!


A few days ago the angel Michael entered Heaven’s throne room with his head down. He shuffled along doing his duties until finally the Father summoned him to the steps of His grand throne. “What is the matter O mighty warrior? Your face is long and you do not have your usual enthusiasm,” the Almighty asked.

“Well my Lord,” the heavenly being began in an unusually soft tone, “Our beautiful city has developed many problems. Your Son, seated here on your right hand, has tarried His second coming to earth so long that some of the dwelling places He built are in need of repairs. Some other buildings need to be painted, and the pearly gates squeak and do not open well as they should. Our lawnmower is broken yet again and no one here knows how to repair it, and so our beautiful lawns are overgrown.”

The Father could sense how upset His angel was and gesturing toward the Son and the Spirit to circle around He placed His hand on Gabriel’s shoulder and said, “I have known all along that this day would come; do not let it worry you. You see many decades ago I created a man just for this occasion. He grew up working in the fields and playing hooky from school. I gave him a keen mind, made him good with his hands, and he might have been the hardest working creature that I ever created. Some even said that if something could break, he could fix it.”

With that the Son began to speak all the while waving his nail-scarred hands. “I protected him through a dangerous war where many men lost their lives. In fact, one night in particular when he was frozen in a foxhole I changed the course of many bullets to spare his life because he had not yet come to Us. For many years of the man’s life I called to him to come to Me. For a while he resisted. We knew when We created him that he would be someone who was set in his ways, but eventually my grace overwhelmed his legendary stubbornness and He finally came to me.”

The Spirit, seeing an opening as the Son took a breath, now took the lead. “This man Gabriel, he spent many years working for Us on the earth. You may never have heard of Him because he did not preach or do anything that made the newspapers, but his pew at church was always filled and most of what He did for Us was dirty work that many other supposedly righteous people would not even consider doing.”

The Father, by now wearing a tremendous smile, lovingly squeezed his hand on the angel’s shoulder. “As I said We have always known this day is coming. This man has lived a long life. He has seen the next generations of his family take root, but now it is time for him to enter into my rest. Soon he will step through those pearly gates to his new eternal home. He will fix the squeak in the pearly gate, he will repair the dwelling places, and our mower will be operational in no time, better than when it was new. Tell your angels to put on their overalls, and try to keep up with Him, with a glorified body only I knew what he is capable of. He has lived a long and faithful life on earth, but now I have a new mission for him here in my presence.”

And with that God called my grandfather home.

Happy Halloween!

Isn't Ruthie Jo just as cute as a bug? :-)

I'm Sick...Again

So I'm sick again. I survived strep throat and the flu striking down everyone else in my family, but then I finally succumbed to the germs.

My throat started hurting on Friday, and then I woke up with congestion in my head on Saturday, and then the congestion moved to my chest on Sunday. I was starting to feel a little bit better today, but thought that I should go to the doctor and make sure I wasn't contagious before going back to work. A couple of chest x-rays later, I was told I had pneumonia and that I had to go home for 2 days until the antibiotics started working.

So, now I'm at home, watching bad daytime TV and wishing that I could stop coughing so my head could stop throbbing. Could I sound more pitiful?? :-)

I leave you with a few pictures of my nurse for the day...