First finished quilt

In 2016, I was determined to finish  my first quilt.  Fortunately, I had a coworker due to have a baby and thought a baby blanket size would be a great place to start.  I was inspired by this pattern.

I was pretty pleased with this outcome for my first.  The colors matched the nursery theme and could be pared will with either a boy or girl accent color.  I used a walking foot for some basic machine quilting.  Anything fancier will take some courage and practice!

Mermaid tails and little girl's purses

Last summer, I got it in my head to make my nieces mermaid tails blankets. I had been seeing them all over pinterest and thought they would be great fun for the girls.  Every time I thought of making one for a birthday, I realized that wouldn't be "fair" to the other girls.  So with lots of advanced planning, I was able to put them together for Christmas.  Once I found I had leftover yarn, I decided to add a purse.  What little girl doesn't need a purse to carry important things in?

I used this pattern for the tails: http://www.joann.com/mermaid-tail-crochet-snuggle-and-sleep-sack/3179515P120.html

I made them based on each girl's favorite color.  I started with the youngest in green.  Her's is the traditional mermaid tail color and I figured that at 2, she would notice any mistakes the least.  The oldest loves pink, and the middle child loves purple.  The purple one ended up with the best tail.

For the purses, I decided to make each one unique.  I used the following patterns:
Pink -  http://daisycottagedesigns.net/granny-heart-purse-crochet-pattern/
Purple - http://theveggiemama.com/free-crochet-pattern-little-handbags-kids/
Green - http://www.islaura.it/borsina-facile-a-crochet/

I'm not sure they loved them. I think my sister appreciated them more than the girls did.  I sure did love creating them!

2018 Reading Goal

I have set a goal to finish 52 books in 2018.  My goal will include a combination of audio books and traditional books.  The good news is that I finished 7 books in January, so I'm off to a good start.  One key strategy is finishing books I started in 2017, and getting books from the library so that they have a due date.

My January books included:
Barefoot Executive by Carrie Wilkerson (audio)
I am tempted to buy this book for a friend who is running her own business and for my sister who is a stay-at-home mom, but always in need of extra cash.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
I loved the main character in this book.  He was a gentleman of character and values and high expectations. 

Jesus is Better Than You Imagined by Jonathan Merrit
I think describing your personal experience with God is challenging.  Merrit tries to do it justice, but I wasn't able to fully connect with his experiences.

From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon
This book was slow to start, but ultimately dragged me in.  I love historical fiction!

Grit by Angela Duckworth (audio)
One of my majors in college was psychology so I love this era of evolving psychology about success and how we can help children become successful.

Tribe by Sebastian Junger (audio)
This is one of those books that I feel the author has a point he wants to prove and finds data to back up his point of view, but might be leaving out other examples that don't match his thesis.

Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light by Brian Kolodiejchuk
I was inspired to read about Mother Teresa's total commitment to God and His purposes for her.  I am amazed by all that she accomplished and her complete selflessness.  What I didn't like about this book is it reads like someone's PhD paper.  The author will quote her letters and then expand on what she says (basically, by repeating what she just said) in order to prove his point.

Infinity scarf

I am waaay behind on sharing my projects.  I'm hoping to update my records over the next several weeks.

UVA basketball has been so much fun this 2017-2018 season.  They are currently ranked #2 in the nation and are going strong with a 22-1 record.  That's hard to do in basketball!  (Can you tell I'm a relatively new fan?) Mostly I pay attention since my boyfriend works with the band at the games.  Following a winning team makes it much more fun!

One of my colleagues was unable to go to the Clemson game and allowed me to use her tickets and take a friend.  To thank her for the gift, I found this pattern and made a blue and orange infinity scarf for her use at future games.  I love pinterest for helping me find the patterns and the skill of being able to make something unique as a thank you gift. 

The pattern was easy to complete in a winter weekend.

My friend and I had a great time at the game.  The team makes winning look easy!