Round and round and round.....whawoohoo!

Circle update, still not sure if I'm liking it.....

Not the best picture, but this is what you get at 7 a.m. 

Snow family

We finally got wet packing snow...so the fun ensued!

I’m seeing circles…..

If you’re a member of TWM, then you probably know about the Circles of Life challenge running throughout January. I was intrigued by the idea of hooking a circle a day, so I signed up. I got a piece of Scottish burlap ready for backing. Why? Because it was my last bit of it so I thought I’d use it up and since the intended use of the finished rug is to be used and abused at the front door, I figured it didn’t need a linen backing. Counter-intuitive? Perhaps, but since it will be well muddied, I concluded that it won’t have a long life regardless of how durable its backing is. And just to clarify, I don’t intend to use it at the front door during winter. After all, this is Canada. It’ll be a summer-only rug for that location, and the not-cared-about throw away mat will be used there for the muckiest of seasons.

So I started out at 6 a.m. on January 1^st with my first circle. Well, actually I did three that first day. It’s supposed to be a circle/day but there’s no way I’ll get a big rug done with only 31 circles, so I decided to conquer more than one/day. So by now I have several done and I am uninspired, not thrilled and feeling rather blah after my rug. Why? Because ideally I usually like to use bright colours, and truth be told I don’t like using textures. I own lots of them, always thinking that the right texture will get me to change my mind.

So these circles don’t have me doing a dance. But I’ve decided that I will soldier on and see what I think after a few more days. Each one doesn’t take long at all, so if I continue to do 2-3 per day then I’ll have something much more substantial to look at in the short term and then can make a decision from there. But as always, there’s another rug across the room pulling my attention away and since it’s half done, it really wants some time on the frame.

Fingers crossed that I get some time for each of them over the weekend……oh if it weren’t for having to change the blade on my Blissco cutter back and forth, back and forth. What was I thinking?

Not quite hooked on circles....yet.

‘13

The Christmas season has come and gone. The calendar has turned a significant page. And those that tend to be triskaidekaphobic will be cringing for the next 363 ½ days (since 1 ½ days are in the history books).

We had a lovely Christmas, mostly because of the many things we took part in before the 24^th. Family members, don’t dismay, we had a great time with you as well. But we truly enjoyed the entire season this year and didn’t get too wound up about a single day or two. It was heart-warming and fulfilling and I’m proud of my little girl and what she contributed to others’ Christmas enjoyment. She truly understands that Christmas is not just about what she receives.

Today marks the first day back to “reality” as I put it, as I’m back to work and begin the slow crawl through January. I’m peaceful about it this year, having done enough of everything I wanted to do while off work. Most importantly, I didn’t set goals for the time off, so I wasn’t disappointed when it came to an end. I enjoyed my time at home, I did a good amount of tidying, re-organizing, purging, craft time, game time, baking, smooching and cuddling with Smidgie….and Rocketman.

It feels good to start January with a positive outlook, and no resolutions. Well no ridiculous resolutions anyway. I’m always happy to stride ahead towards a better me; in fact I’ve already signed up for a course that begins in a few weeks. I just don’t want to make unrealistic stress-inducing resolutions.

I hope that each of you is feeling at peace with yourself and looking to the new year as an opportunity to grow, do some good and share.