Recap of 2017 and general thoughts on 2018

2017 was to be the year of Progress.  I had some specific plans, that did not all pan out, but I did make progress in some areas and I am happy about that.  Here is how it went:

Attend my Girlfriend Reunion in Vegas –  Yep.

Maintain my daily routine to the best of my ability. – I would rate myself at 75% on this.  There were many days where I was fighting depression and did well to get myself showered, dressed, and food on the table.  I know what is going on and I deal with it.  Of course that means I have catch up to do and keeping everything in a planner, or written out, helps with the catch up.

Stay the course on my Year of WIPs Challenge – I am very happy with how much progress I made.  If I remember correctly we were to finish half of our WIPs.  I did that and will be posting a separate progress post.

Set up my Scrappy Planner (by Lori Holt) – I tried.  Really I did, however, this planner was not user friendly for me.  I have seen, on other blogs and Instagram, a lot of people using it and having success with it.  It was not broad enough for my needs.  I will be using bits and pieces of it again in 2018, but not as a planner.  I have found something else for 2018 that I think is perfect for me and my needs.   I do have plans to make a couple of the quilts provided in the planner.

Finish all the way to binding En Provence, Midnight Flight, Swoon, Kristen’s Quilt, and Kristen’s Baby Quilt. – didn’t happen.  The baby quilt will be finished soon, as it just needs binding.  Kristen’s quilt … just wasn’t feeling it.  It is almost finished but I have decided to “cut” it in half and make 2 charity quilts from what I have finished.  En Provence, Midnight Flight, and Swoon will have to wait.

Attend my quilt chapter Spring Quilt Camp – I did not attend a single camp in 2017.  2 years not I have not been to camp.  I miss the camaraderie, and the tons of uninterrupted sewing time, but I have plans for the sewing time in 2018.

Attend more quilt chapter meetings.  I was re-elected for the 2nd year.  I did not attend as many meetings as I wanted, and my plans for October and November were interrupted by a trip home to help my mother after she had 2 surgeries in 4 days.  There is no meeting in December.

Attend my annual June cross-stitch get together –  long and short story, but I did not attend this year.  Sad face.

Post one quilt-related goal a month on my blog –  I started out well, then lost my sewing bug in March.  I intend to pick this back up in 2018.

Flosstube – I made 2.  The first was a  picture video only, and the second one a quick hello video.

Continue to try one new recipe a month – I tried many new recipes in 2017, so I am going to count this as a win.

So what is in store for 2018?

I want to continue to focus on the past few years’ goals for “keep happy thoughts,” “stop saying – start doing,” and “progress.”

While I am retired, I do better with a routine.  I actually block out time during the day for things that need to be done.  When I worked I checked my calendar every day before I left to see what I needed to do the next day.  Every Monday morning I reviewed the next 4 weeks to make sure new deadlines had been added, already calendared projects were being worked on/met, etc.

  • So I will review my planner each night before bed to see what tomorrow brings. My ADD turns me into a squirrel! that flits from one thing to the next if I do not have a written plan.
  • Sunday I will check forward up to 2 weeks to make sure I have appointments away from the house noted so I can better maintain menus and schedule my daily routines to give me guilt-free time for stitching, sewing, and reading.

Personal Year of stitching and sewing WIPs Challenge I am not officially participating in the 2018 Year of WIPs Challenge on FB, but I have set up a personal challenge since 2017 was as successful as it was.  I have already written down what I want to work on and listed it in the upper left hand column.  I plan on including WIPs and some new starts for my stitching and quilting.

Stitching

  • 12 projects. 7 current WIPs and 5 new starts (2 large and 3 small).
  • I do better when I am surrounded by calm so I will be destashing a lot of my cross stitching patterns.

Sewing

  • 10 projects.  7 WIPs and 3 new starts.  At this moment, I am waffling on starting Swoon to be replaced by a different design.  Just trying to make up my mind.
  • Post one quilt-related goal a month on my blog.  I am participating in One Monthly Goal in 2018.  I wish there were something similar in the stitching world.
  • Scrap Attack. I am participating in Confessions of a Fabric Addict’s 2018 Scrap Attack Challenge.  Details can be found on her blog post.

Flosstube – goal is 4 in 2018.  Will try for once a month.

Good luck to me!

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6 responses to “Recap of 2017 and general thoughts on 2018

  1. It sounds like your goals are reasonable and attainable! I like your idea of scheduling your day like you did when working to ensure time is not wasted. That is such a good idea!

  2. Annette Wright

    You don’t need someone else to do one monthly stitching goal… do it yourself! I’ve been thinking about doing a monthly post again so I might even join you.

    10 Days!

  3. Terri , I like your goals. They seem doable and I wish you well. I don’t set goals each year, perhaps some day I will give it a try.

    By the way, I know it has been a long time since I was in your home in SoCal, but I will always fondly remember your warmth and hospitality.
    I can relate to a lot of what you are saying in regards to ADD and mood challenges. I do believe we face the same sort of struggles, if you will. I also find I do much better with a routine and time schedule.

    Happy New Year to you and yours, Sue

  4. I look forward to watching/hearing about your progress 🙂