Can't quite sit down to sew

In the summer, it's just so hot I don't even want to move.  I spend the summer sewing. 

In winter, I'm a dervish of activity.  And, that has not left me very much sewing time. 

Let's start with a pretty picture because that's what everyone is going to see.  :)

I went to water in the greenhouse the other day and saw this.  A bougainvilla.  It has several blooms on it, but they're very spread out, and these were most open and prettiest.  I even saw a tiny lemon on the lemon tree, tho I doubt it will survive until spring. 

I got a moderate gift card from my manager and I used it to clear out my Amazon wish list and that all came in the mail last week.  Still trying to decide if it's in bad taste to send him this picture so he can know what he really gave me for Christmas. 

One of the things I got was Angela Walters' book Meandering.  And, even though I haven't read the first word yet, I've already picked out a meander pattern to finish a UFO that's currently folded on the back of the sofa in the studio. 

Speaking of the studio, my prime quilting time over the weekend was spent putting it back in order.  All those things that get pulled out and sat down and not put away.  Maybe I'm the only one that does that (don't believe that for one minute) but I might qualify as the worst.  I found so many things that I had lost track of.  Things I had spent time looking for and had given up for lost.  And, fabric scraps.  Sooo many scraps. 

I also spent some time working on the hummingbird applique project.  I had my first major crossover where one piece slides behind another and it came out great. 

I know.  Doesn't look like much, right?  I have Ruby McKim's flower garden pattern and I'm thinking this might be the method to do that quilt.  And, this might be the time to start.  My goal for this year, like last year, is to piece less, finish more.  I did pretty good for the first half of the year last year.  But, my definition of finish was broader.  It included finishing some vintage piecing projects.  This year, I'm going to try to be more limited to quilting my UFO's and only starting new hand work projects.  I hope to satisfy my need to piece with the arc quilt I started in fall.  We'll see how long that lasts.

Everbody gotta have a goal right? 

Here is the obligatory needlepoint update picture.  It's almost all blue skies from here on out. 

Except that lower right corner.  That's going to require creativity. 

That's it for me today.  The rest was dusting and vacuuming, which have to be done.  Oh, and continuing to work on relationship building with Rob.  We talked about television this weekend, and how much time we spend watching.  And, how maybe it's time to watch less silly stuff and focus our TV time on more meaningful viewing and spend that extra time out doing things away from the house.  More date nights.  Sydney's more of a roommate now.  We only see her at a few dinners a week.  The rest of the time she's at work or in her room, pursuing her own interests.  It's time to start using the time we set aside as family time with her on things we enjoy.

Y'all have a good day!  Whether you're off or not, remember it is a day dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr and spend a few minutes pondering the pursuit of civil rights in this country.  We can't forget the lessons of the past because we still have such a very long way to go.  Further than many of us knew two years ago.  Everybody is somebody.  Everybody is important.  Everybody has the same right to succeed.  Everybody needs a helping hand now and then. 

Be well.  Lane