2017 Planning Linky Party

First let me say, yes I am alive and I'm sorry for dropping off the blogging cliff. I don't have a good excuse, I just didn't want to blog.  I can't even say why I haven't wanted to blog, I've not gotten lots done, but I have done some things I could blog about. I think it is more that life in general took my time and my focus.

But enough about what I've not done, let's talk about what I am going to do. I'm joining Yvonne at QuiltingJetGirl for her #2017PlanningParty. I've linked up with her the last couple of years and while I may not have accomplished everything on my list, it is still a good thing for me to list goals, if for no other reason than to push me to make them.

Last year I cut my list of goals down quite a bit and although I've working on all of them some, I'm not sure I mastered any of them. So I think I'm going to use them again this year.  Yes I know that seems like cheating, but I really do want to be better at all of these things.

1. Use More/Buy Less.  I did really well with this until about July. I participate in the Annual Piggy Bank Savings = Money for Quilting Challenge and when I counted up my money I went on a bit of a spending spree, that lasted way too long. Not to mention the Black Friday Sales.  Now I realize that to say I'm not going to buy fabric is just plain silly, that isn't going to happen. But what I have done is listed 12 projects where I currently have everything or almost everything to complete the top, and each month I'll pick one to finish that month.  They range in age from 4 years to just purchased, and are all really easy quilts, so I should be able to complete the top in a month.  Here is my list

To keep it interesting, I'm going to randomly pick one each month to complete. I've also decided to join The Honey Pot Bee this year, and I've decided that I will use my stash. I am going to use the ton of low volume fabrics I have with pops of colors all coming from my stash. Currently I have two tubs of low volume fabrics and I would like to get that down to one. I gave up tracking my usage last year around June or July, but I'm going to try again this year.

2. Quilt for Others. I did the more last year than ever before, but didn't quite get it completed. I have a king sized quilt for my sister-in-law, that was supposed to be her Christmas present that is going to be just a little late.  Luckily I have the top completed so I can at least show her progress.  And if you look at the list above there is one for Callie and Beau and one for Cole on the list. I know that isn't a lot, but I am more about taking small steps.

3. Balance and Organization. I did use the planner last year for part of the year, and they everything just stopped. But I've purchased my 2017 planner, have a to-do tablet on my desk to keep me on track and a mindset to get myself organized.  I've always been a list maker, now it is time to start knocking things off the list.  I've also done some real organization of my projects, it isn't complete, but it is so much better than it was. It lets me find things and hopefully keeps me purchasing something I already have.

4. Find Reasons to Be Happy.  This one is different from last year. Last year I wanted to stop comparing myself to others, and I've done much better. So although that will still be a goal, I want to focus more on finding the things that make me happy. Little things, big things, it doesn't matter the size. In 2015 I did the 100 days of Happy Challenge and that really helped me focus on finding joy in little everyday things and I want to focus on that in 2017. Will I have 365 days of Happy, that is doubtful, but I'm hoping to find something to be happy about on most days.

5. Keep Moving Forward. I hope that this one is always on my list. I always want to do new things, shed things holding me back, and change direction as needed. Yes that is vague, but for 2017 I just want to do something different. That could be join a guild, learn a new skill or tap dance naked down main street, ok let's knock one of those off the potential list.  I already know of one new thing I'm going to do and that is quilt a king sized quilt, so hopefully I will be off to a good start.

That is it for me for now. I hope each of you has a Very Merry Chirstmas and a Happy New Year. And if you want to check out other's goals head on over to QuiltingJetGirl's Blog.