Voodoo, Anyone?

Last night, I finally started reading The New Year's Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini. There's been much chat about New Year's resolutions in Blogland--some of it coming from this very same blog! Early in the book, there's a passage about New Year's resolutions that I thought I'd share parts of:

"I don't believe in making New Year's resolutions. If someone needs to change, they should change, and not wait for the New Year to do it."

"Some people don't have your self-discipline," said Sylvia, smiling. "Some people need an important occasion to herald a time for change."

The book goes on, "I'm very much in favor of New Year's resolutions, . . . . They are a sign of optimism and hope . . . . Someone who makes a New Year's resolution is declaring that they have hope, that they believe they can improve their lives, that we can change our world for the better."

I think that's how I look at New Year's resolutions--a hope that I can follow through with whatever plan I make to improve things in the coming year. I'm very good at short term goals--driven, in fact. If I plan to do something, I push myself until it's done. It's crazy sometimes! My rational self says there's a point at which it's healthy to admit you just can't achieve whatever goal you've set for yourself. Most of the time, I think the only one disappointed is you, and next year, you'll probably have totally forgotten about it anyway--at least the smaller goals. My irrational self tells me that I don't really NEED that extra hour of sleep, do I?!

Nevertheless, here I am making quilting resolutions--goals for the coming year--and suggesting you do the same. But there are ways of setting goals in a relatively sane manner. Tonight I was trying to catch up with my blog reading and I came across Mar's blog post on the subject. Go over and take a look. I like the way she's set up her goals not as a checklist of items to be accomplished this year but as a "focus" list. This makes complete sense to me. Baby steps, sort of. Goals set out in a way so as not to overwhelm a person. Goals that are flexible and can be added to or re-prioritized as needed.

I think I've been thinking vaguely along similar lines. I declared January a finish-it-up month. I have to confess, though, that I then made a point of starting this heart quilt project on December 31st so I could work on it during January in good conscience! Silly reindeer games! But I consulted with May Britt and she thought it was a good plan. And I DO really want to make this quilt. Then I want to finish my brother's quilt, catch up on the Hometown Christmas quilt, and get a couple small quilts quilted and bound in January. If possible. If sanely possible.

After January, I'm not sure, other than to KNOW that this year, I will have a little more self-restraint and put a bit more thought into new projects to ensure that I make the quilts I really LOVE and not get sidetracked onto a quick project just for the sake of making a quick project. I also have a couple of quilts that I've started that are primarily applique--I know I really want to work on those, so I will need to focus on them--those are the kinds of projects that I can so easily put off, not because I don't want to applique but because it seems like a good project for "later." I am also determined to start getting Christmas gifts made long before Christmas! Angela at Quilting in Cornfields said it well on her blog--I'm not sure which of us was more insane during the weeks leading up to the holiday: "I felt like I was missing out on the magic of the season . . . . Goal for this year is to get hand made presents started, well, like now. And if it isn't done two weeks before Christmas? It's gift cards baby!"

One of the things I missed during this holiday season was visiting with all of you, but I spent this evening catching up on my blog reading. I was sorry to see that so many of you have been sick with one thing or another, and I am completely sympathetic since I too am feeling a bit under the weather. Today I took my girl boss out for lunch for her birthday along with another secretary and her boss--who was also celebrating a birthday in a couple days. By the time we got back to the office, some sort of stomach bug hit me. I was pretty sure it was too soon to have had anything to do with the salads we ate, and by the time I got home from work, I was feeling a bit more ill.

I wondered, as I was surfing through my blog friends' posts, whether I'd come across a blog with a Voodoo doll bearing my name, with pins stuck here and there. I kind of thought that could explain this stomach bug--I figured one or two of you may be retaliating for all the Megging I've been doing these last couple days! (Vicky? Is it YOU?!) But no, if any of you DO have a Kim Voodoo doll, I guess you're not sharing it on your blog!

Here in Northern California, we have a nasty storm moving in. I keep hearing the wind gusting outside, and the rain should start back up sometime tonight. I guess if I'm going to be sick, this might be as good a time as any for it. As long as I can quilt, anyway. Yeah, I don't really mind TOO much if I have to stay home in a HUGE storm and quilt--at least the Sweat Shop is only the width of a hallway away from the bathroom. But do me a favor, would ya? Could you pull those pins out of the Kim Voodoo Doll before the weekend gets here? I'd really appreciate it!