Creating...A Balance

This is how I have been feeling lately. Too many balls in the air, and my feet starting to slip. I have many commitments and responsibilities, all of which add value to life. But, finding a balance where I don't feel overwhelmed is a challenge.

This past weekend, Steve was away on his annual guys golf trip. I decided that it was time for me to "get away" as well. Three kids made it tough to actually get away...but I put all my "to dos" aside, and decided to spend the weekend doing something I love.

My good friend Kayla came for the weekend, along with her daughter Cassidy (Olivia's best bud since birth). She brought her sewing machine and some unfinished projects. For almost 48 hours straight, we holed up in my project room and stitched away.

My goal was to use up some of the fabric that has been sitting in my closet for far too long. I finished a few projects, and started several more.

I finished 4 baby blankets. I have three more cut and ready to sew.

This cutey was an afterthought. Kayla made one, had some leftover fabric, and offered to share. I finished it and it's now sitting on my dining room table, ready for the rest of the Halloween decorations to come out!

I cut out and started 8 fall place mats.

I pieced 12 Christmas place mats. Now they need to be quilted and bound.

We came across a cool cutting technique online, and I just had to give it a try. The result? A holiday table runner that now needs to be quilted and bound.

When she left Sunday afternoon, we challenged each other to finish this weekend's projects by October 16 -that's 4 weeks away. We each have roughly 28 things left to finish, so it should be doable if we spend just an hour a day. We promised a nightly check in, and are holding each other accountable for this goal.

When I woke up this morning, I felt renewed. Also, a little exhausted...but I attribute that to staying up past midnight 3 nights in a row. But mostly, I felt ready to tackle my day and face my "list" head on.

Commitments are a part of life. Some of us have a few, some of us have too many. But finding a balance between responsibilities and the fun stuff is important. Hobbies and personal interests not only build our skills and talents, but they also provide a much needed respite from the busyness of every day life. Looking at this pile of projects that I need to finish in the next month is a little overwhelming...but it also motivates me to set some time aside each day to let my creativity emerge and evolve. And that is pretty exciting!

Stay tuned for the progress updates!