Work In Progress Wednesday

This time of year, when it's cold and getting dark by the time I get home from work, my inclination is to throw in a load of laundry, fix something quick for dinner, and then settle in with a good book and/or the internet.   But for the past few days I've had the nagging thought that I've been more than a bit negligent where Creation and Compassion are concerned.  So, this week I've been trying to push myself to do a bit more than read . . . and here's the report:

Reading:  This past week I have read many blog posts, finished reading The Winds and the Waves by Dean Hughes, and read An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff.  I am currently reading Love Anthony, by Lisa Genova.  I enjoyed The Winds and the Waves (Historical Fiction), and was very intrigued by An Invisible Thread, a true story of compassion and friendship between a busy New York sales executive and an 11 year old panhandler.  I'm not finding Love Anthony to be exactly what I expected, but I loved Lisa Genova's other books, so will continue on and probably finish in the next evening or two.  I've also been doing better at reading every day from The Book of Mormon.  A few minutes every morning works best for me there. 


Writing:   I've been trying to post daily at Random Thoughts and Tender Mercies, but do occasionally miss a day.  I recently wrote a flash fiction piece that can maybe fit into my current WIP, but other than that I have not actually sat down to write since November.  December, when I did write for a little bit on one day.  Tonight I had dedicated several hours to working on current WIP.  It took me almost an hour to actually find my latest printed draft where I have been trying to proofread/ clean up/ and fill in blank spots.  (Note to self.  Current draft is in the light blue binder, not a white one.)  I then painstakingly started working my way through that draft, making a few changes and additions on the computer as I went.  Several hours later, the word count has increased by 463 words, and hopefully the quality of a few pages is a little bit better. 

Organization: I did do some filing for the family business last week (while watching a few episodes of the first season of Emily of New Moon ) and this week I have been working at getting our last year's medical bills, insurance, and Health Care FSA refunds matched up, totaled and organized. It's a headache and a challenge every year, and involves balancing checkbooks, credit card payments, medical bills, insurance statements, health savings account refunds, Quicken software, and my own excel spreadsheet to get everything ready for tax time.

Quilting:  I've really been wanting to try some new quilt blocks lately, but I keep telling myself that I need to finish some other projects first, and then I end up doing nothing at all.  This week I decided to try my hand at some Scrappy Quilting, and then hopefully I'll be more enthusiastic about the other projects I have ready to work on.   I've been meaning to make a picnic quilt and use up some old denim jeans that I've been saving, and decided that this would be an interesting way to do it. I'm alternating the denim strips with strips of other fabric scraps I have stored away . . . some corduroy and some heavier broadcloth. This won't be as pretty as a quilt made with the more traditional 100% cotton quilting fabrics. But I can always try that later, after I've finished a more traditional quilt or two, instead of just buying the fabrics and tucking them away for later. Anyway, here's my first scrappy quilt block. I also increased the square size from 2 1/2 inches to 3 1/2 inches for this denim quilt since I plan to tie it with a tie in the center of each square. I spent several hours one evening cutting strips and sewing, and was pleased with how quickly the block went together. I think I will like doing more scrappy quilting.

So there you have it, my current Work in Progress!  And now I'm going to bed with a book!