Goodbye 2015

The year's end has come, and I find that I am spending much time reflecting on the ups and downs of 2015. From our youngest graduating from college to my 98-year-old grandmother's death, the year has been a full one. Just this week, we lost a long-time friend from our college days to the insidious cancer. Every life is made up of highs and lows, and the manner in which we cope with those lows and celebrate those highs says a lot about the kind of person we are. I like to think that I am pretty well balanced.

I try to balance my hobbies, as well, one of which is reading. Since retiring, I have done quite a lot less reading than when I worked. Seems like it ought to be the other way around, but in this newfound time that retirement has presented, I've been compelled to sew and quilt, as opposed to read.

Oddly, I read a book over Christmas week. It's a rare occurrence when I feel stress-free enough during the Christmas season to begin a book. I'd received a recommendation of a book called The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick, so I requested it from the library and got it at the very end of November. I decided about a week before Christmas that I'd better get busy on it, or I'd end up just taking it back to the library unread.

It intimidated me from the start. First of all, there were over 600 pages. And the font was tiny. And the margins were small. And the names were foreign. Lots of negatives, but I stayed with it and finished it Sunday. The story is historical fiction about the life of an ancient queen of England, Emma. We are talking about the time before William the Conqueror here - prior to 1066! It has a sequel, for which I have put in my request for a hold. I will give it a go.

And in the sewing arena, I took a little box of 2.5-inch squares with me when we went to visit my FIL on Monday-Tuesday. Over those two days I stitched 29 4-patch blocks! Yay! I now have around 65 completed and I am beginning to plan how I will set them into a quilt. One of many plans for the new year.

My brain has been busy this week planning projects for 2016. It always gives me such a lift to face the fresh start of a new year. I am eager to see what all I can tackle.

Happy Quilting, Friends!