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Saturday, January 4, 2014

KISSing the Dinosaurs

I've decided that my motto, or "word" if you like, for 2014 is..........



My plan is SIMPLE (couldn't resist that pun!) - I want to SIMPLIFY every area I can in my life - pare back, sell off, streamline, clean up, eliminate piles of stuff, stop collecting, stop buying more, use up what I have, slow down, take a breath, enjoy my gifts ..... well, I'm sure you get the picture! =^..^=


I've already started working on targeted areas in my house and my life.  For instance, the other day I sat down with my pile of CD's and went through them, pulling out the ones I no longer care about or haven't listened to in ages.  Those are now in a box ready to go to Goodwill.  Yippee - I feel lighter already!   I'm going through my books - two boxes went to Goodwill a couple weeks ago.  Cleaning out drawers, one at a time.  Giving away extras.  Asking myself before a purchase, "Where in the world am I going to put this????"


My Quilting world is also going under the microscope!  I've been doing a major clean-up/organization in my studio, and the pile of stuff to giveaway or sell has grown like a mountain :*)  I even bagged up three UFO's and sold them at a recent Guild yard sale.  (And I may do it again soon!)  I'm going to pass on most of the QAL's and blog hops - but there are a couple of blog events that I can't pass up, like the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and the NewFO Challenge :*)  My one BOM will be Berie's Year - and really, who could resist Bertie?  I'm just sayin'....  


I'm sure you've all heard of KISS - which stands for Keep It Simple Stupid..... except that I've learned not to call myself ugly names, so for me it will stand for Keep It Simple Silly! ♥)  Well, in order to get my quilting life back into some kind of order, this year I'm going to be KISS-ing a lot of very ugly, nasty Dinosaurs!!!  I explained in THIS post what I call a Dinosaur - a UFO that is older than the dirt Adam walked on!!!  I'm going to work on these old Dinosaurs until they are Extinct!!!


I've listed my 12 Dinosaur UFOs for this year on my side bar.  And to avoid complications (keeping it SIMPLE!), I think I'll join A year of Lovely Finishes in 2014 to keep me on track with working these UFOs each month.  I always do better when there is some form of accountability.

My Button 
Right now, these projects are not listed in any kind of order because I want to be flexible enough to be able to choose a small project in short months (like this one) and then choose a large project in months where I have much more time to devote to it.

Since January is going to be a short month for me, I've decided to do the Rag Circle Flower quilt for my UFO this month instead of The Blue Collection, which was my first choice for January.  There's no way I could finish TBC this month, and the RCF blocks are going to be used for a doll quilt for my granddaughter, so it won't take too very long to finish up :)  That's the kind of flexibility I need to have in order for this to work for me.  I'll be sharing pictures of this project soon!

I'm really excited about this because several of you have indicated that you plan to join me in making your old Dinosaurs extinct!  Projects are always much more fun when we work together :*)  I'm looking forward to hearing how you all do with making your Dinosaurs extinct this year!!!!

So that's my New Year's goal!  I'm concentrating on making some Dinosaurs EXTINCT and my quilting life SIMPLIFIED!!!  Most of all, I'm looking forward to expanding good relationships and valuing the wonderful people in my life!  I'm hoping to make new bloggy friends and deepen my friendships with so many of you who are already friends :*)  Come along, let's support each other & have an amazing 2014!!!

Hugs & Blessings!
Teresa
=^..^=

21 comments:

  1. You go, girl! And when you have the methods down, tell me how you did it. : )
    I love your dinosaur!!

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  2. Good for you! Sounds like a great plan, but don't stress yourself

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  3. Great plan for 2014! Good luck with those dinosaurs!

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  4. Good luck with your dinosaurs! You can do it! I'm really looking forward to seeing those projects finished up.

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  5. Hoping you have a mass extinction event this year. Finishing projects is so satisfying, and the older projects carry the extra sense of relief when they are done. Good luck!

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  6. Oh this post is just spot on for me too! I am doing all of it with you this year...we can encourage each other!

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  7. I heartily agree with what you are saying! I have already started getting rid of things I no longer want and need. The hardest thing is to answer your question, "where will I put that?" And above all...stay away from the Goodwill (buying that is)!! Good Luck!

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  8. I love your word for the year! We went through a MAJOR purging in March when we had the whole house refloored. Felt like we had moved. I moved my sewing room into an empty bedroom that had belonged to one of my daughters and became overwhelmed with all my STUFF very quickly. It had been scattered all over the house. I just couldn't function. I moved my sewing machine etc. to the other empty bedroom and have taken over the whole upper level of our home...bathroom included...lol. Longarm stuff in one room and sewing stuff in the other. I now have plenty of space and am furiously knocking off the dinosaurs. :) I have made my list of 12 for the guild, but am planning on also working on those that come AFTER the number 12. :)

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  9. It sounds like it will be a great year for you. There is nothing like a good purging.

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  10. A perfect motto! Great plan - Keep it simple Sweetie!

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  11. Sounds great and I look forward to seeing your UFOs turn into 2014 Finishes!

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  12. Well thought out plan, my friend! Only when I think of KISS in regard to you, I'll think, okay Teresa, Keep It Simple, Sweetie! :) I love the dinosaurs in there, too! It'll be fun to watch all your dinos come to fruition and your Ms. Bertie's progression! I'm still resisting Bertie...for now...my plate is already FULL!!! :)

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  13. Again, I've been awol - so am just getting back into reading my favorite blogs! I LOVED every word of this post! In fact, I think you read my mind and wrote what was in my head!! Though I hadn't chosen the word "Simplify"!

    Blessings sweet lady! You inspire many! My hope is that we will continue to grow in our blog land relationship. I truly enjoy your thoughts and love seeing your talents displayed!

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  14. What inspiration, Teresa! I'm pulling for you. I think my word should be coming out of your ideas here ~
    :-}pokey

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  15. Cheers to Simplify in 2014! I got inspired all over again reading your post.

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  16. You have taken the words out of my mouth too. I have too many dinosaurs for one person, so I will be slaying them along with you. I am also learning to say "no" more often when it comes to activities. You inspire me in many ways, and I love your word for 2014. I agree with Denise when she said KISS will be short for Keep It Simple sweetie.

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  17. What a great post! I love the quotes that you shared and they are good to remember. I bet you feel great after going through your stuff and paring down! Best wishes on finishing your quilts.

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  18. Great word. We have been working on streamlining. Not always easy. I am working on Dinosaurs too.

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  19. Love, love, love your sense of humor. :) blessings, marlene

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