Monthly Goals: March 2016

I wanted to post this up yesterday, but wanted to wait as it kind of ties into my post for Thrifty Thursday.  No really!  It does!

My one big goal this month was going to be paying off the first portion of my husband's dental bill completely before we ended up with huge amounts of interest coming due.  Through a wonderful Godsend we came into a check for 1/2 the amount we owed so we were able to pay off that amount early and still have a bit of extra money in the bank (I was holding onto the tax return till the last possible moment just to keep any interest we could make off of it happen).  So, luckily that goal is already met before the month officially even started.  So, yay!

We still have other goals to meet financially in the coming weeks and months, though, so keeping every penny we can is super important.  Although it is nice having some money in the bank, even a little bit, as it is allowing me to breathe again.  Always a nice feeling :).

The goals for this month are primarily going to be centered around cleaning and sewing as I've got a lot I want to accomplish that has kept getting put onto the back burner when it comes to sewing.

And I added a new project to my list.

I found this at the thrift store yesterday.  All bunched up with ribbon tied around it it just said, "6.00 as is".  I tried to pry up as much of the quilt as I could to see what was up with it that the words "as is" would come into play and I saw where a few seams had gone on the quilt top.  I kept running into more as I looked, but nothing that couldn't be fixed.  The quilt was old...not antique I don't think, but I could see that there was some age on it from the now off white backing that years had added to the fabric.  I also fell in love with the fabric colors and patterns on what I could see on the quilt.  There was hand quilting here and there where  repairs had been made to the quilt, but it did look like originally it had been machine stitched.

I went back and forth about it, but finally decided I wanted to buy the quilt.  I kept going back to the little crib quilt I'd bought and ended up turning into a pillow sham and things for my daughter.  This quilt had been made with love for someone and it had been held onto for quite a while to the point the fabric was faded in places and repaired, so the quilt had meant something to someone.  And I fell in love with an untold story of what the quilt had been through.

I brought the quilt home and immediately unwrapped it to not only assess the damage but also to fully LOOK at it.  The broken seams....well there are a lot of them.  The fabric is faded, but still solid, no holes developing or anything that I could find.  And the pattern was lovely.

See, I finally decided something standing there contemplating buying the quilt.  I am not a quilter.  I do not have the patience to cut out hundreds of little diamonds and things to make beautiful designs in fabric.  My patience doesn't run in that vein.  But, after the last year I have come to the conclusion that I AM a mender.  I may not be able to make a quilt that would look that pretty, but I can fix it.  I can mend this quilt and make it shine again.  I have the skills.  I can rebuild it.  Make it stronger.  Faster.

Wait *shakes head*...where was I?  Ahem.

I'm hoping to start hand sewing the quilt in the evenings, maybe add in some embroidery to add my own stamp to the quilt and things as I work on it.  I am really looking forward to it :).

Anyway, onto the other goals for this month!

Sewing Goals:

• Make new bag holder or repair old one (which I'm thinking I might be able to repair it with a little elastic and a few small patches).
• Work on quilt
• Work on mending
• Embroider napkins to go with Spring Themed tablecloth
• Sew dress
• Sew robe 
• Make pillow shams for couch downstairs.  Try to figure out a way to slipcover cushions and repair corners of couch itself.
• Repair husband's recliner 

Cleaning Goals:

• Wash walls.
• Wash kitchen cabinets, including tops.
• Clean objects on top of kitchen cabinets (I don't have a proper hood in my kitchen, so grease starts to settle on things and needs to be cleaned up)
• Dust house.
• Wax furniture.
• Polish silver (one of my least favorite tasks, but it needs to be done)
• Shampoo carpets
• Clean outside of downstairs windows and windows on front door
• Weed through children's clothes and donate what isn't being used or doesn't fit (both kids are growing again)
• Clean Washing Machine
• Clean dishwasher
• Clean coils on standing freezer
• Clean out furnace room and transfer things to storage as needed

General Goals:

• Fix vase (I'll get into that one more later.  It's a pretty funny story actually)
• Fix frog chef magnet (my first anniversary gift from my husband.  I love the magnet but the darn thing LOVES to fall off the fridge, so it's back to super glue to repair it once again)
• Repair daughter's various toys that need super glue (note to self:  Buy more super glue)
• Cover new "incoming mail" holder

Financial Goals:

• Get husband's licensing renewed and get continuing education credits done (this has to be done by the end of the month and is spendy)
• Save money to go toward car insurance due in the next couple of months.

And there you are folks.  My goals for this month.  It's going to be busy!