WWW: Learning to Be a Beginner

There are two words that can describe me quite accurately when it comes to learning a new skill: stubborn and lazy.

When I graduated from college I received a "Senior Superlative" from my classmates that dubbed me:
Most Likely to Skip Class but Still Help You Study for the Exam.

It's missing the A.

It's true. I probably attended about 50% of my classes and managed to get either the highest or second highest score in every one of them (in Junior and Senior year, that is). The level of effort that I had to apply in order to do well on tests was pretty minimum. Don't get me wrong, I did have a full schedule and I did work hard. I had a full time job. I was in a lab. I helped T.A. a class. I tutored people on the side. I was in a couple clubs. I wrote an Honors Thesis. My college degree didn't come easy, but my test grades always did.

I'm not bragging. The reason I did so well was because I was extremely interested in the topics I was learning. I loved everything about Speech and Hearing sciences. I soaked up everything that was introduced almost immediately. It was EASY for me to learn the material because I just UNDERSTOOD it.

That's how I want everything that I'm interested in to be. I want to be able to be the best quilter, the best seamstress, the best home decorator, the best photographer, the best knitter, etc. Seriously, I want to be the best at all things creative. I can't ever decide on one thing that I want to devote my time to because I love it all. But recently I realized that I can't be the best at everything. I can be good at anything I want, but I can't be the best at everything.

I hate that. I can't deal with that. Actually, my brain is hurting thinking about that.

I am making a quilt right now for Autumn. It's supposed to measure out at the end at 48" x 60". It's going to be closer to 40" by 50". I just couldn't get the seams correct on all my 9-piece blocks. I'm partially apathetic to this and partially really annoyed with myself. I keep thinking, "man, I should really give up on quilting after this one. I clearly am not cut out for this."

Yep, that's what I am thinking after my very first attempt at a quilt. I didn't take any classes. I haven't read any books on the process. But, because it's not turning out perfectly on my first try, I'm over it.

Luckily, I have realized this about myself. I have come to understand that when faced with a challenge, I'd prefer to give up than push through. But, what kind of an example is that for Autumn? Not to mention, how boring is life without challenges?

So, I'm forcing myself to push through to the end of this quilt. I am going to start a new quilt following this and I am going to be more meticulous about my seams. I am going to be patient with the process. But most importantly, I am going to accept my mistakes as building blocks on my road to learning to be better. No more craft jumping and never going back. I am going to force myself to stick with things that I love doing, even if I'm not great at it from the very beginning. I know that I'll still be making a large variety of crafty things, but when I start a project, I'll finish it. And if it's not perfect, I'll have another go at it later.

Learning to be a beginner is hard. But we all have to start somewhere, don't we?

Amy

Oh. P.S. Here's a picture of all of the quilt pieces laid out in the appropriate pattern. I've sewn the first 4 rows together and have 6 rows left to do. I clearly didn't allow myself enough time. Why? Because I feel like I need to be on an expert's schedule. Goodness, I have extremely high ambitions and very little patience (or grip on reality, for that matter).

FF: Another year older and maybe a tiny bit wiser.

Okay, so... I haven't blogged in over a week. And a lot has happened in said week. Most importantly, though, I turned 23. Yep...

I didn't want to turn 23. Not because I don't want to get older. I'd be happy with 24. It's just something about the number that I don't like. 23... ick.

And yes... I know I'm weird!

In honor on my 23rd (*shudder*) birthday, I've made a list.

24 Things I Want to Accomplish Before Turning 24

1. Lose 60 pounds (YAY for only 60 more to go till I reach my goal!)
2. Make The Sand Pebbles Quilt (32 x 32") from start to finish.
3. Make the top of The Farmer's Wife Quilt. Dan got me the book for my birthday! LOVE HIM!
4. Read The Complete Book of US Presidents.
5. Memorize the Presidents' order and their years in office
6. Read These High, Green Hills (I've been reading this off and on for over a year... it's time to finish it!)
7. Read The Time Traveler's Wife.
8. Read one book from the BBC's top 100 list.
9. Memorize locations and names of every country (minus those random islands)
10. Teach Autumn Sign Language
11. Go out dancing one night.
12. Learn 2 dinner recipes
13. Learn 2 healthy-ish dessert recipes
14. Use up all of my fabric.
15. Cloth Diaper for the entire year.
16. Learn to take better photographs.
17. Take 6 month and 1 year photos of Autumn with my new photo taking skillz.
18. Go on vacation to a new place.
19. Eat at a Brazilian Steak House.
20. Research Adoption and Foster Care.
21. Help someone that needs help whenever they need it.
22. Get a manicure and a pedicure
23. Make a new friend.   COMPLETED! I've made like 15 in the past week. lol.
24. Practice patience on a daily basis.

The obvious missing thing on the list is: Be a great mom to Autumn and put her before every other agenda I might have.

Do you think I can accomplish all of these things? I hope I can!

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And... because it's actually Fotography Friday and NOT Thoughtful Thursday, here is a picture of Autumn. My mom bought her this dress before she was born. It is 6-9 months. I've got an awesome child. That woman in Target who told me, "You will have champion" was spot on. :)

I know everyone thinks we are twins... but I totally think she looks like her Daddy here!

Until I find the time to blog again,
Amy

No longer "Menu Mondays"

I'm a list maker. An obsessive list maker to be precise. Every time I tell Dan we need to make a list, he rolls his eyes and says, "seriously, we really don't." But I really do. I have to know exactly what to buy at the grocery store. I have to know exactly what chores need to be done. I can't just write "clean" on a piece of paper and be satisfied. It has to include each and every chore. I even split up laundry, i.e. "wash laundry, dry laundry, fold laundry, put laundry away." No joke.

So, as I was making a list of my daily, thrice weekly, and once weekly to-dos, I realized I was way over booked. (Seriously, here's a shout out to single moms who work and take care of their babies... it's seemingly impossible!).

So, to prove to you that I have too much to do, I've typed out my lists for you:

[Disclaimer -- Dan has been doing most of the cleaning for the past 9 months during my pregnancy and of course the first 6 weeks of Autumn's life. But, he's gone back to work now and it's time to start taking over.]

Daily: 
Take Care of Autumn (This really takes up about 12 hours everyday. Well, maybe 10 if she takes a nice nap)
Blog (This typically happens during one of her nursing sessions)
Pick Up Around the House (Thank goodness she likes her swing)
Sew or Craft (This is for my own sanity and obviously a choice, but one that I find completely necessary)
EXERCISE (New to the list since Autumn was born. And... the new topic of Mondays' blog posts)

Thrice Weekly:
Bathe Autumn
Laundry (yes, this includes everything I listed in that first paragraph)
Take out the Trash

Once Weekly:
Grocery Shop
Vacuum
Sweep
Mop
Clean Toilet
Clean Shower
Clean Vanities
Dust

I used to have "cook" and "clean kitchen" on this list of to-dos, but clearly I've got too much going on. So, I've handed that responsibility over to Dan. Well, he's pretty much always had that responsibility, but we've considered having me take over and we finally decided that was just not a great idea. So, needless to say, I won't be doing Menu Mondays anymore. Instead I'll be doing...

Milestone Mondays!!

What is Milestone Monday, you ask?? Well, let's just say that I've got about 80 pounds of fat (Yes... 80!!!!) that I'd like to (and NEED to) shed. And after not exercising at all for the past 11 months, I've just started getting back into it. So, every Monday, I'll post on the past week's progress and put up a couple pictures. I hoping that in about 40 weeks I will have reached my goal (2 pounds lost per week) and that I can compile a slide show of all of the pictures to show exactly what it looks like to lose 80 pounds.

Occasionally I'll still post a recipe, if we've eaten something that I really liked that week. Maybe I'll even post some calorie saving tips.

So, here are the pictures for the start of this journey. Please note the pregnancy pouch I've still got going on. lol.

Hopefully next weeks pictures will look slightly better. :)

Kids Clothes Week Challenge 2011

  Next week - assuming this baby is still inside of me - I'll be participating in the "Kids Clothes Week Challenge" put on by blogger Elsie Marley. The rules are simple: sew clothes for your (or your friend's) children for 1 hour a day every day of the week. I think I can devote 1 hour of my day to sewing kids' clothes, don't you? Anyone else want to join?? Check out that blog link! ^^

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I'm still looking into good places to take maternity pictures. Dan and I ventured to a park yesterday around 7pm and I didn't like hardly any of the pictures that I took. I semi-blame this on the fact that Dan hasn't had his hair cut in 3 months and looks so goofy (sorry, babe). I wasn't taking maternity photos yet, just looking to see how that time of day affected the picture lighting and also how the landscape looked. I did take this "artsy" picture of a leaf while trying out my camera's macro setting:

I should probably mention that I don't know how to use the editing program, yet. lol.

Here's a goofy picture of Dan, just for the fun of it. The haircut is happening today. :) [I know it seems like I'm really getting on him about this hair issue, but seriously we've been planning to get it cut for over a month now. He also hates the way it looks, so I'm not just the crazy, nit-picky wife. lol.]

 

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Things checked off my most recent to-do list: 

Well, none are totally completed, but I have nearly finished Autumn's quilt, and I've also designed Stacy's purse and have bought the fabric for it. I'm realizing now that I forgot to get the zipper... That's okay, when I go to the store to get some fabric for kids clothes, I'll be sure to pick that up. 

I'll post pictures of the quilt probably tomorrow, after it's had its first tumble in the dryer to get it looking nice and "raggie".  

Until next time,

Amy