1/31/16

January Time Capsule Closing

Here it is the last day of January.  Time to wrap up, put up and close up all things collected and connected to January.  Enclosed in this January Time Capsule are posts from the first January's blogging back in 2010 through today, January 31, 2016.  So for posterity....let's begin with Calendar Collections.

 Todays post will be Post # 1099.  I can't explain what prompted me to check on that 'Stat' other than to say...Hello Crystal Ball.  You'll get the jest of that by reviewing these 2016 January posts...
 
Now, it's time to wrap up this post with a list of my Favorite January Posts.
January 2010
January 2011
January 2012
January 2013
January 2014
January 2015
 
January Time Capsule...Closed!

1/28/16

Cross Stitch Sampler Collector


About this same time last year I posted about a 'Sampler' rescued from Salvation Army Thrift Store. As a matter of fact it was exactly on January 28th...which was Wordless Wed...Cross Stitch Collage. 

Several days earlier on the 26th I posted about finding the sampler and how I am a collector of cross stitch.  It went like this..."Cross stitch makes me cross-eyed.  Cross stitch counting makes me crazy.  I collect cross stitch samplers done by someone else...anyone else...definitely not by me."  That post...Cross Stitch Sampler...Meant for Me.

It happened again!  Same place, same price, same month...different year, and the same reaction of how could anyone not keep this as a family heirloom.  Just like last year, it's the same conclusion...it was 'Meant for Me'.

Some things don't change from one year to the next.  Cross stitch still makes me cross-eyed and counting cross stitch will always make me crazy. 

The 'Seasons Samplers' is expertly stitched, un-signed, and professionally framed, which in the world of 'Stitch Collectors' means one of two things.  First, the stitcher was so cross-eyed and crazy by the time she was finished she forgot to stitch on her name or initials.  Or, the sampler was a 'Display' to sell the 'Season Sampler' Kit to potential cross-eyed counted cross stitch stitchers with a closet full of UFCSS...unfinished cross stitch samplers that made them crazy enough to think of stitching another one.  That is why I am a....
....Cross Stitch Sampler Collector....

1/25/16

Earth, Water, Wind, Fire and Fiber

What is your favorite color?  As a person whose careers have been 'Art' related, I am asked that question often.  "All of them", has been my pat answer.  Yes, I know that is the easy way out of a question that if analyzed and truthfully answered, would turn into an 'Art Teachers' lesson on the 'Color Wheel' or a 'Crystal Ball' reading.  Which do you prefer?

I'll start with my 'Color Wheel' preference which skips right past the three primary colors to the secondary and tertiary colors. 

When you study color and spend a great deal of time...like years...mixing paint, laying out fabric, selecting yarn and making intuitive decisions on how fire will effect the outcome of glazes on clay, your favorite color truly does become 'All of Them'.  I will narrow it down a bit and admit to being partial to the tertiary colors from Violet to Green.

 On my fireplace mantel are examples of  how and why 'All of Them' is my pat answer.  First there is 'Mixing Paint' where 'Color Wheel' transferred knowledge is mirrored in the swirling elements of my 'Crystal Ball'.  Instinctual choice of color says a lot about yourself.  It is a means to understanding your behavior, character traits as well as physical, mental and spiritual states.  At different times in your life your color choices reflects how you deal with challenges and how you express your deepest needs.

Next is 'Fiber'.  A lifelong fixation from childhood scrap sewing to today's sewing, knitting, crocheting, weaving and the pleasure of creating something useful as well a beautiful. There is just so much one can learn as to the skill sets involved in the afore mentioned fiber endeavors.  I have often said, "anyone can learn technical skills by following directions, can master color with the use of a color wheel and have success in mixing pattern and textures by selecting a 'Focus Fabric' then repeating the colors through the size and scale of coordinating fabrics...it's a Quilters Rule of Thumb that has multiple media/medium applications.  As for that innate ability to put together things that work...I go with my gut....hello 'Crystal Ball'.

Then there is Earth, Water, Wind and Fire'.
Elements of epic and timeless proportions...for another time!
 
A Color Blessing
Surround yourself with colors you love.
They will empower you to be true to yourself.

Earth, Water, Wind, Fire and Fiber
featured on
Ramblin with Alana...Weekly Blogging Roundup
 

1/22/16

Messing with Mercury


As the first Full Moon of the new year nears, my list of topics 'All Things January' wanes.  Rather than gearing up for a Full Moon Howl, I find myself a bit off kilter...out of balance with the stars. 

Even my Daily horoscope advises to say and do things today with 'utmost care'.   Something about Mercury blurring the boundaries in my immediate environment.  Another warning....'Don't go out on a ledge'.  Yikes...and here I am feeling off balance.
Definitely not going near a ledge today!

Mercury!!! That quick silver element first found in Egyptian tombs dating back to 1500 BC.  Once thought to prolong life, heal fractures, and maintain good health, it is now known to lead to seriously adverse and lifelong health issues when exposed to through vapors and ingestion.

Although Mercury and it's compounds have been used in medicine, it less common today now that it's toxic effects are better understood.  Thankfully, I've only had two tiny amalgam fillings, one has been replaced and the other has held up for over 50 years...maybe it's to blame for my 'Off Kilterness' today.  I know...it's probably all in my head!

As for Mercury the Planet, it is the smallest planet in the Solar System and one of the closest to the Sun.  Since it orbits the sun within Earth's orbit, it can appear in our sky in the morning or the evening, but not in the middle of the night.  Like Venus and our Moon it displays a complete range of phases as it moves around its orbit relative to Earth. 

Two spacecraft have visited Mercury...Mariner 10 flew by in the 1970's and Messenger, launched in 2004, orbited Mercury over 4,000 times in four years before exhausting its fuel and crashing into the planet's surface on April 30, 2015. 


There ya go! 
That's what we get for Messing with Mercury!


According to my 'Monthly' horoscope, things are going to improve when the Full Moon is in full bloom....beginning tomorrow...January 23rd.  Yep, I'll be 'Feelin' the Love, as the bond with HiHoney deepens.  That, I think is a given with the Celebration of our 50th Anniversary.  I'd say we are in pretty deep! 

Once the Full Moon starts on it's waning path, so goes the rest of my month of being 'Off Kilter'.  More daily predictions of  handling everything with 'utmost care'...especially with my mouth...which I take to translate to speaking and writing.
I'm soooo ready for February!

1/20/16

Wordless Wed...Through the Years and A Celestial Spectacle

Rare Celestial Spectacle
Five planets paraded across the dawn sky early Wednesday, January 20th.  First time in more than a decade that Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter are visible to the naked eye.  (Read more HERE)

1/17/16

January Moon Phases...Ancestor Connected

The first full moon of this New Year will light up the night sky on Sunday, January 24th.   This first New Moon of the month and year may be significant for newborns...if you believe in Moon Phase Astrology.  If not, then perhaps this will be just a fun read that will have you checking out your January Calendar.

It is said that a person born under the influence of the new moon is sensitive, optimistic, naïve, shy but cheerful, helpful, speaks little but listens a lot.  They are a faithful friend, idealize love and are a bit materialistic.  They like music and art.  Tend to ignore danger but are lucky which serves to protect them.

I was not born under a Full Moon.  Were you?  Find out HERE.

According to the Perpetual Moon Calendar based on the year...1947, the place...Iowa, I was born under a waning Fourth Quarter Crescent Moon.  What does this Moon Phase say about me? 

 "A person born under the fourth quarter is thoughtful, organized, has a ready smile, reasonable, emotional, idealist, disciplined, generous, creative, stubborn, authoritarian and proud.  Has manual dexterity and is perceptive.  They have a sense of humor, a sense of responsibility and fairness, and are loyal in friendships."

After you determine your Moon Phases from the Perpetual Moon Calendar, you can find out about your Moon Phase Personality... HERE.

Ancestor Connection Born Under A January Crescent Moon
My first thought when discovering my Great Great Aunt Selina was, "What a beautiful and unusual name...I wonder who she was named after."  I knew Selina was not a familiar name in our paternal line, and after digging through the maternal names, not one Selina was found.

According to the history of female names, Selina is a common given name of Greek origin meaning MOON with a number of spellings including Selene, Celina and Selena.

Selina Ann, daughter of my January born 3xGreat Grandmother Frances and sister of my January born 2xGreat Grandfather Rene Marion, was born on FRIDAY, January 13, 1815, in the First Quarter Crescent Moon.  Makes me wonder if Frances was a Moon Phase Astrologer, and on the night Selina was born named her after the Crescent Moon.
Again the question arises
Accidental, Coincidental or Astrological?

Tracks of My Georgia Ancestors...Selina's Story.
Selina Rides Upon The Wings of Time 

1/16/16

January Ancestor Line...Accidental, Coincidental or Astrological?

Frances Jackson Stone was born in Fluvanna County, Virginia, when the flowering dogwood tree was dormant and the Northern Cardinal flourished in the snow covered thickets long before either had been declared state symbols. 

She was named after her grandmother Frances Taylor Stone...which was the naming trend of the time. Elder Frances and baby Frances had another birth connection...they were both born in January...20 days and 68 years apart.

On January 6, 1783, Mary Julia Napier Stone gave birth to her fifth child and third daughter, Frances.  Julia would have two more sons after Frances.  One of which would make a life changing decision that made Frances my 3x great grandmother.  Before that reveal, let's tell Frances' story based on ancestry.com facts, some historical era events and my 'Creative Writers License'...which I believe is no accidental birth right.

Although there is some question as to the date of her parents marriage, Frances was indeed the fifth child of Mary Julia Napier.  Her father, Marvel Stone, may have had a wife and children prior to having married Mary Julia. 

Marvel, Mary Julia and their children lived in one of the Colonies fighting for independence during the American Revolutionary War.  Frances was 9 months old when the Treaty of Paris was signed.

When she was two years old her brother Washington Ware was born.  As a strong willed and unusually mature toddler, Frances was possessive and protective of her baby brother.  They developed a strong sibling bond that would see them through many difficult times including the death of a brother, separation of their parents and estrangement from their father. 

In March 1804, Frances (age 21) and Washington (age 19) left Fluvanna County for Oglethrope, Georgia, to settle the estate of their brother William after his untimely death at age 32.  Their mother Mary Julia had only months earlier given birth to her last child, Walter, without the support of husband Marvel, and could not make the journey.   William and his lifelong friend Ichabod Byrd Pittman from neighboring Amelia County, Virginia, had set out some eight years earlier in search of adventure and the settlement of the Pittman's claim to Land Grants for their service as Sons of Liberty in the Revolutionary War.

At the reading of brother William's Last Will and Testament, Frances and Washington were named as heirs to their brothers homestead, land and all his earthly possessions.  The homestead and land bordered Ichabod Byrd Pittman's land which had been deeded to both young men for their labors in settling and farming the Pittman's granted lands.  Frances Jackson and Washington Ware never returned to Virginia. 

Three years later on October 13, 1807, Washington Ware, as head of family and in the absence of a father, signed the Marriage Bond that united Frances Jackson Stone and Ichabod Byrd Pittman.  The 'Condition of Obligation' Certificate, which states what is assumed as her dowry of $875.14, would well and truly make and bind the couple together...if no lawful cause to obstruct the same occurred to cause the 'Obligation' to be void.  Otherwise the contract would remain full force and virtue. 

No doubt, Frances as a January Capricorn, was a willing partner in the marriage contract. Her no nonsense attitude and propensity for financial security along with being the woman behind a successful man made the union feasible in her mind.  Ichabod certainly must have learned and accepted early on in the marriage of Frances' devotion to her brother, mother and other family members as they all eventually became Georgia residents.

Obviously, the Marriage Bond held and remained in full force and virtue.  As a mother to their four children, Frances' innate Capricorn characteristics instilled both thrift and a respect for quality in her children.  To her it was a matter of "Eat it up, wear it out, make it do or do without", and economy did not mean it had to be cheap.  After all, she was the wife, and they the children of a prominent Georgia Pioneer Family.  Her four children were expected to be polite to relatives and elders, and display excellent manners.  Had she lived in the time of Dr. Spock and his book on child psychology, she most likely would have used the book as a paddle...and perhaps read it later.

The question of my January Lineage being Accidental, Coincidental or Astrological has yet another chapter to ponder with the birth of  Byrd and Frances' third child, Rene Marion, my 2x great grandfather.  Born on January 28, 1812 under the Zodiac sign of Aquarius. 

As a believer in Kismet...it was meant to be...Rene 'Rainey' Pittman was the only name I had to begin research on my Georgia ancestors. 

And just over the Aquarius Rainbow...another January Grandmother, Mary Ann Howell Pittman born January 28, 1822.  Wife of Rene Marion, mother of George Washington, grandmother of Chappell Columbus, great grandmother of Willard Carroll, and great great grandmother of January born 'Me'.
What do you think?
Accidental, Coincidental or Astrological.

1/15/16

Thank-you Bunches...Still Socially Correct

Did you know there are at least 112 ways to say Thank you?  The first basic 'Thank you', we learn to say right after Mama, Daddy and Baba or YaYa as my grandson called his bottle and anything edible.

Expressing your 'Thanks' falls into three categories...Basic Phrases, Written Formal and Very Polite Formal.

Thanks a lot!  Thank you so much!  You're so helpful.  I hear these basic phrases of Thanks throughout my day at work from young and old alike.  'Saying' thank-you is alive and well.
On to the second category...Written Formal.  Here is where 'Thank you' makes a transition from 'Old School Thank you Cards' to '21st Century Social Media' standards.  Which is considered acceptable?  From my point of view, it all goes back to how you were raised.  Writing Thank you Notes, according to my Mother and Ann Landers, was a character building trait that taught us to honor and appreciate others.

Putting pen to paper served to keep us from taking others for granted and was a discipline in expressing appreciation for the thoughtfulness of others.  Not to mention, becoming a more thoughtful person.  I remember receiving a box of 'Thank You' notes along with a graduation gift.  What a thoughtful and subtle reminder...including stamps and an address was a definite expectation of getting one of those boxed cards in the mail.  Thank you grandmother Minnie!

With all that 'Old School' thankful philosophy said, let's move on to today's 'Social Media/Email and WWW (WebWishesWay) of writing/expressing Thank you.  WOW...Google displayed many more than 112 ways of saying Thank you via the WWW. 
So, as a Googleist, a Social Media user
with a Personal Computer, a Tablet and a Cell Phone,
I LIKE IT!!!
Followed up with an 'Old School', Thank You Bunches CARD!

1/13/16

Wordless Wed...Love Never Ends

50th Anniversary
Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.
Love never ends.
I Corinthians 13

1/12/16

January Calendar and Book Collection of an American Art Legend

"Texas is a wonderful place...I wonder why everyone doesn't live here." Georgia O'Keeffe 1918
 
Georgia O'Keeffe first learned about Texas as a child while listening to her mother read stories of life in the Wild West.  She experienced Texas for the first time when she accepted the position of Art Teacher at Amarillo Public Schools from 1912 to 1914.
 
She continued life on the Panhandle Plains of Texas at Canyon, Texas' West Texas State Normal College from 1916 to 1918. 
 
"There is something wonderful about the bigness and the loneliness and the wind...Texas is my spiritual home."
 
Georgia O'Keeffe had a major impact in my pursuit of a Masters of Art Education in the late 1980's.  Her influence both in painting and three dimensional mediums inspired my O'Keeffe Collections of books, thesis, posters and calendars.  For many New Years, an O'Keeffe Calendar hung in my School Art Room and in my Home Studio. 
 
I have been fortunate to see many of her paintings in person at the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

The Santa Fe Museum opened in July, 1997, eleven years after her death.  I visited  the museum during the first week it was open.  The O'Keeffe Museum houses the largest permanent collection of her work in the world.

Besides the calendars, my collection includes:
O'Keeffe and Texas
The Art and Life of Georgia O'Keeffe
O'Keeffe The Life of an American Legend
A Painter's Kitchen
and
The Bust of Georgia O'Keeffe...by yours truly.

Georgia Totto O'Keeffe was born November 15, 1887, in Wisconsin.  She died March 6, 1986 at the age of 99 years in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  She is recognized as the "Mother of American Modernism".

1/10/16

January Calendar Collection...'One Day at a Time'

In our lifetime, we as living, breathing, aging beings are given the opportunity to experience and make the most of our lives 'One Day at a Time'.  Much has been contemplated and philosophically said about time....
"Time is an illusion" Albert Einstein
"You may delay, but time will not." Benjamin Franklin
"A man who dares to waste on hour of time has not discovered the value of life."
Charles Darwin
"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." Marthe Troy-Curtin
One can philosophically speak of time profoundly and give us reason to evaluate our 'One Day at a Time' in the past, present and future.  Then there is the historically explicit scheme of recording the past, present, and future...The Calendar.
To begin this 'January Calendar Collection' series of posts, I decided to start with the Present and a 'Calendar Event' that marks 50 Years of our life together...our 50th Wedding Anniversary Party held yesterday...January 9, 2016.  If  I could make time stay still, stop the ticking clock, and have an endless day....it would have been yesterday.  However, since none of those things are within my power, I will capture and keep each and every minute, person, place and thing that made January 9th the best 'One Day at a Time' of January 2016.

"Time is too slow for those who wait,  too swift for those who fear,
too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice,
but for those who love,
time is eternity"
~Henry Van Dyke~

1/7/16

January Born 9x Great Grandmother

Martha 'Mollie' Kitteu Leatherwood
 Jan.19, 1658-Jan.20,1705
9th Great Grandmother born in Brenchley, Kent, England

"Miss Mollie Kitteu/Kitten, a half Indian girl, married John Leatherwood in 1679 in Ann Arundel, Maryland.  John and Mollie's livelihood was sustained by raising wheat and corn enough to bread the family and feed the hogs for meat and the horses while raising another crop."  (letter written in 1892 by William Leatherwood)

Martha Mollie Kitteu was born Jan. 19th...the day before my birthday on Jan. 20th...289 years later.  She died on my birthday at age 47...242 years before my birth.

 I met Mollie through research on my Family Tree on Ancestry.com where 'Discovery US' is my limit.  Thanks to Ancestry's 'Lifestory, Gallery and Leaf Hints, I can share the 'Facts' recorded on Mollie's life.  With those facts, and my fact to fiction writer's license, here is my version of my January, 9x Great Grandmother.

On January 19, 1658, Martha, age 20, gave birth to her namesake. Her husband Peter, age 28, called his daughter Mollie, a nickname she had for the rest of her life.

Mollie's father Peter, lived in Scotland in the mid-1600's when Royalists and Parliamentarians raised arms in one of the bloodiest battles in British history. 

Peter Kitteu, age 19, a Scotsman and supporter of Charles I, found himself at odds with Oliver Cromwell's newly established Commonwealth of England.  With the beheading of Charles I in January 1649, Peter, along with his Scottish countrymen, found themselves under the rule known as a Council of State.  Fighting continued particularly in Scotland and Ireland between the parliamentary forces and those opposed to them, as part of what is now referred to as the Third English Civil War.

By 1653 when Oliver Cromwell was declared Lord Protector of the united Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, Peter fled Scotland.  After a long and arduous trip across the Pacific, Peter landed in America.  There he married a young Indian girl who he called Martha.  Still loyal to his Scottish roots and political ideals, Peter yearned for his homeland.  In 1657 he booked passage for himself and Martha who was with child. 

They arrived in England on January 19, 1658.  Mollie was born aboard the ship 'Janus' just before they embarked.  Peter Kitteu returned to Scotland with his wife and new daughter.  Life in Scotland was vastly different under the Commonwealth rule, and even after the Monarchy was restored in 1660, Peter decided America, the homeland of his wife, was where their future lay.

Once again, Peter and Martha made the journey across the Pacific to the land of freedom and opportunity. This time with their young daughter Mollie, who's Scottish-American Indian bloodline would flow through the veins of future generations.

Mollie Kitteu and John Leatherwood's first born son Samuel (2-13-1681) began the line of my Direct Descendants 152 years later with the birth of my 3x's Great Grandfather John More Leatherwood.  With the birth of his daughter Mary Josephine, the Direct Descendant line continues through female descendant Martha Jane Marley Carroll, my Great Grandmother whose daughter Estella Carroll married C.C. Pittman.  My father W.C. Pittman was their youngest son.

1/6/16

Wordless Wed...January Morn

Bare branches of each tree on this chilly January morn look so cold so forlorn.
Gray skies dip ever so low left from yesterday's dusting of snow.
Yet in the heart of each tree waiting for each who wait to see,
new life as warm sun and breeze will blow, like magic,
unlike springs sap to flow, buds, new leaves then blooms will grow.
~Nelda Hartmann~

1/5/16

January Flower...The Carnation

Early years sketch books are filled with practice doodles in watercolor, pencil and pastel mediums.   As I browsed through both my sketch books and portfolios of finished pieces, I was surprised at how often my January flower...the Carnation...appeared.  It is not my favorite flower.  Next months flower is my favorite.

Perhaps my brush was guided by my innate January being, and the carnation simply flowed onto the paper.  Some of that may be so, but it is more likely due to the fact that the carnation is one flower that is easily abstracted and still recognizable.

The carnation's history dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times, when it was used in art and décor.  Christians believe that the first carnation bloomed on earth when Mary wept for Jesus as he carried the cross.
Meanings of the carnation include fascination, distinction and love.  Light red carnations are often used to convey admiration and deeper reds express sentiments of love and affection.  White carnations are associated with purity and luck, and pink carnations are often given as a sign of gratitude.  In the early part of the 20th Century, carnations became the official flower of Mother's Day...white for the memory of ones Mother in heaven and red for ones Mother still living.
 
To this day, carnations remain a favorite flower as they are immediately recognizable flowers that possess a charm and allure that continues to captivate.  In many parts of the world, carnations are the first choice over many flowers including roses.  Their long lasting freshness and variety of colors make them a mainstay in the floral industry.
If your birth flower is carnation...
You are a sensitive person.
You are very protective towards your family and friends.
You are very ambitious and aim to achieve big things in life.
You are a very helpful friend.

1/4/16

Smartly Dressed In Garnets...January Birthstone Collection

As a January Gal, I have always loved my garnet birthstone, and not just because it's my birthstone. Red has been my favorite color ever since my Dad said "Sue, you look so pretty in red." I was ten. 

In the last few years, as a genealogy researcher, I have come to understand and be amazed at the significance of ones birth month and date and how it relates and influences ones life.  Keep in mind, I have 'Garnet Gypsy' blood running through my veins, and a Crystal Ball setting on top of my Linda Goodman Sun Signs book.

As soon as I read the 'Healing' properties of Garnets, I donned just about every piece of garnet jewelry I own.  Garnets are known as a 'stone of health' and 'Crystal Healing' specialists say it can assist in healing acid reflux (GERD), assimilate vitamins and minerals, promote rapid general healing, regeneration and a host of other health related issues.  Yay for Crystals and a Crystal Ball.

Garnets have been used as gemstones and in jewelry for millennia.  When worn as jewelry, garnets give the wearer a sense of self esteem.  Many opaque garnets are used extensively in industry as abrasives, flitration, cutting steel and in place of silica sand for sandblasting.
 
The Garnet is known as a stone of purity and truth as well as a symbol of love and compassion.  It enhances ones sense of security and spiritual awareness. The world's largest supply of garnets is the continent of Africa.  The largest single garnet ever found measured nearly one hundred feet across and was found in Central Australia.  Other sources for garnet include India, Soviet Union, Brazil and the US.
 
Born In January
Ambitious and powerful.  Born Leader.  Stubborn nature.
You will always stand out in the crowd.
You love to live the Good life.
Romantic at heart.  Deep thinker.  Loyal to friends.
Ever ready to learn and try out new things.
Serious about life.  Like to make others happy.
Not too introvert...Not too extrovert.
Smart and well dressed.
PS...hmmmm ...I'm not too sure about a few of these attributes as a January Gal, but for sure I am Smartly dressed in Garnets!

1/2/16

'New View' on Collections and 'I Think I Can'

On this beginning of a New Year on CollectInTexas Gal, I am inclined...not totally locked in...to the idea of documenting my 'Collections' that relate to each month.   This 'NewView' of looking at my varied collections of everything from Art to Zippers will be beneficial as...

...an opportunity to SKS...Sort-Keep-Share.  Yes, I am continuing last years efforts to downsize by 'UseIt Or LoseIt' and 'LetItGo'.  I have a couple of  'NewView' ideas for 'LettingItGo' that I think will be fun here on CollectInTexas Gal.  I'll introduce those as I get them formulated.

Next is the 'MTP'...Monthly Twining Projects.  Since beginning this new FiberPsychosis art form last Fall, I have invested in a Loom and Easel, Thrifted Fabrics suited to rug making as well as incorporating Stash Fabrics. 

Rug making has given me the chance to continue my 'UseIt or LoseIt' mantra.  It also allows me to continue the process, creativity and design elements that years of Quilting gave me. Funny thing is...my Rugs look like my Quilts...hmmmm...imagine that.  Must be why I have yet been able to throw them on the floor.
 I averaged 'Four-Per-Month' last year.  A good goal to strive for in 2016. 
 I think I can!  I think I can!

1/1/16

Welcome January 2016

Resolutions have not been on my January list of ToDo's for several years.  Not happening this year either.  Did you know that the #1 resolution for most people over the years has been to lose weight?  Here's what Erma Bombeck had to say about losing weight...
In two decades I've lost a total of 789 pounds. 
 I should be hanging from a charm bracelet.
In the last year or so, I've noticed a few changes in what people list as important aspects of life.  For 2016 the top resolution, according to a Google poll, is to 'Enjoy Life to the Fullest'.  Smart! 
 
~The name January came from a Roman god Janus.  Roman ruler Pompilius gave January 30 days in the 700BC 10 month calendar.  In 46 BC Julius Caesar added one more day and January became the 1st month of the calendar year.
~January's gem stone is the Garnet which represents constancy.
~January's flower symbol is the Carnation.
~The Zodiac signs for January are Capricorn (12-22 through 1-19) and Aquarius (1-20 through 2-18).
~January is National Stay Healthy Month.
~On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by Abraham Lincoln.
~The Common Sense by Thomas Paine was published on January 10, 1776.
~On January 6, 1946 my parents were married.
~On January 20, 1947 I was born.

Happy New Year from a JANUARY Gal who plans to
Enjoy life to the Fullest in 2016!