April Goals

One quarter of 2019 is behind us. It seems kind of hard to believe it, but it should make perfect sense, since this is one of the longest winters I can recall! Recently, we've had several days with lots of wind, and that is a good thing because fall was so wet and winter set in so early, that yard cleanup never really happened for most of us living in Western New York State. The leaves that ended up in soggy piles and stuck to the ground swirled about in the steady winds and the 50 mph gusts. Hopefully, it will make the job of raking gardens out much easier.

I have set monthly goals since the beginning of the new year and it has worked well for me. To focus on one major idea or task seems to be a good fit for how I approach things. So, with January's goal of purging closets and drawers of things I no longer needed or wanted, and February's goal of deep cleaning some of the more neglected areas of our home met, I focused in March on communicating more with friends and family. What I have noticed, after each month has ended, is that I have developed new habits based on my monthly goals and they are now part of my routine. I didn't expect this, but from my past research about how to break or establish a habit, maybe I should have anticipated it. So, now that this has been one of the rewards of goal setting, I am happy to go on for the rest of the year with setting monthly goals.

April is the month I have chosen to focus on working on projects in my studio. It was hard to limit my time in the studio when I had other goals during the first quarter of the year, but now I can get to work on several of the UFO's in my quilt stash and new wreaths and paper crafts. That means for you, my faithful readers, there will be more photos of things I have made.

I made a birthday card in March for our granddaughter who turned 21. She likes the mixed media things we have made together, so it was easy to come up with what I wanted to make for her.

For a closer look, click on the photo.

Mixed Media
6"×6"

I made a cute spring wreath that will welcome guests from now until fall, and I have several more started for spring and summer. They will be posted here soon!

For a closer look, click on the photo.

Welcome to our Patch
Spring Wreath
24" across, 8 " deep
$65

Side view of wreath 

Close up of wreath 

The gardens are bare and brown . . . but each day that I go for a little garden tour, I find one or two more daffodils, tulips, hyacynths, and bleeding hearts pushing up through the dirt. We are still experiencing cold nights and, believe it or not, it even snowed this week! But, very soon it will be time to get the leaf blower, mulcher, rake . . . and my helpful hubby . . . outside to work on all the after-winter cleanup! For now, though, I will spend April getting back into the studio and establishing some good creative-time habits.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and going on my Studio Emmy journey along with me. As always, your questions and comments are welcome. I will read them and I will respond, here on my blog or on Facebook.

It is my sincere wish that you and those you love are well and happy. For those of you who are dealing with tough, sad, or lonely times, please know I include you in my prayers, whether or not I personally know about your worries and concerns. And, as always, until we meet again, may the Lord hold you in the hollow of His hand

Emmy