Happy New Year! Are you as excited as I am to put 2023 behind us and start afresh? This past year has been a tough year for my family, with many challenges. This is not to say that there have not been moments of joy and celebration scattered throughout. We have mourned loved ones, and job changes and felt heart ache. But we have endured. We have grown and changed. My hope is that 2024 will be less chaotic. The new year brings hope.
Isn’t it crazy how simply turning the page on the calendar brings hope and excitement. It is as if when the ball drops and the clock strikes 12, we magically have the will-power and self discipline to go to the gym, eat healthier and spend more time with the people we love, doing what we love.
As crafters we set goals of finishing all those unfinished projects, learning new skills and organizing our craft space. With the challenges of the past year, I lost my sew-jo (you know that all elusive sewing mo-jo). Thankfully I found it in time to finish a few quilts before Christmas, and will be sharing those soon. I am excited about finishing a few more and starting a couple of new projects. Here is a sneak peek at what is sitting on my sewing table.
You have already seen the Christmas in Texas Quilt and the New Year’s Mystery Quilt, and little progress has been made since I last posted. As you can see, I started a few other quilts. There are so many great quilt patterns out there and there is an adrenaline rush that comes from starting a new project. But quilting is a marathon. I’m still working on building endurance to finish the projects that I start and not getting distracted. There are a few projects that I am looking forward to, and I have all the fabric ready to go. The one I’m looking forward to most is the RBD Block Challenge. It is a quilt-a-long hosted by Riley Blake Designs. It begins January 9th, so there is still time to join me. You can learn more here.
As with so many people, life has changed since Covid. With the increase of family challenges and responsibilities I needed to step away from blogging for a time. Then, I got out of the routine and Life of Momma B set idle. For a time, I even considered shutting down my blog. When I shared this with family and friends, I was met with some resistance. I didn’t realize how many people are still visiting this site. After wrestling with the decision for some time, I decided that I would try to breathe new life into Life of Momma B.
It has been almost 10 years since I started blogging. The first thing I decided to do was to update the look of my site. If you have been visiting for a while, you will notice several major changes. First, the logo. Yes, I am still Momma B, and I will continue to share my creative life with you and jump from project to project. But, over the last 10 years my tastes have changed, so I have updated my logo. As you dig deep into past posts, you will see the old logo, but new material will have the new look.
I also changed the overall layout of the site. Now when you go to LifeofMommaB.com you will arrive at my home page. From here you can choose which part of the blog you want to see. First you will find the major categories. If you are a regular visitor and know what you are wanting, these are for you. They will take you to the area you love the most and you can bypass all the other topics. Then I have the highlights of my recent posts, this will show you what is new and is a great resource for my regular visitors. Don’t forget about the search feature on this page. Looking for a recipe, type the main ingredient and you are on your way. Working on a merit badge, type in the frontier and you are done. But please do not forget about the signup feature. This will notify you of new blog posts as they come out.
The blog itself has not changed much. I plan to continue to blog on a variety of topics. Like a bee, hopping from flower to flower, my life is spent hopping from project to project. My home recipes will still be a major component. My family still uses this for everyday cooking. Instead of grabbing my recipe box out of the cabinet, they tend to grab their phone and look up a recipe. One thing I dislike about some blogs is the large amount of information before you get to the actual recipe. Not here! While I do share information about the recipe, you won’t find a ton of fluff. Please be sure to read the tips at the end of the recipe, it does make a difference.
Crafting is still a major part of my life. My husband describes me as a “seasonal crafter”. Just as one moves through different seasons of life, I move through different seasons of crafting. My passions change over time. I am currently re-entering into a quilting season of crafting, which is super exciting. Before my children were born, I quilted and am returning to this passion. This doesn’t mean I don’t knit from time to time, but the amount of time I spend knitting has decreased. Now, I spend hours drooling over quilts on Pinterest and deciding which I will make next when I still haven’t completed the previous ones.
The next major category for my blog post is American Heritage Girls. When AHG came out with the new handbooks, I stopped sharing badge helps. So many of my readers come to get assistance with badges. This is one area that I plan to expand. I hope to return to old posts and update them to reflect the new badge requirements, as well as post the countless other badge helps that I have not shared.
Now what is going on in my personal life. Well, my husband and I are now empty nesters. I have completed my 15+ years of homeschooling and my daughter is now in college. This was a major life change that occurred during Covid. Since my days are no longer spent teaching, I am now able to spend time on other things. Most of my time is spent on a business my sister and I created a year and a half ago. We work together to make reusable cotton products. (Check out our Etsy page here). God has blessed this venture, but it takes up a large amount of my time. While the little bit of money that we make is nice, the main benefit I have found is how much it has strengthened my relationship with my sister. This is the first time since 2005 that we have lived in the same state. Our relationship is stronger than ever, and you cannot put a value on that.
For now, I will stop rambling. Stay tuned to new blog posts. While I have not developed a posting schedule yet, I hope too soon. Please comment below and let me know what topics you would like to see me post about.
During the pandemic I went through several life changes, and needed to step away from my blog. As things settle into a new normal, I have had several request to continue sharing life on my blog.
I will begin posting regularly again soon, but since Life Of Momma B is almost ten years old, I decided it was time for a refresh. Stay tuned for some exciting changes.
It has been awhile since I have been able to devote my time to my blog. This does not mean that I have not been continuing to live a creative, crafty life with tons of blog worthy projects. It just means that I have not had made the time to devote to Life of Momma B.
My main adventure these days is collaborating with my sister to form an Etsy Shop – Creative Sisters of Texas.
We launched our shop in November with a collection of Christmas gift tags, and while these were popular this holiday season, we want to focus on more environmentally friendly products.
We have since added reusable cotton rounds and utensil holders/pouches to our store. And we will be adding a line of kids quilts and blankets soon.
Please take a moment and click on the image above and check out our store.
As 2020 comes to a close, I hope to be able to find more balance in my life and continue to share my passions with you. Stay tuned for my recent knitting and sewing projects.
Wednesdays are usually devoted to a photo that I have taken that I thought you might enjoy. Today, I thought I would change it up. While browsing Facebook this weekend I found something very disturbing.
Personally, I have issues with toilet seat covers. They are a breeding ground for all kinds of nasty stuff – but why would you buy a used one!!! Once you get past the idea of a used toilet seat cover, I want to point out a few flaws with this item…
Notice the dark stain on the rear of the seat.
This item appears to be a toilet lid cover that someone has cut a hole in and placed on the seat – notice the ragged edges.
If you look closely you will notice a wad of what appears to be paper in the bottom of the commode.
$15 – you can purchase a new one on Amazon without stains for less than that.
What is this world coming too! Really people! With Coronavirus going around you think this was a good idea!
