November wrap-up

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A slimmed down version of Jodi Godfrey's Alexandria Quilt design; we'll see what I end up with hehehe.

I usually don't write end-of-month posts, but due to my NANOWRIMO participation, albeit limited, I felt it necessary to jot down a few sentences. And give a little outline of what lies ahead for the rest of 2022.

Let's start with National Novel Writing Month; I started a draft that might end up in my books not currently under construction folder. Or maybe A Rose Blissful is merely waiting for a less crowded time of the year to flourish. We'll see what 2023 has in store for that plot, but I did learn that November is no longer the best time of year for me to write, birthdays and holidays making for a busy month.

But I managed A LOT of revisions, lol, and am mostly on track to release the last book in my current series. And I made some good headway on what I am hoping to write next, in the context of editing the prequel to a manageable size. Manage figures heavily in this paragraph; I feel like I did a lot of managing this month in writing and sewing. Not so much in the garden, ahem; I really need to cut back the gladiolus, yet I did string Christmas lights on our front fence yesterday afternoon, a big win! However, one cannot manage a novel in relation to furthering a word count, only in trimming it. So I am anticipating January, when I might actually write more than the 20K accumulated for A Rose Blissful.

As for handcrafts, I finished the Honeycomb Stars and Mandolin quilts, then tackled a repair project for my eldest daughter; in October she brought a queen bed comforter in need of a new binding and some patching. That was quite a process, mostly for the size of the quilt, and I'm nearly done, which is good because we're visiting them next weekend, ha! Otherwise I spent many evenings indulging in the Lavender EPP project, both basting shapes and sewing them together. And I got back into crocheting, making some cowls. And just last night I finished plotting out what I am hoping to start sewing perhaps before the end of this year, an Alexandria quilt designed by Jodi Godfrey from Tales of Cloth. More about this quilt in future posts, but wrapping my head around the probable colour scheme was another big win, setting me up for a few marvelous afternoons of going through my stash to match fabrics to shades drawn in colour pencils.

As the daylight lessened, I spent more time indoors, appropriate for this time of year. Our Thanksgiving travels to Reno were pleasant, and with abundant snow forecast this week for the Sierras and elsewhere, I'm glad we were able to get away and return with ease. I'm also extremely grateful for the expected precipitation, so badly needed! I have warm attire and overcoats to brave winter's outdoor gifts and certainly ample inside activities to keep me entertained. And in this season of Advent, much to ponder about less tangible blessings that bring me to why I do what I do; to accept the love that is given freely, then share that grace in all possible manners. Wishing you a peaceful December filled with heartfelt joys.

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