Happy 2014 to you, dear blog friends!

Snowpeople from a recent family crafting session!

I hope you haven't missed me too terribly during my 2-month break!

As I often read on the many blogs I follow, there is a tremendous difference between writing your blog for a living  (which comes with pay and requires appropriate childcare in which writing can be accomplished) and doing it as a hobby with everything and everyone else around. This, in case you haven't noticed, is a hobby blog!

Also, as my nearest and dearest already know, we are blessed enough to be expecting a new little one come June. So the past few months have been mostly consumed with feeling rather terrible. And not crafting. Or cleaning. Or doing much of anything. But I think most of the feeling terrible is over and I'll be able to craft and write until our world turns upside down again come June (but for the best possible reason – yes?).

So I actually don't have a lot of craft catch-up to do but I do have lots of things cooking in my brain, as always. Here's an incomplete list of future projects. Of course they won't all get done but these are the ones I am currently thinking about.

A hanging file folder holder like this one on the blog Cottage4C.
This one is totally underway right now. Like half-sewn and half-pinned for the next step. I modified the size and made some smaller custom pockets. And I changed her directions just a bit. It will be a great step-by-step post in the near future.

A surprise for my mama's birthday.
Enough said. She reads this blog, even if no one else does. I do have to get going if this is going to happen though!

Two crafty framed items for a February birthday.
Again, deadlines rabidly approaching. They are a bit difficult to explain but you will see all the details in a future post.

Handkerchiefs.
At least a few. My 2-year-old thinks every single hand-picked booger requires its own tissue. She also had added a fresh kleenex to her list of bedtime requirements. Enough already! We pay for those tissues, daughter!

Painting 2 dressers.
I have the dressers. Then I got to feeling awful. Then it got cold. Progress halted. They need sanding and painting and then my two ladies can share a bedroom. I haven't had a furniture project in a while so I am really anticipating this one.

A quilt for my 2-year-old.
Her big girl bed days are rapidly approaching. I made older sister a quilt so she gets one too. Blues and teals are her favorite and I greatly desire to use up lots of scraps I already have in my stash. I just haven't settled on a pattern I want to follow. I have actually considered just winging it. I am confident in my ability to do colors and layout so I could just invent it as I go. We shall see. I haven't purchased any goodies yet: batting or backing or such. And you know, that other quilt I did took a year and a half. So I wouldn't be looking for this anytime soon!

Finishing the quilt top a friend gave me.
Here it is from, let's see, a post dated November 30, 2012. Does it make anyone feel better that it takes me this long to progress on things? I actually bought some fabric for the back but I think I am getting too hung up on designing the back as if it is another quilt. Still need the batting for this one too.

Getting myself and this blog on Pinterest.
Hello? Don't I belong there? Not to browse and waste time but to organize my links, share this blog, and to research when I am about to start a project. 

I'm going to stop this list right about now. I could keep going but it looks plenty long, doesn't it?