Lessons of 2011

My friend Michelle Banton, who was a guest blogger here a few months ago, recently posed this question to our quilt guild "What 5-10 things did you learn in 2011?" Unfortunately, the response to her question from guild members was rather pitiful, but I thought it was a fantastic exercise in "The Year's Important Lessons in Review", and I would like to restate my list here. Some editing has occured because none of you care to listen to me remind people to bring food to our meeting this evening. I can make anything work in a list.

1. Yes, I CAN quilt with variegated threads. They don't hate me like I thought they did for so long. Metallics, however, are the spawn of the devil.
Check it out! No breakage! And the stitching isn't bad either, if I do say.


2. Yes, I CAN match points. I just don't normally choose to.
Wow! Watch out! One could get a pretty deep cut on that point!

The block right next to it is more my style.


3. Having a tired, hungry, dress-rehearsaled out 8 year old in the backseat at 9:30pm is the best way to avoid a speeding ticket when caught going 45 in a 25.

4. Said 8 year old cannot remotely keep a juicy secret like "Mom just got pulled over" from Daddy.

5. EQ7 is fun, but still not totally my style and I still feel like I am cheating.

6. You can't lose through the attempt. It's how you react to the result, whatever that may be, that makes you grow.

7. My "Twenty Minutes a Day" rule is the most brilliant by far of any I have ever created. A close second is "In Our House, We Do Not Lick Our Sisters."

8. Nothing makes me cry more than Greta asking how far away heaven is because she wants to hug Angel Grandma just once. I know it sounds crazy, but this kid has always had a real relationship with my mom, who died 4 years before she was born. It's an indescribable thing, but one of the most peaceful things I know. It's brought my beliefs in God to a whole new level.

9. Car mechanics may mean well, but I truly believe they do not take women seriously, and therefore we must pull out our inner bitch when necessary. After 18 months, 7 visits to the shop, and 3 attempts to fix my car by replacing the exact same sensor three times, my car was finally fixed when someone heaved a great sigh in my general direction and said "Okay, I will bite. What do YOU (implied in the tone was that "lowly woman" should be inserted here) think it is?" Then they hated every second of having to admit I was right. I will never allow mechanics to brush me off again. And next time my Japanese flag will remain firmly planted on the front lawn until my husband gets the notion of another American-engineered car out of his head.

10. The word No is very powerful. Use it sparingly.