As a SAHM (a stay at home mom) of young children and a part time teacher I often lack time to do some of the things I would like to in a day. I am a list writer – I attempt to plan out each day in a way that our home and lives will run more smoothly… but, some days I’m terrible at it! I usually finish 80% of my to do list, but sometimes I manage to finish 100%. Often that is for the simple reason that I set a low bar to begin with. 🙂 The goal is to survive and be happy. I was once told that frustration comes from unmet expectations. Managing expectations is something I am working on. So I leave things that I would just like to do off my list.
My list really helps me throughout the day. Quilting is high on my “want to do” list but it falls lower on my “need to do to survive” list. Sometimes to keep sanity I must make time for things we want to do. In an attempt to make time for my “want to do” list… which definitely means quilting… I have tried to make some of my to do list items quicker and easier.
I decided that dinner was a time user and needed streamlining. To make dinners easier I combined freezer and slow cooker meals. I made 18 frozen meals that I can just toss into the slow cooker each morning. Dinner time comes and all I have to do is open the crock pot to a warm, scrumtious dinner.
The first thing I did was to plan a few meals. I looked online for inspiration. Once I had a list of the meals I wanted to prepare, I made a list of all of the needed ingreedients. I then found a babysitter and went to the grocery store with my LONG list. I bought in bulk (saving money for me to buy more fabric.) and I brought the food home. I then went back to the grocery store for the few items I forgot, this time with kids in tow.
The next day my mother (who was so kind to come over and help me) and I cut up meats and vegetables and put the meals together into the freezer bags. I kept the dry seasonings in their own small freezer bags within the larger bags to add to the meal when cooking. That really just seemed like a good idea to me. 🙂 I ended up with many meals this month that are going to help me maximize my quilting time! Chicken Pot Roast, Lentil soup, Pork Chops, Sweet and Sour Pork and many more.
We had one of the dinners two nights ago. It was a tasty success! What types of things do you do to be more efficient and make time for quilting?
Happy Tuesday! 
Posts Tagged ‘Quilitng’
Making Time to Quilt
Tuesday, October 7th, 2014Quilting Studio Move
Sunday, July 20th, 2014Earlier this summer we decided to move my quilt studio and its been a eye-opening experience.
For starters, moving can be a long drawn out process, and I have been unpacking for a week. I’m still only a quarter of the way through my fabric stash. Before the move, I stored my fabric in plastic bins (open, of course), but I decided to sort my stash by color in the new studio. Except for the fabric for the twenty or so quilts that I have designed already in my head, I’m stacking. And this is just the beginning.
Scraps are one of the things that slow me down sometimes, because I have so many. Every time I make a new quilt, I create more and more scraps. One of the things I’m excited to do once I’m all moved in, and have the fabric all sorted is to get those scraps organized and usable. I’ve dreamed of the day that I would FINALLY be able to get a quilt done fast, fast, fast. That day is coming, thanks to Bonnie Hunter’s Scrap User’s System from Quiltville. Another post for another day~Happy Saturday!
