Not what I had planned.

I don't know if "things happen for a reason." I DO know that no matter how well things are planned, plans often change. No matter how badly you wanted to make something happen, if it's not meant to be, it's not gonna happen!

We are at the end of 2024. A lot has happened this year. And a lot of plans were changed.

I had planned on spending most of 2024 in Colorado, helping my mom. She is the main caregiver for my dad who was diagnosed with dementia a while back. She does have a lot of help from my brothers and sister that live close. And my dad is a veteran and gets some help from the VA.
Even with all the help, I noticed mom was very tired. She is taking care of Dad, but someone needed to take care of her! I came up with a plan that I would be that person. I planned to move into the extra room in her house and be there 24/7 for maybe 3 months and come home to TX for a visit. Continue going back and forth for as long as possible. Thankful that my Heartbeat understood that this was really on my heart to do. And I quit my job at the quilt store.

Mom knew my plans and was all for having me there, but the month before I was to move in, she allowed my nephew to occupy the room I had intended to use! Indefinitely...
I was crushed. I was upset. I didn't understand. All the plans I made....! But my nephew remained in place.

Now December is here and I'm looking back on the year. Our oldest son found that he needed to make a change in his life. Not really knowing where this change was going to take him, in March he moved in with us as a stepping stone to get to what he wants next. I hadn't had much time with him in at least 8 years as we've lived in different states. Now, living in the same house, I get to witness the person he is today and I am in awe of the man he has become. AND he is a fiber artist! Although our arts are different, having someone right here to bounce ideas back and forth is sooo fun! 
Our youngest son, came home from France at the end of summer for a month for visa requirements. And his bf flew over to meet us and visit for a week. I was so grateful for this time. It's so exciting to see the opportunities our youngest is grabbing up and the person he has chosen to share this time with! And his future is so bright! 

I also was able to go with my Heartbeat to EU for 3 weeks this year and spend my 56th birthday in Paris!! We had a blast and made plans for our next adventure. A 3-week trip definitely wouldn't have happened had my original plans for 2024 worked. Not to mention all the other little moments with friends and family that have happened all year long! I am very blessed, it's been a wonderful year.

Maybe things do happen for a reason.

And today, I am inspired to blog, after a year+ hiatus, as I am reflecting over 2024 while I stitch... realizing plans change all the time...!

I acquired a scrap stash some time ago. A quilter friend brought in boxes and boxes of fabric to the store as donations to the various groups we have. After all the bigger pieces had been scooped up by my co-workers for their groups, a lot of smaller scrap pieces were left. All these little pieces are treasures to me. I see so much potential in them. I couldn't resist bringing it all home...

However, I may be at a point of “use it or lose it” as I will most likely be doing my own de-stashing soon. So, I better use what I can before starting the de-stash.  Starting with this box that contains a lot of fabric strips that range from 3” - 1” wide. 

I’ve been wanting to piece a “stacked coins” quilt and decided that 1.5” strips are perfect for it.

I’ll admit it’s a big task. Every piece has to measured and sorted. Most strips aren't a perfect 1.5" width and must be trimmed. My box of scraps wasn’t disappearing very fast. The pile is actually getting bigger as I incorporated more strips from another box to add color.

As I was sorting, I realized I am trimming the stacked coins strips to 2.5” wide. I can add space, save time, and also use up the 2.5” strips in the box. Yes! (Plans changed #1) 

The quilt is growing. The 2.5" strips help calm the chaos of throwing every color in. However, it's still not pleasing to my senses. So, I turned it vertically and I am liking this a whole lot more. I think maybe the pattern is now "scrappy stripes" and not "Stacked Coins." (Plans changed #2) 
At this point, it measures about 54" x 20". Only about a third of the way to the size I want.  ... and I'm already getting inspiration for the next quilt...

Well, when inspiration hits, you just gotta go with it, right??
I saw a quilt on social media. It's simply half-square-triangles (hst) pieced together in a 4-patch and set on point. 
My plan with this was to use black prints for the backgrounds and red prints for the accent color. Except, when the cutting started, as long as it had red in the print, I used it. And ended up with cream color accents and even adding a tan print that didn't have any red in it. (Plans changed #3)
It's looking a bit chaotic...

I considered removing the blocks with lighter accent colors. However, this is meant to be a true Scrappy quilt! I was determined to make it work. 
Adding another accent color might do the trick - enters green. (Plans changed #4) and re-arrange the setting and placement (many many times).

Once again, I was running out of oomph - "how many more blocks do I have to make to get it to the size I want?!? This is going to take forever!" as I looked at the two projects sharing the design wall space. 
I may have despaired a little bit, "now I'm going to have two MORE unfinished projects."
I even may have lost sleep over it...

Then suddenly. In the wee hours of the morning, after rearranging the blocks one more time. My vision blurred just enough to merge the two together... "Yes! it might work!" 

The plans changed yet again... but now there's that spark of Whimsy excitement! Things are shaping up nicely. My photo doesn't show what my eyes see in person, nor the plans for the next step. I can hardly wait!

I am really liking this. But it's not finished yet and there may be another 5 changes before I feel it's done. And you know what? That's the way it goes sometimes. A person can plan things to the smallest detail, but it doesn't work out. There's no right or wrong. It's just not meant to be at this moment.
It's best to roll with it. Work with it. Enjoy the moments. Revel in the journey. Learn and absorb whatever lessons come from it. Let the plans change!

I will let my heart shine love. I will create with whimsy. I will simply love and understand that I am exactly where I'm supposed to be. 

Thanks for visiting and reading my update. I hope you enjoy your last month of 2024! I wish you peace and joy in the place you find yourself today.

(Edit to add: from the other side - my mom is doing great. At my last visit, I noticed she had more energy. She is getting more visits from her grandchildren and it seems to be replenishing her joy. Who knows if her joyful moments this year would have happened had things been the other way! Things work out the way they should! 🥰)