Sparrow

 

Quilt Etc. in Sandy did a block-of-the-month class the first Saturday every month. They started in 2003, but I didn’t join until the following year. I made every block, even while we lived overseas. I’d still be at it, if COVID hadn’t killed it in 2020. I was happy to find the Riley Blake Designs Block Challenge in 2001. There were free downloadable patterns for 16 blocks per year, all of them ten inches finished. There was a pattern for completing each sixteen-block quilt, but I was usually happier to design my own settings. The sampler quilts I made over the past five years were beautiful. The block challenge didn’t quite replace Quilt Etc.’s monthly classes, but almost. Until this year. I’ve been unhappy with all the blocks in the 2026 challenge. They’re uninspired and uninspiring. They’re unnecessarily busy, and the colors bicker with each other. They lack elegance, and I don’t know how to fix this.

Center Pieces

 

“How do we become and help one another become devoted disciples of Jesus Christ? We minister to the one. Ministering in the Savior’s way involves compassion, kindness, patience, and love without judgment. As we minister to the one, we invite the one to come unto Christ and to worship in the house of the Lord to receive of His redeeming power. In other words, we help one another become devoted disciples as we minister to the one in ways that lead to the house of the Lord. We learn from Jesus Christ the power of ministering to the one with love and without judgment. You remember the Samaritan woman at the well. This woman may have felt unimportant, alone, discouraged, and unseen. She may have felt she did not belong. Yet she was one of the first to whom Jesus Christ declared He was the Messiah. To Him, this woman was a daughter of God.” – Elder Peter M. Johnson

Eight Dancing Stars Plus One

 

The third Saturday of March is National Quilting Day. This year, it’s today: Saturday March 21. National Quilting Day is set aside to appreciate quilters, their skills, and the art of quilting. The holiday was the brainchild in 1992 of the National Quilting Association. Before it became known as National Quilting Day, it was called “Quilter’s Day Out,” founded by the Kentucky Quilting Association. Although it’s called “National,” this is really a global event, involving workshops, trunk shows, and the sharing of stories behind generations of handmade quilts. You can celebrate by visiting a quilting museum, or any museum where quilts are on display. You can share photos and stories of the quilts handed down in your own family with younger family members or on social media. You can sign up for a quilting class, air out the quilts in your cupboard, or rotate the quilts in your home. Or simply spend the day sewing. I won’t judge.

Twenty-Five Rail Fence Blocks

 

Ten Scientifically Proven Ways to Make Yourself Happier:

Spend money on other people. The happiest people are givers.

Try something new; a new route, a new hobby, a new passion. Shake things up.

Expose yourself to more blue. The color blue boosts confidence and cuts stress.

Stop defending your point of view. Even if you convince the other guy (and you won't) it won’t make you happy.

Go to church. People who attend regularly are more contented and more stable.

Sleep at least six hours at night.

Slash your commute to 20 minutes. Find a job near home or a house nearer work.

Make sure you can count at least 10 friends. Real friends, not just the facebook variety.

Fake it until you make it. Smile. It really will make you feel better.

Find yourself a romantic relationship. If you’re already in a relationship, simply add more romance. – from Meredith Galante of Business Insider

Yellow Bloom

 Brown Butter Banana Bread Cookies

 

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup mashed ripe banana

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips

 

Place butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until butter melts and turns golden brown. Pour into bowl and let cool 10 minutes. Stir in banana and sugars. Mix in egg and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Scoop dough onto a lined baking sheet. Bake at 350F 10 to 12 minutes until edges are golden. Cool on pan a few minutes before moving to baking rack.

Four Cake Stands

 

Oddly specific life tips:

Live east of your job. Driving into the sun both ways will mean you start and end your day with a headache.

Befriend security, housekeeping, maintenance and IT techs. Find those who serve and learn to serve them back.

If you can read a recipe, you can cook. Find recipes you like and cook them. Eat out as little as possible.

Develop the habit of reading every day: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, everything.

Remember you’re your oldest, truest friend. Don’t miss out on things because you have no one to do them with. Get comfortable attending movies alone, dining alone, traveling alone.

If it won’t matter in five years, don’t dwell on it more than five minutes.

Show up for parents with a new baby, people dealing with illness, people mourning a loved one. Bonus points if you bring a homemade meal. If there’s a funeral, try to attend.

Green Bow Tie

 

I haven’t had a professional manicure in over a decade. I was never a regular customer; I’d go in from time to time if I needed a morale boost or wanted to look particularly nice. But the last time I had a mani-pedi, the salon’s proprietor used a razor to remove a callous on my heel, and it bled for three days. Maybe someday I’ll have the guts to go back. Meanwhile, I manage well enough on my own. I have all the tools I need: a decent set of nail clippers, a nail file, a buffer, cuticle oil, and an orange cuticle stick. I don’t generally wear nail polish, and I keep my nails very trim. With all the things I use my hands to do, long nails and nail polish would just be a nuisance. I even make my own exfoliant scrub: half a cup of sugar (white or brown), three tablespoons of olive oil, and two tablespoons of honey.