Enrolled in Finishing school

"Wisdom comes with winters," said Oscar Wilde.

Here I am another winter on my hands and hopeful the wisdom continues to mount, LOL.
Frozen over now, we walk across the wet land area and I think of the frogs that caused such a racket there all spring and summer. How deep in the mud have they had to sink to survive this, I wonder.

Taken at our pond at the height of last summer before Miss Heron sauntered through!

There is a lot of sharpness in the woods...all the trees deleafed and all their bits sticking out. Hubby leading our little family on our walk took a full body fall recently. Without a chance to put out his hands, his chest took his weight. He was creeping around painful when he had to turn or twist but we are both counting our lucky stars he didn't break anything and is all better now.
It will happen- the falling down, the getting up.  Which is really like a metaphor for life isn't it. We fall down, we get up. We have to do this. Just like in the coming new year, we know for sure there will be the good days interspersed with bad days and even on those bad days we put one foot in front of the other.
  Hopefully a lot more of the good ahead for us and the people we know and love.
 My wish for all you reading this will be that then... a 2019 overflowing with goodness.

Here is something that always makes me smile, such a happy Jack Frost, designed by Kathy Schmitz.  This is the January block from my A Patchwork Year.

Meanwhile, I am serious about starting Finishing School.  First up is finishing the Hand Quilting on this piece, the Kathleen Tracey Mystery Friendship quilt. Fingers a bit sore but managing.  I've been using painters tape to help with straight lines.
Need work still on the eveness of the stitches showing on the back.  Part of me says not to fret while another part wants those to be as even as the front. Then to the binding. Part 1 of my OMG for January as declared at Elm Street Quilts.

And Part 2 of my OMG....Just have the binding to sew on this one. YES to finally getting Lynette Anderson's Scandinavian Christmas finished. Then I just might hang it up even though Christms is over. In fairness to me, I could not find a fabric for the binding and was late last year when I did. But really, many months have elapsed since so there is no logical explanation why this piece that I love and put so much work into was allowed to languish unfinished.

So I have my work cut out for me which is good...goals are good.
  The sun may be low but I fancy it is strengthening and the days are longer by just a bit. Here is that low winter sun setting on Friday just behind the house. (BTW, did anyone else watch that series Low Winter Sun...we enjoyed it.)

The happiest of New Years to you all!
Linking this post with  Kathy's Quilts,  The Quilting Jetgirl, Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Esther's Quilt Blog, Free Motion By the River and Sew Can She.