Although I did try to sew for at least 15 minutes a day in 2025, I did not keep track of it, and I wound up losing some motivation in the summer. More importantly, I didn't have a good record of what I did during the year. So I have decided I am going to try again to report my progress on a weekly basis. To help with that, I am going to try to take photos every day. I won't show them all to you, but at least they will be available for my posts.
I have probably committed to more than I can do this year, but I have decided to go ahead and try. I'm following the saying, "Reach for the Moon! Even if you fail, you will still land among the stars". Or something like that, I didn't look for the actual quote. Anyway this picture represents the 75 Day Soft Challenge. It is a mental toughness challenge that was created by Andy Frisella. He requires strict adherence to these rules:
1. two 45-minute workouts, one outside, with hours in between
2. your choice of diet with zero cheat meals and no alcohol
3 drink a gallon of water
4. read 10 pages of a non-fiction book
5. take a daily progress photo
Because his rules are not tough enough (ha ha), he requires that if you miss a day, you have to start over from day 1.
I like the challenge because it isn't just a weight loss / exercise regime. It adds fun things like the reading which helps with the mental part, and the progress picture that serves as a reminder to stay on track and can let you see changes. Although it seems strange to say that something that takes this much time out of your life is a good thing, it helps make sure that I prioritize my health. Since the diet is more of a lifestyle change, I like the idea of actually thinking through the lifestyle I want and then making a plan to make sure that I do things that make that plan into real life. I love that I am choosing my own lifestyle and making it happen.
Since I want to make this a sustainable habit, and because I want to be a laid back nice boss to myself after decades of working for corporations where each year we had to do more and more with less and less, I have changed the rules for myself to be easier and more sustainable for the long run.
1. One 45+ minute workout a day
2. spend at least 10 minutes outside
3. drink 6 glasses of water, about half a gallon
4. read 30 minutes of a book (I usually read nonfiction books, but I like flexibility).
5. take a daily progress photo
6. more importantly, I add the 15 minutes to quilt challenge here.
7. to make up for the second exercise, I am cleaning instead for 30 minutes. I can get a physical workout and get my house cleaned at the same time. This is mostly for deep cleaning, like the basement, closets, etc., but if I don't feel like daily cleaning, it serves as motivation for me to do the daily stuff too.
8. Follow a healthy diet with no cheat meals / alcohol
My list looks longer only because of the way things are broken up. It takes approximately the same amount of time. I try to do some cleaning or reading outside to save time. I did do this challenge in 2025 and since I didn't keep it up after the 75 days were up, I am starting again. My daily videos in December meant I dropped the exercise and the deep cleaning, and I am picking them up again.
Anyway I guess I can post updates for that here too. I did well on the 1st but have already started sliding. I don't like to call them fails because if I miss one thing (say eat a cookie) then that means I can take the rest of the day off. But if I continue to stay onboard by exercising, reading, etc., I think that is better for me in the long run. Plus, when you start something new (again), it takes a while to get everything in gear and form habits.
75 Day Soft Tracker
- Met every goal / Jan = 1/3 days
- Met every goal / 2026 = 1/3 days
- Success rate = 33%
15 Minutes to Quilt
This week, I worked on my peacock quilt using leftovers of the Lupine and Laughter mystery quilt. I have the background chosen and pieced. I sewed a fusible behind this peacock so it could be appliqued in one big piece. I also have cut the lace I am going to add to the background.
I also made more progress on making the blocks for the Lupine & Laughter mystery quilt. I moved my African quilt to the back of the design board so I could see how the L&L look together. I trimmed the flying geese and have started the kitty ears blocks.
The Project Quilting challenge was announced today, and I will be participating again this year. I will do my best to keep all of the submissions small enough that I can complete them in one week.
- 15 minute days/Jan = 3/3 days
- 15 minute days/2026 = 3/3 days
- Success rate = 100%
