I feel your pain and frustration! 22 1/2 months and counting until retirement!

I just counted my last few working years as working and building my stash. Now I'm retired, have my stash, add a "new" sewing machine every month or so and am happy as a lark. I do have my days when I miss my kids being small and underfoot and I actually have days when I miss my friends at work. We go out to lunch, they go back to work and I come home to quilt! I win!!!!

I remember thinking that once I was retired I'd be able to quilt to my hearts content. I worked 100 hr weeks and done all the household chores. And I was still able to create at least 1 quilt a month. At the beginning of retirement I was doing at least 1 quilt a week. Now I only quilt if I have to. I have thought about selling all my fabrics and all but 2 machines. Instead --hoping this is just a bad phase I cleaned and organized my sewing room and closed the door after finishing 3 twin size quilts for my GDs. Its been more than 2 months and the door is still closed.I come here every day hoping to find my misplaced inspiration. I know I still have it --all I need to do is wait out this phase of blankness.

This is why my recent retirement is so wonderful. I can sew to my hearts content. Your day will come. Hang in there.

Enjoy life today! The time will come- your family will be grown and out of the house. You and your spouse will retire.
Then there will be time to do more quilting- Just as I go to that stage- enjoying roadtrips with DH and visiting quilt stores in many states- he became ill. Now after 8 years as a caretaker for him (Alzheimers), I'm alone and can sew and quilt hour after hour. Praise be to God for giving me the talent of quilting so I can now do many charity projects using many wonderful patterns shared by this group.

So sorry about your DH. Alzheimers is such a heart breaker, and you an angel for taking care of him for 8 yrs. My husband had a stroke and between two of my boys and me, he was able to stay home until the end a year later. Enjoy your quilting you have well earned your time.

I hear you, Quilting is my thing it to keeps me sane-the world can pass by while I'm quilting and I don't care.

It's all in BALANCE... you have to decide how many dirty dishes you can cope with on the counter, how much dust on furniture, etc.... You also set the timer for doing your chores and your hobby... Just like when you were in school you work on one task (aka math class) for a set amount of the time... when the bell rings (timer), you change activity (aka Literature class) Yes, there is going to be days when you don't get recess (quilting) but it's not like not getting any free time...

I hate to tell you this, but it doesn't get any better after you retire. LOL People come out of the woodwork with things for you to do because "you don't work any more and have plenty of time." I am ready to go back to work. I had more time to sew when I was working full time than I do now.

Back when I worked full time I could think of all kinds of things I'd be doing if I wasn't at work. When my company closed and I was at home all the time for the life of me I couldn't think of a single thing that I needed or wanted to do. The first time something popped into my mind I grabbed a legal pad and started a list and filled it up pretty quick. For over two years after that, when I didn't have an actual project to work on I would grab my list, pick something and work on it until it got marked off. It's been 10 years now and my original list is complete and I've started smaller ones that stay stuck on my fridge - ever before my face - to remind me that I really do have things to do. My main problem now is how to insert those necessary things into the time I want to quilt or knit or work on my glass. Some days I love getting older!