I'm going to go in search of them and wipe them off this earth.

UFOs, if you are a quilter, are unfinished projects. For others, that could mean unresolved resolutions.I've been making the same New Year's resolutions for 42 years.Since I turned 15, I have said, "This is the year I will lose weight and keep it off."Obviously I'm doing something wrong, and I need to give it up.A couple years ago I was having some hip pain and high blood pressure. Several doctors said, "If only you could lose weight."It finally sunk in. I started logging calories. Did you know one slice of pizza could have 500 calories and I used to eat three?Adding up calories and stopping when I reached my limit worked and I lost 16 pounds.This year I found those pounds and I didn't have to look too far.I need a new resolution.One of my friends found the man of her dreams, or at least someone she finally liked. He said he wanted to spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with her because that would set the tone for the whole year.Indeed, they got engaged and married that year. Thirteen years later, they're still going strong.Maybe they were on to something.The new year is that time to start over, to move forward; to make goals and the plans to make them happen. That's where I fall down - failing to plan.I had another friend who said, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."Blah, blah, blah. Heard that one before.Last year my New Year's resolution was to sew more, garden more and work less.I think I even said I would clean the house more often.Those goals were laughable.As a quilter, I have many UFOs. One is a wedding present for my son David and his wife Theresa. They got married in 2008. I wasn't quite finished so I put a photo of the project in their card.That was the last time I looked at it.Because of the business I am in, I am deadline oriented. When I blew through that deadline I never came back.When we danced at the wedding, I told David he should move closer to home so we could see our grandchildren. "I've been married for three hours. You're really getting ahead of yourself," he warned."Listen you know how long it takes me to finish a quilt. I need plenty of warning," I said.Two years ago I was ready when my beautiful granddaughter arrived. I finished sewing the quilt binding early - with two hours to spare before the baby shower.The other problem with that quilt was that I made a mistake and didn't have time to rip it out, so I stopped.That's how we are with life sometimes. If we hit a snag, we mope instead of finding a different direction.My problem, my husband will tell you, is that I try to do too much at once. And I underestimate how much time I need to complete each project, no matter what that task is.So this year I resolve to do what it takes to finish what I started.Speaking of finishing, I am finally going to go through those boxes in our basement. I am talking about the ones remaining from when we moved four years ago.We obviously don't need what's in those boxes because we haven't used any of it in four years.I'm going to seal my resolution with pork and sauerkraut.We wouldn't stand a chance at a good year unless we carry on that tradition.I learned that from my grandmother when I tried to make chicken one year.She wouldn't stand for it. Chickens scratch backwards, she said. If you eat chicken, you'll be going backwards all year.Is it all superstition?With my history of UFOs, I can't take a chance.Marta Gouger is editor of the Times News. Email her at

mgouger@tnonline.com.