It could be a show-stopping winner

Butterflies in your stomach?

Though The Great British Baking Off and its spinoff, Junior Bake Off, have been broadcast for sometime, only recently have I settled in to watch more than just an episode here and there.

I'm hooked.

Part of the appeal is how cheerful it is.

Some of it comes from the setting ... an open-air tent on a green lawn, the bright colors on the mixers, and generous dash of humor offered by the comedians who banter with the bakers.

But there's more to it.

There's the grit and determination of the bakers themselves. Especially the junior bakers.

When the dough doesn't rise, the caramel burns, or the cake topples, they hang in there.

And start over. Again and again.

What looks like a looming disaster is somehow salvaged and sometimes, turned into a show-stopping winner.

Tomorrow the calendar recognizes Idiom Week and when I searched for idioms, "butterflies in your stomach" caught my eye.

The bakers start each competition with butterflies in their stomachs. They're nervous and excited ... each and every time.

And they keep going.

It's a good reminder to viewers like you and me to hang in there. To keep going ... even when we're not sure how.

To try new things.

I'm still struggling with the making of my solitaire book and box, but I'm not going to stop ... though I've been tempted.

One of the biggest challenges was to find a way to make a box that would hold both the book and a deck of cards ... and I finally figured it out.

A well for the cards to sit in, with the book sitting on top of the well. That had me stumped for a while, too ... until I realized I could measure and make a dummy version to test it.

There have been a lot of heavy sighs and there's still a lot of figuring to be done, but I'm determined.

Are you working on a project that's got you frustrated or stumped?

A sentence, paragraph, or chapter that won't come together?

A dropped stitch in a knitting project?

A painting, skiing, or woodworking technique you just can't grasp?

Keep trying ... and like the bakers, you'll get there.