unraveled wednesday | 11.28.2018 …

 

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In my ongoing döstädning efforts,  I found this tangled mess: a Christmas stocking I began, hmmmm… well let’s just say many moons ago…and leave it at that! I toyed with these ideas:

  1. abandoning the project…
  2. taking it to my quilting group as a freebie – some of the members also knit…
  3. attempting to pick-up where I left off and declaring it December’s knitting du jour.

After 30 seconds or so mulling time, I opted for my third choice. I’ll knit on the stocking each evening as we watch Nightly News; msnbc; and occasionally a Hallmark holiday movie (see Norman cringe!).

And who knows: perhaps I’ll even make considerable progress on this very-long-in-the-making Christmas stocking!

I’ve been listening to Michelle Obama’s Becoming on my daily walks. It is excellent and 100% enhanced by her narration.  It’s just about noon, very, very windy –  c-o-l-d  still – but sunny!  My plan is to hit publish on this post, don my coat, hat, gloves and earbuds, be brave, and go for a walk.

What are you döstädning, unraveling and/or reading these days?  Joining Kat and friends here for another Unraveled Wednesday.

Cheers~

brrr…it’s cold outside

 

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today’s sunrise

The day started bright, with the promise of sunshine all day… well, that was short lived. Sunrise, at 7:03 am and the morning high,  41° F was as good as it was going to get. Within an hour, clouds had moved in and winds picked up – making it feel like 32°.

This afternoon, I took a shorter and brisker walk than planned  ’cause it’s downright windy and cold —brrr.  Even though the Winter Solstice is just 24 days away, I’m really not ready for winter. You?

After my very abbreviated and brisk walk, I was so thankful to step inside our warm house. So very thankful.

sometimes mondays |11.26. 18 …

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…are nearly over before I know it!  This has been a full and rewarding day:

  • beginning with the last of 8 weekly planning sessions, Mindful Mondays, facilitated by Journal Club coach, Jamie Ridler;
  • lunching with a dear friend to celebrate our November birthdays – hers is two days before mine. We don’t see one another often enough. We chatted about quilting and little ones – grands: her four and my two great grand nephews, all under 5 years;
  • ending with stops at the credit union and IKEA for their Raskog cart – my fifth! Raskog unfamiliar to you? Just do a google search and you’ll be amazed at all the uses and hacks…be careful to not fall down the Pinterest rabbit hole

It is time to slow down and close shop…have a pleasant evening.

Cheers~

a red bird …

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At our last Recent Read gathering, my friend Margaret introduced me to Pulitzer Prize winner and thirteenth US Poet Laureate Ted Kooser. I find that I begin reading one poem and then the next and then the next…

The following poem is from his latest book,  Kindest Regards: New and Selected Poems, ©2018 by the author, published by Cooper Canyon Press, p 205 and also featured on the jacket back.

Hoarfrost

Two days of an icy prairie fog and every blade of grass, and twig, and branch, and every stretch of wire, barb, post and staple, is a knot or a thread in a lace of the purest white. To walk is like finding your way through a wedding dress, the sky inside it cold and satiny; no past, no future, just the now all breathless. Then a red bird, like a pinprick, changes everything.

We didn’t have a hoarfrost this morning, but I did see a red  bird … a cardinal.

currently …

 

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4:00 pm  | saturday | 11. 24.2018

seeing: few leaves hanging on the trees; most are bare …

hearing:  rain, beating on the windows, hard …

wondering: how the rain has impacted early holiday shopping …

eating: an oatmeal cookie and three grapes …

drinking: hot peach tea – warms my soul …

feeling: warm and cozy …

counting: 32 days til Christmas!

listening to :  Michelle Obama’s Becoming

loving :  every word …

thinking: how grateful I am for this  cozy warm house on a cold, rainy, saturday afternoon!

Cheers~

by the light…

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November’s Full  Moon – Beaver or Full Frost Moon, as it’s sometimes called – was the perfect ending to a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and my friend Margaret:

  • Food was delicious – and there was so much of it …
  • Conversations delightful  and  …
  • Birthday greetings for Elias who will celebrate his first birthday Tuesday, 27 November!

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Chris; Dolly lighting the candles; Auntie Kayla; Mimi (Elias’ grandmother), Elias and Norman…

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Big Brother Chris … Elias’ hero!

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Elias!

We are all eternally grateful that our Thanksgiving 2018 includes Dolly and Elias. Here’s to many more celebrations!

Cheers~

PS.  Today has been a quiet, PJ day for me!

thanksgiving morn…

 

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the clock ticks … the sun shines – tho’ the thermometer vacillates between 32°-33° … sitting on the counters, makin’s for corn pudding and sour cream gelatin … the turkey’s in the oven  – it’s aroma begins to fill the air …

quiet … peaceful … looking forward to this gathering with family and friends…

grateful for this day of thanksgiving …

may your Thanksgiving Day also be filled with family, friends and festivity.

Cheers~

PS. Joining Carole for 3 on thursday here and the photo is an edited screen capture of my phone’s desktop photo; the original is provided by Kelly of Minding My Nest. 

ready to unravel and stitch a bit…

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This morning I woke up at at 5:45 am and took myself to my sewing studio; it had become a dumping ground  for QUiPS – quilt projects in progress…or not!  Two hours + minutes later, I finished sorting through all the projects  – in various stages of undone – that had accumulated. Some were on the design wall; others, on my cutting table and in a wicker basket. Last Monday I purchased (more) fabric for two quilts: one for Kayla -she graduates from high school in May and one for a project that, sadly, has been on my to do list four years! Way too long.

I  compiled a list of ten QUiPS: some are almost done…others, yet to be started or require a different approach. I also have a list of knitting projects in various stages – but that’s a story for another day!

In thinking about the best approach for tackling my list, several options come to mind; I could:

  1. Designate a day of the week for each project-the children’s nursery rhyme comes to mind: Monday is washing day, Tuesday is ironing day, etc: Monday is QUiP #1, Tuesday, QUiP # 3, etc or
  2. Schedule a couple hours each/most days and stitch a bit on this, that or
  3. Pull slips of paper with the QUiP written on it from a basket ;-)).

I may just implement all three options. However I choose to proceed, I know my four year QUiP is numero uno…and now that I have found the fabric, I can pull it together. I am ready.

In the meantime, it’s time today to proceed with tomorrow’s preparations. And time’s a wastin…

Joining Kat and others here for Unraveled Wednesday.

Cheers~

what to write?

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I have great admiration for writers! Their craft is hard work! I appreciate the stories they tell, the wisdom they impart, the advice given to aspiring  writers and the invitation to readers to learn, create and enjoy.  I always visit the  “writing” section in bookstores and libraries, looking for a new title to whet my appetite. I often revisit my own library, too, selecting a book to re-read, for there is always something new within to capture my attention and stir my soul.

Last month, I found the above book during a visit to Barnes & Noble. This little 154 page book is a gem – and a perfect match for me: mindful is my 2018 word – and because it is on my radar, most times when I see it on a magazine or as part of a book title or even a knitting pattern, my curiosity is piqued. Via 59 little essays, the author, a professor and director of creative writing at Ohio University, shares “quotations and brief responses to those quotations, illuminating how, in my view, writing and mindfulness can intersect in positive and productive ways.” (p.16)

Many  Most days, I resolve to post earlier in the day than I do. What to write? looms over my head. Today was one of those days and reading essay 23, page 70,  these words: “the longest journey begins with a single step.” ~ Lao Tzu,”  captured my attention.  Dinty Moore reminds us that each writing project begins with the writing of one word. 

I thought…Voila!  Today I’ll share this delightful, very helpful little book.  I wrote the first word and sentence!  And then more words began to flow. Time now to hit publish and move on with the day: Off to the grocery store for Thanksgiving prep.

How do you jumpstart your writing?

Cheers~