odds and ends idea

hi all.

we have been so very busy that nothing besides pure requirement has seemed even appealing to me. however, after spending five hours at school yesterday getting the next two weeks in order, i am feeling a little better about everything i need to do. the next two weeks are crucial at school in terms of paperwork and deadlines, so i won't be blogging very often. and my poor husband has to close 16 homes this week... 16! so he will be busy too. i was lamenting our lame, un-creative, un-productive selves this past friday by tallying up the time we were spending laying on the couch. i said, 'we're lazy.' to which he replied, 'no, we are exhausted.' and he is right. which leads me to my point.

distractions and busy-ness completely stifle creativity.

and sanity.

and peace.

and i am slowly trying to reclaim creative time, sanity, and peace... especially the peace part. we are just going to get through it and be better on the other end. not sure if i mentioned it in my last post, but i am really going to try to see all of my ventures as a collective whole rather than one keeping me from the other. because i am the same person through all of my efforts, and i'd like all parts to be manageable together and fuel each other. the key will just be to be as intentional and efficient as possible.

if i am not making any sense, let's take a big sigh of relief as i end my late night rant of being overworked, overstressed, and overwhelmed at all the duties of life.

ahhh.

now, at school i had this big huge bag of remnant yarns that my mom gave me. they are super cool and were intended for use at school to teach kids how to knit. except they are sort of tricky- not the michael's type yarn that would be so good to just teach someone on.

so i have an idea. i want to make something like this:

i saw this picture recently (like in march or april) but i didn't write down where. so i'm very sorry to not give credit where it is so very much due.

this would be a great way to use remnants. i'd like to perhaps even sample some different (but complementary) stitch patterns in the various colors.

i just have a few questions:

-how will i determine what size needle to use? what if different remnants need different needles? how will i join them together if that is the case?

thoughts from the creative habit

this morning i woke up and left the house for a little journal time at starbucks. it was heavenly. back when i was single i would go to starbucks often on a weekend morning and read/journal for a while. it felt just like that this morning, and it was nice to have marc back at home to return to.

marc and i have been working so hard on our place, i haven't had much time to play around on things, but i am seeing our place as our own little space to be creative together: choosing paint colors, wall hangings, furniture, and creating an environment together that we both enjoy. it's fun, it's hard work, it takes a long time, and it is really exciting. i will post pictures when we finish. which will hopefully be soon.

and which explains why a trip to the coffee shop was such a treat.

i brought the creative habit with me and wrote down quotes from the book in my journal. (i'll be returning the book to my mom when i am finished, so i figure i should write down the good parts so i don't forget.)

thought that tonight i would share some of the quotes i liked. some are exact, some are paraphrased. when i journal, i sometimes copy verbatim and sometimes in my own words/as concepts.

in order to be creative, you have to know how to prepare to be creative.

what does it mean to be creative, and how do you go about it efficiently?

no one is born with that skill.

it is developed through exercise... repetition...

a blend of learning and reflection.

painful.

rewarding.

you need a working environments that are habit-forming.

when you enter into them,

they impel you to get started.

distractions and fears are the habitual demons

that invade the launch of every project.

so much of this book is confirming the thoughts and fears that i have had regarding my own endeavors.

thoughts like,

'where do i begin?'

'i should just try this and see what happens'

'is this something innate in me or do i develop it?'

i love her idea that creativity is actually hard work. i like that her definition of creativity doesn't discriminate based on talent, but instead focuses on the discipline required to shape talent. i am excited to read about her creative exercises and i love the anecdotes about creative 'habits' that people of all careers have developed. because creativity isn't limited to the craft world, it's part of how you approach anything you do.

it's a really good process book instead of the how-to books that i've been finding.

good moms hook their daughters up

acquired:

photo from the fancy tiger blog

this lovely set of fat quarters from fancy tiger. my mom just called and is buying herself a new project at the store. it was a good thing i wasn't there with her because she brings out the shopper in me. i had seen these fabrics on their blog a few days ago and made a mental note to check them out. so i asked her to take a look and she said they are wonderful. she also picked up a copy for me of mary thomas' book. awesome! i'm not sure what i will do with the fabric, but i am hoping to try a little embroidery inspired by richard saja.

fun!

dreaming of hawaii

i know that it's been a while since posting (for whomever may be reading my blog regularly!) but life has been so hectic lately that i have not had time to do proper research on any piece i have, nor have i had time to be creative. mostly i've worked nonstop and then read the twilight series as a getaway. (our book club gave in to an easy read this month, so i ventured into teen angst, and did not put it down until i was properly finished so i could feel good about something...anything...i could cross off my checklist.)

it's times like these that i start to fantasize about being in hawaii.

we went to hawaii for our honeymoon and it was truly such a perfect vacation.

so, i've decided to write about one of the things that we have on our walls in our bedroom.

hanging above our dresser are these two leis from our honeymoon in hawaii.

(for this post, i'm going to offer a little mood music...and then let you visit a little of my current 'happy place' through some honeymoon pictures.)

we stayed at the fairmont orchid for the first part of our honeymoon. it was such an amazing hotel... beauty around every corner, peaceful quiet, and amazing service. whenever life gets tough, we say, 'oh the fairmont!' it was our heaven-on-earth. these pictures show the grounds and the outdoor patio where we had breakfast the first day. it was blissful- soft music playing, lots of yummy food, and the best breeze ever.

that day we spent the entire day at the pool, under the hugest umbrella ever, on completely comfortable padded lounge chairs. unlike our other hotel, this one was deserted- we had the whole pool to ourselves, it seemed. marc slept and i read- perfect! i love the palm trees reflected in his sunglasses. :)

the second day we ventured out around the big island.

we went to a lovely botanic garden that was truly impressive. i also got eaten alive by mosquitoes, but that isn't part of my hawaiian daydreams anymore. :)

while we were out we found this little snack shack that had the BEST smoothies and i also had a chicken wrap that was uh-ma-zing. we sat on the porch and took in the scenery.

i loved the flora of hawaii and was amazed by the shapes i saw. i'm remodeling our place to be a little reminiscent of hawaii, and want to redo our pillows and decor... perhaps these pictures will inspire some lines and designs.

our copy room at school has pictures of hawaii posted up all over. in some ways, i think it is torturous that they are there- as if they are mocking how chained we are to our jobs. on the other hand, sometimes i sit there while i wait and imagine being in hawaii right at that moment. seriously, i want to go back. i know it is cliche, but there's a reason for it.

i've got a lot of stories to tell about me, and my mom, and i know i've shared a lot of lovey dovey stories about marc and i. but they're the easiest ones to tell b/c i already have the pictures and i know the stories. so for now, until i get my head above water, they are the ones i will share. plus, it was so wonderful to think on hawaii for a little bit, i had to share my pictures and music with you as well.

at least you know what i'm thinking. :)

knitted sweater dress

This is a sweater dress that my mom knitted and embroidered in the early 1970s. I inherited it a few years ago when I basically carted it out of her house, saying, "I'm going to take this." (At least I think that is how I got it- that's how I get most of my things from my mom. She may have offered this one.)

I love it, although I haven't found the occasion (or the weather) quite right to wear it.

The dress was another pattern in a McCall's needlecraft magazine. I'm starting to think I'd like to order some back issues (if that were even possible) of this magazine!

My mom made the dress by knitting in the round (circular knitting). She created and cut steek stitches down the neckline opening. Then she embroidered on a black wool backing, and attached the green felt. She didn't deviate from the pattern at all. (In her words, she wasn't skilled enough to deviate... yet.) If she were to redo the dress, she would have used better quality yarn and would have never used felt.

One of the things I find most impressive about this dress is that my mom finished it the same winter that she started it. That's crazy!! But she is the most productive person I know, so that is also not surprising.

Whenever I feel ambitious enough to attempt wearing this dress, I pair it with creme tights and black knee high boots. It looks great. Except that it fits me exactly like those paper Chinese lanterns that we made back in elementary school: fitting in the shoulders and on the hem (?) but very large in the middle. Also, it is warmer than warm. One winter I WILL wear it when it is really cold. I almost wore it on Christmas Eve this year, but I figured I'd love it for 30 minutes and then want to change. The most annoying thing about it is how tight it is at the very bottom- not much mobility.

However, I love love love the style of the dress and absolutely love the embroidery. After discussing it with my mom last night, this is the idea: what if I removed the embroidery, found something to replace the felt (which has no 'give' to it), and reattached it? I think there should be plenty of stretch on the bottom if there is stretch in the middle. However, if I did this, would you keep the green color or change it to black? I love the green on the neckline but am not sure about it all over.

My mom noted that she thinks it is interesting that she didn't wear this for years but always kept it in her closet. I have done the same, and have not worn it out yet at all. But, I think there is a lot to this dress that is just perfect. It would sell for so much at a place like Anthropologie. Perhaps this summer I will work with my mom on a few minor adjustments. It's too amazing to keep on a hanger for so long.

cleaning out my photos

One of the drawbacks of valuing the story in every little thing is that I have held on to a lot of stuff.

We've been working on simplifying our life at home to create a 'refuge' together and have home be a more peaceful place. I'm really not a packrat but with 900 square feet an extra pile is all you need to have chaos.

I've been going through everything. And I've been nearly ruthless with what's gone out.

A recent a-ha I've had is that I can scan a lot of things I want to keep and get rid of the physical item. For example, I've saved nearly every paper I've written from high school and college. Totally unnecessary, right? So I'll scan them and get rid of them. Done.

Another thought is that I will post an R.I.P. entry for the things I'm getting rid of that mean something to me, and that way, I'll feel like I'll always have it around.

The other thing I'd like to do is really organize my digital space. It's the messiest space I have.

So in cleaning out my school computer, I found three photos I had taken a few springs ago. I brought the photos into school to tell my class about the strange incident that took place one morning.

Before leaving for school, there was all sorts of commotion on my balcony. My cat, Levi, meowed incessantly to alert me to the issue. Two birds were fluttering around on the ledge. They were nearly fighting. I grabbed my camera.

Eventually the second bird flew away, and the first bird laid an egg! Right on my balcony. Unfortunately my camera focused on the screen instead of the bird.

The bird flew away and the egg remained, precariously perched on my third floor balcony ledge. I didn't know what to do. Would the mother bird return?? I left for school and told our librarian about the situation. (She knows a ton about cocoons, insects, birds, you name it.) She looked it up and apparently it was illegal to move the egg. Good thing I didn't touch it, right? I told myself if it was still there when I returned I'd do something.

I came home and it was gone. And it hadn't splattered beneath my balcony. I'm sure it was lunch for something. What a bizarre little moment!

giraffe stamp

my junior year in college, i took an art class for one of my summer classes. one of my favorite products from the class is this stamp i made. i had taken a picture from the san francisco zoo of two giraffes. i sketched the photo in my book but changed the giraffes slightly so it looked like they were embracing. then, we placed our sketches on top of a block of rubber (perhaps it was a large eraser, i've heard that is a popular way to start making stamps.) we carved out the stamp with this little handheld tool and i was really impressed with how good it turned out! the stamp eventually broke apart, and this is all i have left. i keep it in a little collage on corkboard, along with a few other little things i've done.

when i met marc, he had been previously married. he and his ex-wife lost their son in labor. whenever he would speak of zion, his son, i felt he brought me into very hallowed, sorrowed space. it is a privilege and honor to share in another person's grief.

on our first date, marc and i went to the zoo, among other places. it was an amazing, wonderful day! a ten-hour first date and soooo fun. (i will definitely tell you that story sometime soon!) we took all kinds of pictures, including one of a giraffe- marc's reminder of his son. on our third date, he came to my house. he asked about every... single... thing... on my walls. that spoke to my heart, because my walls hold so much meaning. when i showed him this picture, neither of us said anything, but all of a sudden, the picture took on such a different meaning to me. where i used to see only love, i now see comfort, and sympathy, and support. the love itself in the picture seems deeper. i know that there isn't a baby in this picture, and i'm not foolish enough to believe i understand that incredible pain. but i know what it feels like to love someone who does. and now i like that picture even more.

Easter Egg Family Activity

As I have mentioned previously, I am cleaning out every possible thing in our place. I have made a few great discoveries: the camera cord (yesss!) and this great Easter activity.

Family traditions are so special to me. One family tradition I love is that every Christmas Eve growing up, my mom would give me one gift: a new nightgown or pair of pajamas. I'd wear it to bed, and be in it while opening gifts the next morning.

But another fun possibility is imagining new traditions I'll start with my own family (hopefully) (some day.) When I was in college in Missouri, it was a little silly to fly home for Easter, so I spent Easter for two years with my friend Keri's family. It was so fun! They are serious about their Easter traditions. For example, Keri's dad would write all these clues, and every family member would go on a major egg hunt. It wasn't the typical egg hunt, which is: find every egg you can as quickly as you can. From what I remember, you had a certain color of plastic egg: those were your eggs. You started out with a clue, leading you to your first egg. Then you followed from there with your second clue and so on. Each egg had a little something in it, and at the end there would be something bigger like a book or a shirt or something. How nice that Keri's family included me in that! I'm totally going to do that (hopefully) (some day.) :)

But I want to share with you my favorite tradition that Keri's family did. It was so interesting and such a neat way to include even little family members in the Easter story. It's very easy to gather the materials, so I thought I would share for you to make as well, if you wish.

Twelve Eggs About Jesus

(This page came from Keri's mom, Sandy, and has literally been missing for years in a box until I found it yesterday. Whoo-hoo!)

Use an egg carton and twelve plastic eggs. Number each egg from one to twelve. Inside each egg, put the object that matches the Bible verse. Hide all the eggs. Tell your children to find all the eggs. Then the parents read the first Bible verse. The person that hast the number one tells what is inside his egg. Continue down the list of verses until all twelve eggs have been opened. On Easter Sunday when your family sits down for lunch, have your children read the Easter Story using the eggs.

(Note: we didn't hide them, we just sat together and took turns opening eggs. Inside our eggs were the object and a strip of paper with the bible verse on them. We would look up the verses for our eggs. I think this is a better way to do this for older children or adults.)

Verses and Objects

(I'm going to link each bible verse so this post isn't too long, follow the link if you want to read them.)

1. Matthew 26:14-16

Judas betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver

(object: three dimes or any silver coin)

2. Matthew 26:26-29

The Last Supper

(object: cracker or bread)

3. John 13:4-17

Jesus washes disciples' feet

(object: piece of soap)

4. Matthew 26:47-56

Judas comes and brings the army, carrying swords and clubs

(object: cocktail sword)

5. Matthew 26:69-75

Peter denies Christ three times and the cock crows

(object: picture of a rooster or a small rooster from a farm set)

6. Matthew 27:1-2

Jesus is tied up

(object: a rope or a string)

7. Matthew 27:29

Crown of thorns put on Jesus' head

(object: use a vine, ivy, or part of a rose stem wrapped in a circle)

8. Matthew 27:32-38

Jesus crucified on the cross

(object: a nail or small cross)

9. Matthew 27:48

They took a sponge and filled it with sour wine. They put it on a reed and gave to Jesus to drink.

(object: toothpick with sponge on end)

10. Matthew 27:57-59

Joseph takes Jesus' body and wraps him in linen cloth

(object: white material)

11. Matthew 27:60

They put Jesus' body in the tomb and rolled a large stone in front of the entrance.

(object: a rock)

12. Matthew 28:5-6

They go to the tomb and the angel tells the people,"Jesus is not here. He has risen!"

(object: the egg is empty; Jesus was not in the tomb anymore. He has risen.)

Happy Easter!

He is risen!

my sentiments exactly

I've had the book I Like You by Sandol Stoddard Warburg for at least fifteen years.

(It was originally published in 1965)

I found it in high school at the Tattered Cover. The old Tattered Cover in Cherry Creek North.

I've always loved it- the sentiments, the layout, and the illustrations.

Plus, its size is adorable.

I never knew exactly who it was for. Or what led me to be so drawn to it.

When Marc and I spent our first Valentine's Day together, we'd been dating for about three months. But you have to understand, we took things really slow. At first at least. We were reserved on all counts, especially in expressing our feelings. We spent every weekend together, and our dates were always really long (Marc called them 'daytes') and we definitely didn't hide our contentment in being together. But, we left it at that.

We had really only shared our real feelings for about two weeks before Valentine's Day. It was on a Thursday that year, and we hadn't made advance plans to spend an evening out during the week. So it all happened pretty quickly. Marc made dinner reservations and I deliberated: were we at the point that we should exchange cards? gifts? And if so, how much? Would he give me a gift? (I certainly couldn't if he didn't, right??) Oh, the analytical sagas of dating!

I didn't want to do anything too friendly or too romantic- we were too early into it. I set to work making a really pretty card (lost in the junk- will post as a part 2 when I find it.) After much thought, I decided to give him this book. I fretted, thinking, 'if we don't end up together I'm losing my book!' But I told myself that I could just go get another one in that case. I didn't want to give him a new copy- mine is worn on the edges, and it's old, and I've held it so many times, and it's mine. That seemed more special to me for what it really meant.

It's so little I kept it in my purse. Marc gave me a card, so I gave him a card. He didn't give me a gift (let the record show, though, that he paid for all of the dinner) I didn't know if I should give him the book. I'm an old-fashioned girl who happens to think Valentine's is more about guys giving girls things than vice versa (that's probably bad of me to think, right?) So it stayed in my purse throughout dinner.

By the end, though, I was totally swept up in the whole evening's atmosphere. We were at Carmine's on Penn, and totally oblivious to every other person in the room. There was a giant red poppy on the wall, and I'd put red poppies on my card to him without knowing it- point being, everything seemed orchestrated together through no effort on our part. I had to give him the book.

I slid it over on the white tablecloth, and he took it all in. Read it page by page, and I was really amazed at how much it meant to him. He got really quiet, and I later learned that he was completely choked up by it. Good. It was exactly how I felt. And, it wasn't pushing us into anywhere we weren't at yet. Perfect.

This is a long post, but I want to share the words to this wonderful book.

Read on, if you wish.

i like you

and i know why

i like you

because you are a good person

to like

i like you because

when i tell you something special

you know it's special

and you remember it

a long long time

you say

remember when you told me

something special

and both of us remember

when i think something is important

you think it's important too

we have good ideas

when i say something funny

you laugh

i think i'm funny and

you think i'm funny too

hah-hah

i like you because

you know where i'm ticklish

and you don't tickle me there

except

just a little tiny bit

sometimes

stop

stop stop

help

help

but if you do then i know where to tickle you too

HELP

you know how to be silly

that's why i like you

boy are you ever silly

i never met anybody sillier than me

till i met you

i like you because

you know when it's time to stop being silly

maybe day after tomorrow

maybe never

oops too late

it's quarter past silly

we fool around the same way all the time

sometimes we don't say a word

we snurkle under fences

we spy secret places

if i am a goofus on the roofus

hollering my head off

you are one too

if i pretend i am drowning

you pretend you are saving me

if i am getting ready to pop a paper bag

then you are getting ready to jump

HOORAY

that's because

you really like me

you really like me

don't you

and i really like you back

and you like me back

and i like you back

and that's the way we keep going

every day

if you go away

then i go away too

or if i stay home

you send me a postcard

you don't just say

well see you around

some time

bye

i like you a lot

because of that

if i go away

i send you a postcard too

and i like you because

if we go away together

and if we are in grand central station

and if i get lost

then you are the one who is yelling for me

hey where are you

here i am

and i like you because

when i am feeling sad

you don't always cheer me up right away

sometimes it is better to be sad

you can't stand the others being so googly and gaggly

every single minute

you want to think about things

it takes time

i like you because if i am mad at you

then you are mad at me too

it's awful when the other person isn't

phooey

they are so nice and hoo-hoo you could just about

punch them in the nose

i like you because if you think i am going to

throw up then you are really sorry

you don't just pretend you are busy looking at

the birdies and all that

you say maybe it was something you ate

you say the same thing happened to me one time

and the same thing did

if you find two four-leaf clovers

you give me one

if i find four

i give you two

if we only find three

we keep on looking

sometimes we have good luck

and sometimes we don't

if i break my arm and

if you break your arm too

then it is fun to have a broken arm

i tell you about mine

you tell me about yours

we are both sorry

we write our names and draw pictures

we show everybody and they wish they had a broken arm too

i like you because

i don't know why but

everything that happens

is nicer with you

i can't remember when i didn't like you

it must have been lonesome then

i like you because because because

i forget why i like you

but i do

so many reasons

on the fourth of july i like you because

it's the fourth of july

on the fifth of july

i like you too

if you and i had some drums

and some horns and some horses

if we had some hats and some

flags and some fire-engines

we could be a HOLIDAY

we could be a CELEBRATION

we could be a WHOLE PARADE

see what i mean?

even if it was the

nine-hundred-and-ninety

night of july

even if it was august

even if it was way down at the bottom of november

even if it was no place particular in january

i would go on choosing you

and you would go on choosing me

over and over again

that's how it would happen every time

i don't know why

i guess i don't know why i like you really

why do i like you

i guess i just like you

i guess i just like you

because i like you

i will always love this book, even more now that it is part of our story. :)