The Quilt

The Quilt
So last night I shared the photo of my quilt in progress. I’m using Laura Gunn’s Poppy collection and Alexander Henry’s Heath from In the Kitchen. I fell in love with the Poppy pattern in the rust color. I love the contrast with the blue background so that will be the backing to my quilt. I’m particularly excited about that since it will give our bed two different options. A green quilted look and the poppy coverlet look.

I’m also going to make corresponding pillow cases. I haven’t planned anything, but they’ll also be Poppy coordinates since I have a surplus in my stash. It will be fun to see what I end up with.

I think I’ll have time to complete the green side over the weekend. Then I’ll move to the tricky part – basting. However, I think I’m going to try the adhesive method Film in the Fridge ( http://www.filminthefridge.com/2011/03/03/spray-adhesive-for-quilt-basting-a-quick-how-to/) uses rather than spending an entire day stitching in circles and getting a terrible pain in the neck.

Admittedly Sewing

That’s what works for me, and rather than clog the ole FB with photos and details.  My plan is to put them here, like so many other crafty people who blog.   Nothing to lose from it, so enjoy.

I’m piecing my first large quilt.  Took advantage of laying it on the bed while changing the sheets…

“Fall seven times, stand up eight.”

The persistence of the spirit guides us daily to help make us whole. Even on mornings when we lie in bed wishing that life could go on without our assistance, eventually we stir from beneath the residual safety of the covers. If we just gave up, our spirit would die.

As harsh as it sounds, the spirit of life within each of us can, and often does, lead us through treachery. It forces us to feel life, rather than remain a passive observer united with the status quo. When faced with challenges, our human spirit provides the foundation needed to break the boundary of simplistic comfort and carries us to the joy of new or under-appreciated emotions. The hard path may be daunting, but it sheds the brightest light on the the true self, too often buried under burdens of the modern world.

So in this world where we can have as much joy, love, kindness,gentleness, patience, self-control and positivity as we can handle why do we choose the opposite. Or rather let it dominate us?

Overcome by the bounty

I read an article about how a woman used a time bank to fund her wedding. Seems insignificant, but truly most Americans still have all that we need and thensome. I’ve seen people on food stamps buy more than I could afford when my family had a single income, people with minimum wage jobs driving new cars and others keeping up with the Jonses cell phone bills.

What strikes me about these coincidences is the disposable attitude taken towards what those choices mean to some one’s lifestyle. It appears that the values treasured are look at what I have as opposed to look at what I’ve earned.

What i’ve earned over time is an appreciation for the effort I personally give to achieve a goal I’ve set. When I was younger I didn’t believe in goals. I said, “What good is a goal?” I see that was part of the folly of youth and a jaded thinking.

I paid the price by making decisions that actually hindered my goals. Since I didn’t write them down it was easy to disregard the impact of my choices on my path to adulthood. Overall I still learned many valuable lessons, but I sold myself short by not keeping pace with my dreams.

There is no time bank for the real benefits in life. The relevance of the time bank is people using their skills to achieve a greater goal. That confidence is inspiring. Pass it on!

Evaluating the Possible

It’s surprising that we often begin a project by stating what we can’t do, rather than outlining what we’re capable of in terms of what we want to achieve.  Yes, boundaries are important, but should they constitute our building blocks?

When heading into uncertainty, the fear monger inside jumps on our back and covers our eyes, skewing the reality before us so we’re more likely to identify with the “I can’t.”  I’m interested in taming this calamity.  My growing curiosity about how other people push through this with confidence, has lead to a few clues.

While preparing for an annual luncheon a few weeks ago, one of the event co-chairs said of the people who always seem to have it together and have the right plan, “They’re only about one step ahead of us.”  Her insight was my first glimpse into regaining my confidence: obliterating the fear that I’m too far behind.

As I listened to the day’s award recipients accept their honors, they each shared some of their own fears.  One remark in particular jarred me with the speaker’s emotional and inspirational take on how having high self-expectations was often a challenge she wasn’t sure she could achieve.  Her only solution was to continue in pursuit of the excellence she believed herself capable of.  She understood her purpose and took the proper steps to create the path where she can fulfill it.

Within a few days of the luncheons and a thorough dissection of its take away message, I cleared some mental fallacies that formed the wall of ” I can’t,” the rubble of which now leads to a path of capability.  Earlier this week  Seth Godin’s blog on mirco magazines added the next puzzle piece.  Honestly, it hit me like an anvil from the sky. Fear.less. The answer to my own proverbial wondering:  How do other people overcome the dead-ends we create in our maze of life?

In short, the essays about perseverance hit on maintaining perspective, purpose, and a continual momentum.  All of the positive elements to shut down “I can’t” thinking.

No room for negativity

Reaching the end of my rope with one thing and feeling anxious about finally moving on, has helped me to see this all too clearly.  I can’t allow room for negativity in my life.  Yes, to an extent it will always be around, but choosing to let the positive entertain me will be a more fruitful solution.

That being said, I acknowledge that I don’t have room for it anymore!  For the first time in years, I thought about what I wanted to do professionally, and how to get back to it.  I enjoy making other people’s writing better.  My editorial insight is what ties me to the writing life, but over the years I’d forgotten.

Today,  courtesy a tweet I found tribalwriter.com.  A kindred soul, who may only be one or two steps ahead.   She talks about both sides of the coin, the creative and the realistic.  I will be reading more, and on my own terms, writing more.

Reconnecting to my inspiration, I can pursue my future.

Se la vie!

One of the most enthralling surprises from the beach.

It sometimes startles me, the way we can so easily slip into an old routine within second.  Walking the tide line, searching for a treasure of shells, absorbing the wind, air, salty scent and rhythm as if they had never been absent.