by Kat | Jul 7, 2023 | General, In This Moment
A new quarter… a new currently list. I love these post to look back on and see what I was doing 3 months ago but I hope you find something interesting or something inspiring in them too!
Soaking In —
Rainer Maria Rilke… I am so in love with him. I have been reading (again) through two of his books – Letters to a Young Poet and Rilke’s Book of Hours. The pages are becoming more dog-eared and I have underlined so many passages in each. And yet, if I turn back to pages I had read before… I still find something new, something moving, something inspiring. Recently, two things keep jumping out at me… surrender
“If we surrendered to earth’s intelligence we could rise up rooted, like trees.”
and live
“…the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”
Surrender to the day and just live it fully! That is my new morning mantra. Good direction for my day and so I will joyfully continue soaking in some Rilke wisdom and see what else he has to show me!
Savoring —
The final episodes of Endeavor. It has been such a great series and I am sad to see it end, but I will be savoring each episode… and then I think I will queue up some vintage Inspector Morse to complete the circle. In the things I did not know category… I had no idea that John Thaw’s daughter had a part in the Endeavor series. She played the delightful Dorothea Frazil. I shall miss them all terribly! And if you have finished them… no clues please. Ha!
Appreciating —
While I am very much wishing that former me had spent more time thinking about what I would do with my Year of Stitching. And while I very much like each month, I have been stymied about the “final product” for them. I have toyed with a multitude of ideas on how to display them but they are each so big… I don’t have the wall-space to hang them! And so the conundrum of what to do with them continued….until I got some incredible inspiration from a much wiser maker about putting them together in a book. And that inspiration has me very excited. I have begun the process of pulling out fabrics to begin my “page” construction. I think there will be a bit more stitching as I pull each month together. I have some foolish idea that this won’t take all that long once I get everything cut… but my wiser inner voice is telling me that this won’t be a July Finish, but if I stay focused it will be the thing that gets me through the Heat of Summer!
And there you have my current situation. Of course, there are many other things going on… but these things are things I want to remember when I look back on my year. I will see you all back here Wednesday!
by Kat | Apr 7, 2023 | General, In This Moment
April ushers in the second quarter and so it is time for me to share a “currently” post and share some random things that I don’t talk about on the regular…
Thinking —
I have not stopped thinking about this post since I read it. In that one post, Anne has provided so much for me to think about… and this all ties in so well with my word this year. And while I am well past menopause and the empty nest blues so much of what Anne shared hit home for me… most especially the body neutral discussion. Anne’s words “knowing that these measurements are morally neutral” were so powerful. I had not taken my measurements for eons, so I began there. It was not easy, but I did it and even wrote down all the numbers! By avoiding the whole subject of measurements, I was living in some fantasy world where the numbers were somehow the same as they were the last time I recorded them. The numbers are what they are… and being authentic to myself means loving myself exactly where I am today… with the current measurements and reminding myself that they are just numbers. I am also thankful for inclusive pattern makers, bold and beautiful influencers of.all.sizes. and for finding a new-to-me voice… I have queued up this episode to listen to this weekend.
Perfecting —
Detroit-style Pizza… a couple of weeks ago that I tried a recipe that at first attempt needed several adjustments for it to be successful for me. Well, I did some Googling and found someone who likewise tried the recipe and felt it needed some tweaks as well. So last weekend, I gave her tweaks a try… and had great success! I could not find any Wisconsin Brick Cheese, however TJ’s aged cheddar worked just fine. The crispy cheesy crust was incredible. I will definitely use Serious Eats recipe again!
Watching —
I have recently discovered the delight that are the Midsomer Murders series! I have made my way through the first couple of seasons and I am in love with DCI Barnaby and his trusty side kick, Sgt. Troy. Barnaby is a good detective, and he always figures out “who did it” and the Oxfordshire Midsomer countryside is beautiful.
Anticipating —
A trip later this month to visit Erie and most especially, Presque Isle! We are planning on doing an early morning bird walk… and I am super excited about that! We will also do our own bird walking, but it will be so fun to go with someone who knows more than we do! We also have plans to have a libation or two with a meal from Cork 1794. We are working on some “new” things to add to our agenda… so if you have any Erie tips for me, I welcome them!
That’s all for me this week. I will be back with you on Monday! Have a great weekend all!
by Kat | Jan 6, 2023 | General, In This Moment
Happy First Friday, Everyone!
I thought I’d share a quick “snapshot” of what’s currently holding my attention.
Anticipating —
A visit to a new PCP this month. I will say it is a nervous anticipation. I have filled out a thick stack of health forms which has me scratching my head a bit. This doctor is in *the same network* as my previous physician, and I have filled out all.this.paperwork before. Did the computer system break? Did my medical history get deleted? I can see it when I enter my “portal” where I clearly see that my PCP information is all there, and I can even message him through the system. Regardless, I have filled out all the papers and am ready to go see him, although I wish it was a her, but that is for another post!
Baking —
All.The.Things! Banana bread – two loaves! I have a fresh bucket of dough in the fridge. I am loving the smell of fresh baked carbs wafting through the air! I love the ease of Artisan Bread in 5-minutes… and it is pretty darned tasty bread too! I also love that the dough can be purposed into loaves, boules, or even pizza! It makes it so easy and convenient! The posted a new recipe on their blog in early December that I will probably give a try this month as well. (Perhaps as a reward for that PCP visit! Haha)
Stitching —
I am going to spend some time this weekend putting together a year long temperature project… with embroidery! I just need to get a piece of linen and some embroidery floss. I am not planning on this being some extravagant project. Simple and fun is what I am aiming for, the one thing I deeply loved about the year long stitching project I did. I stitched for no more than 15 minutes a day… it was the “sweet spot” of time that ensured that I did it! Once I have all the pieces in place I will spend some time this weekend getting it all set up and begin gettin myself caught up! I will share my progress next week!
Watching —
Vera! And I am reminded how much I love her… well, Brenda Blethyn, I suppose! Haha. I mean, when I read a Vera book, I hear Brenda speaking! (I bet you were thinking that I was going to say I was watching Groundhog Day in the House… I might be occasionally checking in, but if you saw one vote, you’ve seen them all. They are all the same! Ha!) And! Steve and I have been watching the second season of The Craftsman on Discovery+ Eric Hollenbeck is quite the character… he shares philosophy, poetry, history, and truly slow crafting.
Getting Ready —
To finish up the machine sewing projects I have had lingering for over a month now. When I reorganized my fiber stash, I also spent some time rethinking my “sewing corner” and have made some tweaks, which I hope will encourage me to sit down and sew! In case you need a reminder I have 2 corduroy tunics to sew up!
Unpacking —
My Word! And I am having so much fun doing that! I have a bit of a “word cloud” going! Currently, it is on practice paper, I mean it is currently experiencing lots of flux! Ha! I just love the January Word Getting To Know You Time! I am finding some fun things, including a couple of books to read!
And I think that might be more than enough! Ha! Have a great weekend and I will see you all back here on Monday!
