Like many of you, I am more than a bit overwhelmed by the Tsunami of Chaos and Doom that daily causes alarms to go off in my brain. Overwhelmed seems a bit of an understatement… but I am so overwhelmed (and this is with me avoiding all the news, any “breaking” news updates, and selectively choosing which news to consume…) I cannot even imagine how I would feel if I was ingesting all of the things I am avoiding!
But being overwhelmed is not the only thing… I have this weighty doom that keeps feeling more and more weighty and more doom-y as the days go by.
I realize these are not fun things to open a blog post with… but this is my reality right now. (I remind myself of this as I struggle with bladder issues… there is lots of stress in our lives right now!) Finding calm has been a priority and a challenge.
Log Cabin, on the right, and Log Cabin In The Woods, on the left. (Or it will be after I have added the tree today!)
I am so grateful for the 100 Day Stitch Book right now… It is The Thing that occupies my brain most days and it is the thing that brings the most calm! I am just finishing up page 10 so I have reached the halfway point of my 100 days… 10 more pages to go! My next 2-page “layout” is going to be highlighting crazy quilting… which, btw, I have never done. But I have long been fascinated by the technique and while I don’t have any velvets or silks to add, I am very much looking forward to having two pages that the spotlight will be on the stitches! I plan on learning some new stitches over the next 10 days as well. All good things to keep my mind focused away from the chaos.
And thanks to some random Doom Scrolling I have a couple of things to share with you all today!
The first one, Derrick Downey Jr and his squirrels… the most fun on the Instagrams right now. Really… (And Franklin loves Derrick and his Squirrels as well!)
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My other new favorite is from an old favorite.. JM Hirsch (who I have loved for his Freezer Door Cocktails) who I know love even more for the F’d Up Sh*t I Found at the Liquor Store. (And he finds some of the most F’d Up Sh*t! LOL)
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That’s it from me for this week as I try and find pockets of calm in a tsunami of stress. Happy Friday everyone… I wish you all a very good weekend!
Well, you know that I am one who does NOT watch the news. This actually started decades ago when it seemed as if all the evening news was about murders, fires, mayhem, etc. But, I too am feeling the doom and gloom and it does seem to be growing stronger all the time. Just so you know you are not alone…
Meanwhile, your stitching! Wow! What fun. As I commented on Juliann’s blog the other day, nothing wrong with a bit of meditative stitching each day. It certainly soothes my soul.
The IG clips you shared are hysterical! Thank you for that!! And Happy Weekend – let’s hope for no snow and for the winds to abate.
I read the headlines from BBC a couple of times a week. Oddly, watching the SNL skit about Zelensky visiting the White House last week made me laugh and told me everything I needed to know about what happened . I love your current stitching, and while I’m not usually a fan of squirrels, Derrick and Maxine are a hoot. Is it wrong that I want some of that Eggo stuff? I rarely drink anymore but I could sip on that cocktail he made. Thanks for a fun end to the week and keep breathing; this is a marathon.
I think I spotted some of that Eggo stuff at the store the other day & rolled my eyes… but now…
haha. no.
Crazy quilts are my favorite quilts ever, Kat! I am so excited for your next pages. (And I love the play on words with the ‘log cabin’ and ‘log cabin’ facing pages.) I’d be tempted to scout the thrift stores for velvet/satin/silk (though we have to drive a distance to get to such a thrift store now…)
I roll like Vera when it comes to the news, but with friends and a spouse who are over-consumers, I’m subject to plenty of it secondhand. I’m sad to say it caused nightmares for me one night (being abducted by Musk’s ‘people’ while I was on a walk on Main Street ); I fought back but lost. And just a few days ago, waking Lincoln for school, he was talking in his sleep. I could only make out two words: ” the government.” And the thought that such a thing would permeate a teenager’s sleep just made me sick.
More stitch book. Less evil.
♥
I’m so glad that stitching has become such a good outlet for you! I check in on the news every now and then, but mainly just so I’m aware of what’s generally happening — and it’s less than it used to be. I adore Derrick and Maxine, even though I think squirrels are kind of evil!
I have significantly cut back on my internet time so the time I am there I cannot get emotionally invested like I was before. (no doom scrolling?) I am triaging what I want to consume and I don’t have the allotted time to delve into deep reactions. Love your stitching!
I too love your log cabins and I look forward to seeing what you do with Crazy Quilt stitching. Crazy quilt stitching is an opportunity to try some different stitches. I tend to stick with what I like to stitch. My news strategy is skim/read the local paper and a few NYT’s articles at noon. It’s better for me not to begin or end my day with the news. Health issues are not fun. I hope you get some answers and strategies soon.
I hope you were able to avoid news this weekend, Kat. I am still on a controlled diet – listening to podcast episodes of NPR News Hour and the Rachel Maddow Show the morning after the episodes air. That feels just right for me right now. And I love those squirrel videos, ha!