by Kat | Dec 5, 2022 | General, In This Moment
December’s wintery breath is already clouding the pond, frosting the pane, obscuring summer’s memory… ― John Geddes A Familiar Rain
This mornings constitutional with Sherman was all about December’s wintery breath… and frost on the ground! It was a morning that we needed our woolies!! The frosty cold weather showed me clearly that I need a new pair of walking mitts! I am going to toss the handspun stash this morning to see what I can find to make myself a new pair of mitts!
The weekend had a bit of a mad rush feeling to it. A throwback to days long gone… perhaps you all will remember as well. That mad dash to get back on the “School Track” because vacation is over! Yep, that was me… I realized that I had homework due on Monday! Yikes! So I hurried and watched the video and then spent a chunk of Sunday getting the homework done. I am sharing my attempt at making an ordinary window box extraordinary. There is lots of room for improvement… lol.
In the plus column… my washes have improved dramatically. I think this is a combination of using better paper (I am strictly using Arches paper now) coupled with my better understanding of how to apply a wash. Anyways, I am very proud of how I have improved!
In the needs lots more practice column… graded “things” … and in this image, the graded thing is flowers. I have much to learn in this skill. Good thing I like painting as much as I do! Haha
I also gleefully dipped my toes back into doing some embroidery this weekend. I saw these thanks to Kym last week and while I am not making a set of ornaments… I have purchased the pattern, blown it up a bit and have begun Star Stitching! I will share my progress on Wednesday!
And!! Gnoelle (thanks Vera, that name is perfect!) Knitting has begun! No spoilers, but let me assure you that thus far (two clues in) the differences are so fun! I am amazed at the genius of Sarah Schira! Not only does December have knitting clues, but she includes a fun story as well! December Gnome Knitting at its best!
Happy Monday all! See you back here on Wednesday with some Unraveling!
by Kat | Nov 21, 2022 | General, In This Moment
is for contemplating Gratitude!
Kym has invited and I will happily join in!
My plan? To post three things I am grateful for every day this week.
And before you ask….Yes, Unraveled Wednesday will be here… but a gratitude edition! (I mean how can one not be thankful that they are a maker and a reader?!)
Things I am grateful for today:
- My improving painting skills and finding a creative outlet that both challenges and inspires me!
- Sherman… every single day! But especially this week as he is my constant kitchen companion!
- Poetry… which I cannot imagine not being part of my day… any day. But most certainly a week that we focus on gratitude!
And with that, I am going to begin the housework portion of my day… with a grateful heart. Happy Monday All!
by Kat | Nov 7, 2022 | General, In This Moment
…is all about persistence.
I got a Christmas Cactus last November from Trader Joe’s… it was full of buds then, but not a single one bloomed. Instead over the course of a couple of weeks, they all fell off. I was quite heartsick over it.
But!! I did not give up! Instead I rallied around this despondent Christmas Cactus. I watered it…I made sure it had light and a lovely spot to sit. And yes, I talked to it… a lot! It is a very attentive listener! LOL
And in mid-October I began to give it the tiniest bit of fertilizer… and look at it now! Apparently, my plant was patient as well… patiently waiting for that bit of fertilizer! And it looks like it is going to be a showy November which will hopefully carry over into December as well!
The end of each phylloclade has at least one bud…quite a few have two, and some have THREE!
If ever there was a lesson for me in not giving up, this is it! Sometimes the payoff takes a LONG time… but don’t give up!
That, my friends, is my Sometimes Monday wisdom for all of you.
See you all back here on Wednesday!
by Kat | Oct 10, 2022 | General, In This Moment
Brings an adjusted To-do List…
I stumbled across this quote over the weekend and have not stopped thinking about it.
Yes, it absolutely does!
This weekend I really needed to focus on sewing but instead I did lots of procrasti-knitting, procrasti-painting, and procrasti-reading.
So here it is Monday morning and I still have sewing to do. Although I do have the sweetest completed Autumn Gnome, I’d really like to have a pair of completed tunics and a new pair of pants!
So I created a very short and sweet Stop-Doing List… it has one thing on it… stop procrastinating.
Now, I am not sure that putting something on a “stop-doing list” is somehow magic and you just stop doing it. Ha! I know that is not true at all, but I am hoping that by identifying my procrastination tactics… I will curb those moments to a more manageable amount of procrastination!
My To-Do List remains the same!
I hope your Monday is full of good things… and no procrastination!
See you all back here on Wednesday!
by Kat | Oct 3, 2022 | General, In This Moment
October, baptize me with leaves! Swaddle me in corduroy and nurse me with split pea soup. October, tuck tiny candy bars in my pockets and carve my smile into a thousand pumpkins. O autumn! O teakettle! O grace! — Rainbow Rowell, Attachments
Welcome October!
I have a list of things that I’d like to accomplish this month:
- Autumn-y decorating to carry me through Thanksgiving
- Corduroy Tunic Sewing (I found some Wide Wale Corduroy!)
- Wash and put away my summer-y sweaters
- Start and finish Steve’s second sock!
- Clean out all the garden pots and tuck them away for spring!
I am really focused on getting those things done soon because later this month we will be heading to Presque Isle to spend some time… and I am really looking forward to that as well!
Finally… a huge thanks to Carole for inspiring me today! You are the best!
See you all back here on Wednesday with a New Sweater and a Pita Story!
