The sun has arrived!

Overwintered cauliflower that was roasted... delicious!

 Spring is always busy for me.  The captioning world has a few weeks of busy busy sports.  March Madness, the beginning of MLB, NHL playoffs, soon to be followed by NBA playoffs, with some PGA thrown in.  I'm having a hard time making the pieces of my day fit together.

A gift for a loved one

The gardens are in a weeding/early planting mode, and I'm preparing for a trip home in a few weeks to attend my nephews' high school graduations.  Unfortunately I haven't made it to all of the graduations in our family, but this year is working out.  Until then it's work work work, with the pleasant duties of starting a garden and finishing up some quilting projects.  Happy Sunny Saturday, Everyone!

Busy, busy, busy

Ladybugs, butterfiles and sunflowers for my niece

I realize I'm not a prolific blogger, and have come to terms with that.  It seems that I find more comfort in working on my projects, which means less writing about them.  But once I started composing this blog, I realized just how busy I have been since my gardens were put to bed for the winter.

Lots of pinks, polka dots and flowers for my niece

Finished a baby sampler for her 3-year birthday

One of many embroidered blocks building an old-fashioned quilt

My sister made my niece a quilt, then gave me some scraps to make matching pillowcases

More pillowcases for Christmas gifts

I think I have three or four quilts in progress, and others I want to start.  I guess I will always be a multitasking quilter/crafter.  I find myself flitting from project to project.  I've been better at focusing on completing projects, but believe me, it takes effort.
For now, it's time to spruce up the inside of my house while the gardens are still asleep.  Some paint on the walls, new curtains, and other projects are on the agenda... all the while thinking of the next quilt I want to make.

Zen and the Art of....?

A couple weekends ago I was standing at the stove making risotto.  One of Dan's favorite meals is braised short ribs and risotto.  It's typically a fall/winter meal for us, but we had company in the house, so I cranked up a meal that I know turns out well.  I digress.

As I'm standing at the stove, which is warming up the kitchen a bit too much for my taste, I'm stirring and stirring, adding stock, stirring and stirring, and found myself thinking how soothing it was for me.

And last week I was digging in the dirt, pulling weeds from the loosened soil, and realized that activity provided the same comfort that cooking risotto did.

There's a rhythm to cooking.  There's a rhythm to hand stitching or quilting.  There's a rhythm to digging in the dirt and pulling weeds.  There's a rhythm to my yoga practice.  Hmm... that rhythm is what brings me back to these pieces of my life.

Now if I could learn to transfer that calming state to scrubbing a bathroom, my home would be a much cleaner place.

My hope for everyone is they find something in their lives that provides the same peace and contentment.  If you don't know what feeds your soul yet, keep exploring.  It's worth the search.

Sunshine abounds!

I was looking at my blogs and thinking how I have been neglecting them.  One post in particular caught my attention about wanting/needing sunshine.  Now I know why I haven't been blogging recently: Our sunshine did arrive finally.  We are having a beautiful summer with lots of great memories.

Camping trips have had phenomenal weather this year.  After last year's rainy camping, we were overdue and ecstatic.

  Christopher and friends joined us at the Parkrose Barn Bash this year.  Our evenings have been glorious this year.  The absolute right temperatures for me.  The sun is shining, but the air is cool with a bit of a breeze.  Ahhh, perfect.

A beautiful bright spot of sunshine entered our family's world this summer, as Gabe changed Aimee's and Mike's lives forever.  I am blessed to have a wonderful extended family, and will totally enjoy being this little one's great-aunt.  I only wish my other nieces and nephews were close by as well.

Steve was able to come for work-related training, then spend some family time at the beach and in Portland.  I think he enjoyed a respite from the sweltering summer heat in Wichita.  We are looking forward to Mom's visit in a few weeks as well.  September and most of October are absolutely spectacular in the Pacific Northwest... most of the time.  Now, watch, I've probably jinxed our last camping trip scheduled for the middle of September.

But summer is not over.  My green tomatoes still need to ripen, and I need to do some canning and preserving.  Hopefully we will have enough heat to get our veggies to harvest.

The other morning, though, I woke up early, the windows were open, and there was a crispness in the air reminiscent of Autumn.  We will just have to wait and see what Mother Nature has in store for us.

In the meantime, I'm wasting good daylight in this office.  Life is good.  I suppose blogging can wait.

Finishing what I started

On a trip home a few years back, my mom and dad entrusted me with two quilts that needed some TLC and repairs.  I have worked on the easiest of the repairs off and on since then, and finally finished the binding last night!  This hunting quilt, made from scraps of corduroys and wool, was made for my dad many years ago.  Every stitch, and I mean every stitch, was done by hand. Some of the stitching had loosened over the years, the backing was tattered beyond repair, and some of the ties were missing.  So I restitched the loose seams by hand, gave it new batting and a flannel back, then retied it.

My dad passed away last December, and he didn't have a chance to see the finished product, but knew I was working on it.  I like to think he's pleased.

And now I have three other quilts that I've promised to repair or finish, and I won't be putting things off anymore.  I hope they turn out as well as this one did and the recipients will think they were worth the wait.

A week of changes

1.  I walked in my first Portland Shamrock Run.  It was cold and rainy, but I had fun and plan to go next year.
2.  I joined Portland Modern Quilt Guild and went to my first meeting.  It was great.  I have so many works in progress that I promised myself I would finish, but going to the meeting got my creative juices going in a new direction.  I need more time to quilt!
3.  I have added vegetarian meals to my life.  My blood sugars have started lowering.  Maybe this is what my body has been looking for.
4.  I found a new massage therapist, and though my shoulders and neck are still whining a bit, I'm feeling better already.

Gratitudes for the week:

A Sunday spent with my nearby family members
I finalized my trip home to see some of my not-so-near family members
A sunny day to walk outside on Saturday

I hope your week is full of blessings and positive changes, too.

Wii anyone?

Today was focused on getting prepped for healthy eating and starting an exercise routine. Then toss a bit of laundry and cleaning into the mix, and my light workday really flew by.  We had frittata and broiled tomatoes for dinner, and I got a bit of work done on the quilt I'm trying to finish. Oh, and I got some time in on the Bowflex and the Wii Fit.

Gratitudes for the day:
1.  A beautiful rainbow on the way to the grocery store this morning.
2. My BMI had gone down from the last time I stepped on the Wii.
3. A husband who is willing to try new food and help in the kitchen.