Women's Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope: (kə-lī'də-skōp') n. A series of changing phases or events.

For the past 10 years (?) our church has sponsored a children's art camp, called Kaleidoscope. They hire artists to work with the kids and there is usually a theme. The kids spend the day learning music, putting together a drama, making giant (and I mean giant!) papier mache puppets to be used in the drama, and some other art form, sometimes story cloths, or mosaics, or quilts or...Anyway, Audrey attended for 2 years, and every day when I took her, I would whine about why there wasn't one for adults. Apparently, I was not the only one who whined. Over the weekend, we had Women's Kaleidoscope. The classes offered were: rug hooking, vintage windows, painted floor cloths, painted screens (an old Baltimore thing), and mosaics. A light breakfast was provided at 8:30am, classes started at 9, lunch at noon, then classes again at 1. We ended at 4pm. Rug hooking and painted floor cloths were offered both in the morning and in the afternoon. Mosaics was an all day workshop. Vintage windows was an am thing and painted screens was a pm thing. The only catch of the day...I had to teach...all day.


I taught a rug hooking class. It was labeled hooking with rags, incorporating clothing, cast offs, and what not into a hooked piece. My intention was to teach how to deconstruct clothing, which I did with a turtleneck and a wool skirt. I had hoops and hooks and my whole stash of wool. The drew a simple design on burlap, chose their colors and started hooking. All was well up until then. I had forgotten how it can be difficult to get that rhythm of hooking, especially with a hoop. They did not finish their pieces, which was a disappointment to me. All other classes went home with a finished project. I still think that as a whole, it was successful. I had 8 students and only 2 that did not really enjoy the process. That's what it's all about. Learning and expanding. This was a totally new experience for me. I felt quite honored to be asked, as the others had been involved in the children's Kaleidoscope for years. I promised them a photo tutorial on finishing so that means I've got to get cranking on my piece so I can finish it.

Here are some of the projects from the day:

a vintage window and a hooked mat








mosaic



windows and floor cloths



hooking in progress





painted screens

My Day tomorrow

You can find this, here. Made my to do list a little more interesting.

Monday, Monday

It's Monday morning. The alarm, or should I say, coffegrinder, went off at 6:20. Later than normal, but still earlier than I had been getting up for a week. Last week we got hit by snow and ice. Schools were cancelled 3 days in a row, classes at the Y were cancelled. We all enjoyed our respite but it's time to get back in gear. Today, we are a bit back to normal, but there is still a holiday for President's Day, so school is out. I have Pilates this morning followed by a Cycle class, followed by PT for my shoulder. It's also time to get back into productive gear. I feel that for quite some time, I've been slacking. Slacking in blogging, good and bad, slacking in my intentions, slacking in my physical fitness, just plain everywhere. I'm not sure exactly where it is coming from but It's. got. to. stop.
So for today:
I will work hard in Pilates
I will teach a sweaty, intense cycle class
I will work on my PT and my posture
I will get my hooking class together
I will provide a dinner on time for everyone to eat
I will plan my next project to finish
I will look at my list for the coming year and determine what I need to do to feel proactive in my own life.

Upcoming Dates

I can't hardly stand it!
Lucinda Williams March 28
Anders Osborn March 31
Brandi Carlile April 30

I've already got tickets to Lucinda and working on the other two today. Brandi Carlile's new song "The Story" is incredible. Have a listen.

I <3 heart art!

Here is some to share with you:

Kleas
ATC swap
Lovely Hearts charity exhibition
Pink Chalk Studio
Turkey Feathers
Knottybits
Art Spirit


These are just a few that I have found. There are a bunch more out there. Here are my own creations and some found in my house:








a rusty heart cookie cutter, a felted heart received in a swap, a crazy quilted ornament received in a swap, a wooden ornament, hearts on the wall in my kitchen

heart trivet, a wooden tray decopauged by my youngest with heart cutouts, a silly heart made by me from a recycled sweater, another long term work in process from thimbleberries book, and rug in process just started last week.

Where are your hearts?

Something Wonderful

Finally finished, after probably 10 years. I need to make a label to go on the back. The lable will say "Napping Quilt, started sometime around 1996, 97, or 98 finished on February 10, 2007." This quilt was a pattern in one of the Thimbleberries books. I love the planned scrappiness, I love the quilting. Quite honestly, the finishing is somewhat anticlimactic, yet truly satisfying, sort of like how I felt with my birthday project. It's over, it's done, time to move on.

Check it out!

First, Betz White will be on Martha Stewart today demonstrating her cup 'o joe pinchusions. They are absolutely delightful! Here is a link to her blog:
http://www.betzwhite.com/blog/betzblog.html
The segment will also be available on line for two weeks, after 6pm tonight. I can't wait!

Second, this woman's stuff makes me drool!
http://marystanley.blogspot.com/

Purely for entertainment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg
Use this link, but I am in the process of trying to get it directly on my blog (or at least that's what I think YouTube is doing).

Everyone loves a snow day

The cold weather has definitely made us grumpy. Even My Handsome Prince, who is never cold, walks around with his hoody on in the house, shoulders up, and even wore a nightshirt to bed, despite the fact that our house is quite warm and cozy inside. The outside temperatures chill to the bone! So, today, when the radio announced school closed, college opening at 10, and no classes at the Y, we all slept in. Delightful! It's warm, the snow looks nice, and we don't have to go anywhere until it's cleaned up.

Friday Fun Day

When the girls were in elementary school, they used to have Friday Fun Day, probably once a month. It was torture for Emma. She did not like change in her routine and used to cry on Friday Fun Days (it was supposed to be fun!). On FFD, they would have stations in all the classrooms of that grade team, with coloring, crafting, eating, reading, and what not in coordination with what they had been learning. Well, today is my FFD, with the learning of a new tool (punch needle), thoughts and visions of Valentines (see yesterdays post), finishing the knitting of a scarf, a much needed nap, a house to myself, dinner out tonight, and the looking forward to quilting most of the day tomorrow. I hope you have a Friday Fun Day, too!

Last night I dreamt of Valentines...

paper mache valentines. I dreamt of making the shape from paper bags filled with newspaper and refined with masking tape. I dreamt of covering the shapes with newspaper and goop. I dreamt of colors; pink, purple, white, red, polka dots and stripes, words and decopauge. Lord help me, I didn't sleep a wink. My hands were working and my mind was racing. Maybe it was because of this:

(having trouble loading photos, they will be added)

A group of elementary aged kids, making birds, from web pictures, or picture books, or field guides. Their imaginations gone wild! It is exciting to see them think, figure and work with little guidance. One is making a pearatuc (combination peacock, parakeet, and tucan), one is making a penguin from a soda bottle and and styrafoam egg, one is making a funky bird with high heel shoes, one is making a sweet little bird similar to those found here. Incredible!

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time! That has been my mantra for the month of January. We've been trying to put our house together after the new carpet installation, taking the time to sort, to purge, to organize, to rearrange. It takes time and it's easy to lose motivation. Yet, little by little, improvement is seen. I am getting ready to contact an uphosterer for two chairs and my sofa.

The same goes for some other projects this month. I have binders of home ideas, quilt ideas, craft ideas, and fitness routines. Along with these binders are stacks of pages ripped from magazines, a pack or two of page protectors, and more magazines. One page at a time. I'll probably have to go buy more binders for the fitness pages.

And so it goes for the quilt I've been working on. Every evening, I sit in the corner of the tv room, illuminated by my free, floor ott light (freecycle people!) and watch either bad movies or bad tv. Seems to be a theme. And I quilt till my fingers are raw. Audrey asked how long I had been working on this quilt. I guess it has just been a part of me every winter. It's been a 10 year project. In looking around my sewing/craft area, thinking, pulling out projects, I've determined I'm a process person. The finished product is not really my goal. I like the planning, the playing, the ideas, etc. Although, when something is finished, it is wonderful. I expect something wonderful to happen this weekend.

Car Talk

For many years, I don't even know how many, My Handsome Prince and I have gotten up just before 8 on Saturday morning, made coffee and sat down to listen to Car Talk. It is our ritual, our connecting time, our relaxation. We don't always listen, sometimes we talk, we browse through magazines, we plan, but we always sit together on the sofa with Car Talk on the radio. It is very important time together. We usually catch something that makes us laugh, try our mind at the puzzler, plan our calls to Click and Clack about our various vehicles and their issues (we have 5 for 3 drivers). Once 9Am hits, we continue with our day in a more productive manner. We have chastized family members for calling during our together time, and after years of doing so, they have finally caught on, more or less. But now, WAMU, has messed up everything! Car Talk is now not on until 10AM! Today, I listened by myself while sorting through papers. It's just not the same. Honey, what are we going to do?

Free day

We finally got a light dusting of snow. With that came the 2 hour delay for the school, YMCA morning classes cancelled, and sleeping in. I have been working on my pinwheel quilt and have two borders completely quilted and hope to finish the other two this week. My fingers are pricked and sore but I am determined. I have joined Holiday Headstart so am thinking of my first Christmas project. I felted a bar of soap the other night. It was quick, fun, and easy. Hmmm, stocking stuffers and little gifts to have on hand. I like that!

It's a good day, today. One that was needed. Emma made a public announcement via email about her changes. She was worried about being judged, constantly being asked questions, and just not feeling up to a public appearance. Everyone knew she had left the week before. The email made it a bit easier. She received such generous and enormous support from people at church. Family members and friends have written her back. She is admired for making such an adult decision in the way she did. Confronting it head on. She has been asked to help with Youth Choir and has the narrator part in our production of "Joseph and the Techinicolor Dreamcoat". The sisters are bonding, sleeping together, playing, watching movies but will fall back in to some individual activities. Emma will start school again next Monday. In the meantime, she makes her place in our home again. I like my family together. I know it's not forever but it's a bit longer.

Now Playing

Scissor Sisters, Donovan Frankenreiter, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Lucinda Williams, Jamie Cullum, Eastmountainsouth, Beatles, Ben Harper, Amy Rigby, Dave Matthews, Delbert McClinton, John Prine, Tom Waits, John Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, John Hiatt, Johnny Cash, Mindy Smith, and more to come. Lost in the music. My new project will be to make a playlist of songs that speak of the spirit, that speak to me, reaffirms, brings peace, joy, and faith. If you have a favorite, leave it in the comments. Later, I'll post a complete playlist. Here are some examples so far:

Wood Brothers: One More Day
Susan Tedeschi/Bob Dylan: Lord Protect My Child
Macy Gray: A Moment to Myself
Nathasha Bedingfield: Unwritten
Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge over Troubled Water
Mindy Smith - Angle Doves and Come to Jesus
Amy Rigby - Don't Ever Change
John Hiatt - Have a Little Faith

A girl can never have too many Danskos!

This makes my 7th pair. My Mother will be so proud. They are red.

What's new? Not much, how 'bout you?

Actually, that is a lie. Since the last post, I've:
celebrated my 43 birthday with 5 year olds, fed the homeless, helped my daughter struggle with an important decision and am now bringing her home from college, fought with my handsome prince, sorted out my sewing area, started gutting the storage area, gotten mad at my mother, cried to my sister (more than once), started purging unwanted physical clutter, injured my shoulder, slacked in working out, put on unwanted body clutter, had an ipod, lost an ipod, gotten one monkey off my back, worked on my quilt, started a scarf, replaced a lost earing, then lost it, and I'm sure there is more. I just did not want more than a week to go by without a post. I've been struggling, physically and mentally with myself, my projects, my house, my family, but I think I'm turning the corner.

SPC - NY resolutions - list

This list and photo really do not have anything to do with one another. This is just the self portrait I took on New Years Eve. I left my camera out and everyone took a self portrait. But, for the record:
In 2007, I would like to: Let go, pray more, be creative, do 100 pushups, 10 chin ups, finish more projects, learn to be still, listen better, be a better Mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, serve on a regular basis, recycle more, budget, take pride in my home and take better care of it, purge the house and myself of unwanted clutter, continue to guide Emma on her journey to adulthood, help Audrey find her groove, start my path on becoming a personal trainer (see, I revised this one), prepare better meals, have fun, expect less, learn about my camera, take more photos.That's it so far. I'm sure I'll think of more. Not all of this is going to happen. Other things will happen in place of some. The point is to recognize this and be okay with it. I'm okay with that.

Blueprint

We have been asked to provide a blueprint of our life for the youth. They are attending a retreat this weekend and are working on blueprints and building. We, the parents, have been asked to provide one (or the top 3) things we use as a bluprint of our lives. One of my "blueprints" is due to the fact that I am a Mom. That is my job. Being a Mother is the most important job I will ever hold, so I try to be a good one. Not an easy task. I want my children to know that I love them with every ounce of my being, even while fuming at them in church for goofing off. I want them to have confidence in themselves, to be faithful people, to be selfless rather than self centered, have compassion, be respectful, responsible. So I try to be an example. Not easy. I have to bite my tongue, forgive when I am furious, love when I am mad, constantly admit my faults, discipline when all I want to do is wrap my arms around a child a say it's okay, learn from them while teaching, be open and listen while doing twenty other things, and remind myself that this is the next generation, next leaders, next workers. While my blueprint is easy in words "Be a good Mom" it contains many elements of being that I remind myself of daily, hourly and sometimes every minute.

On a lighter note, I'm finally compiling my list for the year.

SPC - New Years Resolutions -Fresh

At the end of the day you are worn out, you areworn out, and too tired to sleep
But then you do dream of wonderful things
That you might do, right on through to the nextday
And then you wake up
The sun's on your face
You're stretchin' while you're sayin'
It's a Brand New Day!
It's a brand new day and the sky is clear
So let's come together, everybody cheer
Come out people from everywhere
Let's see your faces, the day we'll share
Come on and celebrate a Brand New DayEveryday!
Call out to the workers and the children in theschools
It's a day of celebration so put down your toolsand
Celebrate a Brand New Day Everyday!
Come see the mountains and come see theshores
Mother nature is calling so come climb aboardand
Celebrate a Brand New Day Everyday!
Let's go
At the end of the day there is no doubt you areworn out
Ooh but then you do dream of wonderful things
Wonderful things you might do
And then you wake up
The sun's on your face
You're stretchin' while you're sayin'
It's a Brand New Day!
Celebrate a Brand New Day, Everyday!
Celebrate a Brand New Day, Everyday!

-Gwen Stephanie

In One Short Year

I've managed to get my mojo and lose it, let my oldest child go forth into the world, been terrified, seen and heard some great music, tried not to smother my youngest child with attention, keep my blog fairly consistent, complete a mini triathalon, make a good friend, help with the care of those I love, challenge myself creatively, not participate in the cq ornament exchange, have some good camping trips, celebrate 21 years, use what I have, buy too much stuff, please some people, let some down, been intollerant, not achieved some goals, set new goals, finish some projects, start some new, not finish some that should have been finished, went to familiar places, said Goodbye to a dog, watch those I love struggle and come out on top, felt and been inadequate, been insensitive, participated in service projects. There has been more. It's been a well rounded year, with struggles and triumphs, frustration and elation. Shouldn't it be this way?