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crafty.

4 Jul
Like paper and fabric crafty.  Not suspicious and deceitful crafty.   [most days not anyways.]
I feel like my veins have been running on mod podge instead of blood lately.  
Mod podge and spray paint.

I used both of those supplies to make coasters.  I bought tiles for 16 cents at Lowe’s and used paper I had on hand to create simple coasters to save my furniture from sweaty glasses.  They were super easy and pretty fun.  I’d make more; anyone want some?

A completed baby quilt for a new baby Hemenway.  [My first ever baby quilt was made for a baby Hemenway.  If one were to compare Gavin’s quilt to new baby’s quilt, the skills I’ve learned would be most evident, which makes me feel both accomplished and embarrassed!]
A file cabinet redo.  My mom brought an old black file cabinet when she came to visit last.  It was pretty dinged up and the black was nothing too exciting.  I spray painted it and mod podged fabric to the drawers.  It’s not perfect but it will do the trick.  [It was still in the process of drying here.  I was too excited to wait.]

Lampshades have also be decorated and an outdoor swing painted.  
Next up: new cushions for the swing and an ottoman slipcover.

little triumphs.

26 May
I honestly don’t know where my weekends go.  Thursday night Paige and I went to a wine tasting/dinner.  [Stories and photos still to come.]  I suppose yesterday was occupied with a couple pastoral care visits and running errands.  Today I slept in until 9:30, sleeping to the soundtrack of a thunder storm. I rolled four cakes worth of cakeballs and answered some long delayed emails.  I wrote a sermon [don’t get me started on that.] and had Harry Potter movies playing in the background all day.  Mabel and I went for a short walk and I quilted.
Glorious quilting.  Too many days it is my saving grace, my creative outlet, and my chance to see something progress.  I finished a quilt top for a baby boy quilt tonight.  It’s been a joy and challenge to create; I used all fabrics I already had in my stash, except the backing [which I bought for $2.97/yard – score!]. The backing fabric is in the washer and I go to bed dreaming of free motion quilting and hand binding which will have to wait until tomorrow night to begin.  Long day tomorrow … 

this week –

21 May
The name of this week is balance.  And joy.  And sanity.
After a really crappy Saturday night of loathing my job and hating myself for my procrastination talent, I need a recovery week.  Balance.  Joy.  Sanity.
How will that happen?
. No evening meetings equals home at five every night. 
. Fresh strawberries and fresh pineapple.
. Designated DEAR time during the work day.
. Iced coffee in the fridge.
. The beginnings of a container garden and spreading mulch.  And I moved a hosta.  I hope I didn’t kill it.
. Booking a b&b and kayak trip in Grand Marais for vacation.  Maybe a pottery class too?
. A new quilt pieced together on the dining room table.
. A list of enjoyable tasks at church that include large sheets of paper and a staff meeting.
Do you hear that?  It’s me breathing a sigh of relief.  This week will be awesome.

crazy decoupage lady.

9 May
First, let me set the scene.  
There have been many reminders lately that I am indeed a single lady.  Here’s one.  I was setting up an online account and you know how you have to answer at least three security questions?  What street did you live on when you were 10?  What was the name of your first grade teacher?  Those kind of things.  They give you question options and you have to choose one to answer.  For this particular account, I had a hard time answering a question in each slot because over half of them dealt with a spouse.  Where was your spouse born?  What is your spouse’s mother’s name?  That was half the questions and another quarter seemed to be names of elementary school teachers.  I’ll be honest – I don’t remember.  *ahem*  Sears, not all of the people who hold one of your credit cards are married.  Take note.  [And if they are gay and live in North Carolina, they don’t even have that option.  Boo to that.] Be inclusive please.
Last night, as I stayed up much later than usual, a friend texts me.  This friend will remain anonymous unless she decides to out herself in the comment section, but know that we were seminary colleagues and we both be single.  You should also know that other seminary friends were making glorious wonderful announcements yesterday on facebook about babies [plural].  [And despite the self-deprecation that follows, we really are happy for all of them – really!]  I think we are the only two people in the world who aren’t pregnant and married right now.  Ugh.  she texts.  
My response: Seriously.  Everyone else is married or pregnant for sure.  And I just sit here decoupaging a lampshade like a spinster.  
I wasn’t lying.  It was 10:30 at night and I sat on my couch with a foam brush, an old book, and a lampshade.  Suddenly, I had visions of the future.  I’m going to be the spinster who decoupages everything.  Lampshades, furniture, picture frames, boxes, cats.  You name it, I’ll decoupage it.  I’ll decoupage the shit out of it.  You think, oh, you can’t decoupage this, and I’ll take it as a challenge.  You wanna bet? I’ll say.  I’ll carry travel sized bottles of mod-podge on my person at all times and take stock in the business that makes those crappy one-time use foam brushes.  Decoupage will be my medium of expressing my suppressed spinster feelings.
I digress.  I think we all would agree that my new lampshade looks awesome compared to the cheap-o silver/gray fluted one that came with the set of lamps.  Crazy decoupage lady or not, I like it.

here’s my joy.

28 Apr
Knowing that this week the cards are stacked against me time-wise [easily a sixty-hour work week.  one to match the sixty from this past week.], I’m going to need a little joy in my life.  Knowing the emotions that will be involved, I’m really going to need a little joy.  Knowing how much my extroverted impostor will need to appear, I’m going to need lots of sleep too.  But in the brief times between work and sleep, herein lies my joy:

 Books scored at the Austin Public Library book sale.  These books – plus a few more – were only a total of $6.50.  You can’t even buy a book used on Amazon for that price when you add shipping to the shopping cart.  Who knows – I might not end up reading any of them this week, but simply looking at them brings me joy.  I love books.

My newest friend.  I love my treadmill.  I was super worried that because it has been so long since I’ve really been on one that it would be super hard and I would be disappointed at how little I could do.  Surprisingly enough, the couch-to-5k program hasn’t been putting me over the edge.  I can so do it!  And even though the program says not to do any more, I do.  I just love my treadmill too much.  [One of the things I love so much is that it’s in my house.  I don’t need to be concerned about how I look or my flailing arms.]
I have baby quilts dancing in my head.  I have one to be done in July and two for December.  [Twins!  I still can’t contain my excitement!]  I think I’m going scrappy for July.  I’m thinking small squares.  As for December, I’d love to know what the parents might like when that time comes.  🙂  [Sometimes I feel like I force a quilt on people.  But parents like quilts for babies, right?]
Project cakepop.  I started baking cakes today.  Cakes to be frozen, transformed into pops at a later date, and enjoyed at a wedding on June 1st!
While I know I’m going to be busy, I also know I need projects, and I’m in love with each one of those above.  I’m excited for the books to be read, jogs to be had, quilts to be made, and cakes to be baked.  That is my joy.

baby!

15 Apr
Mom Lauren texted me this photo of baby-Elliot-tummy-time on the quilt I made.

All together now: oh for cute!

colorful chicks.

10 Apr
I started this quilt last summer and it has sat, untouched, now for many months.  Mainly, I was holding out for the ability to free-form quilt on my machine.  Since that presser foot has arrived at the craft room, the feed dogs have been down and free-form quilting is my new favorite thing.  I finished hand-sewing the binding to this one on Easter Sunday and cuddled under it while watching movies that evening.  It now hangs on the new-old ladder in my huge empty space – a ladder for quilts, both given and made.  And now I need a new project … 

a baby quilt.

24 Mar

I attended a wonderful baby shower of cute in the cities today for dear friend Lauren.  [A cute bird theme.  Delicious food and we cleansed our palettes between courses.  My palette has never before been cleansed at a party.  I felt classy.]  Lauren and jD are due to have a baby join their family in May.  It’s super exciting; plus it gave me reason to make a quilt.  I finished this brightly-colored scrappy-fabric polka dotted piece on Thursday night and I was thrilled with how it turned out.  My quilting skills have grown with practice and I think this is the best quilt I’ve made – quality and skill – since I began quilting a couple years ago.  I followed this online tutorial and – for the very first time – free form quilted.  I loved the process, the result, and the texture of the finished product.  I hope it gets dirty and ratty and thrown in the washer lots because it’s put to use!  Here’s also hoping I can start in on another baby quilt soon as close seminary friends currently undergo the IVF process!  Babies, babies everywhere!

[Dear Dawson peeps,
Need further proof that it’s a small world?  Also attending the baby shower was Paren, the current artist-in-residence at the Dawson Elementary School!  We chatted about the Olympics unit.  How fun!  There is just something about that town that constantly connects me and tugs at my heart!] 

creative juices.

28 Oct
mmm.  juice.
I’ve been intentional to return to the crafting I love so much – the crafting I need to do to remain sane.  Attempting to be creative is one of my passions and what’s a passion if it’s not indulged?
I made a yarn wreath for the front door.  [I’ve decided I’m a wreath person.  I think I always want one on my door.  Hence, this pinterest board.]

I had a cake in the freezer now for a few weeks and decided it was time to make a batch of cakepops.  I’m due to send a few packages out; the cakepops will be included.  [I think I was cakepopped out after this summer but it was fun to return.  Have I told you that I have a thanksgiving turkey cakepop order coming up, in addition to a wedding cakepop event for next June?  Holy balls.]

I’m finally beginning to put together the quilt I wanted to finish in the month of July.  I’ve gotten to the unfortunate point when I just want to finish it to move onto the next project; perfection goes out the window.

I need to finish that quilt – or at least get to a proper pausing point – because I have a baby quilt up next!  I bought green and pale yellow fabric yesterday and hope to get it done in a couple weeks.  It’s going to be all sorts of circles.

reasons why –

11 Oct
– I love my job:
I spent two and a half hours at a care center, first yelling into the ear of a man who was hard of hearing while I attempted to give him communion in a public space.   [This was after we cleared up the fact that I was not the pastor’s wife but indeed the pastor.]  Second, visiting with a woman who, in the middle of a story, pointed to her television and asked, “Did you see my head of Christ?”  Why, yes, I did notice the statue of Jesus’ head that lights up on top of your tv.
Before I went to the care center, I spent close to two hours at a downtown Owatonna eating establishment with Paige, jD, and new friend, Amanda the intern.  I so appreciate the opportunities to check in and ask, “What would you do with this?” and “What are you doing for a children’s sermon this week?”
I now have a giant easel pad of paper on a giant easel in my office.  Marilyn fetched the easel for me – she thought it was necessary.  I stole the paper from her office.  Operation: Internet has begun and it requires a large visual.  [I’m listing every internet possibility and writing down details/crossing them off as I make phone calls.  After phone calls.]  It was finally realized that if I want internet, I need to start with the yellow pages and do it myself.  [Even though most of the research has been done; it just can’t seem to be organized.  Color me frustrated.]  The easel pad and a flower pot of new Crayola markers will help.
I spent yesterday morning quilting with the women of Red Oak Grove.  I do love a good quilting morning.
I can build a website/blog and it’s considered work.  I plan confirmation and it’s considered work.  I can call Karen from Stillwater at the synod office and it’s considered work.  A lot of mornings, I just stand in Marilyn’s office and talk.  I think that has its place too.
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