Just Another Manic Monday

Rogue and I took a nice little walk this morning. The sky was blue, the wind was at a minimal, and you could actually hear some birds twittering among themselves in the trees up above. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love dark and dreary days. But this morning was a nice change of pace. I attribute feeling better, physically, to it as well.

I have been keeping busy today

• Laundry, both washing and folding
• Dishes, still drying in the dishwasher
• Picking up toys (they are never ending)
• Making banana bread
• Writing the meal plan for the week (tonight is Chicken Parmigiano Strips with Spaghetti Marinara)
• Organizing various projects
• Organizing the closets

I should be working on my love notes card for Shawn, for Valentine’s Day. I need to do some 1/8″ stitching around the envelope before I can embroider the card.

I should also be doing some embroidery after investing in a hand painted canvas on supplies. I decided to delve into the world of embroidery on my second visit to Queen Anne’s Stitches. It was a perfect activity while the rain poured on and on in the afternoon. Of course, I saw this and just had to join.

I should be working on my Minimalist Cardigan considering the Ravelympics start on the 12th and I really don’t want to start a second sweater without finishing the first one. I guess we’ll see what happens in the next few days. I am in three groups for the Ravelympics. What was I thinking?

I should be going to the gym. Right now. I finally joined a gym and need to go check it out so I know where everything is and to get a class schedule. I did very well last month with our new healthy living. Until I got food poisoning. I know that whatever weight I lost in January I gained right back this past week. So I need to get some exercise to help shed those pesky cottage cheese thighs.

I should also be very pleased with myself because my Littlest Pet Shop Special Edition Platypus came in the mail the other day. But you have to see what I had to buy to get the Platypus because she’s just so damn cute:

I should also try to calm myself down. All weekend I’ve been up in the air. Flitting about from one thing to the next. You see, school starts tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow. My schedule?

• 8-9:20 History 102: Western Civilization
• 9:30-10:50 Political Science 1
• 11:10-12:30 Sociology 200: Women’s Studies

My days are just getting busier and busier and I don’t know where to find the time to do all the things I should be doing. How does one do it?

In Real Life

In real life there are no commercial breaks or retakes. The most break time I get is when Scout might take a nap or when I’m reading into the wee hours of the night because the Ambien hasn’t kicked in yet.

In real life relationships are quite complicated. They are not the fairy tale stories of Disney where there’s always a happy ending. Relationships take a lot of work, effort and time. Sometimes they flourish into a loving marriage. Other times they are destroyed by the alcohol that one is addicted to.

In real life there are endless hours of being on the phone, making appointments, dropping off library books, football practice, laundry, taking the dog for a walk, grabbing the mail, going to the grocery store, and on, and on, and on.

In real life there are those rare moments. Late at night the rain is still dripping from the palm tree fronds onto the puddles that have pooled outside our bedroom window. I trace Scout’s shadow and tell her how very much I love her. I tell her how things will be ok. I tell her that I will always be there for her. I even talk to Dalton. Some nights I find myself petting the bed where he used to lay in the crook of my arm purring ever so gently to rock me back to sleep.

Yes, there are those moments when life ceases to exsist if only for a moment and I can just be. There are accomplishments, heartbreaks, bouts of laughter, shaking my hips to imaginary music, dreams, inspirations. A plethora.

I think of all of these things as I watch Scout twirl around in her big girl birthday dress, pressed and pleated.

I think of these things as I carefully make the stitches that bring a present together, something I hope the kids will enjoy unwrapping on Christmas morning.

I think of all of these things when I pet Rogue and realize she’s gotten so big in the past three weeks that we’ve had to adjust her collar one notch and start walking her with a choke chain.

It’s in everything I do.

Paper, pen and glue

Ever since giving up scrapbooking as a hobby I’ve hyperfocused on everything else.

Knitting. Jewelry Making. Baking. Quilting. Cross Stitch. Sewing.

But every now and again I get out some patterned papers and adhevise. I cut different shapes and different sizes. I trace chipboard to make big, bold lettering. I cut ribbons and use them as page tabs. I age papers with a special walnut ink. My fingers get sticky from the glue sticks. They turn brown from all the distressing. And for a few brief moments I regret giving up scrapbooking. Especially those occasions when we lazily go up and down the different aisles of the local craft store. Scrapbooking has come a long was since I started it in 1999. Styles have changed. Altering is the thing of the future. Funky shaped chipboard books. Single photo layouts. Sewing your pages.

It was fun to do a little creating for a swap partner of mine. Just a little something she can put up in her space. I’m only showing one picture that way it won’t be completely obvious who I’m making this for, (since I’m not sure if she will read this).

Lots of different stuff going on here. You can take another look.

I assure you that I have been knitting though I have no proof to show. I finished the Jaywalker sock and had to frog part of the second. Once I finish both I will share a picture. No point in showing just one, unless you are a peg legged sea captain who favors colorful knit socks!

My weekend didn’t go quite as planned. I’ve been immensely unmotivated though I’ve been trying hard to stay at the task at hand. I’m behind on my Etsy orders so I really need to get going! Bags weren’t made. Quilting never made it to the sewing machine. However, I did finish a sock!  And this altered name banner. So it’s not all bad.

Especially when I was able to quench my crafter’s guilt with a couple of these:

Apple fritters. So good that I had to make them Saturday and Sunday. And maybe even tonight.