Seems Like Constant Motion

The grandchildren have now flown back home to be with their parents. They return to school in a couple of weeks. During the last few weeks they were here, we made the trip to the zoo. We also had another chance for a fishing trip, where each of the kids caught fish, which we then had for a late afternoon snack.

I have made a little more progress in organizing the studio, going through two sets of magazine subscriptions, and working on finding places for the things I need to keep. Additionally, I am working on an autograph quilt from the wedding. An example of the basic blocks, which my son's MIL, Jan, made from fabrics in both of our stashes, is shown above. (The example is not one of hers. I found it at Strawberry Patch Quiltworks.) I am making a center piece with embroidery that will also contain a picture of the bride and groom. Once I have that done, I'll piece the top and hand it back to Jan for backing, quilting, and binding. (She has a long arm machine.)

Seems like it never slows down around here.

Until next time, I wish you peace.

Projects and Plans

The grandchildren are still in town, so we have had a couple of additional visits and hope to have two more before they fly back home. Grandpa wants to fish with them, again, and have their catch for lunch, if possible. We were able to meet up with many family members for lunch and a visit to a petting zoo (at the restaurant complex), where the kids got to feed the goats and llamas. A trip to the regular zoo, which has been put off twice due to the weather, looks like it will finally happen.

Our own yard continues to provide constant sightings of a variety of wildlife. The fledgling birds are beginning to learn to eat seeds. The new generation of squirrels is fighting over territory, and I am learning more about the way various species communicate.

On another note, I am carrying on with writing my mother's story. Earlier this year, one of my cousins' children gave me a wonderful gift. She had been sending me pictures from her mother's collection and included two of my maternal great-grandmother. Since I had heard stories about her sitting in her rocking chair and greeting the children but had never seen a picture of her, I was overwhelmed not only to see her for the first time, but also to have a picture of her in that chair.

I am persisting in my work on the studio, too. The new project cases are set up, and I have been putting away fabric that had been stashed for a project that changed. Some of the pieces I hadn't seen in years, and I am delighted with how beautiful they are. My hope is to be done sorting things out by the end of this month so that I can get to work on Christmas gifts.

I hope you enjoy the season and, as always . . .

Until next time, I wish you peace.

Goal Setting and Other Thoughts

These lovely quilts were in the space where our family celebration was held.

While I am still getting ready for my nuclear family gathering at Christmas, the larger family party is over and my thoughts are turning to doing my year-end inventory and goal setting exercises. To help myself do that this year, I have been working with Gail McMeekin's book The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women: A Portable Mentor. She presents a series of "challenges" to get you to think about your creative process and work towards making a list of goals.

In addition, I have been trying to be more aware of the things that capture my attention. I was reminded of Ragfinery by this video VTV at WWU's video. It, in turn, has reminded me to add recycling/upcycling to the list of items I want to be sure to include in my goals.

On another note, we are still dealing with above normal temperatures, and with a minor blip toward normal ones over next weekend, are supposed to continue to have them for the next couple of weeks. I find it truly disturbing. At the same time, I am happy that an accord has been reached in Paris on climate change. You can read more about that here: Nations Approve Landmark Climate Accord in Paris.

Until next time, I wish you peace.

(Note: I provide links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply affiliation by me with any site.)

Inspiring Creativity

It has been hard to get myself into the studio lately. While I have made a few forays, looking over potential projects, I haven't spent much time there. In some ways, I have been experiencing creative burnout. Alisa Burke has a helpful post about the issue: Coping with Creative Burnout. Some of the things I have been doing correspond to actions she discusses, like focusing on something different and having fun.

I have been spending a lot of time with family, as well as researching and writing the book I've been working on. Trips out to local nature areas are sure to provide inspiration for future work, too. Fall has certainly arrived and is making its mark on the foliage, albeit slowly. 

Another way to look at things came up just yesterday and today with two references to the "which dog are you feeding?" story. The first was in the new movie, Tomorrowland, which we watched last night. The second is in Roz Stendahl's blog post: Which Dog Are You Feeding? While the movie uses the story to attempt to redirect our attitudes towards making changes for the health of the planet, Roz uses it as a tool for achieving artistic goals. In both cases, of course, the story is about looking at things in a positive light. Roz's idea was a revelation, however, and something I will need to think more about. Inspiration, it would seem, is coming from unexpected areas.

I'm off to think, enjoy life, and see what's next. Until next time, I wish you peace and all good things.

(Note: I provide links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply affiliation by me with any site.)

Thinking of Space

Last week there was a segment on the news about the buying patterns of new home buyers that suggested people are going back to the pattern prominent prior to the recession. That is, the report said people are buying homes that are quite large. When I looked at the information available on the Census website Characteristics of New Housing - 2014, I found that the average size of new single-family homes has been increasing without any apparent impact from the recession. The site gives the average square footage of homes from 1978 through 2014. Over that time, they increased from 1650 to 2506 square feet.

As someone who grew up in a house that was approximately 2500 - 2900 square feet with ten people around the dining room table every night, I can attest to the fact that one can live comfortably in 250 to 300 square feet per person. I never felt I could not find a place to be alone if I wanted it nor did I feel lonely if I wanted to be with people.

Part of the reason I have been thinking so much about this has to do with my intention of downsizing in the next few years. Another is my sense that we, as a country, need to think about our use of energy and materials. Someone pointed out to me recently that "Mother Earth" will be fine no matter what we humans do about climate change, but we humans won't be so lucky. Along the way, we are also taking other species with us.

There is another movement in the country, and apparently, around the world, towards building homes that are minimal. According to many of the people in the Small_house_movement, tiny-house-nation: the-tiny-house-movement, Tiny House Talk and Tiny House Community, tiny houses are 400 square feet or smaller. The majority of these appear to be movable, since many communities have restrictions on house size. Many of the articles I have seen on these homes indicate that the exterior views play a large part in making the homes feel comfortable, while the inhabitants have also scaled down the majority of their possessions to fit the space.

While I cannot see myself moving into a "tiny house," in part because I anticipate moving as a couple and also because I do entertain my family several times a year, I can see the logic in downsizing to a space that is significantly smaller than the 1760 square feet we now occupy. It will require rethinking what I actually need to have available to me and how much space to allow for every activity.

How much space do you feel you need? Why?

Until next time, I wish you peace.

A Break from the Studio

Our elder son and his family have come in for a visit, which means we get to spend some time with the grandchildren, too. Since we hadn't seen them in person for two years, it was wonderful to get those first hugs and experience the excitement of bouncing five-year-olds. Though it can wreck havoc when they are swinging things around - even soft stuffed animals.

Since our son has missed the family Christmas parties for the last four years, we are also having a summer family get-together. Most of the people will not be able to make it, but there should still be between 25 and 30 of us. There will also be other little ones, potentially even the newest baby. I expect it will be a wonderful day.

Preparations and logistics associated with their visit have meant that I have not had much time to do anything creative, but the break is definitely worth it. There will be time after they have gone to get back to the studio.

I wish you wonderful days, and 

Peace