Gray days bright fabrics!

Here are blocks I am collecting from friends to make a quilt for another friend, who loves orange!

It is exciting to see these come together, to make a keepsake for this very special lady!

I am watching the BBC show "The Land Girls" (wonderful, set in the British Countryside during WWII ) and knitting these socks which I starts last year.

 

Meanwhile, Lisa at "A Whimsical Bohemian" blog has a bowl which she is filling with hearts made by various artists! Mine is now ready to send her way....

This is the front of the fabric "quilt" heart.....a mended heart.....

this is the back which uses newsprint/ dictionary fabric centering the word, "Memory". Free motion quilted with red fleece for batting. It was fun!

back to the land girls now.....(I have been good and did 45 minutes of yoga with our local teacher on video!)

 

Stitching and Stretching

 

This is the quilt I sewed on yesterday. It is for a challenge from our guild, for the upcoming quilt show.  We were to use the theme of a holiday (any from around the world) and the "churn dash" block.

 

Mine is based on a cherry blossom festival, with some pomegranates thrown in.  Birds, and blossoms, trees and fruit.

 Making it was fun, I will have to come up with a good explanation of my "holiday"! It also remains to be quilted, perhaps with a final border first....or not.....

 

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Now the "counter pose" for all those hours sitting at a sewing machine, leaning forward, is to stretch the other way....

This is the "bow pose" (as in bow and arrow) which is a perfect release.....though other shoulder and back stretches could work too!  [Yes, that is me in the photo above.  I am lucky to still be this flexible, so off to yoga class today to maintain my range of motion!]

Early spring beauty....

I did not grow these, they were the last blue iris bouquet at a local shop.

I "needed" them for a watercolor session tomorrow. My friend Lizzzie and I will be enjoying them.....now you enjoy too!

Also...

Relax, Breathe and Sleep....

FYI--If you can do this yoga pose (the plow), it is wonderful for helping with insomnia! LOL!

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And of course, if you haven't seen "The King's Speech" yet, you must go right out and see it!

The best movie in years!

I'm retired now! (temporarily!) This gives me time to spend with my Mom. We are trying to help her close up housekeeping and move in with us by the end of summer. No easy task, as we are constantly stopping to remember. Reading letters from years gone by, and finding more photos than we knew were here! This photo from about 1954 shows me and by little brother with our Christmas dolls. My paternal grandmother is in the photo too. She would have been about the age I am now. [Funny, I don't even feel grown up at times! I remember her telling me that I would not believe how fast my life would go by.]

My mom was great at giving me home permanents, here is my 3rd grade school photo. These aren't the greatest photos, but they are in the computer files here....representative of what we are finding in the archaeological dig through the closets!

After a well-earned break to enjoy Yarnell's Lemon Ice Box Pie ice cream (below) with mixed berries on top, we will return to excavating!


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Being away from home, I can't go to my regular yoga class or see the moring TV show which I usually watch with my teacher, Andrea . Luckily the teachers, Brian and Andrea, have made a wonderful DVD that I can take with me! I think doing this gentle workout will be a real boost! [You can purchase this DVD by following the link and scrolling down!]

Things I am loving at the moment......

1. This quote from an artist-- "I tell you, the more I think, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.” — Vincent Van Gogh

2. Yoga! Here is a you tube video of my teachers conducting a class!

3. Wearing red and pink which makes me feel energized and somehow fights off the cold weather!

4. Working on my granny squares....fun and scrappy crochet!

5. Listening to Reggae music which makes me feel I am in a warm tropical climate. [Many happy memories of our daughter's wedding in Jamaica!]

6. Resting and relaxing with a good book or movie. Getting enough sleep.

7.Being mindful of each moment (as much as possible, this takes practice!). Taking care of myself, emotionally and physically.

8. Tazo organic green tea. A favorite now!

9. Dark chocolate, of course!!!! [in small amounts, eaten slowly, melting rather than chewing]

10. Being involved in my community. (Not over-committed, but connected!)

Just finished today is this bear which I "created" for a local fund-raiser. We are given a "cookie cutter" teddy bear in either red, pink or white. We are to decorate it, dress it, make it "real". [I was rather not excited when I saw the flat red bear! Once I got started, he just sort of "grew". I think many of the dolls I make do the same thing...they "grow" themselves!] These are to be auctioned off at a soup supper February 28th.

The flat red cookie cutter bear has now become "Beartrand de la Mer", French sailor extraordinaire! He has a hand knit sweater and bell bottoms. His white beret has a black grosgrain band and a bright red pompom on top. In one hand he hold a miniature eiffel tower and his name tag has an antique picture of a mermaid, of course!

Now off to get some of that rest!

We're having a winter storm...and....This is my 700th post!

Here is the photo of the snowman block which I promised you. I am scheduled to teach this block of the month (which I am designing) at the sewing shop, tomorrow. However, we will probably not be open, and real snowmen will be appearing all over town!

I took this photo out the front window, a few minutes ago. Things have changed since then, we now have large fluffy flakes cascading silently into our world. This is SO much better than the relentless ice which fell a year ago! I am off work today, as everything here closes when the streets get icy. This wonderful day is all mine, I feel. I am doing some "old" (as in "same ole, same ole") things, crafts, reading, blogging. But I am trying some new things this week.

One new thing, fennel. I had never bought a fennel bulb before. Yesterday, I decided to try one. The bulb below has been oven roasted with sea salt, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It will be my lunch. The stalks and feathery part of the fennel are in a crock pot with a small pork loin which I browned in an iron skillet first. The fennel is under the roast which is topped with sea salt and lemon slices. We will have that for dinner. [I won't be thinking that Mr. Pear will eat the fennel stalks but they should impart a delicate flavor to the pork roast.]

My other plans for new foods include Swiss chard which I'm sure I will have to eat by myself, as well. This is a new path for me...trying to eat much less sugar ( I can't give up honey yet, though!) and switching to green tea instead of coffee. [Is this really ME???? I always loved coffee.....first thing EVERY morning!]

I can only say that the "wake-up" call my body gave me with all the pain a week ago, has made me look for a different path. The one not yet taken. It might be interesting....getting out of a rut and all! I am going to take CARE of ME this time, which includes completing a series of helpful sessions with the chiropractor in the next six weeks and seeing them on an on-going basis! [I've learned that I do love being taken care of, and even if I have to pay for it, I'm worth it!]

Of course, the skills I've had for years, sewing, crochet (see granny squares in photo), knitting are still available to me.

I just have to be careful and not overdo....same thing with typing on this computer! Here is my little Singer Featherweight which I carried up from the icy cold basement studio. I used it to make a yoga bag for my new yoga mat.

We have a wonderful local TV channel which has a daily yoga session each morning at 10:00 so I was able to do that today too! [It's great being off work! LOL!]

Much of my quiet day is left....after the fennel bulb lunch, I can read or even set up a still life and try a watercolor painting. Thank-goodness for the crock-pot, I don't have to stop and cook again!

I hope you have a lovely day too, wherever you are! Try a path not taken!

Doors to better health and strength

These are the doors to the yoga studio where I take classes. The studio is a beautiful peaceful environment.....I am truly blessed to be able to drop in there!

Now how cool is this?...... Our local studio is featured in the August issue of VOGUE magazine! Six studios across the U S are mentioned for being especially "green". The others are all on the west or east coast....VOGUE was impressed with our local yoga teacher and her center!

Never a jock or athlete, I have come to love yoga. It is non-competitive, good for all ages and stages of life. Whatever amount of yoga you are able to find room for in your life will be a benefit.

After reading, "Eat, Pray, Love", the best selling book by Elizabeth Gilbert, I decided to seek more diversity and adventure in my own local area...rather than take off to far away worlds. It has been wonderful!

If you have no studio in your area, there is always this book or DVD. [no joke...it is good!]

This is a photo which reminds me of my granddaughter (who is athletic, LOL!)
She will be here (coming from the Atlanta area) within the hour now! We have a big family weekend ahead.
I will be posting more about it eventually!

[When old friends reappear......]

At long last, finally, after years of having us in a crowded box, in a hot attic, Lila (with the help of Mr. Pear) brought us down. (Only because she wants to give us to her grandaughter who is about to be 8 years old.) We are still in the clear plastic case though the lid is gone....

We are a brother and sister doll from the Netherlands...our costumes are from the Marken Holland area. (We even have wooden shoes!)

We came to live with Lila in about 1959...her wonderful aunt found us and sent us to become part of Lila's doll collection. Having an international doll collection is probably one thing which led to Lila's love of "armchair" travel!

You haven't heard much from Lila the last few days...she has been reading a book (Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert) and working at her job. Today was full of a dental appointment and yoga class and lunch with a friend (at a Thai restaurant where she drank lots of Thai iced tea), grocery shopping and getting the binding ready for the wedding quilt which you can read about here.......

tomorrow it is back to Little Rock to sew the binding on the quilt and visit with her mom!

It was nice to meet all of you!

Lila has quite a few other "old" doll friends, including a "glamour"bride doll from the 1950s, still in the box....so check back to meet more of us!

Love Thursday!

This is a yoga position that I love....

we must love ourselves before we can learn to love others....

Exercise is part of loving ourselves.

More love here!