Deck the Halls

Here it is, December 1st, the start of the Christmas season and once again I intend to heed the words of G.K. Chesterton....

Angels can fly…….

. . . because they take themselves lightly.

                               - GK Chesterton

 

It is difficult to fly when we take ourselves so seriously that:

- we feel we must be on "top" of everything,

- we have to have "all" the answers,

- we must provide a "perfect" Christmas,

- we have to "do it all" ourselves,

- we must be "in charge,"

- we have to "fit" it all into our calendars.

 

May we take ourselves a little more lightly this

Holiday Season

- knowing that God loves us

and understands what it is like to be human.

For those of you who have read the lines above before on this blog, just look at the quilts, both Primitive Gatherings projects.  Above, Warm Winter Blessings  and on the left, Back in Time.

Both are wool applique/embroidery on cotton that I completed once my wrist recovered from the fracture last winter.  Back in Time is hung over an antique radio that Grandpa refinished for us many years ago.

Close-up.

I'm grateful to be able to complete these projects and hang them up for Christmas, however, once again I'm wondering why every December we plan and execute more things in 25 days than we might normally take a year to accomplish. Do you find yourself doing this?  I also find people who have it all done by December 1st quite annoying and I'd like them to go away!

Tango

So, this December I plan to keep a sort of journal on my blog to first remind myself of what I do indeed accomplish, as well as to try to keep the spirit in everything I do as I travel lightly through the holidays.

On the left is one bright spot in a -7 degree morning.  The "Tango" geranium my grand-daughter gave me for mothers' day is blooming in the living room

Finally, here is a peek into Santa's Workshop, sewing room or best yet, The Studio.  You can find me here, listening to Christmas music and trying to put it all together.  I'll bet you're wondering if I can find anything in there.  You're probably right.



I'm ready for the journey.  Would you care to join me?


Nana

Gratitude

About my previous post.....

When I wrote my post in January about trying to be more and do less, little did I know that I would be spending the rest of winter just being..... I must have had a premonition.

We had a wonderful vacation in Cozumel.....we were snorkeling, swimming, walking and I was doing a wonderful online watercolor class with Jane Lafazio.

After shopping at the Mercado for models, I painted apples and lemons.

Since there wasn't a lemon to be found on the island, I used a yellow lime!

On one of our walks, we found an empanada stand on a corner where a mother and daughter were making the empanadas from scratch. They were delicious!

Then I broke my right wrist and left kneecap when I stepped into a puddle from my husbands bathing suit in the bathroom.

We had excellent help from Sara, the manager...(getting x-rays since I was certain nothing was broken and going to an orthopedic surgeon who assured me that both were indeed broken) , but this put an end to the vacation about a week early.


So for the past month I have been practicing just being.  Can't write, sew, quilt, knit, drive, cook or clean.  Wait...there's nothing wrong with not cooking or cleaning.

However, I can read, nap, play the piano with my left hand and walk around with the brace on my left leg.  Time goes quite quickly as everything takes twice as long with my left hand (like typing this post)!


To my delight, my watercolor class had a lesson on drawing with the non-dominant hand which I highly recommend, and here are some of my examples.

 This is one of the dozen roses my husband gave me for Valentine's Day. I've also discovered his talent for cooking and housekeeping that he hid for so many years.

In about a week and a half, I'll be getting the cast off my right arm and then I'll be doing physical therapy as well as still just being.....

Nana

Dooby, Dooby Do

The Sundogs of January

 January is almost gone and I still haven't made any goals or resolutions although I keep thinking about it.  I love to check things off a list or make a clean sweep of the studio when a project is done and heaven knows the basement could use a bit of work.

Instead I've decided to be more and do less and try to stay in the moment.

Hand quilting is something that I find anchors me in the moment, so I intend to keep a project going in the hoop.

This is a pattern by Lori Smith.  I started it last year with plans to hang it up for Valentines Day.

More handwork here with this little wool applique on cotton , Back In Time from Primitive Gatherings.

I'm sure there will be more pieces to finish as the year rolls on, but hopefully I can enjoy the process and let the deadlines, among other things go.  One of my favorite ideas from yoga teacher Judith Lasater is to do everything 10% slower to stay in the moment.  Perhaps that's why hand quilting is so restorative.

So this is my little plan for 2014.  Be more, do less and let go as much as possible.

How about you?

Nana