Thursday, November 24, 2011

Owl Pal

 Thanksgiving. A day that means many different things to many different people. It used to generally mean two meals and a too full stomach. As the years have gone by and loved ones have left us for the glory beyond, traditions have changed. Thanksgiving is a little quieter than it used to be. I like quiet but sometimes I miss the craziness.


Today, while the soup cooks, I'm thankful for many things. I've got them close in my heart. I hope you take some time today to reflect on the things for which you can be thankful. 


This morning I whipped up this little owl. I discovered Joanne Fabric carries a line of Denyse Schmidt fabric. They call it DS instead of using her name, probably because the quality isn't quite as superb as her usual line. Then again, the price tag isn't quite as superb either! It is beautiful fabric and I bought two pieces to make some owls. When I initially saw the owls in a blog post, I didn't realize how tiny they were! Of course it'll be easy to adjust the size. I hope to have some time this weekend to sew some gifts and play around with some owls. Sunday is advent so I dug out the advent houses and nativity yesterday. Nolan's birthday is on Friday. 14 years old. Wow. I'm thankful.
I have his eyes attached with pins right now. 

Monday, November 21, 2011

MS Awareness Video

The best thing about my job has been the amazing people I've met who live with multiple sclerosis. If you're anything like I was, you may not know much about MS. Please share this YouTube video with friends and family. Education is half the battle.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Craft Fair Catchup

'Cowel Girl' neck warmth for the winter season to come. 
 I've been looking forward to Saturday for some time. A good friend asked if I would join her for a craft show at her children's school. I agreed for two reasons: to try to sell a few of my items and to have a little 'girl time.' Kedren knits cowls. I just love them! They were a big hit at the fair. She calls it 'cheaper than therapy.' Isn't that the reason many of us sew or quilt or knit or craft?
Pal Toy'ds on display
 One of my goals was to sell off my Pal Toy'ds. I thought a $5 price tag would get them moving. Lots of girls came to check them out and there wasn't one left at the end of the day. Yeah!
The stand.
 Another item I wanted to go go go was the doll carriage. I sold it for a song. I just don't have the space to keep it so I was happy to at least break even on it. The woman who bought it was really interested in my quilting, too, so at least the little doll quilt is going to a good home.
My gothic crucifix prayer quilt is the one hanging in the back of the stand. 
 One thing that didn't get any comments was my prayer quilts. Since the craft fair was at a Catholic school I thought I'd get some comments at least. That's great information. I still have some beautiful medals and may think of some other ways to use them. I came home last night and hung up the quilt I loved the most. You can see it in the above photo. Also, click on the above photo to get a closer look at the Sculpy nativity and beads. They were crafted by Kedren's daughter Tess. Don't you just love them???
Here we are. It was so much fun to sit and chat for hours with a friend. Many of our friends also came to support us which was so dear of them. It was such a lovely way to spend my day. Thanks for the invite, Kedren. Let's put it on the calendar for next year!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Modified Hours

I have a program to run tonight in Scranton. That means 2.5 hours to Scranton, a 2 hour program, and a2.5 hour trip home late tonight. There is good and bad to these programs. The good is that I do enjoy getting out and meeting with people and I get to modify my hours. So I won't start working until about 2:30 or 3 p.m. today. The bad is that I really won't see my children at all today. 


I do love being at home while the sun shines. When I have these days at home without the kids I like to plan my day so I don't wander around wondering what to do.


Today's agenda includes working on my etsy shop, preparing for a craft fair that is coming up, cleaning my bedroom (which I did last night so I didn't have to do it today), and studying.


Studying? Yes, I've been thinking long and hard about what my future holds. Of course we have only so much control over our future but we also can't leave it all to chance. I have a degree in social work and have been thankful for it. I do love helping people. I also have 12 credits toward my elementary/special education certification. I do have a passion for education as well. I love working with young children.


For many, many years I have wished we could have provided the boys with a Montessori education. It was too expensive for us to consider sending them to one of the two local Montessori schools when they were young. We looked into both of them. We loved both of them. I used some Montessori concepts when the boys were preschoolers and when I was homeschooling. During my education classes I wrote a paper or two about Dr. Montessori and her philosophy on development.


I've always thought her method could be employed in the Catholic school system as a way to include children with disabilities. 


So, I've decided to study. I'm reading through the basic books by Dr. Montessori to really think about her philosophy of development and her method of teaching (which really is a method of observation). I may try to visit the Montessori schools again to see how they are using her method and what they require of their teachers. I'm thinking if all goes well that I may look into getting my Montessori certification online. 


So.....I'm studying. 

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Things I *need*

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will notice that I've been doing a lot of thinking about my life lately. I've done quite a few starts and stops, purging and re-animating things in my life. I've felt a great despair of late. 


I've always promised myself that I'd keep this blog light and positive. So I hope this post stays within that framework.


Within my despair, there is, of course, hope. Hope that things will brighten in the future. So where does my hope lie? In the things I know I need to be happy. So I'm starting a list. Of course, such lists change over time and with thought. I'm a left brainer so I love the list. Some lists are meant to be checked off when completed. This list of things I need will be tweaked and subtracted and added to as I continue to think about it.


That's another thing I know about myself. I need to talk and write in order to process. I guess that's one of the reasons I like to blog.


So here's the beginning. I apologize if some of this seems materialistic, vain or totally irrelevant to you. After all, it is my list. Yours will be totally different. 
Things I Need
  • Faith
  • Family
  • Time to devote to the two bullets above
  • Home
  • Time spent outside, in nature, in the sun
  • A dedicated place to sew
  • Meaningful work
  • Comfortable clothes
  • A glass of wine on the weekends (red, preferably while cooking)
  • Time to cook and bake
  • A clean, uncluttered home
  • cats
  • music
  • time to myself
  • time with my children
  • time with my husband (without my children)
  • time to spend with all of my family (nuclear and extended)
  • time with my girlfriends
  • enough money (but not too much)
  • something new to learn
  • time spent with the seasons (eating, cooking, gardening, learning)
  • birds
  • squirrels
  • simplicity
I know that my life needs to change in some way at some time. I don't want to live it the way it is right now. Hopefully things are temporary. I made this list to really think about how I should be spending each day of my life. What do I need in each of these days. How can I find those things? What about my current schedule is lacking?

You may see some hints at how I'm thinking of changing over the next few days and weeks. I need to trust that God has a plan for my life. That plan tends to be not what others think is best for me and mine. So that gets tough. But....I am always happiest when I follow that plan. His plan. Not mine.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Futzing

If you don't live in Lancaster County Pennsylvania or haven't lived here long enough, you won't know what my blog title means. Futzing: fooling around with or playing with to make correct.


Yup, I'm futzing with my blog appearance. I don't love blogger except that it's free. I've been playing around with the look of my blog for the past few weeks. Blogger (as with the rest of life) doesn't do what I want it to do. 


So, I'm futzing.....


Excuse the mess if you are a regular viewer. And...THANK YOU if you are. There are so few of you.


I hope to be up and running in the next few days with things as I want them to be. Well....until I want them to change again.
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