Meditative Walking = Inspired Thought

What the hooey is that? Well, I was standing in the grocery isle the other day and I saw an article on the cover of a women's magazine and it said "Lose 9 lbs. every week". Skeptical but intrigued, I grabbed a copy and gleaned as much as I could in 3 minutes. The gist of the concept was that you can increase the loss of belly fat by meditating while walking. No music, no TV, no books, just positive thinking. Apparently it has to do with hormones released when you focus on positive things in combination with light to moderate exercise. Do I believe that I, or anyone for that matter, will lose 9 lbs a week? Absolutely not. But a little positive meditation instead of trash TV can only do good things, right? 

So I jumped on the treadmill a day or two ago and forced myself to exercise in silence, focusing only on my thoughts. Don't get all excited, I didn't lose an extraordinary amount of belly fat, but what did happen is my mind went bonkers. I started with thanking God for all of my blessings and then the creative stuff started pouring out. I created a line of little girl clothes in my head. I got all worked up about it that I hopped off the mill at the end of my workout and headed straight to my good friend, JoAnn's. Here is the first finished piece. 

I have been wanting to make a jumper forever but just never have. This little frock is made of the same polyester herringbone that I used for my own dress. The ruffle down the center was made by cutting a plaid cotton double the length of the dress x 6". I created a tube, pressed it flat, gathered it to the length of the dress and stitched it down the middle. I added the ruffle before constructing the dress so all ends are tucked in. The shoulder straps are obviously secured with covered buttons. Love those!

Now lets be honest, will I really produce a whole line? Probably not, but I will get back on that old mill of mine for some more meditative walking. Go ahead, try it and let me know what inspiration you conjure!

Today's Serious Gratitude

I worked ridiculously hard to get Sam and the girls' school schedules coordinated. I was pretty sure that Sam would be put into PM kindergarten so I was first in line to sign the girls up for PM preschool  (not that I needed to worry, no one wants PM preschool anyway). Now, 3 weeks into the school year, I realize why no one wants PM preschool. It stinks! PM kindergarten is great. Sam is not napping anymore and we have time for lessons and homework in the morning which we both love. By the time lunch is over, Sam is ready to head off to class. Bliss. The girls on the other hand are exhausted and come home from school cranky and overtired. Mom is running from one school to the next and that short hour and 45 minutes alone goes by far too fast to get anything accomplished.

The good news? The girls' preschool teachers teach a morning 3s class and a set of triplets never showed up. My girls started AM preschool this morning and I am over the moon! Sammy gets a little one on one time with mom (and dad on Fridays). He is starting Tae Kwon Do on Monday and wednesday mornings next week. Life is good, God is good. I am so grateful that my ill-fated plan was easily remedied.

Quick Question

Does anyone know of a good fashion sewing site? I simply adore Ravelry because I can find a pattern for anything and see what so many other knitters and crocheters are working on. I would love to find something similar for fashion sewing. Does this exsist?

Gratitude

It's one of the most important components to a fulfilling, successful life if you ask me. If you can't see and be grateful for what you have and receive then you will never find true contentment. I am desperately trying to teach this to my oldest child. Some come into this world with a  natural sense of gratitude and some come with an overdeveloped sense of entitlement. My child was born with the latter. I know that this is a problem with American youth in general but I have to toot my own horn and say that we have not overindulged with no expectations. There are very high expectations in our household. Reminders of his blessings come daily from his parents. Why can't he internalize this gratitude concept? 

A long time ago my wise and all knowing mother told me that I cannot make him understand, all I can do it continue to say it and trust that one day he will get it. I have seen that process happen. As he grows and matures, I see our hard work paying off one little insight at a time. Today we struggle. It is 9:30 Sunday morning and I am sitting in the concession area of the ice rink typing this. We will stay here for an hour and then hop in the car and go directly to the baseball field where his dad, who is the coach of his team, will be waiting to coach him on to victory. Our lives revolve around this child at the moment and that is ok. We chose to do this with him and for him but it has come at a high cost. Date nights are at the rink, all of our extra money has been pumped into his athletics. His siblings' had to forgo their extracurriculars because there is no time or money for it. I don't want him to feel bad about it because we don't, I just want him to appreciate it. I guess we'll just have to keep reminding him because I don't want to have to take it all away. But rest assured, if that is what I have to do, I will. Parenthood.... whose idea was this anyway?

In Celebration of Reclaiming Me

And to lift my sometimes sinking spirits, I hit the Nook. I haven't tackled a big project in a while. Life has been a whirlwind to say the least. Nap-time, which is my favorite time to spend in the Nook, is nearly non-existent these days. The littles are in afternoon classes now. Not my fave but what can I do? Next year when Sam is in first grade, the girlies and I will head back to mornings but in the meantime I have to work with what I've got.

Anyhoo, here is what I have been up to. I bought this book a long time ago and had yet to make a single thing. This tunic dress screamed my name and I was more than ready for a challenge.

This dress was fun. It has darts, a big center pleat and a cool collar, all of which are new to me. Sometimes a forget how good it feels to learn something new. 

Overall I am happy with this little number. I was impatient and rushed through the hem which means that I am gonna have to take it out and redo it. Oh well, one day I will quit doing that....maybe. 

I Have a Confession

I know I have apologized profusely for neglecting this blog (as well as my other one). I haven't been totally honest as to why I haven't been around. Truthfully there are probably many factors that have lead to my decline but I have decided to confess the main reason.

About a year ago I attended a social gathering with people I didn't know well or, in many cases, at all. The topic of blogging came up and, to make a long story real short, I was asked point blank "Why do you think that anyone cares about what goes on in your daily life? Why don't you just send emails to friends and family, aka the people who actually do care? " Now many of you reading this (if I even have any readers left) are fellow bloggers and I happen to know that I am not alone when I say that that very thought has crossed my own mind periodically. It's that dark, nasty voice that tries to deter us from doing anything significant or meaningful. It's that voice that makes us our own worst enemy. I have fought that rotten voice off for the 3+ years I have blogged and crafted, reminding myself to ignore it and carry on. Well that one fateful night last year was the physical manifestation of "the voice". It looked me in the eye and told me that I have no place speaking publicly. That my life is insignificant and no one cares. Sadly, that was more than I could take. I subconsciously decided to close up shop and quietly retreat back to my apparently insignificant life as a stay at home mom.

I know you all are disappointed in my inability to call an asshole and asshole and stand up for myself and blogger womankind. Rest assured that no one is more disappointed than me. I allowed this person to take my voice. Not the nasty one but the self-expressive one. The one that makes me feel alive and connected. The one that allows me to vent all of this creative and occasionally stifled energy and, in turn, makes me a better mother...a better person.

Over the months that I remained quiet, a very sad thing happened. I lost my voice. I forgot all that makes my mind race and my pulse speed up.  Last week I realized how much I missed this little outlet of mine. Sharing about my family and daily activities is fun and I love that my distant relatives and friends can stay in the know but what I missed most was sharing me. My thoughts, my hardships, my isms and revelations.  I processed my thoughts this way and, most importantly, I received good, positive feedback from people who cared.

So here I am, confessing the truth and standing up to say...no yell

MY LIFE MATTERS. MY THOUGHTS MATTER. I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO SAY WHATEVER I WANT TO SAY IN AS PUBLIC A PLACE AS I WANT TO. YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ IT...HECK YOU DON'T EVER HAVE TO COME HERE AT ALL. BUT IF YOU DO, MY DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN. AMEN

Lovely Flower Tutorial

I just adore tutorials. I have learned most of what know in the craft department from online tutorials. When I stumble upon a great one, I must pass it along. This one is great!

This flower was so quick and easy to make. Most of what I do the first time is less than perfect but this tutorial was pretty fool proof.

I used felt for this first go round but I can't wait to try fabric. The center is a pearl seed button.

I attached the rosette to a trusty bend and snap barrette. You know I love those because I can put it in their hair, on a crochet hat, on a head band....even on a scarf or bag.

The answer is yes, I have tortured my poor baby girls (ok not so much babies anymore but forever babies to me) by making them try this on in every possible way. You can see that Gracie is ecstatic about it.