A little of this . . a little of that . . .
Even when I’m feeling “under the weather” like I have been the last week or so, I can usually still stitch and it’s a good thing. I had orders for 16 pillows after posting my last grouping. That’s a good thing of course! But 16 pillows – that’s a lot to get done. I’m getting there though – only 2 1/2 half to go! Lots of pumpkins and witches. It’s getting to be that time of the year!
This is what you do when you take a break for a week. Last week when I was being a bum I binge watched Downton Abbey (I know – I’m way behind everyone else in my TV shows!) and I stitched. I stitched a lot! While it was hot and humid outside I worked on Halloween and fall things! I finally got them all died and filled and stitched into pillows. I love how Miss Grimhild fits inside this gourd – it’s like they were made for each other!
I was gathering eggs the other day and I brought in another blue egg. Of course I had to show Joe and he laughed and said, “Those blue eggs make you happy don’t they?” And they do! Acutally, just the act of gathering eggs and talking to the chickens makes me happy. And I get to do it on a daily basis!
Then the other evening, one of those few evenings here lately where we could just sit still and relax, we were outside on the deck Joe built this summer. I had my sewing with me and my glass of Diet Pepsi (a bad addiction I’m working on stopping) sitting beside me on the table Joe built. It was a beautiful evening to be outside. And I realized how content I was. I told Joe how spoiled I felt at that moment. His response was that I was far from spoiled. But at that moment I was happy and I did feel spoiled.
Then when we were camping in Clear Lake I shared some salsa with the group that I had made the week before. Dad and Mom have had an overabundance of tomatoes, onions and green peppers this summer and keep giving them to me so I’ve been making freezer salsa and I now have 31 containers of salsa in the freezer, not to mention how much we’ve already eaten. They keep giving me tomatoes and I haven’t wanted them to go to waste so even if it meant getting up extra early in the morning to make a batch before going somewhere else for the day, I was up chopping tomatoes. And I realized it makes me happy. Being able to share with family and friends something I had made that was not only yummy but full of fresh straight from the garden ingredients makes me happy. Knowing this winter I can bring out this homemade yummy salsa and use it in chili and for tacos or just to eat with chips makes me happy. Just the process of making the salsa makes me happy.
Joe just chuckles when I say my blue eggs make me happy but he knows me and he knows these little things are so important to me. It doesn’t take much to find something around here that makes me happy! And that makes me happy too!
I did a lot of stitching today. I should have been doing other things – like getting the camper ready for the weekend. But instead I stitched. Drew and I did run and get groceries after perusing the sale ads that came out today. Then back home to stitch some more. I want to get this sampler done so I can start on an order. I’ve been stitching samplers here lately along with pillow tucks to sell but this one I’m going to keep for myself. I have no idea where I’m going to put it but it’s staying here with me!
It’s been so excessively hot and humid these past couple days – we’ve stayed inside as much as we can. And I’ve been staying up later than usual to get some much needed stitching time in. I went through a short dry spell where I just wasn’t wanting to stitch. I did a little embroidery but as usual, I enjoyed a small project or two and then I was done. Then I ordered some patterns from Lori Rippey and Tina Woltman and I’m back into my stitching again.
In my quest to be more organized, I’m putting every new pattern I get from now on in a binder and I think I’ll group them according to designer. That beats throwing them all willy nilly into a tub where I can’t find any specific one. Someday I hope to get through all those tubs and get all my patterns put into binders. That will be a huge job!
I’m loving the drab prim colors, the alphabets, the simple motifs. I haven’t stitched any samplers in quite awhile and I’m enjoying getting back into that too. I feel grounded again.
Joe has the first three days off work next week for the holiday and he’s taking Thursday and Friday off as well. We’ll sell shave ice again on Tuesday and Wednesday and then our plan is to camp after that. It should be a fun week, nothing too pressing, hopefully get a few more things done around here the next couple days, the fun 4th of July festivities and then a little getaway. Although we’ll be running home now and then to check on the chickens and gather eggs!