Thursday, January 24, 2008

seven things

here are seven random things that you might, or might now know about me:

1. I have quite an obsession with stationery, paper, journals and the like...i used to write a lot of letters, especially when i lived overseas, but i've gotten somewhat lax lately. Every time i look at my stash, i have a sudden urge to sit down and write everyone i know a letter.

2. I don't really want to have a baby...yet...but i really would love to be pregnant. Everytime i see a cute pregnant lady, i'm jealous.

3. I love the feeling of being squeaky clean, but i hate to take showers...the drying off, putting on lotion, blowdrying the hair is all so time consuming and repetitive.

4. I love to find new blogs and websites to read and follow, but have yet to leave a comment on any one that i really like.

5. Lately my mind has not been at work...i keep thinking i might be happier doing something else. If i didn't have to think about money, i think i'd want to start a small business doing something creative out of my house.

6. I would really like to learn how to letterpress, as my next creative project.

7. Everytime i knit, sew, write, ect...i always think about ways i could make a living do these things...maybe one day?...

Monday, January 21, 2008

what i'm reading

i thought i'd do a post about what's on my night stand...

my new bible that i got for christmas tops the pile, along with my journal that i've been writing in for over a year...
it's thick one made from small squared graph paper,
i don't write in it like i used to.
i really miss the nights i used to curl up at night and reflect on my day...
"A Year In the World" by Frances Mayes has been really fascinating so far,
she's the author that wrote "Under the Tuscan Sun"
her books are just so soothing and beautiful...
she makes my want to travel and be a travel writer.
"Making a Literary Life" is interesting...
i'm reading it partially because i'm writing for a living now, but partly
because it encourages me to continue to write outside of work as well.
at the bottom of the pile are some random pages ripped out of an old journal
and some poetry books...
i thought i was a well-rounded reader, but i see that i'm missing a spiritual book and a work of fiction.
this might be the first time in years that i'm not in the middle of reading a novel.
i have two philippe gregory books waiting to be read, but no spiritual books.
any suggestions would be highly recommended.
i love books. they make me happy.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

sewing project #1

i've been waiting for this day since may.
this morning i woke up and with no plans made,
i decided to undergo my first sewing project.
my expectations were low, but i'm pleased to announce,
the results surprised even me.

i've been wanting to make a tote bag since i got my singer on my
birthday last may.
the striped fabric is from a vintage "ticking" tablecloth i bought from a vintage store,
and the navy floral is from an urban outfitters bed sheet i got on sale, with the
purpose of using as fabric.
i am not only proud of my first project, but fulfilled by the fact that it has been made with my own two hands.
i definitely have been bitten by the bug!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

making a list, and checking it twice

can i tell you how satisfying it is to make a to do list full of
small annoying tasks that have been put off for days, even weeks...
and to finally have the motivation to check them off one-by-one.
tonight was that night...
all during the day today, i was adding one task after another from work,
dreading having to do all of them,
but sometimes it's like ripping off a band-aid and
getting them all done at once is less painful...
i got home from work early, to get some overlap time
with curtis before he had to leave for class...
the minute he left i was a tornado,
a second wind of energy,
and since i decided not to cook for just myself, i had that much more
time and energy to complete my to do list...
after all were crossed of, to my extreme pleasure, and i
hopped in the shower, i got a call from curtis
saying that his class had ended early on the first night...
so we get to have a night together after all.
so, now, it's only eight o'clock and i'm ready to wind down,
guiltfree and relax.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

words to live by

"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." ~William Morris

I came across this quote a few days ago, and it has stuck with me until now.
As New Year's has quickly come and gone, i've found myself suffocated by things...
First holiday shopping, then returning, exchanging, stuffing more stuff into our already small house,
and it seems that our lives are bursting at the seams...
schedules filled up, days turn into nights and it seems that nothing has been accomplished.

Oh how much materialism and greed surrounds us,
how much simpler life would be without the clutter...
not just things, but words spoken, days planned to the minute...
i'm seeing the need to simplify, declutter, slow down and be cognisant of
what surrounds me, what i let into my house, out of my mouth...

It seems that that quote could be applied to our lives instead of just our houses and it would be even more profound.

"Have nothing in your lives that you do not know to be useful or believe to beautiful"

I'm certain that simplicity is not simply obtained by cleaning out a room, though that might be the starting point for some. It might just be waking up earlier than i'd like to have a cup of tea and sit still for a moment, or planning meals ahead of time, so nights won't seem so frantic or staying up later than my husband to start writing again.

Small changes might be just what i need to slow my life down, to enjoy the moments that too often pass me by.

Friday, January 4, 2008

winter warmth







after taking down all of my christmas decorations, my house felt so cold and bare...
so, new year's day i went out with two friends in search of some little treasures to warm up my mantle and dining room.
after some great bargain shopping, i'm very pleased with the earthy simplicity and winter warmth my new finds bring...

A New Year

it's a new year, full of possibilities and fresh starts...
i love the idea of a new year beginning,
expectant of this calendar with more blank boxes than ones filled in.
i didn't make resolutions this year, as much as i made goals for myself...
from shallow to goals set, to changes within the deepest parts of who i am.
i love the sense of possibility,
the probability however hangs over my head and comes as a good reminder that
i am flawed as well as unable to change on my own.
i am a work in progress and i acknowledge my humanity and need for a savior in these early days of 2008.
i think that's a good way to start a new year.


 
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