Needles and Pens

A few days ago, my sister and I were talking about back-to-school time and a major change in my routine this year. For a long time now, I’ve been accustomed to having several quiet hours in my day to get things done while the kids were in school. Suddenly, all of that has changed. Due to fluctuating work and school schedules for my older kids, I find myself with precious little time alone these days. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, and yet I’m having a heck of a time adjusting. My resistance to it has left me positively lethargic. I’m accomplishing…. Nothing. Change is hard. My sister, having been through all of this already, shared these words of sisterly wisdom. “You’re just going through an adjustment period. It’ll get better.” And I guess it really is as simple as that. Life is a series of never-ending changes. You can dig your heels in and resist, making yourself miserable in the process, or accept the change and get on with it. And so, I resolved to look for t...

I can't believe it's already May. Not that I'm complaining. I'm SO ready for summer. The good news is, I'm finally feeling better. I have a head cold that just won't quit (maybe if spring ever comes to Minnesota to stay, I can be done with that, too), but at least the pain in my shoulder and arm is nearly gone. I love my chiropractor! The bad news... there really isn't any bad news in the grand scheme of things. Life is good. My two daughters, grandson and I just returned from a long-awaited trip to Chicago, my two sons will celebrate birthdays this week, and a beautiful, warm spring has got to be just around the corner. However, I am behind. Remember the UFO and GED challenges from New Years?... Missed April entirely and now I have projects assigned for May. The Block-a-Palooza quilt I had hoped to finish for someone's birthday? Well, that'll be one belated birthday gift. And soon there'll be a need for one more baby quilt in the family. Gu...

Just when I felt like I was really getting things accomplished... life threw me a curve ball. I've been laid up for the past 3-4 weeks with a combination of back problems and never ending bronchitis/sinus/inner-ear crud. Suddenly I'm not only behind in all of my sewing projects, but completely bewildered by everything else that needs to be done in the coming weeks. In the midst of all my health problems, I decided to give up my job at the fabric store, which has relieved a lot of stress and may be the key to finally feeling a little better now. I'm not fully recovered yet. Still on antibiotics, still waiting for my ears to unplug, still visiting my chiropractor almost daily and hoping for a breakthrough that will relieve the shooting pain in my shoulder and arm. But there are signs of improvement. Here I am, sitting at the computer after all. There's a light at the end of the tunnel. One thing I have managed to get done this week was a trip to the post office. I...

I can't believe it's already Sew & Tell Friday . What a week! I guess my biggest accomplishment was just surviving my first few days on the job at Hancock Fabrics. There's never a dull moment there, that's for sure. Busy, busy, busy! I don't think I've cut as much fabric in my lifetime as I cut this week. I'm enjoying the job so far, but one thing is clear, I won't have near the time to spend in my sewing room -- or on my blog, for that matter -- as I used to. (And don't even ask what my house looks like. LoL) All things considered, I'm happy with what I did finish this week. I posted on Sunday about the fleece blankets I clipped and tied for our church blanket drive. Besides that, I also finished one more child's quilt top. This one is a bit larger than the one I finished last week, for a slightly older child: Again, these were almost all donated fabrics, and I have enough left over to make at least one more quilt with these crazy sheep...

It's been SO long since I've posted! I've been thinking about writing an update, including all the events since my last post, but the thought was just too overwhelming. So much has happened in two short months. May flew by with birthdays, my daughter's confirmation, my brother-in-law's homecoming from Iraq, all the activities that come with the end of another school year, and the beginnings of a nagging ache in my neck and shoulder that severely limited my computer time. And then there was June, a complete blur. There were more birthdays, my son's first piano recital, a new addition to the pet menagerie (Emily has a new bunny), and babysitting my now-9-month-old grandson, when I wasn't totally incapacitated. The nagging ache developed into a badly pinched nerve in my neck, followed by doctor visits, pain meds, chiropractor adjustments, and finally ended in a four-day hospital stay with pneumonia, of all things. This was a truly scary experience which drained...