Never "too old" for a play date ...

Several months ago, two of my friends and I decided we didn't see enough of each other, and determined to change that. I utterly adore these two fabulous women--in their own unique ways, they bring out the best in me. And sometimes snorting, when the three of us are together.

We agreed to meet regularly; the standing monthly appointment is on my calendar as a "Mental Health Break." We meet at Laughing Planet and hilarity ensues. Really, if you can't laugh at Laughing Planet ... At first, it seemed a little, well, silly, that three grown people would have to purposely schedule time to just hang out and catch up. But now we have done a few times, this is one appointment I don't want to miss.

We have no agenda for what's become a play date. We tried that once, an agenda. It didn't work. We were unanimous in that. So, we have no defined deliverable; there's no key indicator or metric used to measure our productivity. Wait. Scratch that. There is at least one measure ... how much my sides ache the following day from laughing at us. Laughter really is good medicine. And a fabulous ab workout. Never mind the dinosaurs. 

Last month, we discovered we all have birthdays within 30 days of each other. Who knows where it came from, but we ended up saying we should wear tiaras this month to celebrate. Kristina actually has one, and good girl, she wore it. I don't have a tiara, so I stopped at the craft store, and picked up supplies to make one. 

Unfortunately, Brenda couldn't join us this month. Since we didn't get to see her tiara, we made her a princess one. Complete with a castle, crown, cute little mirror, and frog prince (that I somehow managed to cut off in that bottom right corner). We'll deliver it tomorrow. :)

Two pictures at once ... talented paparazzi, we are.  

Long live play dates!! 

Forgotten UFO's

We all need them every now then ... a lovely, lazy weekend. This was one such. It's Sunday afternoon, and I just woke from a most delicious nap. {yawn}. One dog has assumed the position: belly up, feet against the wall, tail flat along the hallway, completely relaxed and sound asleep. The other is curled up at the foot of my bed, occasionally snoring. {bliss}

It seems a bit weird to intrude on the day's quietness by grabbing my iPad and plinking out a few lines. But you know what they say ... striking, hot irons, and all that.

I can hear spring enjoying the afternoon, too. The little house finches, sparrows, chickadees ... They are raising a ruckus in the rhododendron outside my window. The wind is taking advantage of the break in the rain and teasing the trees a bit and shadows dance across the far wall. I suppose I'll have to get up eventually, and go fill the bird feeder. Did you know, chickadees can be awfully pushy about dinner?

As low-key as it's been, it's also been an incredibly productive weekend. Saturday decided to pout. Or pour. Whatever. It bucketed. Which meant no outside chores (woo hoo!) and the opportunity to putter in my room. I cleaned, purged, organized, and found stuff I forgot I had!

There is the yarn I have finally acknowledged I will never turn into a project bagged and ready to be donated away. The photos FINALLY corralled into an album. A bulging bookshelf put back into order. The dusting put off too long. And, most importantly, the UFO's--UnFinished Objects--quilting projects rediscovered. Who knew I had stashed a few in THAT storage cupboard after I moved ... six years ago? Or tucked a few away in THAT drawer while I figured out how I wanted to organize my sewing room?

Doesn't matter, not really. They are found, fondly remembered, and now back on the To-Do list. I've neglected my sewing machine for far too long. Quilting is my form of therapy--the creative process, the soothing hum of the machine, the stunning finished products. I love shopping for fabric (especially if it's to be a gift), listening to what the fabric says it wants to be. I love the whole process. 

Left: a challenge quilt circa 2004, I think.
Middle: a crazy quilt started in 2001 (it's been tucked away a while)
Right: Round Robin circa 2005. 

Four of the twelve I found that are ready for backing, pinning, and quilting. I've challenged myself to finish at least 5 for the Scio Lamb and Wool Fair in May.  

I utterly adore batiks. I spent at least a year collecting fat quarters from different shops all over the state. I think my biggest stash might've come from the shop in Newport. I'm pretty sure I started this project in 2004. And I'm pretty sure it's been tucked away at least 3 years, maybe 4. I am really going to enjoy finishing this one. 

After dinner, I'm off to tame a UFO! 

So much inspiration, so little time

I'm not a big fan of recreating the proverbial wheel. Especially if someone else has been terrifically brilliant. So I go looking for inspiration, and I am very rarely disappointed. The problem is that--like with so many other things--there really can be too much of a good thing. 

Sometimes I wonder how I managed before Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest ... but then I remember my Pollyanna sees opportunity in, well, nearly everything.

When I kept the commitment to myself to start this project, I really did worry if I would have enough things to write about. At least, enough things of significance to write about. Or, more accurately, enough topics other people would think significant enough to read. Lately, I've noticed I make mental notes--gee, that photo or that interaction would be a great blog topic. And I have a space staked out in Evernote to corral them all. The Idea Bucket doth indeed runneth over. 

But back to my point about too much of a good thing: I've been spinning wheels lately, not quite sure where to start. Thinking about the right angle to approach a topic from. Deciding how to put down my thoughts in a coherent manner. Finding an appropriate photo or image. Catching myself editing a post I haven't even written yet. And then realizing another day has passed and there are more ideas flooding aforementioned Idea Bucket. 

Time to give myself permission to stop over-thinking things and just do. 

Ta-da. 

To-done. 

More to come ...