Dip Diddly Designs Giveaway…

While I put the finishing touches on my giveaway, Jolene at Dip Diddly Designs has posted yet another wonderful giveaway.  Take a look if you haven’t seen it already.  I’ve just discovered her blog (I know I’m behind the times here)… it’s wonderful!

 

Blogtoberfest… 6-11?

I know, I know… I can’t really cheat that way.  Let’s just say, I’ve been busier than a one-armed paper-hanger… or so my grandpa used to say.  This is a really short excuse for a large span of days.  But, I promise some pics of my WIPs and other fun things this next week.

My nephew returns home from an LDS mission in Slovakia on Thursday.  And, to celebrate, I’ll be announcing a giveaway on my blog on Friday.

Also, I just finished transferring the website host for the Swan Sampler Guild.  It’s not very fancy, but I’m excited that we have it finally transferred!

 

What Willy Wonka and Peaches Have in Common

Wow…these were GOOD.  Blogs need smell-a-vision too.  Remember the chocolate bar that was transported through the TV in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?  We have “communicators” now, much like they imagined in early Star Trek shows.  We have the ability to stay in space for weeks at a time.  Why in the world isn’t Obama putting money into research that will allow us to transport FOOD through the TV?  Now, THAT would get the economy going.

 

Lo, I am in a Holding Pattern

I have been working on an exchange for a little while, so my progress on Brightneedle’s “Lo, How a Rose” has been on hold for a while.  But, I found my camera, and just happened to have the two things here where I could take some daylight pictures.  I surely wish I had ironed it, but you’ll get the idea of the colors at least!

As you can see, I started in the middle, then decided to work to the upper left corner.  I am using the Weeks Dye Works threads on antique white linen.  These are listed in the chart, and I love how it’s turning out.  I felt that I’d run out of my London Fog before I’d run out of letters to stitch, so I’ve been mixing in a new skein here and there, so that the dye lot changes aren’t that noticable.

For you stitchers out there, I hope you’re finding time to work on the projects you love.  If you’re not a stitcher, I hope you have a wonderful day, whatever you are doing!  Thanks for stopping by!

 

Playing catch up on “Lo, How a Rose”

I started Brightneedle’s “Lo, How a Rose” sampler last night. I couldn’t pass up the SAL that Staci and Vonna are doing on it. But, I was a teeny bit behind, and I won’t be able to stitch tomorrow night, so I decided I would work on it last night. I took a picture, but it’s blurry, because it’s late, and when I use the flash, the whole thing is washed out. So, I’ll have to wait until the weekend when I’m home and it’s light, and a picture will turn out.

I will say that I am LOVING it already. I can’t believe I waited so long to start it!  I am using the antique white linen and the weeks dye works threads called for in the pattern.  The colors are wonderful together, and it’s a fun one to stitch.

Vonna asked me if my santa was a Tournicot.  I’m not sure I know what that is!  It is a pattern by Lavender Wings called “Naughty or Nice”.  I’m using the threads called for, which are really fun (you have to love WDW thread named “Louisiana Hot Sauce”), and a piece of overdyed jobelan that was packaged with the pattern at The Craft Center.

 

Joy in the Journey

Sundays are a day of reflection for me.  It’s the only day of the week that I get to slow down and focus on what is important for more than a quick 15 minutes at a time.  I’ve thought a bit about this journey of life.  Okay, don’t leave me now, just because you think I’m going to wax philosophical on you. 

I’ve just decided that there are some “baby steps” that I want to take, to insure that I’m finding joy in the journey.  I won’t share all of them with you here.  But, I will let you know that I have once again taken a somewhat serious look at how I spend my leisure time.  I really don’t have a problem with the “how” of it, but I want to be more conscious of those things I’m working on and show progress for my sanity… even if the progress is very small. 

I have an attention deficit when it comes to projects.  I have a hunger to learn new things, and yet I love returning to things that are comfortable and easy to work on.  So, I’ve decided that in order to accomplish all that I want to, while focusing on what’s really important in life, I need to at least list all the things that are currently in some state of progress. 

So, I’ve added a new page to my blog.  It’s titled “Limited Leisure”.  That’s not to say I’m going to severely limit my leisure time.  Okay, I don’t really have a way to limit it more than it already is.  I’m really hoping to squeeze more out of it.  Not so that I can quickly and efficiently complete things.  But, I want to enjoy the time I spend, yet show the progress I make.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I want to decrease the number of things I work on, or that I won’t start anything new.  I just have some wonderful pieces that I want to get finished.  Sheesh, you were probably thinking I was committing to a diet of “I won’t start anything new until I’ve completed 100 pieces…” or something like that.  Nope.  Tried that.  Doesn’t work.  And, I’m not sure I wanted it to anyway.  I do want to enjoy this journey of needlecraft, and any other hobbies and interests that strike my fancy. 

So, for all of you out there that think you have the most WIPs or the oldest UFO, watch out!  I’ll be updating this page a bit at a time with a list of all the things that I want to use my limited amount of true leisure time on.  (Because really, do you think I want to inventory everything all at once?  And, take all that time out of my stitching time in one big chunk?)  And, you just might notice that I’ve marked something as “complete” every once in a while.

But, lest you think that I only want to spend my time in these pursuits, be assured that I have plenty of more worthwhile things on my to do list.  I call them “humanity things” and not “sanity things”.  I prefer to be anxiously engaged in a good cause and most times that’s not one of my personal hobbies.

That’s it for now.  I haven’t even listed the books I want to finish and/or start to read.  Maybe that will have to be another page.

 

Back to School

Well, today was the first day of my last fall semester… being an undergrad.  Crazy.  I have two classes this semester, one of which I’m helping the instructor teach.  I went to my Advanced Linux Administration class tonight.  Found out the instructor is someone I knew at a former job.  Weird. Anyway, it should be okay, but I have to admit, I’m not going to administer Linux for real anytime soon, so it’s not really applicable to my life. 

I did find out about a cool tool that perhaps others are already aware of.  It is TiddlyWiki.  You can find out more at http://www.tiddlywiki.org/wiki/Main_Page .  Basically, it’s a personal wiki, in one html file.  I can have some crazy fun with this.  I’m going to use it to create a personal wiki for each of my classes.  And, I think I’m going to try to use it to keep notes on my scripture study.  Could be really fun!

I haven’t stitched much lately.  I go in spurts.  But, when I was in Ogden on my mom’s birthday, I stopped in at Shepherd’s Bush.  I picked up their latest chart, “She Tends”.  I knew I had the fabric at home, and while they’ve presented four vignettes to be stitched separately in the chart, I could tell that those four had originally been designed in one linear form.  I thought I’d like them better stitched as one piece.  So, I’ve stitched most of the charts already.  Here is a progress pic:

She Tends WIP

It’s been fun to work on, as I’ve had a little time here and there.  But, now that school is back on, and work is still crazy, my stitching time is at a bare minimum.

I did decide to sign up for a beginning knitting class at http://www.blacksheepwoolco.com in Salt Lake for two Saturdays in September.  I can knit a very rudimentary dish cloth, but not much more than that.  I’ve wanted to learn and hone my skills for a while, because there are projects I could just take with me.  Of course, I should wait until next year to do this, but when I saw the class, I just decided it would be a present to myself!

And, I’ve added a few new bicycling accessories.  I’ve been trying to ride a few days a week, so that I can begin to strengthen my legs and get back into better shape.  As the fall weather is beginning soon, I’ll really enjoy that, and when it’s winter, I’ll use my stationary recumbent bike.

So, that’s it for now.  It’s been an interesting and busy life recently!

 

The Circle of Life

You know that great song from “The Lion King”?  It’s been running through my head lately.  Might be because it was part of the opening for the Tony Awards last Sunday.  I didn’t watch anything but that really.  But, anyway, the past few weeks have been particulary poignant for me.  And, on Sunday night as I watched performers on TV run around in animal costumes, singing “The Circle of Life”, I cried.  Because one of the world’s best women and one of my best friends was about to journey Home.

Lulie Blackham passed away early Tuesday morning with grace and acceptance of the Lord’s will.  I first met Lulie over 25 years ago.  She was called to serve as the president of my LDS Young Women’s organization.  This was the second time in her life that she agreed to serve in this capacity, and at the time, I just didn’t realize how fortunate and blessed I was to have her in my life.  I learned quickly how much she would mean to me though, and my love and respect for her has deepened so much more.

Lulie always had a smile for me when things were tough, a quick wit when I needed to laugh, and such a grasp of common sense that I never could find a reason not to take her advice.  The most important thing that Lulie shared with me though was her love of Jesus Christ; her knowledge that He is the Savior of the World, and of individuals like me and her.

When I first met Lulie, I had recently moved from California.  It was tough moving right before I was to start high school.  Most of the girls in my neighborhood and school treated me as an outsider, and sometimes worse.  My academic plans were turned upside down, because the Utah schools just didn’t believe I should be in advanced classes, and they didn’t teach the variety of subjects that I had been interested in.  I felt like I had been taken back 20 years into the past, didn’t know the language, and had some sign on my back that said, “I’m not like you”.  As an example, on the first day of school, I wore my usual Levi Strauss cords, with my khaki-green M*A*S*H t-shirt and a comb in my back pocket for my long blonde, California hair.  I had white Reeboks on, and I stuck out like the sorest of thumbs.

I didn’t realize that the pre-requisite in Utah for social acceptance was to wear buttoned shirts with little ribbons around your neck, and have your hair-bangs stick out like a shelf.  I will admit though that if I had known, I would have done all I could to stay away from that style.  It was like a mix of pioneer-bonnet-like hair and a calico shirt.  Anyway, I digress.

I had one friend in high school that welcomed me that day.  I had one adult mentor that loved me for who I was, and more importantly who she knew I could become.  The mentor was Lulie Blackham.  The friend was Susan Olsen, but I’ll write about her another time. 

I couldn’t understand at the time why so many of the kids two to three years older than me were paying attention to me.  They invited me to hang out with them, to go to the dances, ball games, and other high school events.  Since then, I have suspected that Lulie played a part in all of that.  Her daughter was part of the slightly older crowd, and I found that I had new friends who took me in and made me feel welcome.  I was clueless as to why they took such an interest in me.  Probably better that I was.  I’m so stubborn I would have refused to do anything with them if I knew they had been encouraged to include me.  They were so genuine though that I never knew what precipitated their friendship.

I can’t really sum up Lulie’s influence in my life in a single blog post.  There are so many memories that I have of her, that have meant so much to me.  Some are personal and not something I want in cyberspace.  The reality though is that there are just too many to mention.  I understand now that Lulie was able to be who she was because of her loving family and a strength of spirit that she possessed before this life.  Her sweetheart, Gus, is also one of my heroes.  They were and are a team like no other that I have seen. 

I have learned so much about life and the purpose of life from this woman.  She wasn’t perfect.  Sometimes she was wonderfully imperfect.  But, she was the closest thing to perfect in a person that I have known in my lifetime.  And, probably for the rest of my life. 

I know she has had a wonderful reunion with her parents and other family, and with her Savior whom she loves so much.  Those who knew her are coping with a big hole in our hearts though.  I haven’t cried this much since I was little and skinned my knee.  But, I keep hearing that deep, uniquely-Lulie voice saying, “Come on.  Buck up.  I’m fine.  The last thing I want you to do is wallow in this.  The Lord knew what he was doing.”

And so, I’ll echo that.  The Lord knew what he was doing.  I can’t promise that the floodgates of tears are going to end anytime soon.  I can tell you that I have a renewed sense of purpose and a love of life and loved ones.  No regrets.  Lulie knew where she stood with her friends, family, and most importantly, the Lord.  And, we knew where we stood with her.  She never missed an opportunity to hug you, tell you she cared and that life is good.  There is so much more I could say about her.

God bless us all to live so that she can continue to be proud of us.  And God bless Gus, her eternal companion, the partner and friend that she loves so much.