Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses

Is it a project if it is in a project box? I was not planning to start a new quilt. Nor was I planning to start a new project. But on a zoom party with Chooky and friends the other night, I got coerced into cutting out a few Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses pieces. Several of the girls there were working on their blocks as we chattered from around the world for hours and hours. 

I located the book I bought at the last Shipshewana Retreat I attended nearly 3 years ago. It was in the first place I looked. Fancy that.

Then I found the EPP papers I had purchased back in 2015 

For now I have cut out many elongated hexagons using left over fabrics from the Betsy Chutian collections I have. I like the softer look of these reproduction colours. 

So, it is not a new project started in 2022. Nor is it a Block of the Month or Block of the Week. I will work on it when I work on it. Probably on zoom meetings with friends from around the world.

Blessings,

Chris

linking with: ninamariesayre on-off-wall.   wendysquiltsandmore.peacock party

To-Do Tuesday

Last week's list:

1. Finish the invoice thing - done and picked up last Tuesday
2. Morning Pages - done most days
3. Daily blog posts -  missed a few over the long weekend when we went away
4. Review all my manuscripts and  make a plan to move forward
5. Enjoy a quiet Christmas weekend - amazing
6. Do the hot tub thing - a few times now
7. Water and deadhead the geraniums - cleaning lady is in today
8. Book covid booster appointment - still trying

This week's list:

1. Continue reviewing manuscripts
2. Clear my quilting workspaces
3. Eat all the rest of the holiday chocolate
4. Make more turkey soup
5. Make leek potato soup
6. Buy leeks
7. Hot tub again and again and again . . . 
8. Book that booster appointment
9. Zoom sewing

That should keep me out of trouble this week.

Blessings,

Chris

The Morning Pages

What are the Morning Pages you might ask? Well, let me tell you. It is writing three pages of whatever comes to your mind first thing in the morning. Simple and yet most profound. Julia Cameron, the author of the Artist's Way, teaches on this practice and millions have jumped on board and had their lives changed.

The purpose is to unblock the creative within ourselves. For me, it was one way to stop the mental squirrels in my head from running laps distracting me from focusing on completing my doctorate. And it worked! It really did! It took me 7 years to submit 7 courses then 3 months to submit 5 courses. And now I am Dr. Christina.

I wrote 3 handwritten pages every morning as soon as I got up. It is writing from the stream of consciousness when I was barely awake and starting to think and be rational. I started a new morning routine. Get up around 5-6. Bathroom. Turn on kettle ( I took one upstairs for this purpose). Make my bed. Make my tea. Start writing. Take out tea bag. This all takes about 5 minutes. Write for 3 pages then stop, about 40 minutes (I do not write that fast). Breakfast then 10-12 hours of coursework. I even had time to take a nap and was in bed by 9 most nights.

There are a few simple rules:

• Write first thing in the morning before you are fully awake.
• This is called stream-of-conscious writing.
• Write 3 pages. No more. No less. 
• Write longhand.
• Use an 8 1/2 by 11 notebook. 
• No thinking. 
• No analyzing.
• No stressing.
• No censoring.
• No editing. 
• Just write whatever comes to your head.
• It does not have to be pretty.
• Do not read anything you have written for 3 months.
• Do not let anyone see what you have written.  

This may not be for everyone, but it has worked for me with my ADHD brain. Now to tweak the process a bit and complete my next book. 

 

Blessings,

Chris 

Thread

 Can we ever have too much thread? Well, maybe not. I usually work on 3-4 different hand stitcheries at a time and pull out the threads I need and put them into a small project box. but I seldom return everything when I am done. Still have a few days to get my Dec OMG organizing done. 

I was looking for the perfect turquoise thread for an Ella Block before we left to spend the weekend with the little boys for Christmas and pulled out all these see-through containers looking for the thread I had used on the last block I stitched on who knows when since it was so long ago. In the end, I did no stitching but lots of snuggling and eating. 

Now to get ready to spend the afternoon with Chooky and friends on zoom and some Slow Stitching. 

Blessings,

Chris

To-Do Tuesday

 This week's list:

1. Finish the invoice thing
2. Morning Pages - I promised a post about this
3. Daily blog posts
4. Review all my manuscripts and  make a plan to move forward
5. Enjoy a quiet Christmas weekend
6. Do the hot tub thing
7. Water and deadhead the geraniums
8. Book covid booster 

Last weeks list:

1. Daily blog posts - yes
2. Morning Pages - missed one
3. Print off invoices - still working on it
4. Pay CPP and WSIB - not yet
5. Cut more pieces for the Macaron Mystery. - yes but not all yet
6. Stitch 15 Minutes a day - nope
7. Make turkey soup - done  
8. Buy some more vegetables for the soup - done
9. Freeze the extra soup - done
10. Get a pedicure. Made an appointment for tomorrow - done done
11. Attend the boys' Christmas presentation. It was rescheduled
12. Sleepover at the boys' house - just went for the day because it had snowed the day before and we chose not to drive that far. 

The Little Boys

The calendar tells me that tomorrow is the first official day of winter. Snow and cold arrived a few days ago. We had to scrape ice and snow off the car yesterday before taking the 1 hour and 20-minute drive to join the little boys at their Sunday morning church service.

The concert they have been rehearsing for the past 2 months was postponed until Jan because of the increase of covid cases in their town. They sang one number and participated in object lessons for their dad the pastor's sermon. It was fun to watch little David stand there so still on the platform as his dad wrapped a rope around him as he explained how sin so easily entangles us. Then he unwrapped it explaining how repentance and forgiveness set us free. He invited David to jump for joy like they had rehearsed, but the boy just stood there and glared. As he came back to sit with us, he quietly stated that that was so embarrassing. Our David - embarrassed? Where did this come from?

Jonathan read the scripture in his best grade 2 ability and squeezed a globe beach ball to demonstrate how God loves the whole world not just some. 

After lunch, we played a great game of Settlers of Catan. The boys have been learning how and the little beggers won! David first (with a bit of help from Gramma sorting his cards and Jonathan next as we all took one more turn each. The game lasted a good 3 hours so kudos to the little boys. We hadn't played in several years and they chose the more complicated Fog Island version. There is only one rule. No crying. So Grampa and I didn't.

Blessings,

Chris

Back Basting and Muffins

 My handwork for Slow Sunday Stitching. 

The retired framer made potato leek soup earlier this week and banana muffins last night. I think it will be fun to have him around the house more.

Blessings,

Chris