Spring Happenings

Spring happenings: It's been a busy, but joy-filled Easter weekend! The bluebirds have decided to start a substantially-sized family right here. Spring has taken hold.  Even though Easter Sunday was much later this year, it still was a bit chilly, surprisingly. We've had gloriously sunny days and then rain on Friday which washed the pollen from the air, albeit temporarily, and ushered in some cooler nights. Easter won't be this late again until 2030; I did learn that the latest that Easter can be possibly be celebrated is April 25, that will occur in 2038-- I'll be 85. 😲

I am including, below, a photo journal of the weekend's activities including some holiday breakfast baking, some house-cleaning and organizing, a scene from a Holy Week play, Easter Sunday church service and post-dinner posing from the youngest two grandchildren. No sewing, unless I count placing the final stitches in the binding of the Fuse, Fold and Stitch rug. Guess what's on the agenda for this week?

I cleaned out decades' worth of accumulated young-children's books and repurposed this guest room bookcase. 

Selected age-appropriate titles now reside in a basket for choosing by our youngest overnight guests. 

Happy Easter!

Life is Good!

Like A Pike

We went to visit my dear MIL at the rehab facility today after church. She was sitting in a chair and anticipating her lunch while we were there. Her appetite is fair and her spirits are good, for those two things we are thankful. I left there feeling discouraged, however; she doesn't seem to be the least bit interested in improving her situation even one tiny bit. She has little to no desire to participate in physical therapy, she is indifferent when it comes to socialization with the other residents and shows complete disregard for the planned activities. She is content to do exactly what we found her doing today: sitting and watching television, in her room all by herself. She complained that her lips were dry, we directed her attention the lip balm on her chair-side table, not even one foot away from her. "I'm too lazy to reach over for that" was her reply. I didn't make a move to get it for her, she did pick it up and use it shortly after that. She claims to want to go home within the week, that is the frustrating part for me, her actions don't demonstrate that desire. My husband is equally discouraged but told me that he admits to suffering from "pike syndrome" when it comes to encouraging her. For years he has tried to gently coach, boost, strengthen, inspire and energize her, but she refuses; it is downright disheartening. And so, we left her, alone in her room watching television. She seemed happy enough with that. I have prayed that she can go back home again, what she has told us that she truly wants to do. I'm just not so sure about that anymore. I am fine tuning my prayers on her behalf now, asking God to impart peace and wisdom for this situation, so that she truly understands what is necessary for her own best interest. I'm praying for my husband too, that pike starved itself to death(!); my prayer is that God will enlighten him with understanding and direction along a new path.

Life is Good!

On this, the thirteenth day of November, I am thankful for

the loving role models God has provided within my family.

With Laser Focus...

Life has been hectic lately; lots of things going on daily that occupy my time and mind. I had a friend who used to say she had to fly sideways just to keep from taking off... that's an apt description of recent activities for me. Anyway, on Monday I loaded a quilt onto Snowbird and quilted it using this pantograph, Paisley Max. There was something so relaxing, so centering, about switching on the machine and following that laser dot with intense concentration. I couldn't veer from the path, I couldn't stop midway and come back to my laser and line later, if I even hesitated en route I feared losing course or changing direction inadvertantly. And so, I pressed on. The quilt is all paisley-ed out now with this lovely, swirling texture on its surface.  I was able to clear my mind and focus with clarity... on this one thing. It was liberating and empowering at the same time. Knowing now that I have the ability to keep competing thoughts, activities and concerns at bay gives me the encouragement I need to actually accomplish the many things demanding my attention, one at a time; and a peek at what it may be like to reach the end of "quilt tops to be quilted" queue!

Life is Good!

Quiet Time

It's quiet time around Chez Goodneedle, it's been so  for the last few days.  However, while I've been away from blogging for the past few weeks, our home has been anything but quiet! My parents have been visiting with us from New Hampshire, and in observance of their presence we hosted our grandchildren overnight more than a few times, we welcomed old family friends traveling from Florida back to New England for a relaxing dinner one evening, and we took several daytrips around our beautiful state in between catching up on family news and events. We happily welcomed spring several times, but it hasn't chosen to stick around just yet! In the meantime, we've enjoyed watching a couple of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at the feeder as they rest up here before they continue on their journey northward. I have planted all my summer plants and moved the houseplants outside to the porches. Today my parents are back at home sleeping in their own bed once again; our grandchildren are too, and the Grosbeaks have moved on. The activity level has shifted down into low; but there's still plenty happening here, it's just at a much more tranquil level. My collection of low volume fabrics is growing by leaps and bounds; this, my newest addiction, is the perfect project for these quieter days in my life right now. The soft colors and muted prints are reflective of the goings-on that are always happening in the background of daily life; hushed, almost silent actions that are often overlooked but always present, like the ticking of a clock or the hum of the refrigerator's motor. I derive great peace from studying this stack of soft and quiet prints and smile inwardly at the thought of the serene, quilted, wonderfulness that they will one day combine to become.

Life is Good!

Activity Filled Weekend...

I'm spending some time sewing tonight... it's been an activity filled weekend. First, there was all the home construction:

Followed by the stair-climbing Olympics:

His gold medal was secure; but, to prove the point, Gregory "won" again, over, and over, and over...

A close second to stair climbing is banister-peeking. It ranks right up there and is another world-class event.

The house is quiet tonight, too quiet... no more little feet on the steps, no more giggles and hugs. Needle and thread therapy helps (oh, how I miss these little faces all in the same place at the same time).

Life is Good!