Read-a-thon Update #1

It's been four-and-a-half hours since Readathon kicked off - I've read 70 pages.  I know, pretty sad page total, BUT - I also entered several mini-challenges, started a load of laundry, cleaned up the breakfast dishes, and I'm doggie-sitting my son's Great Dane pup -- not conducive to concentration.  Considering all that, I'm not doing bad.  I'm going to fix a bite of lunch and return to the books.

This hour, Kim at On The Wings of Books is challenging readers to post a picture of one of the books they're reading, staged with items that go along with the story.  

One of the three books I'm reading today is Return to Me by Lynn Austin . . . and how can you return somewhere without a road map?  Ok, lame, I know -- but I couldn't find a shofar (that's the animal-horn trumpet he's blowing on the cover).  Fun challenge, anyway!

Now, back to the books.

Coffee or Tea?

This hour's mini-challenge is a question posed by Amanda at Fig & Thistle.  Do you prefer coffee or tea with your books?

I'm definitely a coffee girl - especially in one of Grandma's cups and saucers.   #TeamTrollope

Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon Is Here Again!

It's that time again. Round up the books, chase the family out of the house and put on a pot of coffee . . . it's READATHON DAY!  It's 7:00 a.m. in my part of the world and I've been up preparing (and maybe getting in a little sewing) before the reading day begins.

The coffee's ready, as is the book stack, and I'm pumped.  I'm assuming we will be starting with the standard questions, so here goes:

What fine part of the world are you reading from today?   I'm in the southeast corner of Nebraska, USA

Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?  Somewhere Safe With Someone Good by Jan Karon.  I've had the book for about a week and have forced myself to wait til this morning to start.  

Which snack are you most looking forward to?  I'm trying to remain on the healthy eating road today - so fresh fruit, carrot sticks and hummus await me.

Tell us a little something about yourself!  Wife, mother of adult children, grandma, reader, crafter, sewer, cupcake addict.  For more info, click the "about" tab.

If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today?  I've participated many times and I usually have the same plan:  Read 45 minutes of each hour, spend 15 minutes on mini-challenges, etc.  For the first time in years, I'm going to try to read through the night.  

So, welcome fellow readers!  Have a great day of bookish fun.  If you aren't participating, there's still plenty of time - nearly 24 whole hours!  Visit the website and sign up.

Come back at 3:00 a.m. (Central Time) for my Books on Books Mini-Challenge.


Button artwork by HelgaMcL - available on her Etsy store

Crafts With Kate

With Amanda off to New Mexico, I drafted our niece, Kate, to spend the day bonding over crafts, cooking and shopping.  Some activities were a bigger success than other.  We started by introducing Kate to antique shopping.  Not sure she's old enough to fully appreciate the value of history or the love of the story behind an antique.  But she was a trooper - we'll keep working on it.

Canning - Again, she gave it her best effort, but she thought it was a lot of work to get a jar of sweet pickles.  She doesn't even like sweet pickles.  

We moved on to sewing.  I gave Kate the choice of several beginner-level projects for her first time at a sewing machine, and she selected to make a fabric basket for her mom - out of K-State fabric, of course.  I was amazed at how quickly she caught on.  I just hope her speed demon tendencies on the machine pedal are worked out before she's old enough to drive a car. 

Next on the agenda was Mod Podge.  While I worked with paper on canvas, Kate chose to create a "crazy quilt" of fabric scraps on wood.  She added painted edges to complete her masterpiece.  

When she visited again last week she wanted crafts to do while her mother and I visited, so she got an introduction to hexies.  She selected 7 hexies from my stash and did an excellent job of hand stitching them together.  She added a ribbon to make a unique necklace to give a friend.  

I think we've established a pattern, so I better have crafts on hand whenever she visits.

Tune in Tomorrow . . .

. . . or not.

I remember when our TV was black and white.  I remember when we only got 3 stations.  I remember when we first became a two-TV household (the father of three daughters was preserving his chance to watch Bonanza).  I remember when I had cable TV for the first time (college).  I remember when cartoons were only shown for four hours on Saturday morning. I remember when 6' satellite dishes started showing up next to country homes

TV has "progressed" (if you can call it progress) in the fifty years I've been watching.  We now receive our television signal via an 18" satellite dish in the yard.  And, with 400-plus channels at our disposal . . . we still watch the same three every night.   Part of my Life Under Construction theory is to eliminate things that do not add value to life, and I've been wondering, "Does TV add value to my life?"

I used to turn the TV on the moment I got out of bed or came in the door.  The majority of the time, I wasn't concentrating on what was on - just liked the noise - but lately I prefer silence unless I'm specifically interested in a program.  I find so much of what's on objectionable, and I don't want that to be the "soundtrack" of my home.  

My concentrated viewing is down to a handful of shows.  I've been watching General Hospital for more than thirty-five years, and I still record it daily, but I can skim through a week's episodes in an hour or so.  My interest seems to be fading - not sure if it's me or the show.  I love Project Runway, but I fast forward through the back stabbing and fake drama, and just watch the creative process and runway show.  Thank heaven for DVR! Dave and I share a Murder, She Wrote rerun most evenings as our "unwind" time before bed.  With the Christmas season coming up, I'll temporarily add movies to my viewing list. Throw in an occasional Denver Broncos game and that's about it.

As I age, I become less able to sit still through a TV show or movie, so my viewing time is always filled with hand sewing, knitting, etc.,  or watched in my sewing room while I work.  But I can just as easily work in silence or with music playing, so that brings me back to my original question:  "Does TV add value to my life?"

Once again, I'm posing questions with no answers, but I am considering giving up television for Lent and replacing the hours I would normally watch with Christian reading - the Bible, as well as Christian fiction and non-fiction.  There are some hitches in that plan - like the fact that I share the TV with my DH and he won't be inclined to join me during March Madness.  

What is your take on television?  Are you an avid viewer or would you rather read a book?  Or both?

Needlework Tuesday: Shop Hop

I went shop hopping.  Seven area quilt stores held a Shop Hop Friday and Saturday - four shops in Nebraska, two in Kansas and one in Missouri.   Of course, I had to work Friday, so  I didn't have time to do the entire route, but I got to visit the four Nebraska stores on Saturday and picked up something unique at each one.

The first store specializes in batiks.  The owners do elaborate applique and "picture" quilts made from solids and batiks, so that is pretty much all they carry.  I wish I had thought to snap some pictures.  They also carry a line of Asian prints that they are discontinuing, so I got a deal on this beautiful border print.  I should have spread it out for the picture because it's difficult to describe.  If you were to open out the entire 45" width of the fabric, you would see FOUR borders rather than the standard two.  Each half contains a panel with borders on each side, and the dark gray area (top) in between. 

I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do with it.  I also picked up a coordinating print and batik, so I'll let that simmer for awhile till just the right project presents itself.

My search for something special at shop #2 ended just a few feet inside the door.  Red and aqua Christmas print!!  *Squeal*  (And I think I actually did squeal in the store.)  Again - no idea what these will become.  I may just sit and look at them till Christmas.

Shop #3 added a charm pack to my pile.  The icy blues and snowflake motifs caught my eye.  I found several ideas for charm packs on Pinterest, so this may become a lap quilt or a tote bag . . . or something else.

And finally, shop #4 - my favorite.  The shop is housed in an old church - so it's huge, with an exhaustive supply of fabrics, notions, patterns, etc.  Unfortunately, I arrived at the same time as a charter bus of women so, in spite of the size of the store, every aisle was full and it was difficult to really take in the selection.  I settled on a table runner pattern and some fabric with a retro feel.  The colors match nothing in my house, but as I made repeated laps around the store, I continually returned to that bolt.  I love the curved lines on the runner so, if it goes together as quickly as the instructions promise, this may be a good idea for Christmas gifts.  I will return to this store another day, when I have more time and space to browse.  

I would love to hear your ideas for my fabric finds.  I'll be madly searching Pinterest!

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather, who blogs at Books and Quilts.  Stop by to see the beautiful things she is creating and check out the links to other needlework posts.  While you're there, leave a link to your own needlework post. 

Life Under Construction: Family

I have been avoiding writing about this topic because then I have to face it, and I'm not crazy about parts of it.  But, changes in family relationships are an inevitable part of life after 50, and ignoring them won't make them go away.  So, here goes!

Obviously, my relationship with my children has changed this year.  They both graduated from college in May and became "official adults".  Mitch is now an RN working in ICU, plus doing cornea removal for transplant, and volunteering for a Regional Rescue Team and local Rural Fire Dept.  His time is at a premium.  Amanda set off to explore the world before she settles down.  Part of my epiphany on our mother/daughter day was understanding her desire to stretch her boundaries.  

While these changes have been a joy to watch, they have also been painful.  These two people have been my focus for twenty-four years.  They are part of me in a way they will not understand until they hold heir own child.  I got my identity from being their mom, and it was my responsibility to care for and protect them.  Even when they were in college and relatively independent, I still "mothered" them - gave advice, fixed problems, did whatever made their life a little easier.  

That dynamic has changed - as it should.  I can only mother when asked.   When I try to step in and do things for her, Amanda reacts with, "Mom, I got this.  I'll figure it out."   Mitch mentioned trading vehicles - something we agree it's time to do - and I immediately started researching models, prices and trade-in value.  His response to my overstepping was silence.  Both methods get the point across - "If I need your help, I'll ask."  

My relationship with my parents has changed also.  They are in remarkably good health in their late 70's - praise the Lord - but there is a slow shift in roles.  They have always been my safety net.  Just as my children can call on me when they can't handle something alone, I have always known that my parents stood ready to catch me if i fell.  And they still would, I don't doubt that.  The shift has been in my willingness to ask.  They have done their share of worrying about me and mine.  They deserve to be worry-free at this stage and I need to give them that - at least as much as it is within my control to do.  

I'm feeling like a peeled banana.  Things are being stripped away and, as natural and inevitable as the process is, I'm left feeling "exposed" and searching for a new cover - a new identity.  Yes, I am still a wife to a wonderful husband, but there is a lot of space now for me to be me.  But I'm not sure I know who that is.  Certainly not the young woman who started this family 32 years ago. Not a librarian.  Not the daughter who depended on her parents.  Not the stay-at-home mom or the wife of an up-and-coming manager.  Not even a friend (but we're not going there today, that's a post of it's own.)  So who am I?

I think a large part of my recent obsession with creativity has been a search for identity - I'm a quilter or an artist or a seamstress.  However, I'm not proficient enough at any of them to really claim those titles and, even if I could, applying a label doesn't change the contents.

The answer to "Who am I?" is this:  "I am a child of the Great I AM."  I know that title is the only one I need to be concerned with, but to be honest, I'm still floundering. How does that relationship affect my other relationships?  As a pastor friend of ours would say, "What is the application?" As a Christian, I am called to serve, but how do I serve my children, my husband and my parents in this new phase of life?

If you're reading on to see how I answered that question, you're going to be disappointed.  I don't have a clue. But, there's no choice but to keep searching for the answers, and for my place in this new life.