Do you recognize the works of art that inspired these little cross stitch pieces? I delight in these tiny projects.
The other tiny masterpieces I have made this summer can be found HERE.
(These were made from digital patterns I purchased from an Etsy shop.)
Since we had four young adults in the house for Sunday dinner, we tuned in to hear President Nelson’s devotional. So inspiring!
I have begun a cross stitch journey. Mini art masterpieces. 😍
I prescribed another reading of The Secret Garden for myself because I think it holds many of the keys to a good life.
I love to read about Mary’s transformation from a sickly, weak, lonely girl, to one who has energy to love people and life.
She had to work to get there, along with the play and self care.
I tackled a closet cleanout yesterday that I have been putting off for a long time. It was a lot of work, and I was tired when I finished, but also invigorated! With this momentum, I sat down at my desk and finished some more neglected projects.
I am thankful for the nature of work, how it forces me to move, build strength, go outside, and then it gives back the impulse to do more. Isn’t it funny how the most difficult step is usually just to begin?
I want you to see Paige’s reworking of her Secret Garden illustrations, so I am prescribing a visit to her website, www.paigemclaughlinart.com. The Secret Garden project can be seen by clicking this LINK.
I have a few friends with whom I meet to sew, usually around once a month. As we sew quilts or other individual projects, we explore vast conversations on many topics. These are some of the fastest hours of the month for me. I don’t often sew outside of these tiny gatherings, but I have made progress on several projects and learned from the wisdom of women I truly admire. This week I finished a quilt I began sometime last year. It’s ready to take on a picnic…once the ground thaws.
I subscribe to Yo-Yo Ma’s YouTube channel. He has been consistent about posting songs of comfort through the past few years, often from very casual home settings. I am thankful that he has shared his gifts so freely. If you watch until the end, I think you will see the character of the man.
We all enjoy giving and receiving presents. But there is a difference between presents and gifts. True gifts may be part of ourselves– giving of the heart and mind– and therefore more enduring and of far greater worth than presents bought at the store.
James E. Faust
I have been touched by many gifts this Christmas. Paige made drawings of Daniel and Tim at age three to complete my little collection of drawings of our children. Daniel may not consider this as part of his already generous gift and precious letter to me, but his piano accompaniment of the piece I played in church was a beautiful gift. Tim hand wrote long letters to each of us and made sure I had a gift from him under the tree, even though he wasn’t with us this year. Mark gave me a CD of music that he doesn’t enjoy himself, and was my companion for so many errands for Christmas giving. His service and company was so important to me this year.
It isn’t always possible to do something meaningful, but I know when I give “of my heart and mind,” the Spirit of Christmas fills my soul.
Today Paige and Michael celebrate their anniversary. Their presence in our lives is a gift and blessing.
Being the planner that I am, I get lost in future scenarios really easily. I love to sit down with my day planner and organize everything. Sometimes I have to limit how long I allow myself to live in the future because hello, there are people here, right now, that could use some attention.
I also have a sentimental side that collects images and artifacts from every event in our lives. I find that when I am most stressed, it is my memories that will ground me. Favorite escape memories for me often involve scenes from my childhood: a still, black, icy night walking home from a tithing settlement with my family; feeling static shocks at my great-grandmother’s house from her shag carpet while eating her pink wintergreen lozenges; the leathery, then papery crunch of autumn leaves under my feet as I walked home from elementary school on a golden afternoon. The past is a friend when I am a bag of nerves.
The present is probably the least easy place for me to inhabit. But this week that is where I have tried to live. We spent time with Tim and Mark last Friday, a last hurrah together before the mission. I didn’t take pictures, just mental ones. I have tried to be open to what the last week of regular life has brought to us. I watched Tim and Elder Josh Marz together in our front yard, talking and smiling on Josh’s last P-day before flying to his mission. I watched some shows with Mark who has a cold. I walked around a store and explored the Christmas aisles instead of just my usual in-and-out beeline to the things on my list.
We gather tomorrow for an outdoor goodbye party for Tim. On Sunday, he will speak in church and be set apart as a missionary. All the planning and work makes the present more enjoyable. My word of the month is SHINE. We’re ready.
We had three artists leave their work in the art gallery this week. The mama of these two boys had us smile for the camera and sent me these photos. This moment hearing the boys talk about their art was one of the highlights of my week.
I have opened a miniature art museum on my front porch. It delights me to find the children in the neighborhood are displaying their art here. I got the idea online and sent invitations to create pieces no bigger than a library card. Slowly, the art began to appear. Paige kindly contributed a piece early on just in case no one showed up. 🙂 I have never “caught” anyone leaving art, and that is part of the fun. What will I discover in the museum today?
We have shell collections at our house, and this week I decided to use some as a canvas for art. Shells are beautiful on their own, but I think the extra pearl shine, decoupage, and gold accents make them something extraordinary. (The birds and leaves were printed on a napkin.) When I work with my hands, I am still enough in my mind to learn from the Spirit. This is one reason I think it’s so good to take time to create. Painting shells is how we celebrated Paige’s birthday. She also made some beautiful designs.