Doll work 1

I am starting another doll. The body is premade and can be found at Hobby Lobby. These are the first steps. I use thin interfacing to trace a face from a book. This same piece of interfacing has been used for many dolls. Next, I pin the interfacing to the face and poke holes with my mark-b-gone (water soluble) pen along the lines to make a dot pattern on the doll’s face. Next, I remove the interfacing, connect the dots, and draw pupils and ears. Now I am read to embroider. Don’t worry about the pen marks. They will disappear in a later step.

Workspace

My dad as a young teen, illustrated by Paige McLaughlin. See her work at paigemclaughlinart.com

For many weeks, Paige and I have been helping my dad work on a big project for the family. He has typed a memoir of his childhood adventures in the rolling hills and rock formations near his home in Pittsburg, CA. Paige is illustrating the stories and I am editing and formatting the book. We are mailing a few stories each week to my siblings and their children, with the goal to print and bind a complete version by early April.

It reminds me of a project that I began in January 2020 to write memories of my childhood. I wrote about 15 or 20 pages before I set it aside. Living in close quarters during the past 10 months has made it a little harder to focus on writing. Plus, I struggle to define a work space. The desks are being used, the kitchen table must be cleared often, and I need extreme quiet. This project with my dad keeps some of my desire to write alive, and inspires me to pick up old projects and not find excuses to delay.

I am making a little progress on creating a portable workspace for myself. I need to be present a lot of the time, not hidden away in an office. So, my work world revolves around a book bag and lightweight storage containers more than a single desk.

Stephen King, in his book about writing, suggests a writer should not have a massive desk that dominates a room because writing is not the primary thing. Living with your family is more important. He thinks a smaller desk in a corner is best. 🙂

“Where there is great love there are always miracles.”

“Where there is great love there are always miracles,” he said at length. “One might almost say that an apparition is human vision corrected by divine love. I do not see you as you really are, Joseph; I see you through my affection for you. The Miracles of the Church seem to me to rest not so much upon faces or voices or healing power coming suddenly near to us from afar off, but upon our perceptions being made finer, so that for a moment our eyes can see and our ears can hear what is there about us always.” –Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

There are many passages from this book that made an impression on me. There is much talk everywhere of peace and unity and coming together. Forgive me, but I see little hope of that in the big sphere, but I have seen it happen in my neighborhood, one person at a time choosing to see neighbors with warmth. I am a judgmental person by nature, but find that judgment melts pretty quickly into compassion as I choose to really see a person. I believe Jesus Christ enables us to do this. Some of my best friends are those whom I have judged harshly at the beginning.

I often have something to learn from one who challenges my neatly rowed ideas.

C.S. Lewis talks about a First Friend, one with whom you agree on everything, and a Second Friend, with whom you do not. My “Second Friends” are the ones who helped me know myself better, helped me grow in my ideas, and served me a needed dose of compassion for my differences with them.

“Where there is great love, there are always miracles.” I trust in this.

Winter light

There are few dependable things right now, but if I had to choose one creation on which I could depend, it would be the sun. The sunsets this month have been glorious and encouraging.

We are working on home improvement projects this weekend. It’s a domino game: if we want to create a better home office, we need to schedule carpet installation before we move in the furniture. So, we need to finalize carpet choices, a process we began 1 1/2 years ago. When we shop for carpet, we remember we want a new medicine cabinet. As we look at medicine cabinets, we remember we really want to replace the bathroom sinks and one of the faucets. When we take down the old medicine cabinet, we realize we need to patch the walls. You know.

I guess that another thing on which we can depend is the avalanche effect of home improvement projects.

Sterling Scholar Assembly

Sam (Business), Tim (Instrumental Music), and Caleb (Science)

Richard and I were able to cheer for Tim and the other Sterling Scholars this week. Tim performed Valse Romantique by Debussy at the assembly, attended only by parents and the scholars. It felt good to be back in the auditorium again.

Senior year is intense, pandemic or not. I am making efforts to avoid the indulgence of crying about the end of Tim’s era at home, because that would take away necessary energy to press forward, as that is what we must do. We are so proud of him!

Wednesday is for laundry

Reading: Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

Thinking about: some failures in my leadership; my grandmother, my parents, my kids.

Celebrating: 5 consecutive weeks of health.

Looking at: ideas for displaying some art.

Embarrassed about: a video I made for all the Primary children in my Stake. I forgot to put on my shoes, and the camera caught it. I am all dressed up, but have only stockings on my feet. In my Mr. Roger’s moment of making programming for children, I forgot the importance of SHOES.

Wishing for: some snow or some sunshine, just not this gloom.

Praying for: that’s personal, but our nation is high on the list.

Smiling about: Timothy’s piano performance coming up today that Richard and I can attend.

Eating: I have no idea. It’s time to go grocery shopping.

Thankful for: working machines to wash and dry the laundry so I can focus on other things. And for the chance to be alive at this important time.

Ski day

On Fridays, classes are not held and the boys work on homework and have opportunities to meet with teachers online. This means they are finished with school really early. Richard took Mark on the first ski runs of 2021 last Friday. He called it an extended P.E. day.

A Child’s Prayer

When I am weary and have no words of my own, I pray by singing in my mind. This is the song that eventually helped me go to sleep last night, soothing my mind, awake to many things. Dickins was so right about the best of times and the worst of times inhabiting the same sphere. I had a wonderful day with family, and feel God’s blessings, but feel abhorrence for current events.