the season

It has been a very odd season this year.  Usually, I am very traditional when it comes Christmas.  Part of that is my Mom and my Grandmother.  Christmas had things we always did.  As I have gotten older and moved away, I made a lot of my own.  Cookies for everyone.  Lights.

This season has been about bringing family back home.  But it does mean that I have been doing lots of cleaning and organizing.  Not a lot of my normal traditions.  All the cookies got done and the boxes sent out. But the rest of everything, not really.  

I did find time for friends.  And more cookies!  Friends are very important.  There has not been a lot of time for creativity.  My hands have been pretty done so it has been time for simple things.  Bread is rising.  Pasta is resting.  Family is home.  Just one small step at a time.

I just need some sleep!  Still losing that competition.  

creating energy

I am no longer used to sitting in an office for six hours a day.  Or looking at a computer for even close to that amount of time.  I am used to being much more creative then that all the time now.

Yesterday, instead of touching a computer, I played with my crochet hook.  I balled yarn.  I created granny squares for the afghan I making.  Maybe it will be here in time for Ziggy Monster to be born.  He could use it then.  Okay, we can share.

I played with bread recipes yesterday.  I like the boyos favorite bread but I just wanted more depth.  They also thought they were going to starve so sourdough was started without me.  It was hilarious!  Bread was made and it was lovely.  I am going to document that recipe.

I have been living on bean soup this week.  It travels well in one of my thermal containers.  More beans needed to be started.  Not eating lunch out is a win!  Really breakfast too.

The pajamas are starting to be made.  I am also working on some different styles of quilts.  And I keep thinking I need to work on more bags.  It has everything to do with just feeling the need  for more creative time.  

When I left the corporate world, I never stopped.  Now, I am just trying to add that in on top of everything else.  I know it means the creating will need to slow down just a bit because there only so many hours in the day.  But this is supposed to be a short contract and I am going to take it as such.  A fund for books, fabric, and yarn.  If it becomes more then that, I wil need to rethink the situation.

and the celebrations are done

I am back.  I got back from family celebrations yesterday afternoon, coached last night, and started back in an office job for a few months today.  I am a little bit tired!  It will be a lot of trying to do everything I wish in a different structure.  Maybe I just slow things down a bit.  Maybe not!  But sleep is a necessity.

The celebrations went off pretty well.  We celebrated my Dad's birthday about six week early because there was more people around.  I made him a chocolate angel food cake with seven minute frosting drizzled with dark chocolate.  There was not a bite left after the party.  There was two halves of two sheet cakes left.  He said it was right.

I also made him a sour cream raisin pie.  I have nailed it.  Almost. I need to play with the baking temperature just a bit.  It is funny.  This pie seems to appeal to more men then women which I do not understand.  It is good.

Thanksgiving was a small celebration for my Mom.  18.  I admit to being more then a bit overwhelmed at the table.  It was just too much.  I had a small plate of food and got up early to start doing dishes.  I got a majority of them done.  Then I was handed a margarita.  Life was good.  

My schedule in this space is going to be a bit up in the air for awhile.  I just have to figure things out.  But that is okay.  I will.

I hope everyone's celebrations who had them were lovely.  For those who did not, just good life is wished.

gratitude

This has been a crazy week!

Tuesday, when I normally post, I was on the computer to do corporate work.  I am going back into the corporate world for a short time.  Dealing with the crazy from that this week, more then just Tuesday, makes me wonder if it is the right path.  It is supposed to be a short contract and I can decide afterwards how much more I wish to do.

That same day, a cold front came through and I got chilled.  Not a big deal unless you are like me and already had an ear infection.  That floored me a bit.  My thoughts have not been very straight until today.  My energy has been extremely low.  

I started to feel a bit better yesterday.  But I still could not bring myself to work on the computer.  I just wanted to sit and do quiet things.  Until I went to the climbing gym and learned how to judge.  It is a bit more straightforward then judging any form of ice skating.  It was a national competition and I did not realize how big of a deal it was until I got on the internet afterwards and looked up some of the names and faces of people I saw climb.  My impression was that is was a lot less back stabbing then ice skating!  I would volunteer to judge in the future.  It was very cool I was learning to judge on one of the harder problems (the bouldering climb).

So why did I title this post gratitude?  Because I am leaving tomorrow to be with family for Thanksgiving.  And celebrate my Dad's 90th birthday.  The picture of the hands is just a small subset of the people I am grateful for in my life.  Who support my crazy.  The people in my life are very special and I do not take them for granted. 

That is why it is so important to celebrate my Dad next week.  I did find out that chocolate angel food cake is his favorite birthday cake.  I always thought it had to be somebody else's.  But then, I do not really like cake.

I will be back in this space after Thanksgiving.  I will be entering the crazy of the corporate world again.  That may take some adjustment so please forgive me if it is odd around here.  I am going to try to continue coaching because I like it better then an office.  And printing!  And dyeing!  And just creating and making.  

Thank you for all who read my words.  You are appreciated and I am grateful for you.

ready for some calm

The car was totaled.

I had food poisoning and I feel like I am still recovering.  

A new car was purchased.

I think this is enough excitement for the last four days for me!  I just feel like I need some calm because life has not felt very calm since I got back.  There was more curves last week but my reaction was to be amazed at incompetence.  There was nothing I could change so why complain.  Life is windy very right now. 

Right now, I just wish to create.  Which does not really help anything!  But it could and that is okay.  Creating could lead someplace very strange and lovely.  If nothing else, only in my mind!