Everyday Sisters

Mosaic in Wood

There has always been an artist that has lived inside of me. From the first moment I drew breath there has always been one. Maybe, it stems from past life experiences, maybe something else quite different. One can never be 100% certain where the muse comes from within.

Some chalk up creativity as the soul speaking magic out into the world. I hear it as a small voice inside my heart, whispering, “that’s it…that’s the one.”

I have found Pinterest to be of great help and influence to which project I’d like to tackle next. I find it a great repository for great ideas, and great projects a like.

My husband is a wonderful help as well. Where I lack, he is right there next to me offering up advice, thoughts, suggestions, and love. He is a muse all in of himself. Many a day he looks at me with a sideways grin, it’s like he knows…and says, “what’s next?”

I have a great board of projects, ideas, things I’d like to accomplish; small and large alike. I have heard many a suggestion that Pinterest makes people, woman especially, feel that they need to do more, be more. Perfection is something that they try hard to attain. I’ve never looked or wanted for perfection. Just something to sink my teeth into, to reach my muse, to touch that part inside my heart that speaks to my soul.

I have worked hard over my 40 years to try all the artistic outlets that have spoken to me. Pencil drawings, charcoals, paint, ceramics, printmaking, sewing, sculpture, metalsmithing, weaving, and paper mache.

Woodworking has become my newest passion. I find so much wonder in it. I’ve always wanted to make furniture. In college I took a black smithing class and made a papison chair out of half round mild steel. I had so much hope at the beginning of the project, and was overjoyed at its completion. There is something to be said for handmade pieces made from the heart.

We repainted our foyer. It reminded me of what it would be like to paint with liquid cheddar cheese. I’m a huge Packer fan so the coloring seemed to fit well with football season on the way. I’d also been looking at gallery walls as well. Seeing how everyone’s personal style gets reflected on a blank canvas like that of a long wall.

I find that looking at peoples personal style you can learn a lot about how eclectic their style can be. How far off the beaten path they like to walk, how much they like to express themselves out in the open.

I started this project with the idea that I could complete it from start to finish all by myself. With all things in life I have found that we are never alone. At least, I am never truly alone. I was mistaken to think that if I brought this project up to my husband he’d let me do it all on my own. It was even more foolish to show it to my wonderful father-in-law. Before I knew it this had become a group effort full of wonder and hope for what it would become.

My father-in-law with his woodworking shop in his basement took all the measurements. He cut all the pieces. He worked out everything I would need to put my puzzle together. To make my project work he did what he could to help; to be a part of it all. My husband offered support. Over the weeks our project slowly came together. In the end we were all the closer for it.

We now have a piece that we love, it hangs in our foyer. A testament to a group effort, to our fortitude to create something beautiful. Our wonder at what our project could become, and our budding hope that we’ll be building together again soon.

Faith, Hope & Love

I first remember hearing this saying in grade school, and I’m quite sure I heard it during one of the sermons. For any of you who never went to church let me tell you how it goes. It’s taken from first Corinthians 13:13 and says, “and now these three remain Faith, Hope and Love, but the greatest of these is Love.” Now I can get behind all that, but I’ve found one that I like better.

No disrespect to Corinthians or any other book mind you, but I’m not the bible-reading type. For full disclosure, I’ve never read the whole thing either. Only what I was forced to read while in school. I actually had to look up where this came from as not to screw up the reference. I like to cross my T’s and dot my I’s if you know what I mean.

The one I found that I like best is, “I choose Faith over Anxiety, Hope over Worry, and Love over Fear,” by Ms. Mary Davis. I feel this more encompasses my beliefs and what I have chosen to work with in my daily life. Also, it doesn’t feel so oppressive as memorizing bible verses did for me as a kid. I always forgot them and then had a hard time hunting them down later. Reminding me for the millionth time what I was supposed to be remembering in the first place. It was exhausting.

This is more my speed and something I can throw up on a vision board or whatnot. Getting what I need out of it whenever I’m not feeling up to snuff. So, I choose Faith over Anxiety.

Anxiety and I used to be besties.

Thick as thieves we were. We’ve since broken up like the Taylor Swift and Kanye West fiasco of whatever year that was. All I know is that at the end of 2015 I had had enough of Anxiety and the bullshit it had been whispering in my ear. Anxiety and it’s devious friend Depression were at an all time high. Stalking me left and right. Telling me that things were going to implode if I didn’t follow the direction they had planned out for my life. If I didn’t listen to everything they were telling me was true, I’d be screwed. That my life, as I’d built it from that moment would cease to exist. In the end I would be found wanting and lonely, dragging my loved ones down with me. “Follow us,” they whispered, “we know the way,” they’d hiss. I remember sitting on the couch thinking, “how can this get any worse?”

At that moment, remembering that I had a ‘Phone a Friend’ card in my back pocket. They sat next to me and hissed even louder as I reached for my phone. Sticking my tongue out at them and glaring back I sent a text to my dear friend Melissa. We chatted over text message back and forth for a bit; she showing me a door I could walk thru. I took it for the escape for which I was looking. Vowing that this was the last time I’d take Anxiety and Depressions shit lying down. I’d lived with these two buggars for far to long without a backbone. In that moment I started taking my life back, and in all honesty I petrified.

Faith over the next couple months was my companion. Walking next to me I’d look back over my shoulder and see Anxiety and Depression glaring back at me. Kicking cans, sticks and rocks out of their way as they walked, sometimes flipping me the bird as they went along. Ticked that I’d chosen another one to walk with over them.

Faith wasn’t an easy companion either. There were times I wanted to go back and walk with Anxiety and Depression. Sometimes I’d slow down a bit so that they could catch up. I didn’t want them to feel left out. I’d grown so accustomed to them over the years, they felt like family. Part of me actually missed them because they were easier to have around, like a sick security blanket. A mentality to fall back on when I didn’t want to do the hard stuff. Feeling that if I slipped back into my old self I’d feel better. Growing a backbone is hard work when you become your own stopgap. Growing thru what I was going thru was the understatement of the year.

Don’t get me wrong, Anxiety and Depression are very real, they are a disease just like any other as far as I’m concerned. Many a time after that they’ve tried to hold my hand. Faith always sees, stepping in to separate us like that chaperone at a dance when they get to close. Letting me know that she’s always there and has my back when the creepers start creeping in.

Faith lifts my chin to look out into the world. Pointing at it all she says, “look for the helpers, look for the good, what you look for you create.” She then signals Hope to come along with us. “Hope,” she tells me, “is like me, and be careful of worry. You always have two options, but Hope is the best.”

Hope floats up, taking my hand. She tells me that she and Faith are just like peas and carrots. She tells me that she doesn’t try to pretend that troubles don’t exist, it’s just in her that troubles won’t last forever. That the things that hurt will heal, and the difficulties will be overcome. Hope shines light into the darkness and let’s you see that it may be scary now, but this too shall pass. With her by my side we walk into the light. Telling me as we go not to be afraid, that it all works out the way it should in the end. She tells me not to worry, for she is always there when I need her.

Worry stands over in the corner shaking her head, cigarette in hand, smoke wafs around the top of her head. She watches Hope and I pass by her. She likes to be worshipped. When she is, it keeps the problem alive and well. She’s all about that. The more we feed Worry the stronger she gets. When we do, believing that God or the Universe won’t get it right, this is her wheelhouse. She loves it there. What she doesn’t want you to see when you look close enough is that those thoughts are notoriously inaccurate.

Much like the shadows and boogeymen that hang in our closet, they hide what is truly there. Partners in crime with Anxiety and Depression she too likes to run the show. She’s always waiting though, patiently, for you to slip back into the corner with her. She likes companionship and won’t take, “it’ll be just fine,” for an answer.

Photo by How Far From Home on Pexels.com

As I walk with Faith and Hope, Love appears on the horizon. “We kept the best for last,” they say in unison. I look over at them smiling, almost giggling for Love is amazing! She prances over to where we are giving me the biggest hug I’ve ever received. Holding me at arms length she looks me up and down and nods her head approvingly. “You look GOOD! I knew you’d make it!” I look her in the eye and confess, “I wasn’t so sure there for awhile, but hey, I guess it was a thing.” She laughs at me knowing all too well that it definitely was a thing. We split off from the others as we walk to the top a hill. The grass seems greener here, the air fresher. She wants to show me something, and I fall in beside her.

“See out there, the dark parts?” I look out to where her finger points, squinting. “Yeah, what is that?” She looks at me and says, “That’s the place you came from, the place you escaped from. That’s what you were totally immersed in.” I look over at her with my mouth hanging open like some goofball in disbelief. “I’m glad you figured out finally that Fear is an illusion, it’s a darkness of the most horrid sort. It’s like the Nothing from the Neverending Story. It sucks up all the light and all the goodness in the world and turns it into utter darkness. Yet, when we move to put a light on it, it squeals, backing away as quickly as it came. It doesn’t like the light because in the light it can’t hide. Fear grows from false information, false witness, false beliefs. Yet, people feed it so it grows. They haven’t figured out that Fear really means False Evidence Appearing Real.”

I stand there quiet for a moment, soaking it all in.

“So many people believe that it’s real though, they believe that the fear is real.” Looking back towards the horizon again, “Danger is real, fear is the illusion.” She says, “There are people out there that don’t know there is a difference, but there is. That’s why you are here. You’ll help be that light for some, the ones you are destined to meet. You’ll do what you were always meant to do; shine.” I looked over at her, loving her even more than before, “I love you! Thank you for showing this to me, thank you for sharing, but most of all thank you for being. You are so amazing and I hope that everyone gets the chance to know you someday. You my friend are incredible.” Turning back towards me she takes my hands in hers, “Ditto,” she replies.

Walking back towards Faith and Hope I feel complete and whole with Love by my side. Knowing full well that no matter what happens in life I’ve got this. My favorite companions not far from me, available at a moments notice, whenever I need them. The other darknesses so far removed and untouchable from where I stand now. I feel lighter than I’ve ever felt before. The sky’s the limit and I’m finally living my best life with Faith, Hope & Love.

A Secular Devotional

The Intellectual Devotional: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Roam Confidently with the Cultured Class by David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim
A book summary and a quick explanation of what a devotional is are below the review.

I have owned this book for easily 15 years. I think I liked the idea of it more than I wanted to read it. That is until last year.

In the mess of what has been going on in the world, I think I wanted something simple to turn to each day. Something that stretched me a little. Something that I was able to look at and say, “Well, at least I got that done today.”

As a person on a non-traditional spiritual path, daily devotionals were something I stayed away from. I’d read the bible once already and I didn’t want to focus on that, so my eyes just tripped right over them in every bookstore. So when I ran into this one, I think it captured my attention because of it being so different.

I enjoyed reading a page every day. Each day of the week was devoted to a specific topic. I do have to say that devoted Sundays to religion shows the lens of the authors, as does devoting the majority of the religion pages to Christian topics. I would have loved to learn more about the various religions of the world.

The rest of the topics were fun and fascinating. I did end up learning quite a bit I didn’t already know.

What is a daily devotional? A devotional typically refers to a booklet or publication that provides a specific reading for each day.

Book summary (per Goodreads):

This daily digest of intellectual challenge and learning will arouse curiosity, refresh knowledge, expand horizons, and keep the mind sharp

Millions of Americans keep bedside books of prayer and meditative reflection—collections of daily passages to stimulate spiritual thought and advancement. The Intellectual Devotional is a secular version of the same—a collection of 365 short lessons that will inspire and invigorate the reader every day of the year. Each daily digest of wisdom is drawn from one of seven fields of knowledge: history, literature, philosophy, mathematics and science, religion, fine arts, and music.

Impress your friends by explaining Plato’s Cave Allegory, pepper your cocktail party conversation with opera terms, and unlock the mystery of how batteries work. Daily readings range from important passages in literature to basic principles of physics, from pivotal events in history to images of famous paintings with accompanying analysis. The book’s goal is to refresh knowledge we’ve forgotten, make new discoveries, and exercise modes of thinking that are ordinarily neglected once our school days are behind us. Offering an escape from the daily grind to contemplate higher things, The Intellectual Devotional is a great way to awaken in the morning or to revitalize one’s mind before retiring in the evening.

Temperature Projects

Temperature Blankets/Scarves/Wraps/ETC are back in vogue right now. If you don’t know what they are, here’s a quick description.

A record of the temperature throughout a set time period (usually a year, but sometimes a pregnancy or another memorable time block) using predetermined temperature ranges based on location with associated colors to create a unique masterpiece in the art medium of your choice here.

I had been contemplating doing one on-and-off for the last year. But didn’t pull the trigger until Keva texted me and asked if I was going to do one. After hardly any discussion, we both decided to do a project in our respective mediums – for me that’s fiber, for Keva that could be just about anything not fiber. Below are the details as they stand now.

Keva’s Project

I decided to go a different route, like Lauren had mentioned, I’m not a fiber person. Nothing against fiber, it’s just not my forte. Over the years I have learned to play to my strengths. So I went with markers. A tad childish one may say, but hey, if I can’t entertain my inner child once in awhile then why do it at all? Anytime I can entertain her as well as myself it’s a win-win situation.

I decided on working with my Arteza alcohol markers that I was gifted years ago and rarely break out and play with for any project; real or for funzies. I looked at a ton of different color scales for the temperature breakdowns and found one in which to work. It didn’t take long to sort through my vast array of colors and pick out my favorites for each temperature block.

I always, ALWAYS, have scrap paper laying about (it’s organized chaos in my studio) so I grabbed what was close and available. Lauren sent me a high/low option and I went from there. Lauren also sent me a couple of quilt patterns if I wanted to go the only “fiber” art I can & know how to do and the whole jagged design sent my senses into overdrive. I started marking my watercolor paper in 1’’ squares and dividing them into halves. Seemed jagged enough to me.

I then decided rather quickly that I would need to keep track of said squares so I marked them on the back with the date. That way, because it’s happened several times already, I’ve lost track of time and had to do several days record keeping in one sitting. That seems to be my only sore spot with this whole project thus far…if you aren’t dedicated to keeping your records straight you’ll fail even before you start.

With three kids underfoot, a husband, cats, a house, cars and life in my constant view I have to sit down and dedicate time to a medium that works for me. Taking screenshots of the Weather Channel App on my phone has saved my dupa more times than I’ve counted over the last two weeks since we’ve started this project. Let’s get real here, as fun and as artsy as this project is for the record keepers of the world, it needs to fit into your life seamlessly or I’m quite sure people will give it up within the first 30 days. Like those New Year’s Resolutions that everyone is so fond of…sounds great in the beginning, but if you don’t stay present it’ll fall apart like a flan on a cupboard if you aren’t careful.

So I’m crossing my fingers that I too chose the right medium for this little project. I’m also keeping in the back of my head, that yes I may have chosen markers as my yearly medium, but that doesn’t mean that if at the end of the year I can’t take what I’ve done and change to something different. Taking my colorful record keeping and averaging out the high and lows of the months and creating ONE block per month giving me 12 blocks total. Take those colors, and use it towards a different medium. Same information, different format, will give the whole entire project a different look and feel that may surprise even myself when it’s all said and done.

Who knows though. What I do know is that I have 365 days to figure out what direction I want to stay in, go with, and play around in all the different mediums in which I am accustomed to working. I may at the end of the year surprise even myself with what I end up creating! That’s the beauty of creating isn’t it? You THINK you know, but one rarely does until it’s finished.

Lauren’s Project

After searching for inspiration, I decided I would get bored and not finish a project that takes this long if it was super simple, like knit or crochet a row in a specific color for each day. I also really couldn’t settle on the high or low temps to focus on. So off I went to find a pattern that would give me both but that wasn’t harder or more complicated than I wanted to do either. That was a sure-fire way to not finish the project.

I finally landed on a crochet block of an hourglass from The Crochet Handbook and Stitch Guide. I really like the idea of temperature paired with a time visual. The example uses three colors, but I figured I’d stick with two. The body of the hourglass would represent the high and the background to show the shape would be the low.

So I pulled some worsted weight yarn leftovers from my stash and a couple crochet hooks and proceeded to do what I usually don’t do for a project, figure out gauge through swatching. Man am I glad I did. If I had ordered all the yarn, and dove in with the default weight and hook, my blanket would have been nearly a double King. Absolutely ridiculous! The other issue I ran into when I used the smaller hook sizes was the fabric got thick as it shrunk in width. I was concerned about using too small of a hook as well. If it came out too thick, the blanket would be unusable.

I had two options (other than throwing in the towel on the pattern), scale down the weight and hope that cut the block in half or convert the pattern to knitting so I had more flexibility with thickness. A trip to the store for yarn options and 4 swatches later, it was decided, the lighter end of the default yarn weight, but convert the pattern to knit (stockinette stitch) and cut the mm size of the needles in half. I was down to medium weight yarn (4), using Caron Simply Soft which runs thinner, and size 4 (US) needles. Now the blanket is still going to be fairly big, but not ridiculously so. This combo gives me 4-inch squares. With borders, I think it’ll end up 5ft by 10ft or so. Think a little long for a twin.

Next up was to source the yarn and make my temperature key for the project. These projects generally call for 8-12 colors depending on the range of temps that you are expecting to encounter. We get from below zero all the way to 110F some years, so I needed a decent range, but not too many. As you can see, I settled on 11.

So for now, I record the temps of the day before on a little chart and whittle away at the block I’ve got on my needles. In the end, the plan is 26 rows of 14 blocks and if you are a math whiz, you know that means I am missing one day. I’ll do December 31st temps as the top and bottom borders of the blanket. I’m still deciding if I need to do borders on the sides. If the first block is any indication, I will be putting borders on it.

Hopefully, I’ll improve as I go, as I’m not the most well-versed with colorwork and this will definitely teach me all kinds of lessons. I’m thinking once I get 28 days knitted, I can connect the first rows and really get a feeling for how the final will look.

Anyone who has created something unique in any medium knows that it usually doesn’t work exactly as planned. We are no different in that we change our minds, adjusting as we go. It will be interesting to see how we’ve changed things in the end. See you next year with the results!

First Book of 2022 – The Becoming

The Becoming – Book 2 of the Dragon Heart Legacy by Nora Roberts
Series Intro and a book summary are below the review.

I love me a good light fantasy with all the expected pieces – a big bad, a reluctant heroine, and a dashing, slightly-truculent hero, especially when they go in for the I-wasn’t-looking-for you-and-I-don’t-really-want-you trope. It’s extra fun when you get stunning settings and Nora* never disappoints when she lets her characters flourish in Ireland. Talamh is a like an Ireland without all the technology and pollution.

As a middle in a trilogy, this book is exactly what you’d expect. You need to have read the first to not be lost, but even coming out a year apart, it was easy to fall back in love with Breen, Keegan, Marco, and Bollocks. And while the big bad has been beaten back, they just aren’t fully gone.

I only have one real question. What happened to the pot roast?**

Disclaimer: If you find Irish distracting, and you don’t like having to get out a translator to know what’s been said, you might find this series annoying.

*I’ve read so many of her books, I can call her that, right?!
** I think there was a continuity error. Maybe I just need to read it again to see.

Series Intro: “In the realm of Talamh, a teenage warrior named Keegan emerges from a lake holding a sword—representing both power and the terrifying responsibility to protect the Fey. In another realm known as Philadelphia, a young woman has just discovered she possesses a treasure of her own…”

Book summary (per Goodreads):

The world of magick and the world of man have long been estranged from one another. But some can walk between the two–including Breen Siobhan Kelly. She has just returned to Talamh, with her friend, Marco, who’s dazzled and disoriented by this realm–a place filled with dragons and faeries and mermaids (but no WiFi, to his chagrin). In Talamh, Breen is not the ordinary young schoolteacher he knew her as. Here she is learning to embrace the powers of her true identity. Marco is welcomed kindly by her people–and by Keegan, leader of the Fey. Keegan has trained Breen as a warrior, and his yearning for her has grown along with his admiration of her strength and skills.

But one member of Breen’s bloodline is not there to embrace her. Her grandfather, the outcast god Odran, plots to destroy Talamh–and now all must unite to defeat his dark forces. There will be losses and sorrows, betrayal and bloodshed. But through it, Breen Siobhan Kelly will take the next step on the journey to becoming all that she was born to be.