Winter Occupations

 When the warm winds of Spring start blowing, (and I don't mean this Pretend Spring that we are currently enjoying), I want to be outside.  I want to dig and rake and plant.  So while the calendar says January and February, that is my cue to keep myself occupied with Inside Things.  In January, I caught up on orders and bookkeeping.  Last Spring, I ripped up my living room and entry way and staircase.  Even thought the library was staring me down with painting needs, I promptly ignored her and told her that she would just have to wait till colder days.  So as I wrapped up my duties, it is with great excitement that I prepared my trusty trim brush, my special mini roller with the long handle, grabbed a most interesting audio book and set to the work of equating my library with the rest of the downstairs.  Whew.

 With the exception of my upstairs bathroom, all my house is now painted some shade of yellow.  My favorite color since kindergarten, I have slowly replaced all other colorage from my home and without planning it, finally succumbed to the idea that Yellow is The Color of my Life.  I am very much happy with this turn of events.

 I have had my red stage.  My goldish/bronzish stage.  My green affair.  But yellow is my true love.  With a dash of turquoise.  This combination love goes back to my childhood.   I remember very clearly, a lovely turquoise wool jumper that my mama had bought for me.  It had the smallest yellow embroidery on the bodice with yellow rick rack trim.  A sweet little yellow blouse with puff sleeves came with.  I can remember wearing this memorable outfit to the hospital to visit my very asthmatic, very sick mama when I was seven years old.  I remember being told that I was too young to go to the emphysema ward that she was in and I had to sit, alone in the waiting room of our very old, very intimidating hospital.  I have no idea how long I waited for my dad to come and fetch me.  In the hours that it seemed, that sad little girl found much comfort in staring at the lovely colors on my outfit.  I remember the texture of the wool.  The complementary colors entertained me greatly.  And still does to this day.

Well.  

Now that was a nice little Bunny Trail Story, wasn't it?

Back to painting....

The first weekend we moved into our home, Kindred Spirits Friend and her hubby came to visit.  She came with work clothes, paint and anaglypta wall covering.  The library had dark paneling and KSF came many miles to relieve me of it.  She primed and filled paneling ruts and hung anaglypta till the wee hours.  The next day she painted over it.  That productive weekend, we also ripped out carpeting.

Years passed and the years of darker walls came into vogue.  One rainy cold January weekend, I painted a very cozy caramel color over the anaglypta.

More years pass and more shelves were needed.  They are now working their way all around the room. I love my books and my very special library.  It's the one room I spend the most time in.

However.

You can see that painting around all those books will be a bit of a challenge.

Hubby has offered to be on board while I climb the dreaded ladder and hand down pile of books after pile of books to be able to reach the trim and cover the caramel with the butter yellow that I knew this room was destined to be.

As I get older, tedious jobs are less burdensome.  In my younger days, I would rush and splash and dash just to get the job done.  I am more deliberate these days.  What's the rush?

I always work better hanging a carrot in front of me.

This weekend's carrot is this:

Kindred Spirit is sending me her green swirly curtains from her dance with lime green swirlies, to cover the cushions on all my library sitting surfaces.  When KS saw my colorful fabric for my living room curtains last spring, she raved on with me at the joys of Susan Sargent's creations.http://susansargent.com/.  She also reminded me of her curtains from years before and how well they would go with my new Living Room window treatments.

When she visited last fall and spent time in my library, which is by the way named after her for her aforementioned work done at the very beginning of my time here and for the number of books she has donated to the cause.  I have her poetry on the walls and her photo properly displayed. Her Hubby created a couch/settee that I cherish that sits in her room.  I call the library her, Not Quite Memorial Library.

While I was writing this, she text me that the curtains were in the mail and should be here on Monday.

Impetus for painting book shelves if I ever had one.

Cushion making next week.

Reveal later.

 In the meantime, reflect on how color affects us on so many levels.  Complementary colors soothe our spirits just as complementary friends soothe our souls....

Grab a daunting task this weekend and pleasure it with the thoughts of who you will please in the doing of it....


A good carrot if I ever heard of one.....


Thank you KSF for being the turquoise to my yellow....

The Importance of Having Bedside

Being sincing that I am an ADHD kinda gal, it has always been important for me to be intentional about my organization.  I can have 5 balls in the air, 4 WIPs, 3 books going on at the same time, but at the end of the day, I have to see where I've been and what tomorrow looks like.  That is why my bedtime ritual is tantamount to survival for my scattered, spontaneous mind.  In the days of my young mama hood, it was imperative for me to be properly installed in my bed with my world around me, come nighttime.  You can ask my children; there came a certain hour that mom had to be in  her room, in her bed, fresh from removing the day's grit from my weary self, that was an important part of  my life.  They were welcome to join me in my neutralizing, and they usually did.  Actually, in the kids teen years, it was nothing to have a parade of adolescents gathered in my room or walking the hall.  They would all greet me(us) like it was the most normal thing in the world to be talking to their friend's parental units in their jammies.

The centerpiece of My Organizational Cure For ADHD is my Bedside Table.  Nothing like relaxing for the night, pre sleep, and review the day and prepare for the morn. 

And here is what is the List of Requirements for a Proper Bedside Table:

1. A very good lamp.  Soft light, yet good angle for reading in bed. Oh, and decorative.

2. A good sized table.  It has nothing to do with the standard Bedside Tables that are sold with bedroom 'suites'.  But no, But no.  I have used a variety of tables; all shapes and sizes.  Currently, I'm using a mahogany drum table that was in my childhood home.  There are still childish scrawls from moi still there.  I used to love to lie under it and see the room from upside down.  Of course, I usually had a pen/pencil/crayon in my hand, thus the graffiti.  Mom didn't know.

3.  A good pencil cup.  This can hold emery boards and other manicurish paraphernalia.  Pencils, pens, markers all are invited to join in.

4.  A tray.  Good to place a water carafe or bottle or glass of water to keep from getting out of bed when late night thirst occurs.  Remember, it's all about staying on 'The Island of the Bed' for relaxation from the Hectic of the Day.

5.  My pile of books.  Depends on the mood.  Newspapers can join in as well.  Sometimes I go lighthearted after a particularly challenging day.  Or deep for the intellectually needy days.  Something to neutralizing the mind from the details of the day.

6.  Note pads, journals, diaries.  I have kept a diary for over 40 years.  Daily.  This is when I write in it.  One paragraph.  Segments, not sentences. 2 minutes, tops.  Every day.  Give me a day from the past 40 years and I can tell you what I was doing; me or my family...Crazy, but very fun.  The list of To Do for the next day comes next.  Bullet points. Reminders.  Now that the present has been recorded and the morrow set for reminding, you can now bring peace to your minds  So important for those of us with Busy Brains.

7. A decorative drawer or box.  Therein contains the Things of Grooming.  My facial moisturizer, my Burt' Bees foot balm, my body butter, my almond cuticle oil, nail polish and tissues and hydro cortisone cream for my incessant gardener's allergy to certain insects.  Remember, the goal is not to get out of bed once you are installed post bath.

I completely remember as a young nursing mother, that my rule was 9:00pm, my body was in bed.  Children, nursing babies were welcome to join me for book time, discussion and concerns but mama was done being vertical.  Had to have my legs up and reclining on a bank of pillows.  The children knew that they could play post bath, nearby, in their rooms or mine.  They just weren't allowed to go downstairs.  A time came at night, that we relegated ourselves to the upstairs, signaling the slowing down of the day.  Quiet play, even though as they got older, they could get rowdier.  As long as they were 'contained' for the bedtime.  I can still see Eldest Son crawling up our door frame, Eldest/admin, curled up next to me sharing her friendship concerns, and lots of super friends and GI Joes using my legs under the blankets as bunkers.  Baby Girl's room was right off ours, so we were entertained by her constant fashion show.

Do not make bedtime a nightmare.  Give into it and beat the kids to bed.  Hear me, Not Sleeping, merely relaxing, away from TV and the world.  Just be family.  All going to bed at the same time. Sort of.

Get your Bedside Table Now and neutralize your hectic life.

Randomness

As we begin a new week, what say we clean about old business, preparing ourselves for the lark that is the upcoming week with all it's Holidaying?  As you can see, I finished Miss Vivien's Summer Frock.  Fabric from my friend Randi's wonderful etsy store, etsy.com/shop/freshsqueezedfabrics.  Lovely, lovely fabric and wonderful service.  Please check her out for all your summer sewing needs.  Pattern, Simplicity 2625.  Can you picture my little Sweetie Pie, positively glowing with her lovely strawberry blond hair, in this dress?  Grammy can't wait...Always one to not pass on an opportunity to plant shop, we (Birthday Boy (ES), Lovely Wife, Baby Girl, Hubby and Grandchild Father, hopped to a very convenient AND wonderfully complete, garden center in the Greenwood Mall parking lot.  I know, Right?  Lovely, unique plants.  And we bought some.  As you can see, I had to take the photo opp of Baby Girl buying plants, knowing by the time the plants are in full bloom, she will be too!  Grammy's heart kinda melted at the thought...Eldest Son's mama's collection Birthday Banner looks right festive next to their Kit Kat Clock that the Hubby and I got them for their first anniversary.  Kit Kat has his Cub hat on for the season.  Shall we say that perhaps only the clock is hopeful for them this year?  Sigh.And lastly but certainly not to be forgotten...The Pedicure This Week.  Crazy Dee had given me a gift certificate for Christmas but why would I need one in the winter when my tootsies are under the wraps of my woolen sockies?  My waiting was almost my undoing as I noticed that it expired on Thursday, the day I had planned to go!  Ah, Providence!   Needless to say, relaxing in the massage chair with my favorite read of the moment, watching my feet transform into summer sandalage, looking forward to lunch out with Hubby then heading for supper with ES and LL....Well, need I say more......

On to the New Week!!

Book Report

Lest you think that I have gone off my rocker, reporting of Panty Grapes and Sweater Carrots, I thought I would take a bit of a detour of my usual crafting/sewing reporting and take a dive into my literacy world this month.
My rule is to always have three books going at once.
I believe this strange philosophy/practice came from the days when I was nursing.
I would have a book posted at each nursing station and proclaimed the time mama/baby time. And for the marathon sessions, I was set. The world had to come to me or wait.
Got more reading done that way.
If my book was of interest to the younger set, I would read aloud. The whole Narnia series got accomplished that way.
That said, here is what I have been reading this past month:

As you know from a previous post, Anne Tyler's hot of the press latest book caught my attention. Finished it in under a week. Good for ol' ADHD Me.
In typical Anne T. fashion, her main character is full of quirks and revelations. All her books take place in Baltimore, her city of residence.
This book follows the chronicles of a hapless bloke, devoid of much interest in anything till he gets assaulted in his brand new location after years of existing in the same apartment. From this traumatic event, a series of other situations come into his life in the most unusual way. We see how this impacts his solitary life and what he learns.
Good read. Anne Tyler's characters are always endearing to me. Hmmmmm.

And while I'm sewing, I'm listening to another AT.
The Amateur Marriage is a sad one.
Sad in the reporting of a post WWII marriage and it's mistaken start and it's forsaken ending 30 years after the fact. Sadly, I believe many WWII marriages started and ended in the same way. Hurried decisions only to be altered by the shadow of the war in all their lives. Saw it in my own parents lives.
This is the third time I've 'read' it.
Masochist?

AND then there is this Gem of the Year!!!
(I know, I know; it's only February....but it will be hard finding a more entertaining, well written book. (okay, outside of pulitzers etc....)
Kaye Gibbons never disappoints me. Her Ellen Foster, The Virtuous Woman also is a favorite.
Youngest Son had this one in his possession and when I had finished Noah's Compass, lamenting as I do whenever I finish a good book, he reminded me that he had a Kaye Gibbons waiting in the wings.
It has taken me less than a week, reading in the wee hours when peri menopausal insomnia strikes.
Absolutely delightful tome about three generations of well read, well opinionated women under the same roof during WWII (a pattern?) The grandmother is absolutely wonderfully wonderful. A self appointed, rogue Doctor to her small rural area, respected by the actual doctors in the land and silent benefactor to many.
Her daughter, abandonded by a ne'er do well of a husband (having been warned by her wizened mama) is usually on the outside of her mother's and daughter discussion. The granddaughter, quiet, obedient and very smart, abandons the idea of college, even when the best are pursuing her, because of her love of her home and it's eccentric lifestyle...Then.....Well, you just have to read it...

That's mama's Book Report for now..
(Now if I can find just the right old green swimsuit to make some aspargus.....:D)

A Major WIP

I have been working on a book for almost seven years.
Not day to day laboriously, painstakingly just casually and sporadically.
My goal was to get down for permanence, my thoughts and practical suggestions on this wonder of parenting.
For some amazing reason known only to our Heavenly Father, this completely inexperienced, scared, unmotherly woman, became enraptured with the nurturing of four pretty wonderful progeny.
Go figure.
A God thing, for sure.
In my travels as a mentor, discipler, encourager, similiar thoughts were shared again and again. I found myself speaking of ideas and thoughts that I thought were common to all only to find that perhaps it was as unique as the call to motherhood that I surprisingly had.
Again, go figure.

I guess it was only expected that one day, on my porch swing, Community Friend asked me, 'so Deb, when are you going to write your book?'
The question did not even get answered, I was that taken aback. The question that did come out was, 'What in the world would I write about? What would anyone want to read from me?'
It became an interesting question that I posed to several of my friends, (and people waiting in line with me at stores..) actually, anyone that listened, I asked.
Apparently, the overwhelming response was: Write about being a mom.

So in the most ignorant of attempts at writing, I set out and managed a smallish tome about the day to day of mothering. I wanted to go further but came to a stop. I had several friends edit and critique and then I showed Most Interesting and Loving Friend this last summer on her visit.
She brilliantly suggested that I take the small bits that I have written and publish a small book, a gift book, to be given at baby showers and for new moms or older moms that need a boost of encouragement.
Brilliant.
At the present, I am rewriting, preparing it for Most Interesting and Loving Friend to go over it with a fine tooth comb, all those tenses that I tend to confuse.

The whole experience has been cathartic and eye opening. In reviewing my children's childhood, I get a view of God's faithfulness and His enormous gift of Motherhood to this nervous, anxious, worrisome weakling. Nothing like a child to turn us into tigers, brave and courageous. Nothing like the hug of a child to fill your heart to the brim and be eager to share that with this love deprived world.

I may have been a capable mama, (capable also of rages, pouts and screaming) but I also was an ardent student of the gentle, loving personages that are known as my beloved children. They taught me more about my relationship to my own Heavenly Father than any book could dare show me. They taught me what I was made of and what I was capable of. They taught me the delight of self sacrifice when that sacrifice involved pure love.

I hope you'll enjoy the book.
Keep after me so I am disciplined enough to follow through to the finish.

Library Love

I love our library.
It is 198 steps from our home.
Tonight, hubby and I sauntered down there to return our audio books and just look around.

The library is a turn of the century Andrew Carnegie library with some well done updates.
It is beautiful and helpful.
I feel good just being in there.

It was my first official business in Mitchell when I moved here. Took my daughter down to get us some library cards before the moving truck made it here.
Before cutbacks, it used to host different classes. I learned garden sculpture, oil painting and poetry writing.
All in my neighborhood.
Literary enhancement and information and resources available just down the block.
Magazines that I can't afford to subscribe to, are there. Back in the days when I cared for my father at home, I could sometimes sneak down to the library for a few minutes to look through some garden or decorating magazine to take me away from the rigors of care giving for awhile.

The children's section is colorful and complete.

A jewel in a small town.
Thank you Andrew Carnegie