Avoidance Tuesday

Tuesdays are for avoiding all the grown-up things I should be doing.  The list of things to avoid is long - answering emails, making doctor appointments, cleaning a messy kitchen. The list goes on. There's nothing special or particularly hard about the things that need to be done.   I know I'll feel better when all the tasks are done, but for now, I'll just sit and think about them.

The cups and mugs will eventually make it into the dishwasher.  There are dirty dishes in the sink, but you don't see them because of the magic of cropping.  The Crock Pot is not waiting to be cleaned.  It's working it's magic on a pork roast.

The craft pile in the family room needs to be tidied.  I want to reorganize the current projects so that hopefully I can start making progress toward some finishes.

One goal for this year is to thin my magazine hoard.  I love magazines.  When I need a pick-me-up, I look for a magazine and chocolate.  The chocolate is long gone, but I still have a shelf full of magazines.  I will keep some of them.  The "What if's" of all the potential projects haunt me.  I'm trying to let go of the ones I know have projects that I'll never make.

This is the to-go pile. I hope to add more to it this week.

I have never taken a picture with our DSL camera.  Learning to use this camera has been on my goal list for several years.  I'll have to wait a few more days.  The manual in the picture will be of no help for me.  It's ALL in Spanish.  Of course the English version is nowhere to be found. Thank goodness for Amazon.  I was able to order one.  I know I can download the manual, but I find for task like this, I do better with a physical copy.  

We've had some chilly nights.  Binxy enjoys the fireplace as much as I do.  The wood and bricks look very uncomfortable.  I've tried putting a blanket down for her, but this is the way she prefers to lay.

I've been watching too much news.  I'm letting the outside world influence my inside world.  These days I'm finding it hard to tune out the bad.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit.   Lisa

And we marched

I probably would have never attended the Women's March in Washington D.C. if it had not been for my mother-in-law.  To say she was disappointed in the out come of November's election would be an enormous understatement, heartbroken and devastated would be more accurate.  It was shortly after the election she started to hear rumblings of a protest that would be held in D.C.  We live about forty minutes from D.C.  Then in December she let us know she would be coming and going to the march. She made it clear to us she would be happy to go alone and stay at a friend's house if needed.  She just wanted to go to the march.  Crowds are not my favorite thing, in fact I try to avoid them at all cost. The thought of going to D.C. to be in a huge crowd and have to use a porta-potty for a restroom did not excite me.  The weather could be freezing or snowing, there were a million reasons why I really did not want to go.  The one big reason to go - not letting an 83 year old woman go alone.  So we decided Dan would be in charge of the kid's Saturday schedules and I would go peacefully demonstrate.  Once we knew this would be happening I started to crochet my p_ssyhat.

Yesterday was amazing.  We could tell as we approached the metro station this was going to be BIG! There were cars, busses, and massive amounts of people and we weren't even in D.C.  The metro ride can only be compared to sardines in a can.  Sardines may actually have more room in the can than we had on our train car.  Once we made it to the march we quickly staked out a spot to listen to the amazing speakers.  If you are familiar with D.C. we were standing close the the Smithsonian Castle.   Luckily there was a short wall close by and a very nice lady willingly gave up her spot so my mother-in-law could sit.  The crowd was immense, a sea of bodies.  The people we met and the ones that surrounded us were so positive and polite.  It is hard to believe I am using those terms to describe a crowd in D.C., sometimes that city isn't the most pleasant.  It was an incredible experience.

One of the best things about the march was seeing all of the pink hats.  I proudly wore mine.  To all who sent hats for others to wear I send you a BIG THANK YOU.    Your time and efforts were appreciated.

Dee and I at the beginning of the day

Dee marching with her sign

Me - backpacks weren't allowed, fishing vest worked nicely.  Thanks Bernadette for the idea!

sea of people

She's smiling so maybe she's not such an angry granny : )

There were all kinds of signs

a simple sign but meaningful message

I am proud to be from the United States of America.  As hard as it is to say I know Donald Trump is president. I do not agree with the agenda he has outlined for our country.   I marched in hope that someone in Washington will take notice of the vast group of people who are deeply concerned with his plans for our future.

As always thank you for visiting.  Have a lovely week.  Lisa

Random stitching

The crafts I make usually follow the pattern, even my color choices are similar to the original.  There are always some errors, nothing I do is perfect.  I enjoy the process of creating and having a finished product. This past year I started to notice others engaging in slow stitching and stitch journals, both have intrigued me.

There is something to be said for not following a pattern, permission for randomness.  At the beginning of January I gathered floss, needle, an embroidery hoop, and linen.  The piece of linen is from a thrifted shirt my sister sent me.  The floss is a combination my own stash and bits of skeins I've collected from charity shops.  For this project there are no rules.  I will try new stitches and use ones I know by heart.  The colors will be ones I find pretty and some that are ugly.

This isn't a mindless project.  I have to tell myself that it doesn't have to be perfect.  Knots and messy backs are ok.  I'm not committing myself to stitching on it for an entire year.   Although I do try to work on it daily.  So often I get caught up in following the rules and how I perceive that things are suppose to be.  It's nice to have a project with no clear right or wrong and allows me to just stitch.

The guest room is looking less like a storage closet.  The things that remain are two boxes of books that will be taken to the library for their used book sale.  There is a box of empty bags.  Those bags will hopefully hold other items to go for donations at a later date.  My daughter has a pile of clothes on the bed.  She is listing them on an on-line consignment site.  I wish I had a never ending supply of  energy and motivation.  We'd have a clutter free home!

Thank you for stopping by for a visit.  Lisa

Happy New Year

Forget the bottle of champagne I'll take a bottle of candy any day of the week.  For me this was the perfect way to ring in the new year.  Don't worry, I'm not a teetotaler.  I still have a few left and I'm willing to share.  

My new year's goal are much the same as last year's goals.  I want to finish projects, use up yarn, and not have too many projects going at the same time.  

The projects that I am currently focused on are The Cozy Striped blanket by Attic24, a R2D2, and the never ending Springtime quilt by Wildolive blog.  My daughter requested a R2D2 be made for a friend of hers.  The Springtime quilt is never ending because I fail to work on it.  That is going to change for 2017.  My plan is to work a little on it constantly.  I find a little goes a long way.  Maybe this will be the year it is completed.

My other goal for January is to take back the guest bedroom from the mountain of clutter.  All but a small fraction of that pile-o-junk should be boxed up and sent to the charity shop.  The room is treated like a dumping ground.  I hope to end that practice this year.

Well, I better go get busy I have lots to do.  Bru and I wish you a Happy New Year.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit, Lisa