WHY SHOULD THEY HAVE ALL THE FUN?

 

Apparently, this is a new thing that you do for a toddler on their birthday...have all of their favorite toys greet them at their door in the morning with balloons.

Do you suppose this would work with a big ass cup of coffee, a stack of books, and a basket full of stitchy projects for a portly old broken down Spinster of a certain age?

(Asking for a friend).

IN WHICH THE SPINSTER CARRIES A HANDBAG

So I did a thing a few weeks ago.

Well, several things, actually.

I started watching the Read Well podcast on the YouTubes and became fascinated with the idea of being a better reader. I've always had my nose in a book in one way or another, but it was always casual/light/fun reading on the back porch swing or tucked into bed before lights out. 

I also started watching/listening to The Daily Stoic, and this made me want to start some new and better habits that would serve me well as I move into "the age in which one really should know better". The guy in this podcast wants me to read and study stoic philosophy as well as do something I used to do for years and years but haven't since starting this here blog...keep a daily journal.

So I found some videos about journaling and morning pages, and $11 later (because I had to have a new notebook from the amazons)...I was off. You'll be happy to note that I studiously avoided all of the videos that showed amazing art journals and scrap journals and perfectly curated memory journals, and decided instead that this would be a simple brain dump/morning pages book where I could exorcise my demons and clear my head every day before sitting in my chair doing nothing all day except running to the bathroom. (Sorry. TMI.)

Not to be forgotten in all of this is my Erin Condren Life Planner. Yes...I still have one, yet I do confess that it is a huge struggle trying to figure out how to use it. I don't exactly have a lot to "plan", I keep all of my tests and appointments on my phone, and actually committing a to-do list to paper is damn near impossible since I'm never quite sure if it's going to be a good day physically or a big girl sleigh bed day.

But I digress...

I also have a BOB...a book of books...that I've kept since 1991. This is basically just a little book in which I record the title and author of whatever book I've just finished reading. It's a bit beat up and falling apart, but I love being able to look back and remember what I was doing and where I was doing it and what book I had along for the adventure.

In short...this new life involved GEAR. A stack of books and journals and pens and chapstick and hair clips and a reading light and a portable fan and...

Cue the handbag.

I remembered that I had purchased a "planner tote" about a hundred years ago for the two weeks when I was obsessed with all things planner. It was grey felt, and I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be a diaper bag, but I kinda sorta remembered it being perfect for what I needed. Well, Dearies, I went on a massive search for the damn thing, and after about two hours of peeking into every nook and cranny and even venturing down to the garage/storage tower of crap from my life that I'm more attached to than my liver...I came up empty and it was back to the amazons I went.

Perfection! Bliss! Wonderful addition to my day! I put all of my stuff into the newly acquired tote and started carrying it out to the balcony for morning coffee, or over to the kitchen table for planning, or in to bed for pre-sleep reading.

I did this for about a week when Rich took one look at me in my crazy "they're pajamas, but let's just think of them as my inside clothers" getup and said "Con? What's with the handbag?" before going back to the Phillies game.

So me and my handbag are doing very nicely, thankyouverymuch. I am presently working on a plan for adding my stitchy project to the mix, but at the moment I'm letting it live on my ottoman because I don't have to worry about stashing things away into the project bag.

I'll leave you with a progress pic so Betty doesn't get her knickers twisted. Happy Futzingday!

Please, please, please be safe and well, Dearies. If you are in this heat, take all of the precautions. As for Yours Truly...it's me, the A/C, and vats and vats of water today (and for the foreseeable future)!

Shenanigans to follow! 

WHERE I'D LIKE TO GO...AND HOW I'D LIKE TO GET THERE

 

FURTHER EVIDENCE OF WHY I SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED TO PREPARE A SIMPLE "PRE-DINNER SNACK" WITHOUT ADULT SUPERVISION

 

SORRY, BETTY

I got yelled at today. Betty sent me an email that said "WHY DO YOU POST THINGS WITHOUT ANY INFORMATION.!?!"

You know what? 

You're right, Betty. When I am unwell, I tend to just post simple pictures or funny things I find on the Pinterest. 

No bueno.

So, to make Betty happy (and to answer some of the nicer questions I received on the Instagrams)...herewith are all of the details of my new start:

The chart is Patriotic Tweet by Teresa Kogut:

The fabric is from my stash..."Spacious Skies" by Colour & Cotton. It's a 28ct Lugana that was from the June 2022 fabric club.

The threads are all Colour & Cotton, plus one DMC. All are from my stash, and I selected them by sitting with my DMC color card and pulling whatever I had that was closest. I used to be completely terrified of substituting colors, but seem to have gotten out of my own way lately, and now I really enjoy it.

The Bitsy is from That's So Kelly Co. (The Bitsy is the thread pallett. I use DMC bobbin labels to write the chart symbol and then twist a length of thread on and pat it there for easy access):

The scissors are Gingher, and the bling is from Siggy's Closet on the etsy:

And the q-snap cover/grime guard and project bag are from SewMuch2Luv, also on the etsy:

NEW START

 

HELLO SUMMER!

 

This was a delightful stitch from start to finish, Dearies! I stitched it with the threads that were on the chart, with the exception of a DMC substitute for the red. I also made a minor change to the color of the letters...the chart called for them to be dark brown, but I went with blue instead.

Labwork is done for the day, as is my treat...I stopped for a trenta cold brew at the Starbucks, and have been savoring every single sip of it!

Happy Friday to one and all! I hope your weekend is full of fun! What's on the menu?

ALMOST THERE!

 

Yet another craptastic photograph for you, Dearies! I'm sorry for the poor quality, but for the life of me, I can't seem to get it together today with this silly contraption.

I have the stars and white stripes of the flag and the lettering at the bottom to finish, and then we can chuck this one into the big bin under the big girl sleigh bed and move on to the next. I have absolutely no idea what that "next" will be, but I am simply in it for the therapy at this point rather than the finished product. I seem to be enjoying the quiet routine of stitching more than ever at this point, and the crazypants frenzy of days gone by has become just a memory.

(Remember how nuts I used to be with rotations and flitting between projects like a three-hundred pound hummingbird? I look back on some of my posts from that time and wonder who that girl was! So much energy...so much activity...so many shenanagins!)

(The funny thing is...I wouldn't change one single minute of any of it!)

Today is going to be a rest day. If I can manage it, I'm going to try to get myself into the pool to move around a bit. I think it's supposed to be hot and humid, so the water will feel especially nice!  I really enjoyed the cool sunny days we had, but methinks the A/C is going to stay on for the duration!

I hope this finds you happy and healthy and full of joy today. Are you stitching/knitting/painting/crafting something that blows your skirt up? Come tell me all about it!

 

I also like to put on a red polo shirt and go to Target so I can help people find things and then look at their receipts at the self-check out.

WEDNESDAY...FORMERLY KNOWN AS FUTZINGDAY

 

I seem to have a hitch in my giddy-up today, Dearies. So I'm doing what any sensible Spinster should do...I'm watching the rain and listening to the birds and gearing up for a bit of reading. 

Yes, Moby Dick was absolutely on my Great Books Seminar reading list somewhere during my tenure as a student, but for the life of me I cannot remember having read it. My copy from those days is highlighted and annotated and broken in, but I don't know if I did that while reading, or if I frantically made notes at the discussion table like I was wont to do.

(What can I say? I was a TERRIBLE student and had absolutely no business being in college when I was. I don't say this to demean myself...it's just the plain truth of the matter. I was a complete disaster at Notre Dame, and couldn't get out of my own way. I had the emotional maturity of a seven-year old, was socially inept, and completely overwhelmed academically.)

I am, though, immensely grateful that I can now go back and re-visit things a bit, and thanks to a few new YouTube subscriptions, I'm learning how to deep-read. I found a podcast called Read Well, and I have really enjoyed listening to the host (Eddie) teach me how to get more out of my reading...when I want to...by deep reading.

I am still enjoying "casual" reading before bed (Owen Meany), but a few hours a day of concentrated study seems to be very good for my tiny little brain. This and my new morning journaling practice have really been good for the circus that's usually in my head, and I find that even my stitching and diamond painting time has benefitted.

So, despite some ugh-ish-ness, I'm determined to pull my britches up and soldier on. A few quiet hours won't kill me, and there's still plenty of time this week to run around like a hamster.

How are you doing today? Is life in your corner of the world wonderfully swell? I hope so, and I hope you'll come tell me all about it.

SUNDAY...