Oh by the way...

Right now I am pretty disappointed in myself for my lack of discipline; so that last post was for me. However if the shoe fits...

"Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.''"

Home Alone

...and loving it! Don't get me wrong. I love company too, but when it is all over, I love the peacefulness of an empty house, the tidying up of the guest room, stripping the bed and readying it for next time we are blessed with the company of good friends or family. I love that I can lounge in my "jammies" and not have to be on my game all the time. I love to sit with a cup of tea and a muffin or a cinnamon bun that remains from my "company cooking". Yes indeed, I love having company, but there is something to be said for being "home alone".

Well it wasn't actually quilting, but...

Yes, I know I said I was going to quilt today, and technically, I didn't actually do any quilting, but I did work on one of my quilts. I did some stitching on a redwork block for this quilt
http://www.crabapplehillstudio.com/items/408_winter_wonderland.aspx.
I had planned to do some piecing, but by the time I did my 4.5 km walk, and dishes and various other little jobs and went grocery shopping, and bedding plant shopping, and putting groceries away, and filling window boxes and hanging planters, and supper; well I really only had energy left for some hand stitching, so the redwork project won out.
Tomorrow is not looking good for quilting either, what with having company from tomorrow until Sunday, but the positive side of this is that my redwork quilt will be receiving a little more attention. Wouldn't it be great if I could get it done by Christmas? I mean I only have 4 more of the smaller blocks to embroider; oh yeah and all the pieced stars in the border to do; not to mention the assembly, sandwiching, and quilting and binding...oh well a girl can dream can't she.

Tomorrow I will quilt...I hope.

Henry Ford said, "You cannot build a reputation on what you are going to do."

I must actually do it, not just talk about it. I have been going to piece a simple quilt for the guest house at "Winterpast" all week now, and somehow it is still not done...hopefully tomorrow will be the day.

I have said many times that I will not buy any more fabric until I use some of what I have in my stash.

I am constantly saying I have to finish some of my UFO's before starting a new project.

I have such good intentions...sigh

It's All Perspective!

Perspective; one's "point of view", the choice of a context for opinions, beliefs and experiences.

I went for my walk this morning, and there are a lot of thoughts that go through a person's head in the time it takes to walk 4-5 km. I had to force myself to lace up my sneakers, because one look out the window at the very angry waters, the wind, the rain, and fog was enough to discourage anyone, but hey that was my "frog" for today; so lace them I did, and off I went. While walking along I was thinking, how after walking one gorgeous morning last summer I felt inspired to come home and write a short essay. I have cut and pasted it below;

Oh the Wonder Of It All
...the way the morning sun can burn the blanket of fog away; the sound of birds singing their morning welcome; the smell of fresh cut grass and clover and roses; seaweed floating on the river; beautiful coloured moths clinging to the wet pavement because they have lost their way as a result of staying out too late... (where are their parents?); sunlight shining through a light mist that a morning breeze has shaken from the leaves of an old oak tree; trenches in the sand caused from last night’s thunder storm; the neighbour’s dog trying his best to frighten me with his loud bark; water droplets precariously hanging from a blade of grass; blueberries ripening; a grey hair clinging to the hem of my t-shirt subtly reminding me that “grey is okay”(...because how many have had their lives cut short long before grey hair ever appeared?); red geraniums nodding hello. All these things have enhanced my morning walk and reminded me how blessed I am to be able to see and experience these everyday things, when so many others who are equally deserving may never have the privilege...and I think to myself; ...what a wonderful world!

Now I walked exactly the same route this morning, saw many of the same things and I have to tell you that I was not quite as inspired. My hair was soaked, I couldn't see through my fogged and rain soaked glasses, the water was dripping down my nose, I was chilled from the biting wind. It came to me how that it did not seem like such a wonderful world this morning. Trying to be more positive I got to thinking how that for someone fighting for their life, a rainy blustery day was quite insignificant. To someone confined to a wheelchair, I am sure that a rainy day walking would be much better than a sunny day confined to a chair. To the farmers, and fire fighters, this rain was much needed. I could go on, but you get my drift...it is all perspective. I have since decided that , Yes, it is still a wonderful world, but sometimes we just lose sight of it. You see I knew that after chewing up and swallowing that frog,my day could only get better from there...and it did. I came home, had a hot shower, chatted with my sister, ate a good breakfast and then spent the day sewing with a dear friend. Yes; life is good! (even when it rains)

I ate a frog! It was simpler than I thought!

I am an avid blog reader. I have often thought I might like to have a blog of my own but figured it was just too complicated and involved to set up so I kept putting it off. Well it is a rainy, blustery day and I was wasting time on the computer and thought I would give it a try...less than 5 minutes later I am the author of a new blog!
I wonder how many things in life are like that? The thought of doing it is much worse than the actual doing of the deed. I read a quote somewhere just recently, and I can't remember it exactly, or who even said it, but the jist of it was this. "The hardest part of a job is starting it."
That is so true. Just last week I knew I had to clean windows and I wore myself out more on the complaining and thinking of it that the actual work of it.
There is an old saying that goes like this; "If the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long!" Your "FROG" is the one thing you are most likely to procrastinate on, so it is the very thing you should do something about now!
Did you eat your frog today?
Enough said!