Let's just pretend for a minute....
That it's only been a week (instead of a month) since I last posted.
That I've done tons of sewing over that last month.
That I've at least been keeping up with new blog posts on my Google reader so that I at least know what's going on in the quilting and craft blogging world.
Sigh. Thanks for indulging me. I promise I'll try a little harder again.
Wow! It's been a big blog day for me today! First of all, I want to say "hello!" to everyone who has stopped by today via the post about my Love Beads quilt on Sew, Mama, Sew! I was so excited to have my quilt chosen as one of their Quilts of the Day for their Quilting Month II! It's very cool for me to think that people outside of my little world think that something that I made was good. I try so hard to remind myself that the most important thing is for me to be happy with my work, but when I hear it from others, it's almost overwhelming. I really thank you all for each kind word you have to say! Know that you all have made my day!
And as for that hand quilting tutorial, I am so jazzed that people are into it! I think my plan will be to get my next quilt (another of my Finish It or Pitch It projects--this one's been in progress since, oh, 2005!) ready to sandwich in the next day or so. I'd like to have a clean slate to use, just so it's easy to show and for you to see. I should stress though that I'm no professional. All that I know about hand quilting has been through a few books and lots of trial and error. But, I think it's one of those things that once you understand the basics, it's okay to make up your own rules as you grow more comfortable.
Keep an eye out early next week for it!
Let me be honest: I'm currently sick and grumpy. I've had a bad cold since last Wednesday and then I lost my voice on Friday. It's now almost a week later and my voice is still nowhere to be found. It really sucks.
However, here is a list of things that are currently making me happy:
*Watching Curling on the Olympics. I watched an hour of it yesterday in between my napping and I found it completely intriguing. I have no idea what the heck was going on, but boy, I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I need to learn more about it so I can become a hard-core curling fan.
*Having a freshly organized shelf of cds. I will be the person who buys cds up until they stop selling them in stores. I just can't get behind the idea of spending money on a downloaded song. I need the cd in my hand so that I can leaf through the liner notes. I'm fuddy like that.
*Knitting socks! I ended up going with the green yarn for my socks, and despite several false starts, I'm off and running on the Interlocking Leaves pattern. So far, I'm very happy with them.
*Ice cream. 'Nuff said.
*And a nap to top it all off!
This little blog is a funny thing for me.
I love keeping it. I hate feeling like I have nothing to say. And I would be crushed to end it.
But I worry about what I should say. Does anyone really care about what I make? Should I write only about quilting or knitting or both? What if my pictures are lousy? Will anyone leave comments anymore?
Ultimately, I've decided that I cannot worry about those things. I cannot worry about whether or not people like what I make, like what I write about, or like the pictures I take. If I want Hip To Piece Squares to live, then I need to keep this blog for me.
So this is where I'm beginning at again. I'm working to encourage myself to finish projects that I've started ages ago...not because I NEED to finish them, but because I still love them. They need my attention, and not my anxiety of worrying that they won't be perfect. That's the way that I need to think about this space. I don't need to keep writing because it's something that I need to do, but because it's something that I love.
Hello, Spring!
It feels like its taken Spring forever to get here this year. I'm glad we finally have a little in our corner of the world.
So....color inspiration, anyone?
Oh.My.Goodness. I love having the summer off!
Let's just discuss a few of the reasons why I love summer and my days off.
I dare you to deny that this is the best and weirdest tongue you've ever seen before. Who wouldn't want to spend time getting soaked by something so full of chocolate-y love? I love being at home with Hudson.
Knitting socks on a weekday in the middle of the afternoon--another wonderful perk to having the summer off. Do I need to do laundry instead? Probably, yes, but we can wear old undies for just one more day this week. I've got plenty with holes that I've been hanging on to for just that reason.
Need I say more? Totally acceptable to have this in the middle of a hot day, while lounging on the patio, knitting socks that I won't wear until October.
I'm sure I could enjoy all my flowers even if I had to work in the summer, but not in the middle of the afternoon, in the middle of the week. (I'm just pushing it now, aren't I?)
Thank you for joining me as I list the reasons why I love summer, and why I love working for the public school system. Happy first day of summer to everyone!
I'm in a really frustrated mood this week. I've been thinking that on the whole, the week itself has been good (a free iced coffee from the new coffee shop in town for lunch yesterday, a phone call from my very best friend, Kate, and my summer break only a few weeks away) but I think I'm feeling out of touch with my creating. Instead of feeling inspired, I'm feeling run down and out of new ideas.
I need to build up my confidence in new projects, and be happy with those that I want to finish. I feel as though I base my success solely on the opinions of others, and I just think I need to move past that.
This, apparently is what a gloomy, chilly, rainy day in May does for my confidence.
Psss.....I have something to show you...
Meet Hudson, our new puppy dog! Go on...call me a sap. I'm okay with it.
We got Hudson this past Monday, and he's adjusting to life in the house very well. (We're adjusting pretty well, as well!) It felt like a big jump to get a new dog already, but as soon as we got him into the car to take him back home, I knew we were doing the right thing. I can't say that Hudson has taken my sadness for losing Kasey away, but having a new friend to come home to every day makes me so happy.
I am so happy to have Hudson!
Thank you all so much for your touching comments and thoughts. We sent our sweet puppy to sleep today after a very hard weekend for her. It was the hardest thing to do, but it was right. I miss her so much already.
It's been a hard week or so for me. We found out that our sweet puppy, Kasey, has lymphoma. There's nothing we can do for her, other than to treat her symptoms, and it has broken my heart.
Growing up, my family never owned a dog. Up until Ben and I were married, I wasn't sure I would ever want a dog! But when we took Kasey in to our lives in 2004, I couldn't imagine my life without my crazy little dog-person. It's hard to explain just how much personality Kasey has, but her sense of humor, her smile, and her companionship was never ending to me.
Back in January, we started noticing things. She wouldn't eat and just wasn't herself. The vet told us she had the flu. Then it was strep throat. When things just weren't getting better, the x-ray and the blood tests started to tell us the bad news. This, unfortunately, is what happens with so many golden retrievers that are her age.
It's hard thinking about what it will be like coming home from work and not having my wagging puppy by my side. For now though, we want to make the rest of her life as comfortable and as happy as possible. Even though I am sad for the inevitable, I have to remember how much joy she has brought to my life in the past 3 and a half years.
