There are a few of us back to sewing this week. Some of us even got to go on a few retreats. Lucky gals!
Elle has moved on to a completely different project, some simple placements. This lady can go all over the place - traditional, modern, and art. Isn't is great.
A few weeks back Katie shared some scrap ideas with us. Check out her finished quilt at the Salt Marsh Path.
I love what Lesly over at Pickle Dish is posting this week. She's taking a traditional block and exploring ways to change it up. From a distance they look the same, but look closely. How would you add your twist?
This post didn't make the weekly round-up, so you may have missed it. But I still want to include the discussion and the final quilt top. Nanann's Woogies turned out a really interesting string quilt, but I loved looking at all her design options.
On my end I am the workshop in progress this week. We've come to the rather painful acceptance that my knee recovery is something that is months, not weeks away. Hard enough to face, but with two little ones, a full-time job, freelance work, and a still slightly broken husband it is pretty hard. I am trying to stay positive, along the lines of my efforts at choosing to be happy. Along with bending my knees it is quite the challenge.
My typical stress relievers and ways to keep anxiety at bay are quilting, keeping the house tidy, and exercising. Well, I've finally figured out some projects to keep me busy with quilting, although it certainly isn't at the same production level that I'm used to. As for tidying, let's just say there isn't much spring cleaning happening at our house! And when you spend most of the time parked in one chair looking at all the clutter the problem is expounded. And aside from my physio exercises, any sort of a work out is still out. I think I miss that the most.
So, for the Workshop this week I'm asking for your best stress relievers? Does anyone meditate out there? How do you choose positivity in your life?
I'm also taking on a personal challenge of some self portraits. As the key photographer in my house there are never any pictures of me. But I find that seeing myself in a photo helps me see myself a bit better. Kind of like testing out quilt layouts through a photo. I could pick out a handful of things I don't like about this picture, but it's honest. Right down to the ice cream I'm devouring.
8 comments:
I went through a stressful time last year when my youngest went to college. I guess it was a pretty classic case of "empty nest syndrome" but at the time I just felt edgy and unfulfilled somehow. I started keeping a little journal everynight of things that I was grateful for that day. I noticed during the day I was more aware of positive things and looked forward to journaling about them. I could thumb back through it too, and focus on all my blessings. Soon I got through it and finding quilting as a hobby sure helped.
Hmmm.... stress relievers for me is sewing and I try to get it in as much as I can between working full-time and part-time at our bookstore and training for a 5K. But, another thing that I've found that helps me be positive, is to take the focus off of me and help someone else. I like to send unsigned cards in the mail to someone that I know is struggling or make a spahgetti dinner for someone that I know is sick, had a baby, needs enouragement, etc... Hope this gives you some ideas. Oh, and watching funny movies and laughing helps ALOT too. Sew On!
Stress relievers... chocolate. prayer. sewing. hugs. extremely hot showers. and a good cry. that always works.
friends, beer, and board games.
I meditate as a way to stay focused, not exactly as a stress reliever. But it has taught me to just accept stressers and not be overwhelmed by them. I like the Hayes book...it is called "get into your life" or somtehing like that...
Exercise is definitely my biggest stress reliever. And I like to have a good complaining session every once in a while with my husband, after which we vow to shut our mouths about whatever is ailing us for the evening and end it all with a good beer.
Alas, I usually just eat carbs. I also read murder mysteries and Victorian novels, when I can't quilt. My best advice is bending the ear of a good friend, preferably over a glass of wine. Exercise, shmexercise. Which is why I'm facing my 50th birthday molto kilos to lose, so don't listen to me. (Could you handle easy swimming, with your knee? That could be relaxing.)
Baking, a glass of wine, exercise, a good book, a funny movie, or a hot bubble bath. Locking myself in my bedroom for a good cry is the last option.
Just remember - it's not forever. The mess will eventually get cleaned up. You will regain your life.
Hi Cheryl, I can't relate to your knee thing but I can relate to having something try to weight me down for weeks on end YUCK! life does happen and man I like it when these stints of weight relieve even if for a short period of time. Sometimes, we call them hiccups in life and other times we call them pitas (pain in the asses) but all in all life has cycles and they always start and end. I do feel like us women do have more of these then the average man which SUCKs !! but try to laugh often, sometimes I will you tube funny pet videos and that always brightens me up!!
Valerie
http://www.pastimesonline.ca/vals-quilting/
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