Wednesday, January 27, 2016

come sail away






  

  

First.  If you are a mom of any age child, especially a stay-at-home-mom (but not necessarily) please read this article because you probably need a laugh and this will do the trick:


I was laughing out loud, especially at this:
"THE KIDS." Says husband.
"What?" I ask again.
"I'm DRIVING, can you DO SOMETHING?"
It is only then that I notice the screaming in the back seat. It has something to do with a receipt they found on the floor and who should be the proud owner of such a treasure. I try to explain that my ability to "tune-out" is a learned skill, but he doesn't want to be my student."
That right there is my life, receipt and all.  

Now I got that out of the way.  

I worked on my Hitofude this week.  Again. 

Isn't that cross-stitch sampler pattern from Alicia Paulson precious?  I haven't decided where it will hang once it's done but I'm sure I'll have no problem finding a spot.  Maybe this time I'll actually frame and display the finished product!

I am reading Swallows and Amazons (about halfway through) and l-o-v-e it.  It is so sweet and I keep remembering the little sailing course I took several years ago and realizing that I still remember many terms and remember how sailboats really work!  I would love to one day sail again; it's one of my favorite memories and there is something incredible about it.

I'm working my way through The Inspired Room by Melissa Michaels (blog of the same name) and, you know... I'm on the fence about whether I actually like it or not.  As I read, I keep having a feeling like she lives in a land where I don't live - a land where money is probably no issue, or not much of one and your house is great to start with (and definitely not a shabby-not-chic-built 1940s home in the middle of the country).  This hit me this week as I read about her kitchen remodel.  After saying that she and her daughters decided to paint their kitchen cabinets, they sanded and primed, and the next day when it was peeling off, they "laughed" and had "professionals do it." (By "we laughed," does she mean break out into inconsolable tears and hide in the bathroom where you can let out a few curse words?  Because that's the kind of "laughing" I did when the same thing happened to me.)  I get it, that's great - if you have money for professionals to do it. Since we don't, we labored for many sweaty hours this summer over our hideous old cabinet doors.   So and so.  Her contractor took out the kitchen peninsula, her contractor looked this up for them and did this for them and that for them in a blink of an eye!  That's so great - if you have money to hire a contractor.  The principles in the book are valuable and I enjoy a lot of it and it's a good reference and challenge book, but it's not really addressing some of the obstacles and variables I am facing in making my house work for us in this moment.   Check in next week and see if I've changed my mind.  It's possible that with a different chapter on a different room I'll think differently.  However, since she probably won't include a section in the chapter about bedrooms on how to make a closet work as a bedroom, or what to do if you can only fit a bed and one dresser in your master bedroom, it may not help me much.  {A comparable book would be The Nesting Place and if I had to choose between the two to recommend, the winner hands-down would be The Nesting Place.  Anyway. Still enjoying it but I am glad I finally pinpointed what was kind of bothering me about it.}  

Oh and I couldn't help it, while I was working out on the other day I started a new novel that I had waiting on my Kindle:  Shiloh, by Helena Sorensen.  One of a series and definitely not the book about the dog. I don't like sad dog stories and you won't see those here.  It's going to be good, I think.  I really like the first few chapters I've read - they fill me with a longing for goodness and restoration.  

As I usually do, I'm linking up to Ginny today for the happy Yarn Along.  Won't you join too with your blog or with a picture on instagram?

(P.S.  A sweet friend gave me her old camera since my borrowed one needs to go home so bear with me the next while as I learn how to use my new-to-me camera... I finally am learning how to actually change settings in manual a little more smoothly and my pictures WILL get better again, I hope!  What a blessing to me that is! )

7 comments:

  1. So true about the tuning out - sometimes I don't even hear them! Hubby has no understanding at all of the fact that I can read in the same room as noisy kids.
    Love, love your knitting! That is going to be one WOW of a garment. And the cross stitch is gorgeous.
    I know what you mean about decorating books/magazines. You just know they have spent a small fortune (probably more than my house cost!) in some of their decorating schemes. I was reading a British magazine the other day where she recommended you just 'pop a little conservatory' on the side of your house to enjoy the winter sun. Which what money, I'd like to know!
    Have a lovely week.

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  2. I loved the whole series by Arthur Ransome, they are great.
    Have fun learning to shoot your new camera, I know you are going
    to enjoy yourself, my advice? Just play with it and takes tons
    of photos!

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  3. love your hitofude and the color! I will read your link after I comment but I'm all for a really good laugh. New camera? nice! May you have many happy years :)

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  4. fun things you are making and beautiful.... Yeah, that could bug me too, when you need to keep the DYI a DYI and don't have cash flowing out of ears to hire people.... one thing I love about my parents, esp. my Dad who does the work, is that they do a lot of DYI and do it well... on another note, that cross stitch should be framed for sure, so lovely!

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  5. A great post my dear. Every work struck a chord with me. Enjoy your day. Tune out the squabbles and knit that cardigan!

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  6. Sarah, what a great post! I think all stay at home moms understand! Haha! I agree with you on the decorating book...I am SUPER picky when it comes to those books. More times than not, I don't really find anything helpful. I think I spend too much time perusing Pinterest some days, but I do always find good ideas there. :) Hope you are well, sweet friend! *hugs*

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  7. Love the little sampler. I have her Winterwoods Sampler that I need to start. It's been years since I cross-stitched so I'm procrastinating out of fear of ruining it! I had heard similar complaints about The Inspired Room book which is why I ended up not purchasing it. I'm just really trying to be thankful and content in the home that God has blessed us with. Renovations will come when the finances allow, and so it's definitely not a quick process. Thanks for the insight.

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