In my dream the other night, the tide was receding.  I can’t remember much else except for standing on the revealed sandy shore, much lower than those who were standing on the beach of the high tide.  I wondered how much lower the water would go and if I would be ready for when the water returned.

There’s definitely much moving about in my inner world as I continue my discernment process.  As an outward expression of that, naturally I want to rearrange everything in my house, clear all unnecessary items/clutter, and clean everything to the core.  It is (almost) time for spring cleaning.

It’s difficult to live in a way that truly honors our inner being if we are concerned about what others think and worry about superficial consequences.  Blessed are those of us with the faith to believe that all will be well, that as long as we’re following our heart, then in the long run, it will work out, and we will have no regrets.

What better way to honor your Divine than to create something . . . anything.  Honor those thoughts; honor all of them to keep the flow open and alive.  Do something today for you.  Take it a step further and either give it away or make something else to give to someone.  Love is best when given and received.

With it being Mardi Gras, it’s a good time to think of the inner work we need to do or are already doing.  The discipline I’m taking on is to journal daily (my writing, dreams and gratitude).  What I’m giving up is carbonated beverages and alcohol for sure, food that does not nourish my body positively at best; all these things can contribute to energy being blocked, inhibiting the flow.  One friend of mine is actually adopting a raw food diet for Lent, but that’s not my calling this year.

May acts of kindness be our practice daily, and may your mind be clear as you travel through the desert.  May we remember our dreams and the clues they give us to the unconscious for our spiritual growth.

While social networking seems to be the rule of the day, old ways still hold.

This weekend is the Episcopal General Convention for the Diocese of Arkansas.  As communications coordinator for our Episcopal Church Women (ECW), I volunteered to staff a table in the Exhibit Hall.  This means, of course, that I have to create a table display, most of which is a tri-fold poster.

The other half of the table I’m devoting to our Time for JOY retreat (the poster for which has already been made).  Together, the goal is an oasis of feminine energy, but it will take a physical presence and actual work.

Gathering people of common interest, motivating them to work toward common goals and nurturing them along their spiritual path are not easy.  My goal is to find what works best, trust my gut, do what I can and pray for the best.  The trick is to keep smiling.

And, I did make a FaceBook group. 

My husband has been on a bento kick for months.  He wants to do this at least for himself, if not for us all.  I cringe at the thought of creating yet another meal, but this has every potential of being another creative outlet.  Maybe it will have to be one for my husband, but for us all, there are definite health benefits to be had.

Many people already do this, so it’s not a new concept by any means.  But, as we know, those of us in Arkansas aren’t always the quickest at keeping up with the times.

Just Bento is one of my hubby’s favorites for ideas and recipes (like this one for chicken skewers).  It also has a great description of basics and picking the right box. The sight also offers a “Bento Challenge,” which is designed for those hoping to trim their figure or to reduce the number of take-out lunches.

Happy meal-making!

(photo by moogs from everystockphoto.com)

If you’re interested in book and paper art, particularly pop-up art, then you already know about Robert Sabuda.  However, if you don’t know of him, consider this a little window into his talent and a wonderful opportunity for you to make some delightful cards for many occasions.

One of the cards I made recently was the birthday cake card.  It was easy, fun, and well-received, which makes it all worthwhile. 

Here’s a link to something I think is absolutely wonderful.  Would you have the faith to have strangers into your home?  Would you be open to this kind of radical hospitality, even if money weren’t involved?  What if the guests weren’t doctors/artists/clean-cut types?

But think of all the creative possibilities, which is why I post it on a craf-T day.

Oh, and let me know if you do something like this yourself.  Also, be sure to check out her other interests, like the green driveway. 

I *love* Scrabble (which is trademark protected and copyrighted, I’m sure).  Though the temperature rose well over freezing, the kids are not excited about going out in the mud and falling icicles.  So, indoors it is, and with a parent-enforced t.v. ban in effect, the board games make a comeback.

A great one for us Scrabble lovers and pre- to early reading level kids is, of course, Scrabble Junior.  Ours happens to be a Disney version (all due trademarks there, too!).  I think it would be fantastic to make your own version, but we’ll wait until the next snow days to try that one.

And, a little letter fun (for mature audiences) came into play when we were telling our 8-year-old the difference between an “M” and a “W.”  The “M” for man is naturally boxy, and it has a little thing hanging down between its legs.  The “W” for woman, according to my husband, is curvy (at least slanted but definitely when in cursive) and has two things hanging down as in the breasts or butt cheeks.  My son was trying not to burst out laughing, chuckling the whole time, contributing to the conversation with his own artistic observations.

I’m sure he’ll never forget the differences again, and I’ll savor the humor and joy at laughing with him.

With the ice growing thick outside, the kids have been confined to the house.  With my energy being sparse, fortunately the young ones are getting creative when left to their own devices.

Delving into the recycling bin and craft cabinets, the kids decided to make robot masks and costumes.  After their construction, we had a living room parade and contest.

Naturally, they each won an award for their creativity, concept and effort.

My husband’s birthday is in May, and I’m glad he told me what he wants now since it may very well take until then to knit this monster.  Of course, if I had a time traveling phone booth, it would be a lot easier.

Pick your season, and duplicate your own Dr. Who scarf thanks to the diligence and work shared at the site.  You have to understand that my husband is 6’5″.  To have a scarf that hits the floor and loops at the knees, we are talking around 20-something feet long!  I told him I could knit it and then piece it together for a small throw.

I’ve already signed up for Netflix.  Now, to buy some yarn (I think KnitPicks may be my best resource in that department) and any excuse to buy some new needles.  Let the knitting begin!

(Don’t expect photos until May!!)

I have a collection of handkerchiefs from my maternal great-grandmothers, grandmother, and great aunt.  One of the gifts made for Christmas was a quilt from these handkerchiefs for my mother.  I originally had lofty ideas of how beautiful this would be, but in reality, the hankies came in all colors and sizes.  Not to mention, I was making the last stitches on the binding as my mother entered my home on Christmas Eve.  Alas, a quilt was made, the love stitched throughout.  In my haste and lack of battery-charging, few photos were taken at the end of the process.

Due to the delicate nature of the handkerchiefs (most of which are much older than me), I backed them with Wonder-Under and the comparable alternative for which I don’t have a name but was all I could find when I made a mad dash back to the fabric store for more, only to find they were out of the W-U.

I laid out the kerchiefs in the order they fit best within the dimensions of the quilt — 45″x60″.  It’s a crib size quilt, but perfect for a lap quilt, too.  The smartest thing I did was take this photo.  I could refer to it later when the kids helped with arranging the kerchiefs they way they thought they should be arranged.  No, not very helpful.

I then ironed the hankies onto the front piece, a nice soft flannel.  This is why Wonder-Under is so wonderful. It’s just an adhesive interfacing to hold your applique in place until it’s sewn; it also helps prevent fraying.

Once everything’s ironed into place, I took time to sew around all the kerchief edges and once around the middle to make sure it is held in place.  For sake of time, I didn’t want to have to do a lot of quilting, so this at least gave it more of a quilted appearance.

Time to layer.  The flannel I chose for the front was also used for the back, except with the wrong side out.  The wrong side is a solid beige, unlike the front that has a faint petite floral pattern (which unfortunately mostly faded in the wash).  The middle layer is natural cotton batting, crib size.  I pinned all three layers and trimmed the edges to make attaching the binding easier later.

I used the machine to quilt.  Obviously, I was in a time crunch and honestly have not taken the time to hand-quilt anything as of yet. Using a wavy stitch on the machine I just ran through the quilt between all the handkerchiefs, starting from the middle and working my way out.  In my haste, I made mistakes and had a couple of gathers, but for this casual quilt, I think it will be fine — much like the purchased mocha-colored binding.  You can make your own binding, to be sure, but for sake of time and considering it was on sale for 30% off, it couldn’t be beat.

And neither could the expression on my mother’s face, knowing she would love the quilt even more than me.

The other halves of the handkerchiefs are saved, not to worry.  I promised my daughter I could make one for her someday, too.  As a finishing touch to the above quilt, I added a couple of embellishments.  One is a strip of ribbon that says “family ties,” which I knotted on either side and hand-sewed it into place toward the top.  At the bottom I made a “homemade” tag and sewed it into the binding.  Sometimes these little touches add even more personality.  Personality is something women in my family definitely have.

A scarf might have a negative connotation as a gift (perhaps people got burned out on them), but I’m glad they’re making a come-back . . . at least in my book!

Several evenings, this was what awaited me.

Now, my current projects aren’t of the knitting variety, but they have me at the ironing and cutting board and at the sewing machine.  Instructables has a cargo scarf that I hope will bring a smile to a couple of faces this season.  Pardon the poor photo quality.  I could stand to learn a thing or two in that department.