Not what I saw in my head . . .

I loved the Cranberry Bush Lizbeth thread - beautiful Christmas colors!

I loved the photo on Pinterest of this pretty edging to try.

I can make a pretty ornament, I said.

OK, so it's not as pretty as what I saw in my head.  Dang it.

It seemed like a ring at the top with 16 rings would be way too squished, so I made half.  I thought it would be easy to figure it out, but easy = boring ?  

Must. Try. Again.

Yikes.

WHAT? Snow on November 5th?

Seriously. You'd think we were in Minnesota or something.  

It's gonna be a LONG winter.

Sewing Season

I had this great idea for my daughter to make Christmas gifts for her office staff.  They all enjoy the nearby coffee shop, so when I saw this Coffee Cozy Pattern, I thought it would be the perfect thing to make and give with a gift card for Christmas.  So, we spent a Saturday getting started - she choosing fabrics and cutting, and me showing her how these go together.

These are gonna be CA-YUTE!

We got a couple of them done checking out how it was going to work, and were satisfied with the result.

So, while hubby and I went off for our last state park visit of the year, my daughter stayed to Ruby-sit and work on her cup cozies.  She is not an experienced sewer, so she had a little bit of trouble. A few goofs and no experience trying to correct them.  Each one got a little worse, until she sewed one that came out inside out somehow. Nothing that can't be fixed, but when you don't know how to fix it, it's frustrating! I think she did great sticking with it without anyone to turn to at the moment she needed some help, and the issues aren't that awful.  But she gave up and left me this note:

We'll get them fixed. 

I have a couple of thoughts about the pattern too.  I don't think it necessarily has to have the curve that many patterns seem to have. A simple 12 x 5 rectangle would be just fine.  I would also use a whole hair binder instead of just half of one to give it more room for adjusting on different size cups.  Embellishments could include some tatting.  I think I need one of these :)

Reacting vs. Responding

A whole MONTH has gone by since I posted last.  A lot can happen in a month!  

I haven't been tatting much, but there's been a lot of "life" going on. Youngest daughter and boyfriend bought a house, so the preparation and moving in and housewarming have taken some time.  Hubby has interviewed, and interviewed, and interviewed,  and finally landed a position after a long stretch with only temporary work.  Oldest daughter bought a new car, with boyfriend and dad helping out.  Youngest daughter had a birthday and got a new job.  Hubby and I have been to our last camper cabin/state park visit for this year.  Talk about an emotional roller coaster!  Happy, nervous, anxious, stressed, and all of it all over again. And why do I take on everyone else's stress?  And here we are with the holidays looming.

I used to be good at responding to situations with a fair amount of confidence and organization - looking at the big picture.  Lately I've been just reacting - with much anxiety and low confidence without thinking beyond the moment.  But, recognizing that is the first step to getting back on track!  It's one of life's great lessons to realize that everyone is shaped by every single experience and emotion they have.  It's one thing to say it, but a whole other thing to really experience it first-hand.  And to think about it and analyze it so deeply is bringing out that introvert in me.  Only other introverts would understand it, so I won't dwell on it with further detail :)  

After finishing a really good book, I started trying to remember all the books I've read this year so I could add a page to my blog to keep track.  I considered writing a short summary of each book, but decided that I will just keep it a simple list and maybe get thoughts or recommendations from others as time goes on.  So, for now I'm adding a page of books read if anyone cares to comment or share.
I've added a button on the right to my GoodReads bookshelves, per Fox's wise suggestion!  

Craftiness tomorrow.

Ah, a cabin in the north woods and a
good book does wonders for the soul!