Getting my feet wet...

Click on photo to view larger

I have been trying to dip back into creative endeavors.. I really strayed for a while, and although not completely on track I hope to work at it.  It amazes me that when life starts to ripple negatively I dive behind either my sewing machine, my camera or my editing software, or all three as a way to make it through the rougher waters. Hope you and yours are enjoying still waters and sunshine!

Happy summer!

Abbie

Pansies

I love our pansies.. unfortunately so do the chickens, and the moles. Oh, and also the chipmunks. 

I took these photos a few short days before all of my pansies were decimated. Completely destroyed by edible flower loving critters. But, as a consolation.. I have set the Have a Heart trap and caught two moles thus far.  Something else they love? My lillies. :(

Oh where, oh where can she be?

Have you been looking for me? Nope, I'm not in there...

You might catch me brief amidst my threads as I did get enough creative mojo to sew two skirts up for my daughters the other day.

Although my mind is here.. in the soft grey sand searching for starfish. Our destination this July for a week. I can. not. wait.

I am trying to wait patiently, but it's just not happenin'.. my mind is all over the place.

honest to Pete, I think I have Creative ADHD. Seriously. Sometimes I jump in with both feet and am completely lost in the process of making things, and other times, like right now, I have absolutely no interest in any of it. Crochet, knitting, photography, sewing, painting, collage, digital work.. bah! right now I have no need for it. No need for it? Hhhmm.... it is almost as if my creative endeavours are my counselor, therapist, and that I suffer from sort of seasonal issue. When the sun is shining and the warmth calls me out, well.. I just don't need to be here anymore.

Soo... for now I am hangin' with my peeps.. relaxing and trying to enjoy this very fleeting summer we are having here in New Hampshire. Once school ends in a few weeks I think every week is scheduled. Good scheduled, but scheduled none the less.

Isn't that photo sooooo cute??? those baby robins are hilarious! lol! I love their laid back, relaxed look.

Hhhmm.. sewing photos, Maine ocean photos and baby robins all in one post. Yay.. it has to be Creative ADHD. Has to be.... 

xoxo~

Abbie

Forms of Architecture and Life

 

  

 

I have been quite lost in the everyday to-dos lately.

Three of these shots are from the Enfield Shaker Village in Enfield, NH. The collapsing barn is located in Rumney, NH.

I love stone. Stone that has been carved, formed, either by hand or foot. Especially cobble stone streets. I love wood.. inparticular melting buildings. The kind that are slowly falling back into the earth.

If you need me I'll be planting our veggies, off on field trips and sitting in my folding chair at baseball games.

xoxo~

Abbie

The Good Book

I have started to read the Bible.  From the beginning. I don't know how many times I have tried and gotten lost in the 'begets' of Genesis and just never persevered.  I am using three different versions and combining them into a quite informative read.  I have a King James Bible, with a gorgeous, soft leather cover. One my children will remember as mine and fight over once I'm gone. ;) I am also using an Archaeological Study Bible which I am finding fascinating! (I am a history buff..) Lastly, to keep me on track with my readings and for a slightly different spin, I am using a The One Year Bible for Women. If I could have found a King James Version, One Year Archaeological Study Bible I would have bough that. But I couldn't so I ended up with three, but between them I am finding a great understanding and depth that I would have been missing had I left one of the books out. I am NOT trying to spread the good word here. Trust me.. I am just so in awe of those who are on such a steady track.. most who are, speak very strongly of their faith and beliefs. AND, it is the most read book in the world, I figured I better understand just what all the fuss is about. Have you read the entire Bible or just portions? What version? Was there any one passage, book, Proverb, Psalm that has stayed with you? I'd love to know..

xoxo~

Abbie

Life will have given me the truth?

“When I can look at Life with eyes,

Grown calm and very coldly wise;

Life will have given me the Truth,

And taken in exchange - my youth.”

~Sara Teasdale

Thank you for the emails and comments in regards to my last post. 

I'll figure it out.. someday. I'd really like to find that one thing that is me, but the more I try, the more facets of myself appear.

Did anyone see the History Channel show on the Shroud of Turin? It was on yesterday.. I'll have to order the DVD. It was most interesting and thought provoking.. there I go again.. something else to confuse and bewilder me.  :)

xoxo~

Abbie

Big girl shoes...

Do you ever feel like you are trying to fill shoes that just don't fit? I feel that way quite often right now as I am struggling with what I want to be when I 'grow up'.  Could I stay at home and continue to be a domestic engineer? Yes. Can I go back to school and finish my degree? Yes. Could I keep doing this? Yes. But I'm really struggling with the fact that I'm not really helping anyone. I'd like to help design homes for Habitat for Humanity, design business logos for newbie business owners for free.I want to feed the hungry, clothe the homeless, stop Global Warming, reduce my footprint. I want to exercise more, and eat less. I need to drink more water. I want to help keep our water clean. I want to leave a mark on this world that will remain long after I am gone. I want my grandchildren to tell stories of my life to their grandchildren, and speak of me with pride and fondness.  I want to fill MY shoes. But which pair?? How do you fill them all, when there are so many to choose from? To be a role model to my children of all that they can accomplish in life, of all the good that they are capable of and yet be home when they get home from school... these are huge dialogues that have been going on in my head. I thought perhaps if I vocalized them, organized them just enough to get them out, that perhaps something might jump off the page at me.

I'll let you know when it hits me. Any thoughts? I'd love to hear. You guys always have some of the best life advise to share. One thing I do know. There won't be anymore kids. My minor surgery a few weeks ago took care of that. :)

xoxo~

Abbie

PS.. the image is of my daughter trying to strut her stuff in my only pair of heels.

Tension Between Apples

Do you sometimes feel like an apple? No really, an apple. I know I do. Or, are you a banana?  Let me explain. First, bananas.. they nestle together, they are form fitting and blend well with the surrounding other bananas. They usually move together, towards a goal or just towards their uncertain end. But they are together, sharing in the adventure of life with others, very similar to them.

I, on the other hand, am an apple. Usually rather solitary, I am lacking in the close, self protecting relationships of others who are very like me. As shown in my photograph, there is only a small window of personal contact with apples.

It is hard for me to get too close to people. Mind you, I have very close relationships with those who fit in my bowl, but it's tight quarters and there never seems to be enough room for everyone. But, because of the natural design of a banana, they can join the world of an apple and fit perfectly!  By nature, I think most children (those of which do not have underlying social issues) are bananas. Most artistic adults, I find, are probably apples.

What do you think? Apple? Banana?  There is no wrong or right answer.. it just might help you understand how you fit into your world a little bit more.

I really need to get out of my bowl and move around!

OR am I just a fruit*??? hehehee..

xoxo~

Abbie

(*Fruit - Modern narrower sense is from early 13c. Meaning "odd person, eccentric" is from 1910)

Thirty-five

Today is my 35th birthday. It really doesn't phase me too much. I don't feel any older, just a bit more in control. I do notice that time seems to go by faster now.  I also find myself suffering from the 'what am I going to be when I grow up' plague quite abit lately.

Aaahh.. well. I'm sure whatever is planned for me will pop up in time. Today was very nice. Spent the day cuddled on the couch with my girls (one of whom has quite the cough/fever) and watched Mary Poppins. I love Dick Van Dyke! Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is another favorite of mine.

For my birthday, once I can find one (they seem to be out of stock everywhere in NH right now) we are getting a Wii. I have heard great things about the Wii Fit Plus and want to try it out. Also, we played one at my brothers at Christmas and it was really fun!

Hope you are having a great weekend! Time to get back to doing nothing!

xoxo~

Abbie

Making me happy...

 

 Things that are making me HAPPY:

(my husband and children are permanent fixtures on this list) 

1. Endless possibility

2. Big dreams

3. Starting at page one

4. The Bees Knees Peanut Butter with Honey

5. An organized house

6. The Bloom Project

7. The Happiness Project

8. Tying up loose ends

9. Getting up early

10. Having my meals planned for the week

11. Making an appointment and keeping it

12. My mega multivitamin pack for joint health from GNC

13. The sun is shining

14. Figuring things out

15. Planning my daughters quilts

16. Being on time

17. Keeping a list

18. Crossing things off the list

19. My new lipstain/gloss

20. Learning how to hem my jeans so that you can't tell I did it

21. Adding a tbsp of salt to my humidifier

22. Putting the laundry away as soon as it comes out of the dryer

23. Waking up to a clean house (I pick it up before I go to bed)

Things that are gunking up the works:

1. Eco-friendly dishwasher detergent. I have tried so many and have yet to find one that works. (it would be nice to not have to wash the dishes twice. Once in the dishwasher and again when they come out.. that is not very eco-friendly.)

2. Imaginary limitations that I set on myself or my abilities

3. My ear infection

What is making you happy?

xoxo~

Abbie