Happy New Year

I've been seeing a lot of FB  posts lately, with some famous person making a face, and the caption reads something like " almost time for that 'new me, new year' bullshit,"  which prompted me to go back and read some of my own New Year's resolutions.

When I did, I found that I was, for the most part, pretty realistic.  And that some of the things I resolved to do, I have actually done.
OK, I have done them under duress, and because the state of my head led me down that path.
But still, I have taken the steps.
At last, I do have ONE house, where I live and work.
I do take an occasional nap, or at least I take a BREAK, and knit or read in the middle of the day, alas, alack,  something I have never, ever done.
I do take whole, entire days off, without feeling very guilty at all.
I do make an serious effort to spend time with friends, even looking up old ones that I haven't seen
for years, but who always come to mind.
I have stopped the crazy roller coaster ride I was on, and I seldom do custom orders, or anything else in my weaving studio that does not make me happy.

Getting older?  Or have I learned an incredible lesson?  Or both, hitched together at the hip.

Whatever it is, I find myself spending an hour in the morning, cleaning the kitchen, with not another thought in my head.  No worrying that I should be doing something else.
Just doing what I am doing, being in the moment, and it's ok.
Snap.   I am becoming my newer self.  Intriguing for sure.

The days surprise me, I never know how they will turn out:  and somehow that's ok, too.  It totally feels right to me.

Yesterday, doing dishes, I stuck my hand in a glass and twisted, unaware that the top edge on one side had broken off.
I think I let out a yelp, and there was a lot of blood.  Pretty sure I needed stitches, but having worked in an ER for many years, I knew that sometimes stitches were more trauma than they were worth.  So I cleaned and wrapped, and spent the day babying my hand so it would stop bleeding.  I couldn't weave, but I could still read, and oh, glory, I could still knit.
I have become adept at adapting.   I love that.

I am so enamored of this book, I may have to read it again right away.

I borrowed it from the library, and 50 pages into it, I went and bought one for my daughter who loves hawks.

The other book on my coffee table is this one.....and while it's a bit on the dense side, it is full of so much incredible information, it makes my head spin.

I'm going to give it my best shot.

My daughter came a couple weeks ago, with her labradoodle 4 month old puppy.   Roy was a prince, as usual.  I swear that there is not a mean bone in his body.

This is how he looked at the end of the day when Walter had to go home.

Christmas is over for another year.....my grand baby seems to be saying something very serious here. There was a lot of stimulation going on with our whole family together.   It was the only thing I wanted, just being with them.

I'm not going to make any resolutions this year......I am just going to keep on doing what I am doing, making the best of every single day, working at what I love, staying close to family and friends, because that is where my heart is happiest.

Every day is a gift, of which I am well aware.  I have finally learned how to stop and listen: to the sound of the earth, the beating of my heart, the rhythm of my life.

It's all good.

Happy New Year to all my blogger friends.

Some weaving and THE WINNER.

A while back, I was given some bags of scraps, a cotton and linen mix.   I did a whole lot of sewing and cutting, and Lois wove them up.  We have some chair pads, and these lovely placemats.
I think they would look awesome with some lovely white dishes.


I might have to find some for a photo shoot.

Meanwhile, I've been trying to weave off a navy blue warp on the Union Custom, plus my rug inventory needs some pumping up.

  I have always had a love of weaving cotton, rag rugs.

It feels like painting with fabric, to me.

I have a project on all 7 of my looms, which feels weird to me.   7 looms is the least I have owned in 15 years.

Anyway, I am sporadically weaving on each of them, doing a little of this, and a little of that.
Here's my baby blanket warp, just a twill.

Of course, the towel warp, my fave, lives on.   I should be weaving on that one exclusively, since I have sold so many towels.

Here are some of the finished baby blankets.

Here's a random photo of a dinner idea I had the other night....it was a HIT.
Roasted veggies with red potatoes....olive oil and some seasoning.
They were delicious.

I know that a giveaway brings lots of comments.....and that's ok.  It is so reassuring to know that you are out there and still reading.
Your words were uplifting, and I fear that I don't deserve all the nice things you said, but I appreciate them anyway.  I may not blog as often, and my blogging may have evolved in some ways, but I still love doing it, and I love you all for sticking around. 
Thank you!  Merry Christmas to all of you, and a special greeting to the winner of the TOWEL............TERRY, who wrote the following:

Hilary,
I just enjoy your style, period. You are a very classy woman who takes what is best in life and emphasizes it as you express yourself in your weaving, your lifestyle, your love of family, your blog, and your commitment to making the best out of life at all times. You cope and survive, making the changes that allow you to manage, turning the pain and stress into a softer, better, slower life, while realizing what your real priorities are and the order in which they belong. I enjoy your blog and love your weaving and while I look forward to reading about you and yours, I respect your priorities and understand when you don't blog or should you decide to not blog at all. I would miss it, but be happy for you anyway. Thank you for the sharing!
Terry

Thank you, Terry....now email me your address.

Christmas giving.

I have been accused of being a little grinch-like.   I am not impressed or inspired by all the Christmas hype.
I see it as mostly retail promotional manipulation, and I refuse to get involved.
I love the sentiments: Joy Peace Love...........but shouldn't those be in our cross-hairs ALL year long?
Not just at Christmas?

I did put up a few small decorations, the few I kept when we moved.  I did it mostly for the kids, so that when they come they can see that Mimi does actually have a Christmas tree, even if it is only 20" tall.
I am giving them cards with cash for Christmas, so they can buy what they want and take advantage of January sales, and get MORE for their money.

We do have a lovely Christmas get together, with good food, and a Chinese auction.  We do two of them really, one with a nice gift, one with a gag gift.  The kids love it.
Getting together, being with family that I love so dearly, is what it's all about for me.  It doesn't matter what the holiday is, or the reason.  Being with them, loving them, is all of it.

So, this morning over coffee, I decided that I should do a Christmas giveaway.   If you are a follower, and you must be to throw your name in the hat, you know what my recent circle dish towels look like.
My Christmas gift/giveaway to you is one of those towels.  I will use Random.org on Tuesday night the 15th to draw the winner.
All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what kinds of things you would like to read about on my blog in 2016, or why you read it at all.
Just picking your brains a bit.

Be a follower, and comment.  How easy is that????  I wish I could send you ALL a gift, for sticking around, and making me think even for a moment that I have something worth saying.

What? Again?

Yup, two posts in two days.  What's up with that, you say?



My new normal makes me sometimes very reflective, more than usual.  So I come here, to tell you all about it.
Thrilling, right?

My friend, Linda, in Georgia, is obsessed with decorating for Christmas.  She has trees everywhere, inside, outside, even in her bathroom.
I admit that I don't get it, and every time we talk, she can't help but refer to my grinch-like approach to Christmas.
Well, truth be told, I have thought a bit about a "little" decorating.  Believe me, it would not satisfy her holiday frenzy, but it works for me.
While I was searching for the few, VERY FEW, Christmas decorations that I kept, I found these.


 I made a bunch of them 20 years ago, and these two are left.

I put a warp on the Wolf Pup this morning, for Lois to make placemats on.
Then I took Roy for a damp, cold walk.
Outside chores earlier this morning, on this gray day, convinced me that it was a good day to stay inside.
Besides, my neck is calling the shots today.

Sydney is my idol.
Even more than Roy.  He's good, but she has this relaxing thing down pat.

I found another one of my craft ventures from way back.   This seems the perfect place for it.

Aren't I festive????

Lately I've been in the mood to go through drawers, and cupboards, sifting through magazines and papers and pictures and other stuff that I brought over here in the spring.
Time to peruse it and ditch a lot of it.
I did NOT ditch this recipe I found for cranberry scones.

I added slivered almonds.
 DH will say they are bland, but I'm an English girl at heart, and they are perfect in my opinion.

This is what a perfect Sunday afternoon looks like.......comfy couch, animals lying around snoozing, stuff to read, my knitting, and blissful quiet.  The pellet stove keeps the living room toasty, and what more could I ask for?
Less headache?   Well, yes, always that.

 

 I am making mittens for daughters and granddaughters.

Brooke wants fuchsia.   Here's the first one.

MIss Puss is feeling much, much better since her dental surgery last Monday.  

While she may never really like sharing her house with other cats and a dog, she does seem a bit more laid back.

Nothing like a cuppa tea with my scone.
Life is good.

Couple of thoughts.

Lois and I have been busy.   Here's the rug we made for Dale.

I saw her yesterday, and her reaction was priceless.

She sprawled over it, kicked her legs, ran in circles, then looked up at me, and said "thank you, Mimi, thank you."

Priceless.

I made her another sweater, but I am not as fond of this one.

She kept trying to roll the sleeves up, so I guess that they are too long.

She goes 100 miles an hour, and finally, she is done.
Nap time.  For her, and me.

As I get older, or as my reality sinks in, I find that I am satisfied with much less.

Give me my looms, my big old house.   Yarn to knit, books to read.
I don't feel like I need much to be happy, certainly not near what I thought I needed, at one time.

 A day with a manageable headache puts me over the moon.

Being able to put that baby to sleep in a rocking chair, pure joy.

It is good to love what you have, to love your life, such as it is.  It is wise to keep your needs simple,  to be sustained by simple things.

It took me a long time, and a lot of pain to get here.

But I'm here now.