Posts

Showing posts from December, 2012

Garden Art

Image
I'm already beginning to think about summer 2013 and what I want to do with my garden. Because I was gone all last summer, and because of the heat wave across the Midwest, the flower seeds I scattered a few days before leaving for BTUSFMS didn't produce much. I came home to a couple of zinnias and a couple of Black Eyed Susans. So, my plan is to make this summer the Summer of My Most Magnificent and Awesome Garden. For the SOMMMAAG to happen, I have to start preparing now. The first piece of garden art took shape today: turning a throwaway bicycle wheel into a flower. I'm going to hang this on my garden fence.

My Red Cabinet

Image
After putting the fabric panels in and looking at the cabinet for three days, I decided I liked the cabinet better with just the dark interior. And after sewing a panel, putting it on spring rods, and covering the space on the lower part, I took it off to leave that space open. Sometimes I shake my head over the hours invested in a project and that investment not being followed through on, but in the end, what do those hours really matter? They were my hours to give.  Now we have a nice piece added to our kitchen/dining space. It offers a coziness that was missing, and it also gave me a space to display Lovely Beautiful Daughter's soup bowls made for Empty Bowls. Other pieces in the cabinet came from our travels: to China, to Costa Rica, and to Florida. It's a cabinet full of memories. While I was working on it, another memory was created, one we will laugh over for many, many years. Christmas day, I was putting on the final coating of wax then sanding to get the smoot

And Just Like That A Year Has Passed

  I can't believe a year has slipped by since Mom left this world. When I woke up at 5:21, one of my first thoughts was how a year ago today, at 4:07 am, my cell phone rang. I knew it was my sister. I knew she was going to tell me Mom had passed away. The days that have made up the year since that early morning call have all contained one constant: loss. In the wake of my loss, my family's loss, one positive happened: a sense of purpose. What started with a bike ride across the US to raise funds for MS research has turned into a desire to continue raising awareness of what MS is and to advocate for those living with MS. How this happens is yet undetermined. I'm hoping during 2013, the answer to the question of how? comes to light. I'm not sure what my next move will be. While I dream of having the women's specific bike shop, I haven't proceeded with the business plan because Negative Voice in my head keeps insisting I'll never get financial assista

Making Progress

Image

So Many Fabrics to Choose From!

Image
I decided to use fabric to cover the back of the cabinet, behind the shelves, so I took some time today to browse the rows of fabrics at the local hobby store. Tons of choices! Too many, really. I picked out three and asked for 1/8th of a yard of each just to tack them against the back and see how they look. Of the three, the black with bright flowers is the one I like most, with the white/flowers coming in a close second. I don't like the white/Paris motif at all, so that one's out of the running. I'm actually considering returning to the store tomorrow to purchase three more swatches; I saw several other patterns I really like, and I don't want to settle just yet. Another idea I had was to wait until I paint the entire cabinet to see what happens with the color. Lovely Beautiful Daughter and I are going to take a short road trip tomorrow to see about paint. The only place that carries it, a small second-hand store, is about 20 miles west. I'm going to talk w

Curbside Freebie

Image
Found another treasure while cycling today. Thankfully Lovely Beautiful Daughter and Funny Delightful Son were both home to accompany me back to the treasure (a mere two blocks away), load it up (it's heavier than I thought it was going to be), and bring it home (can't wait to see Hubby's face when he sees it in the garage). Already have some ideas for giving it new life. Should be a fun project.

What I Learned Today

During the ride for BTUSFMS, we stopped in Charlottesville, VA for an appearance at the James Q. Miller Multiple Sclerosis Clinic. While there, several individuals living with MS spoke, and several of the cyclists were interviewed about taking part in BTUSFMS. I was approached about being interviewed, but I declined. At that time, I couldn't maintain my composure when talking about why I was cycling. Mom's death still hurt, and thinking about how she suffered the last few weeks of her life brought on the tears. Today I presented my experience with BTUSFMS to a fairly large group. When I began, I explained why I decided to do the ride--for my mom--and I felt so strong, so confident when I explained how she had been diagnosed with MS, how she eventually lost her mobility, and how MS has no cure. While a twinge of sadness grabbed my heart when I thought about how she lost the battle to MS, I was able to continue on, showing the group what an amazing summer I had cycling across t

And Here It Is

The final product for the latest video.

Memories

This is for a presentation I'm giving in a couple of days. Still have some work to do, but it's coming along. Going back through all the photos and remembering the days of the ride create a mixture of emotions, mostly happiness. Now that the semester is nearly complete, and if the weather holds out during break, I'm looking forward to getting some longer rides in.

My First Interview

Recently I had the opportunity to participate in an interview about my writing, and during the conversation, I realized I really love talking about the pieces I'm working on. If you'd like to hear that interview, you can do so by clicking here .

Another Recycling Project

Image
I went to the crafts store today with the intention of buying a bracelet holder to display my bracelets. The holder wasn't expensive, only $7.99, but when I looked at it, a eureka moment occurred. I had just put a paper towel tube in the recycling bin, and a heavier cardboard tube from plastic wrap. Why not make my own holder from freebies? So instead of buying the holder, I put the money into some beads to use for some necklaces I have in mind to make, beads I wouldn't have bought this time around if I'd bought the holder. Initially I'd intended to use one of the many event t-shirts I've collected over the last three years as the fabric to cover the cardboard tubes, but when I began rifling through my closet, I remembered a velvet jacket I had that I've not worn in several years. The last time I wore it, I was walking across campus when it began to rain. The jacket still shows all the little spots where the rain hit it. I loved that jacket, hence not being