Charming Chatter

Miracle Man

We are so excited, and so proud.  Our baby girl graduated from college a couple of weeks ago, and is now a Registered Nurse. 

Our baby boy is graduating in the top five percent of his High School Class this weekend. 

That equals double-fun for the graduation party we will be hosting Sunday.  And, for the mom who wants to give both of her kids the best graduation party ever, and the woman who wants to be the "Hostess with the Mostest" for our family and friends, it equals stress.

If you're a regular reader here, then you know that I've struggled with what I'll call the "Superwoman Complex" - this sense that I'm only valuable as a woman if I can live up to this notion in my head of what it is to be the perfect wife, perfect mom, perfect home decorator and keeper, and perfect career woman, etc.  And, if I can't, there is something seriously "wrong" with me. 

I've been trying to get off of the rat wheel of performance, and while a book can plant a seed, the most powerful lessons are learned, not from reading, but from real-life experience.  And, I love how life comes to your aid in the most unexpected ways - don't you? 

You see, I wanted to let go of the "Superwoman Complex" while still trying my darndest to be Superwoman - ya know, stop the performance thing while still doing the performance thing.  And, sometimes when you can't or won't let go of destructive patterns – well, life gives you a helping hand :0)!

I think there are two kinds of miracles in life - the tough miracles and the tender ones.  The tough ones are the ones you didn't want or expect, but that have so much to teach you.  Here are my tough miracles of late.  Since I wouldn't stop on my own, I've been blessed with some health issues that made it impossible for me to keep going and doing and giving and trying all the time.  And, the second - let's just call it a bit of sadness and confusion. As a little girl, all I ever dreamed of was being a wife and a mom.  And, as our last child graduates from high school, while I'm still a wife and mom, everything is somehow different.  And, to be honest with you, I can't think of any purpose in life that could come even close to brining the joy, laughter, fulfillment and even the awesome challenges that raising these two incredible kids has brought to me.  

Now, thank goodness, life also sends you what I call the "tender" miracles, the kind that remind you just how awesome it is to be alive, and so overfill your heart with gratitude that you are writing a blog post about it instead of cooking, cleaning, finishing the scrapbook . . . . for the party.

To McStudly, who I'm thinking of renaming "Miracle Man", thank you for:

1.    Making me feel like the most beautiful, wonderful woman in the world when I was too exhausted last Friday to put on my make-up, do my hair, and clean the house.

2.    Taking me to Famous Dave's last weekend, and ordering oodles of stuff on the menu so we could sample it, and having most of this party catered so I don't have to cook so much.

3.    Helping me chose pictures for the kids' graduation cakes, printing them, and taking me (after you had a long, hard day of work) to order cakes and finish the grocery shopping.

4.     Helping me choose party decorations on Amazon and paying more for them, just to save me a trip to the big city, since we don't have a party shop in town.

5.    Encouraging me yesterday to relax, rest, do some hand sewing, and watch TCM, and promising me that somehow we'd get it all done together.

6.    Buying dinner, taking me on a "car" picnic, and taking me to feed the baby geese at your office pond last night - just because you know it makes me happy.

7.    Saying "Aw, come here baby" and cuddling me last night when I couldn't sleep (again) - fell right to sleep in your arms by the way.

8.    Being an incredible leader, even when I'm not a very good follower.

9.    Teaching me through real-life experience that, as a woman, my greatest gifts to you and the world, and the things that bring me the greatest fulfillment, lie not in performance or perfection (the doing), but in the feminine spirit of softness, warmth, love, presence, joy, laughter, submission, and gratitude (the being).

10.    Being my Miracle Man, so that I can relax and be.  I'm learning - slowly I know, but really, thanks to you, I am learning not to let the "doing" get in the way of what truly matters – that feminine spirit of "being".

I Love and Adore You!

TTFN,

Kelly

P.S.  A funny for you girls (sure do miss you, and am looking forward to getting back to blogging soon)!

Heh-Hem – I tell you from experience – True Story :0)!!

A New Love Of Sewing – Old School

They say that ignorance is bliss - and in some ways I think they're right.   For some reason, perhaps boredom or being overwhelmed by too many unfinished projects that quite frankly I didn't care to finish, or just that darn mid-life thing - whatever the reason - I completely lost my love of sewing last year. 

 Like I said, this mid-life change is a great time to figure out what has worked in your life and what hasn't.  It's a time to think about the things that really matter to you, and to let go of the things that really just don't. Now this has been going on in a lot of areas in my life, but for today, let's talk sewing because I'm so glad to say that my love of sewing has returned with a vengeance - and a bit of a twist!

First I should admit that nothing spoils the fun more in my life than being hemmed in by having to "follow directions".  If there is something to assemble, I prefer to wing it based on what is in front of me - even at the risk of having to take it all apart and reassemble because there are a few extra screws the McStudly says are  "necessary."  So, when I began sewing years ago, I didn't buy a quilt book or any fancy tools.  I went to Wal Mart, bought some fabric I thought was pretty, and set about making my first quilt. 

I didn't have a clue what I was doing - and quite frankly, it didn't matter.  I was lost in the bliss of taking a pile of pretty fabric and creating something uniquely meaningful for us.  I cut a pattern out of a file folder for the hearts, and I literally hand wrote 1 Corinthians 13 on tissue paper to stitch it on the borders.  I hand-quilted that baby, and not knowing the "rule" that you shouldn't quilt more than one inch apart - I just quilted around those giant hearts. 

Not a quality quilt by any standard. Yet, looking back on it many quilts later, I see that making that quilt brought me more joy than any quilt since then.  Why?  Well, part of it was the "directions" thing, but I think there is more.  There was something truly amazing about the simplicity of just taking a stack of fabric, and creating something that was meaningful to me, and that was my very own, unique "work of art" (using that term very liberally here girls :0). 

But, something strange happened.  Somehow, I took that simple thing that I really loved, and I complicated it, almost ruined it.  Because I loved it, I started buying all kinds of books and patterns and tools and gadgets - and in a strange way, the sheer joy, the simplicity and the creativity that made me fall in love with the craft was lost.  What I've come to realize is this:  what I had really fallen in love with wasn't churning out tons of quilts from patterns, but creating my own bit of beauty to add to the world, and doing it very simply.  So truly, ignorance can be bliss - or at the very least simplicity in creativity is bliss for me!

I grabbed a stack of fabric - and started sewing again - Old School!  I sewed just like I did with my first quilt.  I had no pattern, no rules, no complex tools or gadgets  - just some pretty fabric and a mind brewing in creativity. 

Yup, no fancy tools or gadgets here - I even dug out the tissue paper again!  It's so easy to trace on (no light box required), and no ooey, gluey mess to remove when you're finished. 

First, I made a tea towel to hang on our stove door

I had so much fun that I grabbed another stack of fabric, and made a tea towel for the McStudly's mom for her birthday!

And, being that I've found my zen in creating again, I'm moving on to this stack of fabrics, and some fun ideas in my head for decorative towels for the master bath.

See, what really matters for me in sewing is not perfection, not following the rules, but rather, creating something that is unique and meaningful to me and those I love – just enjoying the tremendous gift that it is to create with simplicity from the heart.

It's been uber busy here with the Junior's senior year, so the blogging has taken a back seat, but I hope to be back to regular blogging after the boy graduates in May. Warning: there are a lot more proud mom moments to come (like this night when he was promoted to Colonel)

Because laughter is good for the soul, I plan to finish each post with a funny!

Part of the busyness has been decorating the new house – which must be done before the big graduation party.  I went a little crazy at www.wallwritten.com (more on that later). So, I was showing the McStudly all of the cute things I found, and where we might hang them.  And, then, the disagreement began.  I found this lovely quote from Song of Solomon to go above our bed.   But, the McStudly, well, he thought a different sign was more appropriately suited to adorn the wall above our headboard.

Needless to say, I won (as he generally lets me win – when it comes to decorating anyway)!

Now, I like to make things win-win!  So, I had to let him have his sign, too

 

just on the side of the tub instead of above the bed :0)! A definite win for the McStudly, too - don't ya think.  Goodness, I love that man

- no one can make me laugh like he does!

TTFN,

Kelly

   

2013 In A Jar, Pinterest and Perfection (Sorta :0)

Gotta start out with thanks again!  I’d been gone so long, I wasn’t sure you all would even remember me – and boy was I grateful to hear from so many of you that I have missed.  Your kind comments and e-mails always remind me of how much goodness and beauty there is in the world – so thanks girls.

Holy Busyness Batman – the McStudlys keep me hopping.   The Junior is a Senior in High School, and we have been busy college choosing and scholarship applying, drill meeting, and NHS Tuxedo fitting, and just to be sure that it’s not all work, some wicked games of Monopoly and Scrabble.    

Nearly every Saturday, we are traveling around Northwest Missouri – savoring the Juniors last year of High School.  He is the Batallion Commander at his school (big honor for him – proud parents we are).  Here he is this past weekend, performing with
his best friend Andrew. 

And here they are with the trophies they won that day :0) – more proud Momma!

There have been snow days, too – which throw the schedule
out of whack, but I love it – love the beauty and power of Mother Nature.

While we are talking Mother Nature, let me share with you my favorite thing about the new house. 

Yup, leave it to me to pick something corny like this – but it is that I get to watch the sunrise out of my living room window with a big mug of Joe every morning (or we can see it from our bedroom when we sleep in)!   These pictures don't do it justice - it's truly awe inspiring to watch

It’s not quite as pretty as an ocean sunrise, but Missouri beautiful in it's own right.

I’m still a Pinterest Addict – over 10,000 pins (hanging my head in shame).  Did you all see the pin on making an annual jar for your New Year's Celebration?  You write down all of the fun things you do, and then on New Years, you pull them out and read them.  Here is our 2013 Jar

I think we forget just how much we do, how much joy our lives are filled with – and this is a great reminder.  I just cut up some fun scrapbook paper, and when we finish a book, or see a movie, or go somewhere special, I just write the date and a little Twitter length squib about it. 

It’s not too late to start one, I just got mine together a couple of weeks ago – memory, my journal, text messages, ticket stubs – helped me find the dates!

Now, the Junior and I are huge – I mean huge – Nutella fans!  We are known to eat it by spoonfuls straight from the jar.  So when I saw these fun Nutella Mug Cakes on Pinterest – well, we just had to give them a go last night.

Delish – really!

And, I finished the quilt top for that tutorial – think I’m going to call it “Antique Sugar”!  What do you think - does it look like antique sugar?

Yup, my life is pretty much perfect :0)!  Sorta??  Uh, how about "No" girls - how about not at all??  There are, of course, the deeper struggles and imperfections of life.  But, ya can’t really capture those in pictures, so I’ll share a couple of those imperfect moments from the past week that I was able to capture on film (just because laughter is good for the soul).

Slight overflow problem with the mug cakes!  Said a large mug – she meant really large :0)!

And, ummm shouldn't the bottom of this quilt be straight across, flat??

Seriously!!  I’ve yet to make a quilt without spending some quality bonding time with my seam ripper.  We're learning to love each other, or at least not hate each other!

But - you awesome women, that silly 2013 Jar of all the good times we’ve had in just two short months, and those sunrises, and, of course, the McStudlys somehow make all of life’s big and small imperfections seem a little . . . well . . . irrelevant!

TTFN,

Kelly