I’ve been sick. Not terribly sick, just an annoying sinus cold that has plagued one side of my face causing a steady stream of snot and tears, not to mention a thousand sneezes. Naturally, I’m the last to get it as I took care of all those in my house who had it before me. Making chicken noodle soup, tea and cleaning up piles of spent tissues. Now that I’m sick, everyone else has energy and I need peace and quiet. So for me, the last few days have looked like this… —> As I attempt to sweat all this out.
Not much has been going on over here, just the usual schedule <plus a sinus cold>. Piano Lessons, dance lessons, school work, working out, and home maintenance. These kids blow my mind daily with what they know and learn. They have a voracious appetite for books, math lessons, all things artistic and using their imaginations. Math & Artistic. When I was in college, going for my Bachelors in Art, so many of my classmates would talk about how much they hated math and how Artists DON’T like math because it uses the other side of the brain. As an artist & a fan of Math, I didn’t relate. Then I married a man who was artistic and proficient in Math, and we created three children, all artistic and enjoy the challenges numbers offer. Just over here making the world a little more interesting I guess.
I asked them all why they like math, and they each gave a very “THEM’ answer. Jonathan: “It’s all about problem solving!” Verona: “I just really like learning things, and getting to do ‘money math’.” Vivienne :”I like learning things by myself, and I can figure math out.” Independent kids with a love for learning. Cool. It’s almost like that’s the goal. Right?
My in-laws gave my daughters a sewing machine for Christmas. A wonderfully nice and thoughtful gift. My mother in law is an extremely talented quilter and makes lots of amazing projects, and last fall she brought her machine and taught the girls how to make pillows. And they were obsessed! You could see their brains working with all the possibilities of things they could make.
I know how to sew. My mother always made us dresses and outfits and sewn things when we were kids, and my sister actually made BOTH of my prom dresses in high school, so I’ve been around a sewing machine my whole life. It was just never something I thought I had the patience to learn. In 2015, I decided to sew new cushion covers for our patio furniture. They aren’t perfect but they look great and did the job, and are still being used today! All this to say, I possess an underlying understanding and skills to figure out a sewing machine.
Well. Now we have our own. It has a permanent home in our homeschool room, at my desk where my old iMac used to reside. And like most things, I want to figure it out. Mainly, so I can teach the kids to use it, but also because I’m a maker. It’s just what I do.
Maybe I’ll make a whole other post about all the things I’ve attempted so far, but to understand me, you have to know I didn’t start with something small. I told the lady at hobby lobby that me and the girls were learning to sew, and she’s like “Oh did you try making scrunchies?” I told her no, and then showed her the bedside caddy I had made the day before, and said that maybe we should try to make some scrunchies as well.
Mission Accomplished. Verona now knows how to make them, and next I need to teach Viv. And Naturally, my children love to give, and my girls asked if they could make scrunchies for all their girl cousins. All our long scraps have been getting turned into scrunchies.
Finally, my Lenten goal was to start writing letters to people in need of connection, looking to get away from the traps of their phones. I had posted something on my instagram on Tuesday, last week, before I signed off, saying to send me an email if you’re in need of some good ol’ fashioned snail mail. I haven’t gotten through all the emails yet, but I’m slowly getting letters written and posted! If you’re someone in need of prayer, encouragement or just connection, please email me at lettersofintention40@gmail.com and let me know your address, your name and what you’d like to write about, (prayers, encouragement, creativity, etc).
Alright, that’s all for now! Until next time!
