Basket Therapy - Day 3

When I saw this b-yue (blue for any newcomers) yarn, I immediately thought of Alex, my daughter's oldest son.  He LOVEs dark b-yue.  And, he is somewhat of a hoarder collector of things... things he needs likes to have available at all times.   Little cars.  Rocks.  Stinging/glowing sea urchins (toy).  You get the idea.

We celebrated his 5th birthday at the beach during our Griswold Vacation 2014.  You can make out the basket in the middle of the table among his other prizes on his birthday morning.  I hope I'll get a better shot of him with his little basket of love soon (hint. hint. Amanda).  I did enjoy seeing him tote his "things" around in it.  LOL!

A few happy moments from the Griswold Vacation 2014...

As you can see, face painting was VERY popular.  Oh, Noni loves this little herd.  =)

Note the dark b-yue on Alex... every. single. time.

Little Miss B did not opt for any of the face painting silliness... but, she sure enjoyed her first big ride sitting all big behind her "s-ousin" as Roo would say!

Hope you swing into some JOY today...

"Life is like a mirror.  Smile at it and it smiles back at you." ~ Peace Pilgrim

blessings ~ tanna

Basket Therapy - Day 2

This is Basket #2... made of leftover yarn from Christmas Cowls.  (Number 1 and pattern link here)Did I tell you this was addictive?  It is holding scrubbies in my bath room.  You HAVE to find a purpose for your addictions, you know.  ;)

A sneak peak at a project started last summer coming home from the beach... It has been a long time coming... like lots of other things around here.  But, it is FINISHED!  And, I'm looking forward to crossing more projects off the list soon! (not just knitting!!)

Sharing a few more happy things... 

God blesses us with such beautiful gifts. 

Extravagant.  Extraordinary.  Endless... if we just notice.

Wishing you a wonderful day...

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
~ Melody Beattie

blessings  ~ tanna

Basket Therapy - Day 1

So about a month ago, I made an emergency stop by Rose Path (my local yarn shop) just to sit for a short bit with my friends.  Sherri had a beautiful, giant crocheted bag she had made for holding her knitting projects.  I must have picked it up and admired it a dozen times while I was sitting there.

 She had used two patterns to come up with her big bag.  One of the two is the Chunky Crocheted Basket Pattern by Elizabeth Tranthem (Ravelry).   This little jewel of a pattern became therapy for me.

It is FAST, EASY and you can FINISH in an evening sitting.  When everything else in life seemed to be going on and on and on without end, finishing one of these was a saving grace!!!  Thank you, Sherri!  On this first one, I used three yarns with a K hook. 

 

Just sharing another of my "happies"... we found this gaudy little wind chime at Pier One.  I'm not the only one who loves it; the hummingbirds admire it daily (probably thinking it must be edible!!  LOL).

 

 

I went back later and added another row of single crochet to the top of this first basket.  None of mine match the pattern exactly... I was always only half-mindedly paying attention (making it a real winner, since I still loved them all), but I did end up adding this extra row on most all of them.  Ahhh... the value of a simple, repetitive task... good therapy, folks.  Good therapy.

"I can remember walking as a child.  It was not customary to say you were fatigued.  It was customary to complete the goal of the expedition."
~ Katharine Hepburn

"When you put your hand to the plow, you can't put it down until you get to the end of the row."
~ Alice Paul

blessings ~ tanna

Isolation and Standing in Deep Water...

I've been gone from blogging almost too long... I've been "gone" from lots of things... From things that bless me with connection... and inspiration... and friendship...

I've been gone from my blog friends...

Gone from my knitting friends...

Gone from my golf friends...

I like our new church... but, it is still new.

Without the connections to people who inspire us and encourage us, life begins to feel very. dried. up.

Even when it is injected with these precious ones in magical moments...

Moments are wonderful...

Moments can sustain us for awhile... but, they are not the day-in to day-out living of life...

I'll not lie that I'm not still sad, in a deep, dark-little-corner-that-cannot-be-rooted-out piece of my heart, that all of our family isn't in a place to share the mundane as well as the magical. 

But, it is in the mundane day-to-day that we must. find. our. joy.

In the day in and day out living of life, I need people to feel connected to... to share with...

Otherwise, I feel alone... and, to borrow a phrase from Jewel, like I am standing in deep water and bailing myself out with a straw...

Life has been dishing out a LOT of deep water.  That deep water has sucked up my time and, even more, my energy... my joy. It has brought on isolation from my friends and connections.  There is still work ahead.  However, I have recognized that I have to take time to feed my soul with friendships that I miss... and need...

Right now my inboxes hold 2665 e-mails... most of those are junk, but I have rooted out such amazing treasures this morning.  If for a minute you think that your life cannot really be touched or that friendships cannot be developed with people you have never met... you would be dead wrong.  To those of you who took the time to write... who gave me the sweet, sweet, sweet gift of concern, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I am blessed beyond measure.  B.e.y.o.n.d. measure.  Know that I have wondered and cared about your days too... and I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and time is nearing that I can visit again.

 

Since the my last post, we have readied and leased four units of The Old Girls with one left to go.  LOTS of cleaning, painting and a couple of bathroom remodels in the mix.  That is an unusually high turnover for us in this time frame... Some were brought on my "inviting" the tenants to move on... Another because the tenant lost their job and had to move home.... A couple that would have been normal.  At any rate, it has been brutally busy.  Without the help of these two... in particular, Zack, I would have truly been overwhelmed.  I am so grateful for his helping hands and loving heart.  Little Miss B adds a dose of sunshine when she works with us.  ;)  God has blessed me indeed. 

 

 

Hardly a day has passed in this frenzy that I have not told Zack:  God always gives us enough.  Enough time.  Enough energy.  Enough resources.  Sometimes it doesn't feel like it, but it. is. enough.

"Each of us does, in effect, strike a series of deals or compromises between the wants and longings of the inner self, and an outer environment that offers certain possibilities and sets certain limitations."  ~ Maggie Scarf

"As I grow older, part of my emotional survival plan must be to actively seek inspiration instead of passively waiting for it to find me."  ~ Bebe Moore Campbell

May you seek and find inspiration today...

blessings ~ tanna