Saturday, November 8, 2008

November in Kentucky

whimsical embroidery on a tired evening

On these November days, the last of the flowers catch the sunlight and hold on,

while the leaves turn quickly on some trees

and others hold on to their green.

Contrary to what you saw on tv last week, we're more than just a red state in the early returns.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Friday Fill-In # 97

candlewicking for a quilt, 30-weight thread

Friday Fill-Ins. Love 'em, and love that it's Friday. Answers are in bold.

1. My blueprint for success includes setting goals and checking in from time to time to see how I'm doing. Thanks, Jessica, for teaching us this again and again in your leadership training.

2. Gatlinburg Mud Fudge from Kilwin's is the last candy I ate. After that, I realized (with advice from my doctor) that I needed to really cut down on the sugar. No candy corn for me this year, and I love candy corn. I kept telling myself that it's just empty calories. I will be getting more fudge from Kilwin's when I'm in Gatlinburg, I'll just save my sugar quota for the really, really good stuff.

3. The best facial moisturizer I ever used is two of them, actually, Neutrogena Healthy Skin Face Lotion and Neutrogena Visibly Even. I use both of them every day, along with a couple of others, actually. I layer them on, hoping to get the good benefits from all of them.

4. Quilting can be good therapy. Could be it's the doing something with your hands, could be it's making something that wasn't there before, could be the creativity, could be the challenge, could be the colors. Could be all of those and more.

5. I'd like to tell you about a book we're reading in Sunday School. It's called Simpler Living, Compassionate Life and includes essays from various writers, including a couple from one of my favorites, Wendell Berry.

6. Patience and persistence are my strongest characteristics. I know the "fill-ins" only asked for one, but these two are my team.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to being happy to be finished with the work day, getting in my truck and heading down Dixie Highway in the dark at 6 p.m. It's been a long week, staying up late to watch election returns, lots of work, getting over a bug, and adjusting to the time change (I don't know why that one hour makes a difference, but it does.) Tomorrow my plans include teaching the second session of a Beginning Sewing workshop, then picking out new glasses. Steph is going to be my advisor in that endeavor. I've asked her to steer me away from frames that are too old-lady. Sunday I want to do something fun, since it's been awhile. I think it's going to be cold, maybe rainy, so something indoors.


Happy Friday, everyone.


Thursday, November 6, 2008

Change in the News

Today's postcard - machine embroidery outline with inks and paint

No, this isn't about policical change. It's about change in how we get our news, and my thinking started earlier in the week when I handed over my 50 cents for the local newspaper and was told that it now costs 75 cents.

I was a journalism major, back in the day so long ago that we learned to set type from little pieces of metal letters in wooden trays. And counted the letters in the headlines to make sure they fit - no resize button. I know I'm really dating myself here.

We learned about the famous newspapers with a kind of reverence and loved their mottos, like the New York Times' "All The News That's Fit To Print" and my all-time favorite, the Atlanta Journal's "Covers Dixie Like The Dew."

The major cities had morning papers and afternoon papers, often quite competitive, and the newspaper came on your doorstep or in your mailbox. I think about my dad faithfully reading the newspaper every day, sitting in his chair with a light over his shoulder. Even when money was tight, giving up the newspaper wasn't an option.

Fast forward to now, when the morning and afternoon papers have combined and their names reflect that, like the Louisville Courier Journal and the Chicago Sun Times. When most of us no longer get a newspaper on our porch every day, and many of us no longer read newspaper hard copies at all, relying instead on the tv evening news or the internet. When USA Today is likely to be chosen instead of the local newspaper. Times have changed. Less for me, perhaps, because I still read a newspaper most days. Something about holding it in my hands, being able to go back to reread the stories, admiring the format that the most important part of the story is still at the top.

I meant to write this last night, but staying up late watching election returns the night before caught up with me. And this morning when I logged on to cnn.com, there was an article about newspapers. About how yesterday it was hard to find one. How some newspapers printed extra editions.

The quote from the Washington Post's president and general manager said, "What it really shows is there's a unique value to print. It's the ability to look at the whole thing and hold a piece of history in your hands." And later in the article people talked about having something to pass on to grandchildren, so that they could see that history.

So now, something more to think about. On that one day, newspapers were important to many people. But will we have that piece of newspaper to hold history in our hands in years to come?

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Election Day


Election day. Hope you voted.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Last Halloween Pictures

cordory jumper, size Nora. She's so small around and the jumper is so long that I'm thinking she'll get two years out of it.

I'm pretty sure these are the last of the Halloween pictures, although you never know. When was the last time you saw such a sweet princess/frog combination?





















Sunday, November 2, 2008

The Best Kind of Sewing

Raggedy Ann, repaired
When I tucked Nora into bed Friday night, Raggedy Ann was laying there with stuffing coming out of her neck and a tear three-fourths of the way around her head. Nora sadly handed her to me.
I had plans of going to bed right after Nora, but of course I wanted Raggedy Ann to be fixed when Nora got up in the morning. I enjoyed being able to do that for her - I felt like such a grandmother. And after that, I repaired the belly of Aaron's little frog costume and replaced a jingle bell on the collar.
I made Raggedy Ann for Nora when she was one, thinking that she might like a doll with red hair like hers. When she took the doll from the gift bag she was horrified and threw her across the room. We guessed it was the eyes that bothered her. There was soon a change of heart and Raggedy Ann is now a favorite. There are plans for an Andy for Aaron this Christmas.



Saturday, November 1, 2008

Halloween Pics



quick little ornament


Steph went as Sarah Palin and got lots of compliments when she took the kids trick-or-treating.

Good job, Mike.

Nora with post trick-or-treating loot.

And in North Carolina, what a party -