Day 30: Reporting from Thunder Bay

Okay.  This was not the smoothest day I've ever had.  Extra long orthodontist appointment (Emily), last minute packing because there's been no time to pack ahead, a flight that was delayed 1 1/2 hours.

There have been no stunning photos taken.  No revelations (though quite a bit of time to read).  No time to sightsee.

I did, however, make the outside of my travel journal from the packaging from my dinner morsel.

While it isn't perfect - mostly because I didn't dare pack scissors,,, - I think I totally impressed the heck out of my seat buddy.  I'm hindered in continuing because I forgot to pack a glue stick.  I'm sure I'll come up with one tomorrow.

Day 29: School's out for the summer

I can't pass through this day without humming some portion of that song to myself.  Was that really all we played on that day when I was in school?

Anyway, I survived it.  Somehow the last few days of school for my kids always seems like a massive rush for me.  No matter how I plan ahead, it always seems to be a half-assed scramble to the finish line.  Same old, same old, this year.  So any chances of art were pretty much zero today.

But I will take just the smallest bit of creative credit for these:

Daniel with his reading award

Emily with her grad diploma

Have I said lately how proud I am of my kids?

I have to say though, two days in June auditoriums has left me rather washed out ... I'm going to go fall into bed now.

Day 28: One day of relative freedom left...

The kids are out of  school tomorrow.

Half of me always looks forward to this.  Getting the household ball rolling in time for the kids to make it to school is always a challenge for me.  When we can switch to getting up when we want to and doing stuff when we want to really takes the pressure off me.

However, it also means that I enter Introvert Hell.  Company, 24/7.  Sigh.

This week's creative work involves Teachers' Gifts.  I think I am looking forward to next year when I don't have to do anything for Emily's teachers.

Open

So what are they?  Origami paper boxes with hand knit scarves and a lavender sachet for good measure.  As always, the kids chose the colours of their gifts.

Closed

Whew.  Done with time to spare.  Yeah, me.

Day 27: OMG, someone is reading my blog!

I was just running through the blogs I check out and my cousin Helen commented about my blog: http://viewsfrommidlife.blogspot.com/ .  It's nice to know someone is out there!  I'll have to pick up the pace on the face project now that she went to all that effort.  The other pictures are awesome, too.  Too bad I don't have a dog who'll keep still that long.

Monday is organizing day so Before:

My desk

and After:



Though, to be honest, mostly I scraped off the excess and put it in the pile to the right.  My studio rather took the brunt of the renovations downstairs.  If I thought I had everything sorted, that's gone by the boards now.  But I couldn't start finishing things up here until I had one surface clear and one seat empty.

Of course, I am getting to the difficult questions now.  Like how do you store things like this?

In case, you're wondering: it's a pin board for drying round things.

I also noticed that I should change my calendar.  This isn't a good sign for my work ethic.

Emily 4

For the second time, I have had a laptop accident.  Thankfully this one only broke the power cord, which is annoyingly expensive but replaceable.  It did cause a slight delay in the post, however.

Emily wanted to post this today.  It took multiple tries to get it on film.  Gravity sucks (and dog tails swish).

Day 25: Burn! Burn! Burn! (to Everything There Is a Season)

A massively productive day for me today.

I took some stuff to a friend's garage sale.  I didn't intend to stay but I ended up staying and selling some stuff.  I made about twenty dollars (whoo hoo) and didn't bring the box of extra stuff back(WHOO HOO).

The kids and I arranged the cranes to count them and I made 1055 cranes.  I won't include a photo since I had so many yesterday.

I had a long nap.  I know, I know, this doesn't sound productive but I've been rather burning my candle at both ends lately and I'm bagged.  Squeezing in extra sleep is a huge bonus.

I burned the CD's for both churches' July services today.  During the summer, I get four Sundays off.  It is becoming harder to find (and pay for) a substitute organist.  For the last few years, I have been recording the hymns and burning them onto CD's to be played while I'm away.  This is a fair amount of extra work for me but I'm developing a library so I don't have to record them all every year.

For some reason, it is always an exercise in technical frustration.  Every year, the computer comes up with new and interesting ways to fail.  This year, Mark needed to uninstall and upgrade the CD burning program.  Why?  Who knows.  Last year, we had trouble with the headphones being 'seized' by another program.  Two years ago, random failure of the ejection of the CD tray.  Given that all of this technology works fine separately, I'm assuming the components don't play well with others.

Still, I have burned them all!

And five days ahead of time, so I can drop them off at church tomorrow and essentially be done before my vacation.  Not a bad day.

Day 24: Yippee!

What is this?

This is a box of approximately 1000 cranes.  Hand folded origami cranes.  To raise money for Japanese tsunami relief.  I raised $585 to be doubled by Mark's company, AMD.

They were folded from 2" square pieces of paper.

It is traditional to fold the last crane from a square of gold foil paper.

Now, where was I?

P.S.  Happy Birthday, Mark.

Day 23: Will this project never die?

I've been working on a project all week.  Every time I think I'm almost done - I'm not.

I've timed myself with a stopwatch to calculate how long it takes me to do one so that I might be able to guess how much longer I have to go.  By the way, it takes me 71.4 seconds on average to make one.

I've broken it down into different steps so I don't get bored from doing one thing over and over.  That's not working - I'm bored.  Or maybe tired from thinking I was close to the end when I'm obviously not.

It's screwing up the 365 project because I can't get anything else done while I'm spending my time on just this one.  I want to publish photos of this I've done, not just things I'm thinking about doing.  Grrr.

What has been tormenting me?  This:

Can you guess what I'm up to?

Day 22: Do you see a resemblance?

So Emily needed some photos of herself for a slide show at her Grade 5 graduation.

I'll leave aside the whole GRADE 5 ALREADY set of remarks.  As well as the GRADE 5 GRADUATION? GOOD GRIEF, IS THAT NECESSARY? comments.

I've been thinking lately about how as we age, my sister, cousins and I are looking more and more alike.  I saw a web page today that has face averaging software.  If I took head shots of (not at!) my cousins and blended our faces together, would I end up with a face that has the common features that make us look alike?  What would happen if I blended in my mom, aunts and grandmother's photos?  I'm intrigued.

How about you, cousins?

Day 21: Forgetfulness is not just for the old

I was downloading stuff off an old camera and found these pictures:

Banding Chickadees Last Fall

Origami Jumping Frogs for Daniel's Class

Origami Painted Lady Butterfly

St. Bede's Bazaar donation

Blue Heron

I had forgotten I'd done all of these things.  This is part of the reason for this blog: to remember the stuff that I do so I can feel better about myself.  Because I give a lot of my work away, I forget that I do more every day that housework (which is good because I suck at housework). Why is it so much easier to remember all our mistakes and UFO's and failings?  Surely that wasn't in God's original design?

Day 20: Funny pictures and organization

Okay, first, some funny pictures from Emily:

First, here comes the bride.

Then, the handsome groom

And a minister to make it official.

Okay, so today's theme is organization.  I'm still grinding away at the living room downstairs.  Drapes up, yeah.  Floor mopped.  Only a few thousand more things to go.

I also managed to do this bit:

I'm trying to unearth my studio now.  I'll stick in the after photo ... um ... after.

So much cleaning so little desire.

Day 19: Emily 3

I took this picture sometime in May, then got the idea while looking at the pictures on my camera.  I think it's funny.  Imagine willow (the dog) as a teenager.

Day 18 and a half: Pictures now

Ta da:

Beautiful Dragon Fruit

Beautiful insides

Dragon fruit fish?

Day 18: What am I going to do when the post number doesn't equal the date?

Wow.  I almost forgot to post.  I was relaxed enough to forget the post.  Huh.  I can't remember when I was last that kind of relaxed.  As I head away from the amalgamation vote and towards my vacation, I'm working my way through layers of anxiety.  I'm like an onion.  Or a cake.  Or a trifle.

I had some great photos of dragon fruit to show you.  Dan really loves to try new foods so I thought I'd pick one up while I was out shopping.  Of course, we then have to figure out how to eat it.  Anyway, I took the photos on Emily's camera since it was there.  It is now not there.  I can't see it around.  I can only assume that Emily has put it away.

Remember Sherlock Holmes' axiom: once all other possibilities have been eliminated, the remaining possibility, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

So, photos to follow.

Day 17: Unfinished Friday

I'm still in the eddies of the tidal pool.  I must have worked on 5 or more things (list to follow) and not finished any of them.  I find I need a day a week to just putter at stuff.  Part of the puttering is putting stuff away which is a huge problem for me.  Still, by the end of a day of puttering, I don't feel like I've gotten much done.

What did I putter at today?

1. Part of a scarf knit.  One of those ruffled ones I've photographed before.  Purple, this time.
2. Some movies taken to Deja vu discs.  They didn't take all of them though so now I have half a bag of videos I don't know what to do with.
3. More tidying of the completed reno space.
4. Photos gathered from various computers and cameras and installed on my computer.
5. Part of Dan's room is slightly cleaner.  The Brownian Motion of Lego: a future doctoral thesis.

I did come up with a good idea though.  I'm going to get a stamp made for Nimble Mind Studio and use some of my weird and wonderful handmade paper to make business cards.

I also finished a book:  The Time Twister by  Jenny Nimmo.  It was quite a good read.  I have to admit I was surprised; an award winning childrens' author and series I haven't heard about.  I don't know why I'm surprised; every time I go to a bookstore, I'm overwhelmed by the number of books printed every year.  Why I think I should have heard of every good author, I don't know.  Pride goeth...and all.

Day 16: Success!

So I did something today that I've wanted to do since Kemptville.  I made Lavender Wands.

I read of this idea in The Pleasure of Herbs by Phyllis Shaudys.  I have no idea if it is still in print.  It is full of interesting ideas and I still feel inspired when I read it.  It doesn't have pictures though just hand done drawings  These are charming but not necessarily reflective of reality.

My comments?

First, Lavenders Wands?  The name sucks.  Even Lavender Bombs would be better.  Pull the pin and shower hellfire and lavender down on the enemy.

Second, I'd never make a living making these even with the supplies essentially free.  It took me almost an hour to make the first one.  About half an hour for the second.  Even with an increased speed (for which there is definitely a limit - these things are fiddley  (how do you spell that?)), I might be able to make four per hour.  And how much would you be willing to spend?  $1 or $2?

Third, I wish I could make them more egg-shape rather than ... I'm trying not to think tampon shaped.

I'm really glad I made them.  It was fun to try something new (or old).  I like the idea that my garden is producing something even though I can't seem to get the vegetable garden thing working for me.

I deem today a success. 

Day 15: Think, think, think

I realized today while I was sitting on the back deck that I was at the change of tide.  I go through these periods where everything is going out from me.  I'm teaching or I'm singing (or I'm teaching singing...) or I'm going to schools.  Then it switches.  I'm home, I'm reading, I'm creating.

I'm good with either of those phases.  I need both in my life.  It's the changing from one to the other that is always a struggle for me.  Picture pig on ice (which would be a great photo to include here except we don't have ice).

It brought to mind this list called Paradoxes of Creativity which I have found very enlightening:

To create, a person must

Have knowledge but forget the knowledge
See unexpected connections in things but not have a mental disorder
Work hard but spend time doing nothing
Create many ideas yet most of them are useless
Look at the same thing as everyone else, yet see something different
Desire success but learn how to fail
Be persistent but not stubborn
Listen to experts but know how to disregard them

I got the list from Roger von Oech at blog.creativethink.com but he got it from Michael Michalko, somewhere else.  I hope you find it useful, too.

Day 14: Hey! That's 14 days of continuous blog. Yeah me!

The last few weeks have been particularly busy and this sets me up for a happiness bump.  During times of crisis (or crises), I rise up to the challenge and the work but afterward, I come down with a case of the blues.  Not taking time for me has some real emotional pricetags now.

So, how to fill my emotional well efficiently, cost-effectively?  I used to go shopping but really do I need more stuff?  I used to read books until I felt better but do I really want to spent that much time?

Strangely, this blog has forced me to do what I should have been doing all along which is artwork.  What I want to do more of, what makes me happier is getting to do more art work.  So why do I let the blues, or anything else for that matter, get in the way of that?

I've been giving thought lately to my photography skills.  Emily and Dan are both interested.  I'm a good photographer.  I produce servicable photos most of the time.  Occassionally, quite good ones.  But I'm not sure that I produce, even occassionally, great ones.  What makes a great photograph?  I find myself drawn to photos of exotic things which probably skews my interpretation of my own photos.  There isn't much exotic in my life at the moment.

So I took the camera out today and took some shots.  What do you think?

This makes me think of the three magi, Canadian style

Finally, a reasonable picture of Willow

Day 13: It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses.

I've had to take my glasses in for a new lens.  I can't find my back-up glasses.  So I'm wearing sunglasses.  Yup.  All day and night for two to three days.  Or I can go without glasses and see everything but quite blurrily.  Should be interesting.
This has, however, taken the edge off of my ability to do... well... anything.  I'm still working it out.  Luckily, I don't actually need to see to type.  You may get days of drivel because I have yet to figure out how to spend my time.  It's only 5:15 and I'm writing my blog so what does that tell you?  Actually, I had to wait until 9 to finish the blog entry; my computer came down with something and had to have a lie down.
So, I finally got around to taking those photos of the finished stuff from last week.  I did take them without glasses so I'm rather depending on the self-focussing abilities of the camera.  You judge.

A picture of the dried rhubarb/papyrus.  I can't seem to get it to dry fast enough to prevent the centre from starting to rot or mildew.  A problem they didn't have in Ancient Egypt, I expect.  Of course, if you take the weight off to let it dry faster, it curls up and cracks.  Hmm.  Ironing is my next thought.  Got any others?

Two scarves, photographed in the light cube that I bought a while ago.  Another goal for this 365 project is using regularly some of the equipment that I've purchased already.

Anyway, the top scarf is knit with Ondas yarn by Katia with the free giveaway pattern.  A very quick knit (like I could have knit it in an evening except I was using sharpened chopsticks for needles).  The colourways are quite fun.  I keep meaning to take Emily and Daniel to choose colours for their teachers -- not a bad end of year gift, don't you think?

The second scarf is a pattern of my own.  I just was looking to use up some Rowan Summer Tweed.  It was kind of a tough knit.  The cotton/silk blend didn't want to slide much on the needles so the cable rows were no fun.  Still, this might look good and not be too hot during the summer, eh?

Somehow I also managed to get it together enough to clean my one surface late today.  A long while ago, I gave up all media for a week; no reading, tv, radio or computer.  It was amazing how much cleaning got done is sheer boredom.

So this is my side table where all of the 'TV' work gathers to reproduce and party.  It's a struggle to keep this table from cascading crap all over the place.

So this is what it looks like cleaned ... or at least sorted.  Someday I'll figure out how to organize all the little oddments of yarns but then I'll probably die.  This is also apparently where pens go for a good time.  No wonder I couldn't find anything to write with.

Day 12: Emily post 2

Day 11: So close as to make no never mind

So the annoying infestation of contractors left on Friday.  Done.  Which is good because I was done with them.  There is still a flurry of painters to pass through but these guys I like and get along with.

I thought you might like to see some pictures of the work that's been done.  It's not wholely my work but it has been consuming a fair amount of my creativity of late.

So new entrance, outside.  I think we did a good job downplaying the elevator.  The designer wanted the steps near the house and the elevator on the outside.  Note that we had a guy come and deal with the crabapple tree.  It's about half the size it used to be and a little sad looking but honestly, 40 - 60 bushels of crabapples.  Really.

New entrance, inside.  It still needs to be painted (see above) but I love the layout.  There are some compromises here but all in all, I'm pleased with my plan.

Sorry, I can't seem to get the bathroom photos side by side.  It's a small bathroom to start with and so there aren't that many choices really.

There are a few more details, none of which really rate a picture.  Come on by and check out the reality for yourself.



Day 10: It's not how many times you fall down but how many times you get up

I've been contemplating the managing of this 365 project.  So far I've figured out:

Mondays: Organization day.  Something I've cleaned or sorted
Tuesdays: Craft day. Once Sparks and Brownies starts this will fall into place easily.
Fridays: Finished day.  Things in the week I haven't shown yet that are finished.
Sundays:  Emily's day.  Whatever Emily wants to show.

At least, that's more than half of the week settled.  Maybe I'll start a random Wednesday.  There's still photography day and fiber day and, hopefully, art day.  Still, a basic framework for the week.

So, since this is Friday, that would mean photos of things I've finished this week except it's now dark and I haven't organized myself to take any pictures yet.  Today was a non-stop flight to Crazyville.  Lift in, contractors finished and gone, drugstore stop done, kids managed, Guide Camp kids delivered, In-laws hosted, dog tired out, dinner ordered, beds juggled so In-laws can sleep.

The flight has landed.  Please stay awake until the plane has come to a complete stop.  Please ensure that all of your children are accounted for before deplaning.  Thank you for flying Holy Crap Airlines today.  You may now fall down.

Day 9: The really important things in life are free

The best and most important thing I did today was spend time with my son, Daniel.  He is an introvert and a quiet soul and I worry that his needs don't get met.  But today, despite the insanity that this week has become, I spent time with him.

He makes amazing things with Lego.  He made this:

I'm afraid at this moment I have no idea what it is.  The fact that it is as tall as he is is important.  I'm not sure why.  I can tell you it is 152 and a half cm long or almost exactly 5 feet, if I remember correctly.

It doesn't matter to me that I don't really know what this is all about.  Maybe reading this blog with encourage him to explain it to me.  I hope so.

We also got to do something that I haven't taken a picture of since just a few days after Daniel was born.

Wait!  If the Lego structure was about 5 feet tall then so was my son.  And his hand is way bigger than the little tiny hand I had to hold open when he was 5 days old.  I think I'm going to have to go and kiss him in his sleep, right this minute before he grows up anymore and I can't do that any more.

Day 8: Okay, that wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done

So at 5 o'clock, if you'd asked me, the thing I wanted to do least was take the kids to the Cub Campfire.  It has been a stinky hot day here in Toronto.  I think people were muttering 43 with humidex.  The number doesn't much matter to me since I wilt in weather like this.  Parenting in this makes me want to crawl out of my own skin and become someone else.

But I'm a good mom, right?  I haul my sorry butt and my children's happy butts into the van.  I run through Wendy's for some fries because everyone's energy is flagging a bit.  The drive through cashier tells me I look like I'm melting.  Really.  She said that.  I must be more than a good mom, I must be a good person because I didn't leap out of my van and do something nasty to her like unplugging her a/c.

So we arrive at Thompson Park for the Cub Campfire.  This storm rolls in.  Check out the link for some photos: http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/caon0696?ref=homecity .  I forgot the camera but that was probably a good thing.

So we and around fifty other beavers, cubs, scouts and venturers, leaders and parents stood under the permanent canopy and took the storm to the teeth.

Here's a picture of the kids when we got home.

We've decided to go to bed without brushing our hair to see who has the best/worst bad hair day tomorrow.

Note to self: always check the weather forecast before going to Cub Campfire.

Day 7: Theological Creativity

I'm sorry -- no pictures today.  I spent most of the day involved with the churches I work for.  The two churches are preparing to vote on amalgamation with two other churches.

It's been a long process to get to this place and I'm not looking forward to the amount of work on the other side of the vote on Sunday. I don't think it matters which way the vote goes either; there will be a huge amount of work regardless.  Hey!  I'm going on vacation soon.  Whoo hoo.

The proposed amalgamation plan was presented tonight at one of the churches.  Listening to the presentation tonight was educational.  Looking back through the meeting, I can imagine the Spirit flitting about chirping in ears; a bird on a shoulder.  Some powerful, Spiritual things happened.  In the face of the worst in human nature, if not active evil.  I'm still processing it all.

Though, I'm disappointed in myself.  I had planned to say nothing.  I couldn't quite keep my mouth shut.  I've done worse though.  I give myself a 50 and go.

Anyway, all my creativity for the day seemed to go into meetings, which don't lend themselves to interesting pictures.  I give you instead a poem which has been drifting through my thoughts lately.

i thank You God
by e.e.cummings
i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

Day 6: Honesty and cleanliness in equal measure

I've been contemplating honesty lately.  How do we be honest with each other?  Can you be honest with others if you can't be honest with yourself?

I've also been forced by renovations to confront my self-image as a housekeeper.   Never a good thing.  So this post is a fusion of the two ideas.  Alloyed in a furnace of outsiders' opinions with drywall dust and dog fur.

I struggle on a daily basis to know how much housework is enough.  I work from home and I find it very difficult to create in a cluttered space.  And yet, I'm not sure that I could keep this house clean even if I worked at it 12 hours out of every 24.  There are 5 other people (and a dog and a bird) -- that's a lot of mess.  This doesn't even begin the discussion of whether it should be my job to make the mess go away.  Or how many generations of mess we have here (I periodically find boxes labelled as my grandparents stuff).

I have on occasion de-cluttered other peoples houses.  For money, even.  I can offer 'expert' advice on how to de-clutter a house.  So, now to the honesty part; some pictures of my own  house.

(Cue the theme song to Love Story)  Where do I begin?

This time I'm starting with the bathroom sink.