Morning Glory Studio

sometimes mondays | 7.9.2018 ...

  

Saturday's #blueskyblooms

are a continuation of the weekend's perfect weather and #blueskyblooms. We are so grateful for this break in the weather; what a treat it has been. I hope Mother Nature's been extra kind in your corner of the world, too! Enjoy your day!

Cheers~

 

week in the life | thurs 5.10.2018 | thankful ...

 

 

Thankful for this morning's sunrise - 6:02 am

Today is  Stitchin day...there were just three of us instead of our usual 5 : one just returned home after surgery and an 8-days stint in the hospital and the other is in Cape May, getting her summer home ready.

Tho' we missed  them, they missed another great spread: prosciutto and salami; grilled aspagus with lemon juice; two kinds of cheese - my Achilles heel-and lots of other tasty bits: breads; fresh melon and citrus fruits; olives; and the best dessert this side (east ) of the Rockies: a lemon mini cupcake... Yum! Yum!

I shared Sally Melville's Necessary Neutral  (thanks to Kym for introducing and sharing on her blog ) with Hilary, our hostess. She's a long time knitter, has lots of  yarn and two young granddaughters, so she decided to knit a blanket for each - this is the first one, about half done.

Thankful for this fun bit of entertainment and fun for little ones

3:50 pm: Sitting outside Starbucks at my fave place - across from the water spout. Tho' the sky is overcast and a storm threatens, the temp is 83°. Just a year ago, this shopping mall that houses Whole Foods had just opened...now there is a membership gym; several restaurants; a bank; Xfinity and several other businesses plus townhouses...and construction continues ...I enjoy coming/stopping here, especially in the warm weather so I can sit outside and take in the sights - out "in the nature," as my niece Dolly oft said when she was about her son Chris' age...who'll be 4 years old in exactly one month! Being here reminds me that we should bring Chris to play in the water, too! 

4:08 pm: Feeling raindrops! Guess it's time to go home...drats! Before the rains really come...

5:26 pm : Home---no rain... Norman and I catch each other up on our day and I chat on the phone with friend MT  and update my notes for the blog post...

Thankful for this evening's sunset @ 8:01 pm

7:56 pm : Watched the news; finished today's layout; took photo of the sunset and had this delicious salad...

Thankful for this delicious salad

9:00 pm: Retired for the evening with a glass of wine and knitting:  the log cabin/nine-patch block.  Progress is slow but it exists...

Thankful for a lovely day with friends,  home sweet home and the making of many pleasurable memories. For what are you thankful?

Cheers~

 

A poem in your pocket ...

 

 8 am:

From above,  the sound of scraping as the roofers dismantle the old in prep for the new! The plumber bailed on today's appt; tomorrow! In a way, his doing so made a decision for me: now I can go meet with my Thurs stitchin' group! Hooray! And today's especially lovely: sunny, warm - already 54°and on the way to 70° ~ no complaints in this category, either.

I've been reading a The Way of Gratitude: Readings for A Joyful Life in the mornings. The book features both essays and poems from a host of writers who "share their experience and ideas on the joy of being thankful." And from this book, in honor of A Poem in Your Pocket Day, I share this by Mary Oliver:

Messenger

"My work is loving the world. Here, the Sunflowers, there the hummingbird - equal seekers of sweetness. Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums, Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.

Are my boots old? Is my coat torn? Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me keep my mind on what matters, which is my work,

which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished. The phoebe, the delphinium. The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture. Which is mostly rejoicing, since all the ingredients are here,

which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart and these body-clothes, a mouth with which to give shouts of joy to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam, telling them all, over and over, how it is that we live forever."

 9 am: 

Time now to dress and get ready to go! Have a great day ~ read your favorite poems and find some new ones!

Cheers~

sometimes mondays | 4.23.2018...

 

8:23 am

Are off to a slow start...a welcome way to begin what promises to be a full week, filled with spending lots of time with friends...and for that I am always grateful.

Our weekend was a quiet one: 

• We only watched  one, O-N-E!, political news program! And not a single ball game... 
• Music, mostly music filled the air. .. and Norman watched a lot of Turner Classic Movie...
•  Saturday, we made an in/out trip to the grocery store and
• I took a leisurely walk to Zeke's, my neighborhood coffee shop; read; browsed a few new quilting books; made a couple scrapbook layouts and later that evening, we
• Had pizza (not so good) and champagne... 
• Sunday was pretty much more of the same.

It is now 5:50 pm; the sun is shining and the temp is 67 degrees. Sunset is just around the corner. I spent the day with my quilting group friends and just returned from a brief, lovely flower filled walk around a couple blocks. It's been a nice slow day...I can't complain.*

Sometimes Mondays are off to a slow start...

 Cheers~

*Sometimes Mondays' posts are written early in the AM...and sometimes one forgets to publish...so, sometimes one has to do a timely update!

sometimes mondays ...

 

... are off to a slow and therefore, somewhat later-than-usual start ...

... are cold, dreary rainy - with a possibility of a snowflake or two...

...are filled with a pop of color ~ and that makes me smile, feel warm inside and ever grateful for another Monday and all the goodness it brings.

Happy Monday to you!

Cheers~

a breath of spring...

~sunset:  circa 6:10 pm ~

Today we had a breath of spring-like weather! The temperature reached a balmy high of 71 degrees! And sunshine! One was almost enticed to run outside and turn a somersault or two...but one's better sense prevailed! Fortunately. Instead, one spent the afternoon attending to crossing off items on last week's list - barely looked at to due to being laid low with the flu! One major accomplishment: updating the Mac operating system. I just love the help I get from Apple Support! Looks like I have about 45 minutes remaining before the OS is updated.

Tomorrow's forecast suggests more of the same weather. N has an early AM doctor appointment and I imagine we'll swing by the grocery store afterwards ... we're down to two bananas and other essentials. It will be good to get out a bit...especially on a balmy spring-like day.

Cheers~

this magic moment...

 

 
"Catch a magic moment. Do it right here and now. It means everything."

~ Van Hallen, "Right Now"*

Morning Glory Studio ~ Sunday 7 January 2018 ~ 9:48 am

     Sunlight shines brightly, streaming through the (very dirty)  window in the studio that was once Mama's bedroom and now, my sewing space. On the iPad: Sunday Baroque, a classical music program I discovered many years - 14+ - ago, around the time Mama died; I guess, after. Those first weeks, months, I was comforted and carried through my loneliness and eventually, returned to reclaiming my comfort and acceptance of life without her, without parents, with being orphans as my sister said in the wee small hours of the morning of her death. 

Today, on my way downstairs, to replenish my tea, I walked in here to put away a ribbon and was struck with how much I love this room, especially in the quiet morning when the sun streams through the window, regardless of the season. I am welcomed, invited in, encouraged to stop, "catch a little magic moment" - do it right here and now. It does indeed mean everything - the magic I felt when my mother, my dad - my parents - were alive and loved, guided, sheltered us, my sister Connie and me.

Funny, I'd previously marked this page - I know not when -  and turned to it, unknowing. I just knew I wanted to spend moments in this room, quiet, alone, safe, secure, warm, comfortable and comforted, bathed in the sun's warmth and my love and memories of Mama. I'm usually looking in  - in this space, I look around and feel the love...and the magic!

 

*This quote comes from this mindfulness journal.

welcome 2018 and one little word...

 

 

Hello January! Hello 2018! Hello the coldest day of the year! On January 1, 2017, the temperature was a nice 54 degrees!  This morning: 15 degrees and that's probably a heat wave compared to some parts of the country. 

Last night I could barely stay awake to see the ball drop ...can you believe all those people in Times Square freezin' their buns off! Amazing! 

Today is my friend Margaret's birthday and we four braved the cold to celebrate at The Hotel! We ate in the Old Maryland Grill restaurant that specializes in Maryland cuisine, seafood and drinks. We all agreed that the menu, food, ambience, and service were worth braving the frigid temperatures. We'll go back - when it's warmer!

I began this day by watching Ali Edwards' 2018 One Little Word presentation. Last year I chose three words: practice...complete...peace and I'd decided to continue with those words this year...but, several weeks ago, I felt the draw of the word mindful/mindfulness and decided to add it to the menu, too. 

I see in mindfulness more pausing, breathing slowly, relaxing, refreshing, appreciating; spending my time doing more writing, stitching, experimenting, playing, reading, creating, being present in the moment ... less driving, less driven...

I think the four words work very well together and perhaps mindfulness encompasses all. We'll see.

As I typed this post, I stopped to watch the first sun set of 2018 ... from my vantage point, t'wasn't a good place to snap a photo...but perfect for pausing, watching Mother Nature color the world...and giving thanks for witnessing this incredible natural phenomenon.

Cheers~

home for Christmas...

 

 
Christmas Eve, Norman and I joined friends for an annual Christmas Eve potluck dinner party and fun gift exchange. The  spread was delicious, the green beans, very tasty... and we all had a grand time...

The best present of this holiday: Baby Elias is home! He came home Friday and weighs 5 pounds +. ... Dolly says he's a night owl - up most of the night so that's leaving her a little peak -ed. She's doing well tho' there's a little paralysis on her right arm - a result of the medication and some nerve damage...but, she's getting better, every day. Fortunately, she'd done most of her holiday shopping before Thanksgiving so that was out of the way... Both Chris and Elias got new Christmas jammies, too... Unfortunately, several of my nieces have been smitten by a cold/flu bug, so that put the brakes on a family gathering...

Five weeks ago to this day, the world stopped as Dolly, seven months pregnant, was in severe distress. Five weeks ago to this day, Baby Elias, born. Today, they are both home and getting stronger and better each passing day. For these blessings, we are forever grateful.

And here it is 7 pm on Christmas Day 2017. Hard to believe that there will be 365 days til Christmas 2018... Happy Holidays!

Cheers~

when I write by hand ...

 

Sunday 24 December 2017  7:20 am ~ sunrise

when I write by hand, I feel comfortable. I enjoy seeing the characters form, feeling the pen/pencil glide across the page ... 

when I write by hand, the table lamp casts a shadow on the paper, my hand and the pen's point, as I form words, make visible: thoughts, ideas, capture bits of information, tell a story ...

when I write by hand, I take in the sights and sounds of my surroundings ...

when I write by hand, I pause to sip my tea and stretch my fingers, exercise them a bit...

when I write by hand, memories flow forth; ideas  sprout; thoughts occur; feelings of contentment wash over me ...

when I write by hand, I fill pages of prose - the words just seem to flow even tho' I might not say a darn thing...

when I write by hand, I am safe, secure, comfortable, encouraged, alive, content, present.