Morning Glory Studio

unraveling thoughts about journals | 8.8.18 ...

How many is enough?

This morning, as I was  reading and journaling, I counted the places I capture ideas, thoughts, information, quotes, things to pursue, do, remember, places to go, etc ... I tallied at least SIX...not including my iPad and iPhone nor the random pieces of paper I grab to write a thought, idea, memory ~ a habit I’m trying to break!

Each journal/place serves a specific, well, almost, function. My brain started to ruminate: which can/should I eliminate or consolidate? Yes, I know I’ve been down this path, sharing my thoughts and then-conclusions here on the blog. Oh yes, I forgot about the blog!

As I read, I ran across an artist who has 77 - yes, you read that right -  journals, planners and sketchbooks that she dips in and out of on a frequent basis. Oh, I thought, 10 (+/- ) capture tools is nothing....

On this, Day 3 of my Staycation,  I am toying with the idea of testing out the Traveler’s Notebook system...perhaps it will provide an answer to some of the questions I have and also fulfill my natural impulse to write via hand (though I am typing this post on my iPad in DayOne) .
I think I’m too easily inspired (or is it a case of  greener grass ?)

Oh, I hear the cleaning lady* rattling a bucket; She’s here to clean the frig and I may have to help ~ since this is her first time...

How many journals do you use? What are your thoughts on the subject? Joining Kat and friends for this week's edition of Unraveled Wednesday.

Cheers~

*also known as moi!

forward to tomorrow...

 

 

 

Yesterday we had driving rain, all.day. and-in-to-the-night-long! After spending the morning to mid-afternoon with my Thursday stitching group, I drove to meet up with Laura, my dear friend and former VA (virtual assistant), from Florida.  She has been in the area all week and this was our one chance to meet. We met outside a library in Howard County - she was there for a closing training event for new library associates (people with bachelor's degrees but do not have a master's degree ) who provide public services to library customers.

We had a fun couple hours! First - in the driving rain, we went to Barnes & Noble - yes a bookstore - sharing, as we browsed, books we've read ... and then drove to a local restaurant and had a light supper. About 6:30 pm, we left: she had at least a 2-3 hours drive and I,  1.5 hours; both in PM rush hour traffic and rain, rain, rain! I also wanted to be home for an online Q & A with  Gretchen Rubin about the Four Tendencies. I arrived with about 5 minutes to spare.

After the session, I realized I had left on my "to do" list, :

• Complete Day 17's layout and
• Write blog post.

I ran out of steam after I made the layout and went downstairs to join Norman and doze in front of the TV...which brings me to today! Shortly, in about two hours, I am going for a haircut! My hair is really.getting.greyer and wiry (I think)...  After, depending on the weather, I'll either go to the grocery store or go straight home. My money's on the latter. Which leaves tomorrow for me to finish prepping for our monthly Friendstitch Sunday gathering - I'm hosting - and I hope, a trip to the local nursery. The weather people tell us tomorrow will be dry and sunny...

I hope that all the items on your to do list are done!  And if not, just forward to tomorrow...or the next day or the next... Enjoy your weekend!

Cheers~

unraveled wednesday* | 5.16.18 ...

 

sunset 5.15.2018 ~ 7:55 pm

12:57 pm 

*not only on wednesday but every day...or so it seems. From time to time I make reference to a "groaning board agenda," something I'm quite prone to create for myself. Apparently my eyes are bigger than my stomach and/or I have no concept at all how long anything I set out to do will take...and today's no exception. On today's list: 10 things...and as of this writing, I've accomplished 50%. Of course, the day's not quite 50% done. A quick review, however, holds promise...and maybe, I will "push away from the table feeling not only full but accomplished"...time will tell...

Be that as it may, I've already forwarded two items to Friday and am tackling three in the next hour or so...so, onto today's topic:

Knitting/Stitching: Have not knit a stitch since last week but I am three-quarters finished with stitching on the binding of Elias' quilt! (Binding is the next to  last thing one does on a quilt; the last is usually to sew on a label)  I think I'll finish tomorrow when I join my Thursday stitchin' group!

Reading: I've about 100 pages left in Louise Penny's 4th Inspector Gamache Novel : A Rule Against Murder. This one intriques me because  included is a story about Gamache's father, whose name also happens to be Honore´... I'm curious to know why he's in this novel... As I've mentioned before, Fiction is not my "go to" genre of choice so I'm glad I've found Inspector Gamache. I plan to read the rest of the series via audiobook - except for a couple titles. ...And I'm thinking about "summer reading" choices - they make wonderful walking companions! 

And that's the way it is this Wednesday... just as I was penning this post, the fence estimator called...he was able to come early. So, perhaps I'll get through my list before the sun sets... Ha! no worry today: it's grey rainy ...and that's the way it's gonna be! Joining Kat and others today!

Cheers~

when?...

 

 

sunrise ~ 7:18 am

     As I indicated yesterday, I looked forward to spending the greater portion of today at home, quietly, by myself, not having to drive anywhere. My schedule these past 9 days has been pretty packed...and a day of solitude was promised along with the lovely sunrise.

My plan for the day:

• a) do the laundry;
• b) make some phone calls;
• c) write today's post;
• d) respond to comments from previous posts ;
• e) catch up on long overdue blog visits;
• f) knit  and
• g) begin reading WHEN 

And I  proceeded to my craft studio, fully intending to knock out d) right away. Hah! I had not realized how behind I was, er uh, make that am!  

I have spent the better portion of today catching up...happy to report that the laundry is done; Norman and his son had a successful shopping expedition and I've made a sizable dent in catching up. Tonight I will knit a bit but I still don't know when I will get around to starting WHEN!

Joining Kat and others for Unraveled Wednesday - links in comments.

Cheers~

unraveled wednesday | 3 jan 2017

 

 

     KathyB shared on her blog today how c-o-l-d she is... I can totally relate. These days, one finds me wrapped in this wonderful knitted (by machine) reading shawl/wrap, a gift from my friend AJ several years ago. It keeps me warm and those pockets come in very handy for a quick hands-warmup or carrying a pen, my iPhone, etc...

I'm still in the 2018 planning/goal setting stage, so I spent all of y’day in jammies, propped on bed, dipping in a variety of books and revisiting my journal/s for notes, ideas, inspiration. Needless to say, nothing got knitted or unraveled (perhaps my brain?) and suffice it to say:  This is taking longer than I expected...time for me to make a few key decisions and move on - my large sheet of paper awaits!

Today's temps are slated for a low 30s high which is a good thing: Mid afternoon I’m out to a dental appt and a stop at grocery store... and then home to where it’s w-a-r-m and toasty! 

Joining Kat and others for Unraveled Wednesday here. Enjoy your day and stay warm!

Cheers~

2018's crystal ball...

Perhaps like me and countless other people around the planet, you are looking forward to and contemplating  2018 : plans, hopes, desires, projects, a big event, changes you desire to make in your daily routine, new habits to cultivate, old habits to discard - what to start, stop, continue! 

My crystal ball is foggy...dreams, desires, ideas, dailies aren't quite solidified in my mind let alone on paper or digitally. One day I'm leaning towards this  -whatever it might be - and the next, well, maybe not! In a word, indecisive.

When I was working, I'd end the year with large sheets of flip chart papers pinned to a cork wall in my office - I wish I had a photo. The sheets listed all the irons I/my department had in process plus ones we planned or wanted to schedule. We made a lot of progress with those projects, ideas, thoughts. Perhaps because the last month in December was very quiet in the library world and we had the time and opportunity to zero in on projects without being interrupted. 

I was thinking about those flip chart papers today as Norman and I waited for his medical appointment and prescriptions to be filled. We're scheduled for snow to accompany the frigid temperatures we've had for the past 48 hours.I can  probably find some oversized papers around here..especially if I restore order in my craft studio. I'm thinking that I might just spend a goodly portion of the weekend clearing up that crystal ball...

How's your crystal ball looking?

 Cheers~

 

Stuff...

 

19 September 2017 ~ 8 pm 

Time is drawing nigh...to be continued...

Cheers~

think write thursday | the 'gathering' of the to do list ...

 

 

Today's ThinkWriteThursday post is all about sharing three things on our "to do" list...

1. Well, first, I have to decide which list to consult! And therein lies the rub: I have a gazillion to do lists, in all sizes, shapes, colors, on all sorts and sizes of papers, ranging from post-it notes to 3 x 5 notepaper; index cards; various sized sheets of paper : A4, A5, Letter; a 22 x 15 pad to  in aa variety of notebooks: disc bound (my beloved circa by Levenger that I've used nearly 18 years, off and on) to dot grid bound journals - that I also really like except for the fact that it's bound to, some lists even on my iPhone - that I never remember to consult. Why so many different types you wonder? Basically, because I write on: a)  whatever's readily available; and b) catches my fancy ~ one day it might be an index card; another, a fun notepad; or my journal du jour. Lately, I've been wondering if I am Adult ADHD...
2. Secondly, I have to decide what tool I will use for  these to do lists.  As I pen this, I am leaning towards giving the Traveler's Notebook system a whirl, primarily because of its size, versatility and portability. I believe I will function best with a plain page that I create to represent how I think...and  I like the idea of having separate small notebooks for specific functions, e.g., one to capture all the random thoughts, things to remember to do as they pop in my mind and only require a pen or pencil; another for books to read or notes from a specific book; separate brain dumps for planning a trip or a gathering, capturing a quilting idea/inspiration; ideas for blog posts or my AMAZe (about me A:Z) project, etc...I've been gathering lots of ideas and one thing that intrigues me is I can also use a TN to capture my upcoming trip...ideas  for doing that abound down that rabbit hole called the internet. The fact that I can create the system that reflects me: sketching; mind-mapping; jotting down a Haiku; capturing a quote; documenting a connection; bullet journaling; making and coloring a mandala; etc;  really appeals to me...
3. Thirdly, I have to just start! And that's on tomorrow's agenda! Watch this space for a follow-up.

And in closing, to paraphrase a certain ad: "What's on your to do list?" Do visit Carole's blog to see what others have shared.

Cheers~

think write thursday | 2017 summer bucket list ...

 

 

This week’s Think Write Thursday is to share my Summer Bucket List.

My summer bucket - though "currently empty" in the photo - is on its way to being  filled with lots of everyday type activities:

• walking: long and short trips, in and  around the neighborhoods ...
• reading: pushing on with Summer Book Bingo. A lot of my selections  are works of fiction - not my go-to reading and I'm looking forward to the change ...
• slow-stitching: knitting; practicing mark-making and creating intuitive styled mini/small quilts...resuming my Baltimore Album  quilt project...
• journaling, including Journal Club Bingo ...
• celebrating our two Christian's birthdays; the bébé will be three on Saturday!...
• taking bébé Chris to the pool and the library...
• gathering with Recent Reads and Friendstitching friends ...
• learning and creating and practicing ...
• preparing for my late September trip to Sisters, OR ...
• telling my story via this blog ... 

Everyday, I will fill that bucket with colorful slips of paper, on which I've written a sentence (or two, or three or more) that documents the day as well as expresses my appreciation for my daily life on this planet earth. I hope you will join in as I share via this blog...and share your summer bucket days, too.

Visit Carole's blog for others' bucket lists.

Cheers~

 

think write thursday | meandering, wandering and hello april...

 

This week’s Think Write Thursday is to write a post called, “Hello, April.”

About two years ago, my friend Margaret's one little  word was meander (MeanDear = MD). Her idea: to visit more of the historical areas in Maryland, which is ripe with colonial history. Meander conjures up a leisurely journey with a stop here or there, whatever catches one's fancy.

The next year, I decided I'd borrow the idea and chose the word wander (WanDer = WDC). My idea: make it a point to go downtown WDC at least once a month to the Smithsonian Mall - there are always so many great exhibits at the Smithsonian Museums and neighboring places of interest.

Today, as I mentioned yesterday, we wandered to the Hirshhorn Museum and meandered through the Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirror display - a wonderful experience. 

Doing so brought my wander word back into my lexicon for April and my plan is to make at least one trip to the Mall every month...this of course gets tricky with summer tourists - once upon a time, from all over the world; these days, not so sure.

Saturday, April Fool's Day is also National Kite Flying Day on the Mall...one theme  is to make kites that exemplify "when they go low, we fly kites." I'm not sure I'll get down on the Mall Saturday but I'll be looking on Instagram.

My quilting group's biennial quilt show is the last  week of the month so a lot of my time will be spent that week helping with the hanging of the quilts.

Several friends have birthdays so I must make a note to buy and mail cards. Our list of things to do around the exterior of the house and the yard is growing by leaps and bounds, ranging from installing new exterior fencing, cleaning out the garage, painting the trim, repainting the deck to deciding on plants for  the "garden." And of course April is tax month; yep, those have to be paid! Most of these projects will be started in April and finished by June...I trust. 

Finally, #the100dayproject begins 4 April and my project plans are beginning to gel - more about them on 4 April.  AND baseball season officially opens April 3 for the Washington Nationals - we're ready to play ball! 

Beside "showers," what does April have in store for you? And do drop over to Carole's blog for more Hello April posts!

Cheers~

In addition to Kusama's exhibit, the Hirshhorn also has a stunning exhibit of orchids...