Scrappy Hearts

30 Days of Gratitude: November 10th

This tree makes me smile. I planted this tree in the yard in the fall of 2007 in the hopes that one day it would shade the corner of the house. Mission Accomplished! Not only that, the color it produces is amazing. Grateful for the beauty of fall and the stark contrast of a leaf-losing tree against a gorgeous autumn sky. Wonderful.

30 Days of Gratitude: November 9th

No work on Friday meant that I could play on Thursday evening. So grateful for the opportunity to spend an evening playing with paper. It has been so long since I had the chance to do something creative that didn't involve quilting. So happy I decided to take a chance and register for the class. I had such fun even though I attended solo. This introvert took a chance and had a great time!

30 Days of Gratitude: November 7th

Grateful for the opportunity to vote for a new governor, it has been a very long 8 years. Also grateful for a much better school day. Sometimes things just seem to click! Finally, new eyeglasses, so very grateful! Today has been a real blessing and I get to end my evening with the sound of rain outside my bedroom window. Wonderful!

A Day of Extreme Emotions

Today at school, well before 9:10, I had delt with at least two eight year old meltdowns. I am convinced that children experience loss on a level we cannot fathom. They are resilient, in the long run, but they truly have not experienced enough life to deal with death. They cannot understand why someone they love needs to be taken from them and the best I can do, as their teacher, is to listen and validate their feelings. Loss isn’t easier when you are a child. That’s a tough lesson. 

Prior to 10am there were two children that made the mistake of dipping their fingers in red paint and then showing how they would cause bodily harm to themselves, a habit frowned upon in public school. A situation that caused one to cry incessantly about not wanting his mom to be called and the other explaining how it “would go down” as someone more experienced with visits to the principals office.

Before 11am a child facing the death of a grandparent, unexpected and sudden, cried that he tried to understand, he did know how lucky he was, but he was just sad. “Is that okay?"

By 12 noon, I was sad. I was exhausted and I felt inadequate. To my students who made a bad choice I tried to convince them that they are not bad. That a mistake in 2nd grade will help them not make the same mistake again. To the children experiencing real loss for the first time, a pet, a grandparent, a friend moving “very far away”. You will not forget and the hurt will not feel as bad, in time.

But then my day, which had exhausted me, greeted me with a lift that could not be diminished. At the quilt shop I own, I was given the opportunity to welcome a self contained class of middle schoolers that felt compelled, because of recent studies, to make a difference in someone’s life. They read about Ryan’s Cases for Smiles and decided as a group that they wanted to make pillowcases for children with cancer. Kim, one of my employees, made the arrangements and welcomed the students into the shop today at 10. Betsy came in on her day off and Donna, one of our customers, volunteered to help as well. Seven children, five adults, 7 machines and 2.5 hours yielded 7 pillowcases. The students arrived with one pillowcase each that they had hand sewn and each student successfully completed the sewing of another pillowcase with a machine; none of which had ever operated. To say I was overwhelmed was an understatement. I cried as I bragged about my employees, our customers and those wonderful children with their teachers. 

By four I was on my to school speaking to my bestest. The afternoon update I call it when she is too ill to answer the phone. Today I comforted a dear friend who found out today that her doctors did not reveal all of the information about her cancer and her health. Sometimes, as adults, we need to deal with situations that are terminal and just not fair. My morning prepared me for my late afternoon. This has been a day of extreme emotions. I am learning that sometimes I too, just need a hug.

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On Any Given Sunday

Home, that’s where you will find me on any given Sunday. But this Sunday, a couple of weeks ago, Mark and I ventured into Fishtown to visit with Jess. Actually we traveled over to Northern Liberties for brunch at Heritage, one of the places where Jess is currently working. We had a wonderful time catching up with Jess before her adventure to New Orleans for Mardi Gras! After our visit, Mark and I were anxious to have a little outdoor adventure so Jess recommended Wissahicken Park. 

“Come to the woods, for here is rest. There is no repose like that of the green deep woods. Sleep in forgetfulness of all ill.”
― John Muir

We drove out of the “city” anxious to escape and find ourselves exploring fresh greenery and the deep rich scent of a woody path. What fun we had. The day was gorgeous and the trail, inviting. 

Sundays are currently my only day off. I use my Sundays to take care of laundry, changing sheets and catching up on school work. But to have a Sunday which is truly a day off, like this Sunday of Presidents’ Weekend, is such a blessing. I am so glad that we didn’t waste it. I am so grateful for the opportunity to take a walk in the woods!

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30 Days of Gratitude - Day 2

 Posting a day late. Yesterday, as I was leaving the house for work, I took a nasty spill on the sidewalk leading to our front door. I was home for the day and a trip to the doctor confirmed a concussion. I am so grateful for my colleagues at work who were able to pull together lessons for my class and absolutely made sure that my substitute, also a colleague, was prepared for whatever the day brought on. I would not have been able to prepare lesson plans and take care of myself. As it turned out, when you have a concussion you are not supposed to put in any screen time. I will be shutting down my computer soon!

October

October arrived while we were away for a quick weekend. The October daisies, which usually bloom at the end of September, waited until I was gone. This is the first year that they have bloomed in October, seriously!

We have been really busy this month and I cannot imagine why. The school year started rather calmly and the shop is into a very nice rhythm. But tonight I am feeling crazy rushed. It seems I have over-booked myself again! One day I will stop doing that but tonight I am capable of amazing things. Right after my nap!

Adding to my Collection

I am definitely a Starbucks mug addict. I have quite a few plus several different incarnations. My favorites would have to be the architecture series. My first purchase was in Las Vegas and I found the tree ornament size of that particular mug. Then, I couldn’t find that mug any longer so I switched to purchasing the “city” mugs. I was on a pretty good roll with those, well, until they disappeared. It was around 2009 or 2010 that I first saw the You Are Here collection. I think my first purchase was New York City, but then again, I really can’t be sure. I have purchased the special edition black and white mugs in Seattle and New York. I have been gifted any variety of mugs from places like Prague and St. Louis. This weekend I was able to add to my collection. I picked up the Niagara Falls mug and the Canada mug at a Starbucks right outside of Niagara Falls, New York. 

I love the styling of these, You Are Here mugs. They remind me of 60’s vintage drawings and I love the fact that they appear to be color blocked. Niagara Falls happens to be blues and grey while Canada boasts reds, blues and taupe. Mark and I are beyond purchasing touristy types of things, except for Starbucks’ mugs. For the most part we use the city mugs and the architecture mugs for beverages through out the day. I guess if we ever ran out of those, we would start using the You Are Here collection, but we have not been that desperate, yet!

 

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Each year I set forth a manifesto for my summer. This is the time of year that I need to remind myself about doing what’s right for myself and my family. Health is usually at the top of my list along with relaxing and taking the time to smell the roses. This year, now that we have the shop, I feel it is even more important to take the time for me, my health and my family. So far I have done well, but I cannot guarantee that I will continue to be mindful! It is best to put these things in writing!

Just Us Four

Dinner out with my favorite children! This week was spring break and I never would have forgiven myself if I didn’t make the time to see my children. Mark and I have been so busy preparing to get the shop open that it was really looking like our get-together wouldn’t happen. In the end, it all came together rather nicely. We met Jason and Jessica at Bud and Marilyn’s in Center City. We had a wonderful meal and spent some time just catching up and enjoying each others’ company. After dinner we ventured over to Rex 1516, Jason and Jessica’s home away from home. We were celebrating the opening of the quilt shop, at least that’s the way they planned it! A little champagne and a lot of laughter. Just the way it should be! Here’s hoping that I am able to make the time to see these two more often this spring.

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