Slice of Life: Blog and Project Updates

I just don’t have it in me to write a diatribe on anything today. Instead, I thought I would pull some loose ends together on things I’ve been up to. This includes projects that are underway, possible upcoming blog changes.

Projects

My roman shade project is starting to come to a conclusion. The first shade has been hung at our cabin on a bank of three windows. The second shade has been pleated and is ready for sewing. I have a third shade to do and hope to finish by the end of the month.

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My new Singer sewing machine has been “acting up” right out of the box, so this has slowed things down considerably. In fact, plan to rev up the old 1969 Kenmore today, the machine I inherited from my Grandma, to finish some more UW masks.

The masks are for an upcoming fundraiser at which I’ll be selling my handcrafted jewelry. It is for a good cause – mental health – and part of my proceeds will go to a new foundation created by the parents of a student who committed suicide several years ago. Tagging my pieces and getting the display ready will take some time in the next week.

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New projects on the horizon

One of my new projects will be making myself a foraging bag. I went foraging for the first time last Friday. It was a structured group as part of an introduction to foraging course. But, I found I had no where to put my foraged finds. The instructor, of course, was prepared as well as another “new” forager. We were only instructed to bring a notebook and pen, which I did, as well as some water. After the experience, I looked for foraging bag patterns and found some on Etsy. Last night, I bought the necessary components to make one for myself. Let’s just say that making these to sell is not possible. I’ll never recoup my time or money. But, a foraging bag might make a very nice gift if this pattern turns out. I also learned that going to the fabric store at 7 p.m. is not a good time to go – slow as molasses.

Another new project will be some reusable grocery totes. I’ve been trying to be better at taking my totes to grocery shop and saw some really cute fabric two months ago from which I can make them. Again, finding a suitable pattern was key and I did find one last night at the fabric store.

Lastly, my apron making project has gone well. But the problems I am having with the new machine made the stitching look “amateur” on the second apron, so I will not gift it nor try to sell it. Too bad. Again, the fabric was really cute. I guess I have a new “cute” apron for myself.

Gardening

It is the time of year we all start to garden, if you are so inclined. The plants I started from seed are all doing well and I’m starting to think about hardening them off but I’ll wait until I think the nighttime temp is cool but not cold for these tender vegetables.

The garden bed has been prepped and enriched with compost. We just need some more rain to loosen the soil and seed coats once the direct sowing has been done.

Over the weekend, I planted the perennials I got from a mail order catalog. Hopefully, they will bring more native pollinators to our gardens as they were all native plants.

Writing

Since February, I’ve been making monthly writing goals. Today, I’ll sit down and write them out for May – although I know what some of them are already. It helps me to accomplish them if I write them down. This isn’t as stringent as handing in a goal list to an employer, it’s just for my own use and direction. I have always been goal directed and continue to be so even though I don’t report to anyone but myself!

I shared a poem I wrote for our local educators last week on Pocket Poem Day. It’s the first sharing of my writing I’ve done that has not been on my blog or for editing by a friend or family member. It was well received and appreciated.

The proposed writer’s circle is on hold while I wait for community spaces to open up. I have three students interested in this small enrichment group. Three more would be ideal, but we do need a place to meet and call home base. The library would work well and I am planning to stop there again today to check if the small group rooms are now usable again.

However, my blog writing feels like I’m in a rut. I’ve felt like this for six to eight weeks. I feel the need to reorganize my page. I am still posting to Slice of Life: Tuesday and Poetry Friday. I’d like a new group to post to and am actively looking. If you know of any, please message me. My Silent Sunday posts are back after a brief hiatus in March. And, I’m posting food and/or diet posts on Mondays, calling them Foodie Monday. Surprisingly, they’ve been getting the most traffic.

Keep Moving

Lastly, most of my hobbies are sedentary – writing, jewelry making, reading and sewing. I need to be conscious of how much time I sit and keep moving during the day. Last week was very busy, so I think I’m doing okay with it.

There you have it – the story of my blog and project updates. What’s been keeping you busy?

Today is Slice of Life Tuesday. Thanks to TwoWritingTeachers.org for creating and hosting a supportive community forum for aspiring authors, teachers, and those who just love to write!