Dream Catcher - Beneficial or Decorative

We all have dreams when we sleep, the kind we have no control over. Few we may remember, but most are lost as soon as we open our eyes. I dream so close to reality that at times I have to ask if I already had a conversation or dreamed it. At one time I was plaque by nightmares pretty consistently.

I see people in my dreams and in a short time, I happen to run into them when I'm out or receive a call out of the blue. The dreams usually show how the encounter happens, but I never seem to put the pieces together until it all starts to happen. For the most part my dreams are pretty mild these days, which is such a relief.

In my mind the dreamcatcher is used to protect us from nightmares while offering insights into our subconscious.

I have been drawn to dream catchers for many years now, but wanted something that suited me and my particular style. About a year or so ago, my husband and I found a large simple one that could be modified to be exactly what I envisioned. The final outcome was this gorgeous red and purple dream catcher that hangs directly about our bed. The hope is all the nightmares will be blocked and only the positive, supportive, inspirational, insightful dreams will find their way into my sleep.

However, there is one that always slips right through when I'm drowning in stress, projects, obligations, health, etc. It comes as a reminder that something has to give to allow life to return to its best pace. I learned this lesson about 10 years ago when the dreams showed up three times in one week. Let's just say, driving across a bridge, then going off into the water is definitely representative of drowning. After the third dream I did some reading and it indicated that I was drowning in some area of my life.

Now, all these years later, I recognize the dream and get up to devise a plan to slow down, this could mean any one of several things: taking something off my to do list, change the timing of deadlines or delete unnecessary things, in order to allow my body to rest.

Recently I have redone a couple dream catchers for others that are unique to each individual's color and style. Although not everyone believes they can catch our dreams, they still make gorgeous decor pieces.

My dreamcatcher serves as a reminder to fall asleep with a hope of sweet dreams. 

What are your thoughts, beneficial or decorative?

101 Things - September 2023 Update

August was all about getting one of my daughters settled in the college dorm, then trying to return to my list and hobbies. However, my body had other plans, I became sick and spent over two weeks either in bed or trying to regain my strength. As you will see from this month's update not much progress was made, but even small steps are considered when you're on life's journey.

ITEMS IN PROGRESS

30) Watch 10 TED Talks.

Two more done, six to go.

The Power of Introverts by Susan Cain

How to Spot a Liar by Pamela Meyer

53) Journal daily for 30 Days

As part of my One Little Word journey this year, I am tracking my reading and journaling during the month of September. The plan is to do some fun journaling in the evening using the Bella Grace Field Guide to Everyday Living magazine. I placed my magazine for journaling next to the bed as well as a couple others magazines for inspirational reading.

actio

76) Complete a coloring book. 

I'm actually working in two different books for this one. 

The first is a children's Buc-ee's coloring book. I purchased one for me and one for my youngest granddaughter who spends a lot of time with me, the goal is to slowly work through these as she develops her drawing and coloring skills.

The second is a mindfulness book I have had for years. I gathered my pencil colors and some great pens for my coloring time, which I enjoy while watching my favorite shows.

 Here's a sampling of some of my favorite pictures so far.

Signing off for now, so I can get back to making progress on my list. 

How's your list coming along?

Collage & Art Journaling for Fun

I am a planner and love decorating pages in my calendar. I have never had any desire to utilize an electronic calendar, because it would never work with my creative mind. Every month I create a collage in my weekly planner according to a color pallet or theme.  I also collage randomly in an art journal when I'm feeling inspired by something I have seen or heard. There is so much inspiration around us everywhere and it can all be translated into something creative using almost any medium of choice. Today, I'm focusing on paper collaging, using magazines, scrapbook paper, notecards, stickers, washi tape, tags, etc.

This first collage was created just last week. I had gotten in some new pads of paper and couldn't wait to cut pieces of them out and create my own layout. The window, chair and wheel caught my attention right away and from there it all came together beautifully. I actually created this on a blank piece of cardstock, then glued it into my art journal.

The collection of photos below includes items from my planner, and the cover of my art journal (top left). The bottom left t was created in January to highlight my word for the year and what I wanted to CREATE as the year progressed. In February, I took on the challenge of weaving together four separate magazine photos, look closely and see if you can determine what's there.

In this collection of photos, I have included my manifesto for the year as well as a few other collages and a couple art journal pages. I think my favorite is the feather, which was created with small bits of magazine scraps. The center right was just created a few days ago. It was a start and restart process till I was satisfied with the outcome.  Something I think we all need to be reminded of, is it's always okay to start over or walk away and come back when inspiration is fresh and renewed.

Lately, I've been working on not giving up on something just because it doesn't seem to be working out the way I envisioned Sometimes it's just a matter of reevaluating how I'm going about the process and the steps I'm taking. Have you ever caught yourself doing something one way, then realized you could accomplish what you want if you changed the steps or medium being used?

Quilting & Seasons of Change

Surely you saw this topic coming considering the blog title. When making a quilt we take pieces of fabric and patch them together to create something beautiful, shouldn't our live be just as beautiful?

Let's consider the pieces:

    Family                        Education                        Hobbies

    Friends                      Career                             Adventure

    Health                        Travel                              Fun

    

When we patch all these pieces together the outcome should be a life we love, but what if that's not the case? Have we failed? Absolutely not! I always say, "Life's a journey, enjoy the ride."

I believe we have to consider the chapter of life we are in; it can't be roses and sunshine all the time. Life changes, people change and sometimes things get lost, worn down or worn out along the way. So, in this regard we need to take a new look at things and decide if a piece no longer fits.

For example, let's take my life at the moment. The last of my children have graduated and are planning to go off to college or start their lives doing something else. My life as a mom is changing, because I will no longer have children at home. I feel stuck some days as if I'm unsure what to do. I've lost interest in doing things I normally enjoy, because I'm more caught up in my thoughts, wondering what life at home will be like when I wake up in the mornings and the house is empty. Their lives are shifting and changing, therefore mine will as well. 

Let's plug in a visual here, in the form of a quilt that I plan to transform.

 I purchased this at a quilt show over a year ago with a plan in mind to make it over into something new and different. Some of the seams were coming undone and a few of the fabrics could use to be replaced. 

My vision was of a crazy quilt with a variety of embellishments. The thing is I had no idea when I would have time to accomplish this, but it was too good of a deal to pass up.

Earlier this year I sat down to take the top apart in order to free up some space in my quilt room. I wanted to salvage the stars and throw out the rest.  The process took several hours with many breaks so my hands could rest.

The sashing would have been salvageable, but not something I wanted use and so out it went with the backing and batting. I was able to access each star as I went and only lost three in the process.

The outcome for the days' work was this pile of stars and I can still envision what this will someday become. With many projects on my shelves that need finished, these were placed safely away for the day I bring that vision to life.

Perhaps, this new chapter of my life will bring about more time to sew and quilt filling my days while the girls begin their own new chapters as young adults.

What shifts and changes are happening in your life now? 

Can you envision something new and different in the near future?

101 Things - August 2023 Update

First month with my 101 Things in 1001 Days has come to a close and I wanted to give an update on how my kickoff month went. I was able to complete five items on my list and got started on six.

ITEMS COMPLETED.

1) Write a letter to myself to open in 1001 days. 

This was easy, completed on day one, then placed inside my Day Zero journal.

67) Update evacuation checklist. 

Living in Southeast Texas, hurricane season is always a time to be prepared. Since, life has changed a bit the last few years it was time to update to insure nothing is missed.

5) Leave 100% tip for a server.

 I had the opportunity to have breakfast with my son as he traveled through Texas mid-month. We had a great visit at Cracker Barrel and since our server was wonderful, I chose to check this item off my list.

61) Go through homeschool records and condense. 

This was a little bittersweet as I worked my way through the girls work in elementary and middle school only keeping things they may want to see someday. I enjoyed seeing all their drawings and projects from when they were so young. I also went through all my lesson plan books and tossed them out, those were not needed and I have digital records of all the important things.

22) Purchase new couch for the living room. 

When I added this to the list it was not in the immediate plans, however when out shopping one day with my husband we decided to check out a few furniture stores, looking for a pair of chairs. We never expected to find a couch that we both liked and a chair that worked perfectly with the couch. Needless to say, I did not get what I was looking for, but did check something off my list earlier than expected.

ITEMS IN PROGRESS

A few of these will take some time while others may only take a few months.

30) Watch 10 TED Talks.

 I received a few recommendations from my sister early on in the month and chose one to get started, then did another of my choosing late one night before bed. Two down, eight to go. Here are links to what I've watched so far.

Play is More Than Just Fun by Stuart Brown

A 3-Step Guide to Believing in Yourself by Sheryl Lee Ralph

50) Play 5 new board games. 

During that breakfast with my son, who is an avid board gamer, we played my first new game of the year. Knowing we would be in public and have limited space he brough along Rhino Hero, a stacking card game. Being the shortest one in our family he couldn't resist taking this photo of me as I had to stand up for each of my plays to be able to see what I was doing. We played a couple rounds before our food arrived and one following, then enjoying a chat outside in the rocking chairs before heading our separate ways.

 63) Finish local author books I have purchased. 

A few months back I purchased a couple books from a young local author who wrote this first book when he was 12 years old. He wrote a second book the following year, to continue the story.

The book is titled Dream Boy by Spencer Buchanan

68) Update all online passwords. 

I am about halfway through all these, taking the time to login and insure nothing is recorded incorrectly. I am also actually rewriting the list to organize similar websites making it easier to locate, because some are used less often than others.

76) Complete a coloring book. 

I had planned to do a children's coloring book with my granddaughter, and purchaesed us matching Buc-ee's books. However, I have started working in one of several mindful coloring books I have using pencil colors for some pages and markers for others.  

69) Keep a journal for Day Zero challenge. 

I purchased a few journals the week before kicking off my 1001 days and added my list in the front of one immediately. The others will be used for various journaling prompts throughout this challenge.

I think that's a pretty good start for this 1001-day journey, check back next month to see what else I manage to check off my list.

Have you joined the Day Zero Challenge and made your list?

Day Zero Challenge - 101 Things in 1001 Days

Recently I ran across these list people were making where they aimed to complete 101 things in 1001 days. After some research I landed on the Day Zero site and was totally inspired to make my own list.

At first this seemed like it would be easy, because I always have so many ideas floating around in my thoughts and various notes throughout my planner. Wrong! It took me a few days, some time looking at list others have made, and conversations with people in my life, especially my sister.

Once my list was done, I chose a start date, found my end date, purchased a journal to document as I go through my list and placed the list inside. Here are some photos of the list I will be working on for the next 1001 days.

When I look back over my list, the item that always makes me smile the most is, finish a coloring book. This was not my idea, but one I ran across when I was trying to fill up my list. My plan is to find a child's coloring book that I can use when spending time with my younger grandchildren. 

If you made a list like this, what would you add for fun?

Who Am I AND How Did I Get Here?

The following statements were written two years ago, during a very dark time in my life.

I'm angry all the time.

I can't speak without being corrected.
I struggle to sit in the same room with anyone.
I feel lonely in a house full of people.
I am lost and unsure.
I am insecure about everything.
I second guess myself all day, everyday.

I am a wife. (unhappy and unconnected)

I am a mother. (unable to connect with my teens)

I am a grandmother. (unable to be close to them)

I am not someone I would not want to spend time with.

Today, there are times I still feel lost and unsure how to recover.  I know who I am but sometimes struggle to live life in a manner that lets people see me on the inside.  I speak, but scream on the inside, because no-one hears what I'm trying to say. Even as I type these words none of them are the ones I had planned to say.

Have you ever sat down to write a letter and felt as if someone hit the delete button on your brain?  You are left with nothing but fog where all the words were only moments ago.  This is my world most of the time. How am I ever going to make this work if I am unable to make my point?

Maybe, just maybe, that is the point of this blog, to recover all the things I know are there but lost in the fog. Where did I go and why did I allow myself to disappear?  

Home Again Patchwork, is about my continuing journey to fall in love again with all the wonderful things about myself and in my life.

Join me on my journey to rediscover and recover all the wisdom we gain over time.  Let's clear the fog once and for all and get back to being someone we call friend.

I will strive daily to release anger and find my happy again.

I will aim to speak in a way that others understand.

I will make a point of spending time in the presence of others.

I will find comfort within myself.

I will keep moving till I find the answers.

I will work at trusting my instincts.

I will leave behind self-doubt and move forward.

I am a wife, to a man who has always provided for our family.

I am a mother to five adult children. (36, 34, 25, 18, 18)

I am Granny to 5 extraordinary grandchildren. (15, 13, 10, 3, 2)

I am comfortable and confident in who I am as a person.

How are you feeling about your life at the moment?

 Do you need to find love and joy at home again?

If so, join me in putting the pieces back together just like you would a patchwork quilt.