I had a rare moment to catch up with Lady Lydia’s latest this wknd and had to smile when reading her advice for lifting one’s mood. I have been consciously working on that myself this month and much the same ways she describes. A blog is necessarily a small slice of life, versus a sum total of our experiences, usually the parts we most wish to remember. For every happy memory recorded there are others less so that we carry in our hearts. Sometimes it feels odd to record crafting or thrift store finds while going through other trials. Yet, these too are part of life and often they become the very things that bring balance and well-being to us. So they are included here.

The logistics of a very large family mean that someone you care about (or you, yourself) is experiencing some sort of difficulty pretty much at any given moment. It also means there are dishes to wash, children to bathe, and gifts to arrange. That is a blessing. We are prevented from obsessing as most of us have the tendency to do in those circumstances. Keeping busy is the best medicine. Keeping busy making lovely things for others is even better. It reminds us that all is not dismal and that there is still beauty in the world. It keeps our focus on what we CAN do and outside of ourselves. All good things.

Long before there was Valium there were needle and thread. This has been my pastime of choice in recent weeks for several reasons. I wanted to make some gifts for Christmas and realize now is the time to do it. I needed something that was repetitive and absorbing but not too demanding. Only problem is my oft-mentioned aversion to Kute with a K. Solution? I found this gorgeous pattern book at the library and began a project – a missal (or bible) cover. It is coming together quite quickly -including a short pause when I needed more floss – and I am diving into another, this time using the freebie at Holy Needle. (you will only be able to fit the center motif if you are making it into a cover) Shoot, if I stay stressed enough I might just knock out the entire Christmas list before the summer’s over. ; D

Seriously though, the entire book is stunning and I can’t say that about most cross-stitch resources. There was another I picked up and hope to work from soon. It is full of William Morris reproductions. They are a great fit with mission style decor, elegant but not fussy. Both books consist of very basic cross stitch technique and are geared towards Aida cloth versus linen. Again, a rare thing to find refined patterns in Aida count charts. (note- it seems if you wish to convert an evenweave pattern, then half the linen count to get the Aida count)