nearly a cardigan

quick check in...

because our accountability challenge is nearing the end...

this sweater is blocking down in my sewing studio

and the buttons are on order!

how about you?

any progress to share?

xo

blue, indigo, grey, silver and lavender

It is a Ted Kooser*  kind of day up here on the ridge.

I know that there are those who cannot imagine living 

in a place like this,

with it's deep cold and grey days and blustery winds...

but, oh,

this place brings tears to my eyes more times than I care to tell.

Is it blue or indigo or grey or silver or lavender?

Does it matter?

It's just here,

being gorgeous and uncomplicated and breathtaking.

Sanctuary.

xo

*Poet Ted Kooser, see Winter Morning Walks: one hundred postcards to Jim Harrison

tula tuesday::week 44 (oops...tula wednesday)

 block number 22

from tula pink's

city sampler

100 modern quilt blocks

(stitched with homegrown, hand dyed tansy yellow cotton).

 and the inspiration.

tête-à-tête daffodils on a snowy windowsill.

 block number 10

from tula pink's book.

and the inspiration.

another gorgeous amaryllis,

pulled up from the root cellar

and showing off her spectacular colors.

we are under yet another winter weather advisory,

from 8PM tonight through 10AM tomorrow.

3-5 inches of snow expected,

briefly mixing with sleet after midnight.

this is one of the coldest, snowiest winters

we've experienced in vermont.

thank goodness for all the flowers

that have distracted us from the often grey landscape outside.

i drool over the posh glass conservatories

in some of the british home and garden magazines,

but realistically a sunny windowsill here in vermont 

is just fine by me.

stay cozy, friends!

xo

(ps have you been watching the moon these past few nights?)

the rudder of our own mind*

It's 4 degrees outside and I am sipping tea and dreaming

of indigo growing in our gardens here at our

"bit of earth".

Shifting my attention from all that makes me weary

and embracing that which nurtures me.

Friends, where is your attention today?

xo

*see yesterday's post, here.

deploying our attention

Don't know if it's just feeling tapped out
by the flu and a busy "catch up" week...

or the constant barrage of crap
coming out of the current administration,

but my usual reserve of
hope and fortitude is low right now.

I found this quote on On Being's Instagram account...

"We can actually be the

rudder of our own mind and...

direct it where we would like it

to be directed by strengthening

our capacity to voluntarily

deploy our attention."

-Richard Davidson

I am going to carry this gentle reminder 

with me in to the weekend.

xo

hello again

 February added insult to January's injury

and landed me in bed for a week with the flu.

Even though I had a flu shot.

Eye roll.

At least the nursing staff was attentive.

 There was lots of sleeping.

And quiet meditation in the afternoon sun.

 The view offered respite

at all times of the day and night.

My friend Orion has been bending near.

 The bulbs have been coming up from the root cellar

to cheer me along the road to recovery.

And these two have really been a comfort,

Batman too. xo

I missed Book Club and our
Vermont Modern Quilt Guild meeting.
:-(

I've been upright for two days now.

Small victories!

Looking forward to reconnecting with you all here.

Accountability challenge,

Ted Kooser poetry,

Tula Tuesday squares

and all sorts of other things...

Right now?

A mug of herbal tea and a spot at the 

window, where I can see the next snowstorm

blowing in across the valley!

giveaway winner

 the meetinghouse on tuesday,

 strikingly beautiful on a "bluebird day".
(an old vermont term for a perfect ski day,
blue sky and plenty of powder).

the meetinghouse, 24 hours later,
with snow in the sky.

just down the road a'piece.

My apologies for the delayed results from the
ilovermont sewandsowlife giveaway...

LORI,  you are the winner!
Please remind me of your snail mail address via an e-mail.

Thanks to all of you...
6 via commnets and two e-mail entrants...
for your fun and thoughtful answers
to my query about what you would put into
a collection of goodies from your neck of the woods.

I have ideas for two more giveaways to celebrate 10 years
of posts here at sew and sow life...

Hope you're having a great weekend.
Please be sure to check out yesterday's post if you missed it.
xo

accountability challenge

Goodbye January. You were not kind to our family, and I am delighted to see February take your place. In an effort to refocus on my word for 2019, productivity, I've jotted down some things I want to be sure to accomplish in the creative neighborhood of my life. I'm revisiting the accountability game I've played with you before, friends. I pledge to get this list of things accomplished by the end of February.

How about you? Do you have any languishing projects that you'd like to finish? Or maybe you have something you'd like to try for the very first time. Do you have a deadline you are trying to meet? Maybe you just have a batch of new recipes you'd like to try.

If you'd like to come along with me on this accountability adventure, take a bit of time to consider what you would like to commit to. Write it down on a piece of paper. Keep it somewhere in plain sight so it will serve as a gentle reminder. Share it here in the comments if you really want to be accountable.

To ease your shyness, I am going to do some full disclosure. I'm going to prove to you just how long two of these projects have been hanging around my studio...

• This quilt has been under construction since 2009. I am going to have a member of our VTMQG quilt it for me. I have never had a quilt stitched by a professional before, but this is a special one. I am highly motivated to get this into Karen's hands by our next gathering, February 10th. 
• This sweater has been on the needles since 2011. I finished knitting it in October, now it just needs to be sewn at the seams and blocked.

(Good grief.)

So...I pledge to post updates with photos of my progress, and to offer you encouragement on your projects.

Let's do this!

xo