Perspective

Much frustration comes from putting self interest first. When I pray and feel it in my heart,"Thy will be done," God gifts me with perspective and a softened heart. Instead of harshness or self pity He shows me how to live beyond myself. If only it were easy to do this all of the time. I was cleaning a cabin with my daughter and I took this picture from the window. The trees on this bluff have a beauty I find appealing. They are defined by the wind. It is a raw, natural beauty gleaned from hardship. The winds in life offer me the capacity to elevate my soul to what truly matters. At the end of the day when my toddler sat on her potty unrolling an entire roll of toilet paper (a new privilege) and than trying to tear each into a two square piece leaves me with the choice of my perspective. How and what I say/do or what I don't say/do says everything about who I am inside. At the times when I am rooted in Him and living beyond myself than the choices I make will be beautiful. Sent from my iPhone

A sweater

Grace was gifted to me when my daughter fell asleep early the evening I wanted to begin finishing this lace sweater. She hasn't done that in a month. It was the gift I needed and I finished before dark. Grace was gifted me a second time when I lost all the drafts on my phone - except for this post. I knit this on 2mm needles and I used lace weight baby alpaca. The pattern and design are my own. I've rejected following patterns years ago. If this type of knitting appeals to you my tip is to make swatches. Success is all in the planning. It has taken me awhile to learn this. The swatch if it is wool should be taken off the needles and blocked as this will give accurate measurements and will show the drape. Knowing how it hangs can be a defining point in the success of a project as is knitting the correct size. Both of these are determining factors as to whether or not your garment will get worn. I am very pleased with my sweater. I am wearing it in the cabin when it feels cool and it is cozy.

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A woodshed

In early April I discovered the last of my double tarped firewood was wet. Somehow a trickle of water had gotten in with the winter rains. Most of the wood was ok but some of it was quite wet. I quickly moved all of it into the roofless woodshed that I have been building and put a piece of plastic over the wood. The woodshed is located in a very sunny spot in my yard and I knew it would dry out much quicker there than the shaded spot where it had been. The weather has changed now and I rarely find the need to light any fires in the woodstove. Yesterday I completely finished framing the woodshed although the metal roof is not on. I will order that the next time I buy lumber. Until then I will be putting plastic over the framed roof. It's been a long dusty haul to get to this point but my heart and eyes lift graciously to the eternal God for his gracious blessings.

Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone

Curtains and tips for using a sad iron

I put up a pair of curtains in my kitchen window. It is a smallish window mounted over one of my counters. After putting up a rod that I found in my shed I attached the clip's to a pair of pillow cases that my great grandmother embroidered. Everything came together perfectly as they were the right length for the window. They were deeply creased so I put my sad iron on the wood stove and than I ironed them. I've learned a few things about how to do this easily and I am sharing my technique. My sad iron has a detachable wooden handle. I take the handle off while it is warming and than I put the handle on when I use it. I know how hot the iron is by how hot my stove is. When I use the iron I prefer a low fire in the woodstove. If the iron is not hot enough it simply won't iron out the creases but if it is too hot it will burn holes but that has never happened to me. I like to use a dampened pressing cloth on some things like white's and I typically mist the other's with a spray bottle before ironing. I like to work near the stove and when I need to set the iron down I put it back on the stove for rewarming. For large items I follow my grandmother's advice. I sprinkle water on it (sometimes I use a mister) and wrap it in a towel and leave it for a day to moisten before ironing. Sad irons are easy to use but they do require some intuition and relatively strong arms. The irons come in different sizes and weights and when they are off duty they make an ideal doorstop. Ironing this way is slower than an electric iron but there is something to be gained in spending time this way. It is a task that I enjoy even though it requires more from me. My late great grandmother was an exceptional woman in her time and her faith and strength encourages me and the curtains are a reminder.

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