Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.
(Author: Shauna Reid)
There is no greater satisfaction than hosting a party that comes together perfectly, is relaxed and comfortable and mixes together a lot of diverse people who all get along. That describes my daughter's high school graduation party this past June. A graduation party? This is the party that "rocked your socks off?" Well actually, yes it did.
The basic idea of this party had the potential to be a very painful experience. Yet something made us forge ahead because, if we could by chance pull it off, it would be awesome. We all wanted to be with my daughter for her celebration --- my husband, my mother, our relatives...her father, his wife, their kids, their relatives...our neighbors....our friends...her friends...see what I mean? Could we honestly pull off a party where EVERYONE came? Sure, why not? Let's push it a bit more, how about if we (my husband and I AND my ex-husband and his wifeI) co-hosted? Sure, friends thought we were crazy. Honestly, I thought we were crazy. But we did it anyway and it was pretty terrific.
We were blessed with a beautiful sunny day. The party was in the yard. The food was in the dining room and a continuously running slide show of 18 years of my daughter's life was in the living room. There was also a table set up with muslin squares and pigma pens for guests to write messages to be incorporated into a quilt. (Note: yes, this would be the dreaded graduation quilt mentioned a few posts ago.) Throughout the day, people dropped in and visited. They talked and ate and sat down to watch the slide show. Most signed quilt blocks and said their good-byes. Others came early and stayed late. Still other came late and stayed even later. By the end of the night, as we cleaned up, there were still a group of my daughter's friends outside laughing and telling stories in the dark.
The food was great. The menu was chosen by my daughter. I made several pans of macaroni and cheese, buffalo chicken bites and hamburger barbecue and her stepmother (who is from Mexico) made an amazing taco bar with various fillings, homemade salsa and toppings. There was great chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting.
Miss Scarlett, the sometimes crazy beagle, was on her best behavior visting with people and getting too many treats. Even the cats made quiet appearances from time to time, didn't jump up on non-cat people and disappeared when things got a bit loud.
So why did this party rock my socks off? Because we dared to dream that we could pull off a party that included a widely diverse groups of people who shared one common thing -- they love my daughter. And we were right! Dream Big!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
#reverb10 - Day 8 - Beautifully Different
December 8 – Beautifully Different.
Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful.
(Author: Karen Walrond)
I like to think I am different. I don't want to do what everyone else does or think what everyone else thinks. Sometimes my desire to be different is affirmed when I suddenly realize that the people around me don't think the way I do. When Men Are From Mars: Women Are From Venus came out, I eagerly got my hands on a copy. ready to learn about the secret world of men This would help me understand relationships and I would be ready to face them head on. After a few chapters, I was pretty excited as I read through the various traits that described me....too bad I was reading the section about men! It may be a bit of an exaggeration but I have always remembered it when I get frustrated about a relationship and often realize that I'm not re-acting the way a woman is supposed to re-act (well at least according to the book author). I still think it is a great book about relationships but I need to refer to both sexes to figure myself out.
My tendency to approach things in my own way, often with a wildly different perspective has turned out to be pretty valuable. I was on the debate team in high school. At the time, I thought it was because I just liked to argue. However, it taught me to see both sides of an issue and when you're debating competitively, it doesn't really matter if you believe the side you are representing. You just have to have the opposite view of the other team and effectively present your argument. Is this where it all began? I think so.
In my real life job, I am involved with the preservation of historic buildings. This is not a job for someone who does not like confrontation. The fight to preserve something can be exciting, challenging, confrontational and sometimes downright hateful. Emotions are very close to the surface and can bubble over without warning. I feel that one of the most effective tools I bring to the table is the ability to see both sides of the issue and to speak the language of opposing parties. It has served me well in my career and has resulted in some pretty great compromises and a lot of assuaged feelings.
I've never followed the crowd, never needed to be like everyone else and actually enjoy being different. I think it is a pretty cool quality. My friends may think some of my ideas are odd but I think its one of the things they like about me and I'm not shy about sharing my opinions.
The other element that makes me "beautifully different" is my sense of humor. Though it is not universally appreciated, I think it plays a very important role in who I am. It can be a bit sarcastic at times but never intended to be mean. This is a trait that I acquired from my father, either genetically (who knows, might be) or by just being close to him. For me, humor is the way through any situation, even the uncomfortable ones.
So what makes me beautifully different? A unique perspective and a wicked sense of humor. There are many things about myself I'd like to change but those two traits I will keep proudly.
Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful.
(Author: Karen Walrond)
I like to think I am different. I don't want to do what everyone else does or think what everyone else thinks. Sometimes my desire to be different is affirmed when I suddenly realize that the people around me don't think the way I do. When Men Are From Mars: Women Are From Venus came out, I eagerly got my hands on a copy. ready to learn about the secret world of men This would help me understand relationships and I would be ready to face them head on. After a few chapters, I was pretty excited as I read through the various traits that described me....too bad I was reading the section about men! It may be a bit of an exaggeration but I have always remembered it when I get frustrated about a relationship and often realize that I'm not re-acting the way a woman is supposed to re-act (well at least according to the book author). I still think it is a great book about relationships but I need to refer to both sexes to figure myself out.
My tendency to approach things in my own way, often with a wildly different perspective has turned out to be pretty valuable. I was on the debate team in high school. At the time, I thought it was because I just liked to argue. However, it taught me to see both sides of an issue and when you're debating competitively, it doesn't really matter if you believe the side you are representing. You just have to have the opposite view of the other team and effectively present your argument. Is this where it all began? I think so.
In my real life job, I am involved with the preservation of historic buildings. This is not a job for someone who does not like confrontation. The fight to preserve something can be exciting, challenging, confrontational and sometimes downright hateful. Emotions are very close to the surface and can bubble over without warning. I feel that one of the most effective tools I bring to the table is the ability to see both sides of the issue and to speak the language of opposing parties. It has served me well in my career and has resulted in some pretty great compromises and a lot of assuaged feelings.
I've never followed the crowd, never needed to be like everyone else and actually enjoy being different. I think it is a pretty cool quality. My friends may think some of my ideas are odd but I think its one of the things they like about me and I'm not shy about sharing my opinions.
The other element that makes me "beautifully different" is my sense of humor. Though it is not universally appreciated, I think it plays a very important role in who I am. It can be a bit sarcastic at times but never intended to be mean. This is a trait that I acquired from my father, either genetically (who knows, might be) or by just being close to him. For me, humor is the way through any situation, even the uncomfortable ones.
So what makes me beautifully different? A unique perspective and a wicked sense of humor. There are many things about myself I'd like to change but those two traits I will keep proudly.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
#reverb10 - Day 7 - Community
Prompt: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?
(Author: Cali Harris)
The age of the internet allows us to have multiple kinds of interaction, some with people we may never meet. It's hard to imagine that this phenomenon has come upon us so quickly. It almost seems overwhelming when you start to think about the people you now connect with on a regular basis through online communities of all kinds. In the days of phone calls, snail mail and chance encounters at the grocery store, your circle of interactions was fairly limited. Now on a daily basis, I have an exchange with an online quilting group, an email group of very close friends who all live fairly far apart, and, on Facebook, high school and college friends, work colleagues, quilting friends, acquaintances from previous careers, my daughter and some of her friends and few podcasters whose programs I listen to regularly. Wow! How in the world do I have time to get any actual work done?
There is nothing that will make you question what yourself about these relationships than to tell your 77 year-old mother about your "friend" in Kansas City whom you've never met, nor actually ever spoken to, yet you know their cat's name and their husband's favorite food and what their latest quilting project is. Life is fast-paced. There is no denying it; we have evolved into a community of people who quickly check in and catch up with a great deal of people with whom we share something in common -- a hobby, an interest or a career. I think its fun to see what gets other folks excited and its comforting to know you can reach out at any time and connect with someone without worrying about waking someone up or bothering them.
On the other hand, I have actually met a number of my online friends over the years on a variety of occasions including a cruise, a wedding or two (including my own), a graduation party for my daughter and a wonderful shopping trip for quilting fabric in Lancaster County, PA. I've even gone off to quilt camp with a few of my online friends combining my "in person" quilting friends from my quilt guild with my "virtual" quilting friends. And you know what? People are people. It's been my experience that if you become friends online, you actually end up knowing someone a whole lot better than some people you see in the flesh. So far, there hasn't been one online friend whom I've met in person that I didn't like just as much as I liked them online. In person and online, I know so many great people.
I cherish the friendships I have discovered through my online community. They have become some of the dearest people to me. My quilting friends are quick with encouragement and good advice and just the nicest people. We have been through some tough times and some wonderful times together. I truly hope that continues for a very long time.
Love you Tiara Babes!
(Author: Cali Harris)
The age of the internet allows us to have multiple kinds of interaction, some with people we may never meet. It's hard to imagine that this phenomenon has come upon us so quickly. It almost seems overwhelming when you start to think about the people you now connect with on a regular basis through online communities of all kinds. In the days of phone calls, snail mail and chance encounters at the grocery store, your circle of interactions was fairly limited. Now on a daily basis, I have an exchange with an online quilting group, an email group of very close friends who all live fairly far apart, and, on Facebook, high school and college friends, work colleagues, quilting friends, acquaintances from previous careers, my daughter and some of her friends and few podcasters whose programs I listen to regularly. Wow! How in the world do I have time to get any actual work done?
There is nothing that will make you question what yourself about these relationships than to tell your 77 year-old mother about your "friend" in Kansas City whom you've never met, nor actually ever spoken to, yet you know their cat's name and their husband's favorite food and what their latest quilting project is. Life is fast-paced. There is no denying it; we have evolved into a community of people who quickly check in and catch up with a great deal of people with whom we share something in common -- a hobby, an interest or a career. I think its fun to see what gets other folks excited and its comforting to know you can reach out at any time and connect with someone without worrying about waking someone up or bothering them.
On the other hand, I have actually met a number of my online friends over the years on a variety of occasions including a cruise, a wedding or two (including my own), a graduation party for my daughter and a wonderful shopping trip for quilting fabric in Lancaster County, PA. I've even gone off to quilt camp with a few of my online friends combining my "in person" quilting friends from my quilt guild with my "virtual" quilting friends. And you know what? People are people. It's been my experience that if you become friends online, you actually end up knowing someone a whole lot better than some people you see in the flesh. So far, there hasn't been one online friend whom I've met in person that I didn't like just as much as I liked them online. In person and online, I know so many great people.
I cherish the friendships I have discovered through my online community. They have become some of the dearest people to me. My quilting friends are quick with encouragement and good advice and just the nicest people. We have been through some tough times and some wonderful times together. I truly hope that continues for a very long time.
Love you Tiara Babes!
#reverb10 - Day 6 Make
Prompt: Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?
What was the last thing I made? Does that mean finished? This is a challenging question posed to the queen of UFOs (unfinished objects) and WIPs (works in progress). I routinely have multiple knitting and quilting projects going on at once. There is usually one that is the favorite child and gets the most attention. Sometimes that child misbehaves and needs a time out and another one comes out to take its place. Sometimes they all need a time out because I've gotten excited about starting a new project (or two or three). That, my friends, is called "start-itis."
I do finish things. I think the last finished project was a lovely ruffled neck warmer made from baby blue alpaca from Peru, a gift from a friend who visited there. When I look at it, it makes me smile. Now I haven't actually worn it yet. And sadly, I have to admit that I rarely wear what I make. There are exceptions to this...wool fingerless mitts for typing on cold days in the office and a nice cotton shawl that I wrap around my shoulders when I read. The cold hard reality is that I enjoy the process of knitting far more than I enjoy the finished project.
I am a process knitter, a process quilter and just a process person in general. I love learning new skills. I love the period of time spent working on the project the most. Many times, once I have mastered the new stitch or technique, I lose interest. I do want to finish projects but I don't much care about them once they are completed. This has both good and bad consequences. It is very good for charity...finished shawls donated to hospice, preemie hats donated to the hospital, or scarves to anyone who admires them. It is very bad for family members and friends who are waiting for promised projects to be finished and passed on to be enjoyed. Right now, my daughter's high school graduation quilt is a bit of a touchy subject. She is convinced she'll be graduating college before she gets it.
I love choosing the right material -- wool, cotton, acrylic -- depending on the final product. I especially love choosing the colors. I love color; every color. Color makes me happy. Fabric makes me really, really happy. I love good quality 100% cotton quilting fabric. I love acquiring it and fondling it, sometimes I even use it. When I am using the yarn or the fabric, I am content and at peace. I am caught up in the process of creating.
I want to be knitting and quilting every day and if I could carve out a little more time to do it, I might finish more projects...or have more time to start new ones. Happy crafting!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
#reverb10 - Day 5 Let Go
PROMPT: What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?
Let go and let God. It's a simple prayer for those times when you just don't know what to do to manage the thing over which you have no control. Why do we wait until we've tried everything else without success before we let go...and let God? This is not meant to be preachy in any way. It just seems that we have to be at the end of our rope awash in frustration or anger or sorrow before we can force ourselves to "let go".
I'm a Lutheran these days after spending most of my life as a Catholic. It may be a cliche but I think I developed a great deal of Catholic guilt while I was learning the stations of the cross and praying the rosary. I can easily convince myself that all things that are wrong in life are my fault in some way. Someone is unhappy....my fault. A change in routine at work that is not going over well....my fault. The destruction of the Amazon rain forest....my fault. OK, I'm not sure I can really justify that one but it doesn't make me feel any less guilty.
I suffer from a bit of an over-zealous habit to please everyone. I overextend myself regularly to make sure all the details are under control so that every thing is "perfect" and everyone is getting whatever it is that they need. Sadly, sometimes, to the point where I'm the one that isn't happy.
So if recognizing you have a problem is the beginning of the solution, what have I done to let things (anything, something) go? I haven't completely figured it out yet, but I have come a long way in the last year in not planning everything to within an inch of its life. I like when things go as I have visioned them in my mind. But alas, things seldom go as planned. I have worked really hard this year to accept the changes that are inevitable. Recently, my carefully made plans for a weekend changed at least seven times before Friday arrived. As each issue arose that lead to the change, I quickly adapted and starting planning again. I don't think I'll ever be able to get beyond the need to over-plan even the contingency plan but I have come a long way in how I react to the change.
I declare that a good step in letting go.
Let go and let God. It's a simple prayer for those times when you just don't know what to do to manage the thing over which you have no control. Why do we wait until we've tried everything else without success before we let go...and let God? This is not meant to be preachy in any way. It just seems that we have to be at the end of our rope awash in frustration or anger or sorrow before we can force ourselves to "let go".
I'm a Lutheran these days after spending most of my life as a Catholic. It may be a cliche but I think I developed a great deal of Catholic guilt while I was learning the stations of the cross and praying the rosary. I can easily convince myself that all things that are wrong in life are my fault in some way. Someone is unhappy....my fault. A change in routine at work that is not going over well....my fault. The destruction of the Amazon rain forest....my fault. OK, I'm not sure I can really justify that one but it doesn't make me feel any less guilty.
I suffer from a bit of an over-zealous habit to please everyone. I overextend myself regularly to make sure all the details are under control so that every thing is "perfect" and everyone is getting whatever it is that they need. Sadly, sometimes, to the point where I'm the one that isn't happy.
So if recognizing you have a problem is the beginning of the solution, what have I done to let things (anything, something) go? I haven't completely figured it out yet, but I have come a long way in the last year in not planning everything to within an inch of its life. I like when things go as I have visioned them in my mind. But alas, things seldom go as planned. I have worked really hard this year to accept the changes that are inevitable. Recently, my carefully made plans for a weekend changed at least seven times before Friday arrived. As each issue arose that lead to the change, I quickly adapted and starting planning again. I don't think I'll ever be able to get beyond the need to over-plan even the contingency plan but I have come a long way in how I react to the change.
I declare that a good step in letting go.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
#reverb10 - Day 4
Prompt: Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?
A sense of wonder...this prompt has left me perplexed all day. I tried looking up the definition of "wonder" and "sense of wonder" for some inspiration and came away with the idea that I needed to have been reading science fiction in order to experience wonder. I don't think that's what the author of the prompt had in mind.
Other parts of the definition seem to focus on nature, if not science. To me, wonder occurs when you take the time to really see and appreciate the world around you and to allow yourself to be amazed by it, struck with a sense of awe. To know that there is a higher power that has created it all is humbling. I find that being a quilter keeps me constantly aware of the beauty and wonder around me. A quilt block design idea appears from gazing at the tile floor in a building. An October walk along a path flanked by trees in their fall clothes...red, yellow, orange, green and brown inspires me to design fabric in my head that might possibly capture that riot of color. The commute home takes me west and I experience the wonderful colors of a setting sun and sometimes, clouds that are pierced by rays of sunlight (God's light, I think it is called). This leads me to think of how how I would capture the feeling of a sunset in a quilt.
The knitter in me plans to dye fiber that will mimic the colors around me. How would I capture the impressionist mix of colors as I watch a creek flow by in the sunlight with its million shades of color and reflection? I almost want to take a paintbrush and add the colors one by one to the yarn. What would that look like when it is knit into something else? Would the colors stay true or would they blend to create a new color?
I do spend a lot of time naming my fictional fabric and yarn line or creating the perfect design of my virtual quilts. The places I see inspire me to create fun names that ideally convey the story but contain a secret meaning or double-entendre Piece on Earth, my blog name, perfectly describes the sense of delight I experience when I find the name that pops into my head and makes me say, "yes!" I love the idea of truly achieving peace on earth and hope that I do my part to contribute to it in my little corner of the universe. My adventures in quilting and knitting involve lots of pieces of fabric and fiber so combining the two hononyms just made me smile. I am still completely in love with the name of my blog.
I know that quilting and knitting certainly help me in my efforts to be peaceful, kind and loving and I can't help but think if more of the world took up these crafts, maybe we would all be a bit closer to peace on earth.
Don't lose your sense of wonder or your ability to be amazed by the world around you. Peace on earth to all.
Friday, December 3, 2010
#reverb10 - Day 3
Prompt: Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).
This year my daughter headed off to her first year of college. She really wanted to take a trip to the beach before she left. For me, the beach is where I go to relax, recharge and dream. However, for the very first time, this trip would include not just my daughter but my husband (her step dad) as well. It wasn't the first time that the three of us had gone to the beach but it was the first time that my daughter wasn't taking a friend along AND the first time that the three of us would share one hotel room instead of a condo. I was excited but a bit nervous.
My husband met my daughter when she was 10 and became her step dad when she was 15. Their relationship is still evolving and I wasn't sure I could enjoy this trip while acting as the conduit (or maybe the translator) between the two of them.
One evening, the three of us walked about six blocks to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. We were seated towards the back of the a very full restaurant. Latin music played happily, punctuated by the sounds of chatter and laughter. We munched on crisp tortillas and enjoyed the wonderful smell of grilled fajitas, Dinner talk included conversation about graduation, the summer and the quickly approaching start of college. I slowly came to realize that we were having a pretty awesome time with great conversation that didn't seem forced. And best of all, I wasn't the one doing most of the talking.
This lovely dinner came to an end and we made our way to the front of the restaurant with happy smiles and suddenly found ourselves crowded shoulder to shoulder with a lot of people trying to leave. Peeking through the heads, we discovered the the rain that had been threatening all day had arrived with all the force predicted. It was dark and it was pouring, the kind of rain that soaks you to the skin in a few minutes. So we joined the crowd of people waiting for the rain to slow. One by one, cars came by to pick some folks up and others opened umbrellas or put on brightly colored rain coats and started walking. We, of course, did not think the threat of rain was serious enough to actually bring umbrellas.
After a few minutes, we realized there was no sign of it slowing and we decided to just make a run for it.....six blocks! We started running and were immediately soaked to the skin. The heat of the day and our sunburns were immediately cooled. After a bit of running, it became rather comical because we were truly drenched and whether we got back to the hotel in ten minutes or twenty minutes wasn't going to make a difference in our current soaked condition. The rain, however, was pretty hard and so we began running from one striped shop awning to another and stopping....just to have a small reprieve from the pounding rain. Eventually I took off my sandals and ran through the puddles in my bare feet, something I hadn't done in years. All the while, we were keeping up this funny burst of running, stopping and laughing, and then running again.
Finally back at the hotel, we took turns in the bathroom peeling off our drenched clothes and wrapping ourselves in warm, fluffy towels. The rain continued and we eventually went out to the balcony to watch the ocean and the rain put on a beautiful show.
Even now, four months later, I can still recall the feeling of running bare foot in the rain with my wet pants flapping around my legs and giggling uncontrollably.
This year my daughter headed off to her first year of college. She really wanted to take a trip to the beach before she left. For me, the beach is where I go to relax, recharge and dream. However, for the very first time, this trip would include not just my daughter but my husband (her step dad) as well. It wasn't the first time that the three of us had gone to the beach but it was the first time that my daughter wasn't taking a friend along AND the first time that the three of us would share one hotel room instead of a condo. I was excited but a bit nervous.
My husband met my daughter when she was 10 and became her step dad when she was 15. Their relationship is still evolving and I wasn't sure I could enjoy this trip while acting as the conduit (or maybe the translator) between the two of them.
One evening, the three of us walked about six blocks to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. We were seated towards the back of the a very full restaurant. Latin music played happily, punctuated by the sounds of chatter and laughter. We munched on crisp tortillas and enjoyed the wonderful smell of grilled fajitas, Dinner talk included conversation about graduation, the summer and the quickly approaching start of college. I slowly came to realize that we were having a pretty awesome time with great conversation that didn't seem forced. And best of all, I wasn't the one doing most of the talking.
This lovely dinner came to an end and we made our way to the front of the restaurant with happy smiles and suddenly found ourselves crowded shoulder to shoulder with a lot of people trying to leave. Peeking through the heads, we discovered the the rain that had been threatening all day had arrived with all the force predicted. It was dark and it was pouring, the kind of rain that soaks you to the skin in a few minutes. So we joined the crowd of people waiting for the rain to slow. One by one, cars came by to pick some folks up and others opened umbrellas or put on brightly colored rain coats and started walking. We, of course, did not think the threat of rain was serious enough to actually bring umbrellas.
After a few minutes, we realized there was no sign of it slowing and we decided to just make a run for it.....six blocks! We started running and were immediately soaked to the skin. The heat of the day and our sunburns were immediately cooled. After a bit of running, it became rather comical because we were truly drenched and whether we got back to the hotel in ten minutes or twenty minutes wasn't going to make a difference in our current soaked condition. The rain, however, was pretty hard and so we began running from one striped shop awning to another and stopping....just to have a small reprieve from the pounding rain. Eventually I took off my sandals and ran through the puddles in my bare feet, something I hadn't done in years. All the while, we were keeping up this funny burst of running, stopping and laughing, and then running again.
Finally back at the hotel, we took turns in the bathroom peeling off our drenched clothes and wrapping ourselves in warm, fluffy towels. The rain continued and we eventually went out to the balcony to watch the ocean and the rain put on a beautiful show.
Even now, four months later, I can still recall the feeling of running bare foot in the rain with my wet pants flapping around my legs and giggling uncontrollably.
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