Spring Back

I love a lazy morning. The sun coming through the curtains to rouse me to wake rather than the buzz of an alarm. A few slow moments resting still tucked in my sheets, watching the sun dust slowly fall in the mid-morning sun. It is finally spring, and yesterday was my first spring morning with a slow wake. And I'll tell you what- I feel revived. 

Spring Sarah has awoken. Like one of those sleepy head daisies from the animated Alice in Wonderland. Rubbing my crusty, tired eyes. Batting my petal lids at the sun. I've unfurled myself, readying for the sun to enliven me after a long long winter underground.

Every year, sometime around February, I dissolve a little. Don't get me wrong, I love winter. I seriously cry happy tears at the sight of the first snow! But after a couple months, I become stir crazy and pudgy from a sedentary snow lifestyle. And, like clockwork, the sadness comes. It's been this way since I was a teenager. 

And this year, since I had a husband to care for me and binge watch crappy television with, I didn't find respite in the creative outlet of my blog. In fact, I've abandoned it for a good long time. At one point, I considered giving it up for Lent since I'd already gone so long without it. (I know, I'm a cheater.)

When I'm sad, I know that making something, doing something creative WILL help me feel better. I know this, and yet it's so hard to just DO it. Isn't that the way it is for you? We know what's best for us, but it's starting a new habit that's the hardest. Or even re-starting, in the case of this neglected website.

So this morning, the sun shining in, It's the first step. The tiny push to get the ball rolling. And once that ball is rolling, the inertia should pick up. But baby steps to begin with.

First, I'll wake up before my alarm. And, then -still in my pjs til 10- I'll plant some pretty spring flowers. Get things growing again.

I'll water them daily. I'll clean my bike chain. A little hard work goes a long way.

In a month's time or less, we'll all be blossoming in summer.   

Won't that be beautiful!

Pruning Back and Pushing Forward

Of course, after a long period of being overworked, as soon as I take a moment to rest and take care of myself- I get sick. So this is a catch-up post relating a couple projects in the works. I'm finally halfway keeping up with my dishes as I dirty them. I've finally alphabetized and tucked away the records I've purchased the last few months. My house is slowly recovering from a lack of attention.

Now, just need to focus on eating that apple a day to keep healthy to enjoy my newfound free time. A recent new focus for me has been that of renewing. An easy example? Stan surprised me with flowers a week or so ago after one of those long days. The other afternoon they were looking droopy and sad. But just a couple moments of plucking and re-trimming the stems and they were as good as new. A totally different bouquet than before. Sometimes all it takes is a little pruning in order to incite new growth.

To follow the plant metaphor a little further...The less energy we spend on keeping "dead branches" alive the better chance those other branches have at surviving. So, I'm thinking about the dead branches in my life. Busy-ness is one. I need to take more time for myself. And, though it might be hard to admit- because I love my stuff, I think maybe my clutter is a bit of a dead branch. I have collected a lot of things, and sometimes those things take over my spaces and make them stressful.

It's my intention to de-clutter, prune, and be more intentional overall with my things and clothes over the next couple months. It seems appropriate for fall, to let things fall away from my life. My living room is the first focus of this effort. I've transformed some mismatched pillows for a more adult look.  I had the flowered pillow already and tried to work around that color scheme. The grey herringbone fabric I picked up at a thrift store for a buck, the patchwork pillow is made from upholstery fabric swatches from a look book I got garage sale-ing this summer. 

As for the impending project with the blue chair: 

To cover or not to cover? It would certainly be a "pruning back" moment design-wise. But the chair is super cute as it is, a possible solution a friend mentioned would be to make a zipper pouch cover (with piping!) for the seat cushion and a general slip cover for the chair body. It may be in the works, soon. As it is, repairing and recovering my health takes precedence right now.