100 Days of Finding Light.

Back on July 12, I finished a daily series of "finding light" photos for #the100dayproject. Yep, for 100 days, I found something Light in my world, took a photo of it and shared it on Instagram. Along the way I learned that 100 days, counted one day at a time, seems to last forever. and sharing something every single day on Instagram can be a real challenge! (I'm still enjoying a bit of a break from Instagram 😌.)

But I am so glad I participated. Images tell a powerful story. I have a deeper understanding of what Light means to me and how prevalent it is, if I just pay attention.

As the project drew to a close, I started thinking about what I'd do with all the photos. I originally thought about a video (like Carole and Kat - theirs are wonderful!), but I wanted to see all the photos together. Ah...the internet is a wonderful resource! Photoshop can create a "contact sheet" (aka a mosaic) and Costco can print a 14x14 canvas. In about an hour, I had the photos compiled and the canvas ordered

and a week later, I had the canvas.

I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. and having it so visible (in my study, behind my desk) is exactly the reminder I need. Light is everywhere. sometimes I just need to look for it.

Think Write Thursday | Thoughts at Mid-Year.

this morning's journal time

This week’s Think Write Thursday topic is to “consider what it means to be at the halfway point of the year. Did you state some intentions for 2017? If so, check in on them and give us an update. If you didn’t state any intentions then maybe you could tell us what you think so far about 2017 or perhaps you’d like to set some intentions for the second half of the year. Whatever you decide, however you approach this topic, regale us with your words!”

I did state intentions for 2017 - way back on January 5, which honestly seems like a lot longer than just five months ago:

more gratitude. 

more mindfulness. 

more exploring. 

more curiosity. 

more connecting. 

more yoga. 

more prayer. 

more letting (it) go. 

less busy. 

less worry. 

... more light.

When I sat down this morning to prepare to write this post, I made a list of those intentions, leaving a little blank space after each. My plan was to go back and jot a few notes next to each one and then see what sort of story all that told. I didn't make it very far. 

First, when I got to yoga, I crossed that out and wrote "pilates". and then a big smiley face and a check mark. Since I started the 21 Days of Pilates challenge on March 6, I joined Robin's Balanced Life Sisterhood and quit the YMCA (and my twice-weekly yoga routine). For the past three months, I've averaged about four pilates workouts a week and I am loving it. Now I just need to keep doing it. The good thing is that I can see the results, especially in the sleeveless tops and dresses I love to wear in the summer. 

When I got to the end of the list, what really hit me was the changes - big and little - that have happened since that early January list. Some I've already shared here, but not all:

1. Back in December, Marc started walking 3-1/2 miles at 6:00 am M-F. He invited me to join him in early January and that shared time has become - at least for me - one of my favorite parts of the day. I absolutely love watching the morning dawn over the lake, having almost an hour of uninterrupted time to talk and getting a nice head-start on the day's exercise.

2. Marc left his old job at the end of January, sort of took a month off and officially started a new job March 1. I knew the old job was stressful, but it wasn't until he started the new job - and would somedays leave the house and come home with a smile on his face - that I realized how awful it had become. It's almost like there was a little black cloud hanging over him and us ... and now it's gone.

3. I started daily stitching.

4. Marc gave me an Apple Watch for Valentine's Day. I had to give up my focus on steps (I got my first FitBit in 2013) and start thinking about simply moving. It wasn't an easy transition, but now - four months in - I'm completely on board. I'm also even more of a fan (I'm sure my mom is now rolling her eyes and wondering how that could possibly be) of the Apple devices and how well they play together. 

5. Charlie & Sam (and their parents) moved. I gave up my day a week with each of them. 

6. A few days after they settled their moving plans, I was asked to take on a three-year commitment to lead the women's ministry at our church. I said yes. The leadership role is shared among three women, with the "lead" lead role happening in the second year. My first year officially started last month. So far so good.

7. I decided to participate in #the100dayproject, with a focus on "finding light" through a daily photo. The daily photo habit is not new, but "finding light", taking a photo and sharing it on Instagram ... has some days been a challenge. But oh my goodness it's been worth it and I cannot wait to see all 100 days together. (and to not share a photo on Instagram come July 13!)

8. I quit teaching. My last class was the one Betty attended back in April. I felt, for a lot of different reasons, that the time was right, but mostly I wanted more flexibility to spend time with the boys. I realized in early June that a month had passed and I hadn't thought about it, let alone missed it. I'm still knitting (maybe more now than before?) but I'm not spending as much money on yarn/patterns and I'm certainly not spending as much time on Ravelry. I did miss the fellowship and inspiration; turns out most of my "in real life" friends are former students or LYS employees. This past Monday afternoon, a few of us met up at my house for knitting and I'm hopeful we'll become an actual "group". 

9. I renewed my interest in photography.

10. and started exploring Atlanta (with a toddler).

Katie asked me "what's new?" yesterday and I replied "not much". I don't think I'd have that same answer today! 

The cumulative impact of all these changes on my daily routine - and my life in general - has been huge ... and overall positive. Without taking much specific action on any one of those intentions (save the yoga pilates), I'm seeing progress on all of them.

I'm looking forward to seeing where all this takes me and my family over the rest of this year. My mom is planning to move in September and that will be a huge change, too - hopefully all positive (once the moving bumps are out of the way)!

Also looking forward to being "regaled by your words!" (linking up with Carole and Kat)

An Updated View.

I mentioned yesterday that my desk also benefited from the bookshelf project ... and, from dear Honoré, a beautiful wooden rendition of my 2017 one little word - Light. Want to see?

This view holds many reminders of what's important in my life - photos of my parents and Katie and her boys, my dad's bible from when he was a teenager (a verse he'd highlighted is marked with a crocheted cross that a friend gave me when he passed), the handmade wooden cross from my church to mark his passing, devotions, "quiet" books (including works by Mary Oliver, E.B. White, Danny Gregory, Anne Lamott and Katrina Kenison), and of course the angels and those two wooden words.

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. and sometimes a single word (or two) can tell a much bigger story.

A Bookshelf Makeover.

aka how I spent* my first Tuesday without Charlie.

When I finished my closet "lightening" last month, I mentioned maybe wanting to tackle the bookshelf in my office. Today - that happened! It's not nearly as fun as a smiling toddler (and I'm just about as pooped out as one of those Tuesdays) but it feels good. and if any of y'all have similar projects waiting in the wings, maybe this will help.

I remembered to take the "before" photo this time. It looks a little different than the one I shared six weeks ago because this bookcase and the space in front of it seems to be my dumping ground. These shelves store books, knitting stuff (needles, yarn, patterns), photos and a few other bits of memorabilia**. 

My main purpose with today's project was the books and the yarn and I decided to tackle the books first. I did not follow Marie Kondo's process and empty everything out. Instead, I went shelf by shelf and aggressively culled my collection. Along the way, I rearranged. Here's what I was a left with after that first step.

And here's what I'm donating

and returning to the gracious ladies who've loaned me books I don't have any near-term plans to read.

I even brought back books that had been living in other places in my house. I do still have a small collection of books on my desk (but that's a post for another day)***.

Next, I tackled the yarn. I've done this (a few times) before, so I wasn't expecting to find much, but I did want to take stock. I pulled ALL the yarn off the shelves (sorry, no photo!), sorted through it and then purposefully put it all back. In the process, I found two skeins of green wool that I know I was saving for a hat ... that hopefully someone else will knit. The rest just got organized.

How about two empty shelves??!! 

I also revisited my Ravelry queue. I added and deleted (and didn't really make much attempt to organize) and ended up with 22 projects. I have yarn for 21 of those and I do intend to knit them! That 22nd project is the Calliopsis cowl that Kat mentioned two weeks back and I do intend to knit that too...with Shibui Reed that I just might be purchasing tomorrow. (Like I said, no order to the queue!)

I suppose it's a post for another day, too, how I might actually work my way through 22 projects. stay tuned.

.....

And after the bookshelf, a walk with Renie and a trip to the mailbox, there's this

My newest word, thank you to dear Honoré****, and the timing could not have been better. I like making little shrines with the words and this one fits right in with I Carry Your Heart and the photo books/albums I have of the boys (on an end table in our keeping room).

Getting a project done felt like a good way to spend today. But I hope future Tuesdays are a lot more interesting ... for all of us! I also hope they include some knitting (which today has ... so far anyway, not!)

*in addition to running a few errands, voting and enjoying an afternoon walk with a girlfriend 😉

**I decided up front that the bottom shelf was going to be off-limits. That's where I have all my knitting patterns, magazines, books, etc. and our high school and college yearbooks. We have room. The shelves are neat enough. Not going there!

***I also have books in my living room and a few other "decorative" places in the house. Again, we have room and I like having the books be a real part of the decor.

****Honoré has been gifting me wooden words for years - you can see a few of them in the bookshelf - mere, focus, shine.

100 Days of Finding Light.

Long story* short, I'm all in for this year's #the100dayproject. I'm going to explore light - my one little word for 2017.

Specifically, I'm planning to fill in this blank

Monday morning

today and for the next 99 days.

I have three of those "I find light ____" post-it notes - one on my bathroom mirror (above), one in my planner and one on the calendar on my desk.

Today, I found myself feeling lighthearted on the playground. There's nothing like a spring day with a toddler and a playground.

Tuesday morning

I just checked Instagram and see a few of y'all are participating in this challenge. I look forward to what we make and what we learn ... and sharing it.

Here's to 100 Days!

*Last year, I watched a few folks on Instagram play along with #the100dayproject and I thought "Yay, good for you!" This year, I saw the tags start to show up and thought "ok, another year" and "Yay, good for you!" ...until Saturday, when I (finally) read Honoré's post about April. I had a little time to explore the hashtag and what sort of unique hashtag I could make ... and by the time I went to bed I knew I wanted to participate. It wasn't until Sunday morning, when I watched Ali Edwards' OLW class video for April, that the whole thing clicked. and OH MY, I love it when stuff comes together like this.

Lightening Up.

Y'all were so supportive and encouraging when I wrote last month about wanting to pare down my wardrobe - thank you! I am happy to report that phase one of the project is done. and I have photos to share! I'm honestly not quite sure what y'all will make of my closet (or my clothes!) This feels like one of the most personal posts I've ever written. It's one thing to share photos of my (adorable) grandchildren, fun cocktails and knitting FO's. but letting y'all into my closet ... that's a whole different level of sharing.

But this blog tells my story and I think the changes I made this past weekend are going to be a significant part of it. so here goes.

Of course I didn't realize I forgot to take "before" photos until after I'd started. (Marc might say this is what my closet looked like anyway.)

I did not take everything out, but I touched each piece, evaluated it and decided where it would go (it got really messy).

For items I kept, I separated winter from spring/summer (and have a rather daunting pile of things that need to be washed and blocked. ugh). For items I didn't keep, I made five piles: trash, donate and consign and two give aways. A friend of a friend has daughters about my size; most of my "regular" clothing went to this pile. I also have handknits that I haven't worn in a while - some because I'm tired of them and some because I no longer like the way they fit (maybe I'm finally coming to terms with middle age, but I now like my sweaters a little longer and with more ease. I bagged those up to share with my class and the shop; hopefully they'll find new homes with people who appreciate them (or the shop can use them as samples to encourage other knitters). 

Fast forward a few hours and here it is finished.

I counted up the hangers; I kept fifty pieces. 5 everyday dresses, 2 for church, 1 for covering up my swimsuit. 3 pairs of jeans, 2 slacks and 1 cropped. 2 pairs of shorts (yep, "spring" in Georgia). 4 blouses. 2 long sleeved t-shirts, 12 short sleeved (room to pare further). 2 cardigans. 1 jacket. 1 sheer blouse (only because I heard it might be chilly this month). 10 blouses/shirts. (I do hope that sums to 50!) I'm guessing it's about a third of what I started with.

I've already passed along that first give away bag and have an appointment at the consignment shop on Friday afternoon. Hopefully I'll get some good spring mojo this next week to tackle that pile of washing and blocking ... until that happens, or until I finish something, I have exactly one handknit sweater to wear. (fortunately it's a good one.)

And even better - I realized I do need a few new handknits. Basic pullovers (I have three queue'd), a layering piece (something to wear over a blouse or a t-shirt), and a black cardigan (the one I knit last year is in the giveaway pile - it's not the easy-to-wear basic that I thought it would be.) You can be sure I'll have more to share on that front soon.

Finally - I realized the process is pretty cool. I think I might even try to tackle this.

One last note - I started reading Marie Kondo's book last night. I will definitely try her approach on the bookshelf. I'm wondering if she's going to inspire any more "tidying"!

Is there something in your house you're wanting to tidy? (would you share photos of your closet?!)

Waiting and Watching | Week Seven.

yesterday afternoon

playing with the light (and yep, that's a knitting needle holding up the stalks!)

The main reason I planted amaryllis bulbs this year was to re-live a bit of the magic our first one brought us last January. These blooms are certainly not as stunning as last year's (whoa, those white stripes and whoa - all those blooms!), but this one got the timing right.

Sunday afternoon there were still just buds

but by Monday afternoon there were blooms!

I'm betting the bright sunshine yesterday and today will get that third bud to open by this afternoon.

Today's waterlogue is again the Color Bloom filter, chosen for the beautiful way it portrays the blooms, their reflection and their shadow. and that touch of blue in the window...well that's just serendipity!

Happy Wednesday!

(Week One, Week Two, Week Three, Week Four, Week Five)

Tuesdays with Charlie | At Home.

Tuesdays with Charlie are pretty much a slam-dunk in the "light" category. Our schedule now that Katie is back at work* is 7am - 5pm. Sunrise isn't until well after 7:30 these days, so our immediate priority once we were back here was to walk Holly ... and after that chilly exercise ... steamed milk!

Next he wanted to head upstairs for toys. My mom gave him a subscription to Highlights Five and today we finally had time to see what it was all about. He/we loved it! I was delighted he knew about the Hidden Pictures and how to find them. He also aced the free app that we downloaded. (and the two Dr. Seuss books we re-discovered.)

We had lunch "in" (he opted for mac'n'cheese ... and I had all the fixings for that here) and even though he snacked on what we were cooking the entire time, he still almost cleaned his plate.

Next, nap. Stories, milk and a few selfies to say "Hi!" to his mom.

(a new lock screen photo for me is icing on the cake)

And nearly two hours later - cookies! I talked up the baking while were outside with Holly and he was excited to watch. 

It was all his idea to bring in the stool when he realized it might take "a little while" for the cookies to finish.

They were delicious!

those are lunch leftovers ... green beans and oranges to balance out the cookie!

...a little more play time (flashcards and legos) and all too soon it was time to go home. 

A day full of sunshine. literally and figuratively!

*We both thank you for all the good wishes ... two days in, it's still tough...

Balancing the Light.

tulips on my kitchen counter

These past few days have been such a roller coaster of emotions. In addition to the lows I'm sure y'all are familiar with, my neighbor (who has an aggressive upper renal cancer) was ambulanced back to the emergency room Saturday morning. Thankfully he's now stable, but we have no idea when he'll be coming back home. My little neighborhood rallied around a text-message prayer chain Saturday evening ... a high for sure.

Sara made it safely to Washington Friday evening and had the lifetime experience of marching there on Saturday. Thanks to Instagram (my only social media outlet other than this blog), I participated vicariously in marches country and world-wide: Port Townsend, Portland, Sacramento, San Jose, Minneapolis, Madison, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Boston, Hartford, Washington, Nashville, London and Paris. To everyone who marched, thank you for participating - and sharing your stories!

And yesterday - for only the second time in the club's history - the Atlanta Falcons won the NFC Championship. ...and they looked pretty darned good doing it. We've got a smidgen of hope they might actually win the Super Bowl (which would be a first).

...all of which to say - I really had no idea what to blog about today. Until I read yesterday's newsletter from Holstee and these words practically jumped off the screen:

All of this is the way I "compose" my life, if you will. The way I balance the dark and the light -- because life most certainly has a healthy mixture of both.
~Lea Ciceraro (emphasis mine)

This week I'm going to try my hardest to balance the dark with the light - and to share a few rays of light here.

I bought this bouquet of orange tulips for bookclub (I hosted Thursday evening). There's just something about orange tulips that makes me smile.  And I especially love them when they're fully open, almost spent. How about an informal tulip poll - what color's your favorite and are you a fan of the fully open blooms?

(and also, happy Monday.)

Words to Remember.

...especially right now.

from Saturday morning's walk

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Welcome 2017 | Light.

I didn't intend to choose a word for 2017. In fact, I was determined not to, because I didn't want to set myself up for another year to be disappointed about not following through.

But right before Christmas, I started to feel the word light tapping on my shoulder and suggesting - ever so sweetly - that it might be a good choice. I kept seeing light pop up in things I was reading (my Advent devotion has been a collection of readings titled Watch for the Light) and seeing online.

First, Brian Andreas published Your Light:

Let me say this clearly because it is time to remember. You are always the light you see by and if it is dark in the places you look it is only because you still pretend the light will have to come from someone else.

Then I saw this quotation

It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

And finally this one, from Brené Brown (I’ve just started reading Daring Greatly with my small group and she's my new favorite author)

Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy - the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light. 

Light and Dark. It’s an interesting metaphor given what’s happening in our country and around the world right now. I love the idea that I might be able to eliminate some of the darkness … even if it’s just for me and my immediate family and friends.

Then Christmas Day a few things happened that threatened to steal my joy in the day. When I mentioned them to Sara, she told me to Lighten Up.

So much for a sweet tap on the shoulder, huh?! I decided to go with it and last week, I even signed up for Ali Edwards' class. I'm not planning to create a scrapbook this year, but I am committed to the process. Maybe it's a coincidence, but I don't think so - the years I worked through Ali's prompts were years my word made a real impact on me and my life. We'll see.

To really see where light might take me, I've spent the last week working on intentions.  Maybe it’s just where I am this year, but I really wanted this year’s intentions to be new. not just rehashing an idea I’d had before. It was challenging because I think the intentions I set for 2015 and 2016 were good -- I still keep them with me (literally - they are pasted into my 2017 planner) -- but not light.  I haven't made any tweaks to the list in over 24 hours; at this point, I'm ready to call it done!

more gratitude.

more mindfulness.

more exploring.

more curiosity.

more connecting.

more yoga.

more prayer.

more letting (it) go.

less busy.

less worry.

...

more light.

and with that, I'm ready to say Welcome 2017. Bring it on!

The TWT crew is writing about the new year today. Head on over to Carole's blog to see what everyone is sharing.