Creative Happenings

My room from the Doorway

I decided that in the interest of my blogging every day- one of my intentions for 2017-

I needed a topic to talk about for each day of the week.

So Monday is for Musings, Messes and Memories

Tuesday is a Creative stuff update.

Wednesday is for Wanderings.

Thursday for History stuff.

Friday for finishes-man I hope there's one each Friday!

Saturday for catching up on what I'm reading,

And Sunday for an Intention Check up.

Of course, that's fluid.

My room from the closet door

Since the only creative thing I've been doing for the past month

is unpacking boxes and finding a home for things

-the unpacking is mostly finished, the homes are still being negotiated-

I'll show you the first floor of my new home.

You've already seen the second.

My room from the desk

First up is my bedroom, which is probably the least put together of any room!

Then comes the living area and kitchen.

From the top of the stairs

The second floor doesn't make up the ceiling in the living room and dining room.

Just a really high open space which I love-although I may feel differently once I have to air condition it!

Also from the top of the stairs

Living area into the dining area
The window showing here now has my prisms hanging in it and I'm happy to say on sunny days I have RAINBOWS!

Fireplace!  Gas logs.
I can lay on the couch on sunny afternoons and read while enjoying the sun like a cat!

Dining area and part of the kitchen.
I am no longer cut off from the haps in the other rooms like I was in the other house.

Love my great tall windows!

And the kitchen.
A bit small but mostly I only cook for one.

So that's it!

I'm pretty happy with it but it remains a work in progress.

Yesterday, the canned food traded places with the baking stuff!

I still can't walk through the garage but I'll get there.

Now, I just have to remember what "Normal" life is like!

Monday Musings-Hidden Figures

Official trailer for Hidden Figures.

Last week I went to see the movie Hidden Figures.

Such a wonderful movie.

Funny in places.

Telling the true story of three genius women at NASA in the 60's.

I think I'll go back and see it again.

Maybe this time I won't leave the theater in tears.

These women were African American in the 1960's.

Being a woman in Engineering, Math or Computer Science would have been trying enough.

Getting respect hard.

ON top of that these woman and countless others at NASA during this time had to 

Walk to a "Colored" restroom-not allowed in any others and there was only one.

Ate in the "Colored" lunch room.

Drank from "Colored" drinking fountains and coffee pots.

Fought for promotions, and were paid less.

They worked hard, very hard.

I cried for two reasons:

1.  In sorrow for the loss of all the brilliant minds just because the color of their skin wasn't like mine.

2.  In fear that we are headed back to those times.

There was a Black woman seated near me-there were only about 8 people in the audience that weekday afternoon-and I said to her "I don't ever want to go back to that!'

Tears rolling down my face.

She comforted me saying "We won't, we've come too far" then she hugged me.

A total stranger.

I wish I knew her.

I was only 12 when John Glenn orbited the earth. 

I remember it because they let us watch the space shots on TV instead of having class.

I've tried and tried to remember African Americans of that time.

I lived in a mostly white suburb of Kansas City, I never met a "Colored" person.

There were no "Colored" children in any of my schools.

Seriously, I don't remember anything.

I must have been oblivious to any kind of news or lives outside mine

because in May of 1968 at the age of 17 I had never heard of Dr Martin Luther King until he

was killed.

I feel somehow complicit in that history.

There's no hope for me to see it without tears, I'm crying now.

Command hook failure!

I used large Command Hooks to hang my thread on the wall.

Next day this is what I find.

It isn't the first time Command Hooks have failed me

but it will be the last!

I think they'll be hitting the circular file.

If I can't depend on them to do the job then I won't use them.

Threads back sitting on the cabinet until my next trip to Lowes, sigh.

Women (and men) March

Today, I did something I have never done before.

I attended a protest rally.

A sister march to the one held today in Washington DC.

Women's March on Washington-Kansas City.

We didn't march anywhere but had a rally.

(As several cities had to do as well since turnout was so large.)

They said we had 10,000 people here.

I must not know what 1,000 people looks like as I would never have guessed that number!

The crowd was made up of women of all ages, all races.  

A surprising number of men (I'd say close to 50% of the crowd).

Some of whom were not with a woman!

Reading the signs was entertaining.

Listening to the speakers-including Kansas City Mayor Sly James-was interesting.

Unfortunately, most of the signs and speakers listed the things they were against.

None gave any concrete, practical way to stop the stripping of the Affordable Care Act

or the civil liberties of immigrants, women, LGBT, minorities etc.

Did I come away believing that what we did today made a difference?

No.

Did I come away believing that we could make a difference?

No.

Still I have some hope for the future.

At the moment.

Fence!

While I did spend time today fixing odd little things:

Screwing feet onto the couch,

attach the cookbook shelf to the wall,

hooks in closets etc.

Sorted some odds and ends.

The big news for today is-FENCE!

No more tie outs!

I don't know who's the happiest Quinn or I!

It was really funny but Quinn didn't realize she wasn't tied up

for quite a long time!

Now she's happily running all over the back yard.

Safely.

Guest Room-Done!

The view from the door.

 Today, I set up my guest room.

It was on the list for today but I had extra incentive

as my youngest son is coming to spend the night!

I hadn't worked in there at all

but there wasn't much to do.

I still have three shelves to put inside the cases 

but I ran out of pegs.

I have some more,

somewhere.

Just after I've purchased more they'll turn up!

The bookcases have lots of empty spaces.

I've given away quite a few books and have more in the

"let go of" boxes.

I also have quite a few in my bedroom.

That's my "Twisted" quilt on the bed.

The view from the opposite corner.

No artwork on the walls yet

as the first movers broke both the glass and the frames 

for two of the pieces I want to put in here.

I also plan to frame some of the retro postcards I picked up

on my trip.

Wonder what room I'll finish tomorrow?

Finally! The Studio!

The View from the door.

I now have one room really and truly unpacked and set up. 

 It took more days than I even want to think of!

I think it takes longer to do this than the kitchen.

The actual sewing nook.

 The little white cabinet of drawers is new. 

 From IKEA it's on wheels- not that there's space in here to move it about!

It holds all the tools of stitching

Some patterns

and paper crafting stuff.

The thread rack still needs to be mounted on the wall.

Part of the home office.

The tall oak piece under the tv holds my printer in the top part,

paper and other "office" stuff in the  bottom.

It's really too large but I love the piece and find it difficult to part with.

The other end of the room-with Grace.


The closet is the true reason I decided to use the room for my studio!
Cause it looks like this:

On the right of the door going in is where I store fabric on hangers. 

Mostly smallish pieces

but at the moment I have the fabric for the 365Challenge hanging as well.

I have the fabric primarily by color.

Behind the fabric are several shelves which hold my craft books.

At the back is a four drawer file cabinet.

On the left are things relating to miniatures.

Knitting,

Cross-stitch,

And just stuff!

Now, if I can only finish the rest of the house I might be able to use it!