Lots of Contemplation Today

I've been very contemplative today. Some days are like that. Doesn't this picture remind you of the statue of The Thinker? I know... not quite the right pose, but I thought it was appropriate for this particular post.

So anyway, I've been thinking... I think I am an incurable multi-tasker. Literally, I can't do only one thing at a time. I always have to keep my hands busy. At church, I can't just sit and listen to a sermon. I have to take notes. When I'm on the phone, I'm playing computer games - the mindless ones like solitaire and others that require no thought. And when I'm nursing or holding a sleeping baby, I've been sewing, reading my Bible, perusing the new books I am going to use for homeschool, and so on.

There is a quote of martyred missionary Jim Elliot which is applicable here. He said, "Wherever you're at, be all there." In other words be 100% involved in the task at hand ... not multitasking. I do have to agree that I never give 100% attention to anything. I think I really need to work on that...

I do really try to give my full attention to this little guy when he is awake. I don't want to miss anything. I multitask because I want to get the most out of every minute. But with the baby, I want to savor every minute. I don't know how many more opportunities I will have to nurse a little one, or to witness his first smiles, smirks and little coos. I don't want to miss a thing. That's probably why this topic has been on my mind lately. I'm feeling guilty for trying to do other things rather than just stare at this sleeping baby...

So the crafting might slow down a bit. I'm going to focus on only sewing while he is asleep. And then, only if the two year old is asleep. The two year old is really having a struggle with the lack of attention this week. And he's been begging to go fishing all week, so I'm going to try to sneak away for an hour or so tomorrow and take him to the fishing pond. We'll see if the schedule permits it...

As for crafting, I did manage to carve out a little time during naps to trace over my pattern with a darker pen. I had marked the fabric with a very sharp pencil originally, but was finding that I couldn't see the lines well enough to stay on them, so I went back over them with a pen today.

Much better now! And the pen doesn't smudge like the pencil did, so my lines stay there.

Here it is with all the pertinent parts traced back over. A couple of the squares I didn't think would need heavier lines, so I didn't trace over those. This picture was taken early in the day. I managed to finish the square with the strawberry, including the lettering, and have also started on the lettering for the title.

One other thing I did was to go through each square and plan my colors. I find that even with the Ottlite, my colors seem different in the bedroom than in the sunlight, so I took the time to plan it all out, then took a picture of each square, where I could also see the numbers on the floss - no question then about which blue was intended for which square, etc.

A couple other thoughts I had today... (I told you I was very contemplative today). I was recently reminded on a friend's blog about the importance of being a helpmeet to my husband, and I have been meditating on that. I have often heard how a woman completes a man. My sleep deprived thought this morning was, "If I am his completer, then why is it that I have such a hard time completing anything - project wise?" I thought it was very ironic to hold the title of "completer" and have so many incomplete projects. I asked him about it, and he is of the opinion that I would have a better shot at completing more things if I would stop using all my time to start new projects... :) Good point ;)

Along that line, I recently found motivation to get busy with one particular goal - purging all the excess junk we have been hanging onto forever. Why do we keep all this junk? Anyway, a friend is hosting a yard sale on the 27th, with the intention of donating her earnings for a project at our church. We need to replace the windows and siding on the parsonage, and I had wanted to give to that cause, but find we are a little strapped for extra cash right now. But I also had wanted to purge our stuff - it's been really bothering me for a few weeks especially, since we are having such a problem getting out big house moved, and have come to terms with the fact that we may be in this little house for a long time. Her yard sale offers me the perfect motivation to purge with a purpose. Not only can I clean out our clutter, but I can also help with the church project, and I will have a timeline, which will make me get in gear. It's a perfect scenario!

Okay, enough thinking for one day. I'm headed to bed. Only got 4 hours of sleep last night, and I'm finishing this up as the little one sleeps, so I'm already on borrowed time.