First Round of UFOs

This weekend will be the first round of UFOs up for finish. I am hoping to finish all or most of the first 4 items. Some have deadlines and others have lovely people waiting for them :-) Will post pictures when possible. For right now, this is a bit how I feel about the list in front of me.

this pic is from my trip to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs CO in Sept 09.

spring cleaning your stash inspiration

Jacquie from Tallgrass Prairie Studio had an interesting post on keeping your quilting going and had some lovely pictures of her organized studio. Very inspiring!

That led to a post on how to fold your fabric, also very inspiring. I recommend you check it out.

Can't wait to get back to spring cleaning!

Quilt inspiration

This quilt was the Quilt of the Day at Sew Mama Sew. Thought it might inspire some visual fun if I shared it here.

photos compliments of Leila Badbloods Flickr photostream

Back on here again

I am back! :-) Tallgrass Prairie Studio is doing a Spring to Finish challenge to get UFOs (UnFinished Objects) out of the sewing room and into life. The challenge started yesterday and runs through May 31st. Since I have a long list of UFOs and a life that is in flux, this seemed like a good time to get things rolling. I've put my list in the sidebar and included the button to the challenge. You may notice that not all of them are sewing projects. That is in the spirit of inclusion and general "bringing orderliness to life."

If you are interested in bringing the same to your life, I encourage you to join the challenge. I will hopefully be posting pictures as projects get finished so you all can enjoy the thrill as well.

What is going on with my blog

As many of you know, I have been using Facebook almost exclusively to update people on my life, to track links that I am interested in, to record books that I am reading, etc. It is serving, for the most part, all the roles that this blog was filling. However, I don't want to completely surrender The Domestic Intellectual just yet. I feel that it may continue to serve an important place in my life, and I am contemplating which is preferable--my own blog or Facebook. No decisions yet.

I did want to take a moment to put out a little note about the next little adventure in my life. I am, along with my best friend Sara, going to participate in the October Dress Project. Basically, this means that I am going to wear the same dress every day for the entire month of October. I am hoping this will help me enter into a new relationship with my clothes that is simpler, more economical and less fraught with emotion. I am also looking forward to boosted creativity as I seek to work around the limitations of the same dress.

The dress that I am wearing is based on a pattern that I have made several times before and which I find both comfortable and attractive. It is really more of a jumper than a dress, but I enjoy layering and am making it out of dark gray, lightweight wool that will go with most of my wardrobe.

Hopefully I will periodically post pictures either here and/or on Facebook to show you how it is going.

What has been on my mind

This is where I am at right now, and I thought I would share it with you:

Philippians 3:10 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁰[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [^a]">[a]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death,

This has been my life verse since I was a teenager... I even used it as the anchor for my graduation speech in 1997. Recently I decided to re-visit it and I realize that this has not defined my life for some time. Much repentance has followed and a renewed intentionality to make central what is most important: my Beloved Reedemer, Lord and Friend. Thankfully, he still remembers me even when I am not remembering him.

Where I've been

It has been some time since I last posted. There are several reasons that sound more like excuses, but there is one that I want to put out here in earnest.

As many of you who love me know, I can be a bit compulsive. Well, at the conviction of the Holy Spirit and a medical evaluation that said I was under too much stress I've decided to be ruthless in editing things out of my life that cause stress, exacerbate my stressed-out feelings or cause me to waste my already limited time. The internet was keeping me from most of my other hobbies and from reading... as well as frequently keeping me from sleeping! Therefore, the decision was made to NOT have internet access at the new apartment and to limit my time online at work.

Jon may be getting internet access at his apartment in the next month or two to enable him to work more from home. In the event that he chooses to do that, I may have more access when we get together, since our apartments are now just down the road from each other.

However, all told, I am not sure that I will be updating this blog much. I don't want to quit it completely, but I have been writing more in my journal and spending more time reading and talking with my immediate friends and family. It really doesn't leave a lot of time for online communication... even email and facebook.

Thank you for your understanding!