Life in the Dawes Household

 

Cartoon borrowed from the Lion Brand website.  

While the 60-inch TV hasn't entered our family room yet (it could show up any day, though!) this scenario rings a little too true in our household.  Last night, my husband Tom, daughter Kayla, and I were watching a new show (Person of Interest on CBS), which was pretty promising.  However, I was crocheting while watching, and missed a lot of details...when it was over, I turned to Tom and said, "I think that's one of those shows that requires eyeball involvement."  He agreed.  Might have to set down the crocheting for a bit to give the second episode my full attention.  Or give up on the show.  We're at 50/50 odds at the moment!

Visuals are Vital

I was excited about blogging yesterday, until I realized that if I addressed my chosen topic, that would be the second post about food.  Given that this was only the second post I would have written, I thought that if I were the reader of a blog with a crafty-sounding title, I would wonder what was wrong with the author.  And since I didn't want to wander off into the vague world of self-analysis, I chose not to write.  But if I had, please know that it would have been about food (AGAIN!).

And now, for today's sharing.  I finished crocheting a baby blanket last night. Here is a photo:

I am realizing that visuals are very important to my life.  Therefore I assume they must be to you, as well.  If I hadn't imported the photo above, and wrote to you about the baby blanket I created, would it carry as much impact?  Well, that is assuming you LIKE the blanket photo, I guess...

This creation is my first 'original' design.  I don't consider it that original, since I just created a big square out of some super snuggly yarn with a simple shell stitch, then added a border with some room for ribbon.  But I see 'new' patterns posted online often, consisting of a variation of an existing design with a new color theme.  Perhaps I could sell the pattern for my shell blanket.  But I would feel as if I were cheating the system, taking advantage of the user who could come up with the same thing by buying yarn, starting the blanket, deciding it wasn't good enough, ripping it back out and trying a different pattern with new yarn, then repeating this process with an 'original' design.  Hmmmm...maybe that's why one begins with a pattern, as it usually gives nice tidy directions that create a giftable finished product on the FIRST try.

Wish there was a lesson here, I really do...

Three Cheeses - Random Musings

Today I decided to start a blog.  In general, my life is wrapped up in a few things.  Family, my relationship with Jesus, serving in some ministries, exercise, crochet.  When I sum up my life in that way, it certainly establishes some strong categories of priority.  I will ponder those later, when they are relevant, but I have already digressed from my own chosen topic.

I typically bring enough food to work to have breakfast and lunch for several days.  I like planning ahead and knowing that there are reasonably healthy choices at hand, rather than depending on the $12 lunch to follow up the $5 coffee on my way in.  When I opened the work refrigerator this morning to find something to eat, "my" half of a shelf struck me, as it had maybe 7-8 items stashed there, three of which were varying types of cheese.  Mind you, I do like cheese.  But why three kinds?  And why are two of the packages unopened?   Here is a visual for you:

Cheese calls my name at the grocery store.  It looks delicious; the names are tantalizing.  More than 50% of the time, I am disappointed with the cheese once I taste it.  A simple solution:  shop for cheese only at boutiques where I am offered samples.  Another simple solution:  purchase only the types I am certain I love.  

Ah, such simple solutions we can find for ourselves in life.  And why do we insist on repeating the same habitual mistakes??  And why, today, did I decide my compulsive cheese purchases are interesting enough to share with the world?