A Free Pattern for a Happy New Year!

Cold temps welcomed in the New Year of 2018 in Northern Illinois.  It also welcomes in a free quilting pattern from one of my favorite designers, Sindy of FatCat Patterns.  The new design is  appropriately named "Gnome for the Holiday".  This pattern is so darling and is just begging to be done in wool applique.  Sindy is so talented and generous.  I could imagine these blocks as mats and runners as well.  If you want to create along with all of Sindy's followers, you can download the instructions monthly here.  Please take the time to visit Sindy's shop.  I have purchased  some of her designs and am never disappointed.  

 

A huge "Thank - You" to Sindy for making this year kick off with quilting excitement.  :)  Below is a peek at Sindy's offering for the New Year 2018.

 



 

 

 

 

 

Wishes for a Joyful & Adventurous New Year!  :)

 

Hello 2017 ... Farewell to 2016



Where has the year gone?  It is hard to believe that 2016 has been filed into the archives of the past.  I took a bit of a hiatus from blogging... hadn't intended to... but was intermittent in posting all the same.  I missed it greatly and am going anxious to begin fresh for 2017!  Are you ready for that?  LOL  

 

I thought I would share a few moments from 2016:

 

Believe it or Not... Farmerboy got married!  It was a lovely ceremony and day.  I really do not think a being could ask for a lovelier bride for him to share his special day and life with.  She is a beautiful girl inside and out.  They live on their own small farm about 5 minutes away from us.  The location has a beautiful home for them and plenty of room for the animals.  It is exciting to watch their lives begin, so many great adventures with more to come... :) 

    

 

I strive to keep a positive vibe on my blog as well as in life, but sometimes life has its sad moments.  Mew, the little being that had kept us on our toes for the last 16 years, was called on to her heavenly home.  She left an emptiness in our hearts and home that was almost unbearable.  I spent months roaming the house expecting to see her sleeping in the sun or turning a corner expecting a treat.  We were blessed to have her arrive on our door step as a few week old kitten back in 2000.  I believe she was sent from heaven to share our world.  I could not have hand picked a better soul than her.  She was and always will be our little girl.

 

 

 

 

 

Life is odd sometimes.  I made it perfectly clear for months after Mew's passing that there would not be any more furry creatures in my home.  Farmerboy even brought a little black kitten to visit... no bigger than Mew at our first encounter.  I held firm to my convictions... No more.  He ended up adopting the tiny guy and named him Elliot. 

 

In October just in time for Halloween, I took a week off from work.  It was always my joke to tell Mew she was worth a premium at that time of year, since she was black. :)  The house was so quiet.  I remember looking out the window into the back yard.  I really felt at peace.  I promised God that if a kitten would arrive just like Mew did... I would take it in.  The day after Thanksgiving, He decided to take me at my word.  Mr. Hollow began the day by tapping on that same window saying there was something I needed to see...

 

I made good on my promise.  And into our world entered Miss Gabrielle-- Gabby for short.  Do I really need to tell you how our Christmas went?   LOL

 

Here is the kicker to the story that to this day still shocks my family.  Miss Gabby did not show up on that particular Saturday alone... She arrived with her little (in size) sister.  Yeah you heard me,  there were two!!    Apparently someone from Above, enjoys testing promises or has an uncanny sense of humor.  I remember telling Farmerboy, " I might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb."   So on the day after Thanksgiving,  Mr. Hollow arrived back from work to the news of two little girls being adopted into our home... Yep, as simple as that...  So without further adieu,  please let me introduce you to Miss Isabelle aka "Izzie" (top of photo) and Miss Gabrielle aka "Gabby" (bottom of photo).  Nothing heals the heart like falling in love again.  :)

 

 

I look forward to new beginnings in 2017 with a studio unfolding for myself in the spring.  I cannot wait to share the space with you.  There will be more adventures to share in our travels, experiments in the kitchen  and  tales of the little fur babies.  Plus, I look forward to taking time to check out the happenings on the kids' farm! 

 

So here is to an adventurous New Year. 

 

Welcome 2017!!

 

 

 

A Story for The New Year

Here is a little story that you may have heard before.  It was sent to me from a fellow employee at work, and I just love it...

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 beers...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.  They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.  He shook the jar lightly.  The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full.  They agreed that it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.  Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full.  The students responded with a unanimous "yes".

The professor then produced two beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand...  The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.  The golf balls are the important things-- your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions-- and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.  The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.  The sand is everything else-- the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.  The same goes for life.  If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you."

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.  Spend time with your children.  Spend time with your parents.  Visit your grandparents.  Take your spouse out for dinner.  Play another 18.  There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn.  Take care of the golf balls first-- the things that really matter... Set your priorities... The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.  The professor smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked.  The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers with a friend."

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!





A Farewell to 2012 ~ A Welcome to 2013

Last year seemed to fly by.  Without actually realizing it, some great changes were happening to me.  I know what your thinking... Okay Brenda, how could you not realize it?   Well, with the new job having kicked off at the end of April, my best guess is that I was too caught up in the now of learning new tasks.   I was truly a "fish-out-of-water" going from a job based in art to a job based in computers and  finance.  Yikes!  But,  I was fortunate enough to be blessed with a knowledgeable mentor, making a world of difference to the new beginning.  My new job marked the first positive change in my life for 2012, it put all my money making responsibilities into ONE scheduled time frame.  Months after being hired, I felt a burden being lifted from my shoulders... Then came the ripple effect...

As I became more comfortable in my position and extra hours took money woes away from me, I found myself turning away from hobbies and interests.  Was this some kind of burn out?  No, it is my belief that I was on the precipice of a great change in my life...

The Great Epiphany... ;)  I think part of what makes an Epiphany so great is that they arrive to you at the darnedest times and are so mine blowing in their simplicity.  You know, that "Wow... I could have had a V8 moment".  One warm summer day while mowing, my mind was mulling over the various craft projects in my head, when suddenly I thought, "Why am I sticking with projects that I am so utterly tired of?  (To be brutally honest, the necessity for deriving an income from them has now been removed from the equation.)  So, why am I putting myself through completing tasks that I feel are becoming a burden or heaven forbid a bad job?" (Hmmm... interesting thoughts that spanned over that half of an hour.)  Then came the new realization... The epiphany that I had been waiting for... " I no longer need to stick with popular crafts or side jobs for monetary survival... I am free to explore any idea that enters my head, to create any craft, to delve into the great realm of learning without being pulled out by other responsibilities that cut drastically into my free time.  And even better yet, I do not have to feel guilty about following my true dreams."   And let me tell you, I have notebooks filled with ideas from over the years of various topics that I would love to dive deeper into. This brings me to the second positive change in 2012...

The Guide...  Not long after my epiphany, Etsy ran an interesting story on multi tasking personalities.  The term Multipotentialites was the name for persons that in essence are drawn to study a wide range of subjects, wants to explore all their interests at once, are multi-tasking in nature, and feel the pressure of time to master all the subjects that they love.  It described me and my "running in all directions" life!   The article couldn't have come at a better time to help me manage my after work hours and led me to the coiner of the personality's name,  Emily at Puttylike.  It was there that I learned that I did not have some crazy form of ADD, just a different way of viewing the world.  I learned a lot about myself on that site and was directed towards the books of Barbara Sher, who is one of the leading authorities on this personality type.  Her books "Wishcraft", "Refuse to Choose", and "I Could Do Anything, If Only I Knew What It Was" opened my eyes to a more organized way of living with my personality.  Which, I am sure was a relief to Mr. Hollow and FarmerBoy, too. ;) 

The Work in Progress...  The end of the year was devoted to organizing my mind and house, discovering my true interests (no matter how many there may be), and finding the surprisingly few overarching passions that link them together to fit them into my life.  Although I am not done completely with these tasks, the end of 2012 saw my life heading in the right direction.  My excitement for the New Year was something that I hadn't felt so strongly about in a long time.

As the ground breaking part of my journey continues, my creativity is renewed and my sense of exploration is stronger than ever.  The Hollow will see some new crafts, recipes, organizing tips, along with new finds, and adventures.  I am so happy with the twists and turns of 2012 and look forward with excitement to sharing with my friends at The Hollow in 2013!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Holiday Inn is the "go to" movie for me to welcome in every New Year.   I never tire of the wonderful music and choreography.  Its charming wintry scenes inspire me to see the beauty of the season... at least for the first few storms anyways! ;)   

I spent most of the first day of 2012 taking down my Christmas displays and sampling way to much chocolate.  It is sad to see the decorations get packed away, but I'll be hauling them back out again in another 10 months or so! ;)   The winds have been so strong today that I passed on taking down my outdoor lights... Maybe tomorrow.  

I like the sound of 2012 and look forward to new adventures to fill the year with!  I hope that everyone rang in the New Year safe and sound and wish you all a Healthy and Happy 2012!