AMANDA'S BASKETS: WRITER'S BLOCK?? EYE CANDY QUILTS & HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

WRITER'S BLOCK?? EYE CANDY QUILTS & HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS

Do you ever get frustrated without knowing the reason? Do you ever feel like your life is at a standstill until...until whatever? Like, you want to get going but just can't move because you're waiting until something else is finished. Then, you say to yourself, then I can begin whatever...

Well, that's where I feel I'm at right now. I have time to write, but can I make myself sit down and write? Not really. I sit down at the computer which is where I write. I look at the page...I read over the past pages. Then I reread them. Finally, I sigh, get up and fix myself a cuppa...

I guess this is writer's block...but I don't know really. I have lots of ideas and I jot them down in a notebook but I can't really get myself to sit down and flesh out those ideas.

So now I am wondering if this is the right writing project? Maybe it isn't and I haven't been able to reach that decision. Maybe it's because it is a different type of writing than I am used to. I love to write. I enjoy writing my blog. I enjoyed the curriculum writing that I have done and the workshops that I have written.

Maybe it's because I'm not completely settled and waiting to get the rest of my stuff? Or, maybe that's just an excuse. Maybe...maybe...maybe...whatever.

I'm working on my eye candy quilts and enjoying it. I do 'quilt' them first by outlining the designs by hand and they really look nice but, unfortunately, the quilting doesn't show up on the pictures...

Walking around the neighborhood, I see the Halloween Decorations are beginning to show up...

And this is the first tree that has begun to turn...

Thanks for dropping in...
Talk to you tomorrow...

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

MAGAZINE IDEAS

(New) One article in the Farmer's Almanac 2024 is a list of trends. One I knew about is the trend to downsize in just about every area. Another trend that I was surprised about was called ''The Human Library' which offers people on loan to talk about specific subjects. Finally, more folks are adding pets to their family and as a result, stores are adding more pet food, toys and medication to their offerings. There's also a nice garden article which suggests mixing vegetables and flowers together for success.

RECIPE IDEAS

Have you every made Cherry Dump Cake. It calls for 2 cans of Cherry Pie Filling (21 ounces), a white cake mix, 1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted & 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a 9 by 13 pan, spread both cans of cherry pie filling. Add the melted butter to the cake mix and break apart the resulting mixture and crumble it evenly over the pie filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Fast, easy and very delicious.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What if you want to establish better habits, then decide what habit you want to work on. Again, try an easier one first for that good feeling of success. Let's consider more exercise. Start small. Don't try to run a marathon right away. Set the amount of time, the type of exercise and when to do it to begin making sure that it is within your reach. If it works for you each week add a bit more. Walking is one of the best ways to get good overall movement but there are many exercise videos on YouTube of varying lengths and difficulty to check out. Change your exercise routines to eliminate getting bored. For hardcore exercise with weights, give yourself a day in-between to recover. Even on days you would rather not exercise, do it and see if you feel better. It takes an average of 66 days to establish a habit. Just think 66 days to establish a good habit for a lifetime. Sounds like a good thing to me...how about you?