Optimistically Hopeful

 "It's 100% OK to be a little cautious with your optimism, but not at the expense of feeling any at all!  Hope is valid. Allow yourself hope."  Adam K. Kurtz

I'm not big on New Year's resolutions....but I do get a bit reflective this time of year.  Paul and I were thinking back on 2022 today.......and we're feeling very blessed.  And most importantly we're optimistically hopeful for 2023.  At least I am.

This photo seems to be the perfect image for my last post of 2022.  Warning....I'm going to ramble on for a bit.

We switched over to a fake Christmas tree about 10 years ago. We bought a really nice on sale after Christmas....and it has served us well.

I loved that we could put it up early and take it down late....and I didn't miss the mess. 

But starting about 4 to 5 years ago....some of the pre-strung lights stopped working and I couldn't figure out how to fix them. Or more accurately....I didn't have the skills or patience to fix them. So I've been adding strings of lights here and there to fill in the gaps. This year.....nearly 3/4 of the original lights didn't work....and it was time to do something about it. 

Some people might just keep adding lights...ignoring the old ones.  I did that for years...but it was starting to bug me. Others might toss the tree and buy a new one.  But they're expensive....and not only are Paul and I on a budget....but it's still a very good looking fake tree. We're trying not to be a throw-away kind of people. We want to reuse...repurpose....and make something work rather than just throw it away. 

The old lights just needed to come off....and I would string on working lights every year....the old fashioned way.  I was actually kind of excited about it....but I had NO idea what a difficult task it would be. And once I got started there was no stopping.  Thank goodness Paul came in midstream to help....and between the two of us we worked for about 3 hours snipping, unwinding, and untangling the lights until they were this impressive pile of tangled rubble on the floor.  We did it!

Several things were going through my mind as we were snipping and untangling:  

1.  This is going to be worth it in the end.  This tree was not ready for a landfill.

2.  Someone....at some point had to manually put these lights on this tree...no machine could possibly do this.  God bless them.

3. This task seemed like the perfect metaphor for things that I have finally faced...or tackled in my life....especially with my health.  And the fact that I was finally doing something about this one tangible problem gives me hope for the things I have ignored....and want to tackle in 2023.  I'm optimistically hopeful.

We took some hard hits in 2022........there's a lot to worry about in our world...and our country.  In some ways parts of it seem like a tangled pile of rubble on the floor. But there are also a lot of good things that happened...maybe even because of the mess on the floor.  (that may only make sense in my head...😉)

I think our tree is going to be better than ever next year!  And I'm allowing myself to be optimistically hopeful for all that is possible in 2023.

Happy Joyful New Year!

Downtown

"Nobody gets what they want every time, but actually you can get quite a lot if you stay flexible, grateful, and open-minded."  Adam J. Kurtz

Paul and I took advantage of a relatively mild winter day and took a Friday field trip to downtown Portland.  Sometimes the rocky coast or a quiet beach is what we're looking for....but today we searched out the urban/commercial/working waterfront of Portland Harbor. 

After a leisurely lunch, we walked along Commercial Street going down alleys and wharfs in search of interesting views and glimpses into the the world along the waterfront.  It did not disappoint.

The further we went down this particular path....the more familiar it seemed.

We went one wharf further...and sure enough.....I knew right where we were.

Widgery Wharf! 

Someday I'm going to ignore the no trespassing signs and walk all the way to the end.  If I ever actually came across a person...I would ask for a tour.

Drawn in by this photograph by Eric Storm I saw in Instagram....

photo by Eric Storm

...I searched out Widgery Wharf just at the start of the shut-down in March of 2020.  It ended up being a magical experience....and I wrote about it here: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2020/03/widgery-wharf.html

Eric, and other photographers have captured Whidery Wharf from other angles....which inspired us to go one wharf further where I took this photo from the backside. The reflections were magical!

Sometimes just what you need....is right downtown.   

I ended up purchasing that winter photograph Eric took of Widgery Way.  It reminds me to take the time for an adventure....especially the ones right in my own downtown.

Here's a recent photo Eric took of the sunrise at Widgery Wharf: 

https://www.instagram.com/p/ClH5tRtL91W/

https://ericstormphoto.com/

I guess I'll need to get up early one of these mornings and head downtown again.

Pops of Color

I made another tree....this time one side was blues and greens....with black and white and metallic accents.

The second side is similar to the others......bright and colorful. And this time....I used a star base.

I gifted this tree to Janice today....there are always fun things to see at Janice's. house.

I fell in love with her new wreath. As a matter of fact I had already decided to set aside the baubles on my tree when I take it down and try and make my own ....and seeing Janice's clinched it.  

I have way too many ornaments...so I'll never miss them on the tree.  This year I only put up 1/2 of my ornaments....so my plan is a win win!  We'll see how it goes.

And....nothing but possibilities from this colorful container of goodies.

Janice is working on these fabulous star ornaments......that sweet needlework tree design is amazing.  She will hand stitch around the edges and stuff them a bit. I just love them....and may borrow her pattern.

I also visited Margie....and this fabulous Winter Stamp puzzle was finished on her table and I'm looking forward to doing it too! I love a day that's filled with pops of color.

Go Back....

 ....and look closely....very closely.

Alyson and I continue to share a photo or 2...or 4 every evening.  Recently I've been blown away by her snow and ice photos....and commented that I just don't see those ice crystals here.  She replied....you have to get very close...or you'll miss them.

Here are few of my favorite photos Alyson has taken recently:

It's been cold...so I haven't been as loyal as Paul with a morning walk.  But the wind wasn't quite as bad this morning...so I joined him.  As usual...we started by making a loop around the pond.  The sun wasn't fully up yet....so it was kind of dusky and it was just lovely.  

What caught our attention the most were these sunburst shapes in the ice. They were scattered all across the pond....and just beautiful. 

We wondered how they formed.

I took this photo along the shore....fascinated by the frozen bubbles and the wavy designs in the ice.  

And only when I got home and uploaded the photograph did I notice the paramecium like ice crystals around the seed pods.  

I had to go back.

I literally got down on my hands and knees and crawled around at the edge of the pond so I could look very closely.....I was just giddy.

As I was leaving...the sun was a little higher in the sky reflecting just perfectly on the pond.  I'm so glad I went back. 

JOY!

I got this delightful little Joy wreath from Tracie a few days ago....it makes me smile from ear to ear.

She used many of my favorites: the whole rainbow spectrum....whimsical little doodle dots...and touches of metallic bling.  

I told her I was going to borrow her technique.  

And this lovely homemade JOY card came from Becky a few weeks ago.  Becky and I have been friends forever....and Tracie and Becky have been friends for a really long time.  I met Tracie through Becky.....and now she and I have been friends for a pretty long time.  And I love that these long-time friends send me JOY!

I think I'm hooked on these fused fabric trees.  Melodee, a friend from Lexington, commissioned me to make one for her....and she just picked it up today. I used the same technique I wrote about for Patty's scrappy tree...except this time I edged the foam core in fabric rather than tissue. There are several other color variations in my head I want to try....I think they look like JOY! 

It's hard to see the gold accents with a straight on shot....but there's no shortage of color and bling.  JOY!

   

Daily Routine

Another Christmas is behind us....and it's time to get back to my daily routine.  I love my daily routine!

I've celebrated some significant events in my goddaughter's life with Selma. I adore Selma.....and I adore Emily. 

Selma is a sweet little sheep who figured out that the key to happiness was found in her daily routine.  She would wake up....eat a little grass....play with her children until lunchtime...exercise in the afternoon....have a chat with Mrs. Miller in the evening...and finally fall fast asleep.  Even when offered more time and money, Selma kept it simple. She knew what made her happy....and she didn't need or want anything more. 

When Emily graduated from high school...I gave her the book. Yes...it's a children's book.  But some of the best lessons can be learned from children's books.  And when she graduated from college I felted her a little Selma...which I wrote about here:

https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2015/01/selma-sheep.html

This is one of my favorite photos of me and Emily.....

.....and now this is another favorite when I visited her new home this past summer.  

I couldn't believe she had a treehouse in her new backyard.

Another significant event is happening in Emily's life....she and her partner Keegan are having a baby in March....and it was time for Selma to make an appearance.

Inspired by the skills I learned in the Funky Faces class...I made a Selma wall hanging for the nursery as a Christmas gift to Emily and Keegan.

I mounted it on a deep canvas paint panel...and used muted...but colorful fabrics.  It just HAD to be colorful....but believe it or not I did practice restraint.

I started with colorful dots for the background....and just jumped in.

My intention was to thread paint selma in white thread.....starting with a base layer of white paint. But for some reason I had a feeling that the white thread painting could go terribly wrong.  I'm just not that good at it yet.   So I added a second coat of paint....

..... and outlined Selma in black thread 

adding in the details found in the drawings in the book.

I did thread paint her name.....after coloring it in with red paint pen first. I jumped over from letter to letter and clipped the threads in between at the end. 

As I wrote to Emily in my Christmas note...."as I have gotten older....more and more my happiness is found in the simple pleasures of my daily routine."  And I am certain that Emily and Keegan will find happiness in the daily routine with their new little boy. They are going to be great parents.