I walk outside almost every day. It might be five miles (most days) or three miles (some days) or just around the block (for Sully), but I do it. If it is cold, if it is hot, if it cloudy or sunny or windy or rainy, I do it. It can be difficult to motivate when the weather is bad or chilly - it is so much easier in the sun and warm air - but I do it. I go mostly alone and I never listen to anything. It's just me (and Sully) and the world outside. I relish that time, whether it is 15 minutes or 90 minutes. It's meditative and restoring. I let my mind rest, my thoughts go and just be.It's full-on spring headed into summer here and my walks are starting earlier and earlier each week. On my walk Saturday, as I crossed the second busy street on my loop, I took in the roundabout with the statue, all the spring flowers, the historic homes and the sun shining low in the sky. It hit me then, this overwhelming sense of sadness that I am feeling for a moment or two every day. It comes out of nowhere and on Saturday, it was because I realized that this should be Derby week. It is always a festive and happy time in our city, but not this year. On Sunday, the moment came when Kate showed me the video the school sent of the teachers on zoom all dancing to the Friends theme song. Yesterday, it was when I realized I had forgotten to get garlic bread for Jane's dinner choice at the market. Silly things that shouldn't derail me, but they do.These moments are just that: moments. I have to remind myself of this frequently. I am working hard not to dwell on the negative and it is difficult work for me. I have no reason to complain - we are healthy, we are together, we have what we need. I know this. Still, I have to look for the good, for the things I am grateful for, for the happy and carefree moments. They are there and I am trying so so hard to see them. To notice them when they are happening. To catalogue them. To hold them in my back pocket as reminders when the moments are not so good.To that end, I am lacing up my sneakers and taking it outside. I'm going to let my mind rest while my body moves. The forecast had predicted rain, but it is 60 degrees with 0% chance at the moment. One more good moment to add to the others I am carrying with me.

Here's the deal...I sewed over 200 masks in the last week. I don't love this kind of sewing, but I am doing it. I will make about 200 more and then that's it for me. No shame, no guilt. I didn't take any photos for a few days. This is the only one I took today. I had a small breakdown yesterday because, well, everything. Before I went to bed last night, I made a list of everything I needed to accomplish today. I slept a sound nine hours, got up and kicked that list's ass. I put on real clothes. I went to the grocery store without anxiety. I cooked a new recipe. I zoomed with my brothers and my sisters-in-law. I cut Sully's hair above his eyes. It's not horrible. I made a list of household chores and delegated them. I could keep going, but, really, my point is that I am grateful for the lows that make the slightly less lows better. For Fatty squeezing limes for me. For the drive-by wave and hello from Erin and Claire. For my girls' willingness to help. For a good night of sleep. For life. (Originally posted on my Instagram.)

It's Friday morning. I've done the weekly grocery run and it felt better than it did the last couple of weeks. I did have an older gentleman roll his eyes at me and tell me that I was moving too fast. I apologized. I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as I could manage while still maintaining social distance and keeping to my list. So, yes, I was moving fast.This spring has been gorgeous. The bulbs and flowering trees are spectacular. Everywhere I look, it is green and I am so thankful for that visual reminder of hope and growth and for the sunshine that is warming me physically and spiritually.I've cried twice this morning. Unrelated to the grocery store, but maybe not. These feelings come over me in waves and if the girls aren't around, I let the tears roll.Things that I am looking forward to this weekend include watching Making the Cut with Jane and Kate, more mask sewing and also taking a break from mask sewing, another loaf of sourdough bread about to go in the oven, a festive and nice Easter dinner, time to read in the sunshine, hanging out with Fatty, finishing Jane's sweater, family movie night - I think we are going to watch Emma.Have a lovely weekend, friends. May the good outweigh the bad.

It's 10:30 on Friday morning and with wipes and hand sanitizer in hand, I conquered my biggest fear: the grocery store. I also conquered my second biggest fear: the ATM. It is such a relief to be finished with that for a week. The anxiety and anticipation flat out overwhelms me, although I know that I am doing everything I can to protect myself and my family. I am smart about it and careful. So careful. Still, it is scary.This morning I have also participated in a zoom workout with my normal Friday group. That was fun and felt so good! I need to see my friends faces and to move my body.Good and bad and fun and scary every day.It got me thinking about what I am doing to help me stay as calm as I can. I am doing the following six things. Maybe they will help you, too?1. Waking up and starting my day at its normal time. It'd be really easy to keep sleeping, but I find that I am most productive in the morning and I hate it when I waste that time. I am still sleeping in a bit on the weekends as a treat.2. Exercising every single day. Seriously. Most days that is some kind of a long walk outdoors. This is my personal time - I don't listen to music or podcasts. It's just me, my thoughts and nature. And Sully, our puppy. He's a great walking buddy.3. Putting on real clothes. It'd be easy to sit around in my pj's or in my workout clothes, but I feel so much better when I take the time to get dressed and do my hair. I'm not putting on makeup, but my girls are. It makes them feel good and right now that is so important.4. Making something every day. Right now, my making consists of a lot of knitting. It feels good to move my hands and it really calms my mind. I am not sewing much, but I think that is about to change.5. Having a daily quiet time. Every day at 2 or 2:30, I put the puppy in his crate and we both take a nap. I'm not sleeping well at night and this hour each day is saving me.6. Reading light-hearted books. Mysteries, light fiction, romance. Those are the kind of books that are feeling good to me right now.How about you? What things are you doing to keep calm and get through this time? I'd love to hear. 

I have so many thoughts swirling in my head that I literally cannot think straight. They range from the ordinary and mundane (fold the laundry, clean the counters) to the wildly unproductive and anxiety-inducing (I'll spare you - you really don't want to know). We are 20 days* into this and I feel sideways, drifting while firmly anchored in my house. One day I feel happy and somewhat light, the next I can barely function. I need to make sense of what I can and be somewhat ok with the uncertainty that remains. I decided to start writing again to get it all out of my brain. And so, here I am.We are living in a strange time. I don't really need to tell you that. You know. But I do need to say it. This is not normal.Still. It is the new normal.A friend asked me last week what new things I was doing in this quarantine. Truth: I couldn't think of anything. I am a homebody. I am still making things and keeping myself busy: knitting (more), sewing (very little), cooking (more), reading (more), watching TV (about the same), walking (more), hanging out with family (more), group texting (more), reading the news (less), cleaning (more), napping (more often, shorter lengths). The same activities in different volumes. With the exception of walking, I am only leaving the house once a week to grocery shop and that is the most anxiety-producing activity I have done in years.It's all so strange. And, still, it's normal.I'm going to write more here. Chronicle my days. Share what I am making. Give a voice to my thoughts.I also was really tired of seeing that photo of me in a knitted hat. So there's that.Hi friends. It's good to be back.*The last time I came here to write was on January 20th. I had a written a draft of a new year's post titled "Twenty Days In." Ironic timing, right?

I looked up this week and it is January. How did that happen? December whizzed on by like no one's business. Logically, I know that this is how it works. That time between Thanksgiving and the new year is jam-packed with holiday things, end-of-year things, school things and, in our house, some birthdays and, most years, some travel. But, still. That went fast. The girls went back to school yesterday and it was time. I was also sad to have an empty house. Funny how that works, huh? Jane is skating into the second semester of her senior year of high school and Kate is nearing the halfway mark of her high school career. If I really start thinking about how fast time is moving, I want to scream, "STOP!" I don't though. These young women are delightful and mature and ready for their next steps. I am proud of the individuals they are - kind, creative, generous, smart, interesting. I know they are moving on to great things (college for Jane, driving for Kate) and I love being their mom. I would like it if they would keep their rooms clean, but I realize that is my fantasy, not theirs.I spent the first few months of the year working on my new book, Make Your Own Medallion (shameless plug and Amazon affiliate link). It has been winging its way into shops and mailboxes in the last week or so and I cannot wait to see what you all do with it. I'm immensely proud of this accomplishment. It was a long time in the making and I am thrilled that it is finally out in the world. One of the quilts was accepted into QuiltCon and will be hanging in Pasadena in February. Talk about a bucket list item checked off! I won't be there (insert sad face emoji), but I hope to see photos of it on Instagram (please tag me if you take one!). Back to the Make Your Own Medallion, though. I promise much more information and details soon - it obviously deserves its own post. I also have some fun project ideas up my sleeve using the book and hope you will join me. It's going to be fun!I sewed some other quilts this year, too. They were all gifts or charity donations or added to the Harris family collection. I was horrible about documenting most of them. I want to do better at writing about my process and taking photos of what I make this year. Sure, there are snippets of most, if not all, on Instagram, but I do miss the pre-IG blogging days for that reason. If I had to choose a craft-related resolution, I think that would be it: more documentation. But I don't really do resolutions so I am just going to make a bigger effort to document my projects in 2018. That, to me, seems doable.Knitting has become my downtime craft of choice these days. I love how I can knit and talk or knit and watch TV wherever my family is instead of being squirreled away in the studio by myself. I have found that sewing is good for when the kids are at school and Fatty is at work or I have a day with little commitments. It reminds me of how I used to sew when the girls were sleeping. I still do that, of course, but it's me sewing on a Saturday morning while the two of them sleep in. Times have changed! Knitting works best when they are awake, when they need me, when I have to wait for them. I also love that I knitted 2 2/3 sweaters for myself last year, 2 wraps and a lot of socks. And the yarn. We won't talk about the yarn. Gotta work on knitting through it all before I start clicking "buy" again.Fatty continues to be my best friend. We traveled many places in 2017 - some together, some as a family - with big plans for more travel in 2018. He still reads all the time, rides his bikes often and makes me laugh daily. We watched some good TV and saw some great films together this year. The ones I am not interested in, he watches on his own or with his buddy (thank you, Pope). Life is fun with Fatty by my side and I can't wait for more good times ahead.The collage of photos above is my best nine from Instagram. I think it is a pretty good representation of my year - my book! quilts! knitting! the girls! Fatty! champagne and french fries! I am generally over there, posting one photo (if not more) each day. It's also the home of my gratitude practice, where I post a photo and a list of things I am grateful for each day. There aren't any hard and fast rules as to how much I post except that I try to find three things to be thankful for even on the crappiest of crappy days. In the process, I have become a happier person. It's truly been transformative and I don't plan on stopping soon or, really, ever. I don't always list my constant gratitudes (family, friends, shelter, food, freedom), but please know I include those of you who take the time to read what I write, support what I do and follow along with my creative pursuits in that group. Thank you for sticking with me all these years, especially when through the times when it is more silence than not. I appreciate it deeply.And so we go, my friends. Onward! Here's to a beautiful 2018.

Hey there.

I am still here.

I spent the first three months of this year, head down, working. It was the good kind of work - exciting, challenging, at moments frustrating, but in the end rewarding. The result? A book. I promise to share more soon. Soon! I think (and hope!) you are going to like it.

I only mention the work as a way to explain the all-is-quiet here on the blog front. I have missed you all. Missed sharing what I am working on and, more importantly, missed writing about it all. And, truthfully, just writing, in general. I feel like I have a lot of thoughts swirling around in my head that I want to put down on paper (or up in space, as the case may be). I just need to do it. What better time than the present?

Things of note, that I would like to discuss further:

my love of knitting socks

how my girls are growing up and how it freaks me out and reassures me at the same time

my newest favorite color combination

my struggle with all the things I want to make and how I manage not to make any of them

Right now, though, I am going to share some photos of peonies because why not?

Back soon. I promise.

A month or so ago, Beth and Lindsay from Hello There Friend reached out to me and asked if I would be a guest on their blog. I was completely flattered to have been asked and you can read their interview of me over in their space. I will also be taking over their Instagram account today. I'd love it if you would pop by and say hello!