I have all sorts of excuses for why I’ve been a little hit-or-miss in the blogging department. The best reason I can proffer is that I’ve been taking little breaks for a bit of creativity of a different sort.
First up, a very special sewing project. My son sent me a text one night asking if I would make a Christmas stocking for a teen who is staying with them. I had made a stocking for each of my grandchildren prior to their first Christmas and he was hoping Danni could have a similar stocking too. I was so very glad he asked because I had it in my heart to do something for her, but wasn’t sure what she would enjoy. This would be fun!
My stocking-making skills were a bit rusty, as it had been six years since I sewed the last stocking for my youngest grandson. I rummaged through my craft room looking for the pattern I had drawn on a paper sack and had used for all of the previous stockings I had sewn. Found it in a bin along with my stash of Christmas-y fabric and trim. I had a lot of fun digging through the stash in search of a fabric combination I thought might suit her personality. I wanted to get this stocking in the mail in the next few days so she’d for sure have it in time for Christmas, so spent every moment I could working on it, sometimes taking little breaks to clean and re-organize my mess of a craft room.
My son sent me a photo of Danni opening her package. From the look on her face, I think she loved it.
Next up came a little bit of cookie decorating fun. I had it in my heart to do a little something special for each of mom’s caregivers at BeeHive. I had the idea that I’d like to decorate a sugar cookie for each one of them using bees as a theme. I played around on Pinterest in search of a few ideas, and was delighted that my daughter agreed to help me. Beth is the queen bee of cookie decorating. Truth is, she did 95% of the work, but let me try my hand at icing the little bee design we decided upon. As you can see, they turned out super-cute (I can only take credit for the white bits of frosting on the wings). These adorable little bees definitely conveyed our heartfelt thanks and caused quite a buzz at the hive because they were so stinkin’ cute. Best of all, I had such fun chatting with my sweet girl while we worked at my kitchen table for a few special hours together. It meant a lot to me that she would spend that time with me on her birthday – it did my heart good to take this little creative break with her.
My third creative project happened in this way. At our family’s Thanksgiving gathering, my eldest granddaughter asked me if I’d be willing to sew something for her. Violet wanted a bag in which she could carry to and from school her flute, music stand, and orchestra music. I had never constructed a bag before, but it sounded like fun to me. I did my research (on Pinterest again), pinned lots of ideas, watched a handful of YouTube videos about constructing a lined bag, and decided upon a general design. I had almost everything I needed on hand, but decided to purchase a piece of fabric to coordinate with one I already had in my stash.
It’s perfectly imperfect, but I am happy with how it turned out – it’s lined and even has a zippered pocket (I must say that I got reacquainted with my seam-ripper in the process of constructing this “simple” bag).
In ways I cannot adequately express, these three opportunities to exercise creativity renewed my strength to continue my caregiving journey alongside my sweet momma. It all started with “one thing” that led to another creative possibility. What will I do next?
“Just start with one thing that makes you feel better. Many days will end in exhaustion and you probably won’t even have the energy to ask for help. Your body is your compass. It will tell you before your mind does when enough is enough. Pause and listen. Listen to what your body mind, and soul are telling you.”
JoLene Brackey in “Creating Moments of Joy Along the Alzheimer’s Journey”
Barefoot Lily Lady 