Recovery and consciousness

I am very slowly getting better, thanks to considerable amounts of tea and chicken broth.

The good thing about staying at home for a bit is that you get to do all the things you've been putting off for quite a while, due to tight work schedules, dates, appointments and whatnots.

Like listening to music. Not while you do the dishes, ride the bus, seek for inspiration or write your blog posts. I mean consciously listening to good music, taking the time to merge into it. There's music that seems to be asking for your undivided attention to allow you to be drawn in. And most days I don't really have the time or patience to do that. To just listen.

Mada surely knows how to appreciate some tunes on an oldschool turntable. She also likes to take extensive naps on my amplifier. Her good taste in music makes me rather proud.

I also spent some time in the sewing room and prepared a little something for my next blog post (because it will be my 100th!).

I'd love you to stick around and celebrate with me.

Belated early Christmas

Every time a get a parcel from this lovely lady my day is definitely made already. In stressful times like these having a penpal really is something rare. We're both aware of the patience and discipline this passion demands, and so there are never any hard feelings if Christmas parcels tumble in around August or later. In fact, it seems to be even more joy to get to open all the little gifts on no special occasion. It's like you put a hold on Christmas, or just prepone it to your liking!

This parcel was a mixture of thoughtful supplies for my crafts, selfmade treasures from herself and other inspiring peeps, and something for my sweet tooth of course. See those lovely earrings? I favoured them ages ago on etsy, even forgot about it in the meantime, and she remembered. They're so lovely, and if you haven't already, you should definitely take a little side trip to her shop (she'll be back from holidays soon!).

It's been my day off today, and Mada is best at showing how I spent it. Mostly in bed watching awesome series like Downton Abbey (I am so addicted), enjoying some cocoa and simple pasta. Hope you were having a wonderful day?

Wrapping and singing

I've been wrapping presents all evening long yesterday, and Mada has been of great help. She attentively folded gift wraps (using the weight of her entire body) and thoughtfully pulled on strings to tighten bows I made. Or undid them so I could redo them again. It took me a lot longer than it usually would, but it's worth the amusement when watching her being so excited about the simplest things.

Long story short: A parcel will be on its way to Belgium very soon!

Other than that I will be gone for a few days to enjoy choircamp with a few old friends. Making music and being with the ones you love is a terribly good mixture. I spent the last of my school years at a special musical institution, including a boarding home. The friends I've made there are still the closest to my heart. And even though we're scattered all over the country and aren't in much contact during weeks and months, it's always as if we've just met a few days ago. Priceless.

Enjoy the rest of your week! I hope you'll have lots of sun.

Printing by Hand

Thank you first of all for your encouraging words and well wishes regarding both, my cat and pouch. I've been so torn between the worry about her leg and the eagerness to pursue my little sewing projects these days that it's been a good roller coaster ride, and your warm wishes are a real comfort.

The limping has not gotten any better yet, so I have decided to take her to a vet today, just to make sure that she doesn't have any major injuries that may give her a hard time in the long run. She hates the traveling box though, so you can imagine the look on her face right now as the box is already standing in her field of view.

Thanks to a recommendation of a good friend I got my hands on this wonderful book, which I can only encourage anyone to have (or at least peek in) who loves to work with fabric and printing. It's called "Printing by Hand" by Lena Corwin, and has the most delicious pictures and lovingly detailed descriptions for those who would like to personalize their projects with self made prints and patterns (there is also a very nice description of it here).

The little projects are so inspiring, and I really can't wait to get my hands on a few tools to try some of these techniques. I haven't tried printing onto fabrics before, so I think this is a really animating book for anyone who would like to give it a go.

Worry and Vim

My mind has been occupied for a few days now with the limping of my little cat. She fell most awkwardly from a shelf last thursday and has not gotten better yet. But other than the limping she she seems content, eats and drinks and purrs whenever I caress her. So I am hoping time is a good healer.

I managed to make this little pouch last week, and I have gotten so much positive feedback that I am planning to make a few more to give away as presents. I love these kind of personalized gifts as I adore spending hours searching for matching fabric patches, ribbons and laces and just that little something that could make it special for one particular person. 

My hope is that this kind of affection will always show in the things I make.

Catsitting

I'm spending a few days at my brother's place taking care of this 'little' fella while he's away on a roadtrip. 
I'm kept well busy. Maine Coon are quite famous for their drive to play and fidget and communicate. But all the effort is paid off when I am being awoken by this 4 kg big fella suddenly walking all over my chest. Literally takes your breath away.

Keeping Up

A summary of last week: 

■ working

■ getting drunk and noticing my liver doesn't work as good as it used to 5 years ago

■ driving to Holland for a little spa Sunday with my mum, and possibly everything that could go wrong, went wrong, starting off with a 3 hours traffic jam right after we left the rush hour traffic in the city, having to shrug off that all the massages were booked out, that the food was awful and the tv in the hotel stopped working when the rain just kept going

■ being thankful for the bottle of wine that made our night

■ working again

■ cutting out an endless number of little paper clouds and thinking of my good friend over at MiJoya, who cuts gazillions of easter eggs or snowmen depending on the seasons

■ starting to knit a tube scarf, not finding the wool I actually desired (yes, I will share soon)

■ working more

So you can imagine, seeing this little creature on my pillow in the morning is an absolute blessing. I know, those creepy big eyes aren't exactly cuteness, but we somehow got used to that look. We like to compare her with the German actor Moritz Bleibtreu. Obvious, right? 

Goldfish Memory

Summer days have caught up with me. That's my excuse for not having posted anything in so many days. I've had to work a lot more shifts than usual as well, covering for those who enjoyed the sun abroad. What I like most these days is spending lazy mornings in the bed. Preferably with my favorite bundle of joy of course.

One of the strangest thing about my cat is her memory. Hubby calls it goldfish memory. I have not done a full research yet, but if it equals our little girl's memory, it must be really short.

In moments like on this picture, she craves for some caressing. And of course she gets lots, until she suddenly shakes her head and gets up on her feet with the moodiest expression on her face. I could never read that behavior well. But I know she's very displeased with something at the latest when she makes that funny and, I believe, very unique sound. Hubby and I compare it to a kind of pigeon sound, and we playfully "coo coooo" around the house if something is a little displeasing.

Funny thing is, it takes about one minute, which I of course silently and patiently wait. Cause there's nothing like the moment I innocently call her by the name and she tilts her head around the curtain, stares at me with those big eyes and mews a few times as she stumbles closer, as if asking for a bit of space there next to me.

Really? That easy? Not even a little grumpy "cooo" about whatever bothered her one minute ago? If only it was this simple for us to overcome uneasy feelings. Sometimes I wish for a goldfish memory, so everything left on my mind would be the thought "Hey, you got some more space there next to you?" while I stretch my front paws.