Registry - of sorts

Folks have been asking - as I knew they would.  So Amanda & Ned provided me with their wish list.  Here we go:

We know so many makers & artists. 

Obviously anything handmade would be 

loved & appreciated.

Stuff:

• A free standing ice maker

• Hot/Cold Watercooler

• Slow cooker 

• 3-D printer

• Ceramic kiln "doll" size

• Kitty cat accessories - https://www.catastrophicreations.com  (certificates available)

• Sous vide

• 3D scanner 

• Mortar & pestle 

• https://onefastcat.com/products/cat-exercise-wheel

• Staub 5- qt cast-iron pumpkin 

• Dry measuring cups & measuring spoons in glass, wood, or metal

• Fiesta ware - Bistro bowls of all sizes & Heart bowls

• Extra large drinking glasses (plain glass is fine)

And Things (for which we are saving up if you want to pitch in)

• Wide clawfoot tub

• Tile for bathroom/kitchen

• Home improvement/DIY's

• New pull out couch/one large enough for guests to sleep on

• Our eventual honeymoon in Japan

So there you have it.  Thank you for being part of Ned & Amanda's life. 

Much love,

sash

Goals

I've got all the books.  I know that the way to success is setting goals, planning your work, working your plan.  Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, Francis Martin, Zig Zeigler - I've read them all.

But this isn't that kind of goal.

In fact, less & less of my life is set up with that kind of goal.  I understand the value &, if inspiration strikes, I will fall back on those techniques.  But for 2017, I'm setting some goals that are less about achieving & more about being.

Goals 2017

1. Stop doing shit I don't want to do.
2. Believe that "I don't want to" is a completely valid reason.  Maybe not the most important reason, but still a valid point to consider!
3. Keep reading the things I love & stretch to add a little more non-fiction, poetry, & the classics.
4. Remember the things I enjoy.  Sewing, puzzles, cooking, hitting things with sticks - those are all things that I want to do more - I just have to remember to DO THEM.

I think that's it.  Yeah - I wanna be healthier, be more accountable, clear out clutter.  Floss more.  There's always that list.  But my goals are about happiness, calm, family, & peace.  Right now, as our world shifts around us, those things seem the most important.

Oh yeah - my reading goal.  That's why I STARTED this post.  I like to see how many books I've read in a year.  A good way to keep a tally is the Goodread's goal.  But because it's more about record keeping than about achieving a goal, I always dither about the number.  If I set it too low, I end up changing it over and over.  But heaven help me if I set it too high & feel like I'm somehow FAILING at reading?  Last year I set it at 78.  That's 1.5 books per week.  I ended the year at 119, so that was definitely a safe number.  So I wanna bump it up this year.  I thought 8/month would be good.  That's 2 per week, almost.  But that is 96 and my favorite number is 97 so, duh, time to round UP.

Therefore:

      5.      Read 97 books this year.  Or more.  Or less.  Whatever

You have goals for the year?  Wanna hang out & work on a puzzle?  Whattya gonna read this year?  Can I borrow it when you're done?

Oh - and no matter what - remember that I care about you.  Things feel uncertain (at best) right now.  We need to stick together.  I see you.  I'm here for you.  Really.  

xo
sash

Starting by listening

First small thing.

Hearing more voices so my heartsick mourning can find
a respectful, supportive, EFFECTIVE outlet.

This can't continue.
This violence & fear & hatred.  This death.
This is one little step.

Diversity in books

Click through to that website.

Or look at the lists with which I'm starting. (In my list of lists section over there -------> )

Don't fail to take any step because they all seem so small.

Be safe, my beloved family.  Even the ones I haven't met.

auntiesash

Pride - a WIP

Text from the Rev  "Do we have some rainbow fabric that we could loan to Rose City Park Presbyterian for Sunday?"

Obviously the question was about the loaning cause you KNOW we have rainbows.

Take all of it.   Represent!  I'll bring rainbows from home for the Bridgeport sanctuary.

I wish this quilt was finished.  It's close - pieced, sandwiched, & mostly quilted. Just a few more seams & a binding

Then again, maybe it's ok the way it is?  Beautiful.  Vibrant.  Incomplete.

Artistic vision realized (with work still to come).

Over time, without the rest of the quilting, the quilt would get all lumpy.  Some places would be thin & unsupported.  Other places would be thick & bunch up - putting strain on the whole piece.

And binding.  That's the worst part of quilting.  I like designing, picking fabric, piecing it together.  Binding is like hemming jeans or patching socks.  Boring.

But without wrapping this thing up & taking care of the edges, the seams that hold the beautiful pieces together will ravel.  The whole piece will be weak. Water & dirt will get into the rainbow & my creation will sour & rot from the inside.

Block 04854

(I'm not into subtle metaphors.)

  
Like The Names Project, quilt as metaphor in the queer community isn't about subtle.  Giving names & faces to those lost.  Laying all those feels out there for those who thought their lives were complete separate from homosexuality.  


Quilts may be soft & comforting, but a 54-TON Quilt is not subtle.

So I proudly place my WIP* on the altar: 

I'm really pleased with this quilt top.  PROUD of it, in fact.

It's important to feel PRIDE.  About who we are.  About all that we've done.

Then it's important to remember that this is a work in process.

• For the dark spaces like Orlando.  
• For the vulnerable edges like our transgender brothers & sisters.  
• For those seams that aren't yet reinforced & secure like our queer children & youth.  
• And for all of us - feeling safe & strong in the center of this beautiful patchwork - to guard against clumping ourselves up, lumping others away from us, & allowing the dirt & damp of prejudice & complacency to rot away at the center of our rainbow.

Happy Pride!  Have Fun!  Be Safe!  Be Bold!

Then let's get to work.  Writing letters, Reaching out to those on the edges, Fighting for our kids, Evening out the lumps & bumps that distort our center. 

We have built something beautiful & our work is not yet done.

xoxo

auntie sash

Hey - I see you.  I love you.  I need you to stick around.

Hello?

Oh - Hello there!  I've missed you!

I bet you've been keeping busy and so have I!

Mr Jenkins

    
With THIS

And THIS:

Helping them tie the knot

Daddy!

And, of course, THIS















There's also been sewing and travel and work and life....  

But that's another story.

For today, I just wanted to say "Hello!"

xo
sash

True Love

Inspired by my darling & brilliant niece (I have many nieces & nephews) I'm offering a few words on love.

    Tim Minchin (and hence NSFW!!!)

In the "almost too true to be funny" category 
I present:
              

Hank Green 

 










Watch those first. 

Fires at Midnight

Then, if you want a more serious idea of what I really think about love, check out this video & read the lyrics. 

To me, the most romantic song ever written. 

          Really.  (I don't joke about Jethro Tull.)  




The most difficult projects can be the most rewarding.  Be mindful of who you pick for your lab partner. Pull your own weight.  Pick up slack.  And laugh, even through tears and struggles.  It will be 23 years of marriage on the 23rd of this month.  I'm so frickin' lucky. 

Handsome guy & the sexiest brain I've ever met :)

- auntiesash