"Make what you want to make, and make it the way you want to make it." Gwen Marston

Monday, October 17, 2011

Pixels are free...and another bridge


I've been watching entirely too much daytime TV.  A couple of my favorites are Nate Berkus and Ellen in the afternoon.  Last week there was a woman on Nate who had dug herself out of something like $24,000 debt in 16 months.  Her motto was "if it's not critical to my survival, I'm not buying it".  That has really stuck with me the past few days.  While I'm not in debt, I'm currently living on a very restricted income, and if I don't find a job by the time my unemployment compensation runs out, we will be in trouble.  So I've decided to adopt this motto!  When I took my little solo vacation a few weeks ago, I went on a major spending spree.  That should last me for awhile. 
I certainly have enough fabric to last a long time.  I might just need to get a little more creative in order to finish some projects.  Maybe I'll make the quilts that I planned and purchased  two years ago when I went on a Shop Hop.  I have all the materials necessary for plenty of hexie goodness.  I started sewing hexies together last night for my Aunt Sara inspired quilt. 
One of my favorite fun activities is taking pictures.  Lucky for me, pixels are free!  When digital photography started becoming so popular, I swore I'd never switch from film.  Needless to say.......  Today, I went down to Antietam Battlefield to take some pictures.  It was a beautiful day, and a good day to be outdoors and do some serious thinking. It's hard to imagine, on a beautiful day like today, that this was the setting of the single bloodiest day in American history, with over 23,000 casualties in a single day during the American Civil War. Thinking of the battle helps put things in perspective in my life.  I often feel like I'm fighting a losing battle.
The reality is, I'm only battling myself.  I wonder if I'll ever really believe that, because that's the only way I'll ever be able to win.  If I feel trapped, it's really internal.  There are no stone walls holding me back from what I want to do.  It's all mental.

I need to start being kinder to myself.  And if some one's mean to me, I'm not going to tolerate it any more.  Life is too short. 
I think I'm going to have to become more creative since I'm not going to allow myself to spend any money.  But I think creativity will lead to satisfaction and happiness.  So if you're on my Christmas list, fear not!! 
Being in nature and taking pictures is critical to my soul, therefore to my survival.  There will be more little escapes like today.  There was a potential high cost to today's walk, because I lost my eyeglasses!  I retraced my steps without any luck.  I returned to my car to make sure I hadn't left them in my purse.  Then I retraced my steps again.  The man and woman who were helping me search thought it was really strange that I found them in deep grass because I recognized a weed that I had photographed earlier.  I remembered changing the lens on my camera, and the glasses must have fallen when I bent to pull the lens from my bag.  Thank you weed.
A couple more photos before I finish up.  I took a bunch of pictures of Burnside Bridge, but they're all washed out because the sun was too strong.




It felt good to be outside today, and I'm counting my blessings......Sunny

16 comments:

  1. Wow what beautiful photos and a very inspirational post. I'm glad you went for the walk today and took all these amazing photos. I'm also glad you found your glasses.. talk about determination. Good on you and all the best...xx You deserve it!Have a great day :)

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  2. Our generation is so used to acquiring everything we want that we don't use what we've already got. I've been just as guilty in that department as everyone else. And with fabric, yarn and every art supply available in abundance in my studio, I've also pledged to 'stop the buying' and use what I have. It's sort of like making soup with the ingredients that are already in the pantry. You have to be creative and some of the best tasting soup is made that way. And so are our quilts. Example: my block for our SAHR. It's coming out so pretty! (Yes, I admit I bought some green to match what I ran out of. Me bad. But I haven't purchased any more fabric since then.)Praying that you get a job soon!

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  3. Well Sue also wrote a sweet comment to your post today and I second it! Surely someone out there will see all your good qualities and put you to work!

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  4. You are not the only one feeling this way! I keep buying more and more stuff... though my weakness is internet shopping. I also made up my mind a few days ago to stop buying so much and try to work more with what I have. Your photography skills are wonderful; I enjoyed your pic's today. I hope things fall into the place for the job. (ps... I love nate and ellen, too)

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  5. Oh sweetie your photos are just beautiful. You are such an inspiration to me....I'm right there with you, in the exact same place mentally. It IS a battle, and we can be our own worst enemies. All the lies I've listened to for so long seem to have taken root, and I must weed them out.
    Let's hope that as our camera lenses help us change our focus, it will also help our internal focus.

    So very, very glad you found your glasses.....

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  6. A wonderful post!
    One of my 100 challenges this year was to not buy fabric! I've 'kind of' stuck to it only buying to finish projects . . . and yes you do become more creative!

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  7. great photos. We could all do with a bit of restraint. Here in Ireland we had a good eonomic time for a couple of years but now things are very bad for a lot of people but there are a lot of government and civil service people who are still living the high life at our expense. It doesn't take a lot to be happy with your lot, food on the table, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and the best gift of all, you and your families health.

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  8. I am pleased you went for a walk and took these lovley photos, Sunny.
    Yes it is amazing how much stitching we can do with what we have in our stash.
    Have you heard about the job you went for???

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  9. As you may know, my situation is somewhat similar to yours. My family has no full time regular income and hasn't for nearly three years. We both work multiple part time jobs. (And pray a lot.) Our lives have become much simpler. I sew with stash and scraps and get creative. And, there is little that I actually miss. I hope you find a good job soon. But, until then, enjoy the blessings of this time and don't apologise when you say "I can't afford that." It is very freeing in its own way.

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  10. Sunny, your post was amazingly just what I needed to hear today, in SO many ways. And reading the comments here, I see I'm not alone. Thank you for sharing. It means more to me than I can express in a comment.

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  11. Oh Sunny,absolutely beautiful photos,you are good or super camera ... LOL ...
    Love your stack of flowers from last post.Happy Sewing:-)

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  12. I do like your post Sunny - and I think you have a really good game plan! I'm here cheering you on!!!

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  13. Wonderful post and I know exactly where you are coming from , I have been trying to not buy as much as possible. I am not always successful but I actually enjoy trying to use what I have in creative ways , it makes me feel good .I think I have always had a frugal mind , my mother pounded that into me as we didn't have much but never went hungry either . Loved all the great photos and I also love the digital as you can take pictures to your hearts content and not worry about ever developing them if they don't turn out . hugs Sheila

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  14. I wish you were close to me because I could use some help taking pictures - I have not learned what to do when with the adjustments you can make and I need one-on-one attention. :) If you can get to this website http://pinterest.com/mbushretired/posts-that-inspire/ take a look at some of the quotes I have there - I think you will find one that is perfect for you to use as your motto for life. blessings, marlene

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  15. You are such a fabulous photographer, Sunny! You make me feel like I took a walk with you. You're on the right path. Enjoy your time, nurture your creativity, and go with the flow. Just like finding your glasses, everything will be there when you are ready for it.

    I lost my keys twice hiking in the woods. One time they fell out of my pants when I was making snow angels and I found them after our 3 hour hike. The other time I left them on a picnic bench in a National Park and found them 8 hours later. The Universe always provides us with a ride home :)

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  16. Those acorn treats are really awesome! I would like to try making those for my fifth grade class.

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