{ A quiet kind of Easter and some sewing lessons }

I wasn't going to set any kind of table.  I was just going to bake a ham, make some mashed potatoes and that was going to be it.  As Easter got closer I started thinking that I was not having the right attitude towards this special day.

Just because it is a little different this year, it does not mean we have to ignore it or act insignificant to it either.  So I changed my attitude and decided to go ahead and make a nice meal, set the table, dye eggs which the kids actually asked to do this year, and even made a fresh batch of rolls.

It was quiet, but it was wonderful.  We sat as a family, just like old times, enjoyed our meal, talked and laughed.  The day went by slow, I took my time cooking, didn't have to worry about setting special tables, waiting on guests, rushing to cook a ton of food and make sure everything is ready.  In other words, no pressure at all.  Much as I love hosting family, I have to say that I actually really enjoyed our quiet Easter.

Today, I got through the housework pretty quick, then pulled out my fabric stash and started working on some new patchwork placemats.  I had made some a very long time ago and we loved them, but with all the washing and use I got out of them, they quickly started falling apart.

Since then, I've been meaning to make new ones but hadn't yet gotten around to it.

I find that sewing has pretty much the same effect on me as crochet does.  I can sit with my sewing machine and fabric, for hours and just allow myself to relax, let my mind go and quietly work away.

Finding a spot by one of my windows, is even better.  I set up my ironing board right at the window, and while I work I am privy to the chirping of the birds outside as I watch them flying around picking at the ground for worms.

I could not find my old placemat pattern so tried to make it from memory.  It kind of worked and it kind of didn't work. 

Ok let me try to explain.  I know how to sew, how to place the fabrics and which side and what not.  But for some reason today, I could not get my mind on the right track.  I sewed the same placemat 3 times, and all 3 times there was something I had to pull apart and restart.

As I did that, a thought creeped into my mind.  Just a little nudge from God above, reminding me that this is His experience with me as a Christian.  I KNOW what is right and what is wrong, I know what I should be doing, but yet at times I push through, making mistake after mistake, trying to restart over and just going right back to messing it up yet again.

I got that message loud and clear, and so I set the work aside, packed it all up and have left it for tomorrow where I can start new with a fresh clear mind and actually get some work done instead of wasting time.

Everyday brings new mercies right?

Curt and I also had to make a quick trip to Lawton to run an errand for my mother and father in law.  They live 3 hours south of us and would have to make a 4 to 5 hour car trip.  We don't want them doing that, my mother in law is still dealing with treatments for her breast cancer, and my father in law is recovering from heart surgery. 

So we popped up there real quick, did what we had to do and were back home in no time.

I guess tomorrow, it is back to the sewing machine to start fresh, and hopefully have some pretty place mats by dinner time.