identify one good thing each day

This weekend, we’ll be heading over to Pinery Provincial Park for a long weekend of camping. I can’t wait. We haven’t been camping since last year.

After a couple of weeks of not crafting, I pulled out my beads last night and made a pendant, a pair of earrings to sell, and a necklace and a pair of earrings for me. It felt good to bead again, but my set-up is so not ideal – on the couch, hunched over boxes upon boxes of beads which are strewn every which way, working on a TV table.

But, this post is supposed to be about good things, so I’ll just instead dream of my future craft room in my future home that exists somewhere out there. In this room, there will be a desk and cupboards and drawers where my beads will have a real home of their own.

Today, I feel full of anticipation and hope for my future. I think this next year will bring about many changes.

This morning, I got up at 6:00 a.m. and dragged myself outside for a morning run. Just before I left, I grabbed the light jacket I bought last week as a “just in case”. Glad I did. The air was crisp and cool and fresh and made running just that much easier. As fall approaches, I anticipate a less sluggish me, rejuvinated by the fresher air and reduced smog. I also anticipate a craving for fresh Macintosh apples :)

I promise I will limit how many of my “good things” relate to food. But today, I must profess my love for SunRidge Farms Organic Raw Cashews. I bought the nuts for use in a Vegan Cook-a-long recipe and I soon became addicted.

Okay, 1/3 of a cup contains 19 grams of fat, so the love really is bittersweet and the affair will most likely end the moment my clothing starts to feel a bit tighter. But until then, I am going to savour our time together.

When I first started my blog, I tried to maintain a habit of identifying one good thing each day. Somewhere along the way, I fell back into negativity and I think it’s high time I get back to the good stuff. It won’t be every day, but I hope to make an entry each weekday.

Outdoorsy goodness.

This weekend is my uncle’s yearly McIlwrick and Friends family get-together at his home in Wiarton. I didn’t go last year, and apparently it was a really good time. Everyone was on their (read: HIS) best behaviour and there were no “incidents” as there had been in years past.

We haven’t been camping yet this year and I’m looking forward to sleeping outdoors again. My uncle’s property is huge and we all pitch tents on his front yard. It’s only overnight – up on Saturday and home again on Sunday – but the fresh air that is calling my name is going to be so welcomed.

Actually, it’s more than just one day. I get to hang out with my sister for 2 whole days :) Tonight, I pick her up from the bus station and bring her home for a few hours of watching 24. The rest of the weekend will be filled with shopping for her Grade 8 Graduation Dress and going to the One of a Kind Spring Show.

I haven’t seen her since Christmas, which makes me very sad. I adore my sister and I wish I had easier access to a car so that I could see her more often.

aw, shucks, Amy. So happy I could help bring you, and hopefully many others, some smiles! The logo looks great and I will wear it proudly.

Is it crazy to want to forget about the sewing machine in favour for good old hand sewing? I love making clothes (though I haven’t done it in a long time) and I like the idea of slow, easy hand sewing at a relaxing pace. No machinery. Just me, fabric, needle and thread. I am feeling inspired to make my own wardrobe, thanks to Flickr’s Wardrobe Remix so maybe I’ll try something… a skirt… a top… or maybe I’ll just modify something I already have. A bonus: this would be a nice change from the usual knitting I do on the subway. A few sewing supplies doesn’t take up too much space and I don’t care if people look at me strangely :)

Sometimes, when I use the washroom at work, I keep the light off. It gets very dark in there and I just sit for a few extra minutes, enjoying the silence.