Warning: This almost essay length post might bore you, but if you want to get to know me a little better and have some time to spare please keep on reading.
In my last post I told you that I have been recovering from an angiogram. While I had lots of time to spare laying down I was feeling lots of things, and this is one of the ways for me to sort things out in my head and organize... well which is to talk to you all. :)
First I have noticed that so many people that I contact either in person or on blogging refer to me as "very nice", "sweet", "lovely", "cheerful" and in some cases they "look up to me" and so on. Some of these descriptions of me makes me blush and humbles me at the same time. Thank you so much for thinking of me that way and I deeply appreciate that.
BUT, I just wanted to clarify that I am not this perfect angelic being or saint, even though I strive to be one someday. Maybe that will happen when I am in my 80s' or so.
I am generally a happy person 90% of the times, pretty optimistic, trying to do good and be helpful and kind to others. Although, I don't think you want run into me when I am in my other 10% of the mood (Mr. TRH might attest to that). I get mad sometimes, especially when things are not fair, I get irritated, I feel envious and can be sad.
I have been in this 10% of me in the last few days and quietly having a self-pity party.
Seems to me that it is a pattern going on that when things are starting to pick up and going well for me, I start having health issues. It has been like that ever since I was little. I remember all the field trips that I had to miss, things that I had to give up because of my medical condition.
When I was in my late teens and early twenties, it was the same thing. Just before I started a new job, I got ill and I was hospitalized for a couple months. I was still able to work for this company later on, desperately hoping to save up money for Art/Design school. Guess what? Seven months later, I had problems with my leg and the doctor STRONGLY advised that I should quit working. (I am not going in to the details about my disorder and such in this post, but I wrote about some in this post and this other post).
Since I had to learn how to cope with my disorder and disappointments growing up, I think I became resilient adaptable person and I can go with the flow of life. Though sometimes... I am just tired of this same old same old routine, and want to say "enough already!"
Times like that I just have a good cry and allow myself to be sad...
But you know what? One of the gifts that Heavenly Father blessed me with is that I am quick to redirect my thoughts and get back to the other 90% of myself (the one I like much better).
There are few things that I do to get in touch with my happy self. I am not saying that you need them or anything. You might be someone that never gets sad or you already have some method that works for you. If you are someone like me, these might be some useful tips. ;)
1. I count my blessings. When I am in the self-pity mode, it is hard to do this at first. But hey, seriously, I am blessed with a husband that who loves me and goes the extra, not just mile, some many miles for me. I am blessed with my amazing kids who are healthy and happy. As a mother I am so glad that I am the one with the disorder, not them. We all live under the same roof (so many Tsunami victims/survivors are living separately from their family after 6 months!). We have food to eat each meal, other necessities and more are taken care of too. There are so many others. Sometimes I even write them down to see them, since I am a visual person.
2. I watch, read and listen to anything that lifts up my spirit. It is good to immerse myself in "good things" and soak them up. This sounds simple, but it is very effective.
3. I try not to compare myself or my situation to others. There are always people that are doing better than me; it doesn't matter if it is financial, health, career, looks, and housing. Celebrating the differences and uniqueness instead of being envious is a short cut to inner peace. Also I try to remember there is a season for everything.
4. Reach out. This has two different meanings for me.
I reach out to who would love me and listen to me no matter what. Most of the time, it is Mr. TRH that listens to me. Just letting off some steam (nicely though, you don't want the people around you to get "BURNED") makes me feel so much better.
I reach out to help other people. If my problem is not physical and I am capable, I try to do something good. Feelings of being useful, and making a difference in someone’s life energizes me even though it is something very small.
5. Well, you know me. I sew. That is one of the things that have been a constant in my life. Concentrating my energy in designing and sewing lets me forget the pain and sadness. It is very therapeutic. Also looking at the finished product gives me a feeling of accomplishment.
6. I pray. I am not going to lie, sometimes I just don't feel like it but I do pray anyways. I know in times like that it is more crucial for me to pray. My faith in God helps me to see why I am here and why I need to endure (well, preferably with a good attitude) to the end instead of being in my cave of misery.
I hope I don't sound preachy, but really, all these things help me to be who I am in hard times. I am also aware that there are people with mental illnesses or depression and these things won't help them like they do me.
I am just hoping that you will remember these tips and your little blogger friend on your blue days. :)
Nope, you didn’t read that wrong. I did mean to say “do’s and do’s”. After I posted my blog post on Monday about gallery walls I got so many emails with questions about them. Most were asking if there are any rules to creating a gallery wall. I’m here to gladly say that there really are no rules to gallery walls. The only “don’t” that I can think of is “don’t” be afraid to experiment and think outside the box.
Gallery walls tend to be very scary to the general public because there are no true guidelines to them. I’m hoping that for those of you who are intimidated by them, this post will help you out a little.
Do #1: Mix and Match Frame Styles
Don’t feel confined to using one style of frame. You can pretty much use any style and size you want. This is the perfect time to mix traditional with modern, square with round and framed with unframed.
[image via Decorator Dozen]
Do #2: Feel Free to Use the Same Frame Color
To give your gallery wall a more crisp look you can use the same color frames. When using the same color you can do two different arrangements…1.) All the same shape in a more structured pattern, or 2.) Different shapes in a more loose and scattered pattern.
[image via Elements of Style]
[image – yhl]
Do #3: The More the Merrier
When doing a gallery wall make sure you go all out. Don’t just stop at 3 pieces. Go big! Feel free to fill up an entire wall. It will make for a truly interesting conversation piece in your home. Don’t feel like you have to achieve this overnight though. You can start small, and then add on as you collect new pieces.
[image via Elements of Style]
[image via I Suwannee]
[image via Kentucky Mama]
Do #4: Mix and Match Art Styles
Combine abstract art and still lifes, portraits and line drawings, watercolors and Crayola masterpieces(…from the kiddos). They will all become one big happy family once they are hung together.
[image]
[image – kate spade]
[image via Rusty Hinges]
Do #5: Have Fun!
Gallery walls are the perfect way to tell a story about your life as well as let your personal style shine through. So, have fun with it. If the spacing between each piece isn’t exactly the same don’t sweat it. Add some quirky pieces in just for the fun of it.
[image – kate spade]
Designer Tips…
Here’s a great tip for creating your gallery wall. Arrange all of your artwork out on the floor prior to hanging. By arranging your artwork on the floor you can see how it all works together, and you can move pieces around to create that perfect arrangement. It’s much easier than hanging the art on the wall and having to patch a lot of holes when you need to change the arrangement.
Another tip that I got from John and Sherry is hanging newspaper on the wall in the shape of the artwork first to make sure you hang the arrangement in the correct location. I used this technique when I hung the gallery wall in my son’s room and it worked wonderfully.
Happy Hanging!
I was about to list everything that is perfect about this kitchen from the copper hood to the leather stools. Then I realized I would literally list every. single. thing. from this picture ....
Thank you so very much for all the nice comments about our new puppy, Abby. She has been such a delight and has already become an important part of our family. It is hard for me to believe over two weeks have passed since I last shared news from the house with the red door. I don’t think I have ever gone this long without posting something since I started this blog over two years ago. It is not for lack of things to write about but rather just plain busyness.
Anyway, I wanted to finally reveal what I meant to buy when I purchased the blue glass lamp for the master bedroom way back in April. You may recall I had come across an item of interest on Craig’s List and ended up purchasing the lamp and the item. What was the item?
It’s hard to believe that today my favorite little man is 4 months old. My how time flies and my heart grows. Every day I fall deeper in love…
**Photos by Angela Wilson Photography.
I am guest posting at Tatertots and Jello today!
This turned out to be one of my favorite projects. It was so fun to work on and I am excited to wear this for the upcoming season.
Head over to see the complete tutorial and I would love to hear what you think! :)
By the way, I want to thank all who left kind comments and well wishes. It was so nice to hear from Mr. TRH about them and I felt so lucky to have you all as my blogging friends. :)
Note: If you want to know what's been going on with my life since last Thursday please keep reading, but if you have a weak stomach maybe you shouldn't...
What happened was I had an angiogram last Thursday afternoon. It was a procedure that my new doctor (my previous doctor moved to a different state :( ) wanted to have done before my usual procedure for my leg to know better what is going on.
It was supposed to be about an hour procedure, a couple hours to recover from sedation and go home happy (if you must know... I have several projects that I wanted to start on Friday. I thought I would be up and about as usual the next day). Well, I woke up and I didn't feel good. On the way home I started throwing up badly, and half way home I noticed that I was bleeding from the puncture area where the angiogram was performed... Hello, isn't that major artery?! We had to drop the kids back off at my in-laws again, and returned to the emergency room. When we came home, it was about 4:30am...
Since then the bleeding has slowed down and it is more of an oozing wound but it has been 6 days! I have been really taking it easy.
The first couple of days I slept all day long.
The third and fourth day I read all day. A Couple books from my stash by my bed. Since I hardly ever get a large chunk of time for reading which was really nice.
Then by the fifth and sixth days I AM REALLY REALLY starting to get board! Usually when I am going to get a procedure, I always prepare projects that I can work on in my bed, even laying down. I just love keeping myself busy. For example, small appliqué blocks, hexagon pieces to stitch together, making bunch of yo-yo's and flowers etc... I guess I was under prepared this time.
There are things need to be done, and I want to work on, but I guess they have to wait.
I am grateful for my supportive husband who helped me with my blog while I am down. I am blessed with my sweet friends who brought nice dinners and such too... thank you guys!!
Also, I am so glad that the couple tutorials I promised to other blogs were done before the procedure. I am actually not well enough to sew, take pictures and write tutorials yet.
I am going to take a break from the link party this week as well, but hopefully I will be well enough next week. :)
Thank you for reading my "happenings" as of late. I will talk to you soon. :)
Sachiko
