Sunshine on a Rainy Day

On March 19, 2020 By Erickson's HeirloomsIn Life3 Comments

Well, today it is raining. A cold, chilly kind of rain. While rain can mean a lot of different things to different people (joy, sadness, and sometimes even just getting wet), today’s rain is a bit to cold for a long walk outside.

So, I spent my last hour using my indoor stair stepper. This isn’t a fancy piece of exercise equipment. It’s very small and slides under my sewing table for storage. But, with Minnesota weather it has been handy to have.

While “stepping”, I was looking at my current quilting project. I’ve been working on a landscape quilt and have reach the sky section. So, today in I will be “creating my own sunshine”.

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A suggested song for today “A Million Suns” by Hillsongs United.

Today is a Gift

On March 18, 2020 By Erickson's HeirloomsIn LifeLeave a comment

Living in Minnesota, the weather is still not warm enough to see the plants come back to life. However, there is still plenty to see when going on a walk.

Several wild turkeys greeted me as I stepped out of the house this morning. Normally the turkeys annoy me because we have SO many of them in our neighborhood. But, today I took the time to watch them for a few minutes and to marvel at God’s creation.

As I walked through the neighborhood park, I came across four deer enjoying the quietness of the open space, two squirrels chasing each other from tree to tree, a cardinal in all its beauty, and a rabbit looking for signs of plant emerging from the ground.

And, just like yesterday, another song on my playlist helped lift my mood. If you haven’t heard the song before, listen to the words of “Everything” by TobyMac.

Look Up!

On March 17, 2020March 26, 2020 By Erickson's HeirloomsIn LifeLeave a comment

I just returned from my morning walk. It was a rather cool 27 degrees, but the fresh air was great. With my headphones on, I would normally listen to an audio book. Today I decided to put my music collection on shuffle and see what songs came up. Great idea. It seemed like God was really wanting to calm my inner thoughts.

A song by one of my favorite artists, Lauren Daigle was the second song to play. I have loved “Look Up Child” since it was released. If you have not heard the song before, I encourage you to click on the link and enjoy it.

My plans for the rest of the day are to dust our bookshelves and then do some sewing. I hope everyone finds an uplifting way to spend their day. Comments about how you are spending your day are very welcome.

A New Norm

On March 17, 2020 By Erickson's HeirloomsIn Family, Life1 Comment

Vacation in Palm Springs, that is where I am supposed to be this week. That is obviously not where I am.

We decided last Thursday to cancel our trip. So, I am at home.

I originally thought I would be able to spend the week pretending I was already retired. Well, that hasn’t happened either. With the rapidity of change in our lives, I spent the last couple days on-line looking up information to help keep my office safe. Over the weekend, my partners and I made many decisions, including limiting treatment to emergency patients only.

So, I can now settle in to my week off. And, it looks like I will have more time off over the next few weeks.

Since I am, by nature, a planner, I have decided to make a schedule for myself. First thing each morning I am planning to get my 10,000 steps in either by going on a walk or using my stair stepper. After my walk, I will do a bit of house cleaning and organizing. After that, my crafts will be my therapy for dealing with the stress of these times.

I realized that these changing times can make all of us feel stressed and anxious. So, after my walk each day I will post an inspirational quote and a short message about my plans for my day.

I encourage my readers to add a comment about how you are spending your day or something uplifting and encouraging. Your comments may help others cope with the new norm we are all settling in to.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

On March 15, 2020March 15, 2020 By Erickson's HeirloomsIn Family1 Comment

Today is my mom’s birthday. For the past couple months, I had planned a surprise visit to help her celebrate. Well, given the current situation we are all facing, I am at my home rather than visiting her.

Since I can’t be with her, I decided to make a slideshow for her.

Happy Birthday, Mom.

I love you!

Papillon/Butterfly

On March 1, 2020 By Erickson's HeirloomsIn Applique, Fabric Dyeing, Fused glass, Knitting, Scarf, Yard ArtLeave a comment

I love butterflies. They are colorful, graceful, almost ethereal. Because I like them, I have used them in my craft projects, such as:

Quilting:

Fabric Dyeing:

76c2f-backing — Images from backing of Butterfly Art Quilt

and Fused Glass:

Recently, an email from a yarn store featured several new patterns. The Butterfly/Papillon shawl pattern by Marin Melchoir caught my eye. Later that same week, while shopping a a local yarn store (Three Kittens, Mendota Heights, MN), the owner was wearing the shawl. Written for fingering weight yarn, this was the weight of yarn she had used for her shawl. I really liked the pattern, so I purchased it. However, I wanted the shawl to have more “movement”. So, instead, I knit the shawl in lace weight yarn, using the indicated needle size. This created a softer, lighter version of the shawl, but the same size as the pattern.

I really like how the shawl turned out. However, I’m not sure whether I will make another. This shawl took about 40 hours to complete!