Magic in a Letter

Driving home Friday night after Elijah's basketball game, I stopped at the mailbox as I pulled into the driveway. I hurriedly grabbed the mail without looking at it, as Fonzy and Elijah were following behind me. When I parked, I flipped through the mail and found a letter from Ezekiel! He's been gone since January 9th for Air Force basic training and this was the first letter I received. I got out the truck and yelled over to Fonzy that I had a letter from Ezekiel! We rushed into the house and before we did anything else, we opened his letter.

Huddled together in the dining room, I read his letter out loud. It wasn't a long letter, just one page, but it meant everything to me. I've been worrying about him since he left, not sleeping well and having strange dreams about him. His letter put my soul at ease. I could picture him, sitting on his bunk writing, remembering on the day he wrote that it was my birthday. He had us laughing as he told Fonzy all the push-ups he made him do growing up when he left the light on in his room helped! And that basic training was nothing like Full Metal Jacket, a movie they should not have watched when they were little, but did one summer when Fonzy was off with them. He said they just yelled a lot, but had nothing on me!

The next morning as I was drinking my coffee, I read the letter again. It brought Ezekiel back home to me, even for just for a few minutes. And that's the magic of letters.

Pictured - envelope art for letters I have going out this week. 

Forty-Seven

“The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as unspoiled, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life. You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose.”
~ Arnold Bennett

The Morning After - Snow Day

I woke up this morning to a winter wonderland, body aches, and a stuffy nose! I probably should have had a coat on yesterday as I was out taking pictures. I knew better, but the excitement of the snow had me like a kid who doesn't care about coats and hats. They just want to get out in the snow and play! And I didn't have that responsible adult telling me to get my butt in the house and put a coat on. I guess I should have been that responsible adult, but that part of me was on a coffee break or something.

We have another snow day and I plan on staying inside. Of course that is after I went out this morning to take pictures. It was the first thing I did, even before coffee! The snow were calling Titus and I. He loves the snow and always up for an adventure when no one else is. I wasn't out there for too long, but enough to appreciate the beauty around me. Carolina blue skies, snow glistening in the sunlight, and the quiet hush of the morning.
The magic of an ordinary.....no, extraordinary day.

Then I dashed inside, got my coffee and snuggled under a blanket. And that's where you'll find me for the rest of the day!

For those here in NC, enjoy your second snow day!

SNOW DAY!

We had the best snow day today! I was so disappointed when I woke up and no snow was falling. Nothing, Nada. I thought for sure the weatherman had got it wrong again, but mid morning the snow started to fall, in big fluffy flakes. Every blind in the house was open to watch the falling snow.

I was in and out all day. My neighbors probably think I'm nuts! I was in the middle of our street, in my onsie pajamas and boots taking pictures. I'm sure they will get use to my shenanigans. If not, oh well. It snowed all day and I enjoyed every minute of it. Dinner for our snow day - a chicken pot pie.

And of course no snow day is complete without knitting!

I love a snow day!

Snail Mail and Rainbows

“To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.” ― Osho

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” ― Maya Angelou

"Creativity is the way I share my soul with the world." - Brene Brown

I wouldn't call myself an artist. I can't really draw, I'm not a painter, but I love being creative. Give me some paint, colored pencils ( I prefer colored pencils) and I'm like a kid in a candy store! I guess that's why I've been drawn to mail art. As a kid, I was a letter writer. I had pen pals, cousins and my auntie in Tennessee that I would write. I'd pour my heart out on a piece of paper, get a plain white envelope, address and stamp it, and send a piece of my soul out into the world. I've loved writing letters again, but the art part has made it that much funner. Is funner even a word? I don't think so, but I'm sticking to it.

I have a box filled with stationary, stickers, paint, colored pencils, and a collection of mail art templates from Naomi Bulger at https://www.naomiloves.com/  She sends out a monthly newsletter with envelope art you can print, color or paint. My inner child does a happy dance whenever I pull out the box. I still write to my auntie in Tennessee, old friends and new. Sure, I could text or email. It would definitely be faster, but writing a letter slows you down and you put more of yourself into a letter than you would a text. I just wrote a letter to a friend I made on Instagram and it was 3 pages long! We've never met in person, but we connected in those little squares and now write to each other. I love getting her letters. Letters are tiny pieces of a person, that even after they are gone you still have. It's a tangible part of them. They took the time out of their day and thought only of you as they wrote. Their hands touched the paper you now hold. You can reread the letters and that loved one or friend is right there with you again. Not the same with a text or an email.

I plan on sending letters to my grandbabies. They are old enough now to read the letters and if I'm lucky they may write back. It doesn't take much to write a letter and bring a little happiness to the person who receives it. I have yet to find a person who doesn't like to receive letters in the mail. How about you?

***********************************

I had to share my rainbow sweater. Since I've taken these pictures, I've knitted more. The body is almost done! I'm not sure I'll get it done before my birthday next week, but I've been happily knitting along and can't wait to finish.

Rainbow Sweater

I have a thing for rainbows. Growing up, rainbows were one of my favorite things to draw. I'd get my crayons and repeat ROYGBIV to find the colors I needed, except I never got the I - indigo. I stuck with red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. I'd draw puffy white clouds, and a rainbow shooting out of the cloud, over and over again.

The beginning of the new year, I decided I wanted to knit a pullover sweater. I have never knit a pullover, so went searching for an easy pattern. I found Flax, a tincanknits design from her Simple Collection. Just what I needed, a simple pattern with tutorials and help along the way. While browsing through all the completed Flax sweaters, I saw a couple that had incorporated rainbows, and my childhood self couldn't resist! I had to knit a sweater with a rainbow on it! And so I began.

The pattern has been fairly easy. I did have to rip and start over once because I forgot to change to larger needles after the ribbed collar. Other than that, it has been smooth sailing. We've had a couple of snow days, so I've been able to knit more than usual. I'm hoping to have it done by my birthday, January 22nd. It's actually grown more since the last picture and I'm hoping to be done with the body in a day or two and will start the sleeves. At least that's my plan. Let's hope I make my deadline!

Snow Day!

The weatherman has been predicting snow the past few days and we actually got it! The snow started falling last night in all it's beautiful, snowy glory.  This morning we woke to a wintry wonderland and the hush the snow provides. I was up early before anyone else and enjoyed the quietness. I love a snow day. It brings me back to my childhood in Dunkirk, NY, south of Buffalo. Growing up with all that snow, you would think I would be done with it but I sometimes miss the snow.

Schools are cancelled, and I'm working from home. I made a late breakfast of cheddar and chive waffles with eggs and plenty of coffee. As I type this, I'm thinking of brewing a second pot! I have butter softening for cookies, because you can't have a snow day without some baking. Knitting is on the agenda and some letter writing I've been trying to get to. For everyone up the east coast getting this snow, stay safe and warm! And enjoy the simplicity a snow day can bring.