Cherry blossoms are out, so David and I walked to "our" park, Hinokicho-koen, Saturday in the sunshine, and Sunday in the shade. Perfect place to photograph baby girl's quilt.
We stuck to the periphery of the park away from the crowds - the hanami parties (cherry blossom viewing parties - with picnics, tents, drinking, food, etc.). Aren't we still supposed to be social distancing in Japan? Mmm.
I didn't care about the directionality of the doggies in this quilt;).
Simplest possible quilting:
Sending it on to Kaela and Joe in Austin soon. Can't wait to label it in July, when I can include baby girl's name and "with love from Gramma." The PLAN and HOPE is that I will visit shortly after she's born in late June.
Sunday morning we had a good leisurely casual "get together" with all our kids on Facetime. Kaela and Joe in Austin, Noelle and Keenan in NC, Tommy in UT in off campus housing. Tommy reassured us by showing us ALL the contents of his fridge, cupboards, etc. and made us laugh, sort of, sort of nervously I guess.
How are you coping? Are you social distancing? On full lockdown? Are you OK?
For me, having a routine and rhythm to the day is helpful, especially when activities were curtailed and David started working from home most days, a few weeks ago. It was an adjustment.
1. A consistent at-the-kitchen-table morning routine (to- do list, scripture, neck/back stretches, breakfast, genealogy work). A little reaching out - Facetime, texting, emails, calls, notes.
What else helps me cope?
2. Audible books, podcasts, Spotify (Happy Folk is a great playlist - I dare you to listen to Mumford & Sons' song Fool You've Landed, sitting down and sad! You can't!)
4. A little fresh air outdoors.
5. Quilting... obviously, but not necessarily. So distracted...
6. Popcorn and TV with David in the evenings (yes lately that has included watching and processing some news)
7. And finally, to end the day, nothing beats Japanese bath culture. I will talk about that in another post!
Sincerely hope all of you are coping well in your circumstances... whether or not that includes quilting projects. I don't think anyone should feel pressure to be super productive during this stressful time or meet imaginary expectations!
xo
Cynthia
p.s. if you need three minutes of random DELIGHTFULNESS right now, look up "Stella's best leaf jumps of all time" on Youtube and watch til the end. You're welcome. I'm not sure where Stella lives but I'm thinking it has to be Massachusetts!
The baby log cabin is just darling. You sure did put that together quickly. (and there is no up or down on a baby quilt). Saturday was a perfect day to get out for a picture shoot... before the cold winds moved in.
ReplyDeleteHi friend! I so loved this post and hearing from you about your coping rituals.
ReplyDeleteYour log cabin baby girl quilt is so wonderful! The photos in the park are sensational. The quilting looks perfect to me. This quilt reminds me of the cherry shake you like :)
My coping list is very similar to yours. I've started journaling because my days are all weird with no one having a schedule.
I plan to rewatch all of last seasons westworld....actually thinking of watch the whole first 2 seasons.
take care! xo and breath in some cherry blossom air for me.
I love the quilt. It is so delicate looking. Lots of sewing going on here, DVD watching and reading. Hoping to get out to the park to walk. Take care. Hugs
ReplyDeleteI love the quilt. It is so delicate looking. Lots of sewing going on here, DVD watching and reading. Hoping to get out to the park to walk. Take care. Hugs
ReplyDeleteWe are in total lockdown here at ages 76 and 81! Only going out to get necessities during early hours for seniors...we went out at 6 am yesterday to get groceries and only 4 other people were in the store shopping all gloved and masked...so that was good. I think we are set for quite a while...
ReplyDeleteOur Governor says schools may be closed in our State of CT until Fall term...the last grandchild is flying home from college this evening...so we then will be all at our homes...Hope you stay safe.
That is a lovely quilt --it looks like cherry Blossom Time...hugs, Julierose
Your sweet quilt looks perfect among the cherry blossoms--it's going to be loved, for sure! I'm looking forward to hearing more about the bath rituals--lol!
ReplyDeleteSweet sweet little quilt, looking perfectly at home among the cherry blossoms. Having a daily routine can make the coping less painful, on most days at least. Most of our days are really not too dissimilar from what we were living before, but we miss seeing our church family greatly. Weekly updates are online and sermons are videotaped for the website. And I miss our weekly quilt ministry meetings a lot! Hopefully that will change in a few weeks and some semblance of normalcy will return by summer. Hope everyone in your family continues to do well, and baby girl arrives safe and healthy!
ReplyDeleteThe gentle colors of that sweet baby quilt reminds me of conversation hearts at Valentines. It is a precious finish and looks perfect with a cherry blossom backdrop!
ReplyDeleteSunday evening we had a google hangout call with three of our 4 kids and their families--the 4th was on a date. So much for social distancing, but he is the only one single, so he doesn't feel the weight of this as the rest of us do.
Routine is good. My morning starts with breakfast and scriptures, but from there so much depends on Mom's needs. I do read and quilt when I can.
As I am running water in the jetted tub to unwind at the end of a busy day, I am very curious to learn about the bath culture.
Now I need to go watch Stella!
Take care!
Your baby quilt is as sweet as those beautiful cherry blossoms. The quilt will be loved and cherish for a very long time. All those blossoms some how must brighten your day. I've been sticking to my regular routine too. It seems to help. There are so pretty funny things to watch to bring a smile to my face. I'll check out Stella. Take care.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely popcorn in the evening while we're catching up with the news.:) Good to see your lovely baby quilt all finished up and looking so sweet!
ReplyDeleteWow! You really did get that quilt finished quickly! I guess you aren't going to be able to show it to us in person at the next Tokyo Quilt Festival if it is being sent to you daughter... I do hope you get to see them all in June...
ReplyDeleteStay healthy! Stay happy! I know how hard it is not to worry about all the family in the rest of the world but they seem to be just as worried about us in Japan.
Your grandbaby quilt is just the sweetest and it blends in perfectly with the cherry blossoms! I try to stick to a daily routine, too, and always look forward to going for a walk in the afternoon :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet quilt for your new baby granddaughter! It looks right at home in the cherry blossoms!
ReplyDeleteI've been stressed about this whole situation for 2+ weeks now. I'm trying to calm myself now and develop some schedule and coping activities. We've been home for 17 days now. Hubby and Son went out for necessities a few times, but I haven't left the house yet. It's probably time to take a walk in the yard or around the neighborhood. Too many people here are not social distancing like they ought to, especially the young people. But we are being careful. Very careful! Good luck to you!
Love the sweet soft colors of the the baby girl log cabin!
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