The CallaManifesto: Part 3

Explore, Dream, Discover.

One of my favorite quotes of all time is from Mark Twain: Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.  

The very first time I heard or saw it was as I was graduating high school, it was printed on a magnet that was given to me as part of my graduation gifts.  It came with me to college and stayed with me through grad school and I still walk past it every day. 

It still inspires me.  

So my plan for 2013 and for the rest of my life really is to explore and try new things, dream about things no matter how silly they seem and discover that those silly things can be real if I simply explore…see how that works, ah the circle!

Do you have a favorite quote that hangs on your heart?

~Leah 

The CallaManifesto: Part 2

Relax: Stress is related to 99% of all illness.

I borrowed this one from the Lulu manifesto simply because I think it’s true.  I know I don’t handle stress well and inevitably when I am stressed out more than usually I do end up feeling less than stellar.

This year I plan to relax; by that I don’t mean quit my job and kick my heels up but I mean I am going to take the time to calm myself down. 

I’m actually going to breathe, take a walk if I have to or even shut my eyes in a quiet space for 5 minutes and just not think.

I never thought of myself as someone that took on to much but somehow for a while there I was walking down that path.  This will be the year that I spend simplifying and letting go of the sources of stress and drama.

How is your mission for 2013 shaping up?
~Leah 

The CallaManifesto: Part 1

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start,

 ANYONE 

can start from now and make a brand new ending” 

Carl Bard.

I may have shared this quote before, maybe not.  In any case this one is one of my all time favorites mostly because it reminds me that its not about trying to undo what has already happened its about breaking the chain and starting new.  I tend to look back A LOT and second guess myself on things that at this point I can do nothing about and really its just frustrating. One of the reason's why I wanted to make some kind of mission statement/manifesto for myself was to bring all of what I wanted to do and be all together in one place to see if they actually worked with each other.  I'm not going to lie, it took me a long time to get these together and I'm not even sure its done.  Some of these I have been working on since June/July when I really took a look at my life and others are new.  

The first part of this all started with a Post-It note stuck on a bathroom mirror that I happened upon randomly...I have no idea why it was there or who put it there but it stuck with me.  All that was written on it was 'be you, everyone else is spoken for'. I thought it was a hoot so I whipped out my trusty camera phone and took a picture; one because I liked the little saying and two because I couldn't believe people were leaving sticky notes in bathrooms! I figured when I told my friends I would need evidence ;) They weren't as amused as me :(  Fast forward several months and I flip to July in my Mollie Makes 2012 calendar and what do I see but some beautiful photos and another post-it!! Different wording but essentially the same quote; ‘be yourself, everyone else is already taken’. 

Its fate, it must be! 

So this year one of my goals is to just be me, stop comparing myself, stop molding myself, stop trying to be something I’m not.  I can only ever be me so I am going to try to really be honest about who I am and what it means to be me. After all life is about creating yourself, not impersonating someone else!

What do you all have on tap for 2013?

Thanks for swinging through!

~Leah 

**2013**

Whew! It's here, how crazy is that?!?!

Well not that crazy I guess, we all knew it was coming. I was going to do a year in review but then i decided that since I didn't get as much done or posted as I would have liked I decided to look ahead to the future. I've never really made resolutions before and I'm not sure I want to start now so I decided to create a manifesto/mission statement for myself and this next year. Some of it is made up of favorite quotes that really resonate with me so much so that I would like to embody them in some way. Parts are things that I need to remind myself of constantly, sort of like those face yourself in a mirror and say this out loud/affirm yourself exercises. Then the last few bits and pieces are goals and aspirations, and just things I would like to accomplish. I think it simplifies things, they aren't crazy hard non-S.M.A.R.T. goals but things I can incorporate into my life daily.

I'll share a little bit of this mini-manifesto with you throughout January, and keep you updated as things unfold. 

How have you decided to attack this new year?

Here's to the brightest and best being just over the horizon in 2013!

Thanks for stopping by...

~Leah

Even More New Threads!

At the last quilt show I was at I picked up a few new embroidery patterns by a designer out of Australia and when I finally pulled them out last month to stitch one up I didn't recognize the threads she called for.  I brought the pattern to the stores closest to me that carry threads other than the normal DMC stuff but no one knew anything about them.  So I then went to ETSY and after an exhausting  ;) 5 minute search found a seller (also based in Australia) that had not only the thread but also the color I needed. 

It took some time but its finally here.  It feels so different than any other floss I have ever had, it is so silky and smooth.  The color is gorgeous in person and I can't wait to stitch with it! I'll post some pics once I'm well on my way with the project.  Just a few things to finish up post-Christmas (man did it come fast and blow by! Yikes!) and then I can start up on some personal projects.  

I have lots planned for the winter and I can't wait to hole up and get stitching!

Anybody else have any plans?

~Leah 

Fun Mail!

What can I say I'm a sucker for a good sale and while I was away on vacation I might have slid a little online shopping into my fun filled sunny days.  The day after I for back there was a package dropped on my porch that was very appropriately labeled...

All wrapped into one package was a ton of stitchy fun.  I got myself a new hoop, some needles, some patterns, a pair of new scissors, a trio of patterns and most importantly some new floss.  

Since Sublime Stitching announced their floss launch I've been curious to work with it and their latest sale gave me just the chance.  

I haven't had the time to break it out yet but I will let you know as soon as I do.

I hope you all have some fun mail land on your porches as well!! Its back to the grind for me tomorrow,  its crazy that vacations always seem too short no matter how long they are.  

Hope all is well with you and thanks for stopping by!

~Leah 

Vacation from Life

So I had grand plans for this little blog of mine but it seems like life had other plans for me. These last few months have been some of the hardest and most stressful that I can remember. Every time I looked at the calendar a month was come and gone and I felt like I was constantly stuck in the same place but getting nothing accomplished.

I have made a few changes that I am hoping will help take the edge off as we go into the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. I wanted so badly to have a handmade, homemade Christmas but I just know in my heart it won't happen this year. All I can do now is scale back on my projects, really choose the ones that are important to me and then let the rest fall where they may.

I was getting so caught up in the chaos around me that it was really hurting some of my most cherished relationships. Friends and family noticed the change in me and pushed me to take some time for myself. Well thanks to their pushing and an impeccably scheduled Patriots game I got my little vacation from life. I've spent the better part of the last week relaxing and catching up with friends while soaking up some sunshine (I am still amazed at how much better I feel when I get to play outside in the sun!) in beautiful Florida! Yesterday was the highlight of the week, my brother's birthday and the Patriots vs Miami game. So I got to celebrate and spend the day with my brother while enjoying one of our favorite things. I have one more day here at the beach before I have to head home but I think it was just what I needed to clear my head, clear my heart and refresh my outlook on things.

So I will leave you with what I am looking at as I type this post, my little stretch of sea and sand.

Here's to a brand new start!

I hope all is well with you and your and as always, thanks for stopping by,

~Leah