2021 Cross-Stitching Projects

In February, I asked for a William Morris Strawberry Thief cross-stitching kit for Valentine's Day. It took me several months to make it, on and off, but it was a fun project to complete during the pandemic. This is the project that I was working on when I visited Grandma J in May, and she gave me some of her unused embroidery floss (the light blue color) to help complete the project. 

It was fun to work on this project throughout the year. Not only did I work on it while I was in Utah, but I also remember taking it to Beacon Rock State Park when we went camping over Labor Day weekend. I just finished this bookmark about a week ago, but mostly because I stopped and started other cross-stitch projects in the fall. 

The next project I undertook was a bookmark of Munch's "The Scream." This project started as an idea after I went to Grandma J's funeral in the summer. When there, Auntie T brought my Grandma L's embroidery thread for me to have (since she knew that I had been working on the William Morris cross-stitch). I decided to use some of Grandma L's thread to make "The Scream" bookmark as a birthday present for my cousin A. I don't think that Grandma L would have ever envisioned that her embroidery thread would be used to make "The Scream" (!) but I think she would have been pleased to know that her granddaughter was using the thread to make something for another granddaughter. Grandma made cross-stitches for her grandchildren when we were little (she made one of my name and also a cross-stitch of our family as bears - I was represented by a little secretary bear at a typewriter). So I thought that this gift - from one granddaughter to another - seemed in line with something that Grandma would have enjoyed.

The next project also involved Grandma L's thread. For the several years leading up to her death, she would sent her great-grandchildren gingerbread house kits at Christmastime. In fact during one visit she wanted to remind Sam of these kits and introduced herself by saying, "I'm The Gingerbread Grandma!" I thought it would be fun to her use own thread to make some cross-stitch gingerbread houses for her great-grandchildren that she never got to meet. So I specifically chose this pattern so I could use her dark brown thread (for the heart, roof, and door). I hoped to make one for both of my sisters who have kids, but I only got one finished this year. I'll have to do the one for Baby O this coming Christmas instead.

It has been fun to work on these projects and feel connected to my grandmas. I've started one more project this year (and I have two more lined up), so these ones will be for 2022. Here is what I have been working on this week, while we have been snowed-in at RB:

Narnia Halloween!

Well, we did it. After our brainstorming and a lot of costume prep, we had a Narnia-themed Halloween! It especially felt like I triumph because I wrestled with my sewing machine a lot on the day before Halloween, as I tried to get my dress ready. I had never sewn on a machine with the such different kinds of fabrics, ranging from a stretchy white dress, to a gauzy netting, to faux fur. And my sewing machine skills are pretty basic to begin with. I even enlisted Lucy as a helper to help lift up the foot of the machine so that fabric would not get caught in the needle or the bobbin thread. Later that night, I found a little piece of paper next to the sewing machine, where Lucy had been documenting our slow progress:

   1. So far, so good

2. Keeps getting stuk :(

3. Haveing trouble

4. :( The dress is cout (caught)

5. Takeing a while :(

6. Good again!

My friend Katie had sent me some tips on what she did when she was the White Witch, and I followed some of those. I also found a webpage that explained how to make an icicle crown out of crystal clear hot glue gun sticks.

J made most excellent runes on the Stone Table

Here is the final product! I was the White Witch, S was the Stone Table, Violet was Aslan, L was Queen Lucy of Cair Paravel, and J was the Wardrobe.

We had a chili cook-off with our Dinner Group and went trick-or-treating around the Roses' neighborhood. It was the most delightful trick-or-treating experience that my kids have had, I think, because the whole neighborhood was filled with kids, and it was still light enough to see and appreciate the costumes of the kids. Normally we are some of the only costumed people out in the dark neighborhoods.

October is always a really difficult month for me, because I tend to teach more classes in the fall quarter and there always seems to be more going on. THis year was no different. I'm teaching four classes this quarter, helping out with two different art programs at Lucy's school, and serving on the national board of the WMS. So adding Halloween costume prep into the mix always seems untenable, especially because midterms happen the same week as Halloween. But somehow it all came together, after a lot of hard work and late nights, and it is always nice to finally say goodbye to October with a fun evening.

When we were driving home, Sam said, "What family costume theme should we be next year?" And J immediately replied, "Store-bought costumes. Our family theme is that we will all be wearing store-bought costumes next year." Ha!

My Grandmas’ Embroidery Floss

This summer I inherited two different sets of embroidery floss, one from each of my grandmas. My Grandma J gave me her embroidery floss earlier this spring. She had just moved into an assisted living center and I was staying at her vacant house in the evenings, while visiting her new apartment during the day. The floss was in the drawer of the bedroom I was staying in, and Grandma just happened to have the color floss that I needed to complete a cross-stitch project I had brought with me. She was very pleased to give me the floss and see me use it: I worked on my William Morris bookmark every day that we watched Hallmark shows and old movies together.

On this same trip, I showed my Auntie T my cross-stitch project and she mentioned that she had taken lots of embroidery floss from Grandma L's house, after Grandma L passed away a few years ago. When Grandma J died earlier this summer, Auntie T came out for the funeral and she brought Grandma L's embroidery floss to give to me.

So now I have two sets of embroidery floss, one from each grandma. I've been using colors from both of the sets for the current project I'm working on. Tonight I was thinking about how the ways that my grandmas chose to store their thread both remind me of them. They both are organized by color and number, although Grandma L kept hers even more contained by using small ziplock bags that are bound together by a silver ring. These threads are neatly wrapped in circles so they don't tangle. By contrast, Grandma J cut her floss into equidistant strands and tied them onto numbered boards. She left the strands loose, so they have a little bit of a quirky character as they enmesh and interact. 

I like to think about how these two collections - and two grandmas - form different parts of me: an organized, independent and slightly quirky person, who also feels the need to engage and intertwine into her community.

Art History Accessories

When I think about the upcoming school year and the prospect of going back to the classroom, I get excited at the thought of getting to wear some of my jewelry again. I like to pair my outfits and accessories with the topic that I am going to discuss with students, although the references are small and probably go unnoticed. Here are some of my art history accessories:

Pendant of a rosette from the Ishtar Gate. I got this at the Pergamon Museum gift shop.

For early Egyptian lectures, I wear a scarab with a pendant that came nestled within the Giza Pyramids Conqueror Challenge medal.

The back of the pendant has hieroglyphs which translate to say "Well done."

For later Egyptian lectures, I wear this necklace when I teach about King Tut's funerary mask and/or lapis lazuli.

This one I often wear when I teach about Minoan art (it has a nod to nature and Minoan metalwork/filagree), but it also works well to teach about other groups that are inspired by nature (the PRB and the Arts & Crafts, for example).

I inherited this necklace from Grandma Judy this past summer. She lived in Athens for a short time on a mission, and I think that I'll wear this drachma when I teach about early Greek art.

I usually wear this Athena (owl) pendant when I teach about the Parthenon and Athens. I got this necklace in Athens when I was on a study abroad as an undergrad.

For Byzantine lectures, I wear this pendant of Salus Populi Romani (Health of the Roman People). It is a copy of a Byzantine icon located at the Borghese chapel in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. I got this as a souvenir when I was in Rome as an undergrad.

I wear this pink rose when I teach about Rococo art. I bought this at a gift shop at Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam (outside Berlin).

My sister E gave me this ring when she went to Turkey on a trip. I like to wear a nod to Iznik tiles when I teach about pottery or ceramics.

This pendant looks like a feather to me, so I wear it when I teach about featherwork and/or the tapirage technique in indigenous art from the Americas.

The oval shape of this pendant reminds a little bit of Victorian brooches, so I wear this when I teach about the 19th century.

Flexibility

I was following along with a yoga video this morning, and the instructor said something that stood out to me. She said that the body and mind and interrelated, and that mental health corresponds with physical health. I had heard this before, but she put it in terms of flexibility by saying something like this:

“A flexible body creates a flexible mind. A strong physical body creates strong mental health.”

This month has been full of stressors: positive stress with fun visits from family and events with friends, but a lot of negative stress with Grandma Judy’s poor health and death last week. The day she passed away was a ill-gotten confluence of both stressors, since her health declined rapidly at the Enchanted Forest, while the kids and I were there with my sister L and my local aunt, uncle, and cousins. We were in the best of places experiencing the worst of times. Lucy and I said goodbye to Grandma via FaceTime, while we were standing in line for the bobsled ride and cheery synthesizer music blared out of speakers nearby.

I’ve been anticipating a lot of upcoming stressors, too, especially as we travel for the funeral during the Covid pandemic. I got a massage yesterday (as part of Carrie’s birthday celebration) and I could feel a lot of physical tension in my body that needed to release. A lot of it did release, which really helped me to feel better. But I want to have a flexible and calm mind too, especially on this trip. I think I’ll do stretches and some yoga each day, especially while traveling, to try and work on my mental flexibility and health.

Narnia Costume Brainstorming

 This evening, the kids and I went for a walk on the neighborhood trail, through BB Mill. As we walked, we talked about all of the different permutations that we could have for family-themed Narnia costumes this Halloween. Here were some of the ideas:

• Dad as Mr. Tumnus
• Mom as the White Witch
• Sam as a Wardpost or Lampdrobe (a wardrobe with a lamppost inside the doors)
• Lucy as Lucy
• Violet as Aslan

OR

• Dad as Mr. Beaver
• Mom as Mrs. Beaver
• Sam as Edmund with Turkish delight
• Lucy as Lucy
• Violet as Aslan

OR

• Dad as the wardrobe
• Mom as a lamppost
• Sam as the stone table
• Lucy as Lucy
• Violet as Aslan

Lucy said that she doesn't want to be an inanimate object ("I want to be human!") so that last theme won't work. And she will pretty much only consider being Lucy. Perhaps going as inanimate objects from Narnia is too niche, but I love how esoteric it would be. ;) 

I love talking about Narnia books with my kids and we all had a happy time imagining costume possibilities together. Now we just need J to get on board. I doubt I can convince him to be a faun.

To Age Gracefully and Willingly

I've been thinking a lot about age over the past few days. One of my best friends, Rachael, turned forty last week, which has prompted lots of reflection and celebration. Rachael, Carrie, and I went to the MarQueen Hotel to celebrate, as we have all been fully vaccinated - it was the first time I had been in a hotel in over fifteen months due to the pandemic! We took a lot of pictures, although I couldn't help but reflect on how we looked old in the pictures. Not just young moms, but like seasoned moms on a middle-aged "girls" night. Which, in truth, that is what we are: seasoned moms who have been raising our kids together for the past 10+ years.

I'm not even forty yet, but Rachael's birthday (and Carrie's impending 40th birthday) have made be reflective. There is so much that one can accomplish in the first forty years of life, and it also make one wonder what is left in store. And it just so happens that this week other articles about Millenials turning forty came out, stating that it is the "old age of youth" (the term "geriatric Millenials" has gone viral over the past week or so) and that better things happen when one is in their fifties. I guess we'll see how the next decade pans out for me and my friends!

These things about aging were in the back of my mind yesterday, as I was listening to C. S. Lewis's "The Last Battle" on audiobook (read by Patrick Stewart, who did a fantastic performance). I was struck by this quote about Susan Pevensie, who at this time must be in her late teens or twenties:

“Grown-up, indeed,” said the Lady Polly, “I wish [Susan] would grow up. She wasted all her school time wanting to be the age she is now, and she’ll waste all the rest of her life trying to stay that way. Her whole idea is to race on to the silliest time of one’s life as quick as she can and then stop there as long as she can.”

This quote has made me think about what period in my life do I want to enjoy the most, and I hope that my answer will continually be "the present." I'd rather not spend time wishing that I was trying to stay at a time in my life that has already passed me by. Of course, I want to keep my body as healthy as possible, but I think that's different from trying to stop myself from aging or wish that I was a different age. I hope that I can be a person who is content about their stage in life and the things that happen to one's body with age. If I'm going to be a seasoned mom of older kids right now, then so be it.

Reading Outside

I had this painting by a Swedish artist, Johan Krouthén, saved on my phone lockscreen for the past month. I like the thought of reading outside with my friends in the middle of a forest.

Johan Krouthén, "Three Reading Woman in a Summer Landscape," 1908 (see high-res image)

Outdoor Scenes and Caring for Grandma

About two weeks ago, my grandma woke up and found that she didn't have the strength to stand up on her own. My extended family members - especially my two aunts - have been working hard to figure out solutions to help ensure that Grandma gets the care she needs (and also finding care that can fits within Grandma's financial means). These past two weeks have made me think a lot about caring for the elderly, those who are infirm, and also the things that I want to do to prepare for when I'm older. I hope I will be able to maintain my independence in the years to come, both physically and financially.

These paintings make it seem so lovely and peaceful to care for someone who is old or infirm. I don't think I'll spend much time outdoors when I see my grandma next, but I like these romanticized views nonetheless:

Vasily Polenov, "Grandmother's Garden," 1879. (High-res image)

John Lavery, "Convalescence in the Apple Orchard," 1885

My May Day Marathon!

Last weekend I ran a marathon! This was a goal that I've wanted to achieve for a long time, but I didn't think it was possible. I always excused myself by saying things like, "My knees can't handle it." But I decided to legitimately train for it and try, and I was able to run it! I didn't do an organized race; I plotted the 26.2 mile route myself and ran it on my own.

Being the great friends that they are, Carrie and Rachael offered to run the race with me. And while I also liked that idea, I realized that it would better for me, mentally, to do the run on my own. They are much faster runners than me, and I knew that I wouldn't enjoy myself as much if I knew that I was slowing them down. By running on my own, I could go at my own pace and also listen to books/music without thinking about whether I was sufficiently socializing along the way.

But Carrie and Rachael still were so supportive and found a lot of ways to make this run special for me. They made countless signs and showed up the night beforehand with a "swag bag" that included a t-shirt, energy bars and snacks, pasta (for carb loading), an inspirational letter, a marathon number tag, and even a 26.2 sticker. They decorated my yard with signs for me to see in the morning, and then stopped five times along the route to cheer me on. They are such great friends, and they really made this day so special for me.

I didn't run a fast marathon: the first third of the run I had a ten minute mile, the second third of the run was an eleven minute mile, and then the last six miles were rough - I was running about a twelve minute mile. But I did it! The time that I felt best on my run was about 14 miles into the run. I was running along the bank of Lake Washington, along a sidewalk that was covered with pink cherry blossom petals. Some of the powerhouse singers that I was listening to at this point in the run were:

• "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin
• "Listen" by Beyoncé (from the "Dreamgirls" film soundtrack)
• "Rise Up" by Andra Day
• "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston

J and the kids met me about halfway through my run with signs. And then, not long after I ran the Seward Park loop, I got a call from E that she had her baby that same morning! So at Mile 18 I got a boost by learning that there was a Baby Oliver to love! I knew it was a possibility that E might have her baby that morning, and I had even left her a message earlier in my run, saying that I was running to the beat of the "Oliver" song (from the musical) in my head. It was so exciting to get a call and find that he actually had arrived!

I actually had to end my call with E after several minutes, because I was surprised to run into Carrie and Rachael on the trail - it was their first stop along the route to cheer me on. It was really encouraging to run into them during those last miles, and I was really touched that they waited along the route as I (slowly) progressed.

As I was nearing the last bit of the route, I realized that I was probably going to reach my goal earlier than I thought. I think I must have picked up a little over half a mile by crossing streets and running in a slightly less-linear route sometimes to maintain social distancing. So I ended up calling J and asking him to pick me up at Coulon, because I didn't want to have to run that last leg if I'd already met my goal! Carrie and Rachael also met us at the park, and they kept running with the finish line ahead of me, until I finally hit the 26.2 mark!

Then I immediately got in the car and J drove me home, where the Dinner Group families were waiting to welcome me. They had even made a finish line for me in sidewalk chalk. Even in just sitting in the car for the drive home though, my legs started to cramp up. So when J pulled up to the house and I got out to run across this last finish line, my legs really protested! But I did it!

Carrie had an "MM" medal made for me, which I cherish more than the Inca Virtual Marathon medal that I also earned through "The Conqueror" app (even though the Inca medal is really cool). But I felt so much love on this day, and it was a great kickstart to my birthday celebrations. Rachael even made a chocolate mousse cake, which tasted so good!

And now, I'm recovering from the race. I had to use handrails for the day or two following the race, whcih was expected. I also have had some lower back pain, too. In fact, my lower back was giving me some grief during my taper before the race (I think it was used to the long runs and felt strange when I cut back on mileage). I didn't have any back pain during the race or the following day or two after, but the dull ache came back earlier this week after the race. Yoga and barre exercises have helped a bit. I've gone out on two short runs (1.5 to 2 miles), but my right knee feels a bit achy and my right hip keeps making a clicking pop with each step. So I can tell that I'm not back to normal yet.  I've read that some people say it takes two weeks to recover, whereas others say that the recovery should last as long as the miles of the race (i.e. 26 days).

Now that things are over though, I do feel a little bit unmoored and bereft. Training for this run has been really great for me during this pandemic, because my weeks had structure through the training schedule. And I've felt like I was progressing toward a goal, which was good for me mentally. I don't know what my next goal will be. I don't think I'm going to be a continuous marathon runner; I think half marathons might be more my jam, because the running is still enjoyable for me at that length. Once I get closer to 20 miles, I feel like the experience of running is more about mental endurance than enjoyment of the experience. I'm not sure what kind of training or physical fitness goals are in my future, but I'm sure I'll find something. I know that I'm forward to doing more Zumba, barre and yoga, though, since those were put aside while I did all of my runs. And I look forward to summer bike rides, especially so I can finish earning my Camino de Santiago virtual challenge!

"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud"

 

The kids are on Spring Break this week, and we visited the Tulip Festival as a mid-week activity. I'm so glad that the festival is happening this year. We have gone every year that we have lived here, except last year the festival was completely closed due to Covid. The closures happened just weeks before the festival was supposed to begin, and the farmers really suffered. I'm especially grateful that we could go this year.

I like to go earlier in the festival weeks, so that we can catch the beginnings of the tulips with the outgoing daffodils. There weren't as many tulips open as I hoped (although we did see plenty), but the daffodil fields were fabulous and full of color! 

Every time I see fields of daffodils, I'm reminded of the song "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" that I sang when I was in my first sixth grade choir. This song, inspired by Wordsworth's famous poem, is fun because the music parts "dance" and interplay with each other to create text painting that mimics the dancing of the daffodils in the wind. I still remember my choral part, and Vivian told me recently that she still remembers her part too. I've been searching for weeks to figure out the composer. The song was stuck in my head this afternoon (due to this trip to see the daffodil fields), and I finally figured out the composer from an obscure YouTube video. The version that we sang was by Mary Lynn Lightfoot (and I've been discovering some of her other choral compositions today too, and I really like her work). I ordered the sheet music so I can have a copy. If only our director Mrs. Burke knew that I still remembered the song she taught me over twenty-five years ago!

Things I'm Learning about Running

For the past month, each Saturday I have run farther distances than I have ever run in my life. I'm learning new things about distance running and what my body is capable of doing. Here are some things that I have learned thus far:

• I had quite a bit of lower back pain and some knee pain when I was about six weeks into my training program. It was rough for about two or three weeks, but I stuck with it and it seemed like one day my body stopped protesting and accepted that this running routine was the new "normal."
• The Adidas Ultraboost 5.0 DNA running shoes have ended up being really comfortable on my feet. I think that also helped to get rid of my back pain, because I was wearing some old Nike trainers during the first part of my training.
• OOFOS Slip-On Recovery Shoes have been really helpful to wear after my long runs. They help to minimize impact on my joints and allow my legs to rest more.
• I haven't quite figured out the reason for this, but sometimes when I'm running one of my feet will have some tingly sensations in one or two of the toes (usually my some of my middle toes, not my big toe or pinky). I think it happens more-so in my left foot. I try to curl my toes and release them between footfalls and that sometimes helps. I'm not sure if it is due to a footfall issue or something else, but this is a post that talks a little about some possibilities for what might be going on. I don't think it's due to my shoes or my laces, though.
• Eating something small after about ten miles (and every five miles after that) helps me to maintain my energy. I've been eating fruit leather strips for quick carbohydrates.
• Applying Vaseline to my inner thighs, backs, and shoulders before a long run helps with chafing from my Camelbak pouch and leg movement. It seems helpful to do this for any run that is about 13 miles or longer.

UPDATE 4/26:

• After running for weeks without back pain, I've had this funky lower back pain come back. It started about five days after my 20 mile run (after I was a few days into my taper). I've read a little bit about "phantom pains" that can start during a taper while your body given more of a chance to recover, but I think this might be the result of sitting on the sofa and in the car for multiple hours a day on Thursday and Friday (the sofa has become my go-to workstation for grading and prepping). My 8.5 mile run on Saturday didn't help things at all. It felt fine while I was running but then gave me a lot of grief for the rest of the day. I watched this video about how to place my hips while running, and I think that helped me a bit for my run today. I think I might curve my back (and stick out my rear) too far when I run? I tried to think more about posture and alignment while I ran today. There's so much to think about, while at the same time running is also very mechanical and repetitive.

Running during Covid

I have been thinking a lot about why I have been running so much during this pandemic. On one hand, logically, being outside is a way to combat cabin fever. But running is so much more than that, I’m realizing. During the day when I am at home, I am often frazzled as I try to work. I am constantly, constantly interrupted and hardly get a chance focus on a single task for ten minutes at a time. As soon as I start to do something, Violet barks and wants to be let out, or Lucy needs my help with something. Or Sam wants to ask about what we are having for dinner. Or one of the kids needs to practice the piano or listen to a video for school. For most of the day, I can’t do anything in a straight, linear fashion from beginning to end.

 

But I can do exactly that when I am running. I can choose a long (linear) road and follow it until my desired goal. I don’t have to stop unless I decide that I want to. I am not interrupted, and I can think about whatever I want to think about. I always am in a better mental space when I finish running, and when I return home I feel more prepared to deal with the multitasking and being pulled in many directions at once.

I know that for many people, it is comforting and relaxing to run because their body moves in a constant, rhythmic pattern. I think that is the case for me too, but I think my mental health really responds to being able to accomplish a goal in a direct, linear, and controlled way.

Addendum:

2/17/21: I was thinking about this post today, as I went on a run along the west end of the Snoqualmie River Trail (starting at Rachael's house). The trail was wide, flat, and very straight; it went ahead as far as the eye could see. And I really loved how the trail was laid out in this very direct way, so that my goal and end point seemed viable.

This is such a lovely and peaceful trail! This is part of Rachel's regular running route (it is about 6.5 miles to run there and then back to her house). I'm glad she gets to enjoy this beauty on a regular basis.

This is just after the Mt. Si Golf Course

I loved seeing the tall trees that lined the path

The end of the trail

I was struck by so many different colors and types of water along this trail. Some sections were frozen, but here the water was a pretty green color

It was invigorating to smell the dried hay in this field as I was making my way back to the beginning of the route