A Time to Stitch

 Christmas was approaching quickly and life in fifth grade was very busy.  My fifth grade teacher was always providing us ways to keep our hands busy once we finished our work.  I’m pretty sure I made a lifetime supply of colorful lanyard key chains that year.  But, once Christmas started approaching, she had us bring in a couple dollars for this year’s handmade Christmas project.  Those few dollars bought each of us a calligraphy pen and supplies to make a Christmas tree ornament out of some green and brown embroidery floss.  My entire class made the coolest cross stitched ornaments and a card with an attempt at calligraphy. 

I don’t think cross stitching was completely new to me at that point because my mom would often be found curled up on the couch watching Mash reruns and stitching.  I know that I stitched here and there throughout my childhood, and embroidery floss was constantly getting stuck in the vacuum sweeper between stitching and my sister’s friendship bracelets (sorry mom!).  I do know that I am so thankful for my mom inspiring me to try new things and be crafty.  But, I am also so grateful for the teachers I had that took the time in between grammar, writing, math, and reading to teach us how to be creative and to try new things.

2020 brought us a year of craziness.  What we thought was 2 weeks to a month to let this virus run its course stretched into a year+ of long days.  At some point, I pulled out a stitching project that I grabbed as an impulse buy with the hopes of finding time to go back to that hobby.  I curled up on my bed, let the sunlight stream though the windows, and turned on a movie I had probably watched a 100 times. . . It may have been You’ve Got Mail.  This time was so peaceful.  There were times that the kids joined me on my bed with their own projects and we just chilled. 

 After a few smaller pieces were finished, I purchased a book called Stitch People and quickly stitched our family portrait.  It as so much fun!

 Now, as things are speeding up and regaining a hint of normalcy, I find myself craving those quiet afternoons and some time to stitch.  I have pulled out my Stitch People Book and I am working on my pattern so that I can create something beautiful.  This year will definitely be more difficult to make room, but I am determined to make it work.

 Taking the time to slow down and carefully poke a needle through some cloth and create a beautiful picture provides the time to slow down, process the day or events that have happened, and creates a space to bring rest.  In a recent podcast Annie F. Downs and Amanda Bible Williams were talking about how much they have fallen in love with stitching and how it has brought them much needed sabbath during the week.  Williams and She Reads Truth co-founder have also been including patterns in the past few advent studies, encouraging women to slow down and reflect during an otherwise very busy season.  

Here are some fun inspiration:

::  Stitch People has some great freebies and some really neat books! 

:: Etsy has some PDF patterns like this one and this one. 

::  If you are a Star Wars fan, this kit on Amazon looks fun and is a great kit to start out with. 

:: Pinterest has some free patterns like this baby yoda pattern.

:: If your library has digital magazines, like Just Cross Stitch, there are often stitching ones with free patterns. 

 Here are some tools you will need to get started:

::  Embroidery floss (DMC is my favorite and the color selection is wild!)

 ::  Aida cloth

::  Hoop 

:: Round end needle

 :: A pattern

 Cross stitching is one of my new favorite things to work on right now.  In fact, I have a small project that is calling my name in honor of Stitch People Day (today, actually!) and I am so excited to work on it and slow down and rest!  

Let me know if you try it out. . . I'd love to hear from you. . . tag me in a project on instagram with @jolieklassen!

 

 

Sparks of Joy {Links that made me smile}

Happy Friday All!  And happy Fall!!!!

The last 2 weeks have been slightly, umm. . . unexpected.  I've had 2 kids home sick at 2 separate times. . . but not covid and totally different illnesses.  Anyways, the past 2 weeks have been me running around to activities, helping with LOTS of homework and maybe trying to pass 5th grade all over again?  

I plan on doing these kind of posts once a month, where I take a few minutes and share somethings that made me smile, encouraged, or made me laugh.  I am calling them, Sparks of Joy.  The world of the internet is just so cranky sometimes and it can easily steal our joy.  This is NOT that place.  Sit down, enjoy a few minutes, and maybe smile or laugh a little.  

:: Ted Lasso winning basically all the Emmy awards! Do you watch?  It's sooo good! 

:: I am currently drooling over these cupcakes.  I am definitely going to be baking them soon! 

:: The love the colors and pattern of this quilt.  Look closely at the detailed quilting!   

:: Next week is Stitch People Day and I have a project to work on!

 :: This collab with Olive and June. . . I might have to buy some!  

:: These cookies are on my MUST bake ASAP list.  I can almost taste them! 

:: This would be a nice place to vacation. 

:: this reminder to stop and smell the roses.

And that's it for now.  What things are bring you joy!  Add yours to the comments below and let's keep spreading sparks of joy!  

Have a great weekend!

Cookies and Cream Rice Krispy Treats

Four day weeks are hard.  I really am not even sure what day is. . . someone please tell me it's Friday???  Maybe it's having kids at different schools with different schedules or just the fact that one is in junior high and has so.many.things.  All I know is that I am tired. . . maybe part of it is that we have been at home living our best homebody life for the past year that suddenly being incredibly busy is hard? 

Since we are jumping back on here with some regular writing posts, I want to be honest with you.  I am a mom. . . and in the middle of creating wonderful things or attempting to create something new, I am also juggling the duties of kids and life.  Let's be honest.  It's hard work and sometimes a bit overwhelming.  

Yesterday my oldest ran his first cross country meet. . . ever!  It was not his fall sport of choice, but he wanted to do something and this was it!  He jumped in, went to his first ever practice on Tuesday and ran his first race on Wednesday.  Two miles in triple digit heat was definitely not easy.  I was so proud of him!  He didn't quit and he ran and walked when he had to and finished strong.  I asked him if he had regrets about joining the team and he replied with an excited, "Nope!" Sometimes it feels like we're running a race in triple digit heat and we just can't catch up.  Our jobs, our commitments, our family, the carpool, homework, meals all call out to us and our planners may feel full.   But, there are moments of joy sprinkled in between it all.  Ethan loves cross country because for the most part it is fun.  He gets to hang out and build relationships with his new friends while he's running and when they are hanging out.  I need to remember that life, a lot like running a race, might feel hard and exhausting, but there are glimmers of joy and delight sprinkled in between the things that are wearing me down.  

This weekend, I am looking forward to quiet.  Maybe even time for something delicious, like these Rice Krispy Treats.  Rice Krispy Treats are my favorite things to make when I'm in a hurry or it's really hot and I don't feel like turning on the oven.  I've made these particular treats twice now and it's safe to say we might have a problem. . . they are so good!  

Before I go further, I should ex plain the black specks?  What the heck are they?  Chia seeds? nope.  Poppy seeds? nope.  Mouse poop?  Definitely not!  Rice Krispy Cereal came out with a special Cookies and Cream cereal that is both soy and dairy free (hard to find cookies and cream flavored things to fit both of these!) and so we jumped at the chance to try them. . . and it was worth it!  Now I need to go buy a couple of boxes to keep on hand because I really don't know how long they will last. I found them at our local Target.  

If you are reading this post-2021 and can't find the cereal, I recommend just cutting up some oreos (they won't be soy free) very small pieces and sprinkling the crumbs in with your cereal.  

Instead of using regular butter, I made some brown butter before adding my marshmallows.  Well worth the extra step!  The combination of brown butter and cookies and cream is absolutely divine!  These might just be the best rice krispy treats ever! 

So, this weekend, make up a batch of these for you and your family (If you are willing to share), pop some popcorn (maybe add some m&m's) and declare it a movie night.  I think the new Peter Rabbit is out (Weston said it was super funny!) and that new Cinderella movie (Amazon) is out!  

Let me know if you make so up. . . tag me, @jolieklassen on instagram or facebook 

or use #outoftherightbrainblog . . . or even both! 

 Cookies and Cream Rice Krispy Treats

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter

1 bag of marshmallows (I am team Kraft jet puffed)

6 cups Cookies and Cream Rice Krispy Cereal

Directions:

:: In a large pot, melt butter until it starts getting brown and starts smelling nutty.  You will probably need to swirl the pot a bit to keep it from burning.  Watch carefully so that you don't burn it. 

:: Grease a 11x9inch pan. 

:: Once, butter is browned, add marshmallows.  Stir until mostly melted.  

:: Turn off heat and add cereal.  Stir gently until all mixed up.  Pour into greased pan.  Spray a little bit of oil or butter on to fingers and rub them around.  Press cereal down carefully, it will be hot. 

:: set aside and allow to cool. . . 15-30 minutes.  Dig in!

The blog is back!

Hello September. Hello blog friends. 

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve sat down to even write a blog post. I pretty sure if you scroll down, the next post was posted back in February and I left you all hanging on what happened next on our Washington D.C. adventure. I am so sorry. Like everyone, this past year has not been what we expected. As 2021 began, my kids were still in distance learning mode and their schedules changed when we came back from Christmas. Then, later in the Spring, they changed some more as they were able to go back twice a week in small cohorts (it wasn’t ideal, but they had so much fun being back on campus, it made it worth it!). Needless to say, there was a lot of pivoting and adjusting that something had to give, and the blog was the thing that I had to say goodbye too. . . for a little bit. 

Summer started and Covid seemed to be on the decline, and we lived a very adventurous summer that seemed to fly by at record speed. The kids have been in school for a few weeks, and we have adjusted to rising much earlier than we have been (Covid spoiled this night owl mom!) and so much driving! Also, I have a 7th grader and I am just not sure how the heck that happened. Send coffee or wine. 

Now things are once again, looking kind of scary out there, my kids are in school and now I have time to write and create and it feels soooo good! Over the last year and a half, I really spent some time just thinking and doing some of the things that were life giving to me. The first few months of the pandemic were hard because we didn’t know a whole lot about the virus and there were a lot of restrictions. I don’t think I had ever stayed home that much! I realized that I needed to get out and exercise each day and sit down and create something as often as possible. And then, once we knew more about the virus, we were able to do some day trips and even a road trip to Wyoming, in a safe way. I also realized just how much we need people. I consistently kept leading Bible studies, whether online or in my front yard so that women could connect and not lose site of the God that has them and is not surprised when the world goes bonkers. 

This pandemic has taught me so much. Let’s be honest, the next few months kind of look scary. The pandemic is picking up speed with different variants and once again, we are feeling anxiety rush in. I hope that this blog will be a source of encouragement and a source of inspiration for you. I started this blog to help moms find creativity while we juggle all.the.things because I think it’s important and I firmly believe that God created us to create. . . each with our own giftings and insecurities. I also think that act of creating something whether it is baking a quick batch of muffins or sewing a blanket is something that satisfies and brings joy. 

Over the next few months, I will be writing notes of encouragement as well as creating new things. We might try a Pin from Pinterest, and it might fail, but we’re going to try. I hope you stick around and share this space with your friends. Finally, dear reader friend, I am praying for each one of you. I don’t know your situation, but I know that you took the time to read my blog. Thank you for being here!