Making Days

Mother’s Day has presented me with the opportunity to attempt something I’ve been wanting to for awhile.  I’ve long been intrigued by knitalette‘s beautiful crochet-covered stones.  I could see them as something Mom would like, which she quickly confirmed when I showed her the photos a few weeks ago.

Yesterday, I sat down with stone, thread, and hook in hand.  While Mom was in the dining room working on collages with the boys, I fiddled away in the living room…and was able to present her with this a short time later:

I’ve not had much luck with freeform crochet in the past, but this medium  worked well for me.  I’m quite happy with the results, and Mom is even happier, having requested a small pile of them.  Success!

Yesterday, I made a stone.

Today, I made time.  The boys and I spent a nice portion of the afternoon on the back porch, reading and drawing and coloring.

Nicky had Book Fair books to devour, and I’m reading yet another historical fiction set around the British monarchy.  Kalen was incredibly patient with us, flipping through Nicky’s new Pokemon guidebook for some time before finally asking to play a game.  I sheepishly put my book aside and “encouraged” Nicky to do the same.  When Kalen realized he had our attention, the game idea was quickly scratched in favor of coloring.  True to their forms, Nicky chose a coloring book, and Kalen grabbed a sketchbook.

Nicky likes being inside the lines.  Kalen likes making his own lines.

When I was a little girl and unable to let go of my perfectionism, I preferred coloring books, too.  I still like them, but I’m now able to embrace non-realism in my own drawing…to view drawing as an extension of my ever-present doodling rather than trying to make my hands create precisely what my eyes see.

It’s a wonder what an hour with crayons and markers will do for your morale.