Making the best of things.

So. While there are things about all seasons that I appreciate, winter is my least favorite. I don't like the unpredictability of it. The freak snowstorms. Slippery roads. Frozen windshields. Basically, getting around in winter is a pill. It makes me feel anxious for peoples' safety.

Snow covered leaves.

But there is something very homey about winter. Which I am enjoying today by winterizing my room. I'm pulling out heavier blankets and making sure I have access to my coats and snowboots. I might even hang up my Christmas lights. Also, I'm thankful that a couple of inches of snow is much less life-altering than having my home be underwater, or being out of power which is something that the coast is dealing with. My night class was canceled, so I brought all my pots and slabs home to work on here. If yucky weather allows me to be home then I guess I'll take it. :)

The weather here...

 Friday...sunny and 80 degrees farenheit.

Monday...rainy and in the 40s farenheit.

 

Tuesday. In the 30s and snowing.

Thanks, Hurricane Sandy. The weather is gorgeous. And thanks, school, for being one of the only colleges open in the state right now. It's pretty awesome.

Sad to say goodbye

I'm a little sad to be saying goodbye to the prettiest October I can remember. The colors and the temperatures were just about as perfect as you could ask for. The only reason I can think of to not be sad for its departure is that if the weather was always like this I doubt I would appreciate it as much as I have this season. I suppose it is better to love and lose than never love at all. Or something like that. :)

I think this just might possibly be

The prettiest October I've ever seen.

The bright golden, orange, and red of the leaves

The brilliant sky and crisp fall breeze

Frosty mornings and warm afternoons

Chilly nights with a bright harvest moon

This time of the year is, by far, my favorite

An annual reminder that life, we should savor it.

Where the heart is...

They say that "home is where the heart is." Let me tell you, right now my heart is not at the ceramic studio. It's at home. At my little space in my apartment. I'm not sure what hit me. Maybe it's the wonderful weather. Or maybe it's because I'm getting older (24 in about 2 weeks...). Whatever the reason, I just want to be at home making hats, blankets, cooking, baking, and cleaning and organizing. Every day I have someplace to be before 9 am (with the exception of most Fridays) and I usually have to be out till 9 pm or much later. I don't often get to be home. I am getting really tired of this kind of schedule. All I want is to be home.

But, it's just not the schedule I've been given for now. And I likely won't have it till after I graduate. School is so incredibly demanding. And working adds to the busyness too. There is no point in being angry about this. But while I'm at school pining away for a domestic existence I intend to make objects for the domestic setting...home. So get ready to see more pie plates. Vases. Dessert dishes. And whatever else I decide that I want in my domestic setting someday.

Fall blessings

This morning on my way to school I drove under a canopy of some of the most beautiful trees and colors I've seen in years. It was as if woods were on fire with fall colors. I wish I could take photos and drive at the same time, but since that's a terrible idea I just snapped a few photos of the trees outside the ceramic production studio.

I wish everyone else could have experienced it too!

Privilege

Yesterday in our Bible study we were talking about the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies and how serious it was for people to enter into God's presence. Touching the Ark of the Covenant would mean death and if the Levite priest didn't follow the necessary sanctifying practices before entering the Holy of Holies to offer the sacrifices he would die.

It makes me think how privileged and blessed we are now to be able to know that the Spirit lives in us and we can talk to God at any time about anything. Also, it made me realize how much I take for granted the access and intimacy I can have with God. The Bible says we can approach the throne of grace with confidence and talk to God. I don't think I can even begin to grasp how big of a deal that is. But when I remember that in the Bible we know that entering into God's presence in an unholy manner would be the death of you, I start to get an idea of how serious and important this is! It's kind of shaming to me because in the past I know I have told God that I'm mad at Him, and "thrown out a fleece" when I've prayed. And even now I need to be more reverant and worshipful when I talk to Him. God has been so very gracious and patient and loving to me through all my errors.

I just cracked open a book on prayer and I'm excited for it. I have a hard time praying and I want to get better at that. Because a relationship with God is the greatest privilege in the world and I want to experience that to the fullest.

Ink Drawing

I'm in a drawing class this semester and my teacher let us try wet media (drawing with ink). It has been my favorite part of that class so far! I went out and bought some inks of my own to try using. Another fun thing he did was have us pick up some sticks to use instead of brushes and since I enjoyed it so much I decided to make my own wooden pencils to dip into inks.

I just whittled points onto sticks I found outside the studio. Some sticks were really dense and others were very soft. I feel that it might make a different kind of line quality based on how much ink the wood will hold.

They're pretty and fun!