Creativity in all Areas

Thank you for your encouragement on reopening my sewing business. I've been enjoying getting back to that and have been sewing for my Etsy shop and friend's shop, filling orders, as well as making some gifts. The older I get the more I can see that I'm wired for creativity. 

I've been getting creative in the kitchen and other areas of my home. Because I have eczema on my hands certain cleaners aggravate it even when I wear gloves. So I've been getting back to basics and making some homemade cleaners. 

This one smelled amazing. I steeped some lemons, limes and orange peels and peppermint from my garden in some vinegar. I let it set for a day or two and then strained out the fruit and peppermint. I added 1/2 of the vinegar mixture, 1/2 water, about 10 drops each of orange, lime and lemon essential oil and about 8 drops of peppermint essential oil. I also added about a tsp. of antibacterial dish soap. I poured it into a glass spray bottle and this is the cleaner I use in my bathrooms.

I also made a few batches of jam for my friend's shop. These were sweet cherry and peach. 

I had a bunch of various hot peppers from my garden as well as some sweet peppers from the store. I made a quart of pickled peppers for the refrigerator and we've been enjoying them on salads and sandwiches. 

This next photo has nothing to do with creativity, but was such a welcome site. We've had almost no rain for the past two months and are in a drought. There was a massive storm that came through as we were on our way home from grocery shopping. It was thunder, lightning, torrential rain and hail. I'm not sure it helped all that much, but it was nice to see water coming down. My patio was turned into a pond for a bit!

This week has been all about table runners as I build up my inventory with fall runners. The first picture is one that is in the works and I think it's going to be so cute when it's finished.

These are just a few of the completed ones. 

It has been a very weird week here as we all get adjusted to Nathan's new work schedule. He started his full-time job and works from 3 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. so we've been having the main meal in the middle of the day around 1:30 p.m. and then he packs a lunch to take with him and Dan and I generally just have a snack in the evening. But I do have to say that I'm all mixed up with that shift! 

He's also struggled all week as he's been thrown into the deep end without a lot of training. He thrives on structure and needs a lot of instruction when he starts new tasks. Because he's on the spectrum, disorganization makes him very unsettled. 

His new job is as a cleaner and he goes to a different location each day to clean, but each new place has something different about it and he was not given much help or training. He is being told that he only has a certain amount of time to get the job done and when he starts to feel pressure he stresses. So there has been a lot of verbal processing going on this week which is not always pleasant. But this is our life so I'm trying to just go with the flow. I haven't slept well because I've been concerned about how it's going when he's at work.

Another way I'm having to get creative is with diet. Nathan also went to the allergist this week and we already know he has many allergies (as do all my kids). But he has been really sick with acid reflux and being constantly congested even with the allergy shots. The doctor was saying that some foods can cross-react with some of his environmental allergies. For example, he is allergic to many grasses and foods like melon, tomatoes, peas and peanuts can trigger a reaction because they are cross-reacting with the grass allergy. 

Anyway, they suggested an elimination diet and he did get scolded for the amount of fast food he eats because that is not helping his acid reflux. I was glad the doctor told him that because I get on him all the time about it. 

The doctor recommended this book and I'm starting to read it. I feel like I live in my kitchen, but I'm always up for a challenge. 

I'm preparing to teach a Bible study in the fall and I'm probably a glutton for punishment. I could just buy a pre-written one by someone else, but would rather do my own. I'm going to be teaching on the Gospel of Matthew which focuses on who Jesus is and how He transforms lives.

I spent the morning yesterday, working at the church by catching up on many emails for my district role as well as getting ready for an outreach event we are doing this Sunday. I am manning the craft tent for children and found this really cute dog-themed clothespin puppet. I thought it was adorable!

As you can see creativity and busyness abound around here and I'm enjoying each moment of it. Sometimes the creativity works and sometimes it's a flop, but I do enjoy the process.