I wanted to do a Trauma Tuesdays post, but honestly, I wasn’t up to it yesterday. Or today for that matter. I needed to do a sewing swap item instead for the Bend the Rules Sewing Swap. Turns out that March was a busy crafting month because I did a few items for the kids’ school auction. That put my sewing swap item at the end of the month (it was due to ship out March 31, oops!) but I did get it done tonight and am happy to be shipping it to my swap partner tomorrow.

I didn’t mind putting off trauma talk for a week because I needed I break. I must have needed to create and craft a little bit. Making something is healing for me. It’s always good to create something from a piece of fabric. One of the things I hold dear in my life is continuing to have an outlet that doesn’t involve doctors or marketing or dispensing a med of any kind.

For some reason I’ve been talking and thinking about things that I want to do. A therapist once asked me why I took on so much. Why must I say “Yes!” to so many things that don’t involve feeding the family and the kids’ medical and educational needs. I explained to him that I wasn’t willing to give up some things. I said,

I am not willing to give up things I WANT TO DO for things I HAVE TO DO.

Since I made that statement a couple of years ago I have restated it in my head when I am feeling pressured to get it all done. I am especially thinking about that statement when I volunteer for the PKD Foundation, or for the school or participating in a sewing swap. Because all of those things are important to me.

I am not willing to give up…

- Volunteering for the kids’ school – in May I am in charge of Teacher/Staff Appreciation. It’s a week long lovefest for the teachers/staff including a lunch for them and treats delivered each day to remind them they are awesome!

- Reading in the kids’ classes.

- Making the kids’  Halloween costumes.

- Making gifts.

- Scrapbooking – I love the albums I have made for the kids and they love them too. I’m terribly behind. I just got them both up to December 2006. Yikes! I am hoping to get them current before Quinn’s transplant.

- Maintaining my friendships – if I’ve learned anything, I’ve learned that I couldn’t take this road without my friends. So I had better pay attention to them, right? I don’t always do what I should and I am late sometimes for birthday calls and cards, but I do try. I love my friends, all of them. I am so lucky. It’s important for me to GIVE and not always be the taker!

- Being home after school. While I sure love the all day in the office when I get it, the majority of the days have me home with the kids doing homework, or taking them to doctor appointments.

- Being a volunteer for the Foundation that supports research and education and awareness for the kids’ disease.

- A decently organized house. While the clean and tidy house often gets pushed to the bottom of the list, I do know that if my house is messy and dirty I do not do well. So I do try to keep it picked up.

I get less sleep than a lot of people. I know this isn’t necessarily the best for me but it does allow me a couple of extra hours to organize, sew, blog, and just be alone. I won’t give it up.

So sewing tonight made me feel really good. There was maybe even a little healing. Sewing is a time when I can just think and create and not advocate or have to be a certain someone to someone else. Not a wife, a mom, daughter, aunt, or a friend, or a volunteer. I can just be Julia. And you know what? There’s a lot of healing in that.

I know you are tired of me talking about no time to blog at work and how I need to get a new laptop that can handle all of my work on it, so I can bring it home, and then once I do that I will be able to do a multitude of things including more blogging and crafting and blogging about crafting.

I recently made 22 little Artsy Clutches from (cover) Amy Karol’s book Bend the Rules Sewing. Wow…easy and fun! I made them for the 22 teachers and therapists (and some staff also got other presents!) of Gage and Quinn. I forgot the bus driver (need to call and get her address) and the PE teachers, as my sister reminds me everyone forgets. So I will be mailing them something too! Starbucks cards I am sure because the two Misters probably don’t want an Artsy Clutch. The bottom photo is from my most very, very favorite fabric. I bought 5 yards about 7 years ago and have made some purses, 3 diaper bags, and now these little clutches. I had wanted to keep one of those clutches with the cowboys, but I needed to give it away (Quinn’s Daisy troop helper LOVES horses and jumped up and down when she got one!) so I have probably the last 3/4 yard left and and determined to make something for myself!

Finally. My April and May Getting Your Craft On challenges proved difficult to fit in. You have no idea how your child’s kidney transplant can get in the way of your craftiness.

April – Aprons. May – Flowers. April brought flower fabric from a thrift store that became an apron for my friend Leslie. May brought flower clutches for teacher and therapist gifts and my friend Tina’s birthday (which happened to be on Gage’s transplant day)! I made 9 clutches for some pretty special people.

Bring on June!

It’s completed in the nick of time I know, but I have officially done the Getting Your Craft On challenge for March.

The theme was Recycle! So, there is a lid from a fresh prepared plastic food container and wine corks that have been sitting unused for months.

There’s nothing one can’t do with a hot glue gun and insomnia!

Several ideas came in and out of my mind this month for the Get Your Craft On challenge. Of course, February was HEART month.

What I decided to do was make a cape for Quinn. She’s wanted one ever since I made one for this cutie boy in the family. He’d come to the house a couple of weeks before wearing a restaurant napkin across his back held together with a 4" pin. A PIN people! So I made one side with the Superman logo (obviously) and the other side in black with the Batman logo. I must admit I even impressed myself. So much so that I made two more that week for other nephews. I will admit it took me a couple of tries to flip the image on the iron-on transfer paper.

So when I realized that I only had a few more days to fulfill my Crafty obligation pleasure I started thinking of ways to incorporate a heart into a cape for Quinn. And then I realized that I could back it with the Harlequin patterned fabric which I thought was lovely. It was owned by my Godmother, Marge. She died about 7 years ago and my Godfather died on the same day 4 years later. I took care of their estate and belongings and I found many treasures in the house they lived in for more than 40 years. This fabric among them. I’m so proud that Quinn will wear something that belonged to Marge. That Marge knew how to pick some fabric, no?

So, here is the reversible cape with a hearty Q and flowers on the Harliquin side and a jester hat with little heart poms on the other. My Quinny B. had my craft on.  

I’ve been saying for a long time that I needed to make sure I have a creative outlet. I’m happier when I am doing something creative. Even sewing or scrapbooking. My trip to the Bahamas was a good reminder that I need a creative outlet.

With that being said, I’ve "joined" (loosely used) a group of women I have never met and committed myself create something every month – they call it Get Your Craft On. Every month there will be a theme. January’s theme is a Bag…so I have made a little clutch with a strap out of some sunflower fabric that I love and have had for a long time. It looks much larger hanging, and in addition to a clutch would probably be fine for a pack of wet wipes and a couple of diapers with the strap for the handle of a stroller.

Of course, I could be doing this to avoid some other posts I am having trouble with.