ADDoodles...

A few years back my dad was diagnosed with ADD (which explains a lot of things...).  Now, I've taken some online tests and Kaiser pre-tests, and I don't think I'd be diagnosable with ADD.  But...I definitely have some ADD tendencies.  Or as I like to refer to it, ADOS (Attention Deficit...oooh shiny!).

Characteristics I've noticed in myself:  

• inability to stay still (I've always got a jiggling foot or a taping finger)
• my inability NOT to pay attention to conversations going on in my vicinity
• the way I consistently have at least 2 things going on at once (TV while I'm online, music while I'm working, etc.)

One thing I've noticed recently is that I seem to be unable to pay attention in meetings at work in which I'm not actively participating, unless I'm doing something with my hands.  As a result I now have an impressive collection of sketches in my work notebook.  Which is not always easy to explain to my coworkers...

As you can see...there's not too much of a common theme, but hey, at least it keeps me paying attention.

Day 12 of 30 Thankful Days

Day 12: I'm grateful that I've learned it's okay to make mistakes when I try something new and that I shouldn't give up just because my first attempt isn't perfect.

In detail:

This has been a hard lesson for me to learn.  I am the consummate perfectionist.  I want to know everything before I've been taught it and I want to execute everything perfectly the first time I attempt it.

Unfortunately, as I've experienced repeatedly, I'm not capable of that level of illogical perfection.  

However, I am proud (and grateful) to say that I think I've finally accepted that it's okay to fail and make mistakes.  And that it's not a true failure as long as I accept it gracefully and keep trying!  

That, I think, is the hardest part for me:  to keep trying!  Not to give up when I get frustrated, but to push on.

I've found this lesson to be applicable in pretty much every aspect of my life (work, crafting, performing church callings, etc.).   

Case in point:  I've gotten drawn into the current online crafty sensation of subway art like this.

And for quite some time I've been looking for a way to create my own.  I thought, in our modern, technological society that for sure there would be some sort of automated application where I could just type in my quote or text and the program would magically format it into subway art that I could manipulate to my heart's content.

Sadly, for once, the internet has failed me.  I cannot find such an app.  However, with the help of my good friend Amy, I am now in the process of learning to create my own subway art the old-fashioned way (okay, well not really old-fashioned because that would probably require some sort of paper and stencils and such, and this is all digital...but, well, you get the point).

I am not terribly proud of my first attempt:

But!  The important part is that I didn't give up when I didn't love it!

And now I have my second attempt (which I'm still not super happy with) and I intend to keep going until I create one I'm truly proud (and beyond).

Craftiness and Super Sewing Saturday

I have always been inclined towards crafty pursuits; however, I'm also a bit of a perfectionist and since it's not generally possible to be perfect at a new undertaking on the first try, I tend to become frustrated or lose interest quickly.

But in my *ahem* advanced *ahem* age, I think I'm getting more comfortable with my fumbling first efforts. Either that or I'm just more comfortable looking like a fool in front of my close friends. I mean, really, who better (and safer) to look like a fool in front of?

Whether it be age, a new-found sense of self-confidence, or purely the inspiration of the wonderful and talented women I'm blessed to associate with, recently I have re-discovered my love of all things domestic and crafty.

Christmas has provided an excellent jumping in point for my new crafty explorations. And our recent "Super Sewing Saturday" was the perfect opportunity to start and finish some projects:

1) My very own apron (I had to take some liberties with the pattern when I got stuck, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

2) Happy little stuffed tree

3) Christmas pillow

I still have a lot to learn about sewing (A LOT), but I'm happy to see progress being made. And I just keep reminding myself, it doesn't have to be perfect!

Thanks girls for supporting and inspiring me!