But give that which is within as charity,
Luke 11:41
The Pharisees were experts at thinking up ways to avoid following God’s commands.  Jesus compared them to dirty cups that are all tidy on the outside, but just nasty on the inside.  Think of your coffee cup at work.  Nobody is buying the line that that’s "seasoning."  It’s the things we grasp onto relentlessly that funk us up.  "I was foxy in this hair style in high school…"  Jesus says Give that up.  Let it go.  Dude, chill out and release. 
The reader should know that when the Lord is making a point in my prayer life, it usually is emphasized with, "Dude."  That’s when I know He means business and that I am a the moment lacking spiritual style.
(Skip Engblom as spiritual leader – that’s a whole other post!)
Feeding the hungry is one of those places where I can talk myself in tremendous pharisitical circles.  Jesus says do it.  Do it with what? And to whom?  We live in Rocklin for crap sake, The Suburb’s Suburb, and we as a family teeter on the poverty line ourselves.  I can’t just  gas up and drive to the soup kitchen, I just changed churches to cut THAT commute!  If I had an extra five dollars to give, maybe my kids would like to eat something more than rice for a change.
Rant-y, but that’s the point.  And now I feel selfish, because I know I’m blessed and I want to give.
*Hey, this isn’t some bullshit Christian guilt.  I go thru this same process when I think about  any other issue, trees, icecaps, beef…
I think to myself, well, I can just not be so wasteful.  I can work harder to waste less food, stick hard and fast to my 40. a week food budget, avoid beef, (those cattle are eating more grain than I am, and that’s a lot of grain.)  Any resource conservation makes sure there’s more left over for others.  I’d LOVE to eat more locally, organically, but that is definitely not in my budget!
But do you see how ethereal this can get?  It’s like hunger offset not a real solution and not a genuine response to Jesus.
But give that which is within, give alms of such things as ye have, give what is inside the dish to the poor…  Dude.
Concretely, I can put money in the little bowl at the checkout counter whenever I have it in my hand.  I know it goes right to other families in my community.  I can click the rice bowl and fill it up.  I can confess the garbage that’s stinking up my cup, and I can pray.  And I know that avails much.

For now, the California wildfires are down.  Ash no longer sticks to my lip gloss.  I can see a few vague outlines where the Buttes ought to be.  Breathing involves less fear!  And happiest of all, my garden is surviving!  Bees are back (I saw very few during the smoke) and sunlight is able to turn my tomatoes a proper color.  Lookie!

I feel like I’ve emerged from something, too.  Lookie what I made…

Noshy?

Chirpedy?

Or really, just disgusted at the idea of leaving my house today.  I wish to be staying, playing among my scraps!

I just restarted my Facebook account.  As you can see, I need some flair!  Come say hi…

Same as it ever was…
Every year since I was wee, this is where I’ve been with few exceptions.
It was nicer when we could just walk down the street from Grandma’s house, then meander back for a small dish of ice cream.
And, yes, I did take that picture.  All on my ownsome.  It amazes the heck out of me, how dumb luck is often my strongest ally!

My eldest found a great shirt from Jedidiah that says, "We changed by relationship, not by argument."  And this just ties in so neatly to a few switches flicking in my head. 
By the way, Good Day, Eh, and welcome to the seek portion of this page.  For anyone interested in one person’s convoluted faith journey, I’ll try to get bits and pieces of it down.  Today, I just want to voice a decision.  A new filter for my decision making and goal setting processes.  When I was a kid, we learned in school about the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy and how they were our map to a well lived life and many blessings.

The Corporal Works,or Acts of Mercy are as follows:

1. Feed the hungry
2. Give drink to the thirsty
3. Clothe the naked
4. Shelter the Homeless
5. Visit the imprisoned
6. Visit the sick
7. Bury the dead

The Spiritual Acts or Works are:

1. Warn the sinner
2. Instruct the ignorant
3. Counsel the doubtful
4. Comfort the sorrowful
5. Bear wrongs patiently
6. Forgive all injuries
7. Pray for the living and the deceased

These are performed not because we think we can weasel our way into heaven by sucking up to the Big Guy, but because we want to live in imitation of Christ.  Also, because they are the short lists of "right thing to do."   
I’m not here to preach, but just to share this way to choose a high road.  And to bring up a list of questions.  When have I do these things for others, do I ever?  What lengths will I go to to avoid doing any of this and to hold tightly to my own crap?  How do I think hungry people and/or Jesus feels about my choices?
What am I going to do right now?

Dolls are where I started.  Back in the days of, well, DAYS!  Time was I could focus on being creative for more that a half hour at a time!  I miss making dolls, and really want to give some time back to that enterprise this summer.

What do you CALL what you do?  Sometimes it can pass as appliqué, but when there’s no extra fabric and I’m just free stitching in a sketcherly manner, well that’s a long title and as un-catchy as one can get!  But!  I know it when I see it and here’s a little tutorial to prove it.
"Sketching With Your Sewing Machine"
1. Choose a design to work in a dark colored thread (or at least one in sharp contrast to your fabric.)
2.  Lightly sketch it onto your fabric (or paper, or fused plastic, etc.)  This technique will work better sewn through two or more layers; if you are working through only one layer, try laying the fabric over a sheet of paper for stability.

3.  Set your stitch length to slightly smaller than a seam stitch.
4.  Drop the presser foot and fly.  Imagine peeling an apple and try to stitch the entire design in one run.  Your goal is to stitch around the design at least twice.

5.  Don’t worry if you fly off the mark a bit; you’ll catch it next time around.

6.  Go over any line you want to emphasize a few more times.  Here, the trunk is the sturdiest, so I’m darkening it and a few of the branches. Also, I’ve purposefully gone off track around the foliage to fluff it up a bit.

7.  Pull your work out and trim your threads and you have a lovely sketched design.  And, bonus, the back is just as awesome!

Hey, that was my first tutorial and I bet you can tell!  But I’d love your comments on this, thanks!

Just finished Benjamin Nugent’s American Nerd: The Story of My People.  Check it out in my sidebar.  And where I didn’t find myself  in these pages (neuroses and obsession do not the nerd make,) I saw some excellent affirmation said kookiness.  My favorite idea was a description of feminine nerdy dress codes as, "a refusal of plumage."  I like it, and I hope that’s what I’m putting forth with my machine sketching, my appliqué.

I spent the early parts of the weekend boutiquing through western Sonoma County with my business advisers, checking prices on items similar to what I carry, especially the kitcheny things.  Their summation: "Raise your prices!"  My response: "Aaaack!"  But they are right, why is a Healdsburg gallery at any higher level than my shop (having more than 13 items notwithstanding?)
My items should leave my nest with their little heads raised high, yes?
This also opens the door to more equitable wholesale relationships.  (She typeth what she dost not understand!)
So I have a list of pricing resources if anyone is interested.  These are folks who walk their talk.

• A very simple pricing method.
• Just one of many excellent articles.
• A fantastic bit of info from a great etsy artist.

And now for the bragging portion of our show.  Did someone say Sonoma County?

What’s behind that barn?

Oh, it’s Geyser Peak.  What’s that right next to me?

The railroad and the woods.  How do I know?

Oh, well what’s that sound?

It’s my feet crunching gravel on the way back to find a bottle of this…