Where does all the extra time go . . .?

The 'crazy quilt' aspect of my life has been lacking the last few weeks. My poor quilt sits patiently on my sewing table with just a few stitches to completion . . . and I haven't had time to do so. My quilt in the bedroom requires a minor repair and it, too, joins the first quilt. Let's not discuss the four quilt tops on top of the cupboard!

Time seems to drag when I was little. Everything that I was looking forward to was always ages from happening. These days, it seems like I get out of bed only to hop back into it with but a few minutes in between morning and night. Two things my mother always warned me about when I was growing up: I'm going to wish I could take the naps I dreaded as a child when I grew up and to use my 'empty' moments wisely because I will eventually find I do not have a lot of them. Sigh . . . My children don't believe me, either!

Someone was astonished that I get up so early in the morning. It is a stress reliever to take that extra time to eat breakfast, catch up on correspondence, and think without distraction. Getting up early makes that extra hour my time and doesn't infringe with the responsibilities of the day. The older I get, the shorter the time, and I am trying not to waste a minute of it.

Anyway, no baking or sewing today. After my husband gathers his materials for a painting project next week and I catch up the bills, we are checking out a new craft store. I need yarn to complete a shawl I'm making so this is a good excuse to make the trip!

I baked seventeen kinds of cookies this week and my son said the last kind I baked was best of all of them. I joked that it is sad that I only baked one, good cookie. He grinned and assured me that the other 16 were wonderful preludes to the great one. He is my number one food taster and critic. For some reason, he has a great sense of taste so I rely on him to taste test soups, sauces, and gravies for me. He is always right, too. No, he has no aspirations to go into cooking.

The horrible winds finally stopped. The first night, it was hard to sleep with the wind howling. Last night, the sudden quiet threw me off my sleep! Lots of damage and power outages but we were blessed in our area to just have the noise and inconvenience.