Eight Good Ideas

The day before Thanksgiving was kind of tough for me. I had an unexpected major case of the crankies and just wanted all of the holidays to go away.

I know that most people who lose someone they love have difficulties around the end-of-the-year holidays. Which is a bit of information that doesn't make anything easier except that the knowledge that I'm not nuts does help.

I told Jay that I wished I could find a good place to put that energy instead of letting it whirl me around, and he had a great idea.

Your Mom loved everything you created—your books (she actually sold several copies of my books to people who worked in the nursing home where she lived), your quilts, your crocheting, everything. Why not do a series of how-to books and dedicate them to her memory.

Now the number eight is definitely my Mom's number so, of course, I will do eight of them. This photograph is from a book I did last year. It's called GIFTING GREEN, and shows readers how to make these sensational drawstring bags. I've made a pretty fair number of these and keep finding more and more uses for them. They're great for gifts, of course, but I made a big one for the dog food drawer where we store Goldie's bones. I keep some of my prototypes in my clothes drawers and use them to wash items such as bras or wool socks. Keeping those items contained reduces wear and prevents stretching.

I bag up all of my writing materials (working on a novel) that I can take with me anywhere I care to write and everything is at hand. I have another one for drawing materials. There's one full of a knitting project. Another full of yoyos in my sewing.

You get the idea.

So eight how-to books. For Mom.

What fun.