Alright, well, today is the day I share one of my stranger cross-stitching quirks but it’s one I think all of you avid cross-stitchers and crafters can relate to, or at least acknowledge as understandable. I hope. Otherwise I’m just really, really strange. Which isn’t exactly a bad thing I guess. Here we go. When I was little Mary Poppins was one of my favorite Disney movies, I’m not really sure why…I think it had something to do with liking the fact she could fly places using an umbrella and medicine could taste like something other than medicine. But the one thing that has stuck with me over the years is the jumping into pictures. Now, I’m not a chalk artist by any stretch of the imagination, but if you can jump into chalk pictures you must be able to jump into other kinds of pictures too (at least that’s what I’ve always thought). Now, if you’re a cross-stitcher you know just how much time we spend with our big picture projects. They take months, sometimes even years. Personally, I can’t believe there isn’t something just a little magical about that. Of course, I’ve outgrown the phase where I’d actually try to jump into pictures and wonder why nothing happened, but I do thing there’s something special about cross-stitch projects. Whenever I work on a project I pick out one element that I really wish I could jump into, like the winter cabin in my last cross-stitch. Then I think about what I’d do if I actually had the chance…in my case it would just be read books, drink some hot beverages, and enjoy time to myself.
Then I tell myself that by the time I’m finished with this project I’ll get whatever it is I’m dreaming of (in that instance time to read books and relax). Once I finished my winter cabin cross-stitch I was on break and actually did 
have a few days off to do nothing but read and enjoy. Sure, I realize there’s nothing “magical” about that. It’s all really a lesson in patience. Give things time, cross-stitch when things get too frustrating, and eventually problems have been worked through, stresses go away, and life keeps happening. Still, part of me likes to think that maybe there is something special going on. Who knows?
In keeping with this optimistic spirit, I have taken on a mini-project to help me through my catastrophe of a weekend. No, it was not a catastrophe on the scale of genocide and gang wars…but it was still unpleasant. Nothing that won’t be fixed in time though. Which brings me to my mini-project. A “Life is Sweet” cupcake needlepoint my mom found on clearance at the craft store. This shouldn’t take more than a few days to finish up, but I can almost guarantee that by the time it’s done my attitude and week will have improved beyond measure. Things are already starting to look up.
And of course, don’t forget to check out Zombie Coffee Press for Nathan Rowark’s last poem today! It’s worth the trip to check it out. Now, go do something crafty and have a good day. Let your inner child out and try to jump into a picture for me 
