As promised, here are most of my photos from the 2009 ice storm out here in Louisville, KY. I managed to make them into a little slide show of sorts  Once you’re in, click to advance to the next photo.

As beautiful as it was destructive, I just couldn’t help myself.  I had to take some photos. I didn’t take as many as I’d like to have - I was rather distracted… when you don’t have the conveniences of electricity, you have to spend more time during the day preparing meals and getting things ready for the night time.

You know what I love?  I love that when the electricity was out, the kids’ favorite part was playing games at night by the light of the oil lamp.  Yeah, they complained a bit about the cold the next couple of days, but what they’ll remember is how they felt when we all played games in the lamp light.  That, I treasure.

**I will try to get the blog moved to its new home by my next posting.**

Creativity Question:  Do you trip over, or relish in a change of routine?

For me - it could go either way.  By nature, I am a bit of a routine type of gal.  I’m not super spontanious, and I kind of like the quiet life (when it actually *is* quiet around here).  I don’t like a lot of surprises - especially if they disrupt the “routine”. But, every now and then, I just really love a change… a nice surprise - and sometimes even a not-as-nice surprise (such as losing power for a couple of days in freezing weather).

Yes, you read right - I’m actually glad it happened.  I wanted it, to some degree (yes, I know I’m losing my mind). But, that kind of thing is really good for polishing one’s perspective a bit, spending quality time with the family without distractions, phone calls (although we actually got a LOT of phone calls from kind friends checking on us - quite comforting) or the constant humming of computers.  I loved it.  It was hard.  But I am glad.

And, it was a *great* opportunity to take some photos of the amazing scene and to refill the nature well, creative cup, idea garden - whatever you want to call it.

I’m back.  Sorry about the confusion - I think there was a slight mix-up at my hosting provider.

Thank you all for your concern about us during the ice storm - I will post photos soon (as soon as I have a few minutes to figure out how to put together a little slide show or something - if you’re on Facebook, you can see them in my photo album, “Devastatingly Beautiful”).  In the meantime, a recent project.

Knitted newborn hats.  I cheat.  I use the Knifty Knitter loom.  It makes it so easy, I can do one in about 40 minutes or so (depends on how much I’m concentrating) and NO knitting needles.  Every year the ladies from our church put together baby kits for the hospitals - hats, onesies, sleepers, blankets, socks, and sometimes bibs or other items.  It is a service project we all really enjoy. It gives me a “reason” to make the hats (see Creativity Question thoughts below).

These are three of the five I made.  So easy, and so cute and so fun.  You can get different sizes of looms, and you can also make scarves on the looms, which is something I like to give as gifts sometimes.

Someday, I would like to learn to knit “for real”.  But until I have more time to be patient with it (I tried once, and it was somewhat frustrating), the looms work for me.

HEADS UP - I will be moving my blog to a new home sometime soon, but I’ll give plenty of warning.  More details later.

Creativity Question - How often do you tell yourself that “someday” you’ll get to your art/project/creative pursuit?  (I may have asked a similar question before.)

I do this WAY too often - I’m speaking of painting, mostly.. And, part of doing this blog for me, is to motivate myself to actually DO something.  Looking back, I wish I hadn’t said “someday” quite so often.  I can’t ever get that time back.  But, here I am, and I’m now trying.  And, I’m trying to do art/creative things without always having a “reason” other than that I want to and I love to (vs. only for a baby shower, holiday birthday, etc.) Those reasons are great motivators, but I need to move myself beyond creating things only for an occasion or out of necessity.  I’m getting there, I think.