Random Probably Isn't

In design, random is a look.  It might start out unplanned, but it takes some effort to look random in a way that's pleasing....pieces spread in a happenstance sort of way, without looking planned.  A piece of artwork, no matter what kind, needs balance in its composition (unless the artist is trying for the opposite), and true randomness rarely gives that result. 

The sign at Taco Bell shows a photo of a 'Spicy Crunchwrap Supreme' with a nicely spaced, 'random' smattering of jalapeno slices... A little heat spread throughout.  Yum!  In real life, Prince CuddleBunny's lunch had approximately 12 slices of pepper, randomly/carelessly thrown on.  They ended up in a pile in the space of two bites, which was not yum!  

I wanted the colorful strips around the edges to look
mixed up...randomly placed.  I tried to accomplish
this by sewing them together in random fashion.
Just pick one up and sew it on...

Art is like that.  If the pieces that draw your attention, when meant to result in a random assortment, are all piled together, that one spot is too demanding and the rest is bare. The visual weight of the piece is off.  If on the other hand, they end up close to evenly spaced or sized, the effect of randomness may be lost.  Instead, it can look liked planned spacing that 'just missed.'  In art you must, ironically, move things around, sometimes adjusting and adjusting again, to get a random, 'easy' look that works.

...but that didn't create the look I wanted. Sometimes a strip
was too bland...with like colors all in a row without the
punch of color from the orange or bolder prints, which
have more visual weight.  I had to take apart some strips and
change others around to get the scattered look that worked.

The result...random looking, but not randomly composed.

Life is like that.  I am noticing that when I approach each day in a random manner, little gets accomplished, because the balance is off. -- Too much time on one thing, or too little time on many things. Too often I have little to show for my day; not doing enough or jumping from random task to random task.  Or, I spend the day responding to a pile of hot peppers. In the end, no real progress is made that I can feel good about... and because of that, I may be creating that next pile of excessive heat.  

A person who goes through life creating success in his or her wake, may look like they don't have a care in the world...as if keeping their fingers in the pies they have is without extra thought or worry.  If someone's life or tasks appear to be without worry, I can pretty much guarantee it isn't without thought. Prioritizing, scheduling, and goal setting would all play a part.  Working efficiently, these things, which all involve thinking ahead, can help prevent extra work and crises, or those piles of spicy peppers, and also prevent the worry about missing things or not keeping up.  

I don't know if it's the mental effects of aging, that there are more things on my plate, or, perhaps, just finally growing some wisdom, but I don't think I'm doing well with multi-tasking and 'winging it.'  Today I had a choice of the bathroom hand towel or paper towels to use after my shower!  I think I'm missing some key tasks... 

I'm finding need for more structure/planned guidance in my life as I try to pare literal and figurative clutter, and prioritize my time to focus on things that are more crucial, and make time for things I want to do.  As much as I like the random look in art, I need less of it in my life. 

From the Mouths of Princes

I'm not doing very well at getting back to this blogging thing, considering it's been almost a month since my 'return.'

As a matter of fact, right after I'd published that last post, I was having familiar, nagging questions about whether or not it had been a good idea to do so. Without really expecting any feedback, I thought out loud and expressed some of my doubt to Prince CuddleBunny.

"I don't even know if I should have a blog at all." 

"What?! Why?" (His surprise actually surprised me.  I didn't know it was on his radar.)

"I feel like all I have to talk about is myself." 

"Yeah...Who else would you talk about?" 

"Blogs are supposed to be helpful to people; to share a recipe or technique...maybe teach something." 

"Ach (with a wave of the hand)...You're good."

I wish I could dispatch with the message in a blog post as neatly and quickly as he did with that subject!

I guess most blogs are somewhat about individual journeys.  --And, the prince is obviously right, mine is all I have to share.  I do have quite a long list of post ideas, so bear with me, and I'll try to be here more often.

Meanwhile... You may have noticed that I've updated my blog title from "Friday is Pizza, Monday is Soup," because I don't feel that cooking and the kitchen will be a big part of what I share now.  Our Home for Ten (RHome410) is a product of me, and I have become a product of it, as is anything I accomplish.  In other words:

RHome410 is me.  Me is RHome410.  

Ok, sorry... I am RHome410...So simplifying to that name seems appropriate.  

I've recently updated My Family page, so you could check in there if you're interested in a tiny bit of catching up.  I've updated my "About Me," too, if you might like a hint as to the new direction of the blog. Other changes to the page are forthcoming. 

Oh...and 

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!

A New Appreciation for Early

I am a late bloomer... or a slow study.  My mom always extolled the value of early morning hours while we were growing up.  She did things like threw open the curtains, and chirped about lovely mornings being wasted away in bed...  I didn't buy it, and did my best to roll over and try to go back to sleep.  I was a night owl, and decidedly not a morning person.  Although, I believed, and still do, actually, that it wasn't a decision, but a genetic inheritance for night-owl-ism from my dad.

I just knew my mom, who had spent her life 'rising early to lay out my dad's clothes, cook his breakfast, and pack his and all of our lunches, would be, at the least, disappointed to know Hubby spent most of my stay-at-home-mom years arising early by himself, making his own breakfast, and grabbing whatever he could find to take for lunch.  When the older kids got to the point of taking a few classes at the high school, they did the same for themselves.  The younger, homeschooled kids and I got up and going later.   Pregnancies, and, more recently, perimenopause, made getting up early very difficult for me.  

I didn't realize how much I had been struggling until I started taking bio-identical hormone replacement, and got my sleep back, and with it, some ability to face mornings.

I haven't adjusted my nighttime routines well enough to get me a full night's sleep, but this year, I've been getting up to make sure all those leaving the house have breakfast, and a full lunch to take with them.  Often I think I'll fall back in bed after they leave.  But I never do.  Although tired, I'm pretty awake by that time, and I know it would probably make me feel worse, rather than better, to sleep more.  Plus, I no longer want to waste those mornings away in bed!


I admit that for several months, I mostly still wasted that time by sitting in a sleepy fog at the computer.  As soon as I sat down, it seemed to be over.  If there weren't any more emails to read, I'd find something to research or blogs to read.

Taste of Home Coconut Bread Recipe
The description said everyone would be begging
for the recipe, so how could I NOT make it?!
It certainly was a hit.  Since I didn't have
coconut extract, I used vanilla, and subbed
coconut oil for the vegetable oil.  I also used
unsweetened coconut.  

But last Tuesday, I got a new lease on mornings.  We were scheduled to host our church small group that night, and I wanted to bake for that.  We had bananas that were definitely ready to become banana bread.  As I searched out a recipe in our Taste of Home Baking Cookbook, my eyes landed on a recipe for Coconut Bread, so I made that, too.  As 3 loaves of banana bread, and 2 loaves of coconut baked away in the oven, I boiled a pot of eggs, and also cooked some chicken breast pieces to use in dinner, with enough for the next couple days of lunch salads and sandwiches.  I started laundry and studied our chapter for that night's discussion. By noon, I had a lot to show for my day, and was on a roll to accomplish more.  I was amazed at what starting early could mean.

Most days, I think that since I'm home all day, I have all day to get things done, so there's 'no hurry.'  But that rarely works.  I get busy, distracted... usually, both... and often things I'd intended move to the next day's to-do list.  I'm going to admit here that sometimes those things include basics, like taking a shower and getting dinner started!  Not that we don't eat dinner some nights, but I have often had to 'punt' at the last minute, instead of preparing what I'd planned, but didn't start early enough.

Yesterday, I got up out of this computer chair early, read my chapter for tonight, then with the rest of the morning dedicated to cutting, and the afternoon to sewing, I made a robe for my mom that I'd been

meaning to make for her birthday... In September.  It was supposed to be her cozy, winter robe...   I think it'll still be chilly enough here to make it useful for a couple of months, but I could've had it to her earlier, if I'd learned earlier to make use of my earlier hours in the day!

Many of you are probably shaking your head, having known this for years and years.  I confess, I've suffered the sins of selfishness, laziness, and indiscipline.  But I'm growing, and hope I'm coming out of it.  Over half my life is behind me, and I want to do as much as I can with what's left.  Today, I've cleaned our stove while my coffee brewed, and now I've written out this post.  Usually, I would commiserate, correct, and tailor, then play with photos until it was to a certain level of perfection I expect to present of myself to you.  

Today, though, I have another goal, so I'm done sitting here.  After I shift laundry, come up with a dinner plan, and probably start some bread, I want to see if I can get the wisp of an idea that's been floating in my head for an art-tile inspired quilt I might want to make for our living room wall to take form on paper... So I'm off to do so.  Have a great day!