Slow Down... I Move Too Fast

I guess that moving to a place where there's a slow-down in the pace of life means that my expectations and pace need to slow down too. It's a challenging adjustment when I'm the sort that likes to do and get done. Mostly, I'm anxious to have my environment organized and put together, so I can turn my time and energies into playing hard - quilting, socializing and trying new activities.

7'10" X 10' 10" Rizzy Rug, Galleria

Instead, this past week has found me on the computer, spending countless hours searching for rugs for the living room and conversation corner. (The rug in my last blog post was nixed by my personal decorator, our daughter, who thought I had too many different prints going on.) When on Monday I finally found a rug design in the two sizes we need, I gave a mental "hoorah" and placed my order... only to find out the living room rug is back ordered and won't be in until September! Please tell me this will be worth the wait!

Living room lamps in the shape of palm fronds have been ordered online. Waiting.

The few things that have arrived do make me very happy.

A rug for under the eating area table.

A colorful design with movement that gives the space a nice pop.

My Gidget II table acrylic insert for my Bernina Aurora 440. I didn't expect it would be clear, having previously had one made of the same material as the table. This isn't as slick as laminate either.

How cute is my new Arrow chair? I saw it, on sale, when I went to the local vac and sewing store to pick up the Gidget insert. What's nice about shopping locally (besides supporting the local economy) is that I could try it out. It is really comfortable! The back rest gives support at just the right place.

A bonus is the storage space. I'm always thinking about storage these days. For spools of thread, I think. Or UFOs. Or notions.

Would it be terrible of me to paint and recover that brand new chair? Here's the fabric I'd use, and a paint chip of Martha Stewart's "lagoon." I do love it.

The rest of the sewing room isn't seeing any changes. Today I learned that the sewing room closet waiting to be customized won't be done until August 9. Sheesh. There's that slow thing again.

Speaking of painting, I'm still opening that can of Behr Candlelight Ivory every day! I've used 3/4 of a gallon to brush-paint seven pieces and I'm not quite done yet. A couple finishes are this quilt rack that looks pretty good with some brightly-colored quilts.

And this "plant stand" that I've always used for incidentals and books.

The other pieces are done except for the rocking chair. It's taking longer (slow going) to paint what with all the turned wood and rungs. I say this every day, but, "I think I'll be finished painting tomorrow."

The little bit of sewing that I've done is to make these Great Granny blocks for Lori's Great Granny Along. You can see the blocks and quilt tops everyone is making on this Flickr page.

12-1/2" unfinished Great Granny Blocks

As for life in The Villages... the weekly groups I've joined are stitching and beginner line dancing. We go to the square several nights a week for live music and dancing. Not that we dance much (discussion underway about possible shag dancing lessons), but it's a great way to meet people. I have not joined a local quilting chapter/guild, though the few quilters I've met are super friendly. I'd like to start a modern quilting group, but wonder how to go about it. I'm taking it slow... because there isn't any other way to do it. Linda