Sewing Room

Except for the finishing touches of valence, new machine covers and a new ironing board cover, the sewing room has been put together.  And probably won't be this clean & uncluttered again until our next move!

The sewing room is one of the upstairs bedrooms.  It had not ever been painted, beyond the builder's original wall paint.  This was how it looked in the MLS listing.

We painted the room before we moved in, as we had a weekend in between closing and when we had the moving truck rented.  We painted Curt's office that same weekend as we knew once things were moved into those rooms we'd never be motivated enough to empty the rooms for painting.

The 4 white cupboards were left here by the previous owners.  They were used for storage in the basement but we put metal shelving down there instead and the cupboards are perfect for fabric (except for the polar fleece that is stashed under our bed and under the cutting table).

On top of the cupboards are 2 wood shoe shelves that were also left here.  On top of the far shoe shelf is a cardboard literature organizer that I found at a thrift store.  Each slot is storing a project (in work or future).  On the shoe shelf on the left side of the picture is a cardboard shoe organizer that also is holding projects or fabric.

 

The machine table and chair were garage sale finds.

 

The cutting table came from Curt's work (headed for the dump); the legs are adjustable so it is at a nice height. The table top is solid wood (and heavy as...) so we were able to screw in my magnetic scissors bar and a cork strip for pinning up pattern instructions.

There is a 2 shelf bookcase under the table that was also left here by the previous owners. And the white bookcase at the end of the table is courtesy of my in-laws' downsizing.

The yellow/white boxes are copy machine boxes that I painted white and sponged with yellow (a project I did in our previous house when my sewing machines were in our laundry room).  I painted them about 8 years ago and they still look great!

The yellow file cabinet was on a curb with a FREE sign on it and it works great because it is industrial strength and deep and the drawers don't twist and fall our like my previous one.  Someday it would be nice to paint it, but I doubt if that will ever happen.

The bins with drawers were also left here, in the garage.  Curt didn't want to use them so I spray painted the outsides white (were tan and gray).  They work great!

On the wall opposite the window is the closet, which has stacking bins and a tall wire basket unit that was left here.  I'm excited to get started using the room (you don't see the large stack of mending by the closet).

So there is the long awaited tour of my sewing room - can't wait to get going on some projects (after the mending....)

Bedroom Makeover

Catherine finally had a free day so she and I worked on her bedroom.

When we moved in her room still had the original builder-neutral paint with a pattern stamped on the wall.  On the blank area of the wall there used to be cabinets that the previous owners removed.

We painted her room with the Woolie, although it ended up being more blue than the tan she was aiming for.  The shade was replaced with some blinds I found on clearance at Lowes.  The window scarf is some blue dress material for a project that never happened.  At the head of her bed is her file cabinet, covered with more material.  The box at the front of her bed still needs to be painted.  Her body pillow lets her use her bed as an impromptu couch.

The design above her bed is from a scrapbook tablet of metallic papers that we picked up at Joann's.  This was quite a stretch to create for an engineer mom and a realism-based artist, but we really like the results.  She will tape them to the wall better when we get the right tape.  The paper has a silvery, metallic design on it and picks up the silver flowers in her comforter (we planned that of course :P)

We used some of the paper from the tablet to cover her bulletin board, that is behind her door.

You'll notice there is no dresser.  With wire organizers and plastic bins, everything is in her closet.  As an English major, books have the highest priority and so a bookcase was put in the dresser location.

 

So, with paint and a $10 scrapbook tablet, her room is complete, for now.

I've linked this to

Thrifty Thursday at Tales From Bloggeritaville 

Frugal Friday at the Shabby Nest

New Home, Outside

Oops!  I forgot to post some photos of the outside of our new home.  These photos are from the Real Estate listing.

 I'm still unpacking the house and so current interior photos are not that interesting just yet.

Making Progress

Here is the kitchen and dining room just after moving in.

And after a few days of hard work (uh, don't look inside the kitchen cupboards - refinement is still needed!)

First Dinner in our New Home

We had planned to go out to eat to celebrate our new home, but decided instead to test out the oven with a Papa Murphy's pizza.

Scenes from our temporary home

Looking down the valley from the edge of the farmyard.

Snow removal with the tractor

 

Riley jumping through the deep snow

 

Anya's ball in the deep snow (untouched photo)

 

Darby's imitation of Vanna White - the snow depth on the sidewalk

 

The farmhouse

Getting ready to say good-bye to our temporary home

Since Thanksgiving we've been living in an old farmhouse on my parents' farm. But on Thursday we close on our new house! We are very much looking forward to it! Here are some photos of our time here in the old farmhouse.  Can you find all 4 dogs in the photo below?

Essay for the James "Rhio" O'Connor Scholarship

Word count: 1498 (not including Title, Subtitle, and Works Cited)

The Greater Vision, the Pursuit of Mission

From Cancer to Liberty Healing: Two Quests in One

By Hannah Rivard

Lung cancer. Leukemia. People dread those diseases, understanding their deadly power, but few know of the equally devastating influence of mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the chest or abdomen lining, usually incurable, and often caused by inhalation of “asbestos,” a category of mineral fibers (Prucha 583; Roggli, Oury & Sporn 1). This cancer has the survival rate of less than one year after diagnosis, but not all patients quietly succumb to that fate (Robinson & Chahinian 71). One man, through discipline, faith, and research, survived over seven times longer than his original months-long prognosis (“James Rhio O’Connor” par. 1). One man has inspired cancer patients the world over. One man sought to change the impossible, and by doing so, has helped bring my own vision within reach.

James “Rhio” O’Connor spent years embarking upon a quest to triumph over the death that grasped at his life. In many ways, his struggle toward freedom parallels the journey that a troubled youth travels out of her pain, or does a horse in recovering from the devastation of abuse. My life’s vision is bring about this freedom through “liberty healing,” combining coercion-free liberty (equipment-less) training of horses with disadvantaged youth, one youth rehabilitating one horse; wings untied, they are both freed to fly. I do not have to guess how I would approach the challenge of cancer were I to have it; instead, I have already shown how I would respond through my pursuit of the challenge of liberty healing. In following this mission to promote life – whether hypothetically in cancer or in reality in liberty healing – I need to know my motivations, build discipline, make holistic decisions, find unique alternative methods, develop community and support, and empower others to be leaders.

Terminal cancer seeks to consume me, but I choose to be consumed by something far hotter: the fire in my soul to fight for my God-given life. Great missions require great motivation, and motivation starts with passionate beliefs, as Rhio exemplified. Were I to have cancer, I would fight for my life for the same reason I am fighting for others’ lives in liberty healing: there is more to life than existence, for allowing mere existence is like allowing death. I am driven to empower youth to fight for their own better life rather than succumbing to their cancer of the soul. Rhio’s beliefs were supported by his ideal, which, separate from conquering mesothelioma, was to be an informed patient, as mine is to be an advocate of alternative horsemanship healing. Leaning on an ideal which gives fulfillment independent of “success,” keeps me from discouragement when promoting liberty healing seems impossible, just as it would encourage me when cancer healing seemed to slip through my grasp.

I have been fighting this killer for years. It has slowed, but I do not, and that is why I survive. Not only did Rhio have the long-term discipline to fight mesothelioma for seven years, he had the daily self-discipline to take over one hundred supplements per day, change his diet, and write his book (O’Connor, “Supplements” par. 1). Similarly, my college life has not been a typical one; I may have missed some parties but have gained a vision. Everything in me has focused on liberty healing. I take heavy course-loads, am designing my own major, volunteer at ministries, pursue extracurriculars, develop my horse business, apprentice at equestrian academies, and work to earn money, all to propel me toward my vision. The self-discipline involved in pursuing this goal could be seamlessly transferred to pursuing freedom from cancer, for such dedication is a lifestyle commitment.

This cancer affects every part of my being, so I will similarly use my holistic being to determine how to destroy it in a way unique to me. To be victorious in a supreme challenge, the mind, body, emotions, and soul must combine forces. Rhio knew this and made holistic decisions, just as I have in determining my course toward liberty healing. My mind has provided a rational plan that includes academic, horsemanship, and life goals; this foresight is needed in such a great challenge, whether in liberty or cancer healing, when time and opportunities are limited. My emotions fill me with empathy for troubled youth, driving me to implement my mission despite setbacks, and my spirit provides me with the overarching vision of horse-human connectedness. Indeed, it is an inner vision which I am slow to second-guess, paralleling Rhio’s own confidence in the inner voice. Rhio encouraged “an inner faith in yourself” no matter what: although we both learned from others’ words, we took no one’s word for it (O’Connor 9).

Traditional doctors say that I will die, which means that traditional methods will let me die. I must find alternative methods if I wish to live. Rhio knew that discovering his remedy would be set apart, for “[e]veryone must find their own path to healing” (O’Connor, “Supplements” par. 3). Taking his advice, I have found my own path to a cure for youth through liberty healing. To properly formulate those alternative methods, I need, as Rhio did, to hold on to the good in tradition while maintaining the open-minded sensitivity to see the shape of its missing pieces. Rhio knew to be careful of filling those missing links, as am I: I am vigilant to be as critical of alternative methods as I am of traditional, for as Rhio said, “choosing an alternative approach is more complicated… because with the holistic modalities there is no ‘one size fits all’” (O’Connor 6). I embrace alternative methods with open arms while keeping them at arm’s length, being intentional in knowing the foundational theories and philosophies behind the horsemanship methods, just as I would be if I were researching alternatives for cancer. This holistic intentionality is critical for success.

I am one life striving against cancer – that is nothing. But thousands of lives together gathered against it – that has power. As I have pursued innovative liberty healing, I never assumed I could do it on my own, just as Rhio did not try to come up with mesothelioma treatments by himself. Instead, I have consulted books, scoured the internet, watched videos, enrolled in online schools, participated in forums, audited clinics, and sought out internationally-known trainers to further my knowledge. This is analogous to consulting doctors, natural healers, informative seminars, and medical journals if I had cancer. Further, Rhio’s mission was augmented by finding common threads of nutritional healing through researching other mesothelioma patients (O’Connor, “Case Studies” par. 1-10). I, too, have found common threads among horsemen relating to liberty training and healing – threads that have guided my method, just as my peers could guide my cancer-fighting process. These threads of community support are paths to victory.

The doctors cannot believe I have survived cancer for five years. I am not the same as I was: I am a leader now. A leader is someone who makes a request (Introduction to the Waterhole Rituals). Rhio empowered others to leadership by teaching them to make profound requests of themselves and others. I, too, have asked much of family, friends, and colleagues in asking them to support and believe in my hope of liberty healing. I have not stopped leading myself, however, even stepping away from those who would not allow me to direct my own course. If fighting cancer, I would need this self-confidence, for if I were not leading my body, I would be following it, ultimately, to death. I believe I may outlive a dismal cancer prognosis, for I have outlived the prognosis of my horsemanship, for it is likely thought that I am naïve and will not succeed. However, I have not failed yet. I am still fighting my cancer.

I have lived for years with cancer, yet they are not lost years but blessed, for I have inspired other youth to fight their terminal diseases. Through Rhio’s example, I have learned to fight my own cancer: the anguish that eats at me when I see the plight of so many youth and horses. My success may empower future leaders by stirring them to take liberty healing to other venues, such as impoverished countries. Along with leading others, I am inspiring them, from world-renowned trainers who are surprised by my dedication to horsemanship, to the equally-important peer at my school who is encouraged by my pursuit of this calling. Yet my mission is also self-cultivated, for ultimately I have found my motivations, nurtured discipline, made holistic decisions, discovered unique alternative methods, developed community, and empowered leaders in my quest. Ultimately, I am practicing how I would respond if I had cancer in me by fighting the cancer revealed to me: fear and devastation in horse and youth. Rhio and I are perhaps not so different, for we are both seeking life as much as we are combating death. Indeed, challenging death is merely fighting a singular end, but pursuing life is a much greater vision indeed.

Works Cited

Introduction to the Waterhole Rituals. Dir. Carolyn Resnick. 2008. DVD. Stormy May Productions, 2008.

“James Rhio O’Connor.” Surviving Mesothelioma. Cancer Monthly LLC, 2009. Web. 12. Jan 2010.

O’Connor, James. “Case Studies” & “Supplements.” They Said Months, I Chose Years: A Mesothelioma Survivor's Story. Raleigh, NC: Cancer Monthly, Inc., 2008. Pg. 6, 9. Mesothelioma Alliance & Amazon. Web. 10 Jan. 2010.

Prucha, Edward J., ed. Cancer Sourcebook. 3^rd ed. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 2003. Print.

Robinson, Bruce & Chahinian, A. Philippe. Mesothelioma. London: Martin Dunitz Ltd., 2002. Pg. 71. Books.google.com. Web. 12 Jan. 2010.

Victor L. Roggli, Tim D. Oury, Thomas A. Sporn. Pathology of Asbestos-Associated Diseases. 2nd ed. New York: Springer-Verlag New York, Inc., 2004. Pg. 1. Books.google.com. Web. 12 Jan. 2010.

Hiatus

Life has been pretty hectic since my last post. We sold our hobby farm and had less than a month to move off of 30 acres and out of 11 buildings. We are temporarily in the old farmhouse I grew up in on my parents' farm until we find a new house.

The next post on this blog will be an essay that my daughter wrote for a scholarship and one of the requirements was that she publish it on the internet.