household matters: flowers, puppies, & gratitude

Well, spring has sprung, as they say. I thought I wanted more winter. The late arrival of daylight and it’s quick exit in the afternoon feel like permission to stay inside, quiet and reflective. A week ago, however, blue skies, a gentle breeze, and a sweet scent in the air had me practically skipping from task to task. I’m more ready for light–of all kinds–than I’d realized.

It was great to see some of you at Share Fair!! Not only did I get to savor the smells coming from the cooking demos, and eat the samples you all brought to me, I shared space with Terra Farma, and they brought their Great Pyrenees puppy who kept us company.

She’s a ball of fluff now, but she’ll grow into a giant, vigilant, formidable watch dog.

My tote bags sold out! I forgot to show people the “secret” messages inside, so I’m excited that they’ll discover them later. All but a few towels sold–the rest are in my Etsy shop. And now I’m working on some new ideas….oh, wait…that reminds me of one more exciting moment from Share Fair. A customer asked if he could turn my beet-sticker drawing into a tattoo for his shoulder. What?! Do I mind? Not at all! I mean…I can say my drawing is now on skin?? Okay, that sounds odd, but I’m thrilled! I hope he thinks to send me a pic when he gets inked. I’ll let you know!

Thank You Thursday is also going well. This week will be number nine of fifty-two. This card got a lot of love:

I’m not sure I completely agree with the quotation, but I deeply love the affirmation that what we do in the home matters. That how we live our values every day with each decision we make and act we take, matters, even if we can’t see our individual impact on a national scale.

I had the idea for Thank You Thursday many years ago, and I recently reviewed my research from 2018. In one study, participants composed three letters of gratitude over the span of one month. They could write to anyone as long as it was positive. With each letter, writers reported feeling higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction, and lower levels of depressive symptoms.

I don’t seem to have full access to the article anymore, but this is from “Letters of Gratitude: Further Evidence For Author Benefits.”

I will share more about this as my year-long project unfolds. It’s already been powerful and dynamic writing just nine letters. Join me if you wish!!

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Thank you, as always, for following along on my creative journey. I appreciate your support and interest, especially as I stay committed to my 2025 goals. More on that next month.

–TRISTA