Put the Glass Down

Life is stressful.  And lately, in my life, and the life of my family, challenges have been coming almost too fast to process.  It has taken a dedicated effort to keep our heads above water.  We aren't going through anything unique, just a lot of little things and a few big things all at the same time.

1 Broken bone

4 Broken appliances

loss of health insurance- of course on the day of the broken bone

sleepless nights

money worries

 2 surgeries

And illness, and more illness, and MORE illness.

I'm not going to type up the whole laundry list here. I'll just say that it's been a hard 6 months and it just keeps coming. The latest struggle has prompted my husband and me to aggressively pursue stress relief and relaxation concepts and techniques.  We've been doing yoga together, eating right, trying to sleep enough, listening to relaxation tracts, and talking through the things that worry us.

One of the most helpful concepts we have latched onto so far has been from a facebook post my brother made.  It was about a glass. People always focus on whether or not they see the glass as half empty or half full, but the author pointed out that it doesn't matter what is in the glass.  IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT IS IN THE GLASS!  If you hold your arm out with a glass of water, regardless of the amount, at some point your arm will collapse.  It doesn't matter if it is 2 ounces of water or a gallon.  You can't keep holding it.

You have to remember to PUT THE GLASS DOWN.

So, the water represents whatever is stressing you out.  It doesn't matter how big or small it is.  It could be your child screaming at you every single morning.  It could be your mother dying. It could be work stress. It could be health problems.  It could be money problems.  It might be something that you can solve or that will get better. It might be something that is going to continue to be a struggle.  It doesn't matter what it is.

You cannot carry it all the time. Sometimes, you have to put the glass down.  You have to give yourself permission to compartmentalize your life and allow your body a break from the stress.

This can be incredibly difficult if you are dealing with a chronic health problem.  I know. It will be 3 years for me in May - 3 years since my mouth went haywire.  I didn't know I was doing it, but now I can look back and see that, when I found ways to put the glass down for a short while, in spite of the pain, it was easier to carry the glass the rest of the time.  I didn't usually hurt when I was asleep, so during that time, I essentially put the glass down.  Even during the pain, I had to find ways to focus on other things and other people, and ignore the pain.

Putting the glass down doesn't mean avoiding responsibility or procrastinating.

It means that when you come home from work, stop thinking about it. Give yourself permission to enjoy some time off.

It means that when you have money problems, you put down the worry and enjoy playing with your children.  It doesn't change anything ,except your ability to pick the glass back up when it is time.

Bodies need sleep to continue to function.  Our minds also need a break from stress.  Nobody can function without sleep. At some point, not sleeping will literally kill a person.  So will stress.  It's bad for you.  But, you can put the glass down. Give yourself permission to relax.  It's okay. That glass will still be there -waiting for you.  And if that problem goes away, another one, or two, or fifteen, will come to replace it.  Yep.

But, it's okay, because you can put the glass down.

Really, there's more to it than that.

Your friends and family can help you carry the glasses of stress in your life.  I've said it before, but my family has been flooded with help.  I can't even start to list it all. It has been there when we needed it, in every form. Some people gave big amounts of time and energy, some did small things that meant a lot.  Every bit of it has helped us.  People want to help.  The miraculous truth is that when you help somebody else,  it is a way of putting  your own glass down for a while.

You can also let the Savior help to carry your glass. He's just waiting for you to ask.  It's hard to explain, but it's real.

So, don't forget to put the glass down.  If you only have 5 minutes, do it then.  Put it down while you shower.  Put it down at church. Put it down during your meals. Put it down while you exercise.

Put it down.

 Put it down.

 Put the glass down.

Every day.

 Then, pick it back up and carry it towards the needed destination.  You can do it, no matter how heavy the burden you can go on carrying it, if you let others help you, rely on the Savior, and remember, that when the glass gets too heavy, put it down.

Heart Pillows- Tutorial

Last year, at the beginning of February, my mom and I went to the Art Market in Sandy. It's a small boutique that is run four times a year for Valentine's, Mother's Day, Halloween, and Christmas.  While there, we saw these adorable heart pillows. They were really funky looking with old fabric patched together, ribbons, ric rac, and just whatever.  They were also $20 each.

We thought they would make a great project for Activity Days, but I was having my meeting in 3 hours and it wasn't going to work last year.  I also didn't have a sewing machine.

Fast forward to 2013. I have a sewing machine. And I planned ahead. We've had one meeting already and it will probably take one or two more for the girl's to finish, but they are going to be so cute.

Here's how to do it:

STEP 1: Choose your fabrics.  I used hand me down fabrics from my grandmother, mother in law, and some leftover pieces from my projects.  I also cut up two pairs of brown corduroy pants that had become compromised in the seat department.  The fabric is thick and wonderfully soft.

STEP 2: Cut your fabric into strips.  You can make everything the same width or use varying widths, ranging between 2 and 5 inches, or whatever makes you happy. The length will be determined by what size heart pillow you want and where you plan to use each strip.  I just cut everything about 12-15 inches and used varying widths.

STEP 3: Lay out your strips in a way that is pleasing to you.  You will need about half an inch for seams.

STEP 4: Sew the strips together. Press as you go.

STEP 4.5: If you want to add ribbon, now is the time.

STEP 5: Choose fabric for the back and cut to match.

STEP 6: Draw a heart on the wrong side of your sewn strips. You can draw freehand, or use paper or cardboard to make a template.  You decide.  It really depends on what kind of heart you want.

STEP 7: Right sides facing, pin the back and the front together.

STEP 8: Sew along the drawn line, making sure to leave an opening big enough to turn your pillow.

STEP 9: Cut away the excess fabric.  Leave about 1/4-1/2 inch seams.

STEP 10: Snip the curves.

STEP 11: Turn the pillow right side out and stuff. You can use regular stuffing, or you can stuff it with plastic grocery bags!

STEP 12:  Hand sew the opening closed.  If you want to, you can stitch all the way around to mask the opening, or just sew that part closed.

STEP 13: Go show everybody the adorable pillow you just made!