living in community

I cannot stress enough how important living in community is for my personal well being. Living in the city of Atlanta has given more access to community than I have ever experienced. Everything we need, from restaurants to friends, and groceries to church are all within 1 mile (or 2).

With each interpersonal interaction today, my spirits became more and more elevated, because I realized, yet again, what an amazing community I have here.

Today went like this:

8:38am - William, my husband, rolled over and woke me asking how long it would take me to get ready to go to our local Atlanta neighborhood (Reynoldstown) breakfast spot, Home Grown.

On the way out the door, our neighbor, Jeffrey, passes us on his way to work asking us where we are going. We tell him, and he says, "I hate you," in envy and love, of course.

While at Home Grown, I managed to see two past patients from my physical therapy clinic. I was able to catch up with the one I had treated.

Next we headed to our local garden store, Garden*Hood. Here we carefully selected items for our back yard with the help of some of their amazing and knowledgeable staff. While there, William, interacted with the manager about his workplace, Trees Atlanta, and how the two might collaborate in the the future. Trees Atlanta is a non-profit citizen's group which looks to increase green spaces around the city of Atlanta.

Next, we head back home to tackle our backyard - that will be another post in the "gardening" section of blog.

After some gardening, pruning, planting, etc., I head to Piedmont Park for a birthday celebration for a dear friend, meanwhile visiting with Physical Therapist friends and colleagues.

After more gardening and a trip to my local Lowe's (sacrilege, i know!) which resulted in seeing yet another patient and a friend from my neighborhood church, City Church - Eastside.

Now back home to dump some cow manure, and along comes William and my best friend, Anna's, husband, Brant (who conveniently live in our neighborhood, too!). They had just ridden their motorcycle and moped around the neighborhood.

Finished with a tasty dinner on the back deck with William and Ryder, our 1 1/2 year boxer-lab mix.

I can't imagine a better life, better friends, a better neighborhood, or a better community. I feel very blessed, because I know I was meant to live in community with others. It is the desire of my Creator, and today, I felt it so strongly!

Top 5 Reasons I Love Quilting by Hand

1. It is portable and therefore it can travel with you anywhere (car, airplane, a friend's home, beach, work, waiting for appointments, etc.).

2. You can do it in any room of your house, not just the sewing room.

3. It feels so much more personal, and it's a labor of love.

4. It takes more time, so you have lots to do with the same amount of cost (I look at it as occupying time I would devote to another craft, so I think taking more time is good).

5. It's really impressive to others.

"Nevers" at the Gym

As a Doctor of Physical Therapy, every time I go to the gym it is an overload of bad form and horrible attempts at fitness. I know that sounds harsh, and believe me, I am glad to see gyms full of people working hard to keep themselves healthy. I just wish I could do a personal session which each person on general tips of what to do and what to avoid, great exercises to target what they are attempting to target, ways to avoid injury and keep me out of a job. I am actually developing a way to do this, so if you live in Atlanta, let me know if you are interested!

After over 3 years of not being in a gym, I recently joined my local YMCA. Every day I go to the Y, I want to help the people there. I try to block out others around me, but when your passion and profession is watching people's form and being a movement specialist, you can't switch it off.

So, in an effort to give myself some emotional and psychological therapy, I am putting together a lists of "nevers" at the gym with possible other lists to come...


NEVER...use the knee extension machine (kicking your legs out while sitting) - it should be banned from weight rooms because it is not functional, and it is one of the positions that puts the greatest amount of stress on your knees.

NEVER...do back extensions - the machine or on the stationary platform for abs/back. This also should be banned. you NEVER need stronger "back muscles." These muscles are developed on people who have weak core/abdominal muscles and weak glutes (butts). This repetitive stress could possibly lead to wearing away at your spine. NEVER a good idea.

NEVER...push more than 10 lbs over your shoulder, in general this is a good rule, unless you plan on being a power lifter, it's not worth it in the long run.

NEVER...bend with your back (see #2 above) - it's not worth it and it's pretty much cheating in the long run, and you will pay for it)

NEVER...arch your back while performing ANY machine - this is cheating, and you will end up hurting yourself in the long run.

NEVER...bounce - whether in spin class or while doing free weights, bouncing is cheating, and you only cheat yourself.

NEVER...slouch while doing exercises. You will promote bad posture.

NEVER...stretch your hamstrings with your toe pulled back towards you ("flexed") - 90% of the time you stretch your hamstrings in any way, you aren't stretching your hamstrings, you are pulling on your nerves from your low back.


so there it is... and there are incredibly more where that came from... I hope this helps you avoid being my patient eventually.

(as always, you should contact a health care professional before starting an exercise regimen. special note: a "personal trainer" does not have the training needed to correct your form and give you the "right exercises," but a physical therapist would be a great resource to make sure you don't end up hurting yourself in the short and long term).

Quilting By Hand: Piecing Hexagons Together

After you have basted your hexagons, they are ready to be sewn together.

If you have a specific pattern you are following (as I am in my 2nd quilt), then make sure you sew the hexagons together in that pattern (see other posts on patterns you mgiht want to use).

See the below video on how to piece hexagons together:

Happy Piecing!

Quilting by Hand: Basting Hexagons

After you have all your squares of fabric cut out, you are ready to baste your hexagons. Basting refers to the method of wrapping the fabric around your hexagons tightly in order to sew your hexagons tightly to one another once you have finished basting.

See my video on basting your hexagons:

Baste Away!

See the post "Quilting by Hand: Piecing Hexagons Together"

for the next step in the process....

Quilting by Hand (English Paper Piecing Hexagon Method): Intro

I just finished my first quilt a week ago. It is awesome, if I do say so myself, and it's COMPLETELY handmade. As in, I stitched it together without a sewing machine at all using the English paper-piecing method with hexagons.

It took be about 15 months to do, but it was such a fun experience. Thanks to my friend, Lauren Gilkenson for inspiring me to quilt and showing me some tips along the way. Two days after completely my quilt, I went to my favorite local modern fabric store, Whipstitch. I met up with my sister-in-law, MaryJo, to help her start her first English paper-piecing hexagon handmade quilt while I started on my second.

It's hard to find a blog, book or resource about a completely handmade quilt, so I thought I would help anyone else out there with some videos, pictures and links, as I go along this time, so, get ready!

First, decide what size of hexagons you want to use. I used 1.25 inch hexagons which was a little small for a beginner, but I did it. MaryJo is choosing to do 1.5 inch hexagons as she starts her first hand quilting experience. You can order them online or buy them in a quilting store already pre-cut or you can cut your own using Hexagon Graph Paper printed on card stock like I did (it's cheaper yet more time consuming). (other website for graph paper: http://moxyideas.com/?page_id=328 )

Then you need to decide how big you want your quilt to be. Keep in mind that your batting (the inside that gives it thickness and warmth) will have to be bought down the line, and this might determine if you want to stick with standard size quilts. If you go with a non-standard size, you will need to connect your batting later on to make the size you need.

My first time around, I got fabric as I went along in the same color scheme, so it wasn't an exact science. If there is a collection or designer that you like, I suggest getting the fabric for the hexagons ahead of time. If you want one of those fabrics to be the binding (edges) and/or the backing (the back of the quilt), then I suggest buying it when you buy your hexagon fabric as well. With my first quilt, I bought a white/cream linen when I was at that step, 9 months after I got my hexagon fabric. this is where math comes in, remember that too much fabric is always better than not enough...  I have to constantly remind myself of that being as thrifty as I am.

Here are some additional helpful links to get you started:

Hexagon Cutting Guide:  To figure out how much fabric you need, based on how big you want your quilt and how many hexagons you will need.

Free Hexagon Pattern Sheets - mapping out your pattern if you want to have one. I didn't my first time, but I will be doing the Grandmother's garden pattern this time around. I think that a baby quilt/throw blanket quilt size is easiest to start with, and that's what my first and second quilt are.

Now, go get your fabric!

Natural Hair Tips

I have been on a kick to keep my home more natural, or as natural as I can....


My hair is usually fine, thin and oily. Here are some tips I have found that have helped me have more natural hair:


1. Limit the washing - even though I usually work out 4 days a week, I still only wash my hair every other day for the past couple of years. This has helped keep natural oils in my hair, yet limit the amount of oils made my by scalp due to the stripping of the natural ones with daily washing. One of my friends rinses her hair every day, but washes every other day. That didn't work for me, but it might for one of you.


2. De-greasers - baby powder, dry shampoo and other concoctions (search on Pinterest for some good ones) are helpful to help with keeping the oily look out of your hair. I have recently discovered, since I shower at night, if I apply the baby powder before going to bed, I can lessen the "white/grey" looking hairs and scalp.


3. Homemade Shampoo - Thanks to some other blogs, my own research, and experimenting, I have managed to make a natural shampoo using basically another blogger's Homemade Natural Shampoo Recipe :


1 c. Dr. Bronner’s organic castile liquid soap
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
3/4 Tbs. tea tree & Vit. E oil (or just one oil only, etc.)
(Note: I did not add the vitamin E oil since I am a penny pincher, but that might have helped make it more conditioning if you tend to have more dry hair)
1/4 c. water
1 (16 oz) spray bottle or other container for application

So far, I have felt really good about my hair texture - look and feel. Try it!

Here's to a more wholesome life with natural hair!