Is happiness a moment or a state of mind?

We went to the beach yesterday, for the first and probably only time after getting back from England this summer. We met our friends there, and our four children played together beautifully.

After lunch, the light changed slowly from the harsh, raw energy of midday to the most beautiful, gentle, silvery haze, with the line of the horizon almost invisible but for the metallic glint of reflected sunlight, and the sea swelling lazily and occasionally producing fierce flashes of the dying light. We took turns watching the children and sitting on the sand, and as my little daughters played happily and I took a last dip in the sea, it was so easy to stay in the moment, to feel my own happiness, to remember why we live here, so far from our families.

 I've been questioning that decision recently, as I do all my decisions, endlessly, and the carousel of thoughts always stops at the same place; practically, there is nothing to go back for, and emotionally, whatever problems we have don't have geographical solutions. I think happiness probably is a momentary thing, but contentment is a state of mind, and probably reached far more easily by conscious control of one's thoughts than it is by changing the externalities of one's life.

Beginner sewing projects: Drawstring Bags

I can't remember if I was looking for them or stumbled across them, but some time ago I bookmarked a whole lot of tutorials for a simple sewing project for beginners: the drawstring bag. The idea was to make something quick and easy to gain experience and confidence.

Well, I 've certainly gained some experience and confidence, but I also managed - through a kind of hooplehead alchemy! - to transform 'quick and easy' into 'long-winded and complicated'. Da-daaah! Still, I suspect that that is the fate of all beginners of any skilled activity. I do wonder if others find the same things difficult as I do, though. Like when I learnt to drive and of all the things to struggle with, I chose steering, which you'd think would be pretty simple.

The thing I find probably most difficult of all is accurately cutting fabric. I only have an ironing board to work with, and although I have a cheapish rotary cutter, which has helped a lot, I find that getting/keeping the fabric straight along both grains is hellishly difficult, while cutting perpendicular edges and maintaining straight lines while having to move the whole piece mid-cut is a real struggle.

So anyway, here is the finished result. I didn't bother taking pictures of the messy chaos I created as I went along, mainly because a far better, more detailed and clear tutorial would be the one I actually used. So thanks very much to Ashley Connelly of The Creative Place for the fantastic, helpful post!

Of all the tutorials I bookmarked, I went with Ashley's because I found her way of explaining and her photos very clear; also, I wanted a contrast piece at the top, and for the bags to be lined, as these are for my daughter's nursery so they'll need to be a little more robust than gift bags. However, the other tutorials I found also looked really good and I will definitely incorporate aspects of them in future:
there's a backpack-style one from (a different) Ashley at Make It & Love It, a square-bottomed one from Destri at The Mother Huddle, and a nice detailed one from Kitty Baby Love.

Here's to a long and happy life for these babies!