Everyone needs a hobby!

I went to the doctor and my blood pressure was 172 / 90, so I had to have Jessica come over every day for two weeks and take my BP and write it down. When I went back to the doctor, she looked it over – and told me whatever I had done the day it was 112/70- I should do every day. I asked for a note to my husband telling him I must paint for 2 hours every day after work and no more cooking and cleaning. Unfortunately she just laughed.

This story is my way of saying “Get a Hobby!”

I like to keep busy. I do lots of things with my hands, I paint rocks, (see the above "Eagle" paperweight), walls and canvases, I sew anything from wedding dresses to doll clothes. I smock and crochet.  I bake cookies, pies and breads. Some of these things I do well, not fabulously mind you, but well. Some of these things are only acceptable for someone who really loves me.  I once told a friend that I’m a jack of all trades- she replied “ No, no, no, Mary Beth- You’re a Renaissance Woman.” While I like the sound of that, I know the truth! -Obviously I am ADD and unable to stay focused on any one thing.

 I have also decided that “art” type hobbies skip generations. My grandmother sewed, she even taught me to make a pattern. My mother sewed only when she had to. She knew how, but probably only because most women in her generation did. My mother did embroidery, and OMG her work was beautiful. When I was 10 or 11 she taught me. I’d bring my work to her, and she’d turn it over and look at the back to see if I’d made a mess. I truly hated that!

Embroidering names on Christmas stockings is the extent of my work. My daughter Jessica learned to embroider as a teen, when she brought me her work…you guessed it, the ghost of my mother turned up and forced me to look at the back! Today, Jessica does lovely work, certainly better than mine-but she doesn’t sew….It is easier to ask mom to do it.

I used to worry that craft arts would die out with my generation.  Computers and video cameras have relieved my mind on that score.

Want a pattern for a crocheted hat? http://vallieskids.blogspot.com/2009/06/olivias-butterfly.html

Want to learn to “double crochet”? Here’s a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1txJLRPfuE

Want to see step by step instructions on painting a rock? http://www.wikihow.com/Paint-a-River-Rock

So- lower your blood pressure! Get a Hobby!