Doodle, Dawdle,Doodle, Dawdle . . . .

Did you ever get so overwhelmed (or maybe just bored) by what you're supposed to be doing that your brain just goes on "non function mode" and about all you can handle is to color ? or eat mass quantities of chocolate ? For me, both of these "coping mechanisms" (wow, I actually remember something from those psych classes I drudged my way through a zillion years ago ...)pretty much surfaced my freshman year at Temple University. Now, we all know that chocolate thing can/did get way out of hand (talk about your "freshman 10 " as in pounds !! lets go another 15 on that !!) Anyhow, as a joke, somebody, and I can't remember who, got me a "Pink Panther" coloring book and crayons for my birthday during my sophmore year -- by that time I hadn't colored in years -- but it was always one of my favorite things to do as a kid. I put the coloring book aside, being way too cool and sophisticated (HA!) and just looked at it as a gag gift. Well, one night while studying for midterms, and also having a couple of papers to write, etc, and the clock was ticking into the wee hours of the morning, and I was hitting major PANIC mode, I dragged that coloring book out and just started to color. It was unbelievably relaxing !! Just mindlessly coloring. After I finished coloring one page, I was calmed down enough get back to studying with a clear head.(and I didn't reach for the chocolate!) Believe it or not, the idea caught on. First, my room mate asked to color a picture, then a couple of the girls next door, then more girls down the hall, then a couple of the guys from the soccer team, etc. You should try it some time -- its' a great stress reliever ! (just like knitting, crocheting, quilting ,etc -- I guess it's the repetitiveness of it all .) So, the past couple of days, my patience with that mind numbing paperwork from the day job is at an all time low, so doodle and dawdle I do !!!!!! (that 2nd drawing of the birdies on the branch is my attempt to copy one of Susan Branch'sdrawings out of her "Autumn" book that I won from Sharon)

Anyhoo, the past week hasn't been a total bust, quilting-wise --- I did stay up late a few nights ago sewin' in my pj's and actually FINISHED machine stitching on the last of the letters going around the borders of my Finish What You Have Project. Now all I have to do is piece the back, baste the layers together, and machine quilt it ... oh, and put the binding on !! Hopefully that won't take another 5 years !!!!!

Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)