I was going to make a Mile High Chocolate Cake for visiting One Flower Wednesday Garden Party members, but decided a Mile High Flower Cake was more appropriate. Seven new flowers top the cake this month for a total of 76 of 92 flowers completed.
Orange Crush Daylily
Last year I read a book called Give It Up! by Mary Carlomagno, a book about learning to live better with less. Each month for one year, Mary would choose one of her favourite things and give it up, cold turkey, for one month. Things like chocolate, dining out, cell phones, shopping and television.
After reading the book I decided the first thing I would give up was magazines (except for one quilting magazine) and it would be forever, not just a month. That turned out to be very easy to do.
Back then I also thought I could give up television forever. It was always on my mind to do, but I never did. Now, television would not be considered one of my favourite things, it's just there and I don't believe it has even been turned on all summer. So, last week I picked up the phone and cancelled my television service.
I think I will make a list and see what else I can give up.
Until next time.....happy quilting!
Karen
47 comments:
you sure been busy,love the day lily.
Rita
Wow, what a cake! I love this idea for displaying your hexies - I think I'll copy your idea and display mine on a cake stand on my sewing table. You are so clever and creative.
Love your "cake". :) The tea arrived today. thanks for sending it. I'll be trying it our later. Jeanette
What a great cake !! I´ve had a little break from flower-sewing, but next weekend I´ll take my hexagons to the annual danish guild-meeting and make som more. There are 77 to go :-)
Wow, such a lovely pile of flowers!!
I have no television service either and I really don't miss it at all! I do have many dvd's but most of the time I just play them to hear something while quilting, not really to watch...
Wow Karen! what a great idea to finish your TV! you wil get a lot of more time to quilting. I love your flowercake, can I have a piece from it bij my cup of tea ? (lol)
greetings, Jeannet
Love your cake!
But I love your story about giving things up too. Lately I've been pondering (right word?) about my hobbies and the things I want to do or to have....
So your story matches my thoughts (I already decided to give up some magazines too and I decided yesterday evening (believe it or not hihi) not to remodel our kitchen! But now I know for sure.
So thank you for sharing these thoughts with us.
Love that flower cake...if I could only receive one quilting magazine...I definitely would pick AP&Q...could definitely live without tv if I had internet too!
I just love your cake Karen!! what a great pile of "flowers"you have bin busy!!...and i believe that one has more time not whatching tv...i know that i do so much more..living without it i dont know...but cut in the hours for sure...and i am already living on a tide budget...i safe up to buy things...much more fun and i appreciate the things more and i am more selective in what i buy...i am so lucky to have all my craft stuff...can make creations for many years to come!
greetings Francien.
Great cake: yummy I'd love to take a bite! And I think it's brave to give up things in everyday life. Good for you!
Wow, what a nice way of displaying your flowers, Karen! I think I'll go and get mine, too. Always a cake without sugar and fat. You're nearly at the end, now, Ilove to see how it will be! Lovely lily, too!
Living without a television is not done in my house, DH can't miss his soccer! I mostly use it as a radio myself.
Greetings, Cisca
Love your display Karen, you must be close to a finish now. I could happily live without the television as well but I think there might be a few complaints from elsewhere in the house if I got rid of it, lol!
Wauuuuw wat een heerlijke cake ;daar wil ook wel een stukje van !!!!! groetjes yvonne
Your cake looks so yummy! Nice pile of flowers finished.
I am giving up things but I am not ready yet to cancel my tv or cell phone. Gave up chocolate and sweets. Saved money and lost 4 pounds!
Lovely display of your pretty flowers.
I love the idea behind the book you read. And how good of you, to follow it up in your way! Not sure I could do it.
lovely cake:))) we should all do such this week:)
Mile High Cake is wonderful! However, I'm sure I would have been plunked down in front of tv working on those. Fall season is coming and I look forward to it especially while stitching bindings down in the cold winter evenings.
There are many times that I have been tempted to dump the TV but the other half would be devestated. I love when it's his day to work so I can shut it off and listen to the radio instead. I have learned to have selective hearing so I can just tune out the tv while I happily stitch away. I have no cell phone and will never have one, I think they are VERY annoying.
Crispy
Beautiful cake...and no calories!
I love your flowercake, you may send it to me ;-))
Greeetings
Ines
Beautiful pile of flowers! I really admired you for giving up these things. Many people, like myself, would find it very difficult to do. But I am so glad it works for you. Someday, I might consider doing this, you have inspired me. Someday!
Beautiful cake that won't stick to the ole hips!
I love your "cake", jammie.
You have made me thinking about the things I could give up for a month. What a great idea. Since my husband died last year I use de t.v. as talking wallpaper. A voice in a quiet house, but I think I could shot him down for a month now.
Listening to music while quilting, just as I used to do.
have I nice day,
Karen,
Your cake looks yummy enough to eat , beautiful colors! Oh that daylily is gorgeous , never saw one that color before , just beautiful.
I love your cake. hmmm. Think the pile will get high enough that it will topple? Maybe if we all combined our hexagons.
I like the idea of giving something up for the month. I'm not sure about TV though, that's the only time I manage to get any handwork done. And I certainly don't want to give that up!
Well done Karen - I dont think I could cancell my TV though. Your cake is very spectacular!
I listen to books and can sew at the same time....I really could do without the TV - but.....
Just think of all the money you could save on giving up other things too! Imagine how much more fabric you could buy with that money. I think I might have to try this out but I don't know about the month, I cold start with a day and progress from there. Great idea!
Looks good enough to eat, the colours make such nice layers.
Now there is a cake without calories and you probably burned some while sewing:D
I don't subscribe to quilting magazines anymore, just buy as I really want them. We just use rabbit ears on our TV and watch what comes in if we want. We went without TV for years when we first got married and we really enjoyed listening to NPR radio.
Your flowerstack looks stunning Karen!
I like your story about giving up --- it can be very relieving to let go of some of the materialistic ballast we think we 'need'. I do hope however that not many people will cancel their subscription to magazines ...I would be out of job :-)
LOL! What a great picture of your flower "cake"! I wish mine looked so neat and tidy. :)
A few years ago (before children), I could have easily given up television. Today it would be really hard! Being able to sit by the TV in the evening, stitching and winding down after a tough mama-ing day, is just way too addictive. Plus, I doubt I'd ever get any handwork done without it. :P
Hmmmm your cake is delicious!! Must admit, the weeks we spent in France we had no tv, heaven!!!! Books to read, stitches done, cross word puzzle etc etc. But being home again, DH only seems to have energy to watch TV hihi!! Will keep your resolution in mind, think I will start with the magazines! Thanks for sharing!! Hugs, Daniëlle
Karen your cake looks delicious, what a brilliant idea to cancel your TV service. It is better to put on a DVD and watch a good film once in a blue moon. I never turn on the TV when I'm home alone.
Wow ! What a delicious cake, I could have a bit of that.
Have a good quilting !
Hi Karen
what a great idea to display your lovely flowers!Like that! And thanks for sharing. this is a very interesting theme. Have to think about this more!
I'd like a piece of that cake. Well, really the whole cake!
Karen, because of the economy my hubby lost his job almost 2 years ago.He did find another job but we lost 60 percent of our income. We had to give up many things, cable tv being one of them. At first it was difficult. I didn't realize how much tv I watched! But then I started to notice how much I was getting accomplished each day. I was reading more, sewing more, and of course cleaning more! I started experimenting with new recipes, and challenged myself to have intersting meals. (we used to eat out a lot) Instead of going to the quilt shop, I go to Dawn's shop! I have so many UFO's from classes I have taken over the years, tons and tons of patterns and of course, tons of fabric. So now, almost two years later, I am quite content to sit on the deck, work on my hexies, or some other hand project, and sip a glass of iced tea that I brewed myself! Have a great day!
Wow you did a great job with the flowers.
Wow Karen,,,That cake looks fabulous..what a clever idea.You are very good to give up TV,,I could easily give it up too..but think someone else may have something to say..I have just taken up listening to audio books while stitching my flowers and i really enjoy that.Maybe i should think about chocolate in any shape or form..Ps you were right about the newcomer...That is my Lil Sis. Kate x
That is one beautiful cake! I have been letting magazine subscriptions kind of lapse - I do have a couple I really like. TV is so weird - so many stations and nothing on. However, I can't miss The Closer, Castle, Mentalist and Modern Family. Those are my favorites. Should be some new ones soon! :-) Carol
What a lovely flower cake, Karen - and what a creative way to display your hexies!! Love it -
Judie
You can make a chocolate cake too! I love chocolate..;-)
But I also love the flower cake, they look lovely!
great idea to see if you can life's with less. That's something I could do too
What a wonderful Flower Cake! Really a nie idea!
Wednesday Flowers give so much fun!
Renate
Your flower cake is fabulous!
I gave up buying quilt magazines, for the most part, over a year ago and really don't miss them. If I see something in one that really captures my interest, I'll buy that one but I don't regularly buy them. Don't think giving up TV would work in this household -- we both enjoy the British dramas we see on various channels.
Oh,i love your flower cake.
Wonderful flower cake Karen, I've certainly got some catching up to do now!
Love that mile high cake! You are really making progress!
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