🪹August has arrived at The Hummingbird Nest, and with it, a new theme. This month we’ll be making. I’ll be sharing projects I’m working on and revisiting some of the things we’ve made together at The Kitchen Table gatherings. 🪹
An announcement about a schedule change this month!
The Guest Creative Session with Jennifer Zarin won’t be happening on Thursday, August 6th after all. With summer in full swing and many people busy enjoying all that the season has to offer, we’ve decided to bring this session to you in the New Year.
I remember the day.
A market in the city.
A woman with the cutest display.
Stitched pictures were her forte.
She made cards and artwork. I fell in love with her style. She has since moved on to new things, and I’m fortunate to have many of her cards and permission to use this one. Thank you, Caroline Storie, for your creativity.
How I See The Month Unfolding
The theme, Make Something, It Helps, will fall loosely over the month. Things won’t be planned. Unlike July, there isn’t a calendar of dates to reserve or a schedule to follow. I’m letting my creativity take the lead. I plan to write about what I’m working on and how the making is helping me. And, if inspired to do so, I’ll share my process with you.
The one exception is The Kitchen Table. You can always pull up a chair for creativity and connection, with the invitation falling on the second Friday of each month, including August. There are still seats available. And it’s still free to attend.
Sourdough Bread & Mixed Feelings
Remember the craze during the pandemic? Everyone was making it. I tried it without success, and a few times since then too. Then my daughter shared a starter that is so easy. No feeding for what seems like days on end. Three days from starter to loaf on the cooling rack. Easy, at least that’s what I thought.
The first two times I made it, I was a little more than overwhelmed. Thank goodness for my daughter. She guided me through the steps. I wasn’t convinced bread-making was for me. Until I made it the third time. I made two loaves this time, one to eat ourselves and one to give away.
How making bread helped and what the bread taught me
Before I began on Saturday, I was feeling a little out of sorts. Can’t really explain why. What I do know is that turning my attention to starter, flour, and water gave me something new to focus on. That simple act began clearing the way for new thoughts and ideas to bubble up.
The other thing it taught me: not to give up. With practice, the process becomes so much simpler. And the rewards speak for themselves.
Gardening & Flowers of the Month
How many of you are gardeners? I’ve had gardens of my own over the years, and only have room for a few flower pots on my balcony now. I know others whose gardens are their lifeline, their joy. Veggies and cut flowers, grown by their own hands in the soil, tended with love. Rewards beyond measure.
Whether your garden is a large plot or a balcony pot or even a memory, August hands each of us two flowers of its own. The gladiolus and the poppy.
The gladiolus is the tall one, named for the Latin word for sword because of those blade-shaped leaves. It stands for strength of character and integrity, standing tall through whatever the season brings.
But it’s the poppy I’m keeping close this month. She’s the flower of rest and consolation, of imagination and peaceful sleep. She closes her petals at night and opens them again with the morning sun. And here’s the part I love: poppy seeds can wait in the soil for years, sometimes decades, and bloom when the ground around them is stirred up. A flower that rests until it’s ready. That feels about right for The Hummingbird Nest.
So while our hands are busy making this month, the poppy will be nearby, reminding us that rest is part of the making too.
Just a reminder that my full archive (three years of content) is available to access for free until I officially swing the barn doors open at The Hummingbird Nest in early September.
There, you’ll find:
🌸 personal stories of my own journey, shared in hopes they’ll inspire you on your own - vacation reading
🌻creative invitations - gather a group of friends for some creative fun, or find a simple project to do solo or with your kids
🌷stillness practices - meditations, journaling prompts, and rituals
💐and so much more
Make something if it calls to you. Rest if that’s what you need. Wishing you a beautiful August, full of memories and summer fun.
Warmly,
Kathy
A little about me
Hi, I’m Kathy. A guide, a gatherer, a maker of sacred space, and a woman who found her way home to herself after years of putting everyone else first.
For years, I wore many hats at once. Single parent, community manager in a role I was promoted into before I believed I deserved it, event organizer. And later, a family caregiver. Learning all over again how to give without losing yourself in the giving. Caring for everyone, in every direction, all at the same time. What I had to learn, slowly and imperfectly, was that I mattered too. What I found on the other side of that, through stillness, creativity, and the women who gathered around my table, became everything I now offer.
There’s a place at the table with your name on it.
I’m excited to share a glimpse of The Hummingbird Nest. Here’s a snapshot of the home page. Come on in for a visit.
Well I signed up for August 14 Kitchen Table gathering. Hopefully I’ll be off work in time to attend! My summer work schedule is all over the map!
Summer seems like the time for unscheduled events so go for it!