Skip to content
Lemonade and Seashells

Lemonade and Seashells

dream big and live large — at any age

Menu
  • Welcome!
  • Blog
  • Artist’s Dates
  • About
Menu

Mother Knows Best – a lesson in time management

Posted on February 1, 2007 by Lisa

Landing upon the perfect time management balance is an ongoing experiment. Some days are more lopsided than others and as I hoist myself back into teetering balance, I find myself scratching my head wondering why can’t I get this right? Isn’t it simply a basic arithmetic problem? Twenty-four hours a day divided by x-number of pursuits, obligations and relationships? Never the ideal candidate to divvy up the check amongst friends at a restaurant, nor the best left to calculate the tip, I am often reminded of my abysmal math skills. Apparently, it carries over to time management, as well.

Mom spr06Last night, while discussing all-things-creative with my mother, she had the wisdom and insight to suggest that perhaps I was feeling out of sorts because I hadn’t gotten in my writing this week, as planned. Lightbulb moment! Ahaa! She was right! Spending time with the heroine of “Voice on Fire”, drawing her story out on paper, is not an option. It has become a necessity, creatively speaking. She’s been scratching at the back of my mind all week, begging for air time.

So on my mother’s suggestion, I chose to write this morning instead of get in another workout at the gym. I’ve saved that for this evening. And I feel so much the better for it. I’m off to a weight lifting class now with a clearer mind, ready to do what I can to encourage some newly sculpted shape — but that’s a project for another blog.

9 thoughts on “Mother Knows Best – a lesson in time management”

  1. Ben Shaffer says:
    May 3, 2007 at 2:18 am

    There’s nothing that can improve your life quite like being able to manage your time effectively.

    And I that your art manages your time. it seems so poetic.

  2. Jacqui says:
    February 8, 2007 at 7:43 pm

    Hi Lisa,

    I finally had a chance to check out your blog. It’s terrific and very inspiring. I have bookmarked it and will be a frequent visitor. Keep up the good work!

  3. zazazu says:
    February 5, 2007 at 1:19 pm

    This delights me! I just wrote a blog today about Time Management and it is my current project. I’m at a loss on how to really do it so I’m searching through blogs for tips and inspiration. Imagine my delight to see your blog on the same topic. Thank you!

  4. Suresh Gundappa says:
    February 4, 2007 at 12:29 pm

    yeah ! really nice post ! hearwarming! and yup Mom knows Best!

  5. ggwfung says:
    February 2, 2007 at 10:44 pm

    hi kim, you sure got excited about this one!

    my mother was great. She did everything. Work, cook for us, drop us off at school, all sorts of stuff. No wonder she was left tired all the time!

    ggw

  6. kim says:
    February 2, 2007 at 7:02 pm

    I think I got off subject, but I love this post!

  7. kim says:
    February 2, 2007 at 7:02 pm

    I think I got off subject, but I love this post!

  8. kim says:
    February 2, 2007 at 6:47 pm

    what a great post! I know the feeling so well

  9. Kathleen says:
    February 2, 2007 at 8:03 am

    Lisa,
    Your mother looks quite adorable donning her lively chapeau and red sweater. Thanks for sharing her with us. I’m glad she helped you put things into perspective. I applaud you for sticking to your workout routine, no matter what, and even happier that your writing is taking priority. Keep on keepin’ on!

Comments are closed.

Sign up for weekly lemonade!

Recent Posts

  • When Island Girls Gather

    When Island Girls Gather

  • Revitalizing the Embers of a Dream

    Revitalizing the Embers of a Dream

  • Imagine beginning your life's work at 72!

    Imagine beginning your life's work at 72!

  • A DIY Roadmap to More Happiness

    A DIY Roadmap to More Happiness

  • Feeling Connected and Inspired

    Feeling Connected and Inspired

lisa_allen_artist

Joyspotting enthusiast. Blogging at LemonadeandSeashells.com

Morning thread work has been a favorite way to sta Morning thread work has been a favorite way to start a day since I was a kid. My first sewing lesson was at age 4 or 5, when my Aunt Mary let me help hand stitch a flannel bed jacket for my new baby sister. My impatient grandmother tried to teach me how to knit when I was 5. The instructions didn’t stick but I figured it out on my own after falling in love with mini skeins of angora at the 5 & 10 store (remember those?!), and immediately went into headband production! One after another, all in garter stitch. For me, stitching in quiet solitude is a form of meditation. A perfect setup for the day. #embroidery #mornings
I am determined to finish this story panel sooner I am determined to finish this story panel sooner rather than later. Started during #frenchgeneralatwarmbrookbarn in class led by @suzettesmarttextiles , I am having fun riffing on the idea of home. Today it meant a front garden of beach roses. #embroidery #dailyart #dailycreating
Thanks to @jonehallmark and @twohandspaperie I’ve Thanks to @jonehallmark and @twohandspaperie I’ve been introduced to paper cutting. Playing with combining pretty paper cuts with watercolor backgrounds. #2&3&5are Jone’s designs, my snips. #1&4 are my first attempts at branching out on my own. #dailyart #weekendlearning #papercuts
Sunday painting session with @innerpeaceartstudio Sunday painting session with @innerpeaceartstudio . The prompt was painted blobs. Despite cat #1 looking like a jazzed up potato, I could not stop! At some point in the flow I got the idea to paint some of the cats of my childhood. In the winter we burned paper trash in the fireplace to supplement what served as central heat in our very old house on Nantucket. Our (many!) cats and kittens would join us, huddled on the bricks to warm themselves, too. This funny little painting feels like the beginning of that writing project a couple of friends have been nudging me to start. Here’s looking at you @dianelesbecquets and @bettinacaserta ! What a fun — and surprising — day of painting. #artforwellness #watercolor #cats_of_instagram #memoir
Stitching under a half moon in Vermont. It’s the f Stitching under a half moon in Vermont. It’s the final night of #frenchgeneralatwarmbrookbarn ‘26 when it’s tradition to stitch into the wee hours. #collage #embroidery #crafting #vermont
Happy chaos. Storytelling with fabric. #frenchgene Happy chaos. Storytelling with fabric. #frenchgeneralatwarmbrookbarn #vermontlife #sewing #embroidery
Morning sky watch. #porchlife #vermontlife #french Morning sky watch. #porchlife #vermontlife #frenchgeneralatwarmbrookbarn
“Gardening in no-man’s land”. Morning painting pro “Gardening in no-man’s land”. Morning painting prompt: article in Boston Globe about Maine’s prison system. #dailyart #hortitherapy #garden #prisonreform #watercolor
Finding flow with happy colors and unrestrained br Finding flow with happy colors and unrestrained brushstrokes. Best relaxation ever. Love the dense hues of @kuretakejapan paints. In search of a better paper that will tolerate multiple layers of water and paint. #healingart #artasmedicine #yourbrainonart #ilovecolor #dailyart
Leaf study / after-dinner painting. #dailyart #wat Leaf study / after-dinner painting. #dailyart #watercolor #naturestudy #learning #recoveringperfectionist
Sunday collage. #paperpaintpen #collage #weekendvi Sunday collage. #paperpaintpen #collage #weekendvibes #circles #dailyart
“A Mother’s Story” told in four walls with needle, “A Mother’s Story” told in four walls with needle, thread and memory bits and found objects. These four walls are an interpretation of my mother’s life experience. The cloth houses were a craft workshop project, intended as decorative objects. Hand stitching is like a silent moving meditation for me. The motion of the hand stitching was the spark that launched this piece. So caught up was I with the storytelling bug that I stayed up stitching until I had completed two of these ‘memoir houses’.
Morning harvest. Unbelievably delicious. Feeling l Morning harvest. Unbelievably delicious. Feeling lucky. #homegrown #homegrownfood #peaches #grapes #fresh
A homegrown peach is a wonderous treat. #august #p A homegrown peach is a wonderous treat. #august #peach #freshfruit #homegrown #eatingclean
Dressing up the office. Freshly cut from my garden Dressing up the office. Freshly cut from my garden this morning. A summertime joy. #gardenerofinstagram #zinnia #cutflowergarden #officedecor #pink
The family that vacations together, crafts togethe The family that vacations together, crafts together. #tiedye #retrocraft #makingmemories❤️ #ilovemyfamily #vacation
Hot days are better with a garden filled with zinn Hot days are better with a garden filled with zinnias. And I love how easy they are to grow from seed. #inmygardentoday #gardensofinstagram #pink #zinnia #joyspotting
Susan’s patio garden. Drawing and visiting, visiti Susan’s patio garden. Drawing and visiting, visiting and drawing, celebrating her new book, “Nearly Native A Nantucket Story of Adoption, Love and Luck.” Not to mention our friendship that dates back to 4th grade, when my family made the island our home. We made stamps with pliable erasers and found impressionable surfaces on her patio to ink. The green ‘dots’ in first pic were made by pressing the putty eraser onto a decorative metal shelf.
Learning how to watercolor adds new possibilities Learning how to watercolor adds new possibilities to my favorite season. Here, today’s attempt at iris, thanks to instruction by @crystaltanart , all the way from Australia.
#august #sunflowers #garden #lovemygarden #summer #august #sunflowers #garden #lovemygarden #summer
Follow on Instagram
©2026 Lemonade and Seashells | Theme by SuperbThemes