Sometimes I am not great at relaxing. Does that sound weird? Like, if I stop moving and stop working, I feel guilty. I have been trying to change that though, because relaxing is important too. We all need to recharge and do things just for fun, without a purpose other than just that thing, no ulterior motive or need other than just to enjoy. Other than reading I guess lol. And it is way better for my brain than just playing on my phone when I have some downtime.

Some of these may not count as hobbies per se, but…if it is done for recreation or relaxation, I am counting it.

This post does contain Amazon Affiliate Links. If you were to click a link and make a purchase, I would receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

What I am Doing:

Stitching and embroidery. I had no idea how much I needed to do something with my hands when I am watching tv. And this is so fun to do .. anytime honestly. I like to listen to podcasts and books and sew, and I even took my project with me to my friend Kelly’s house the other night and stitched on it while we hung out in her yard. I turned this corgi needle punch into a stitching project, but I am actually attempting the embroidery stitches in my new cat project. So far I can do satin, straight, and stem! Woohoo! Nothing fancy but I am having a nice time learning. I think I might make a few things for presents this year, and I have a feeling I might just start putting little embroidered touches on clothes. But I might be getting ahead of myself!

Speaking of Kelly’s yard…this is a pastime I share with my little tribe. Birding. Spotting birds, identifying birds, and even just sitting quietly and listening to birds, letting our Merlin App capture the songs and identifying them for us. I love that app, it identifies the bird/birds and makes a little list. Then when the bird sings again, it lights that bird name up so you can start to learn the songs by ear yourself. I love it. I have added more birds to my life list with the app, and it is so peaceful to just sit with a cup of tea or a glass of lemonade and just listen and let the app do its thing. The other night we were all gathered at Kelly’s, drinking our tea and all of us had our Merlin apps recording. Lol.

I was surprised to catch that Baltimore Oriole on there! We were on a picnic at the park, enjoying a nice breezy day under the trees just relaxing, and I left the Merlin running for a bit to see what I could pick up. We love a picnic in our family, and this just added a little extra to it.

I am also coloring. I feel super weird saying that, but it really is quite relaxing. I now color while Wyatt is drawing or coloring and we just sit there next to each other, listening to music, absorbed in what we are doing. I am just hopping around my Cottagecore coloring book, happily coloring, sharing colored pencils with Wyatt. It is so fun, honestly.

Finally, maybe this isn’t a hobby but since I am not doing it for a job or school I am counting it as one. Annotating my books as I read. My books obviously, not the library’s books. But maybe it is a hobby since I bought some special highlighters and pretty sticky tabs for it. And I love doing it, so I guess that counts! What is funny is that if Wyatt is sitting next to me when I am doing it, he likes to watch me highlight. It must be soothing to watch for him as well. Which I guess makes sense, he watches YouTube channels like Cups and Thoughts with me, and just rests his head on my shoulder, taking it in as well.

And not a hobby or pastime or whatever, but I am also having fun tracking my books graphically.

What Billy is doing:

One thing Billy is doing is leatherwork. Not as frequently as some of his other hobbies, because it requires more time and more space, but he will venture to his worktable and sew a little something. He does beautiful work, and has made gorgeous leather nature bags for Mermaid Girl and my friend Kelly’s daughter E. He still has to make one for Wyatt and one for Lisa’s Little Miss (Lisa over at Boondock Ramblings) but that is a time issue rather than anything else. He did whip up a small tiny cat wallet at my request the other day, and I love it. It is perfect for summer when I just want to carry some cash, my license, and my debit card.

However, what he is making the most are his tiny clay terrarium creatures. I have shared these before but this is what he is working on when he feels like making something. They are so cute, and I have asked him to make some cute ghosts in preparation for Halloween. I think he is going to wait a little longer though, something something about rushing summer… lol. This idea was actually born when he found the little tiny cloches online, and randomly ordered them. He asked what he should do and I said, make me a mushroom. So he did! And then from there he was off and creating these cute little critters!

As a Family:

Painting!

Our library is having its tiny art show again, just like it did last year. These are our entries this year! I am the sunset, Billy is the snail and the plop, and Wyatt is the green snail on a yellow background. We always have fun painting together.

Future Projects:

In true Billy and Erin fashion, we are already thinking of different things we want to make. I have asked him to learn to crochet this winter since I can’t do it no matter how hard I try, and I want him to make a few things. Lol. First however he is working on a little mini paint and go kit. He made small little canvases, and bought a cute little paint set and he took it with him when he went backpacking on Manitou Island a few weeks ago. He has a few things he wants to add and he wants to make a little bag to keep it in for future camping trips or even picnics. I want to make bracelets out of waxed thread and crystals and bells because at heart I am an elf or goblin or something.

I also have a two month free membership to CreativeBug and as I was browsing different project ideas, I found something I wanted to do with Wyatt! It is less hobby and more school, but it sounded really neat. It is a month of painting based on and inspired by different picture books. I thought it would be fun to do in August, to fill those hot yucky days and also to sort of get him used to a school and learning scenario again since we have taken the summer off for the most part.

What about you all? What hobbies do you have?