Moving Along

As I said at the beginning the year, I'm taking things more slowly and not pushing myself so hard.  My blogging is definitely showing that.

Himself has had a health issue for the last year.  And in January his PC doc decided there might be heart issues too as there were skipped beats.  That led to testing and wearing a holter monitor.  He just recently had his cardiologist appointment that was to be a pre stress test talk.  After much questioning, poking & listening, and an EKG, Himself was told he is fine!!  Apparently many people have skipping beats and never know.  So it is just one of Himself's personal 'weirdnesses'.  I was so relieved I almost cried!

To burn off my personal stress, I've been a cleaning fool.  In the past 6 weeks I have cleaned out the attic, garage, and shed.  They are done ... I only have to maintain now.  That feels really good.  Nothing looks like a spread in Better Homes & Gardens but it never will.  I have granted myself permission to be real.

February and March are 'collecting' months for bonsai (meaning THE time to dig up trees from your yard, etc).  I've pulled out 5 so far and have 3 more to go.  The same time frame is also repotting time.  So we are busy with that too.

I'm sure you heard of the terrible tornadoes that hit Nashville area on 3 March.  We had high wind and some pretty hard rain but were spared from worse.  We are a piece north of there.

We have had a few adventures and outings; you'll be hearing about those soon.

Hope all is going well for you.

Extending My Hiatus

I'm still covered over with things that need to get done.  So my blogging break is going to extend at least another couple weeks... maybe thru August.  I don't know but I will be back by September.

Summer Break

Guess this is just going to become a regular thing with me... the July Blog Break.  

See you in August!

Got Some Things To Do...

Back later...

Moving Along in May

(Unknown moth we found in the yard.  Looks just like a piece of lichen!)

Well, after two weeks of spring we have rolled into summer.  For the next week, the high temps will be right about 90*F.  I hope it cools off a bit during the month!

I'm very happy with what we have gotten done in those two weeks (shed KonMari-ed and organized, the front of the house cleaned up and redecorated for the summer, planting bed for my iris set up [still have to move them to their new home], and the herb bed cleaned up for this spring.

We are having a meeting and luncheon in a week, so I guess those hot temps will make perfect time to get the house in order (not that it will take all that much!).

So... time to get busy!

Being Lazy, Enjoying Autumn

I've decided to take a bit of a blogging break (as by chance I seem to do every October).  My writing mojo is practically non-existent, I'm much more focused on the beautiful autumn days and doing my household KonMari tidying.

I'll be popping in every so often tho...probably on a rainy lazy day.

Enjoy the autumn!

The Crud, Terabytes, and Flotsam

Hi... I'm back... sort of.

For the last week and a half I've been rockin' case of The Crud.  I'm feeling better but still not myself.  Himself has been a sweetheart and is keeping me in hot tea and treats.

As such, not much has happened around here, so I've had nothing to write about.  Reading, thinking, drawing Zentangles, messing around on my laptop, and napping have been my activities.

In fact, the laptop has been one of my main activities.  I've been having issues for the last few months with very, very, VERY slow morning start-ups.  I'm talking about it taking an hour to run its morning computer yoga and get ready for business.  It would just not 'go'.  A look at my drive space showed I was almost full... just a little bit til it hit the 4G mark.  Uff-da!

So I got out the Terabyte drive and start transferring everything over (needed to do a good backup anyway).  That took hours... I have almost 100,000 photos.  That's just crazy and an issue to be dealt with later.  Once everything was copied over and triple checked that it really truly was on the TB drive, I started slowly deleting off files, photos, and music that I don't regularly use.  I did it in small batches (relatively speaking) and after dumping the trash can I would do a quick defrag and reboot.

Della's (my laptop) hard drive is now around 200 G lighter.  And it looks good on her!  LOL  No more super slow start-ups.

I'm looking forward to getting back to my self again.  There are so many projects lined up to do and share.

Oh, we did have a bit of excitement on Thursday.

Apparently the Corp of Engineers released a bunch of debris (mainly tree and tree pieces-parts) that had been trapped up against the Cheatham Dam.  We noticed the river looked funny and went down to look.  It was full of junk!  So we jumped in the car and drove to a boat ramp a little over 2 miles downstream.

We got there just as the debris field floated in.  By the time it got dark (over a half hour later), it stretched bank to bank and was still coming.  There were quite some bangs as the big stuff hit one of the navigational buoys near the ramp.  I wonder if they will have to be reset?

Now that I'm starting to feel better, I will answer the emails piled up in my box.  Irish!  You're the first one... you did it good, didn't you??

So, that's what I have been up to.

Well "Hello" December...

Wow... it's December...

How did that happen?  I can't possibly be done with November yet.

WOW!  It's December!!

Time to bring out the Christmas decorations.  Time for Christmas parties.  Time to write the Christmas cards.

Time to slow down and enjoy the Season.

Time for Christmas carols.  Time for Advent devotions.  Time for for thinking about that wee Baby and why He came.

Time to finish my home projects for the year.

Time to FINISH (yes... F-I-N-I-S-H) my decluttering.  Time to finish setting up my studio.  Time to get the yard closed for winter.

It's definitely going to be the "most wonderful time of the year".

Welcome December!!

Blog Breather

October is lining up to be an incredibly busy month with a LOT of company and visiting... and getting ready for company and visiting!  So I'm taking my first ever blog break in six and a half years.

I'll be back on 1 November with cooking, crafting, and adventures.

See you then!

Connect to Disconnect

Take With Food

When vitamins say "Take with food"... they are NOT kidding.

And I would like to add here that a big bowl of soup for supper is not considered "food" by one's stomach when it comes to vitamins.  I made that mistake Wednesday night.

As we went to bed, I told Himself I was feeling a bit sick/sore in the stomach.  At 2 AM my world blew up and for the next 3 days I was very sick.  It was a blessing that Himself was here.  I was so completely pampered and taken care of.  Wish I hadn't been so sick so I could have enjoyed the spoiling more!

So PLEASE, take your vitamins with some serious food!!!

Day Six of My Captivity...

The beginning of this week started with the predictions of snow.  I was excited; it's been a long time since we've had snow.  My only worry was that the salt truck had not made a visit to our steep curvy hill.

We woke up to this Monday morning.  A bit of pelty snow -- that hard snow that looks like little Styrofoam balls.  I was so disappointed!

But then it continued to 'percepitate'.  It snowed, it sleeted, it dropped a wee bit of freezing rain.

Day Two:  Tuesday morning the yard was all sparkly and beautiful.

Day Three:  Wednesday the salt truck showed up but he didn't blade the road.  It was a mess.  We could barely walk up the hill, no way we could drive it.  Wednesday night we set a new record low... -5*F.

Day Four:  Thursday high temperature was 15*F.   No getting out today.  So we loafed and watched the deer browsing in the lower yard.  (That is Tripod... she and her family are regulars to our yard.)

Day Five:  Friday the road "looked" like it was melting with all that salt the road crew had laid down.  NOT!  It was our shortest trip ever... we made it 10 feet out of the driveway before we rolled/slid back in.  All that melty road was now a solid sheet of ice.

Then this started...

...more snow...

...and then freezing rain!

We went to bed with this radar image in our minds.  Prayers were said for PLEASE let us NOT loose electricity (exactly 21 years ago we had a big ice storm and lost power for 9 days!).

Day Six:  Today we woke up to rain... beautiful, wonderful wet rain.  The furnace was running and it was warm.

With all the dripping and slushy driveway, Himself decided to check out the road.  Surely it was melting fast.

As I watched him 'surf' down it a few times, I knew I probably wasn't getting out today.  He affirmed that when he finally came back in.

Then at 4:30pm I heard a wonderful sound!

The snow plow had come to rescue me from my cabin fever!

Or maybe not...

Yikes!!  That is our neighbor's yard he's sliding into... for the SECOND time!  He tried at least 10 times to get back up our hill.

I was starting to think we might have an overnight guest.

After an hour to trying, he finally made it up the hill.  I think we will be able to get out tomorrow... he laid down half a truck load of salt to use for traction to get out!

Thoughts for 2015

I have one goal for 2015... that is to make a beautiful life. 

I’m releasing the self-induced stress of making a deadline where none really exists.  And if there is a real deadline, I will get it done in a timely manner; and that means NOT at the last minute.

My home will finally be decluttered and organized.  I have only the garage and my studio to do!  Well... OK, the shed needs another going over too though it is not bad at all.  Speaking of my studio, I might have a reveal before the spring flowers bloom.  Maybe it will even be painted!  (I really, really hate painting...)

I will be decorating more and gardening more.  There will be all sorts of DIY projects and more time for creating.  Arts, crafts, writing, and so on.  Time to stop pinning and start making.

Classes at Whole Foods and some serious cook book use will bring a lot of recipes posted.  Plus I plan on working harder at creating my own recipes.  I’m going to have a bit of fun with that and make a cook book just for me.

Now don’t laugh, but by the end of the year I will do a 5K.  I hope I will be running but walk/jog will be great too.  Himself and I have a plan for working together on some strength training (his lead) and stretching (my lead). 

Have you thought about your new year and what you want to do?  

Happy New Year!

Hello December!

Photo by:

www.vectorstock.com

December is here!

For the next week Himself and I are breaking out the Christmas decorations.  This year we're going to use them all... and what's not used will be going to Goodwill by the 10th.  I have some great ideas for decorating that I will share as I get them done.

And besides decorating, this month we will be finishing that dratted master bathroom makeover (I think I've had a long enough break from it), neatening the garage, and getting after my studio too.  Also I will be working on the new car to make it look cute.  I'm thinking a 'boho' vibe would be fun.

And of course we'll be visiting family and going to fun Christmas parties too.

How are you ringing in the season?

Jetting In

Time is 'jetting' by.  Soon it will be Thanksgiving... then into the Christmas season!

Here at The Sticks we're getting settled back in after our long trip.  Soon there will be decorating for Christmas, cooking, parties & get togethers, working in my studio, and all sorts of other fun things.

What do you have planned through the end of the year?

Clear and .... Stormy???

We came home yesterday from Little Bird's birthday week.  We had with us Little Hoss' old dresser in the back of Little Red truck.  Sis put a new chest of drawers in his room as the dresser wasn't able to stand up to a rough and tumble boy.  (He used the drawers to climb on top of it to launch himself onto his bed!  Yep... he's all BOY!  LOL)

Having the option of bringing it home now or waiting until next visit (storing on my parent's property), I checked the weather forecast.

Sunny and clear.

So we loaded up and set out for home.

About a half hour down the road we see this...

Ohhhhh no...

And they get closer and bigger.

And darker.

There's little pips of water hitting the wind shield.

Oh no...

Behind us isn't looking very good either.

Yep... here it comes.

Don't you just love a good weather forecast job?

I'll be spending this afternoon cleaning up that dresser!

Summer Heat and an Old Feed Mill

Our cool weather has left and we are having more normal Tennessee weather...hot, humid, and dry.  Outside work is slowing down.  Most of the time it's too muggy hot to work in the evening, and we have to get up really early in the morning to get anything done.

There's only a few more outside projects to work on finishing, then it will be time to take a break til autumn's cool weather.  I am SO looking forward to that!

With not much to show or talk about, I decided to share these photos of an old feed mill.  There is so much chippy, rusty goodness in it!  If I can catch it this winter with snow, I'll take a bunch more shots.

Stay cool everyone! 

Going At A Gallop!

Hungary 2003

Hungarian Horse Shepherd

This is how it feels like my life is moving right now!  Fast, fast, fast!  

With this most delightful 'polar vortex' bringing autumn-like temperatures, we've been working like crazy outside on planting beds and other yard projects.  I'll have some projects to show soon.

52 Candles

Time to blow out the candles again.  I logged on to the ‘net this morning to see the above as my home page.  What fun! 

Fifty one is past and fifty two is my new number!  This last year has been a good one.  Things are changing both with my home and with me…good changes.

I’ll start with the most noticeable.

(23 June 2013)

(May 2014 - I've shed about 5 lbs since this photo.)

In the last year I have lost 60 pounds.  No miracle diets…in fact, no diet at all.  I decided to eat the correct portions I should be eating.  I don’t calorie count but I am aware of calories.  And I have greatly reduced the amount of heavy carbs I eat (pasta, bread, potatoes). 

The next change is the house and its clutter.  Basically… there is no more clutter!  And I love it!  My studio is coming along nicely.  It’s set up and now I’m going thru the boxes of stored things to put them where they belong. 

Our yard’s curb appeal is increasing as Himself is now home to help with the heavy labor. 

I am always a bit introspective before my birthday and this one was no different.  I’ve had my ‘Fabulous Fifty’ and ‘Fifty 1-derful’ birthdays.  What would this one be?  I had my answer as I listened to a devotional by Alistair Beggs as he talked about repentance.  He said to repent means to ‘turn away’ but what good is turning away unless you turned towards something better.  Of course he was talking about turning away from sins and towards the Lord.  It resonated with me and I started expanding into other areas. 

Turn away from rote Bible studies and towards serving as a way of life.

Turn away from a sedentary lifestyle and towards a fitness goal… to run/job a 5K by September ’15.

Turn away from clutter and towards fine tuning an area every week.

Turn away from a sloppy appearance and towards a habit of looking my best every day.

Turn away from unhealthy eating choices and towards having meal plans.

Turn away from electronic entertainment and towards using my creativity.

Turn towards…

It’s going to be an interesting year!