Living Deliberately

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."   ~Henry Thoreau 

 

 

As I said in my birthday post, the last year was very introspective for me.  While I always appreciated Thoreau’s quote, this year it resonated to me. 

 

To live deliberately…  To live appreciating every moment that comes your way. 

 

It’s not about schedules and lists and routines, tho those may indeed be a tool to live more deliberately.  It’s more “We do what we have to do in order to do what we want to do.” (The Great Debaters).   The question is tho… do we really know what it is we want to do?  And do we know how to get there?  Life is made of choices and you can’t choose the right ones until you know what you want.

 

This is the driving force behind my post a few days ago about challenging myself.  Those challenges are some of the tools I am going to use to bring myself to where I want to be.  Wasting no opportunities and being prepared to receive what comes my way.

 

What do you think about living deliberately?  Is it something you'd like or does it seem too far a reach?  Or perhaps you like to 'fly by the seat of your pants'? 

 

I'd love to hear your take on it.

A Wee Break in a Busy Month

It’s been crazy busy out here at The Sticks for the last week… and it will be staying that way up to the end of the month! 

 

I’ve been putting overtime in on my studio makeover… which has led to a clean-up of the garage.  Himself will be home soon, so the upstairs has to get whipped into shape.  Yard work is going in dibs and dabs since it seems to be either raining or super hot & humid.  I don’t work in either one!  And I’ve had a few fun classes too!

 

 

Coming back from one of those classes I decided to have a bit of fun and take the ferry from Indian Mounds across the Cumberland River to Cumberland City.

 

 

Seventy-five cents is certainly a bargain for a wee adventure.  And I did drag coming off.

 

 

Here it comes!

 

 

All aboard!

 

 

That’s the Cumberland City steam plant in the background.  You can see those towers for miles.  The paratroopers at Ft. Campbell use them as a landmark during jumps.

 

 

  Love the ‘no loafing’!  Wonder if that’s aimed at passengers or the kid who does the loading?

 

 

Bye-bye Cumberland City.  It was fun!

To Kindle or Not To Kindle... That Is The Question!

I am considering purchasing my first e-book, and I'm looking at the below Kindle.  Good choice?  I want inexpensive yet functions well.  I know zero about them.  Are they really worth the money?

 

So I'm asking for everyone's help.  Looking to spend $100 or less, what would you recommend and why? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007HCCNJU/ref=fs_sz 

Carrot Soup with Croutons and Basil Oil

I would like to share this delicious soup.  It was one of the recipe in a class at Whole Foods. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://cornerstoneconfessions.com/2013/08/t2t-linky-party-63.html

 

 

http://www.modernishhomemaker.com/

 

 

Pizza Party!

I’m recently back from a visit with the babies.  This time we didn’t go out much but that doesn’t mean we didn’t have a lot of fun.  I was treated to a ‘pizza party’!

 

 

Little Bird got a fun pizza toy on her ‘Daddy Date’.  The three different toppings Velcro to the top of the pizza and the sides also have Velcro to hold them together. 

 

 

The little ones would ask what we wanted on our pizza, and then head over to the pizzeria to make it up.

 

 

Little Hoss was quite serious with his chef duties!

 

 

It had to be just right.

 

 

Time to cut and serve it up!

 

 

First a slice for Grandma…

 

 

…then one for Aunt Teri!

 

Little Bird decided that every party needed some music.

 

 

“Let’s see…what should I play?”

 

 

“You are my sunshine …”

 

And indeed they are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://dianaevans.blogspot.ca/

 

July Photo Album

There's always a few photos I'd like to share that I'm not going to use in a post.  So I'm going to start a monthly 'photo album' to share the last month's images that didn't make it into a blog.

 

 

 

I went out to the front porch to remove the pitiful petunia baskets and found out one had become a mourning dove nest. 

 

 

 

"Scarf" (so named for her eating habits) had two eggs in her nest.  She would hold very still if you were on the porch but wouldn't fly off unless you made direct eye contact with her.  I didn't see the babies... it takes only 11 days from hatching for them to fledge, so I missed them completely!

 

 

 

That T-shirt on Little Hoss (he just turned 3 in June) is a warning...

"It seemed like a good idea at the time"

 

 

 

Little Bird...almost 4!

 

 

 

Taken at a Nashville restaurant that's in an old mansion.  Beautiful setting!

 

 

 

One of my CSA vegetable baskets this year. 

 

 

 

This bird enjoyed sunning itself on a sunny yet cool-ish day. 

 

 

 

Cobalt our male bluebird.  He wants everyone in the yard to know that the bath is HIS!

 

 

 

And he enjoys it with great enthusiasm! 

 

 

 

My Challenges for August

I’ve been carefully considering what I want and need to do for August.  Especially since Himself will be coming home sometime in the 3rd full week; there’ a lot of loose ends I need to get tied up!  

 

Indoor Makeover:  Garage -- Yes, it’s gotten to be a mess again.  Because I had to move stuff out of my studio while I worked on it, the garage took the load.  I’ve finally gotten to the point that I have moved the studio stuff out and it is time to turn it back into a functional garage! 

 

Outdoor Makeover:  Planting bed along sidewalk -- Talk about NO curb appeal!  My goal is to make this area work with the graveled courtyard next to the house.  I want some Zen-like calm to greet my guests!

 

Copper Chef:  Zucchini – The plant that keeps on…and on…and on giving.  My CSA veggie baskets are always loaded and friends are giving it away by the bagful. 

 

51-derful:  Juicing -- My parents gave me a juicer for my birthday.  I’ve so excited to start using it!

 

Clutter Free Me:  Spray Paint Organization -- Time to set up an area in my studio just for my spray paints.  I find myself buying colors I already have because I couldn’t see them on the crowded garage shelf.

 

Repurpose It:  Ladders – I’ve been collecting them, now it’s time to put them to use!

 

Vignette:  Top of Refrigerator – I want to take the hard-to-get-to wasted space up there and make it useful (or at least pretty).

 

Going Green:  Light bulbs -- There’s more to think about than you know… 

 

 

That will keep me busy this month…and give me plenty of different things to write about in September!