Walking into a new year...

Happy New Year!  I hope this new calendar year is starting out well for everyone.  While I haven't been posting here, I have been staying busy and thinking about being here.  (this post is a bit of a catch-up and is a bit long, sorry!)


The Sunday before Christmas I received a call from my mum letting me know that her best friend (for over 40 years) -she's also her next door neighbor- had lost her son.  He was found dead that morning by his girlfriend.  There were no signs of a struggle or foul play so it must have been a medical issue.  It was such a shock, so unexpected and of course devastating for his mum and sister, as well as the rest of the family.  I've known him most of my life.  He was only 45 years old.  Needless to say, my mum was there for her friend and stayed with her over night several nights.  She and I spent Tuesday cooking to feed her friend's very large family after the Wednesday service.  Wednesday was the service, helping to serve and clean up behind the over 30 family members that tucked into her small townhome to visit and support her, then starting the cooking for our family Christmas Eve dinner.  Thursday I was at my mum's early in the day and spent it getting the rest of the food and everything ready for our meal.  We had a nice visit and exchanged gifts and I came home and basically crashed.

On Friday, when I woke up, I couldn't stand on my legs.  They just collapsed under me.  Three days of being on them for 18+ hours took it's toll.  

The weather was exceptionally warm the last two weeks of December and we had tons of rain.  I managed to get back to walking after that crazy week and have been keeping up with it.  

New Year's Eve my friend came over with her oldest daughter and her two youngest children for a nice long visit.  Then on New Year's Day I ended up feeding my mum, my brother and SiL and my mum's best friend.  I had already planned to cook and knew my mum was coming but the other three were last minute surprises.  Luckily I had enough to feed everyone.  We had ham, blackeyed peas (I found the dime!), red beans & rice, collards (from my little garden) and cornbread.  

I went for my latest endo appointment last week and the first thing the doctor said when he walked in the room is: "Are you trying to get rid of me?"  Turns out my A1c was exceptional (5.5) and I'd lost 30lbs since I started seeing him a year earlier.  That sure put a smile on my face.  It also encourages me to keep walking!

Yesterday's blood sugar after running errands in the cold.  

Yes, the cold finally arrived this weekend and while I'm so glad it is here, it makes getting outside for walks difficult.  Sunday was the last Steelers regular season game and also the day my extended family and my mum settled on for them to come see us.  Luckily, the game was televised locally or my brother and I would have missed seeing our uncle and cousins.  It was a nice visit, although I don't really know why we bother sometimes since most everyone had their eyes glued to their phones or ipads.  Even the little one (2yrs old) spent most of it with her face glued to some sort of you tube videos.  Yes, I'll admit I was a bit distracted by the game, but I tried to engage in conversation.  Oh well...our family dynamic has changed and it is something I have to accept.

The good news is the Steelers won, the Jets lost and we made the playoffs!!  :-)

With the arrival of the extreme temperature drop, I realized that some days there would be no walking outdoors.  Yesterday I checked out a few nearby fitness centers and settled on one.

 I went today for the first time (since it was 28 degrees out at 10am) and did my 3 mile walk on the treadmill.  I also did about 5 minutes on some weird machine that sort of glides?  I don't remember what it was called but it was interesting and challenging. (It worked muscles differently than walking)  I don't know how often I'll go to the Y to work out.  I mostly just want to walk outside, but the Y gives me the option to swim, lift weights, take classes and do all kinds of other things.  We'll see how it goes...

I think I mentioned last time I was here that I decided to sign up for the Creative Everyday challenge.  I like that pretty much anything can count.  I can't always spend the day painting or whatever, but I can still meet my goal.  I can take photos, knit, crochet, cook, bake, draw, paint...anything really.  

That's just what I've been doing too, knitting on Scoreboard (I'm on game 13 of 17), working on my crazy crochet blanket and drawing in my sketch pad.  I've issued myself a challenge to do a face a day.  I've been posting them on my instagram account as I complete them.

 Day 1.

 Day 2.

 Day 3.

 Day 4.

I'm having fun, keeping myself busy.  I've also spent some time catching-up on my blog reading.  

I think that's enough for now.  Sorry for the overload.  Sometimes I'm just not able to sensor.  :-)

Are you enjoying the new year?  What's the weather like where you are?

Thanks for stopping by!
love & blessings
~*~


 

quiet...

It's been a pretty quiet day.  I took my walk and then went to the grocer.  I found a few of my favorite things....clementines and cherries.  mmmmm....

I picked up a couple of new teas to try.  I'm a bit of a sucker for holiday flavors.  Caramel Apple Dream and Candy Cane Lane.  I've already tried the Caramel Apple and it is pretty good and it smells wonderful. 

I just downloaded Elizabeth Gilbert's newest book from the library and will start it tomorrow.  For now I'm going to go play with my sketchpad and pens.  

What are you reading?

thanks for stopping by!
love & blessings
~*~

sigh...

I've been like these bees, gathering as much of everything that I can.  Chaos has been the order of the day for the past couple weeks.  Things have been put on hold, then moved forward, then moved back and finally, I think we have everything ready to be completed.

I am so ready to be done with this move.  I'm ready to start this new chapter of my life and let go of the old dreams.  19 days and counting...

How is your summer going?  Any big changes coming your way?

blessings
~*~

two days worth (long)

yesterday, feeling a bit less wobbly than on thursday, i decided to test my strength and also get away from these four walls. i searched for something fun to dress in, found a skirt i'd had hidden in the closet for two years (tags still on) looked at the size and said now or never. i put it on and found the top i remembered i'd purchased to go with it and with a sweater and my new boots all laced up took a gander at myself and thought... i look a bit like an old fashioned school marm!



so off i went, to my work, to deliver that bread i baked a few days before. i ended up spending over two hours there, visiting and catching up. i couldn't believe it when i left and realized what the time was. everyone asked about my eye and what had happened and all said how they wanted me back ever so soon. i was able to see where my new area will be and it looks like i will have a nice setup and will get to make a nice little cubbiehole for myself. sigh...

i had a few dizzy spells while there but after sitting and resting i felt okay so i proceeded on with my plans for the day and next up was a trip to the library. i haven't been in years. my nose is so persnickety these days and i've been worried about how sensitive i would be to bringing in books from the library but after realizing how badly i need something new to read and how i just can NOT purchase new books like i want to, this seemed the only way. so...i picked up a few books...



then i went to see my mum, had lunch with her and came home with a turkey leg and the ham bone (with extra meat). i don't know if one turkey leg is enough to make stock with or not. any suggestions as to what i could do with it? she gave me some extra turkey meat too.

anywho, i made a stop at the grocers for a quick thing or two and came out with four bags. do you do that? go in for one or two things but just can't stop? i do that everywhere. i have such bad impulse control when shopping.

i have been craving collard greens and somehow missed them at the grocers so this morning to the farmers market i went, fingers crossed that they were still open this late in the year and surely someone would have collard greens. well, they were there, and busy! i bought apples and collards and that is all. i passed on the beautiful french hubbard pumpkins, nosegay bouquets, cyclamens, poinesettas, paperwhites and christmas cactus. aren't you proud? i wanted to bring them all home to live here in the cottage. but no, i said to myself, when you are feeling better and able to take better care of yourself, then you can bring more plant friends home!

oh, where was i? yes, so i left the market quite proud of myself. went to run for yet another prescription from the pharma and came home. then got a bee in my bonnet that i wanted to string fairie lights around my front porch. i get out my steppy stool and ms. hammer. find my little cup hooks (they seem to be perfect for hanging strings of fairie lights) and realize i don't have enough little cup hooks. so with the bee stinging away in my bonnet i grab my purse and keys and head to the dollar store. where they have NO CUP HOOKS. :( light bulbs - yes, they have those and i'd forgotten them at the grocers the day before so i'll get them; a little glass plate for setting candles on to catch the wax so as not to mess up the table - check, oh yes, you can never have too many of those in a cottage that almost always has candles burning; scotch tape - 2/$1 only you just bought tape at the pharma and it was only 1 roll not two and it was over two dollars and change so oh yes, most definitely i'll take that thankyouverymuch.

bee still buzzing even more determinedly i then go to the grocers, yes...again! i'm only going in for little cup hooks, i know exactly where they are. i don't even need a buggie or a little hand held carrier. i know just what i need. oh look! the candy canes i was looking for yesterday! and they're on SALE! well, just one package. okay, now to the cup hooks. hmmm...while i'm here i might as well see if they've restocked their pumpkin since they seem to be out the last several times i've been. no, no pumpkin, oh there's the manager, let me just ask..oh here it is, thanks so much. yes...four cans of pumpkin, i think i do need a carrier after all.

well...much more was bought, this and that...not too much more, just a few things that i need for various recipes that i've seen that i've wanted to make. but i did get the cup hooks! (i've only achieved one anchored in the porch ceiling so far - but it will be done by end of friday. it was just sooo cold! and i was soooo tired!)

did i mention the weather here? cold! very cold! which i love. but i only love it when it is accompanied by snow. so when the forecasters started talking about snow this weekend, i didn't want to get too excited. they've lied to me before afterall. many times. but they kept saying it, a dusting they said, over and over...a dusting...



and around noon...it started...



and just before dark it looked like this...



squee! i went out and played in it earlier in the day. this first snowfall of the winter brings a bittersweet joy. oh how my beastie boy would have loved this. while i wandered snapping photos of this or that i looked around for him and realized he wasn't there rooting and romping in the snow. but it is still snow and i am still just as much in love with it, and with winter, as i always have been.

supposedly the snow is to continue to fall through the night until early morning. so there may be even more when i wake. i'm sure to be looking out the window every once in a while to see if there is more snow falling. and as the temps aren't to get out of the 30's for the next several days, it may hang around for a bit.

i hope that your weekend is going well and that there is some happy thing brightening your days and nights...

blessings
~*~


ps... i also hope i didn't bore you wonky with all my little rambling. :)

pps...about that skirt - when i first purchased it two years ago it was at the end of winter and it is a wool skirt and lined to boot and i didn't get a chance to wear it before the hot weather came. when winter came around again, it was too small... :( the now or never is because, well, it is too BIG! yep! TOO BIG! i had to keep hiking it up all day! it is an elastic waist so i can take it in or rather i can find someone who knows what they are doing and have them take it in for me and maybe can wear it another season. :) yippee for too big clothes!

keeps getting better

I'm getting better. Every day I can feel myself feeling free-er, happier, calmer. I don't know exactly what changed, but I like it. I have ideas again, I have energy. I have ... life.

My herbal teacher brought me some things to help counteract the anxiety and stress I've been feeling. I've started taking a tincture she makes. Also, Oatstraw and Nettle infusions were started tonight.


Tomorrow is a "halloween" breakfast at work. We are supposed to bring a breakfast item. In our room we were all debating what to bring and I said I was thinking about either bagels from Panera or pumpkin bread (homemade) and everyone yelled out Pumpkin Bread! So... when I came home and got settled, I started the bread. It turned out better than any I've ever made.



I'm thinking this weekend I'll make chicken and noodles and maybe pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese icing. yum yum...

I love making homemade bread, but do it so rarely because a- i can't eat it all myself and b- it is so time consuming. Turns out, it really didn't take any time at all for me to put this recipe together tonight and once it was in the oven I could turn my attention to other things. I'm going to start making some kind of homemade bread at least once a week. I can always take any surplus food to the office (they are like Mikey - they'll eat anything). There are so many different types of bread I want to try. The first one will be the Buttered Rosemary Rolls that Ree over at The Pioneer Woman wrote about today. I know they aren't completely from scratch, but it's a start and sounds so fabulous! I do have a wonderful yeast roll recipe from my Grandmother that I could use for it too. mmmm... yeast rolls.... (ugh.. I can hear my blood sugar racing up the scale as I think about it). That is the one bad thing about my bread plan. Being diabetic, I really should stay away from bread. But I'll work on the breads and I'll also look for recipes that aren't as bad or are at least a little carb/diabetic friendly (is there such a thing?) :)

I'm going to go start my latest knitting project. The black and white fun fur scarf I mentioned a few days ago, hasn't been started yet, so I'll do that tonight while I watch what would loosely be termed a football team of UNC visit Virginia Tech. At least basketball season starts soon. :)

blessings
~*~

a brand new day..

Sorry for such a long post yesterday. It was something I felt I had to get out of my system. Today has been a good day, as was the weekend. I'm not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow, but I will. :-)

Yesterday I worked in the veggie garden, getting it ready for fall planting. Late yesterday, I made a basil infused oil and a sage infused oil. I also strained up a catnip tincture that we made in my herbal apprenticeship course a few months ago. Since catnip is a sleep aid, I will probably use this to help me try to sleep through the night.

This morning, I've slept in a bit, then worked in the herb bed. I'm trying to save the plants that got tore down by the mower. I was able to find a large number of job's tears.


I plan to plant a lot of these once I get the bed cleared out and then will hopefully have a lovely section for next summer.

Here is a photo of my progress so far...

In the middle of that newspaper is the remnant of the job's tears plant. I'm hopeful that it will survive. I was also able to find the vervain. I don't know if it will live, but I hope so.

All this yard work has left my arm very sore and so despite the nice weather, I'm calling it a day today. I am planning on working on my knitting project that I should have finished last month. I need to get it finished soon or at the rate I'm going, the baby will be an teenager! :-)

Wanna see something cute?

Yes...it's the most vicious ruler of the house...showing his very dangerous teeth and letting out a most commanding roar. Just kidding... it was actually a yawn.

Alright, I'm settling in with the knitting and a Criminal Minds marathon on A&E.

Enjoy the rest of your labor day holiday...
blessings
~*~

I have been knitting...

...I just don't have any picture to show yet. I'm working on the first of sixteen panels for this afghan. I think it is going to be a year long project. It will definitely move slowly during the spring and summer months. I'm spending so much time in my yard that I don't have the time or energy to work on it when I get in at night. I still have about 6 inches to go on the first panel. Ugh...

I'll try to post pictures this weekend.

Yesterday I was finally able to get to the store and get my vegetables for the garden. Here is what I ended up with:
2 cherry tomato plants
1 beefmaster tomato plant
1 green bell pepper plants
2 habanero pepper plants
2 cayenne pepper plants
2 zucchini plants
2 squash plants
1 jalapeno plant.

My original list had 1 of everything except the bell peppers and jalapenos. I was going to get 2 bell pepper plants and no jalapenos since I have so many in the freezer. But, I was just overwhelmed at the store. All the plants I listed above cost me just under $7. I couldn't believe it! I got my plants from them last year and they all did so well. I can't wait to see what happens this year. Oh, I forgot to mention the onion sets. :-)

I got everything in the ground last night except for the onion sets. I hope to get them in this weekend, but things are going to be busy. I have to bake tonight for dinner tomorrow night, then shopping for my trip to NOLA, dinner tomorrow night for mother's day, and of course, Sunday is Mother's day so I will end up spending the day with my mother and grandmother.

Anyway, somewhere in there I have to mow and do laundry. :-)

I'll try to check in later.

Blessings,
~*~