that kind of negativity...

hello july and hello my lovely friends, 

i find it shocking how it is already july.  i know i said that yesterday, but still... it really is a shock to my system that we are in the tail end of summer (well, in my world anyway).  

last week i was completely off my routines due to nephew visit and this week and next i'm off due to wimbledon.  the tv will be on as well as the laptop so i can watch as many matches as possible.  it is one of the only sports i enjoy watching anymore. and as someone who grew up watching all the sports it is sad to have lost my love for so many.

i'm still in the cleanup stage from the nephew visit.  i've managed, i think, to corral all the fur from the furniture/sheets/comforters and now need to start on the clothes i wore while he was here.  this past sunday my brother and s-i-l brought nephew over and he came running in with a bag tied to his leash.  he came right to me and gave me hugs and kisses. (ick on the kisses!) they said he wanted to give me a present for taking such good care of him while they were gone.  they gave me a bag of the new lay's bacon grilled cheese potato chips!  i'd mentioned the day before i was wanting to try them.  haha!  i can't wait to try them.

this week i'll be getting back to work on the cleaning/clearing/decluttering thing around here.  i saw a meme the other day that was a picture of marie kondo saying keep no more than 30 books and at the bottom a drawing of a man with his hand up saying no one needs that kind of negativity.  haha!  yea i don't think marie and i would get along.  :-)

well... i need to get back to today's quests and see if i can get some things completed.  i always like marking things as done on my lists.  it's a weird little dopamine hit. 

hope you are having a great day and have a great week ahead.

what's going on in your world?

love & kisses & magical wishes...

~*~

ps... here's today's mfta post link if you want to take a look.

dang it's cold...

the way the light of sunset was hitting these trees when i walked outside a little bit ago was magical.  i wish the beauty came through this picture.

oh well...

i was going to post pictures from last week's snow, but when i went looking i found i hadn't taken any!  what?! i know!!  that is soooo not like me.

the artic cold is on it's way back south and while we won't get any snow we will get temperatures in the 20's during the day and teens at night for most of the week.

anyhoo... i have lots of projects i can work on inside during the cold. 

hope you have had a good week and weekend.  i've been distracted by migraine life and new doctors' visits which require traveling the roads quite a bit. :-(

well...hope you have a good week. 

thanks for stopping in for a read.

love & kisses & magical wishes

~*~

 

blooming...

spring seems to be sticking around now.  after the warm spell we had the week before, this past weekends cold left me chilled to the bone.  i think we will see 79 or 80 around the end of the week.

i can't believe i'm excited about that... :-)

 

i received my first dose of the pfizer vaccine this past thursday. i had a panic attack just before leaving to go get it.  then when i got there, i couldn't find the clinic (it is in a local mall).  once i got to the site, it went very well.  i think i was there for just under an hour from arrival to leaving.  i had a sore arm and a bit of dizzyness but that was all.

my next dose is two weeks from this coming thursday.  i'll be happy to get it over with and feel a little safer to be out in the world more.

 

i spent some time last night trying to find a new knitting project to work on when i get stuck on a current knit.  i've found a few, but only one that i think i have the correct size needles for (as well as some yard to start).   i'm hoping to start it today.  there is a new technique i need to learn to move forward on my sweater and i don't have the mental capacity to do it right now, so... something simple is called for.

i hope to get into the garden tomorrow, since it is supposed to be nice weather.  

well...how are you all doing out there?  any spring plans that you are itching to get started on?  is spring showing any signs visiting your locale?

thanks for reading...

love, kisses & magical wishes... 

~*~

sometimes, cake...

i - seriously... where does the time go?

ii - i swear i meant to get here way back, right after my last post.  i don't know how this happens.

iii - ice storms, but power outages can be fun...

iv - i'm finding i'm at my happiest when i'm slinging paint.  it is liberating...

v - moon magic club shawl... yarn club from sirena (wild in the woods) - mini skeins opened on the full moons, charms, goodies...she makes magic.

vi - bakery cake is one of my favorite things. so...sometimes, when i need a little boost of happy i reach for the little bakery cake...

vii - i'm digging on these list posts.  they'll probably continue to happen. (inspired by effy and renee) 

viii - i'm already planning my next knit a black afghan... thanks for that inspiration renee... (why haven't i thought of this before?!?)

ix - i'm so ready for spring and the gardening has already begun...

x - i get my first vaccine jab tomorrow.  i hadn't planned to get it, fears of not enough testing, what might be in it, my serious health paranoia... but something changed a few weeks ago and now i am anxious to get the vaccine.  so...fingers crossed.

love, kisses & magical wishes...

~*~

fade in and out...

i started my day in the studio just as the sun was coming up.  i spent a lot of time watching these shadows fade in and out as the clouds passed in front of the sun.

yesterday i was able to get to the grocer.  i only had a small panic attack while out.  but i made it through and got what i needed.  one thing not on the list were these tulips.  i added them to my hearth altar for imbolc and bridget.

i finally picked my tegna sweater back up and started working on it again.  i'm back to a forward motion instead of backward.  but i'm stuck again.  i'm looking for a simple pattern to use some of the yarn i've acquired from a few wool clubs from wild_inthe_woods. Sirena's instagram account is stunningly beautiful.

i'm thinking scarf and i think i've found a simple knit that i will like.  i need something to work on that is not so complicated to build up my confidence, i think. so i may try that.  if i do, i'm sure i'll share here. 

i've managed to go for a few walks over the last several days.  it's been quite cold but if i bundle up i'm alright.

well...just wanted to pop in and say hello.

thanks for reading...

love, kisses & magical wishes...

~*~
 

 

holding up...

 

how is it the 13th already? really, i'd like to know...

last week was ... well...

i've been fighting the opening of the well below me.  some days i can stay above and some days i fall deep.  yesterday turned out pretty good and i was able to get a lot done around the house.

today, not so much... 

i woke late, then after my morning ritual and morning pages i went back to lie down.  i'd had a migraine all night and couldn't take it any longer.

i went back to bed until about 1.

i did manage to shower today :-)

i just wanted to say hi.  i'm still here.  i hope to be back soon.

how are you all holding up out there?

thanks for reading...

love, kisses & magical wishes...

~*~

eventually...maybe...

it always amazes me how quickly the time goes by when i want to post.  i've been planning to post here several days and it just keeps getting lost in the day. 

but, now i'm here... 

there have been stunning sunsets and a few art journal days.  

there has been lots of little cleaning sprees and re-arranging of things to make room for other things.  i picked up a small poinsettia when i couldn't find a small table top tree i liked.  i just wasn't up to the whole decorating she-bang.  

there has been lots of little stitches on a secret project.  don't you just love when people say they are working on a secret project?  i always ask myself why, if it is a secret, mention it at all?  ha ha... oh well...

i plan to share it eventually...maybe...  :-)

friday i put on my brave and took an excursion to a newly discovered art supply store that is only about 10 minutes from my house.  it is an offshoot of the art supply store i've been driving 3 hours to shop at.

turns out they've been here for over a year... i was in heaven!  it was so easy to find and took no time to get there.  and they are all so nice and helpful! plus they have good discounts.  i still spent a lot, but that's okay.

i also managed to get myself a printer.  i haven't had one for over three years.  whenever i had anything that HAD to be printed, i'd email it to my neighbor and she'd print it out for me.  with the new year long art classes i'm taking this coming year, i'll need to print a whole lot of stuff.  so it was time.  i've already cleared out a spot to set it up.  

i'd been waiting until i had a proper desk, but i'm tired of waiting for that.

so, what have you all been up to?

thanks for reading...

love, kisses & magical wishes...

~*~
 

 

sunday ramble...

 

- how does time move so quickly?  i swear this week disappeared in the blink of an eye.  at least, it feels like it.

- i lost 2 1/2 days to migraineland...

- today was spent in the kitchen.  i vetoed our usual thanksgiving meal get-together and am doing take out for the family.  i started my cooking today.  two casseroles down, one more to go, plus the dressing/gravy, ham and a turkey breast for my mum and i.  my brother and sis-in-law decided to do their own turkey breast.

- i'm exhausted, but still have dishes to clean up.  i really don't like leaving dishes in the sink.

- i have two things i have to get done this week that cuts into my cooking time.  a doc appointment and getting my car tags renewed.

well...i guess that's all the news to share today.  ha ha!

hope you're all having a good week.

thanks for reading...

love, kisses & magical wishes...

~*~ 

hello november...

i can't believe it is already the 1st of november.  i was pretty much checked out for the majority of october and missed so much.  the life of someone with chronic illness...

i'm learning to not be too hard on myself, though...

we're under a freeze warning for tonight.  i spent a lot of yesterday bringing in my plants and potting up some i'd been rooting.  i'm hoping they will overwinter well.  

we've had some lovely sunsets lately and the moon the last week has been gorgeous.  

today i made pumpkin bread using my grandmother's recipe.  instead of two loaves, i went for some muffins and finally used a decorative pan of pumpkins, leaves and acorns.  i put too much batter in the decorative, so they don't have a flat bottom.  but still so cute!

i'm in the process of trying to figure out how to handle thanksgiving this year.  i'm still not comfortable having people in the house.  i suppose instead of just not doing it at all, i'll make to go batches.  there still time to give it some more thought...

i'm anxious for tuesday to be over and worried about what will happen when it is...

well, it's almost dark and i need to go cover the lettuce and make dinner.

how was your october?

love, kisses & magical wishes...

~*~

 

ten things...

 - that photo makes me ridiculously happy...

 - my list maker type is tracker with a little unloader thrown in...

 - my shins hurt...

 - all i want to do is sleep...

 - inspired by a seven year old to get back to work on the sweater...

 - to walk or not to walk...

 - this series on netflix...

 - apparently football is back...and i don't care...

 - just five things...

 - early morning walking skies...

 

thanks for being here...

love & blessings

~*~
 

 

collector...

 

i cleaned up the dining area last week.  it felt so good to get it done.  the table and benches had collected a large assortment of things from other places in the house and things that needed to be seen to or disposed of in some way.  so nice to have it cleared and peaceful.

over the last few days i've been going through one of my email accounts and cleaning house there too.  i had emails as far back as 2009.  i found several that were between myself and my former bff.  re-reading them was both painful and freeing.  And deleting them...empowering.

i am a collector.  i've always been a collector.  until the age of seven i had two rooms in our house and both were full of things.  (yes, i was a bit spoiled, but i was the only girl child/grandchild on both sides of the family so was gifted a lot of things.)  i had oodles of toys and books.  but what i really liked was collecting rocks and feathers and dirt and shells.

i'm trying to let a little bit of that collector mentality go.  i swear i got my "keep it, it might come in handy later, i can use it for something" gene from my paternal grandfather.  he kept EVERYTHING!  i'm not that bad... not yet.

i have two (maybe it's three) storage tubs of photos, award plaques, etc., that belonged to one of my maternal great aunts.  i would love to find any relatives of her husband (my great uncle) and give them the old photos (some of his parents) but i don't know if there are any left.   i've had a few ideas on how to re-purpose those plaques, but haven't tried it yet.

i've lots of old things from my maternal grandparents and of course, i still collect sticks and stones, roots and bones, feathers and water too...

every so often, i become overwhelmed with despair over all my things...

who will want them, i think.  what's to become of them... i have no children, nor nieces or nephews and am estranged from everyone in my family except for my mum, brother and sister-in-law.  when this overwhelm happens, i tell myself that it will be fine.  my brother and sis-in-law have been warned not to just throw everything out or i will haunt them (and not in a good way) for eternity.

for now, i will slowly make my way through all my possessions and clean and clear as i can.  i'm thinking about putting together some paper scraps for art making and giving them away.  i have so much paper that i've saved from various things to be used in my arting.  so... much...

anywho...that's what i've been up to lately.  how about you?  are you a collector?  what is your favorite thing to collect?

thanks for stopping in for a read...

love & blessings

~*~

10 things...

 

 

-- it's a grey, cloudy, rainy day; and i love it...

-- it's cool enough i can open the windows and listen to the rain fall and birds sing, autumn holds my heart... 

-- studio time is filling my soul right now, art journaling and mushroom repair...

-- i'm thinking of turning last night's journal spread into canvas or board... i'd love to hang some hope on the wall...

-- i need to find a desk - my studio table is not an option and the LAPtop is just not cutting it... so if i can ever make myself hit the thrift/antique/barnsale/fleamarket gig again, a desk is top of my list (of course where the hell would i set it up, is another question, for another day) 

-- i re-read a few of my old blog posts, some of the most read ones...reading them i realized i'm a better writer than i've let myself believe

-- i'm tired.  no really, i'm T I R E D.  always...no matter how much/well my sleep is, or hydrated i am or anything, i'm always exhausted.  like falling in the floor exhausted.  i should probably look into that, but who do i ask?

-- i miss blog tea parties...(and i missed an opportunity for one a few weeks ago)

-- night strolls at dusk are my magic, right now...

-- the search is on for my dream home...which means i've got serious wanderlust happening... 

 

so...how are you?

thanks for stopping in for a read...

love & blessings

~*~ 

Hello...

Hi.  

I've been meaning to get here for so long now.  I'll think of something I want to write about and then the next thing I know it's 6 or 7 hours later and I've completely forgotten what I wanted to post.  I don't know how time passes so quickly.  If I worked, or had a family to take care of, then I could understand not posting often.  Looking back, I posted a lot more when I was working.  Weird.

The photos above are a few snippets of my autumn.  I know Winter doesn't officially begin here until December 21st, but I always feel like winter starts around the end of November.  

I haven't really been doing much the last few months.  (Except for that little Halloween party.)  We had Thanksgiving here this past Saturday.  I'm still cleaning the kitchen.  It amazes me it takes 3 days to prepare and less than an hour to eat.  At least there are lots of leftovers. :-)

I've been knitting a bit.  I started the Tegna sweater back in September and have had to frog and re-cast on about a dozen times.  It's my first adult sized sweater and includes some lace patterning, which I've never done before.  I'm not giving up.  I'm going to keep trying until I get it right.  I'm currently in the need to cast on phase again.  Maybe this week.  

Still knitting on the Steelers Scoreboard for this season.  It's coming along nicely.

I've had a request from my brother to paint something for him.  I'm still in the mulling it over in my mind stage.  I'd probably best get on it though, since it's less than a month until that big gift holiday day.  

Well, that's all I have for today.  Hopefully I'll be back soon.  

What has your Autumn been like?

Thanks for stopping by for a read!
blessings
~*~



 

rambling, it's what i'm good at...

First of all, Thank you.

Thank you for your kind words and your concern and caring regarding my last post. It means so very much and I don't know that I have adequate words to tell you how it makes me feel.  So, Thank You.

The temperatures have dropped here and it has been so very cold.  I ran out of kindling for the fire so haven't had one and am reluctant to turn on the heat.  Yesterday I went to mum's to watch the football game and we went into the woods behind her place and collected a sack full of kindling.  Now I'm ready for another fire.  

I have done much of nothing the last several days.  Mostly re-reading books I've read many times.  A tiny bit of knitting. But mostly sleeping and trying to stay warm.

This morning, while watering the houseplants, I discovered that my "Christmas" cactus is blooming.  I had moved it into the studio a few weeks ago and don't remember seeing any blooms at all.  So pretty.

I've spent a little bit of time in the studio, but haven't made a lot of progress.  I'm not sure how I feel about yellow girl here.  I may end up scrapping it and starting over.  Or maybe just set it aside and start with a fresh slate.

Last week was a check-in appointment with my Neurologist.  He changed my meds again and told me if these didn't help I should contact a couple of other places to see if they had any trials going on that I could join.  The thought of doing that terrifies me.  I know that taking any med is basically an experiment because of how differently each person reacts.  But taking something that they don't even know what the side effects could be?  I think I'd rather live with the pain.  

I started the new meds last Wednesday.  No changes so far.  He did say there are a couple of new injection medications for issues like mine but they won't be on the market for another 1-2 years.  Sometimes I wonder why I even bother to see a doctor.

Enough about that.  

I'm going to log off now and play catch-up on my blog reading.  Then maybe some knitting.  I hope you are all well and having a good week.

thanks for stopping by!
love & blessings
~*~

this & that

I've been sitting here for a little while, curled up on my sofa watching the clouds roll in.  There's a storm coming in the next few days.  We may get a bit of snow, possibly ice.  I am really hoping for snow, lots of snow.  I keep seeing all my blog friends with their photos of the snow they have.  It makes me want to move to a place that has a real winter.

I purchased a bundle of hyacinths to refresh a couple of nosegays I had.  The greenery was still quite fresh but the flowers in them had dried up.  I think they look pretty.  Plus they smell divine.

I used what was left and still fresh to make a small offering for outside.

 

I had a showing yesterday and was finally able to get into the website to see feedback from previous viewings.  I kind of wish I hadn't.  All night I just kept thinking about all the negative comments people made.  I don't think I'll be going back to that sight again.

I tried an experiment the other day.  I took a regular cookie recipe that I had found and converted it to something I could eat that was gluten and refined sugar free.

They aren't what I'm used to, but they are pretty good.  I do think they need some more refining.  If I can get them to delicious, I'll share the recipe.  :-)

I see the doctor tomorrow.  Almost two weeks since the incident and I'm still having problems.  I hope he'll have some answers for me, that don't involve invasive tests.  

I really appreciate the comments and emails about my last post.  You guys make me feel like there is someone in the world who cares.  In my offline world, there really isn't but a few (very few).  So it means a lot to me when you take the time to comment or send me a message.

I hope you are all having a great weekend and that this coming week will be good for you.  

blessings
~*~

ps...I finally succumbed and joined Pinterest last night.  I spent three hours playing around without realizing it.  That type of time vanish is why I resisted joining for so long.  I'm going to have to set time limits each time I get on.  Otherwise, I'll never get anything done!  :-)

 

Randomness

I haven't been around for in six days.  I can't believe how quickly that time went by.  When I logged in to look at my blog feed today I was shocked at how many posts I've missed and how much I have to catch up on.

I've been continuing to tend.  Working on gathering tax information, paying bills, running errands.  I have so much more energy now.  It is very surprising to me.  There has been no headache relief, but I suppose that will take a while. (if it occurs at all)

I'm spending more time in my kitchen than ever.  Cooking everything from scratch is time consuming but the joy that I am experiencing is wonderful.

I guess that is really all I have to share right now.  I'll try to come up with something more interesting this week.  There is a sump pump that needs to be installed this week, probably, and cleaning to do for showings that hopefully will get rescheduled after several bad weather days.

Well, enough rambling.  

I hope you are all doing well.  I'll be catching up on everyone's blogs this week. 
blessings
~*~

a ramble

A few of the geraniums are blooming their last.  The way the light hits the blooms you can almost see through them.  Like letting the light into all the dark corners of our world and ourselves.  When Autumn comes and the darkness grows, I tend to become a morning person.  But during the spring and summer when there is more light, I am a night person.  I think, overall, I prefer the mornings.  It is so much quieter than night. 

Today was a trip to the hospital a few hours away for more tests.  I have no idea how long it will take to get results, but all I can do is hope that they will find some answers. 

Tomorrow I head off to the mountain house for the rest of the week.  I haven't been in so long and I've been wanting to spend time there.  I feel such peace when I am there, like nothing I've ever felt.  So today is packing up clothes, food and accessories to take with me.  I always have no idea what to take, as I don't know what I'll feel like doing while there.  I'd love to take my art supplies, but picking and through them is overwhelming.  I will take my sketch book and pencils/pens.  I don't know that I'll take anything else. 

There is no Internet at the house so I may be offline until I get back, unless I can figure out how to use my phone as a hot spot or head to the bookstore that has wi-fi.

Thank you to those that visited for the Haunted Halloween Tea Party.  I'm so glad to have had you come by and hope that you will come back again. 

blessings
~*~

just saying hello

 Hello and Happy Autumn and pumpkin season!  There has been so much going on around the cottage that I've been unable to get here as I've wanted.  I have managed to keep up with my favorite blogs, thank goodness.  You have no idea how much help your blogs are to me.  Seeing the beauty that my online friends here in bloglandia are making/creating/growing, etc just helps keep me alive. 

I "planted" the little window box, above, with pumpkins and fall leaves for autumn, instead of trying to keep actual plants alive.  I've had two showings so far and a good showing at the open house.  I'm hopeful that there will be more viewings soon as I'd like to get move on from this part of my life as soon as possible.  I went to look at a few townhouses today.  Amazingly enough the third one I saw is "the one".  It is in a nice quiet area, with lots of growing space in the back (but not enough to make it too much for me) and the inside is just wonderful. 

 I said goodbye to the jungle my garden had become.  The pumpkin patch has been cleared and seeded.  The volunteer trees cleaned up and everything looks nice and manageable right now.  Thank goodness winter is coming and I won't have to do much except maybe mow one more time and rake some leaves.  

 Just before the crew came to tame my garden jungle I went out to harvest what I could.  I ended up giving all of this away and anything else they could find in the garden to the workers.  It made it easy on me to not have to cook any thing.  I'm trying to keep the kitchen clean (I'm horrible at doing dishes and make a huge mess when I really cook or bake) and so have been eating a whole lot of microwavable meals.  It's not very healthy, but maybe I can get better at it.

For the open house, I went and bought some pretty mums for the porch.  This one keeps falling off the table it is on, but it is so pretty.

I know there are a lot of blog parties coming up for the Halloween season and I wish I could participate, but mums and a few pumpkins on the porch are about all the decorating that is going to happen here in the cottage.  I have to keep things simple right now, not just for the showings in hope of selling the house, but also because of my health.  I just have to take things easy for now.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
blessings
~*~

a rainy day ramble

It's a grey, rainy day here in my little neck of the woods.  It's been a good day to veg on the sofa, get my blog reader set up (I'm using bloglovin') and thought I'd put up a post.  The past several days have been difficult.  My endocrinologist started me on a new med and it is really taking it out of me.  A panic attack on my way to the appointment wasn't a good start.  But I'm muddling through...

The garden is my sanctuary these days.  I find it very hard to leave the house much and when I do go out I hurry through my errands to get back home.  After Thursday's incident, it was being in the garden that pulled me back together. 

 Later that evening, something caught my eye whilst I was relaxing on the sofa.  The above little love fluttered onto my window screen directly across from me.  I got up and got the camera, went closer and took loads of photos.  It was still there when I closed up a few hours later at dark.  I've always loved dragonflies and even have a tattoo of one on my back.  To me they speak of change, rebirth and strength among other things.  It was a sign that I needed.  One that gave me hope that things will get better.

Saturday morning I went to our local farmer's market.  I hadn't been in quite a while and really enjoyed myself (despite my anxiety at the crowds of people).  I purchased quite a load of good fresh food and some locally raised meats.  Part of helping myself to feel better is to eat better.  I feel like this is a good start.  I'm trying to make certain to use it all up as I don't want to waste anything.  (kale, collards, strawberries, baby spinach, broccoli, greenhouse tomatoes and cucumber, carrots, stew beef, cube steak and ground beef patties).

I also purchased a few plants, two lovely geraniums - one pink and one red, and a three pack of foxglove.  I don't know what color the foxglove will be, but I like surprises like that.  I'm planning to put them in with my hellebore and lily of the valley.

I'm hoping this week will be better, even though there are more doctor appointments in the mix and supposedly lots of rain.  The rain is good for the garden and maybe will give me a chance to get some things done in the house.  I'd love to get my studio to the point that I could take some time to create something. 

I hope that the coming week brings you all lots of sunshine and smiles. 
blessings
~*~

So far behind...

I am so far behind on so many things. I don't know how it happened, but the productive holiday weekend I had planned did not materialize. Instead, I spent three days in my pajamas and hoodie, curled up on the sofa with the beastie and kitty watching TV and reading. I only got dressed and went out on Sunday because it was our family Thanksgiving meal.

I decorated the house Tuesday night, except I have a plain tree sitting in my living room. The lights for the tree have been stolen by the light fairies, so I've got to get some today so I can decorate tonight. I promise pictures later.

I'm still trying to get caught up in bloglandia too. So many blogs that I love to read, it is starting to be all I do when I get home from work.

Anyway, I'm still here. I've moved from fall to winter and am ready for the snow that is forecast for our area on Saturday (a 90% chance!). I'll be doing my snow dance and snow spell all week. :)

Blessings
~*~