cff 2014 | Simple and Serene Living

Friday, December 12, 2014

SOME THINGS I WONDER ABOUT

There are just some things I wonder about. Like how come when I go to get the mail the only thing in there is a notice from the local funeral home. Do they know something that I don't know? Should I be worried?


Then there are the few times I sneak to the store in my old ratty clothes with unwashed hair and no makeup. Why is that the only time I run into someone I haven't seen in ages. No matter how glad they say they are to see you, you can see the look in their eyes that says, "wow has she aged, and is she homeless?". 


Of course there are the times that you run into someone and know that you know them but you have no idea where from. 

There they are cutting fabric at JoAnn's, and while you wait for your turn you frantically search your mind to drag up that one morsel of information that will turn the light on in what is left of your feeble little brain. They in the meantime know exactly who you are. If you are lucky, and they are nice, they will drop you a hint. 


Why is it that no matter which checkout line or drive through window you pick, it is the wrong one. The one person in front of you may only have one item, but they need a price check. In the meantime you are wishing you had used the bathroom before you left home. 


I did mange to get some of my Christmas shopping done today. The rest of it should be pretty easy. I'm wondering why I put it off so long. Time to pour a glass of eggnog and roll out the Christmas music. 

Sunday, November 23, 2014

JOY IS IN THE SIMPLE THINGS

There were so many things that I hungered after when I was younger. A larger house, a pool, more money, designer clothes.....and when I got them I really didn't find joy. I found I was left with wanting more. As I have gotten older I have found that the simplest things bring me joy. A smile from a stranger, a surprise silly text message from a grandchild, a cup of tea on a cold gray day, and today it is arriving home from the library with a pretty bag stuffed full of books.


Jen at Muddy Boot Dreams has started a Pinterest group and Facebook page for those of us who are looking for and finding  joy in the ordinary. I hope you will read more about it here and join us. 

Next week I will be talking about my plans for my own ideas for pursuing a simple and serene life. I will also be resuming Women Speak on Tuesday. 

For now, I think I will fix myself that soothing cup of tea and choose a favorite book to read. 

Have a serene and joyful day, my friends. 

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Saturday, November 22, 2014

GABBY BRAIN

Boy oh boy, what is going on with my brain??? I take a medication called gabapentin, which is generic for neurontin. It is a seizure medication, but as in my case, it is given for nerve pain. It has some unpleasant side effects, including short term memory loss, dizziness, and brain fog. (some people I know might tell you I have always been a bit dizzy, but just ignore them.)



I have decided to call it my Gabby Brain. There is so much gabbing going on in my brain that one side can't keep up with what the other is doing. It is disconcerting to say the least. However, I did eventually adjust to my previous dosage and I am confident that at some point my body will adjust to this.




When I went for my follow up appointment this past Tuesday, I told my doctor that the cold weather was making my neuropathy worse. He agreed that that happens and offered to increase my dose. I on the other hand was fully expecting him to offer to buy me a one way ticket to Key West. That didn't happen. I just don't know what has happened to the medical profession these days. There just seems to be no real compassion. SIGH!!!


So the reason for all of this sharing, of pretty much useless information, is to explain away why I may repeat things in posts, why I can't seem to spell anymore, and anything else I might possible blame on Gabby Brain. 


For right now, me and my Gabby Brain are going to throw on some clothes (yes, I am still in my jammies) and go outside and see the world. It is 60 degrees and the sun is shining. That may just clear up some of the fog. 

Have a great rest of your day.

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P.S. I pinky swear that I will visit more this weekend.

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Sunday, November 2, 2014

hanging out

Today seems to be a good hanging out kind of day. A perfect fall day. The sun is shining and the air is crisp. It feels like a promise of good things to come.


So I am going to grab an apple, throw on a coat, and just head out. I do have a couple of errands to run, but I think I will let the day lead me. 


Do you have plans for today?

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Thursday, October 30, 2014

transformations: what you can give and still keep

Sometimes it seems like we give and give and all that giving drains us. But there are some things that we can give and keep at the same time. 


So, I think I will keep on giving these, because they make me feel good about myself, and hopefully they make others feel good, too.

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Saturday, October 25, 2014

i've got nothing

Today is just one of those days when I really have nothing to say. Oh, I could tell you about the two auctions I attended the last couple of days. I did buy some things, but I haven't taken photos. My get up and go got up and went down the road somewhere. 


I could regale you with tales of my fabulous day, but seriously there just isn't too much exciting about washing glassware, pricing things for my booth, and spray painting an old picture frame out in the wind. Of course, you know me well. I absolutely did not think to spray in the direction the wind was blowing, so I will be washing paint off me for the next week. At least I gave the neighbors additional fodder for their mealtime conversations. 

Oh wait, wait, wait. Something exciting did happen today. My name finally came up on the waiting list at the library. I quickly donned sunglasses (too lazy to put on makeup) and threw on a cardigan over my mustard stained tee shirt. There was no way I was waiting another day to delve into this.


So, seems like I had a little something to say after all. Have a great day. I'm sure I'll be up until the wee hours reading.

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Thursday, October 23, 2014

transformations - speak to yourself with kindness

Yesterday I did something which I considered dumb. No, this is one of the few times I won't share it with you. But, what I will share with you is how I felt and how I spoke to myself. 



It was as if the clouds were suddenly descending on me, filling my inside spaces with anger towards myself, and the first thing I said to myself was, "how could you be so dumb".

I felt myself tense up, I felt sick, and that is when I asked myself if I would say this to someone else who made the same mistake. The answer was no. I would tell them it's okay, because we all make mistakes and this is how we learn. 

So I vowed to pay attention to the things I say to myself. I will speak to myself with kindness. I will show myself the same respect that I show others. I will look for that little patch of blue shining from the clouds, and I will focus on that.

Let's all vow to speak to ourselves with kindness, to tell ourselves that we are proud of what we do every day.  



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Tuesday, October 21, 2014

just another day, really

Most days seem pretty much the same. There are of course those ups and downs, those unexpected happenings, those little surprises. But today, so far, has been just another day.

I always start out with a healing meditation before heading to the kitchen to prepare my morning green juice.



I make sure to thank all the beautiful organic produce and roots that will help in giving me a healthy body. 

Then after a bowl of oatmeal and a quick perusal of the newspaper, I carry my cup of tea into my bedroom to start on the days work.



There always seems to be so much to do with never enough time for all of it. Writing my blog, reading all of your wonderful blogs, finding new blog friends (I have set a goal of five new blogs each day), promoting on social media, photographing and listing in my Etsy shop, and the everyday household chores. Once a week I go to my booth to clean, organize, and add new items. Two or three times a week I go to auctions and out thrifting. 

Today I took time for lunch at a neighborhood diner. Good home style cooking with large enough portions that I can bring half of it home for lunch tomorrow.



The leaves are really starting to change here, letting me know that I need to put away the remainder of my cropped pants and bring out the boots and long pants. Time to move with the seasons.



While digging through the coat closet I came across this beautiful hand knit winter hat. 



I won it in a giveaway last spring from the talented Buttons. Please visit her wonderful blog here. I held off sharing it, because we were all into springy things back then and I knew I was going to love pulling it out when the weather turned cooler. If you look closely you will see a photo of her cow, Bossy2, wearing my hat. I'm thinking it might look cuter on her, but I'm not giving it back. 

And now it is time to get down to those little everyday cleaning chores. Okay I might be messy, but I look like Nancy Homemaker compared to this.



So yes, it has been just another day. Enjoy yours.

Sharing With:
Tweak it Tuesday


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Friday, October 17, 2014

HOME OFFICE DECOR IDEAS

Today I am working on a project for tomorrow's post that is requiring me to clean off my desk. I know, pretty radical, huh! I am very tempted to just take my arm and sweep it all into a big basket.

Although that might work for some photo taking, it is not going to solve the continuing problem I have with a very small work space. I know that I can't get it done immediately, but I have been looking at what other people have done with their small home office spaces.

I love this little space. It is definitely something that would fit in with my decor.


This is very similar to the desk that I have, and while I love it I need more storage and a way to file paper work. Right now my files are in a closet next to the desk along with many of the things I have listed in my shop. (basically crammed in)


I love the sweet cottage feel of this little space, but still no solutions for storage. Where do these people put all of their bits and bobs?


This is a great organizing solution. If I just had a bit more space.


I could definitely live with this. Now If I could just talk the apartment complex and my neighbors into letting me break through a wall to give me more space.


Oh well, back to the drawing board cleaning and purging.

Photos and their original sources can be found here.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

uh oh I've been hacked and wow


So I think I will do the wow part first. I am continually amazed by social media, and how someone can just zoom up in followers so quickly (no, unfortunately not me). In the last week my daughter Katy, little publicity magnet that she is, has seen quite a little surge in her Instagram followers. It seems Instagram has a recommended user list. (don't ask me where, because I haven't found it yet) Well, Katy was place on it a couple of weeks ago and her followers have gone from about 2,500 to over 110,000. I find that incredible. Of course she deserves every bit of it and I am understandably proud once again. If you want to join in the fun you can find her at winsomehollow. To celebrate she is offering 15% off her beautiful fiber art to her followers and she is going to be having a giveaway soon. I of course seem to be lagging just slightly behind her with my 68 followers, but I am always desperate for loving more here.



Now on to the uh oh part. (as if my embarrassing amount of Instagram followers wasn't enough) It seems I have been hacked. First there was a text from my daughter Cary telling me maybe I needed to change the password on my email account because she was getting weird spam from me. Oh great. I figured it was just my Yahoo account so I quickly changed my password. Problem solved. Right??? Wrong!!!

Then the next day I noticed that I was having a problem getting on to Etsy. Thought is was an Etsy problem.



A couple of days later, when I was just getting ready to head out the door, my wonderful friend Brenda emailed me to let me know the last photo wasn't showing up in my blog post. I quickly went to have a look and when I tried to view my blog I got a message that my blog didn't exist. Must be a mistake I thought. Um no, my blog had actually been taken down by blogger because of suspicious activity. This was when full panic mode started to set in. After I stopped hyperventilating I figured out how to get in and change my password. Crisis solved, or so I thought.



Yesterday I tried to get onto my Facebook business page. An ominous warning popped up from Webroot telling me not to proceed to that page. Something about hackers were able to detect my keystrokes. Now I was starting to get really mad and I couldn't get into Facebook to change my password. I finally Googled it and was able to get it changed. PHEW!!!

Now I am wondering how the hackers got past the security system on my computer. Since it happened after I got my new Iphone I am thinking they got in that way. I need to find out how to secure my phone. Or I could just move out into the woods somewhere and live off the land. I'm beginning to think that is a much less stressful option.



In the meantime, I am busy today changing every password I can think of. If by any chance you got some terrible spammy or pornographic email from me please accept my apologies. I had nothing to do with it. Of course, if some of them had some good looking guys, please feel free to send them on back to me.

Have a wonderful spam free day, my friends.


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Credit for first photo Winsome Hollow

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

splatter splatter drip drip

The unceasing sounds of autumn. The rains pelt against my window panes, just to trickle down in unending patterns. An ambulance, which goes barely noticed in the summer suddenly brings a more mournful feel to the day. A train whistles far off in the distance, reminding me that life is passing far too quickly. Slow down, slow down the sounds are whispering. 


The leaves cling to the trees as if they are reflecting my feelings of time. They too do not want the seasons of life to pass by so quickly. Let me stay they say. We can continue to give you shade this winter. But Mother Nature scolds the leaves. You are not needed in the winter. The trees need to rest and prepare for a new season of growth. As do we. 


Fall often brings feelings of melancholy to my soul. Life is slowing down. There is a dying out in nature. So I stop and let myself feel the changes. I enjoy the feel of my hands wrapped around a warm cup of tea. The smell of muffins baking in the oven. The sounds of children laughing in the early morning air as they wait for the school bus outside my window. 


It is all a part of the cycle of life, and I know that I must savor every moment.

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