Saturday Surprises

What a gorgeous day!  And even better, I have no where to be:)  It has been lovely to spend some much needed time in the yard tending to the much neglected garden patches.  I had time to pull up the corn stalks and prop them up in the middle of the weeded-out pumpkin patch.  I secured the scarecrow to the cornstalks and added some pumpkins my dad had made long ago.  

As I was setting this up, I was pleasantly surprised by quite a few pumpkin seedlings!  The squash vine borers got all but two of our pumpkins this year, and I had let some of them rot in the patch.  And now we have new sprouts!

Add to that, my son discovered something untoward growing amongst the spent soybeans in the field across from our house~watermelons!

There were quite a few winding themselves throughout the field.  Our two sons helped us hunt around to see how many we could find.  
Last, but not least, my last task of the afternoon was to weed out my poor neglected herb garden.  At the end of August, my oregano, lemon balm, mint and lavender had called it quits.  I was delighted to discover sprouts of each coming back:)  I found there is nothing as peaceful and refreshing as the smells of fresh herbs in the breeze as you brush up against them.  

Fall!

I do so love fall!  It is my absolute favorite season:)  I love the colors, the crisp, cool air, the holidays and mmm...the food!
This year, I will not make my annual trip to Winston-Salem.  No Kopper Kitchen's breakfast or lunch (their collards set your mouth on fire and put some shine in your hair), no Sweet Potatoes or Old Salem Tavern (sigh).  I love their food (and no, I don't go to Winston-Salem just to eat).
While my home doesn't present the same ambiance as the aforementioned establishments, it does have a working kitchen and a closet shelf full of recipes.  I grabbed the instructions for Sweet Potato Pecan Bread Pudding and Pineapple Upside-Down Pumpkin Gingerbread.  Added to that~ some garlic pork tenderloin and collards.  (Yes, I know it's not truly collard season until after the first frost gets them, so I put my batch in the freezer for a few days).  Almost as good.

The beginnings of Sweet Potato Pecan Bread Pudding.

Ready for baking.

  Pork tenderloin, collards, and the bread pudding with maple whipped cream.

Syrupy pineapple goodness...

with pumpkin gingerbread batter on top...

Mmm...45 minute wait to let it cool before...

Time out.  I must admit here that all was not wafting as scrumptiously as can be imagined.... The syrupy goodness ranneth over and made a big smoking mess.  The family scrambled to open up windows and doors to save the day and once the smoke and burnt smell cleared up, YUM.  The wonderful aroma of pumpkin gingerbread meandered through the house.  

So here I am, on a rainy Saturday kicked back in my armchair with a full tummy, the prospect of dessert with a dollop of maple whipped cream in my near future.  Bliss.  Absolute bliss.

...flipping out a delicious,  oh-so-wonderful cake.

100+++ Things

I finished Dave Bruno's The 100 Thing Challenge tonight at my son's soccer practice.  I had big plans tonight.  A list.  Of things to buy.  Which would have put us getting home a lot later in the evening when we were already tired.  Dave Bruno is all about simplicity.  Railing against American-consumerism (you know those American-consumerists~kinda remind me of Grinchy Jim Carrey's Who-ville neighbors).  Okay, he's not railing~just stating the obvious and working on living without having to buy a life.  How revolutionary.
I was truly inspired by the reading.  I felt a shift inside and had an AHA moment.  Things and the buying of things do not make a life.  They may help you pretend, but they do not satisfy or fulfill.  Things simply beef up your wishbone.  They justify the excuse "Well if I had such-and-such, I would be happy/could be like ____(fill in the blank)/all would be right in my world".  NOT.  Not gonna happen.  And I am proof through practice.  Buying things just creates more stress.  The momentary lift deflates as soon as that coveted thing permanently takes up space in your home. Then it's off to the races again to fill that void.  Or it's time to worry over money spent, time lost, wishes unfulfilled... My son and I went home. 
Since it's a long drive there and back, I started to count how many things I owned just in my bedroom.  One room.  Not counting each item in my two nightstand drawers, I waaaayyy surpassed 100.  And I had cleaned out the bedroom a couple of weeks ago!  Dear Lord.  And hmmm...if I have at least (and I do) 100 things in my bedroom, it is safe to assume that every other room in the house has at least 100 of my things.  Panic at the disco!!!! Oh, and the basement (which is the WHOLE length of the house)...
...
...
Sorry readers (all 1 of you), I just had a moment.  I have work to do.  And I think this time the work might actually work.  In my 43rd year, I may just live life fully instead of trying to buy a full life.  I said last night I'd no intention of pairing down to just 100 things,  I am not a Spartan.  I like stuff.  I just don't need as much stuff as I have now. 

Laborious Labor Day

There it is  My attic door.  BIG huffy breath....
One of the things I received for my birthday was a gift card to Amazon.  I am glad the card is made of plastic because I was basically salivating at the sight.  I plonked myself down and scrolled through my monster of a wish list to try to pick and choose what to get (don't think I will ever possess a card that would take care of all of my Amazon wishes:( ).  One of those titles was Dave Bruno's  The 100 Thing Challenge.   The book whizzed to my Kindle and I began to read.  Wow.  Dave Bruno must have heard me say that I want to clean out my life.  I have attempted this feat before and gotten a good head start but I blink and am back to drowning in stuff.  And then buying more!  It is overwhelming and depressing and when ya get down to it, just pisses me off.
Because of that and with the catalyst of 100 Things, I made a plan.  I have no desire to get myself down to only 100 possessions.  I am aware of my limitations.  No, just get rid of all of the bleh.  The bad purchases, the things I am holding onto for ? , the "perfectly good ------", the things I will get to, the things that end up hanging over my head like black clouds.  And I began.   Figured that I would start up and work my way out the door.  
I forewarned my hubby that I was cleaning out the attic. Told him not to worry, that I was not going to go through his belongings, but he decided to go through his stuff too (bless his heart).  I decided today would be the day and I was going to pull everything down, go through it and sort for its new home.  Hubby didn't like that idea, but how else can you actually make decisions until you really see what you've got???
A bunch of junk, that's what.  Man oh man.  We have been throwing things up there with reckless abandon.  Our stuff, kid's stuff, inherited stuff, STUFF.  Almost all of it came down ( hubby still has his area). We commenced to sorting, tossing, reorganizing and taking what we wanted to keep back up.  I was ruthless.  I was efficient.  I am exhausted. 
My attic, though, hasn't looked this neat since we moved in:)
I have a yard sale in my future which gives me a deadline.  A finite day when I shall be done with the major purging of things.  Once that day is behind me, I will start on my list for my 43rd year~things I plan on doing not buying.... 
Purge well my friends, and prosper.

Friday!

It's Friday!!!!  

Yippy Skippy!!! 

What a week...Started our first days of the school year three days later than planned thanks to Irene.  I love to see the kiddos and I love the people I work with, but Lord-a-mercy getting used to standing up in my purty shoes after being barefoot and in flip-flops all summer really took its toll!  Swelling and blisters kill the joy:(  Add to that a late night trip to the ER for my son (who is fine, thankfully), and I am one tired puppy.

So looking forward to the weekend.  Ah-hem, the birthday weekend:)  My youngest son and I have the same birthday and it always falls on Labor Day weekend (Can you say "Cake for breakfast"?). Laser tag, we are game for anything. 

Back in the day, my mom would always take me to the big Labor Day sales and commence to buying my school clothes and birthday stuff.  I still get the urge to buy Op shirts, Levi's jeans and Nike tennies around this time of year.  My tastes may have evolved, but I still wouldn't mind a new pair of  shoes or two. 

Gnat

Thanks to Hurricane Irene, I had the day off.  And I had the attention span of a gnat...sooo I put that to good use.  I plonked myself down in the basement (after 5-6 trips up and down for one more thing) and started playing.

Spilled all out.  And yeah, that is my old Dressy Bessy doll.  She keeps popping up.

I found this beautiful journal packed in a box and have been carrying it around in my art bag.  Not journaling in it, just carrying it around.  As obvious from previous posts, I don't follow through as I'd like.

Today I just started.  Painted the title page and it tore in two places.  Learning curve~take it easy on the water if it's not watercolor paper:/ (Lisa~ yes I know)

I had a GREAT time ripping a page out of photography book to make this.  Who doesn't like a picnic?

 

Of course, each page had to dry, so what did I do in between?  First, a thank you note for two of my students ( a latelongoverdue thank you note) who had given me a kalanchoe plant.  I have added ribbon and have to make the envelope, now it just needs delivery.

Lastly, because that needed to dry at intervals, I started playing with clay.  Had been wanting to make a mermaid and well, I wasn't in the mood to wait for paint to dry.  

  And that my friends, about sums it up.  3 in a day.  Can ya give me halleluiah???

31 Days~ Day 8

Great day on the elliptical.  I actually went longer without feeling whiny and wimpy.  It certainly is a great way to start my day.  Tomorrow will be a test to see if I can get up reeeeally early and workout, get dressed, feed the masses and get outta Dodge on time. 
As far as creating anything, a lil swing time and dabbling with watercolor crayons.  I think they are the coolest things!  They are great crayons, but dip 'em in water and it's a totally different effect.  Color with them and then add a brush dipped in water, yowza yowza.  Very therapeutic.

31 Days ~ Day 7

Well, well, well...7 days.  And I am coming to the realization that I am failing at cooking.  I am just not gettin' it done.  And the world is not going to end!  We are all getting fed, allbeit leftovers and this that and the other, but the world hasn't ended, no one is complaining (to me anyway), and my self-worth isn't crumpling.  HA  Take that trolls!!!  Does this mean I quit altogether?  Nope.  Just not going to stress about something I'm not getting done.

As far as exercising, I am kicking butt:)  Got up earlier this morning and even though I was whiny and had to talk myself into getting up, I did what I needed to do.  I have cut back on eating junk~even liquid satan has been noticably absent.  Feeling MUCH better! 

I bought a t-shirt today.  Green.  Regular T.  Because I want to cut one up and then sew it into a new T.  As I ripped the arm seams apart this evening, I admitted to myself that this random crafting is fun but might I be avoiding finishing one thing before moving onto the next?  Hmmmm.... sounds like my usual MO.  That led me to paint a slat on the swing.  I didn't pick the sketchbook back up; knew that sketching would lead to further procrastination.  The swing.  I've got to get it done!  Tomorrow!  Tomorrow!  I'm painting tomorrow. I'm painting the day awayyyyy...

31 Days ~ Day 6

Great workout this morning:)  It was intense and I was toast afterwards.  My children laughed when I came up for air.  I was soaking wet and kinda trembly.  I looked awful!!!!   Felt like a champ.

The remainder of the day was truly a lazy one.  And that's okay.  I didn't get stressed out about "should be"or "could be", I just spent the day laid back and planning on accomplishing very little.  No trolls taunting me:)  My creative streak consisted of getting my workout journal lined up and filled in.  And trolling some great websites to get some new ideas.
Dinner~ so many good things to choose from~ as in leftovers...I put 'em together and served them up.  I kept putting off the grocery store trip until a massive thunderstorm made it an easy decision to stay home.  So after tomorrow's workout (which will be earlier in the a.m.), I will make that trip and truly cook.  I have really failed in that respect.as far as this challenge goes.
In my mind, I think how wonderful it will be to have a sit down dinner and cooking all of these wonderful meals.  Then there's reality.  No one is home at the same time.  I procrastinate and it's time to eat with nothing ready.  whine  Time to put my big girl panties on and Just Do It. 
 

31 Days ~ Day 5

The Swing.  I whined about getting one.  I planned out how I wanted it painted.  I got the structure ready for it. I started working on it. Talked about it.  Neglected it.  Blogged about it.  Pretty sure I have lost the hardware for it.  But today, I worked on it.  Even though my husband pointed out the futility in painting if the hardware really has disappeared.  Quid tum?  The hardware hasn't stuck in my craw to sneak up and give me a swift kick of guilt for not finishing something I started.  I mapped it out again as I have changed my mind about how I want each slat, and began.  I really enjoyed mixing paint to get just the right color.  I admit, it is a messy endeavor~ but that is part of the fun.  I got to the point where I needed to add details, so I decided to head upstairs and do a little sketching.  I hope the final result will turn out as nicely as the sketches. 

I still have slats to paint, and sketches or practice runs to go before it is ready.  Hardware or not.  If we don't swing in it, it'll be yard art.  Ha.

I did get up and exercise first thing this morning.  Much, much better to get it done first thing. And yes, I did feel great after I recovered.  I was a sight trudging up from the dungeon.  It isn't pretty, but it will work wonders as long as I keep at it.

As for cooking, bleh.  That is my biggest challenge.  My family is by no means in the same place at the same time.  And when the majority of them are, I am out of sync with them as far as cooking is concerned. It's just food.  On the table.  At relatively the same time every day.  Not rocket science, not even close. Why I make this so hard for myself, I don't know.  I have a streak aimed at irking myself mightily.  Well, guess we'll have to see what tomorrow brings.  Goodnight all.

31 Days~ Days 4

Happy 4th!  What a great day it's been:)

Today started at the beach with great friends.  The whole family piled in the van and schlepped beach stuff to a great spot.  We were surprised to find some great people to hang out with and baked companionably in the heat.  The water was chilly and there were all kinds of jellyfish floating in the water, but when you sit in the sun long enough, refreshingly cold water takes precedence over the chance of a sting.  Luckily, we enjoyed swimming in wild tasty waves throughout the day.  Later in the afternoon, we met up with friends from last night.  I was camped under my umbrella by then and instead of swimming, I would get my feet wet and observe the gagillion moon jellies floating in the surf.

Home from the beach, I was wiped out!  BUT I got up, fixed up some baked beans and sweet tea, threw some hot dogs on the grill and babam!  Dinner:) 

I grabbed my art bag and wanted to try to paint the surf with moon jellies floating around.  I cut moon jellies out of contact paper and then painted over them.  Once it dried, I peeled the contact paper and colored the white space with oil pastels and the Sakura gel pens.  Back over it again with watercolor to finish with this:

I have A LOT to learn, but so what?  It is fun to play and that is really what this is all about. 

Was I tired?  yes.  Even so, I made it downstairs to lift some weights.  Good thing I painted first...my arms are shaking mightily as I type.  I realize that I will be soooo much better off getting up earlier and getting the exercise over with first thing in the morning.  It could happen:)

31 Days~ Day 3

When I was in college, I could never study or work on assignments until I had cleaned up my apartment.  The mess wouldn't bother me until I had something really important to do.  Today was sorta like that.  I went downstairs looking for something to start a project I have had on my list for quite a while and started cleaning up.  I actually purged some things that had long since stopped being useful and found a few things that brought a smile.  Nothing made except a bit of space.  The next time I head down to my worktable, I will not only be able to find things, I will have a place to work on them. 

Got a head start this morning and set a roast in the crock pot.  Added french onion soup, onion, potatoes and carrots. Dinner prepared. 

As for exercise, I can only count floating in the ocean and diving under some waves.  My afternoon and evening were spent at the beach with my sweetie and some friends we have not seen in years.  It was a wonderful way to spend the day and I am thankful for it.

31 Days~ Day 2

Two days in a row!  That's a record in itself:)
Cooking ~ I was gone the majority of the day, but my oldest son and I baked a cheesecake.  I will add the blueberry topping tomorrow.  And. actually. cook. a. meal. 

Creating ~ Did I mention I had a bunch of neglected artsy paraphernalia in the basement yesterday?  Yep, that was me posting that.  It makes PERFECT sense that I stopped at a craft store today and purchased brand new stuff to play with.  By the way, I absolutely put the blame on Lisa for that.  She introduced me to Fimo clay at Fine Arts camp and I have been itching to play at home ever since...

 I not only bought the clay, I bought mini metal cutters to use, too!

Baked!

I also picked up a stone mosaic kit from my good friend and made a stepping stone.  I was baking in the hot sun setting it up, so I didn't get very creative.  I DID trade the marbles in the kit for scraps of stained glass I had.  It was really easy to do and I know next time to map out the artwork before I start mixing. 

As for exercise ~ a great game of volleyball.  I even took a spike to the face and lived to tell the tale.  

 

31 Days

I have always wanted to pursue a project as a challenge.  I've read Gretchen Rubin's blog and loved Julie Powell's book and her blog as well.  I admired their ability to stick to something for a year.  A WHOLE year.  365 days...
Not this chick.  The only thing I am consistent in is being inconsistent.  SO  here I am.  Swing still in the basement (see previous post).  A month and a bit more stretch out in front of me and I am fortunate enough to do pretty much what I choose.  I decided to try to accomplish some things that I always say I want to do.  For a month.  31 days to be exact. 

What will I be doing?

• Cooking.  As in a full meal.  At least one a day.  Lunch and breakfast will be bonus.  I know, this isn't a challenge.  Not for you,reader.  I plan on actually cooking recipes I have clipped, bookmarked, drooled over, pondered.  That I normally don't have the time for with all of our running around.   
• Creating.  Something...I have a basement full of things partly started, things waiting to be opened and played with, things I've talked about doing. 
• Exercising.  Note~ not focusing on a number.  Just getting some exercise.  Having just finished Younger Next Year for Women (which I highly recommend to EVERYONE), I realize I have the opportunity to prevent a future of frailty and dependence if I begin now.

And here I am at day one.
Did I cook? 
Well, I orchestrated.  Got my daughter to fix the main dish whilst I worked on our late evening dessert.

Tacos

 

 

 

 

 

Crumbled pound cake for fried ice cream.

 

 

 

 

Did I create?
I have been wanting to play with watercolor, so I decided to dive in.  My husband sent me a picture of our first sunflower blooming and that was the subject for day one.  I tried sgrafitto texture and added some detail with oil pastels and Sakura glaze pens.  It was a great feeling to spread out my supplies, add some ocean wave music and sit by a sunny window to have at it.

Exercise?
Done.  Even after coming home late.  Went directly down to the dungeon basement and worked my legs. Writing the workout down makes it so much easier.  I don't have to think, just get it done.  While I was pushing out reps, I realized how great it felt to be doing something!  Even though I was tired and wanted to get in my pj's and call it a night, I was content to be where I was. 

Day 1 done.  Looking forward to what tomorrow brings.

The Swing or The Plan and Cans

The dice were thrown and The Swing was decided.  The poor, neglected swing that has sat in the crowded garage patiently waiting for me to take it out of its misery.  It has made it to the basement and is sitting with the plan and the cans of paint that will transform it into the beautiful seat in our backyard. 

Fast Forward 2 hours...I plug in the earbuds, have the tunes up and am ready to go.  I start painting and lo, I find that I did a miserable job sanding the slats.  I will pull it out this weekend.  YES this weekend and sand it til it is smooth and splinterless.  Then back to the brush. 

I had that zen moment all alone with the music and the job at hand.  Why do I keep myself from this?  I start a myriad of projects only to leave them abandoned and alone.  I used to consider them black clouds hanging over my head, mocking me.  But now~perhaps they are just lonely, forelorn and forgotten.  Poor things.  Waiting to be plucked out of their abyss and brought to life. 

Roll 'Em

Here I am many many moons later, finding myself in the same exact spot I was when I started this blog.   The day is new, the blog has a new name, but dear reader, the blogger is still the same.  Still lost in the same labyrinth of confusion from trying to decide what to do.  My mind has become a tangled mass of brightly colored ribbons and threads balled up in an extremely frustrating knot.  I cannot make up my mind which thread to follow to get to an end!  Frustration!!!!
Thank goodness I read!  Where else would I have gotten the idea to finally untangle the massive swirl of wonderful zany thoughts and ideas out of my pink matter and into my world???? I first read about The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart from a UK library website (no longer up).  What is it about?  A psychiatrist who  makes all of his decisions based on a roll of the die.  He eventually loses his family, his job, his life, to the cube.  I will not be so dramatic or drastic.  I will just be using the dice to make a decision about WHAT I will do first then next then after that.  I wrote down 6 categories~cooking, creating, projects, traveling, socializing, and cleaning out.   Stimulating, I know.  But THAT is what is swimming around in my head.  I listed 6 things under each category.  Now I don't have to think about it, fret about it, wonder what about it, I will just go with the roll of the die.  Let's see how much I get done before I lose the cube!!