Sunday Sister Check In

It's a New Year and Im not ready to publish the Christmas Survival Blog yet - it will come - later..... for now lets talk about New Year!

I am a planner!  Im not a "professional planner", like people that you hire or anything, but I am a planner none the less!  I have many lists - as I have shown you before - if you missed that blog you can see it HERE.  It's actually a self-care blog - you should read it again if you already did - its that time of year!

Each year I get a new "day planner" little spiral notebook that fits in my "Brown Book" that you can see here with a fun book mark that one of my kids - Rye made this particular one- for me for Christmas one year (think elementary age).  Its a favorite and yes Reedo - I kept all of them!  I have one from Reedo with Zoo animals and wolves on it as well as some bug ones!  I have about 10 in my brown book at any given time!

Last year I started what I call the "Sunday Sister Check In" with a couple of my women friends who I dont get to spend nearly enough time with but whom each "gets me" in their own special and supportive way!  It all started when one of them got me a daily calendar with quotes and questions and things that make you say "Hmmmmm???".  It hit me where I live, and I thought that more people need to have those quotes and questions and that it might be a fun way to connect -without having to take up a lot of any of our time but still get us conneted and  ready for the coming week!

This is today's check in- actually tonights check in - I have been sorely lacking in getting some of the things done that I need to do!  If you only knew what life was throwing at me right now - but most of you do if you are in Alaska!  Weather is terrible, rain, high wind, snow, ice.....and on it goes!  I fell yesterday and hit my head on the ice - cut my head a little, and have  giant goose egg but seemingly no concussion!  Pupils are reactive and even!  Just luckily I have a hard head!

SO  the new dream/goal choice was for the New Year and my goal I have set (one of them) as priority is to write at least 15 minutes a day - for real!  It's always been on my lists - but - ya know - life!  So Im checking in with my Sister friends (not all of them because - time) and Im getting some writing prompts going too!  The end result will happen as long as I do the everyday work = also for the New Year - in doing to work I will reach the goal - or that is the hope!

The Eleanor Roosevelt quote has always been one of my favorites - "you must do the thing you think you cannot do." This was a check in from last year at some point in time, and it was much more for me than for the Sisters I think.  There have been a lot of things lately that I have had to really work up the doing in order to do.  My mind wanders and I have actually started using the "Pomodoro method" to stay on track for a lot of things and office work.  You set a timer for 25 minutes, and then do the work - when the timer goes off you take a break or reset the timer if you are really "in the zone" at that moment.  It recommends that you only do about 50 minutes at a time and take walking breaks in between (get those steps in).  So far it has been a great way to stay focused and get some stuff done.  "Do the work".  I keep them in the "Brown Book" where my day planner lives and get them out every week as I need inspiration or when its time for a sister check in.  It is also a very "good thing" for all of us I think.

This is one that I didn't send as a check in but that made me stop and think and I have kept it all year.  The Wicked bookmark keeps the place and the quote says :You don't have to stare at the spot where you fell".  Noa Shaw

This is the quote that happend to fall on the Rye Angelversary this past year.  It always stops me in my tracks and I thought that it is appropo to trying to get through that date that generally does make me stop and stare at the spot where we all fell a little - my whole family - Now I only stare for a little while not all day.  Maybe this year I won't stare at all - but I probably will.  Ill still have this little reminder though to keep going and not say "wicked like its a bad thing"!

Check in with your people in this New Year - whatever that looks like - Don't stare at the spot where you fell for too long - and Love your People!

Blessed Be and Blessed New Year! 

 

With Gratitude - Thankful Round 2!

 It has been another Thanksgiving come and now gone, and though I was relatively healthy for this one -  we still chose to stay home and skip all the driving, bring dishes here and there, and going to loud places- it always feels so chaotic!  I did however, find ways to be thankful and to have peace while remembering that I love to cook, bake and definitely love to eat the good food! 

This was our Thanksgiving dinner - low pressure Mac n Cheese, Corn Pudding and some New Yorks that needed to be used.  The Hubby got to try a new meat rub he made up, and the corn pudding/casserole is as close to his mothers recipe as we have been able to make!  I am thankful we have her recipes to go through (at least some of them), and that we can try to remember some of her favorites too.  I am thankful that Reed and Keyona were ok with us having a quiet day and that they were able to enjoy the day with her mom and family.  One of my hardest things is to try to juggle the Holidays without melting into a heap, or trying to live up to the expectations in my head, and trying to balance loving the here and the "there".  I am thankful for the kids here and their grace, and their love.

I have a lot to be thankful for this year - I had a successful hip replacement that has taken the pain level down by 1000%.  For the past few years I have been in pain 100% of the time, and doing anything very strenuous was out of the question.  Being in that level of pain is exhausting and I didn't even realize how much until it ws gone!  Over the summer it all came to a head and I was hardly able to walk, much less do yard work or greenhouse things!  Hence the very reduced garden posts!  I should be healed enough to do some (or most) of it next spring and I can't wait!

These guys did some trimming this fall of some of the trees and berry bushes in the yard and I shudder to think what they will look like by next spring, but Im also thankful to see these Moose in the yard as there has been a sore lack of them  this year!  The winters have been hard!

Ike really would love to go and play with the little guys!  He doesn't realize they are 10 times even his size (he weighs 150 pounds now)!

I made a new sourdough recipe that the school nurse gave to me and it is delicious!  It uses Sourdough Discard so theres really no waiting, except I do recommend that you let your discard warm up before making because otherwise it takes forever for the rolls to rise! You can get the recipe here.

Sourdough is really not as hard as it is made outto be - it is a little bit time consuming, and takes some planning ahead but its really a worthwhile endeavor!  More on that later - future blog coming about all things sourdough!  I am thankful that I have a fantastic Sourdough starter and friends who share great recipes! My Mom and my Daughter in Love are both into it even - they are both kitchen Goddesses, which I am also thankful for!

We all went to Moms for a game day for Black Friday and that was really fun!  Pictionary is always a fan favorite, and I am thankful that I was on an artsy team and we won.  I still get worn out fairly easily since the hip surgery so I have to pace myself.  I did do some shopping at one of my favorite places - I don't usually Black Friday Shop but Spunky Monkey is so much fun and I have lots of friends with spaces there - its a co-op sort of store with lots of vendors under one roof!  And there's coffee - not "home coffee" either - its the good stuff!   I'm thankful for good coffee and tea! 

Check them out here - Spunky Monkey- you can shop online too!  I got some Christmas things that I can show you later - after they have been gifted!  My girl from the Spooky Bling Blog - Wanderlust Gems - has space at Spunky Monkey too!  And so does my Cousins Daughter - Dash of Ash! She makes amazing things too!  I am thankful that I have a local shopping spot to get some fo my gift items for people on my list and that they are so friendly!

I am still missing my Rye and Granny for the Holidays, and it has not gotten easier but I am finding ways to navigate the days and not fall so hard down the dark holes of grief.  Writing still helps, and quilting still helps, and hanging with the Reed and Key helps too.  We march some more! Thankfully!

I hope that your Thanksgiving was wonderful and that our Holidays will be too.

Be Thankful and Blessed Be!

A Halloween Dog Experience!

 I love Halloween!  Its the favorite here over all of the holidays!  All the spookiness, the Halloween Bling (and the candy), and all the joyous, costumed kids (and grown kids) enjoying it!

This year for the Pumpkin - I grabbed some cookie cutters - namely a fish and a star and used those as the guide to help me carve the pumpkin!  It worked amazingly well!

I am one of those people who, without guidance, will totally destroy the eyes and the mouth of any pumpkin face - always just a knifecut too far!

I was thrilled with the outcome this time - and the fish are a fun homage to my kid who was a fisher of men and a fishing guide for a bit!

Ike thinks that a bite of pumpkin might be a great thing!  He dont care that theres fire in there!  We have to do the pumpkin thing for me - not because we get any trick or treaters - which we dont!  We live down a long dirt road, and then a long dark driveway, and we arent event the spookiest house on the street!  

We are also right in the middle of a snowstorm that dropped about 6" of new snow on us today - after we had school cancelled on Tuesday because we got 13" of snow!  Ain't nobody wanna try to drive out here today!  It's all good though!  I have Ike the excited about the pumpkin Dog!

Brix on the other hand is not so sure about the whole thing!  He might like a toasted pumpkin seed but keep that orange ball of weird flaming pumpkin away from him! He does love the pumpkin dog treats that I make with the guts and the "pumpkin leavings" though.  Those are his favorites!

You can get the recipe for my special dog treats HERE!

I hope that Halloween is more treat than trick, and that you have lots of everything you need to make it joyous - including your furry friends!

Blessed and spooky BE!

A little Spooky Bling to make your day!

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday!  Christmas is fantastic but Halloween allows us to be exactly who we want to be - no matter if we are feeling spooky, chilly, super, or villianous!  I can't always dress up in a costume at my work however, so sometimes the next best thing is the accessories!

I had hip replacement surgery recently and it as been really hard to get literally - back on my feet!  My creativity has taken abit of a dive, somewhat because im tired since they cut me leg off and reattached it, and partly because doing anything for any time at all wears me out and makes it ache!  So Im using some friend sources to get my Spooky Mojo going at the very least!

A few years ago I had the great fun of ordering some super cool jewelry from my friend Brooke,  a young artist who had been friends with Rye and who is now a friend of Reeds - her husband atually works with him!

Broomsticks earrings that came in an awesome coffin box!  

I also got some hanging bat earrings....

and they all fit in the coffin box for storage when I want to put them away for a minute!

Sporting the cool broomsticks earrings!  When this picture was taken I only had one set of earring holes open.  When I had one of the surgeries I had to take out all my earrings and I didnt get them back in before the other holes healed up.  I will be able to wear multiple pairs this year as I have been working on getting the holes back open and healed again since my hip surgery!

As if that wasnt enough - I have these amazing Ravens with black stone hearts and the silver moons with beautiful pink quartz hanging in the centers!  The creativity of all of these designs is really amazing!  I also have a wonderful cauldron necklace as well but the pictures of it are not available in my darn cloud for some reason!  Ill update when I can find those again!

The gifts come delivered (to me at least) in these super cool gift bags!  I live close enough and know the artist that I sometimes get "special delivery".  You can check out her newest designs here at her Etsy store WanderlustGemsAK or on her facebook page Wanderlust here!  She has new stuff all the time - I covet most of it greatly! 

 

And then there is this..... you know I can't be all the way out of the hockey world, even though I am mostly out now that our lives have taken a different direction and since I had a hip replace and can't go far at a time right now!  All my hockey moms know what this means! Also, since its a hockey shirt - its not breaking any Spooky rules! Brooke did not make the shirt but everything else you see on this blog is her creations! Check her out!

I hope you have wonderful friends to help you celebrate your favorite holidays in a way that works for you (and your bosses), and that you have creative friends to help you get through times when you might not be feeling the create from the Universe!

Stay tuned for a spooky gift blog coming up later this week - Goddess willing and the hip don't hurt!