HEADING IN A NEW DIRECTION(STARTING A NEW CHALLENGE)

WOW!  Didn't realize it had been so long since my last post!  Guess life has been too crazy!  I am going to get right to it.  I have been working on a challenge to clean up my craft room, especially my cardmaking supplies.  It is through Totally-tiffany.com  I have loved the challenge and I have made a lot of headway and I am able to find my supplies quickly.  You  post your progress and include pics.  I am so motivated that when a commercial comes on I have to be working on something.  Are you ready to take this journey with me?  I will be coming out of my comfort zone again but this time it is showing my before pics.  This is a journal of sorts for me, it will be a way for me to see side by side results...see the work involved. Hopefully you won't judge me as a hoarder or crazy or lazy after seeing my pics.  Life is short and there are more important things to do and memories to make.
     Alas, life is catching up to me!  I am not comfortable in my home, I am not serene, I am not happy in my home.  I can't find things.  I've discovered a few truths:  I am afraid to lose things so I put them close by not where they belong.  I will lay things down as soon as I walk in the door instead of PUTTING THEM  IN THEIR PLACE! I have a small house with little storage. I am a procrastinator and projects generally take less time than I thought they would.  I do love a clean house and it does put me at ease!
     Please join my journey, I won't feel like the only one with a messy home.  Feel free to comment, make suggestions, and post pics.  Keep in mind I am new to this  blogging thing. I am not a writer!!!

So here we go.  I will be using some of Tiffany's techniques!   Ready, take a deep breath!  Put your phone in another room.  (yes, you can survive a few minutes without it) Turn off the TV.  Spend 30 minutes on the first challenge(I will be posting my challenges which are specific to my rooms).  At the end of each challenge I will have a reward - it will be simple and sometimes it is just standing back and admiring my handiwork.  I won't see the reward until I turn if over. 

CHALLENGE #1 - Post an official Challenge list (mine is 9 weeks but yours can be as short as you want.  I found nonstop for 5 weeks was tops for me. This is your challenge, maybe you will work on it for a couple of weeks and then take a week off and come back.  The important thing is you come back!)  Here is a pic of mine, sorry I don't know how to make it a revised document. 

You are getting it rough just like it is on my fridge!  Sorry about any problems but this is a new laptop and new photo program so it took me an hour just to understand what I am doing.  Rewards are listed on the right.  Some challenges are short and sweet and some are longer than a week.  I tried for 6 (days) with Sunday as a day of rest!  The first challenge is done in 2 hours, would have been less if I hadn't posted it!!!!! I gave myself a time period but it is not really important to me!  It's getting it done or even an improvement!  Now for my Benefit board:

It  isn't fancy some of it is from my Totally Tiffany challenge.  The great thing about putting it up is that I see it every time I go in the kitchen and when I sit down to watch TV.  It is a prompt, motivation, and a reminder of how good I will feel when I finish a challenge!!!

Now on to my reward, but first I will post my first "before" pic of challenge #2....1/2 sofa.  I started it last night during commercials!  It gets me moving and my steps while working on bits of a challenge.
I am so anxious about this!

 The little white table is done so I can check if off.  The reward for the first challenge is........MUFFIE AND TEA AT PANERAS!  YEAH!  BIG APPLAUSE!
See you next time, hopefully with a clean sofa!

JUMPING FOR JOY, FROM ALASKA TO FLORIDA

I have spent the last month traveling!!  From a cruise to Alaska/Canada to Alabama/Florida, what a joy. This post will spotlight Pensacola, Florida, then the beach at Destin and finally Alaska.  (Hopefully)

 This little lady expressed it so well, I wish I had a video.  She was literally jumping for joy.

     As you can see I am experimenting with black and white.      

 


Love the retro look and the attention to detail.

 We were in Pensacola and Destin for the weekend.   Leon wanted the Naval Museum and I wanted to go to the beach.  We spent most of the day at the museum which is awesome, it is a photographer's dream.  There as so many possibilities and challenges!

Of course I had to have  images of the Blue Angels. The challenge was all the light coming in the windows and  the planes showed up very dark.

There were so many historic planes to image.

                    Old  - Kitty Hawk
                                 
                              to

                  New - the Moon Walk

We went to the lighthouse in the afternoon.

                  Alas, this trip will have to continue later - Part 2 - to the beach.                            

                                     

                                              See you later, happy travels! 

Let the Adventures Begin (POST FROM LAST SUMMER)

It's been a while since my last post but life is starting! I have started a new travel journal and gratitude journal.  I will be drawing inspiration from both of them.  (From my retirement  rules: travel to inexpensive places in the US and blissful pleasures.)

A couple of weeks ago Leon decided he would surprise me with a trip.  Now we use to go somewhere every weekend, but he is a caretaker for his 93 year old Mom now.  So the trip was very unexpected.  One thing this blog will have is my/our adventures and my photography locations/challenges.

 Our destination became Cullman, Alabama!  It is a 6 hour drive from Southern Illinois.
(By the way, it is closer to Huntsville than Chicago!) So off we went at 7:00 on Friday morning. Our first destination is Decatur, Alabama for BBQ at Big Bob Gibson.  It is our favorite place to go for BBQ!  Always a loaded potato.  Big Bob Gibson Restaurant has won many, many awards! A very dear friend introduced us to the restaurant and we miss her company but she is forever in our hearts!

Then on to Cullman, a little ways down the road, y'all!   We were on our way to discovering covered bridges and some of the most beautiful countryside.  Now I've been to Alabama numerous times, mostly Huntsville to take heirloom sewing classes.  This however was a complete adventure.  Our first stop was the Clarkson Covered Bridge.  It is a little west out of Cullman, but you feel in a different era, in a different country.  It is a park with a beautiful very rustic covered bridge and mill wheel.  There is a creek running through it with footpaths up and down the hills.  I loved the little water fall before the bridge.  Best of all bathrooms!!  My photography challenge was the extreme bright sunlight to deep shade.  You will see a sampling of my ambitions throughout this post.  Some good some bad!

The other bridges were in Blount County, Swann, Easley and Horton Mill Covered Bridges.

 They are definitely Alabama's Best Kept Secrets!  We felt like we found them all by accident and seemed to wind up and down country roads with no end. All three bridges can be visited in a few hours and are not far apart.  If you need to get away from job and chaos the roads and bridges are a welcoming salve.

Winding our way back home through Alabama and Tennessee, our last unexpected adventure was in Columbia, Tennessee.  We visited James Polk's home and my photography challenge was to photograph in a museum without flash.  James Polk's home and many other beautiful homes are in Columbia and we've decided this will be a city well worth revisiting.

(Well, pictures will follow just not sure when.)  This post was started last summer, so now I just have to find them in my thousands of images!  This truly is a great area to explore and reminds me of Nashville, Indiana.  (Yes, you read that right, Indiana not Tennesse!)

Happening in my little bit of Heaven!!!

I've decided to try something new!  This was suppose to be like a journal for me, so for a little while I will construct this blog differently.

It will be what is happening in my life--- my joys, my adventures, my simple life. So here goes, if you like it let me know, if not I'll change it.  I just read an article discussing whether your blog was for you or your readers.  For a while it will be for me, reminders of what I enjoyed and created.  Hopefully it will give you some inspiration.

EXCITED ABOUT LITTLE MOMENTS

A few minutes ago I was running around the house like a little kid.  I awoke from a nap by a boom of thunder!  I was still in a dream state and confused about what was happening.  I remembered the windows in the car were rolled down to let the heat out.  I jumped up, found outside clothes, and ran for the car.  No rain, but I could hear it coming!  The wind was rushing through the trees to the west and my tall sunflower was whirling around in circles!  I rolled up the windows and put the flower baskets and watering can out for much needed rain water.  Then the rain came in buckets, I ran out the back door to rescue a lawn chair which had collected a couple of cups of water.  All this time it is thundering and swishing the trees in every direction.  Finally I am able to sit and watch the rain.  I am completely soaked, I watch as the sun is shining and the the rain keeps coming.  I want to go out and play (but wait I am 60- something)! For a few moments I am a child again, watching my Mom take down the clothes waiting for her to say it is "ok" to play in the rain.  I can't even imagine the excitement  people in the West must feel with approaching rain!

Funny the moments that excite us!  Sometimes for joy, remembrances, or new opportunities.  I've had them the last few weeks, well for that matter, especially since my retirement.

I went to the lake a few weeks ago to practice using my camera. Bogard's Point is surrounded by water with tree lines in many directions. I wasn't expecting anything special, but came across a pair of geese.  They were conversing back and forth oblivious to my presence.   I was excited to be that close to them taking pictures the whole time.  When I am on a photo shoot, I am oblivious to time, temperature, and physical discomfort! Before I know it, the sky changed and I am aware of dusk approaching. I take pics while walking to the point/edge of the water.  The clouds are changing (Rene's instructions in my head "You must have clouds for a good sunset image.") The colors change, the water is so still, I am at peace!  Finally I stop to check my images, they are the best sunset images I have ever made! I sit down to admire the ever changing colors, excited and at peace.  Tears well at such a beautiful sight, it is free and I appreciated it all!

At the end of May I had a super duper adventure!  A cruise to Alaska!  Now the planning lasted for 6 months, but the real excitement mounted the last few weeks before.  The unknown, my first cruise and flight by myself!  Excitement doesn't even touch the feelings I had!  Everything, and I mean everything was a new adventure.  I was so far out of my comfort zone.  But alas, this is a continuing post!

So my challenge to you is recalling your small and large exciting moments.  No matter how monumental (a trip to Alaska) or a tiny moment (an unexpected rainstorm or the ice cream truck).

WHAT EXCITES YOU???

HAPPINESS IS ... PART 1

Happiness is ...

Today, right now!  It is 7:00 pm, 68 degrees with a gorgeous breeze.  Birdsong is everywhere!  Two green and red hummingbirds are chasing each other over the feeders.  Their buzzing and squawking are humorous.  They are contrasted by the soft grey dove gently pecking the ground and cooing.  I've watched the cardinals, robins, wrens, and the bright yellow finches fly in and out of the yard. A dragonfly drifts by and lands inches from me (the first this year). In the not so far distance, children are playing.  It is all so comforting to me.  This is what life should be.  Leon just casually mentioned that this was a happy day, and how right he is!

Happiness is....

Going to church and being very anxious.  I was going to go outside the box again!  I would be helping with the communion service, in front of people and I've never done it before.  I prayed, "Dear God,
Calm my fears and help me to glorify you, please."
One of my rules was to go outside my comfort zone, I was sure doing that!!!  Fears were calmed and I did it.  It was the happiness of knowing He was beside me and calming me.

Happiness is ....

My grandson's Gold Cup Piano Recital.  He played his piece beautifully!  I loved and admired the young people performing.  It gave me hope for a future full of talented young people with concerns beyond electronics.

Happiness is.....

A trip to Plantscape, our local nursery.  It was great and inspiring among the colorful plants, trees, roses, and shrubs!  I picked out thyme, rosemary, chocolate mint, and lime basil. I love the smells and dreaming about the creative meals ahead.  Hope is a gardener!

Happiness is ....

The first "picnic" of the season!  Leon grilled brats while I puttered in the garden.  My daughter and grandson arrived with herbs for Mother's Day.  They stayed and ate brats, just brats.  There was no finer a picnic.

So I am back to right now!  The sun is setting, frogs are serenading, a blue bunting just flitted in to the feeder.  I am indeed very happy!  Sometimes it doesn't take a lot, simple things and sometimes a lot of little things can make me over the top joyous!  Most of the things that made me happy today were free or very inexpensive.

Back to gardening I go (more happiness).

What makes you happy?  Simple and inexpensive!

THE BEGINNING OF "LOVE FOR ALL SEASONS"

It has been almost 10 months since I retired!  I can't believe it!  It's had it's ups and downs, but mostly up!!! I told my friend if I complained hit me hard.  A few weeks ago I had a setback, a depression moment, so I took a step backwards.  I went back to my early posts and found my list of retirement rules.  I copied it and put it on the inside cover of a spiral notebook.  Then I listed the days of the week with space to write a to do list.  It is a list of nagging projects (you know those overwhelming ones), day to day reminders, appointments, and fun!  It's freed my mind and reminds me to enjoy life.  If I work on the nagging projects first thing in the morning I feel like I've accomplished something for the day.  When I work on housekeeping a little each day it's not a chore but another accomplishment. Finally I can enjoy the rest of the day with fun time!

This blog was suppose to be a diary of my retirement and so it shall be, a gratitude journal, and a discovery tool.  It is a reminder of how good life can be.  I'm not sure who coined the phrase "What will you do with yourself?", but they have it all wrong.  Life is what you make of it!  (Yes, this is a reminder to myself!)  When I start to stress I do what I can for the situation and then I loudly proclaim "Let it go!"  This is a big step for me, I'm a worrywart.  If I really trust God like I say I do, I have to give it to Him!!!

I've had  so much fun time in the last ten months.  What matters to me are the little moments, the sunsets, sitting outside on a warm day, and cardmaking with Leon's 94 year old mom.  Earlier tonight I was watching the Hallmark Channel, drinking peach herbal tea, and knitting a cocoon for Amy.  It makes me smile and feel warm inside!

So for the rest of the night I will light a candle for Candlemas (I missed the date on the 2nd), finish my Valentines, and enjoy my simple life! This is the "Season" to enjoy my simple life inside the house.  To enjoy the winter, the cold, Candlemas, and Valentine's Day! I'd like a couple of snow days!!!

 Do you want some great ideas?  Read "Romancing the Ordinary, A Year of Simple Splendor" by Sarah Ban Breathnach.   So how about you?  What is your favorite way to enjoy a simple life in the winter?  I would love some new ideas!