First, Be sure to say Happy Father’s Day to all those great dads out there!
I lost mine but think of him often. This is my favorite picture of the two of us together taken nearly five years ago. He didn’t like the silliness of those birthday photo props, but he stood there smiling for me. I miss him so much.
Cherish them while you have them!
See what I made?
Thought since I mentioned what I’d be doing yesterday at a workshop that I’d share the end result…
My first basket—and it’s far from perfect. I need to trim some things sticking out here and there, but I think it looks pretty good! Wish I’d had more colorful options, but I’m not complaining. I have a new skill.
Today, I’m re-jiggering my plans again. Have a deadline for a book looming, have several sets of edits to complete. Life never stands still. I want more crafting/art time. I really do need to make that a priority because it makes me so happy. Finding what makes you happy should be a goal—well above making money or doing what’s expected of you (within sanity, of course!). Life’s too short not to find your happy place.
We had storms last night and into the morning. Another power outage. A few downed tree branches to clear up. All the animals are well. Crazy-crazy June weather. Looking at the forecast, it’s going to finally warm up enough for frequent swimming this next week. A double-edged sword that. It’ll be as hot and muggy as an armpit, but the pool will feel like heaven.
I’d love to hear about the dads your celebrating or thinking about today. Plus, tell me about your happy places!
This morning, I’ll be sitting in a workshop with my daughter and one of my granddaughters, learning a new craft. Something I’ve never tried before. WE’VE never tried before. And I can’t tell you how excited I am. Yes, I have an art room filled with supplies for a ridiculous number of arts and crafts already, but I’m on the side of there’s never too much STUFF to learn. I’m nearing 65, and I have to fit it ALL in before I go.
So, when I post this and walk away from my desk to get ready for the fun, I have a question for you to ponder, perhaps a challenge you might accept.
Today, or this weekend, or this month, is there something NEW you want to try? A new craft? A new recipe? Shopping at a new store? Eating at restaurant you’ve never tried? A trail you’ve never hiked? Some new adventure you want to undertake—big or small? Say it here then accept the challenge of actually doing it! Life is about collecting memories and experiences, about sharing journeys. Name something you will make happen!
For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, share the challenge you will undertake! Enjoy the puzzle!
Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” ~ St. Francis of Assisi
I’m working on updating my plans today. Trying to re-jigger them to fit in everything I have to accomplish. It always looks so…possible, until real life intrudes.
After finishing my #the100dayproject (yay, me!), I feel like I can do anything once I focus. My priorities this week? I need to write some chapters! I have an editing project to wrap up. I want to complete organizing my jewelry-making station in my art room. I haven’t made jewelry in a while, in an organized fashion, because it’s such a jumbled mess, but I’m making progress. I don’t want to get mired in indecisions about where everything should go/how can I make some space/what I should de-stash, etc. Plus, I want to leave time for family fun, too.
The jewelry station feels like the most daunting thing, and it shouldn’t be, because it’s not a money-maker gig. However, I feel less stressed overall as I make improvements in that room. So, health-wise it should be a priority, right? Okay, so maybe I’m trying to justify focusing on it to the detriment of the “real work.”
I’ve accomplished a lot already. The areas underneath my worktables where I have boxes/bins stored, have all been cleaned and only “necessary” stuff was kept. I completed organizing my ink/glasswork station. What’s left? The jewelry station. The art table which has to be cleared/cleaned/and space made for painting. The rolling bins need to be cleaned out and organized, but I am trying to finish one big task per week so that by mid-summer I’ll three stations free and be able to find what I need when I start a project.
In case you don’t remember or haven’t been following this blog for a while, this is what my art room looked like shortly after my mother passed and ALL HER ART SUPPLIES were dumped in here for me to sort through. I barely had room to navigate the aisles on either side of the art table to the left here—standing sideways! It’s nothing like that now, but it helps me to remember where I started. Now, I know my goal is possible. When I finish, I’ll share pictures. It’s not anything fancy. The room itself is painted concrete block walls with 1980s industrial tiles on the floor. The furniture is a mishmash of things. But I will share. A workspace doesn’t have to be stylish to fulfill its function!
And none of that has to do with books. However, I should let you know that while I clean and de-stash, I work through story issues in my head. I have a notepad always ready for ideas. I can’t complete any editing, but I can be working on my own stories, so it’s not wasted time.
I’m rambling. And no doubt you’re bored. So, I’ll close with a contest!
Tell me about any huge organizational challenge you faced and how you overcame it for a chance to win a $5 Amazon GC!
It’s Saturday after the first full week the kids have been out of school. Not much happening for me other than swimming, editing, and cleaning. The kids and my dd have had their hands full.
If you saw the video of the ducks being released to the pond recently, that did not last long. We lost two ducks that first night, so it was back to the chicken pen for the rest. The poor things followed my SIL like he was the Pied Piper all the way back to the enclosure because they were so stressed out. So, we filled a kiddy pool for them and they’re perfectly happy. We have 4 ducks now. My daughter got the idea of adding geese to the mix because they are larger and more intimidating, and if they like the ducks, they’ll defend them. We have 3. Maybe, one day, we can try the pond again. But in the meantime, we have baby geese and they are smellier and ugly. Gah, we really do have a menagerie.
My dd put lawn chairs in the chicken pen and they sit out there in the evenings petting the fowl and watching them. I think it’s a bit weird, but then, they think my hermit-like existence when I’m in work-mode is a bit weird, too.
Yesterday, I spotted this beside the fence surrounding the pool. Ignore my weedy grass! We live in the country, and nicely manicured lawns are stupid here.
I’m not sure what kind of snake it was. The thought that a shed skin could be that big and that close to the pool was a tad disturbing. I did have a snake slip over the side of the pool once when I was swimming. I’ve never climbed out that quickly.
And the fact that those two pictures were worthy of sharing with you tells you how peaceful and uneventful it’s been. I do love my life. The past couple of days, the 14-year-old has been helping me with cleaning and organizing my art room. I have 1980s square industrial tile on the floor. It gets gross and dull. She cleaned it and waxed it yesterday for me. I like the old tile. It’s utilitarian, and it doesn’t break my heart when I drop paint on the floor that dries and is there forever. The 9-year-old’s rabbit had been outside during the nice Spring weather, but now that temperatures are approaching the 90s, he’s back in his indoor cage—on my art room floor. I bought a big rubber pad and paper puppy pads to put under it to try to save the wax. The 14-year-old has been doing a slew of special chores for me because she wants a betta fish (like my Loki) with tank, etc., so she’s been looking for little jobs to save up. She’s almost there—and then we’ll be adding to our menagerie.
Puzzle-Contest
For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, give me some suggestions about what to do with the geese and ducks. Have fun with it. Even silly ideas count!
And isn’t this painting lovely? I’ll have to try something like this. I love the texture!
Well, yesterday was a complete blast. The all-girls trek to Hot Springs to the nearest movie theater to watch The Little Mermaid was about more than seeing the movie. During the hour’s drive, we listened to Disney music. The kids knew every word of every song. And they sang the songs well! We all had our teary moments watching the movie. I cried at the end of the song where Ariel wished she could be “part of that world.” Halle was lovely and her voice divine. My dd cried at “Kiss the Girl,” I think because she was so nostalgic about the original, and they did a wonderfully fun job with the song. We love the original, but based on reviews we made the mistake of reading beforehand, we weren’t prepared to love the movie quite so much—but we did! The prince was HAWT—and not in a pretty boy way. Ursula was eeeevil. The way she climbed the walls of her cavern was creepy! After the movie, we stopped for a meal, and when we came home, we swam. Perfect, perfect day. And summer hasn’t started yet. (Today’s the last day of school!)
Change of subject. I had to share this video with you. I love anyone who can make me laugh. So, I love Jack Black. His version of “Wicked Game” is pretty good, too! Now, try to unsee this!
Argh! So far, I’ve only been in my pool maybe one handful of times. The weather here in Arkansas simply isn’t cooperating! I’m soooo frustrated. After tons of chemicals and scrubbing the sides and bottom, the water is crystal clear, but it’s too dang cold to swim comfortably.
We’ve had the pool since 2008, I think. In all these years, I’ve mustered the courage to brave a cool pool in April, knowing that by early to mid-May, it will be a comfy with the water temperature in the mid-80s. However, this year, Mother Nature is being a bitch. The outdoor temperatures here are still crazy cool for this time of year. Last night was in the upper 50s. Today’s temperature will only rise to 83.
It’s not that I have to swim in bathwater, but I’m actually allergic to the cold. The condition is called “cold urticaria.” If I’m submersed in water cooler than 80 degrees, I get welts all over my body and my skin itches like crazy. My symptoms get progressively worse the longer I’m exposed.
So, here I am. I’ll spend time today testing the water and treating it with some algaecide and looking at its crystal-clear depths. Maybe I’ll venture in for ten minutes just because I can’t stand not to (I am a water baby).
Anyway, that’s my gripe session for the day. I’ll keep busy editing some projects and cleaning up my space. I had a busy week working, and I let things pile up around me. I’ll keep busy so I’m not thinking about that lovely, ice-cold pool!
For a chance to win a $5 Amazon GC, tell me what you’ll be doing today! Enjoy the puzzle! The image makes me sad. 🙂
It’s a thing. I don’t miss my daily posts. I think I’ve only failed to do so a handful of times over the last few years. I know it’s weird, but I’m obsessive that way. Anyway, I didn’t have time to post this morning because as soon as the kids were on their way to school, I had to shower and pack up because I volunteered to sit at the Art Center all day. When I go, I spend the entire day painting. I finished a couple of things, including this water-doodle. It was a happy, stress-free day.
Do you make time for yourself, away from home and obligations, to do something that gives you joy?
