peaceful sunday

Hello and happy Sunday! If there's one positive thing I can say about early morning, it's that the sunrises through the bare tree branches are spectacular. They only last a few minutes, but at least it brings a smile to my face first thing in the morning as I raise the blinds and greet a new day.

I'm purposely having a peaceful day today, as this weekend was actually a little busy with errands, visiting with a friend (one in my COVID bubble), cooking and housework. And my next couple of days are busy with contractors coming to give estimates and taking Clem to the vet. (More on that later.) It was nice to enjoy a leisurely breakfast with the Sunday paper. I normally drink jasmine green tea in the morning, but once a week of so, I enjoy a cup of coffee. My tummy can't handle coffee every day anymore. Breakfast today was my usual: overnight oats with fresh fruit, toasted walnuts and pecans, raw pumpkin seeds, a little flax meal and hemp hearts, a smidgen of pure maple syrup, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. 

Yoga is part of my everyday routine, even if I only have time to just do a few stretches and poses. Otherwise, I enjoy doing Yoga with Adriene. She has so many choices, including gentle ones. I bring the video up on my phone and cast to the TV in the living room. Monkey loves when I do yoga, for whatever reason. See him waiting for me? He walks all around me, purring, rubbing up against me and sometimes even trying to climb on my body. Clementine's in one of her usual spots - lying on the heater vent under the table. Poor baby is always cold in the winter. I just ordered her a heated cat bed from Amazon.

A short journaling prompt for the day...it's called 12-6-3-1 and was designed by my First Best Friend, Cin, who is a poet. Sit in a quiet place and take a few deep breaths. Maybe light a candle. Just let your mind and body relax. Write down 12 words that come to you. They can be any kind of words...how you feel, what you see out the window, what is on your mind. You don't want to overthink this. When you have your 12 words, look them over and then whittle the list down to six of those words - whichever words jump out at you. Keep them in the order which you first wrote them. From the six words, choose three words that resonate with you. Again, in order which they were written. From those three words...choose one. What's behind that final word for the day?

I am still in love with this writer's medic bag from Galen Leather that Brian gave me for Christmas. The leather is so soft and buttery and gently worn, and the case unfolds to hold notebooks and journals and pens and all kinds of other materials a writer might need.

Even though it's a peaceful, relaxing day, general house upkeep has to be done. Seems like the laundry is never-ending around here, even with just the two of us. Brian produces a lot of laundry between his workout clothes, work uniforms, and everyday wear. This is just two days worth of laundry for us.

Clementine found her afternoon napping spot on top of some warm-from-the-dryer laundry. Speaking of her previously and taking her to the vet...I've mentioned in earlier posts that she has kidney disease. It's quite common in cats, especially as they get older. She is young to have it though. She was diagnosed over two years ago when she was 9-10 years old. Her illness has progressed to where she now goes to the vet twice/week for subcutaneous fluids. At her last visit, the vet detected what he called a "significant" heart murmur. She's having a chest x-ray tomorrow after her fluids. She also had blood tests done last week to check on the progression of her kidney disease. I have a feeling the news all around isn't going to be good. Fortunately, she doesn't act sick at all yet. She's still very spunky and playful as usual, eats all her food, and uses the litter box. Of course, if things change and she starts showing any signs of distress and/or suffering, we know we have to do the right thing and give her a compassionate end to her life. In the meantime, it breaks my heart to think about it and I am relishing every moment spent with her. When she cuddles in my lap and purrs, I let her stay there for as long as she wants.

Monkey has found his afternoon nap spot, too.

And so have I. The winds are howling, the sky is gray; the guest bed, a warm blanket, and a good book (Hamnet) beckons.

I hope that you're having a peaceful, relaxing Sunday, as well.
💓

for today ~ november edition

I haven't done this series in a long time, so thought I'd give it a try again. I hope you enjoy this...and perhaps you'd like to join in if you have a blog.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window ~

It's dark, gray, cold and gloomy. That's how November tends to roll around here. Add in the time change where it now gets dark at 4:30 and you have a nice recipe for Seasonal Affective Disorder. This photo was taken yesterday out my living room window when we actually had a rare day with a little bit of sun.

I am thinking ~

That I need to buy one of those light therapy lamps for SAD. On my to-do list!

I am thankful ~

for my yoga community. Not only do we have an amazing yoga teacher, but the people in this class (mostly women; two men) are down-to-earth, friendly, supportive, and humorous. We all talk before and after class, sometimes go out for coffee after class, and join together in community events.

One of my favorite things ~

I found this gorgeous, full-size, vintage quilt (at a bargain price!) this past weekend while treasure-hunting with a friend. I'm not going to be using it in our bedroom as shown in the photo, as it doesn't "go" in this room. Where I'm currently using it is coming up.

I am creating ~

Soup! It's a staple in our house all through fall and winter. Leek and Potato is a favorite and is sooo easy to make. It's incredible how something with just a few ingredients can taste absolutely delicious. Magic and nourishment before your eyes.

LEEK & POTATO SOUP

3 T. olive oil

3 large leeks, white & pale green parts only, halved lengthwise & thinly sliced

2 large organic Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled & diced

4-1/2 c. chicken or vegetable broth (if you're using veggie broth, be sure it doesn't contain

tomatoes, as it makes the soup look & taste weird)

2 T. chopped fresh chives, for topping

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leeks; stir to coat with oil. Cover pot; cook until leeks are tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes. Cover and cook until potatoes begin to soften, but do not brown, stirring often, about 10 min. Add broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until veggie are tender, about 30 minutes. Puree soup with a hand blender or in a regular blender until smooth. Thin with additional broth if soup is too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Optional: can stir in a little bit of cream. Garnish with chives and serve.

I am wearing ~

black leggings, turquoise and white striped shirt, gray vest.

I am reading ~

I just finished Olive Kitteridge and give it five stars. One of the best books I've read this year! It's hard to get into at first, and I wasn't sure where the story was going, but then it all came together and I couldn't put the book down. I feel like I personally know Olive (the sign of a great writer when the characters seem real!) and I want to know what's in store for her next. I'm so glad the author, Elizabeth Strout, just published the follow-up book, Olive, Again which I'll be starting tonight.

I am watching ~

The Amazon series, Modern Love. 

I am hoping ~

That my son's chronic tinnitus gets better. Anyone that has experience with this miserable condition have any suggestions that have worked for them? 

I am learning ~

That our problems are not unique. Sometimes when you're in the middle of something, you feel like you're the only one. But the more you talk to other people, the more you find that others are going through ~ or have gone through ~ the same things. It's all about connection and support.

In my kitchen ~

Like I mentioned before, there's been a lot of soup making going on around here! Yesterday, I made a pot of Minestrone. Tonight, I'm making my famous chili recipe.

Shared quote ~

A moment from my day ~

This room used to be Tim's bedroom. I'm slowly transforming it into an office for Brian. I love the way the sunlight was streaming in the window yesterday morning. (OK, so I'm a day off on this prompt.) That's mine and Brian's baby pictures on the wall. Phil and Tim's baby pictures are on the other side of the curtain. The "new" quilt is on the chair.

Post Script (add a favorite link that you would like to pass along. It can be someone else's website, etsy shop, Instagram feed, Facebook link, OR it can be your own) ~

If you've ever considered starting an art or junk journal, check out Art Journalist. Full of how-to's, free printables, painting and journaling tips, and all sorts of other helpful and creative tidbits.

If you would like to create your own daybook, check here for the guidelines and list of prompts.

Be well, be happy, be peaceful.

xoxo

for today ~ june edition

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window ~

I have a beautiful view of clematis out my bedroom window.

I am thinking ~

about Anthony Bourdain, Kate Spade, Chester Bennington ~ and several people I personally knew who took their own lives. Depression is a horrible mental and systemic disease. PLEASE - if you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) or go to Speaking of Suicide - Resources for more resources.

I am thankful ~

for my yoga instructor and the class itself. After my meniscus surgery last year, I couldn't fully do yoga for a long time because of the limitations on my knee. Once my knee healed, I started going to a class in a wellness center right up the road from my house. But the instructor was just not a good fit for me. So, a couple of months ago, I tried a couple of classes at a yoga studio in a neighboring town. I loved the instructor and the vibe of the studio, so I bought a 10-class package so that I would stay committed. I go every Wednesday morning and I am hooked! I look so forward to this class every week. It's a gentle class with a lot of stretching and strengthening exercises. The instructor is friendly, compassionate, professional, knows how to teach and accommodate those poses where one might need a block or strap, has that beautiful, mellow "yoga voice", and incorporates different breathing techniques and some meditation into the class, too. In just four weeks, my chronic lower back pain is so much better.

One of my favorite things ~

fresh flowers to grace the kitchen table.

I am creating ~

pretty garden spaces.

I am wearing ~

a lime green (but not bright) cotton top and Levis capris.

I am reading ~

I'm a big fan of Ruth Reichl, the food writer. Two of her novels, Tender at the Bone and Comfort Me With Apples, were two of my favorite reads. Garlic and Sapphires is a little disappointing. I get that she uses disguises to get herself into restaurants so that no one recognizes her, but you can only read so much about this until it gets boring. She gives little hints about her husband and son that make the reader want more of that personal touch.

I'm also a huge fan of Susan Branch ~ her writings and illustrations are cheerful, homey, and comforting. Martha's Vineyard - Isle of Dreams is an illustrated memoir. It's actually part of a trilogy, with The Fairy Tale Girl being the first book, this one - Martha's Vineyard being the second, and A Fine Romance: Falling in Love with the English Countryside being the third. However, they don't have to be read in order - or even as a trilogy. I read A Fine Romance last year. I just happened to come across Martha's Vineyard in my library. I'll be starting this book as soon as I'm done with Ruth Reichl's book.

From amazon:

  I"n the winter of 1982, long before she became the watercolor artist and author we know today, Susan Branch, 34-years-old and heartbroken from the sudden and unexpected end of her marriage in California, "ran away from home" to the Island of Martha's Vineyard hoping to gain perspective.

    

      Based on the diaries she has kept all her life, Susan Branch relates her inspirational tale of lost love and self discovery, her search for roots, purpose, and destiny with laugh-out-loud honesty. A road map for overcoming loss, following your heart, and making dreams come true, charmingly hand-lettered and watercolored in Susan's inimitable style, there are diary excerpts, recipes, and hundreds of photographs."

I am listening to ~

Coming Home by Leon Bridges

I am hoping ~

for a lot of things...that Brian's leg injury heals in good time with PT; for the roofing fix to go smoothly (still waiting on two more bids); for my father-in-law to receive good care in the nursing home he was placed in; for my friend's healing from breast cancer surgery. And on and on...

In my kitchen ~

garlic naan bread pizzas with fresh mozzarella last night for dinner; chicken fajitas with homemade guacamole for tonight's dinner; gluten-free pasta salad with tons of cut up veggies and diced, cooked chicken kept in the fridge for lunches. This weekend I'm making a favorite vegetarian dish - Golden Red Lentil Dal with Cilantro Rice.

Post Script ~
(Add a favorite link that you would like to pass along. It can be someone else's website, etsy shop, Instagram feed, Facebook link, OR it can be your own.)

My new go-to potato salad that I actually like even better than traditional mayo-laden potato salad. I first had this potato salad at my aunt's house and knew it had to be in my repertoire. Just make sure whenever you buy potatoes, to buy organic. Conventional potatoes are sprayed with 37 different pesticides (see here for a good article on this subject - you can find out much more by a simple Google search). Needless to say, potatoes are also on the Dirty Dozen Produce List.

Shared quote ~

"We have a hunger of the mind which asks for knowledge of all around us, and the more we gain, the more is our desire; the more we see, the more are we capable of seeing.
(Maria Mitchell - 1878)

A moment from my day ~

making guacamole.

If you're interested in doing a post for The Simple Woman's Daybook, see the guidelines here.

a gentler way to start your day

I haven't posted since last week because I've had a lot on my mind. Between my own busyness and happenings and then all the tragedy going on in the world at once ~ Hurricane Harvey, the earthquake in Mexico, and now Hurricane Irma ~ I've felt unsettled. As an introvert and someone who also has anxiety, I tend to ruminate and over-think things. So when I'm feeling like the world is simply too much, I purposely try and create more calmness and peace in my life.

 During this time I was scrolling through Instagram and Jennifer at The Cottage Nest wrote that she was making time to start her day off on a positive, technology free note. She said, "there's stretching, gratitude journaling, encouraging reading and aromatherapy all before I even roll out of bed - a much gentler way to begin my days."

Interestingly enough, I had been thinking along the same lines for awhile now - but not taking action. Seeing Jennifer's post gave me the little push that I needed. While I do have to get out of bed right away when I wake up as I'm the one who feeds the cats, I've first been taking a minute to at least stretch my body before I start opening the blinds around the house and heading to the kitchen.

My morning routine after feeding the cats and making coffee was that I opened the front door to let the sun in (a good thing!), but then opened my laptop and read my email and looked through social media. (By the way, that's a cat toy in the sunbeam, not a dead mouse. 😉)

The past few days instead of turning on my laptop, I've been reading something light and positive. Whether you choose to read poetry, an uplifting book, your Bible, etc., it sure beats starting out your day being bombarded by email and social media. Sometimes I light a grapefruit-scented candle that I have on my coffee table.

I then roll out my yoga mat in the sunbeam (the cats get miffed - they love the morning sunbeam, too!) and do gentle stretches for my back and knee and a few rounds of sun salutations. 

Of course, I'm not able to do this slow, gentle routine every morning. Sometimes there's appointments where I need to rush and get out the door. Maybe you work outside the home and are also rushed with your morning routine. However, anyone (even me - who hates getting up any earlier than I have to) can get up just a mere five minutes earlier and at least stretch a little and then maybe sit and be still and set some positive affirmations for the day.

I have found that this slower paced, gentle way of starting the day has already made a difference in my mood and starts my day off on a positive note. 

 

Once you've gently started your day and are ready for breakfast, it's important to fuel your body with something healthy. Your body has fasted 10-12+ hours, so breakfast is a must. Most mornings, my breakfast is a nutritious smoothie, which only takes a couple of minutes to make. Simply layer in the blender: water or milk (I use Silk Almond-Coconut milk), frozen fruit (I like a berry blend), a banana (or 1/2 avocado), a few fresh strawberries or small handful of blueberries or raspberries, a sprinkling of turmeric, 1 T. of hemp hearts, a big spoon of plain Greek yogurt (don't use the flavored yogurts which are loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners), and a big handful of baby spinach. Use organic ingredients with the fruits, veggies and cow's milk, if that's what you're using for liquid.

Drink up! 

I'd love to hear your thoughts...

How do you start your day? 

Do you need to be kinder and gentler with yourself? 

What ideas would work for you?

peaceful diversions

Taking the time to notice how the soft sunlight filters through the trees this time of year.

Serene walks in the State Park.

A pretty, sunny room in which to practice yoga.

A good book to escape into. (Loving this one!)

Creating a new vignette on the buffet.

Zippo. Clementine. Monkey. My fur babies.

Please share some of the things that you bring you peace and calmness.

sunlight streams in

 My view out the front door this morning...the sky finally had some blue to it (instead of all gray) and the sun was trying to break up the clouds.

And it was warm! Well, for this time of year in a northern climate, anyway. It got up to 50 degrees F -  twenty degrees higher than normal. Brian and I enjoyed a walk around the neighborhood wearing hoodies instead of heavy winter coats, hats and gloves. I kept the kitchen window open most of the day. Felt so good to have fresh air in the house once again.

I love the way the late fall and winter sun streams into the room that used to be my son, Phil's room - which is now my girly room. I was thinking today how I'd like to replace that red chair with either a daybed or love seat, but that would require more rearranging. I'd have to find another place for the butler's table - and space is limited in my small house. You see, the red chair looks cozy and comfortable, but it's not. It's too worn and squishy. It feels okay at first, but then you realize your back hurts because there's no support. So we never sit in here. It's a good spot for the cats to nap though. They don't mind squishy. ;-)

I keep most of my cookbooks in here, novels, journals, art and scrapbooking supplies, yoga materials, plants, a bulletin board and personal tchotchkes. I honestly don't spend a lot of time in here. I do yoga in here and sometimes paperwork or light crafting at the desk, but that's about it. Oh - Brian hung the bird picture above the red chair for me today. I found it at an antique shop for just $6 a couple of months ago. I had some other stuff on that wall that I ended up taking down, so I had to patch up nail holes and touch-up paint in areas. I forgot to take a close-up photo of the bird picture today while I was photographing the room, so I'll have to show it to you in a future post.

Going around the room...

On this side, here's our family photo (taken on Phil's 21st birthday, two months before he passed away), Phil's memory shelf, plants, bookcase and yoga mats.

To the right is the closet. I took the doors off so that I can keep my stacking bins of scrapbooking and art materials in there and have easy access to them. It's also the closet where I keep all of my hoodies and cardigans. This house doesn't have any walk-in closets; just small standard-sized closets. With Brian and I sharing the master bedroom closet, I get this extra closet for some of my clothes and Brian uses the closet in Tim's room/the guest for his overflow.

Wishing you unexpected sunshine...have a happy weekend!