welcome to my office ~ little changes

After several years of just having blinds in my office, we finally got some curtains

hung! And by "we", I mean the husband. He's such a good guy. I would have no idea

how to do something like this. I never did claim to be the DIY type.  

 Granted, the curtains are nothing fancy. Just simple sheer panels from IKEA. I 

wanted this room to stay light, so I just chose to use one panel per window and pull

it to the side. It's far from perfect and they puddle on the floor, but I like the softness

they add to the room. And, obviously I don't stage photos, otherwise that lovely fan

would not be in the photo.
 

In this view, you can see both windows.

The red chair is a great napping spot for Zippo. Our family photo (last one taken

of the four of us in July 2009 before Phil {green striped shirt} passed away just two

months later) hangs in this room, which is the perfect spot ~ as this used to be Phil's

room. In fact, in person I don't actually call this room my office. We still call it 

"Phil's room".  The beautiful quilt belonged to an elderly friend of ours. He used

to sleep under it as a child at his aunt's house.

 

Another small change...  I moved a small drop leaf table beside the red chair to hold

 my laptop and a lamp.

The other side of the room has Phil's memory shelf, a bookcase, a bulletin

board, a basket of cookbooks, and my exercise stuff. It looks too busy and

cluttered like this, so I'm working on decluttering this area.

 

 Happy Monday ~ and thanks for visiting. 

Linking up with Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday.

exercising at home

You can probably tell by the title of this post that I decided not to join a gym. I did check

out a second gym a couple of days ago. I actually signed up on a whim, but after thinking

about it, went back yesterday and cancelled my membership. (This was not a place where

you had to sign a contract.) The price was right at this place, but it was so crowded. And the

lady that was showing me around said it wasn't even their busy time - that the morning was

worse. As an introvert, I find it very unnerving to be in a small room with lots of people. 

Especially where you feel that people are looking at you. Ick. This place also didn't have

the machines I needed for shoulder strengthening - which is what I'm working on with 

having a torn rotator cuff.

It's just as easy to exercise at home - and it's free. And I can be by myself. And no one is looking me. Hooray! 

Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny day so I walked briskly down to the lake.

And then I swung on one of the swings. :-) How long has it been since you've done that?

When I got home, I did some yard work, a little yoga, and my shoulder exercises. 

 Today has been rainy, hot, and humid so no exercising outdoors for me. This is 

the view out my front door, by the way. Look at all the leaves that are already on

the ground. It makes me sad. I love summer.

I can easily exercise indoors though because I have my yoga mats, foam roller, and small 

hand weights for my shoulder exercises tucked away in a corner in my office. I do belong

to a weekly yoga class, but it's totally different from being in a gym.

 I roll out the yoga mat on the rug and do my exercises in the peace and quiet

of my own home. In fact, that's all I'm going to do for exercise today because my

lower back is a little sore. The yoga stretches always make it feel better. 

(Little side note: notice the new curtains in this room? I didn't have any up before.

I've done a few updates to this room, which I'll share later.)

On other days where the weather may not be favorable to walk or ride my

bike outdoors, I have a treadmill (the "dreadmill", as I call it) in my basement.

So: no gym needed for me after all. And no excuses not to exercise either!

Do you fit exercise into your daily routine? Do you work out in a gym or do you prefer

to exercise at home? Do you take walks or bike ride in your neighborhood? Dance?

Play tennis? Practice yoga or martial arts?

 

and then it was september

Hello, you guys! I'm finally back from my blog break. Here it is, September 1st already.

How did that happen so quickly? Those painting projects I said I was going to do - painting

furniture and my front door? Nope. Didn't happen. Instead, my month was filled with fun ~

some day trips, my birthday celebration, family and friend get-togethers, yoga classes~ and

lots of obligatory not-so-fun dates with the physical therapist. 

One thing I did take the time to do was to really take stock of my time. I've been sitting

at my desk with journals and my calendar and making goals for myself. One thing I want

 and need to focus on is exercise. My physical therapy is finally over but I need to keep up 
with the shoulder and arm strengthening so that I don't lose it. I checked out a local gym 
last week and wasn't impressed, but tomorrow I am checking out another. If I do join a gym,
 I must be 99.9% committed to going at least twice/week. Otherwise, what is the point in
 joining? I'm also starting back to a regular yoga class next week instead of staying "stuck"
 in the gentle class. The gentle class served its purpose for when I had pain and not much
 range of motion in my shoulder, but it's (thankfully) time to move on. 

 

 Maybe because it's not just the start of a new season, but a new school year too, that

makes me stop and take stock of my life and what direction it's going. I find this time of

year to be more in line with thinking about these things instead of January 1st.

  My lovely friend, Jen - from The Cottage Nest says, "I'm entering a new season, not just of 

the year, but of my life. It is one that requires peace and as few obligations as possible,

an empty calendar. Time to think. One that I hope is filled with creativity and beauty, small

moments, spontaneity and life. I have things I want to do and learn this year. I have given

myself homework." I'm working on that stuff, too. I'm an introvert, so I need a lot of alone

time. When I look at my September calendar, it is already filled with appointments and 

outings and get-togethers. I don't think I'll ever have an empty calendar. But I'm working on

making time for the things I truly want to be doing and learning new things.

As much as I hate to see summer leave, here's to the start of a new season.

taking a break

 Hello friends ~

I'm taking a little break from blogging. Nothing is wrong, no worries. I'm just a little

 overwhelmed with projects on my to-do list and it's like all of a sudden, it's already  

August (almost) and soon summer will be over. How did that happen? 

Dare I say, I've been as busy as a bee? (Groan.)

While the weather is nice, I need to take some furniture pieces outside and paint them.

I also need to sand and paint our front door - a big project. Can't get to that if I'm sitting

inside on a computer. Which I don't want to be doing in this beautiful weather anyway.

 And, since summer is so fleeting, I also want to take some quiet time out in my yard

more often. I've been saying all summer that one morning when I don't have to be anywhere,

I'm going to take my morning coffee out on the patio and simply savor the quietness.

 

I'll miss you all - but I'll be back shortly!

 

summer love ~ gardens

It's amazing how quickly gardens grow and change over the summer. I was just looking through old posts on my blog to see when was the last time I posted photos of the flowers, herbs, and vegetables around my house: it was June 6th in this post. So here it is six weeks later and wow, how things have changed! I hope you'll enjoy this updated tour.

I love when the tiger lilies finally bloom in the ditch in front of my house. This photo was actually taken at the beginning of July. The blooms are all pretty much faded already. It's the only thing I don't like about lilies - the blooms only last about three weeks.They sure are a nice "filler" plant though and don't require any maintenance. 

This Illinois native prairie plant (can't remember its name!) that I planted by my front walkway is so cool. I'm fascinated by it every spring and summer. It has long, arched green stems that start to develop bundles of flowers in a tissue paper-like sac.  

Each sac finally starts to break open, revealing clusters of flower buds.

 

And then those flowers finally burst through and explode with their beauty.

 The stepping stones leading to my patio are being overtaken by the groundcover, pachysandra. I highly recommend this groundcover for shady areas - it fills in quickly and is another no-maintenance plant. I don't think we've ever watered it in all the years its been there. It even stays green through most of the winter!

I love my little patio area but it's just a shame that we can't enjoy it more in the summer.

The mosquitoes are terrible here.

The plants in the butterfly garden are finally blooming, though the Lamb's Ear (in front) is starting to take over. Another plant that quickly takes over is Tall Garden Phlox. See the purple flowers to your right? That's Phlox overtaking the butterfly bush. I didn't even plant it there - it reseeded itself. I think I'll remove the bench in back of the garden and dig up the Phlox and plant it there. 

Here's Phlox in another spot in my backyard - where we purposely planted it. You can see it grows almost like a bush. The blooms are so pretty and make great bouquets.

 

Yellow Tickseed beside the Phlox...

 

My mom gave me this rose bush, but I admit - I know nothing about taking care of roses except that you're not supposed to get the leaves wet when watering. But I noticed the leaves are starting to get little holes in them and some white spots. Fungus? Bugs? I need to do some research - unless someone out there has any ideas.

 

 We always underestimate how much room veggie plants such as zucchini need to grow! These were just two small plants in the beginning. I harvested my first zucchini yesterday and it was part of a delicious dinner...I diced up the zucchini, chopped some fresh tomatoes, cut corn off the cob, and chopped a couple of cloves of garlic. Fried all that up in a little bit of olive oil, then added cooked whole wheat penne pasta to the veggies. I then added half package of Boursin herbed cheese and simmered until the cheese got melty...and then I poured in  some half and half to thin the sauce. To finish it off, I put in some chopped fresh basil.

My herb garden gone wild! Word to the wise: mint is best grown in containers. ;-)

 

My tomatoes are finally ripening!

 

 Now speaking of gardens...Brian and I had a chance to tour the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, IL this past weekend. Such a beautiful, peaceful place. Here's what makes a Japanese garden unique (taken from the AJG web site):

Three of the essential elements used to create a Japanese garden are stone, which form the structure of the landscape, water, representing life-giving force, and plants, which provide the color and changes throughout the seasons. Secondary elements include pagodas, stone lanterns, water basins, arbors and bridges. Japanese gardens are very carefully designed and patiently pruned according to aesthetic principals to create a work of natural art that inspires calm, renewal, discovery and an invigorated soul. Though most Japanese garden materials are not unusual, the way that all these basic elements are brought together and the emotions that they provoke is what makes a Japanese garden unique.

What's blooming lately in your own gardens or where you live?

Linking up with: Green Willow Pond: What We Accomplished Wednesday.

26

My firstborn son, Philip would've been 26 years old today. As many of you know, Phil

passed away almost five years ago at the age of 21. 

The three of us (me, Brian, and Tim) gathered for lunch and a visit to the cemetery,

where we sat in the shade and talked about memories of Phil and what he'd possibly

be doing now. Our lives will never be the same ~ our hearts will forever be torn and

scarred. But we're doing OK. The three of us are very close-knit and we also have a

lot of support from extended family and friends.

If you'd like to read more about Phil and his story, read here and here.

(Both these links have missing photos in the posts...my blog got messed up last 

year from a virus, so I apologize about that part in advance.)

 

ducks, cats, and decluttering

 A weird variety of topics, I know. 

The weather here has been unseasonably cool this week. Which is fine by me ~

it's been a nice break from the heat. Though Tuesday was too chilly. I think the 

high temp was only 60 degrees. I met a couple of friends for lunch at a restaurant

on the river. We thought we'd be enjoying a warm summer day on the patio. Ha! 

We were the only ones there. And we were wearing jackets. Crazy. 

 While we were enjoying our lunch, we had a visit from Mama Duck and her babies.

 The babies were so cute! They were still kind of fuzzy.

 Speaking of fuzzy, I haven't talked about my own fur babies, nor posted any

photos in a long time. Shame on me! Clementine loves to sit on the stack of

books on this chair in the living room. I love this shot I got of her in the sunbeam.

Clem is the kitty who showed up on my doorstep four years ago.

 The two boys - Zippo (front) and Monkey - are seen here, lounging on my bed.

Can you believe Zippo is 15 years old? He sure doesn't look like it, does he? He

is still very active, eats a healthy diet, and doesn't have any health problems. He 

does struggle a bit with climbing stairs though. Like most elderly cats, it's his back 

legs. They get arthritis. He is such a love...very snuggly. He sleeps with me every night. 

Monkey is a sweet cat, but a bit neurotic. He's afraid of strangers, every little noise, and

 doesn't like to be held. Oh - and he's Clementine's baby! When Clem showed up at our

 house, she was pregnant. She only had two babies and one was stillborn.

 

For whatever reason, Monkey loves to sleep in the wicker basket on top of the buffet.

Sometimes he puts his paws over his eyes during the day while he's sleeping.

A built-in eye mask?

 

I'm still working hard at decluttering "stuff" in the storage part of my basement!

This was all the stuff I donated the other day, including the bags you see on the floor.

 

 All that stuff took up eight paper grocery bags plus one big trash bag.

And there's still more to do! Feels so good to get rid of excess stuff.

Happy Thursday, everyone.