Oceans of books...

When I was a kid, living in a rural area, the books you owned were treasures. They were scarce and hard to get a hold of compared to now. There were quite a few books in our house but still it was a very limited amount compared to many households today. You could sneak some from your parents to read but they didn't have that many either and they were usually either two ways: not too entertaining or way too entertaining. Not really for you but they were stories (yeah!) and most of the time any story was better than none :)

You could go to the school library during the school year but you always had to give them back (lol) and then there were the long drawn out days of summer, dusty and dry of books. If chores were done we might get a ride or we could walk or ride our bikes to the school (3 miles one way) on the days the bookmobile came and hope you got there before all the "good ones" were gone. Even when the bookmobile came you had to carefully dole your choices out to yourself to try to make them last until the next visit and you still ran out even if you read them all again...2 weeks until the next visit LOL

I grew up reading darn near anything I could get my hands on. Somehow I imparted this love, this addiction of the printed page  on to my children and they are voracious readers as well. E-readers are nice yes but the books, all the books...oh the lovely books...our house is overflowing with books. We have boxes and boxes upon boxes of books. We need to do some purging. Reasonably. And we will still need more bookshelves LOL.

Guess what I'm doing today :)

February 2016 Reading List (so far) :

1. Country Brides

2. Junkyard Dogs

3. Hell is Empty

Happy Festivus

Yep, it’s that day...

And for you George lovers out there (bwahahaha—-you weirdos!) You’re welcome 😉 

Christmas music marathon

So I wore my fibromyalgia support bracelet for so long it wore out and broke. Does that mean I'm cured now? Hahahaha...yeah right.

Other than that today was pretty good. People have been getting really slack around here so I put the tv on the Christmas music station and told the kids it will NOT be changed until the kitchen & living room are cleaned up and the Christmas decorating is done & the tree is up. Then I just spent the day doing ME stuff. It was very enjoyable and I'm going to be doing a lot more of that :)

Guess what's still playing on the tv? Guess what's not up?

Guess who is quite OK with *that* and with Christmas music and has control of the remotes? Bwahahaha...and I will sing along if I feel like it too. No worries, no how. I've got some nice projects I plan on working on, I've got peppermint & mocha hazelnut coffee and I can do this all week

ME day

So looking back on my facebook memories it looks like yesterday's whiney rant was right on schedule, LOL.

I've needed to take a "ME" day (or several) around this time of year for the last 4 out of 5 years...hmm...something to ponder, is there a pattern in all this randomness or just a randomness that mimics a pattern? :)

*THAT* and this is evidently the week I put up the tree no matter how much earlier I planned on doing it LOL

Meanwhile, here in the present ...coffee and I have made up and we've been making up for all our time spent apart.

Ten years ago today...

Today marks a decade since my departure of the full time work force & entry into "involuntary early retirement". Am I better now than I was? Well it goes like a roller coaster, ups & downs & all around in a big circle. Some days you're the windshield & some days you're the bug & some times if you're feeling very zen you're both.

I left Even Start for the final time in October 2005. So strange. It's been a retrospective morning all the way around.

I lost everything but what really matters in those turbulent first years and looking back there weren't even a handful of days I was well enough to go to work outside my home...let alone a full work week. 10 years of being so ill that dressing let alone walking was/is a challenge some days. 10 years of pain and sickness...sounds really depressing doesn't it? Well here's the thing: it's really not. Looking back over these last years I realize I have persevered against so many things and people stacked against me it is amazing.

I have done things important both to me and my family and things that I only dreamed of before. It hasn't been easy and at times it's been downright horrible and facedown on the pavement depressing but in the end I am still breathing and still trying and still fighting and I still know what is most important and can still enjoy life and some people never know how blessed they truly are. I do.

Wednesday couch surfing update

Well this week and the weather have combined to kick me straight to the couch, no passing go, no collecting $200 bucks and no get outta jail free cards to be had. Just lots of little naps and swollen joints and blechhhhh...

Even the good life events produce stress and combined with cruddy weather it's enough to throw me for a bit of a loop but everything is on track so it's all gooooood :)

On the bright side of this supergrey day: chili in the crock pot (planning ahead pays off yet again) bubbling away, fuzzy slippers & PJs and warm drinks and kids who will willingly bring me them AND come get the remote for me if I drop it. I just have to remember to put it down BEFORE I doze off. LOL.

Happy Wednesday, hope you all are having nice peaceful evenings

Question of the Week #68

I was stuck on the couch for a good part of this weekend so I made the most of it and played with some beading and paper projects while binge-watching The Tudors, Once Upon A Time and Game of Thrones. Mmmmm...love looking at the jewelry and clothes on The Tudors, lol.

Do you sometimes watch TV while crafting or making art?

Which TV shows, networks, or channels (even Youtube channels) entertain you
with creativity?


Looking forward to hearing your answers!

Please remember to submit your suggestions and questions to: spdychevy@gmail.com with Question in the subject line and we'll get your question up here soon!

Happy Monday to all :)

Short and sweet link to the PCASG Blog

Just another day in the trenches...

It's Monday and since "planning day" is traditionally Sunday and I didn't do it, I'm technically starting out already late this week. I didn't feel up to it yesterday----this heat wave is sucking the life out of me on these dead air afternoons so I moved "planning day" back until Monday morning, along with "Question of the Week" (which I did get posted in plenty of time).

Well it's early afternoon and I still haven't even started planning and the heat has descended with a vengeance. I'm not going to stress over it. My huge list of self-imposed tasks can wait while I enjoy life. Today.

Today I realized we are on the back end of Summer. Summer is almost over and there is so much I haven't done because of so much I haven't gotten done. I haven't sat around and enjoyed the sun, the weather, the smell of Summer, the beads of condensation on the glass of iced tea and the purely frivolous reading material... the enjoyment of the season has been put on hold by me because I haven't done so many things that all need to be done before the rain and cold seasons return. All work work work...but no play until done...wait, I can't do that. I can't be that way anymore because I'll never be done which means I will never play again...unless I change how I look at it all.

So this is what I decided to do today. I'm taking my planning notebook outside and setting it within easy reach and I'm going to do some things I want to do so I can have some fun. I want to eat dinner outside at my table like we usually do when the weather is nice but like we haven't been able to because of twenty million other things I have to do before the table can be moved to its "Summer" spot. I'm just going to do it. I'm going to enjoy my gardening efforts--- the tomatoes are just amazing and the peppers are going great guns too :) I'm excited to see the final color of the Cherokee Purples:

while I'm currently enjoying the huge flavor bursts of the tiny but oh so mighty tasty Early Girls:

and I can't wait to see how big the German Striped Tomatoes are going to get. Plus the basil, the lavender and all the other herbs that combine into this aromatic mishmash hodgepodge of an olfactory wonderland when I'm out there weeding, gathering and watering...sigh.... you know what...

I'm not waiting anymore. This post can be done and other stuff can wait...I'm going outside...see ya later! Happy (late) Monday!

Playing around when I've been stuck on the couch lately

 I lose hours sometimes when I'm just playing like this :) I've had a little Halloween fun on the brain recently:

Spider King pendant

I normally don't like spiders but I wanted to see if a could make a "cute" one...one that would be an adorable focal on a necklace. I love this little guy :)

Orange and Black Halloween pendant

Black floral wire (wiped a myriad of times to remove the excess powder from the paint) and some orphan beads. I think I am going to make an orphan bead and black wire chain for this pendant, I really like the way it turned out.

Thank God for Netflix (been watching all kinds of documentaries) and wire, pliers & beads!!!

Happy Wednesday :)

Saturday in pictures...

Olympic Mountains, up one side and down the other through the Olympic National Forest looking for prospective camp sites for an upcoming group camp event. The snow is mostly gone and Spring is in full throttle on the ridges and in the valleys. Oh the scenery was amazing :) I took some pics but I didn't get any of the really good stuff, I forgot at times I had my camera I was enjoying looking everywhere so much.

Up the Wynoochee Vally past the dam headed towards the falls

Just one of the many small waterfalls along the road headed back toward Wynoochee Lake & then over towards Satsop Center

Old rail road trestle up past Satsop Center towards Satsop Lakes

It's off in the weeds on the road up towards Satsop Lakes, there is a little road going to camp site by a creek that runs parallel to it. 

We tried tracing it from the larger road but they've cut through the grade so just these remnants. 

Sometimes we go out there to muck around in the woods & look and see if there is another side across the creek. No luck yet, lol

Headed back towards Satsop Center then off towards Spoon Creek Falls & further on towards Spider Lake

The lake is surrounded by tall evergreens in a valley and you can see glimpses of it, peering through the trees and brush, high up on the road but have to walk a steep trail on one end to access it. Pictures of the actual lake next time, I promise, lol

Govey was one of Dad's old work stops, we passed the site of Camp Grisdale going up the Wynoochee side of course but no pics of Grisdale this time.

site of Camp Govey, I'm standing on pavement in all the following pictures.

Still standing on overgrown pavement

still on pavement, looking at a big concrete rectangle

Love the re-bar up against the little sideways growing apple tree... can you see what is left of the paved road I am standing on to the right?

So weird to stand here and try to remember where everything used to be.

Headed down past Govey towards the Skokomish Valley

Almost down into the Skokomish Valley and then heading for food & then home :)

Just a frond off of one of the hugest bunches of ferns I've seen in years. This wasn't even the largest frond! 

Awesome back roads trip and awesome day.

Happy Saturday :)

Bring On The Wonder

I'm definitely due.

Bring on the Wonder for sure...

This song just soothes my soul and that is exactly what I needed a huge dose of after yesterday and my whole feeling like kicked puppy episode. Thank you Susan Enan and Sarah McLachlan for the beautiful song and Bones for using it on one of their episodes because I never would have known about it otherwise.

I started this post early this morning but I put it off because I was still busy thinking about the events from the past few days. I finally got back on my feet and got some things done that have been put off for such a long while and I started feeling really good which is such a joyful experience when it happens.

Then yesterday wasn't such a good day. It started out great, I felt great, low low pain and "gung-ho" to get going on my lists. It was such a good feeling but then it tipped and I ended up on the couch, thwarted by exhaustion again. It was beautiful out too so feeling like a dull lump slumped in front of the tv was a double bummer for me. I love being outside and hate when the weather is awesome but I'm not out enjoying it. Stress can knock me over quicker than anything and that is what happened and I ended up glued in one spot, physically rooted with my mind going 1000 miles a minute, trying to figure out a solution to all the major problems that popped up within the short space of three hours.

I've gotten most of the issues resolved, the rest will take time but will work themselves out as well, it's just the stress of having everything thrown at me all (it seems like) at once. But, it's a little better now and I had a pretty restful night as well even though I did get up a little before 3 a.m.

Today the rain is back which means no outside for me, no getting dressed (pj day yet again) and naps upon naps. Sounds not so bad right? Nap whether I want to or not. Not so fun.

So, determined to "choose my attitude" we made it a Bones marathon day and I worked (in between naps) on some of my journaling goals and soothing my "crumpled feels" as my kids like to say. I don't have my feelings hurt very often but when it does happen, sometimes it's a complete crusher for me. And that was a big part of yesterday so today was my "re-coop".

Happily I can say not a wasted day :)

Mission Accomplished.

So, now...

Bring on the Wonder
Bring on the Song...

July Reading List 2013 (so far)

1. A Dance With Dragons

2. Tale of the Body Thief

3. Scent To Her Grave

4. Secrets of Successful Time Management 

Update of sorts...

So, I haven't been on here in well, seems like forever except for the book list update.

I've been having a lot of pain issues (still am) with our wacky weather. It was great (got up to 80 degrees one day) and then not so great (had to turn the heaters on again, so cold & rainy/wet). Which means my joints swell among other painful things. I don't want this blog to be a constant litany of my various aches and pains when I do finally get on here but I feel like I need to point out why I am inconsistent about posting. I need to post more, I know this. I need to get on here even when sitting up is the last thing I want to do, I know this too. This is one of my forms of therapy and is a pain reliever in a sense and I need to remember this and utilize this tool for my continued well being.

OK. Working on it.

So...had a great time at the big family party at the beach. Didn't really move for 2 days after that but I would do it again in a heartbeat.

It. Was. Awesome.

There were no sly catty remarks or the wariness and worrying about inadvertently pissing someone off with a casual remark, or what I wore or didn't wear or GodForbid some "look" upon my was that is misinterpreted ---that atmosphere so usually experienced at a family gathering at my mother's, the "heavy" tense stressful worry...was not...there... I was not treated as the red headed stepchild, I was treated as a valued family member that people wanted to talk to and spend time with. It's good to feel wanted in the midst of your family. I know the unacceptable and unwanted sticking out like a sore thumb thing real well. It was peaceful, even in the midst of chaos. It was fun and there was lots and lots of good laughter and enjoyment of small manic and maniac children and good conversation. It was what I always think a family gathering should feel like. It was all of us EXCEPT  my sister and (of course) my mother. and it was very good and no negatives during a long enjoyable day :)

IT WAS AWESOME!

I enjoyed it so much I smiled non-stop for the next two days, even when I couldn't get out bed for a bit. It was soooo wonderful, and it's been so long since we all had a great family day :)

What else? Oh! I got my raised beds put in on Wednesday and on THIS Wednesday I can start planting in them. YAY!!! (They went in on Wednesday and I was down almost 2 days from that.) Saturday I got the (finally) TV moved to the media room and off my couch so the couch could be moved enough so I could put up my desk. I miss the desk in the studio...almost there AGAIN, lol. SOON.

This morning I had to turn the heater on while drinking my coffee (the joints swell and what can you do really) so it's been an ok morning, there have been many worse so OK is OK :)

Already got laundry done, water heated, made up a gallon of coffee creamer (recipe here-coming soon), working on second cup of coffee, got dressed, dried a load of laundry, talked to both my mother and father (via phone, in person would still be talking to one or the other....STILL, so, thank you very much verizon...or as we used to say in the "old" days: Thank you very much Ma Bell, lol.) Got the worm medication out for the dogs (*that* will be happening later today), two recipes written up and scheduled and half my medication taken...not doing too shabby except I'm due for a rest NOW so *that's* what I'm gonna go do now.

Later (today, lol)...