April 2016 Reading List (so far...)

1. Wait For Signs

2. Daughter of Time

3. Wrecked

Good News

Doc appointment today and he cleared me to start training for a overnight hike I want to do this summer. Yes I know with all the crap I am up and down with that it might sound like I've lost my mind but frankly, I'm not getting any younger and I've been frustrated with the way my diabetes meds have been working/notworking and this is also a chance to tackle these issues that have been seesawing my blood sugars anytime I try to up my activity levels when I am able to move around.
Along with upping my daily blood sugar checks he will be monitoring my A1-C's monthly and adjusting diabetes meds levels as needed. He said today that if I didn't have Fibro/CFS that I wouldn't have to take ANY diabetes meds until I was quite a bit older.
So...I am pretty excited about this (I'm sure I'll feel different once I'm in the middle of it LOL), it's going to be really hard but I'm looking forward to it too.

Coastal hike, starting out at Rialto Beach /Ozette Loop

I wanted to take my kids along this trail to Hole In The Wall when they were little but I had to wait they were old enough. By the time they could go, I couldn't...and now they're all grown up but still game for going so I'm stoked. Good Lord I miss being outside!

I already know this will be a MINIMUM six mile hike for me...you have to hike at least 3 miles in before you can set up camp for the night so at the very least... LOL It's not the first day that is the real test, it's the day after and the day after that. To be pill free again, that would just be a great bonus

Here's a closer pic of Hole in the Wall---you see that dark spot to the left of the opening? That's a person standing there. The opening is huge! :

OK, off to pretend to be productive, I'm just happy things finally feel like they might be moving forward for a change :)

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

Like a fine wine...some things age beautifully...

Feeling old? It's the 38th anniversary (almost to the day) of the release of Bat Out Of Hell by Meatloaf. Now how ya feeling? Ah...just put this album on and rock out. Happy Happy :) 3 (almost 4!!!) decades and still going strong:

Bat Out Of Hell (full album playlist link)

Positive changes... (another update on the fly)

Quick update here: we put the money on the house today :) The power is in our name.

We were supposed to get the keys but the people putting the blinds in aren't done so we will get them and be moving in on Sunday :)

Busy busy busy.

Happy Happy Happy :)

Hectic but happy. OK...gotta go pack some more! (yay!)

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 :)

Question of the Week #55

Keeping it short and sweet this week:

OK...Who is working on the Creative Group Challenge and what are you making? Remember, the (soft due date) tentative deadline is August first :)


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 Facebook Group

Short and sweet link to the PCASG Blog

Hope everyone had (or is still having) an awesome Independence Day!

 I loved spending the day with the bunch, love my nieces and nephews, it was so great :)


Here is a wonderful fireworks show from a different perspective. It's so beautiful, definitely worth the watch: Fireworks filmed from the inside via drone (click on the link, it's awesome!)

and winding down our wonderful Independence Day but not the end of our 4th of July weekend, I leave you with one of my favorite songs this time of year: Mother Freedom by Bread. Give it a chance, you might like it LOL.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

Update of sorts

Been trying to get motivated and get off the couch but between the loperamide making me sleepy and the chronic fatigue coupled with my recent foot injury making me tired as well, I've not achieved much of anything except binge watching Hart of Dixie on Netflix to avoid binging on Orange is the New Black all at once. I waited so long for season two of ONB I'm trying to string it out and enjoy it as long as possible :)

The weather has been pretty nice lately and it hasn't rained but it hasn't warmed up either. All in all it's been a pretty chilly June.

I've gotten some little stuff done here and there but most of this week I've been napping or on the couch. It's hard not to get down when I'm physically unable to do the things I need or the do the activities I want. So far I've been keeping those bummed feelings about what I haven't gotten done at bay by remembering all the stuff I have gotten done.

I won't go into the list here but I accomplished some major monthly chores for the household and did some work on several projects I've been wanting to play with for ages :) Just the enjoyment of getting to work on little things here and there helps counteract the "blahs" when I'm feeling like a definite underachiever.

One of my biggest disappointments has been wanting to write more posts here on the blog and not having done it for so many different reasons: too tired, too uncomfortable, to yukky too...all just a bunch of excuses because I really haven't been ready to face how horrible I was feeling. Now that I am feeling a little better I can admit how horrible I actually was feeling. Does that make any sense?

I just find it hard to write about anything when I feel like I haven't done anything lately but loll on the couch. BUT as I said, that's not true, I've done some stuff, really, lol. And in theory I have many things to write about but this feeling of being unproductive by feeling shackled to the couch is overwhelming at times and presents a huge mental hurdle in addition to the obvious physical obstacles I'm trying to overcome. Sometimes it's the only thing I can think about....or expend energy avoiding thinking about.

This "choosing your attitude" is some pretty hard work but it does work :)

Of course, now all I'm thinking about is the nap I'm feeling coming up. So, off to do that with no guilt, I earned it :)

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 :)

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)...