Living Life Beautifully

Three days in bed sick..... I can almost clock it every year. The first day of the first cool front.  BAM!!!  I'm sick. My body goes into full on flu ish mode. The other thing I do every single year....go outside and work in the garden as soon as I feel a little better.  Stupid....  I know. Tonight my youngest has a band performance for the parents and anyone else who wants to see it before it goes to contest.  PRAYING!!!....that I will feel good and get to go.  I love getting to see the show. My garden is still producing.  I'm not sure why.  I have a bunch of these little stinkbugs invading my cherry tomatoes and green beans.  But they are determined little plants.  I don't just plow up all my plants at the end of summer like so many people do.  I know it's probably best, but I like to learn, so I just go with the flow and study everything.  I was blessed with a handful of tiny perfect cherry tomatoes this morning, alon...

It has finally cooled down....and my allergies are kicking my bootie.  :( All I want to do today is crawl in bed and watch parenthood on Netflix. Oh Please!!!! We went to dinner with three of our 4 boys last night.  Gosh I love my family.  I miss Mr T. We spend the entire time talking and laughing.  Alex even said something really funny and shocked us all.  Some days I miss having them all under one roof.  But we didn't laugh as much then because it felt more like a hormone, drama, soup of teenagers. I love how smart everyone is about what they love.  When they love it they go all out too get all the information they can.  I love that they are so different and yet have so much in common that they spend time with each other.  I've always wanted a close family.  God is good. We had rain the past few days.  So...that means we had the roof leaking all over the house.  Oh the joy of a leaky tin roof.  It's a trade off for how...

I'm sitting here watching out the window as my husband and one of this life long friends are telling stories and laughing as they hook up a trailer.  I love seeing him with his buddies.  I'm so happy that he has them.  I guess most of us have a group of people or even just one person who is kinda like an anchor that is there to make us laugh and knows our story.  It's been a rough weekend.  This heat is getting to me.  Bruce and I went out on the back deck yesterday to feed the neighbors chickens who visit every day.  We were only out there for about 5 minutes or so and by the time we came in, I was short of breath and soaking from sweat.  He was cool as a cucumber.  It took me a while to feel better.  Our youngest was in the parade and at the fair, so we went to see him and I felt horrible by the time I got home.  The heat and humidity makes it hard for me to breathe.  I had to sleep for over and hour and eat half a wa...

I'm sitting here watching out the window as my husband and one of this life long friends are telling stories and laughing as they hook up a trailer.  I love seeing him with his buddies.  I'm so happy that he has them.  I guess most of us have a group of people or even just one person who is kinda like an anchor that is there to make us laugh and knows our story.  It's been a rough weekend.  This heat is getting to me.  Bruce and I went out on the back deck yesterday to feed the neighbors chickens who visit every day.  We were only out there for about 5 minutes or so and by the time we came in, I was short of breath and soaking from sweat.  He was cool as a cucumber.  It took me a while to feel better.  Our youngest was in the parade and at the fair, so we went to see him and I felt horrible by the time I got home.  The heat and humidity makes it hard for me to breathe.  I had to sleep for over and hour and eat half a wate...

Good morning! It's Thursday, a game night, and fair week.  The parade is tomorrow and it's still hot outside. I'm going to melt. I have SO many things I'd like to do today. The house is a mess with things that need to be put away. I have laundry that I'd like to do.  I should pull the couch cover off and wash it since Brink keeps slinking along it so it's probably covered in his hair. I have two large piles of mending that I need to go through.  And three large piles of clothes in my closet that I need to go through. I would also like to sew the doll bodies I have cut out and work on making some cool pieces of clothing out of clothing that is outdated.  Upcycling!!!  Yesterday I went thrift store shopping instead of staying home and doing chores.  I had so much fun. I haven't done that in so long.  I end up spending money and bringing home so much stuff that I don't need.  I bought over $300 worth of clothes for $20 at the hospice thrift s...

Good morning! It's another beautiful morning but a bit warm.  Gosh I can't wait for those cool mornings.  I can almost taste it.  The neighbors chickens have already come by for their treat.  We finally figured out who they belong to.  I think we will eventually get chickens.  I've been on the fence about it for years and I feel like God is showing me that it's kinda nice.  I love the idea of getting fresh eggs and having them eat some of the bugs around here.  I don't like the idea of snakes though. Our garden, although a mess, is still going.  The tomato plants are starting to fill in again and even have some tomatoes starting.  I want to plant more seeds but it's just too hot for me right now. I have some ideas of fall veggies but I'm not sure where I want to put them.  Our beds need some nutrition before I can plant anything.  I've let Greta walk outside today.  He seems so mis...

I slept last night!!!  I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to have slept. I slept some the night before but not as well as last night.  I feel decent.  My head is clear.  It's amazing how different it feels to have had sleep. Good morning.  Actually, it's almost noon. I have my coffee and miss Maggie on my lap. All is good. It's a beautiful Sunday.  Still no cool weather, but beautiful. We don't have church today, so it's a day with a clear slate.  The house is peaceful.  My children are safe and happy. My husband and I have a day to rest and enjoy time together. And... that is how I will start thinking of my day. When I think of how many days in my past were started with a feeling of dread due to depression. Depression that came from feeling less than and not good enough....... I was watching something last night about how the things in our life are meant to create our strengths. It's an interesting way of thinking of it.  Instead of bl...

I'm having trouble sleeping.... as usual.  And.. of course... Maggie has to sit on my lap with her nails in my legs.  I think her feet are too tiny to completely pull those puppies in. The house is so quiet and the moon is out.  It's hard to find things to do that won't wake everyone up at 3 am. I usually stay off the computers and phone because it would just wake me up more.  In fact this is probably not a smart idea..... It was a good week so far.  I enjoyed a visit from my aunt and cousin who I haven't seen in a really long time.  I really like my family. At one point my aunt did something that reminded me of my mom and it made me smile.  I thought of how my mom would have been sitting there listening to our visit.  There are times I miss my mom but not the person she was after the divorce.  I miss the happy, healthy person she was before all that mess.  Yesterday the chickens came by for a visit again.  The...

I had a nice day today.  Bruce and I had a visit from my Aunt and my Cousin.  We were pretty excited to show them the house and hear my Aunt tell us any stories she could think of.  I don't invite people to my house often. I think I get that from my mom.  I was raised with the idea that the house should look just so... So...I get very nervous that it's not good enough.  I'm getting better, but I have a long way to go. I remember the days of having my cousin Kim walk in at any time and make herself at home. I really miss those days since she moved so far away. I love when my kids come to visit.  They know I'm a mess. I really enjoyed the today.  I wish I would do stuff like that more often. Last night my sleep was sad.  It's getting worse instead of better. I have had two decent days of energy and feeling pretty good.  Thank goodness. Now if I could get a good solid night of sleep...I would be in heaven. Bruce has the day off.  Work is ...

"I didn't sleep at all last night...." That line of a song is running through my scrambled head this morning.  Ugh! I think I had the worst night of sleep, in my life.  And yet...... I woke up feeling ok.........so far. Every animal came up to me, all fluffy and yawning, to tell me good morning on my way to the kitchen.  Greta's new safe place, for the moment, is the shredding machine by one of the kitchen windows.  I wish he would pick something OUTSIDE of the kitchen so I don't have to worry about cat hair.  His ears are sore this week.  I used some turmeric, mixed in coconut oil, on them last night and it seemed to help by this morning.  He loves to sit on the kitchen table to greet everyone.  Ugh! I can't get mad at him, he's too sweet. Todays plan.......is to enjoy the day.  I'm tired of making chores my daily plan. Maybe I should just fly by the seat of my pants.  Or.. maybe I need to plan something fun e...

My hair is still red.  I tried recoloring it...but no....still red. Good morning! It's another beautiful day.  I can see a momma deer, cleaning her baby, through my window. Brink is sitting at my feet, my husband is on his laptop on the couch near me.  Peanut is on the front porch with his nails clicking the porch floor like a tap dancer. I have my chocolate coffee, with all it's added spices, and I've had about two hours of sleep. Bruce and I have church this evening. It's going to be a lazy day until then. I was watching a movie on Netflix last night called "Jane got a gun".  It's a movie about a woman in the old west who has to defend her home.  There's more to it than that, obviously, but it turned out to be a really good movie.  It showed a time when things were not so easy.  People then had to be stronger.  They endured so much more than we do today.  And yet...these days we feel like we have it pretty bad.  When Bruce ...

I colored my gray hair yesterday.  It did not go well. I didn't keep the box top for the color I liked and ended up picking the one I said I never want to use again.  So now my hair is the color of red grapes.  Ugh!!! Oh well.  It's a temporary color.  I just have to wash it 28 times and it will be gone.  Sigh..... It's another beautiful day.  It's still too hot for me to work outside.  The garden looks so sad.  I'm itching to get out there and clean up, maybe even start some fall plants.  Yesterday, as I was walking in the garden to get some herbs, I thought I hear clucking.  I had to laugh at myself.  But then a few seconds later I saw that there were three chickens in my garden.  That was so much fun.  They walked around eating seeds off the overgrown plants.  They walked right into the brushy areas until you couldn't see them.  Later in the day I fed them some seed so I could pet them.  That was aw...

It is 11:30.  I have tea this morning instead of coffee.  It's chai tea with added lemon balm, apple mint, peppermint, clove, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger and honey.  I like tea more than coffee for the taste, but coffee has a much better kick to it, obviously.   My husband is having lunch with a friend.  He already went to a funeral this morning.  When he get's back home he has to jump start his vehicle and get a new battery before he can start his day of work.  He looked like he was going to blow a gasket before he left for the funeral.  He was late, the work vehicle wouldn't start, and everything seemed to be going wrong.  So I took the jumper cables out of his hands, told him to change clothes and take my truck, and breathe. Why do we get so bent out of shape for things that aren't that big of a deal? I took Nyquil last night so I could sleep.  I did finally sleep, but now I have that tired hangover. I need to pay bills and do laundry...

Watching a deer eating outside of the front yard fence.  She's looking into the fenced part trying to decide if there are enough peach tree leaves down, to warrant a hop over for a snack.  She's not the long standing resident momma deer that we're so fond of, probably just one of her daughters or granddaughters.  Maggie stands on my desk watching through the front window as the birds hop around on the persimmon tree outside.  It's full of little birds cleaning themselves and probably waiting for me to put out more cat food, for kiki,  for them to eat. It's so pretty outside but still warm with a light breeze.  Such a beautiful day. Yesterday was a facebook blow up day with local drama.  It's heartbreaking to see when people I know have things that happen in their lives that are crushing.  It is the age we live in these days.  Stress, frustration, anger, fear, intolerance, and pain seems to cause people do to things they ...

  It's Tuesday after a Monday holiday and the start of a new month. I think the birds are starting to migrate because we have a tree full of them that hop onto the porch to eat the cat food and then hop right back into the tree when we go onto the porch.  I love this time of year.  One of my favorite things about this time of year is when the blackbirds start filling trees while you walk the shopping centers and the sounds they make fill the air.  You see this "whoosh" of birds fly like some beautiful black ghost into the air and then see them settle down again into another bunch of trees.  I have video of me running up to a tree to chase them off just so I can hear and see them.  I was even able to avoid being pooped on.  Now that there is talent ladies and gentlemen!!! I don't like shopping, but I might just have to force myself if I see those wonderful birds. Fall is just around the corner and I'm SO looking forward to that first cool morning....

Good morning! Although it's almost afternoon. There are birds all over my front porch eating cat food again. And...Chihuahua pee.  That annoying dog has to mark every single thing on that porch 100 times. It's too hot for him outside and too cold for him inside, (although I won't let him roam freely inside due to his marking habit) so he spends his life in a small kennel.  He loves his kennel.  We have to cover it like a cave so he can curl up and sleep his days away.  As he gets older he spends more and more time in that box.  We've all come to the conclusion that the dog has brain damage.  Although, it could just be a Chihuahua thing.  I imagine the first owners who had him probably kicked him around a bit.  They took a sharpie and wrote his name on his collar and dumped him in our neighborhood.  My husband found him in our front flowerbed 8 years ago or so.  He is the worlds most useless dog. My husband loves him and we all tolerate...

  Yay....It's Friday!!! The youngest is at school and has a game this evening and my hubby is working. I am sitting in a very quiet house. I'm trying to figure out what needs to get done the most, from a very long list of chores. The dogs smell, the porch needs spraying off, the kitchen needs cleaning, the laundry needs doing, the house needs a sweeping, the few carpets we have need vacuuming, the garden needs cleaning, the plants all need watering, the cars need vacuuming, the paperwork needs going through, the house needs some dusting and organizing, the trashcans need dumping..... and the list goes on and on. Nothing is horribly bad except the front porch and the dogs and the dog hair on the floor and the kitchen....kinda.  How on earth can three people, two dogs, and 4 indoor cats make so much mess?  And yet it's easier than when the other boys were home.  But then, some days, I miss having all my people in the same house.  As busy as it was and as grumpy as...

My house is a mess today..... And....I didn't have the energy to clean it up, because I needed to do laundry instead. So, I went around and took pictures of some of the things that I love, and I look at, when everything seems a bit overwhelming. This is why I can't live in a minimal house.  I would get very bored, very quickly.  :) Every one of these pictures has things in it that remind me of a story, a time, or a person. Quite a few are thrift store find.   Several things are from my mom.  Nothing in these pictures was purchased new, by me, from a store accept for the haircut and shave sign.  Many of the things are handmade. Have a great evening. Hugs Shannon