Harlow's Pub.....

By recommendation of our friends at Field and Forest Recreation in Harrisville, NH, my husband and I stopped in for lunch at Harlow's Pub in Peterborough, NH on Saturday.  The minute we walked in, we knew this was

three days straight...

Thursday, 4:35pm..."red at night...sailors delight"

Splinters and nicked up knuckles...wind burn and chapped lips, aching back...Friday, Saturday and Sunday....I worked three days straight to get this far.  I've come a long way since

coming around again.....

Tomorrow is the first day of autumn as the calendar tells us.  Our world also tells us this in its ever changing canvas.  The seasons, like a well worn book that we read over and over again, are predictable and longed for.  Throwing that favorite sweater on to take a walk outside...taking in the sights and smells of fall.  Getting mindfully ready for the season after.  Knowing all too well we will be hunkering down indoors with a warm cup of comfort and that well worn book to read once again.  Welcome autumn, welcome.

cotton and cashmere...

I discovered something about myself today while cleaning my closet.  Cotton and cashmere...a metaphor for who I am.   Simply cleaning out my closet made me realize I am both.  It may not seem all that impressive to read, but it made me think about myself.  Cotton is my "go to" fabric everyday.  I am a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal.  It's my work clothes, my home gear, it's pretty much my 365 days wear.  But, when the event calls for something a bit more dressed up, I do have my soft cashmere sweater (and of course, my jeans).

I'm cotton and cashmere.  I'm down to earth and homegrown as well as polished soft like cashmere.

Read your closet...what fabric are you?

 

gettin' crafty...

I love it when I'm home, in my jammies with coffee in hand, on a rainy Sunday to do whatever I wish.  I can multi-task with wild abandon!  Throw a load of laundry in, (have another cup o joe...), clear some clutter, find a lost earring (bonus!), organize that cupboard...you get the idea.  This particular Sunday was my "finish up a few

embrace the unexpected...

What started out as a rainy Memorial day turned pleasantly summer like.  I chose to forego the four wheeler ride and just meander around on foot to take photos of whatever appeared in my path.  I'm so glad I did!  My white lilac was bursting with blossoms and a butterfly was taking full advantage of it.  Greenery was exploding in every fashion in the woods.  And the unexpected

Sparking a memory...

It's funny how one certain thing can immediately spark a memory. It is instant.  It could be a song you heard, or a scent that triggers a particular place or event you attended.  It is memory in its most simple form.  It sits there in our brain, just waiting for the opportunity to remind us of something that we experienced.  If it was very enjoyable or even the opposite, our memory is at the ready with that one spark to trigger it.  I had just that spark this morning while cutting into a fresh pineapple.  I rarely buy them fresh, and it is unfortunate because they are simply delicious!  (Note to self....buy more fresh pineapple).  This spark brought me right back to sitting on a carpeted living room floor with my teen boyfriend while his mother prepared fresh pineapple for us to snack on. She brought it out to us and set it on the coffee table where we sat on the floor.  I thought how luxurious and royal this simple moment felt.  I thought how beautiful and considerate this mother was for giving us this wonderful treat.  Tell me, what has sparked your memory recently?

Soul food....

green tea

oatmeal

and my mom's bible

This was my morning.

I miss her so.

new moons and celebrations....

changing 
seasons..
renewed 
hopes...
life's moments
to celebrate

Springtime always seems a new start, a fresh beginning.  We rake up weathered leaves to unearth the green sprouts of new that were hiding in waiting.  We plow, we plant, we start over again.  We rely on seasons to carry on.  We hope for better.  We feel confident to stride forward.  Better harvests and grasps are right ahead... 

Spring. 

Let's step back and notice...and celebrate. 

 

The year of......

"use it up,
wear it out,
make it do,
or do without"  Boyd K. Packer

The year of cleaning.  The year of purging.  The year of organizing.
 
It's like a resolution, however those are rarely kept.  It's more like a determined effort to really, really get down to business and clean, purge, and organize to make my home and my mind feel less cluttered and at ease.  I once read that if you clean your desk before you leave work, the next day you will be more productive to start with a clean desk.  I believe this is true.  I want to apply this same philosophy at home.  I am a clutter bug, I admit it.  I want to stop being that person.  Like I said, this will be a determined effort.  

Here is my new mantra...  "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without".   This will help me in my effort to keep "things" at a minimum.  Things, you know...the stuff that gets stuffed into spaces.  Things that you forgot you had because they are stuffed into those spaces that rarely, if ever, get looked at again.  Yesterday, I organized, purged and cleaned my coat rack cubby.  I feel good with that start.  I won't attempt to do the whole house in a day or a weekend.  I will tackle one chunk of space at a time, and feel great accomplishment in that one chunk.  One chunk at a time...will eventually become the entire space.  Just one chunk at a time.  I'll be happy with that.