where is the sun?



Barn at an old New England apple orchard



Here in New England we have an endless week of rain to look forward to. I decided to post a picture from a beautiful Spring saturday several weeks ago when Cary and I went to see the animals at a local apple orchard. Not sure we will see the sun again for awhile. It is hard to remember that school is out, I have short work weeks and beach days are on there way. Here are a few more shots from that day at the orchard....

It was a such a beautiful day.

I am looking forward to seeing the sun again!

Happy Tuesday!



monday gratitudes

red tulips near my work

Today I am grateful for...

• seeing off my fourth year of art therapy majors at thier graduation saturday
• a day to catch up around the apartment today
• homemade strawberry shortcake
• Gap and Banana Republic Outlets
• flipflops
• my summer clothes
• lilacs
• the chance to see a chick flick with my mom and sister
• cooking shows
• cutting myself off from caffeine
• girl's night saturday

monday gratitudes

Today I am grateful for....

• Having a medical test/procedure done that I wasn't looking forward to...that has likely warded off future serious issues.
• The symptoms that lead to the medical test....little signals that something was off.
• My dad
• Itunes
• Trying new foods...like the sushi above! I still can't do the raw fish but I love cucumber, avacado,...
• Good news Cary got in the news. A possible amazing opportunity.
• Saturday morning breakfast out and a walk at the local apple orchard.
• My mom's humor.
• Time to paint.
• Native American Proverbs.
• Tulips
• Windchimes
• Bacon and Eggs for dinner.
• Being able to run 1 and a 1/2 miles now without stopping...or passing out!
• The end of school for the year!
• Long weekends in the summer.
• Finding a parking spot at the apartment.
• New magazines in the mail.

I am hoping to get back into the Shoot & Edit challenges this week. I have been so busy with school...grading, etc. And other stuff....

That is my goal.

Happy Monday!

hemlock ring blanket for dad

Hemlock Ring Blanket

 Finished the Hemlock Ring Blanket last weekend. Fun pattern. The center is a little tricky but the rest was straightforward. I had purchased 4 balls of yarn because I saw that someone on Ravelry had used that many of the Ella Rae Yarn. However....partway through the cast-off row I ran out. I ran to the yarn store in town where I bought the yarn last year. Of course I had to buy yarn from a different dye lot but you can't even tell. The picture shows the color a little differently than it looks. It is more of an ocean blue with a slight green tint to it.  Originally it was going to be for Cary and I. But with everything that my Dad is dealing with I decided to make it for him for the days when he isn't feeling well. He loved it!



view of the whole blanket



closeup of the center

closeup

monday gratitudes

Hyacinth before it bloomed.

I haven't done my Monday Gratitudes in a long time...so here goes!

Today I am grateful for...

• being there for a suprise 60th birthday for a co-worker and mentor.
• memories of watching the Boston Marathon at Aunt Esta's.
• the sun streaming in the window.
• pink tulips.
• a day to get a bit caught up on grading.
• only a few more weeks of school.
• doctors.
• Trader Joe's Salt & Pepper chips...I am hooked!
• running three times a week.
• decaf coffee.
• my crockpot.
• treating myself to a haircut and color. Back to my natural brown...
• supports.
• a possible new opportunity?

I've got lots of grading to get started on today. Hoping to just spend a little time doing that today...along with some chores around the apartment. Then I want to just enjoy the day.

Happy Monday!

where's my inspiration?

 I am lacking motivation. Cary went out to a hobby store for a game night to try and meet some local guys to hang out with and I was going to scrapbook. I haven't in months. Not since before Christmas when all the challenges began for my Dad. I lost motivation for much of my artwork, except knitting. At least I kept doing that. This week was incredibly busy at both jobs. The kind of week where I remember that sometimes each of my two jobs could easily be almost full-time. I have continued to stay away from caffeine...except for chocolate. That would be pushing it! But this week I was put on a new medication for an issue I have been dealing with and it is knocking me out. I hate feeling like this. It will take some getting used to I guess.

I did enjoy seeing the bright sunshine when I woke up today after some restless sleep. Cary was so sweet and cooked an amazing dinner for me last night. So I made some pancakes this morning and we went out to the movies. Saw Arthur. Very funny! And now here I am....I got one scrapbook page done. Didn't really plan out the page too much. Just went with it. It was actually a page with two photos I took of Christmas Dinner. A bittersweet day. So it was somewhat therapeutic for me to do.

I have so many supplies for scrapping, cardmaking, ATC's...I just haven't felt inspired. I think one page might be enough for today. Sometimes I end up feeling guilty when I have so many projects and hobbies and am not really getting into any of them. I feel like I waste so much time sometimes! Anyhow, tonight I might look into some ATC challenges online and do some knitting. I know that creativity comes in waves...I would just like to get back into it, Maybe tomorrow...

Happy Saturday!

scavenger hunt sunday

I have not been a good blogger. Life has been too busy. We are trying to get into a routine, both of my jobs have been so busy this week, and I chose to d/c caffeine this week. My Dr. recommended cutting back or d/c. So I have been decreasing and decided to quit this week. Just coffee and for now tea. I'm not cutting out chocolate. That is just pushing it! I may have tea. But for now I am not starting my day with caffeine. It has been rough! So I haven't been really focused or motivated to do much art-related stuff this week. I just took some photos for Scavenger Hunt Sunday. I did use two old photos for a few of the prompts that stumped me. I want to try and really get into next week's prompts throughout the week.

So here is my interpretations for this week:

1. High Key: Stumped me. I bought some pretty, pale pink tulips at Trader Joe's this week. I decided to photograph one of them and play with fun effects in Picnic to create strong contrasts and work with color effects. I admittedly didn't know what high key was. But I decided to just experiment instead for this one.

2. Bedroom: Loved the light streaming in the windows this Sunday morning. It makes me feel optimistic and positive.

3. Something Tiny: I bought this tiny cactus when I came back from my first trip to visit family in Southern California. It was a life changing experience. Opening up my eyes to all that is out there and I made strong connections with cousins. This little cactus sits in a tray with a photo of the sunset on the pacific and a glass jar of shells I collected while in CA. It reminds me of that trip and all the mixed feelings it represents for me: calmness, family, quiet, excitement, relaxed attitude,....

4. Off in the Distance: This is a photo I took of the "super" moon a few weeks ago. I took it from the sliding glass door of my apartment's living room. It was a cloudy night but every so often the moon would peek through. I was practicing with my new camera so some of the pictures aren't so great. But this one I love.

5. Stripes: This is a piece of sanded cedar wood. The stripes are in the rings of the wood and the shape of it's exterior. It seems silly to hang on to something like this but it has sentimental meaning for me. It was part of a tree in my parent's yard. When my dad was converting the garage into an apartment for me (and later my sister and brother), I helped him to turn that tree into one of the ceiling beams. It was an unfinished beam that showed the natural finish of the wood. I loved it. And it reminds me of working with my dad.

That's all for now!

Happy Sunday!