monday gratitudes

the back of my summer sweater knit-a-long - Hey Teach

Today I am Grateful for:

1. My guy being home.
2. Beach days with my mom. An excuse to do nothing but relax for a few hours.
3. Time with my mom and sister this weekend doing errands.
4. My ability to be my own advocate and be persistant.
5. Netflix movies...I'm hooked on Army Wives and am on Season 2.
6. Projects to keep my mind busy.
7. A fridge and cabinets full of food after grocery shopping.
8. A vacation at home next week to look forward to...much needed.
9. Birds.
10. Cable TV.

Happy Monday!

monday gratitudes

Today I am grateful for...

1. phone calls to bridge distance.
2. my amazing dad who I spent time with on Father's Day.
3. a good cry.
4. clean laundry
5. a day unexpectedly cleared of plans
6. the first beach day of the summer
7. thunderstorms and rain on a hot summer day
8. summer
9. my flowers
10. netflix
11. creativity and artistic skills
12. knitting and the fact that my mom taught me

Happy Monday!

weekend nesting

Since it rained yesterday and a beach day was out of the question I did some errands and shopping. I could wander around HomeGoods for hours. And I did. I have really been wanting a white pitcher for flowers for a long time. I like how simple they look. Very pretty. So I found this one for $10 and a set of four quilted placemats for $10. My guy isn't a fan of placemats on the table...he likes the plain wood but he might like it when he sees them. We'll see!

I also got this very cute red ceramic pie dish and wire "caddy" for $10. I got home and made myself a blueberry pie. One of my favorites. I tried a Trader Joes crust and wasn't as happy with it as I thought I'd be. It didn't come out flaky...a little soft. Almost like it needed to be baked longer but that didn't help either. Not sure why. I think it's the first thing from there I haven't been 100% satisfied with...
At HomeGoods I also found these adorable little cards I plan to use as invites when I host Girl's Night in July...

They are vintage-like images of Barbie. I love them! Today I get to see my girls for lunch and the movies. We were supposed to go to the beach originally...but

alas...

today isn't a beach day either! Oh well.

Happy Sunday!

a beach-less day

Showing a sunny picture of my container garden. Today is panning out to be gloomy weather here in New England again. I was crossing my fingers for a few beach days. But that is not looking good :( Oh well. I just braved Macy's yesterday for new bathing suit shopping. A scary experience. I haven't bought a new suit in a few years. I gained weight this year and want more coverage until I my resumed exercise routine kicks in. I forgot how incredibly expensive a new bathing suit can be! Good Lord! I was going to get 2 but that idea changed when I got to the register. Even with sales and coupons it was kind of ridiculous.

Anyhow....now to figure out what to do with my beach-less day!

Happy Saturday!

i quit

french sculpture of a child drawing

So I have already failed my self-imposed photo-a-day challenge. I'm not feeling well the past few days so it was hard to keep up with. So I quit. I don't quit often. But anyhow...I have had a few days this month that I took a lot of great photos I didn't share yet! So I've included one from my recent trip to the art museum. I loved this little statue. It represents something I hold close...childhood and art.

So that is it for me today! Happy Thursday!

Day 8: unwind

It's not a good picture but it is the end of my day. My photo-a-day was a little neglected today. But this kind of represents my day. Busy. Moments of amazingness. Moments of extreme frustration. But this was my end of the day relaxation. Playing mindless games on my Wii. Helping me to unwind. So this picture represents what I'm trying to do tonight. Unwind.

Day 7: no words

Day 6: quiet

The sky after all the storms we had today. Scary weather but a quiet day. Just stayed home. Made a good breakfast, watched TV, scrapbooked and cooked myself dinner. Watched "Dear John" and forgot how sad it is and how the book didn't end the way I had hoped. The movie ended that way too. But all-in-all a quiet day. Hoping to get some things done tomorrow...errands and answers. I hope.

Happy Sunday!

Day 5: experiences

I have often heard it said that if you spend money of expereinces -vs- objects it will last longer in your memory. That is true of today. I spent the day at the art museum with a good friend from high school and then tried sushi with her at a nice place in Boston. So good. So fun and inspiring today. My mind is full of memories and visuals from the day. It was hard to pick just one photo today. So I picked the one of the sushi. But here's a bunch of thoughts floating through my mind about the day:

• Eyptian mummies, mysterious languages, ancient preparations for an afterlife.
• Greek Gods and Goddesses are gorgeous.
• Monet is still one of my favorite artists.
• A tornado warning at home? Wierd. This is New England....not Kansas!
• humid, rain, thunderstorms, sun, rainbows. Tropical weather.
• My pretty new Monet umbrella came in handy during a sun shower.
• I actually do like sushi. Though I went tame and got a cucumber roll. And I'm better at eating noodles with chopsticks than I thought I would be! A few firsts.
• I'm tired and my feet are aching but I'm happy.
• A great day started with a 5:30 am call from my guy before he headed out for his guard training just to let me know he was thinking of me. He hasn't done that in a while and I loved the wake up call.

Happy Saturday!

Day 4: slow

Rice Krispie Treats

Taking it easy today. Slow. Not feeling 100% physically. Did a few errands this a.m. Post Office for stamps. Mailed off something for my guy. Vacuumed. Cleaned the bathroom. Washed a handknit sweater. Lots of little "things to do." Sat outside for awhile and worked on my sweater and another more challenging knitting project for awhile. Enjoyed the sun. Then made some Rice Krispie Treats! Haven't made them in a long time and forgot how good they are. My plan is to give half the batch to my little sister when I pick her up later at her new apartment. So proud of her! We are going to see the Sex & The City movie later. A chick flick and maybe a quick bite to eat. I'm looking forward to it.

Happy Friday!

Day 3: in progress

This is what I have so far for my Mondo Cable Cardi. It was started during a winter knit-a-long and it continues! I am starting a summer knit-a-long soon and I really want to get further with this sweater. I love it. Love the yarn. But I'm getting bored. It's a lot of knitting. I am learning a lot as I go though. Today I got a few more rows done. I need to finish up the body so I can do the bottom edge and get the sleeves started. It is probably a little more than 1/2 done all-in-all. I see mistakes in some spots but overall not too bad!

I'm not feeling too well tonight and I was hoping to work on the sweater some more but I'm just not up to it. Maybe tomorrow? Today I took a few minutes to go to my LYS and pick up some Soak for another sweater that needs to be washed. I came out with the newest issue of Vogue Knitting and a new book: Happy Hooker. I would really love to learn more about crocheting.

I feel like I have a million projects!

Yikes!

But... I'm liking this photo-a-day thing. It is allowing me to reflect on my day with a photo and a few words. Helps me to think about my day and focus on little parts of my day.

Day 2: Work

An average day-in-the-life of an Art Therapist. Nothing exciting today. Tried to catch up with some work since it was an extended long weekend for me. Reading about addiction and creativity to prepare for some groups. Having a regular day. Feeling a little off today in a few ways. Some inspiring moments and some frustrating. Most of the frustations had nothing to do with my work and more to do with some other issues.

After work I did a few errands and visited my family and then took a walk near the ocean. Cleared my mind. Took photos like a tourist. Took in the ocean air. Fog. Flowers. The statues. The American flags lining the walk. So today I am actually including two photos instead of one. Two photos will better sum up my day.

Happy Wednesday!

storms

Day 1

I'm going to try out something for the month of June. A photo-a-day challenge. I want to post one photo each day and write about a piece of that day. A journal of sorts. I decided this a little while ago as I was sitting outside on the balcony watching a thunderstorm roll in. Trying to focus on the positive. My guy left today for almost a month for drill and annual training and I miss him already. I am having some frustrations about other things and trying to get answers. I want to focus on all that I have in my world. A little at a time. I also plan on having some of these little moments to scrapbook about at the end of the month. Some days I want to experiment with photography and my point of view. Other days I want to focus on a story. A moment. So here goes...

Today he left for 20 days. I hate that feeling. I know it could be worse and many tell me it could. He isn't far and he isn't in danger. But still. He's gone. I will refocus and try to relax and enjoy my time away. So after wasting half of my day off, making a stressful phone call and paying rent, I decided to sit outside. I tried reading but felt I needed to get something out. So I did a page in my art journal about how I'm feeling. Art Therapy. Then I could read. But as I was reading I started feeling the wind change. The air change. Thunderstorms coming in. I love that feeling right before a storm. A calmness and anticipation. So I just sat and took it in. An occassional rain drop. Bugs flying around over my head. Seeing my tomato plants and flowers and knowing that for the second time today I would not need to water them. I woke up last night to more thunderstorms. Just like a summer day. I watched the landscapers at the apt complex finishing up a few things. Listened to the distant thunder echo making it sound like it was coming from two directions. Wondering what it must look like only minutes away at the Atlantic Ocean. More raindrops. Still not enough to bring me inside. I sat. Listened. Watched.

Finally, I decided I needed to go in. Lightening always makes me nervous. Reminds me of being a kid and our garage being hit by lightening only feet away from our house. I have seen what it can do. So I went in reluctantly and then the rain began to fall heavier. Well. Now to put in a load of laundry and wait out the storm and see what it brings.

Happy Tuesday.