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!