monday vent...and some layouts

View of the pond across from our condo

I originally intended to write this blog entry at 9 this morning. I uploaded some recent pictures, sat at my desk, and then the HVAC guy came to look at our leaking unit. Ugh. We have owned our condo for two years this July. We had some trouble with the AC last year and the first quote we received we were told we would need to replace the entire unit due to the exterior unit having heavy rust damage because of where they were located in the condo complex. My husband was away in El Salvador for National Guard AT so I had to make all these decisions alone. I got a second opinion and they suggested ust getting a few parts repaired for now.

Fast forward to this a.m.

I'm a researcher by nature. I want to know all there is to know about an issue so I can make an informed decision. But unfortunately, my nature stresses me out. We were told this a.m. we need to (at least) replace the exterior unit because 1/3 of the lower coils are rusted out. But because it runs on the type of freon that was outlawed in 2010 we have to replace the outer unit ASAP because they are no longer manufactured. If we don't we will need the entire unit and connectors replaced which will be very costly and complicated because of the set up of our condo townhome. Though from my research we might have to do this anyway since it seems in 2020 the freon used in our older unit will no longer be available.

Ugh.

We are just about to trade in our pick up truck and buy a much needed car. Both of ours are 10+ years old and need to be replaced. We don't want additional debt so we are trying to do that mostly loan free. But now the AC unit?

Ugh.

I'm trying very hard to accept. It is what it is. We will do what we have to and we will get by. It is just discouraging to each be working 2 jobs and still feel like we are just scraping by with a little extra for an occasional dinner out but not much more.

I would like to hit the "good news" lottery instead of the "bad news" variety.

I'm sure others can relate?!

Now that I have vented....I am going to try hard to switch gears and focus on what is good. I have some recent layouts I completed that I really like.

I've been inspired lately by layouts I've been seeing with a grid-like design with clusters of pattern paper "stacks." So I created this using the Dear Lizzy Neapolitan 6x6 pad and a few other random bits.

love

 I scraplifted this layout from one I pinned on pinterest by lilybee. I  documented some of my favorite books.
I wanted to try out the heavy marker lines for my journaling that I keep seeing others do...

some favorite books

I've been enjoying watching all the YouTube scrap process videos I can, browsing pinterest and blogs for inspiration. I don't usually use sketches but have found it refreshing. Changing things up a bit. I think I want to try some challenges too. Any scrapping challenges out there that you enjoy?

Thanks for reading:)

my sunday in images and a list

my smiling girl

sunshine

snacks

art?

• sun streaming in.
• coloring in a coloring book with my girl.
• DisneyNature movies on Netflix.
• Quesadillas for lunch.
• thinking about playing in my art journal?
• finishing up classwork. 
• waiting for Cary to come home from drill.
• giggles with my girl.
• toys, pacifiers, and loved blankets on the floor.
• feeling grateful and loving our home.
• cutting up grapes for snack. tedious but worth the smile.
• content.

after the storm

our place after the blizzard "Nemo"

 Finally just got outside with the baby. We've been in the house for 48+ hours! My husband got called into work again. Between work and National Guard he hasn't had a day off in over 2 week. Sweetpea wasn't to thrilled with me taking her out in the cold to take pictures. But it is pretty out. Here's the aftermath of a blizzard at our house!

"Are you going to make me go out there Momma?"

An unhappy baby on our front steps

piles in front of our place

pouter in front of the pond across from our house

pond view

sweetpea wishing I would hurry up and go back in

drift on the side of our condo. we are the lowest floor.

snow girl!

Have a happy Sunday!

the blizzard continues

view out our side windows this a.m. covered by a huge drift!

Just a few shots of the blizzard so far...haven't been able to get outside yet for better pictures! My husband did have to brave the storm at 7:30am today to get to his security detail. He's the manager and one of his guys couldn't make it in. It's only about 3 miles from home...but still wish he didn't have to. We are fortunate so far though - we still have power.

the cars across the street. can't even see the pond beyond them.

look momma!

cary shoveling early this am.

 Will have more photos later when the wind dies down and I get outside!

Happy Saturday!

dr suess & a blizzard

A quick layout I finished just now...terrible picture quality since it is 9pm here...but I wanted to post while its quiet and the baby is sleeping. Here's a closeup...

I used lots of old and new stuff. I just need to add the date above the photo but needed to look back and see when the picture was taken. Time is going so fast. Baby girl turns one on tuesday. Yikes.

The college is closed tomorrow. Evidently here in Eastern Massachusetts we are expecting quite a storm. Blizzard to be exact. I will believe it when I see it. But I guess we are ready. Cary works tomorrow but he's only 5-10 minutes away so he should be able to get home at 4pm ok. Sweetpea is staying home with me. Hoping my parent's will be ok. They only live about 10 minutes away but my dad just finished treatment #1 and is not feeling well and can't do a lot physically. Last time he was going through treatments my brother was home from school...this time it's just them. But I think they should be set until Cary can shovel for them saturday and my uncle is not far from them either to help with the generator. They live in a very wooded area and the big trees around the house are always a concern.

I am looking forward to a day or two of hiding from the world. I really need that right now.

Thanks for reading...

-Emily

smash book

A few years ago I used to keep little black sketchbooks where I pasted in inspiration from home decorating magazines, craft sources, quotes, sketches, journaling, etc. I kind of got a way from the habit but found I kind of missed it. It was sort of a catch-all for inspiration and thoughts. I saw the Smash Books in Michaels just after Christmas and thought I'd use one of those. I loved the different pages and backgrounds. I chose the Nature version as it sort of fit me the best.

Here's how I've been using mine...

On my first page I had pasted in a list of goals for each month based off of the book The Happiness Project. This has been an inspirational read for me. I felt like I really related to the author and her honesty about successes and challenges. So for January I was focused on Boost Energy. I've won some and lost some. It was a very tough month. But I've boosted my energy in ways I didn't expect.

Here's a basic page I used to brainstorm my January Happiness goals...

There are many pages where I paste in home decorating magazine inspiration...

And there is one page where I am working on a collage of my 2013 Intentions. This is a project I worked on every year with my clients in our Art Therapy group. I worked with adults that have major mental illness as an art therapist/clinican. Our task was to spend several weeks, using magazine collage, to create a collage filled with big and little intentions (goals) for our new year. I used mine as visual inspiration each year by hanging it next to my desk at work where I could see it regularly. It was a visual reminder of what I wanted to add to my year (rather than take away as is the case with resolutions). It is still a work in progress...

And I'll leave you with one of the pages in the book that has a quote I am finding inspirational right now...

rollercoaster

my sweetpea reading

Life is a rollercoaster. And not the fun kind. I'd kinda like to get off now. I mentioned yesterday that I am worried about an important person in my life who is dealing with a reoccurance of cancer. Well...the surgery is postponed and chemo will be starting asap. Ugh. I just don't have many words today. I am hoping to sign off and do some scrapbooking as my art therapy tonight. Unfortunately it had to wait until all the evening chores were finished after getting home from work. Now I can try and relax for a bit before I crash. But before I go I'll share a few more random photos that I love...

tiny pink chucks

who me?

cheerio love

my favorite place

one of my favorite people

Thank you for reading. Hoping to catch up on everyone's posts in a day or two.

Emily

Past Year's Projects: Part 4

I wasn't going to do a 4th post on my past year's projects but decided to show three paintings. I did these one night a few weeks ago. The only art I was regularly doing over the past few years was knitting. Mainly because it is easy to pull out wherever. In 2010 we had some serious medical issues with my dad and I just didn't feel like doing much of anything artwise. In 2011/2012 I got married and had a baby so life was so busy I didn't really have time. Also up until this past November, we were living in a 1 bedroom apartment and sharing a room with the baby. So when she was sleeping at night and I had quiet time, I couldn't use my art desk to scrap, paint, or whatever. It was just too much effort at the end of the day to pull out all my supplies and tote them to the kitchen table! So I didn't. I was an art major in college but didn't really paint. It just wasn't my thing. I loved to create realistic charcoal drawings. Most of my art was realistic. When I went to grad school for art therapy and started my career in the field 10 years ago I started doing more and more abstract stuff. It was kind of freeing. I am a perfectionist and it is quite time consuming to create something lifelike. I still love that kind of work deep down...but my work can be stressful. At the end of the day sometimes I just want to create for an hour or so and put down my feelings. Anyhow...here are three pieces I started a few weeks ago one night when I was super motivated to paint! They aren't the best...but it felt good to make them.

Abstract: This one reminds me of space. It was the first one I made that night. It is really different from what I usually do. I'm typically drawn to blues and greens...I don't even really like orange. And the dots...they were repetitive and relaxing!

Sunset: This one is unfinished.  I had been thinking of this image for awhile...

Little Red Bird: I had thought this one was unfinished...but looking at it now I think it might be done. I feel peaceful when I look at it and it was the last one I did that night. I think I felt peaceful after getting out all of the energy in the previous two. I need this peacefulness today. We received discouraging, scary news over the weekend and I need peacefulness.

That's all for today. I'm hoping to have some time to scrap this week. I'm also itching for a trip to my LSS for some new treats...its been so long! Thanks for looking!

a walk in spring

Took a walk a few weeks ago with my dad, brother, and baby Ellie. My leave is up next week from my art therapy job. I don't want to go back:( So I'm trying to soak up every minute I can!

hello there

spring green and robins egg blue



my dream house in the distance

my favorite place

glad it's friday

heath bar cookies i have been enjoying this week

It has been a long week. So glad it is Friday. I have to work at the college tomorrow and then have the brakes on my car looked at and then I'm free! I had a stressful week regarding my car. It is only 6/7 years old but I had a strange sound diagnosed at the dealership this week. They found three problems and said it would be $1800! Are you kidding me? No way. So I am taking it to my friend's husband who is a mechanic. He is pricing it at almost half that. But I'll find out more tomorrow. So needless to say I had a minor panic attack this week. It was more than the fact that my car is going to cost so much...it was all that represents. I am tired of feeling like I'm struggling all the time. I want to feel like I am moving forward personally and in my relationship. And finances play a major role in all that.

But I am now feeling more positive. It will get done. And for now I have a date with my couch and television!

Happy Friday!

my world today

Posts two days in a row...I'm on a roll! I'm feeling a lot better today and am planning on still laying low around the apartment so I don't backtrack. I have an incredibly busy work week next week. But I do want to catch up on cleaning and doing some fun projects. I decided to take a few photos around the apartment today. One of the goals I mentioned yesterday was to take more photos. I have gotten away from doing that. It is the little things I see in old photos that I love. Daily things that go forgotten years later. I also thought it would be fun to do a post about where I am at this moment in a few words. I got the idea from the blog "Dynamo" by Sandra C.

So here goes with a few words and photos of my world right now.

listening: "Top Chef - Just Desserts" on the tv in the background
eating: finishing up my sunday morning coffee. Having a cold for a few days I have been having tea instead. Oh how I missed my coffee!
drinking: see above!
wearing: pj's
feeling: tired but so much better
weather: warmer than usual for New England in November but overcast
wanting: more time to relax and recover from stress and illness
needing: creative time.
thinking: of all the things I want to accomplish today.
enjoying: a long sunday morning and the scent of my "Autumn Leaves" Yankee Candle.
wondering: if I can live by the quote, " “Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.”-unknown. I am having trouble with that.


Images of my world right now:



my oldest plant. i have kept it alive for 10 years.

kitchen table with one of my great-grandfather's paintings above. nate berkus would be appalled by my fake leaves!

this plate is a comfort. it was my grandmother's and reminds me of her and her house. simpler times. pumpkin was from Pier 1. It is full of hershey kisses!

what I have to do (study for LMHC exam) -vs- what I want to do (finish ATC's and other artsy stuff)

bedside table. i borrowed the latest "shopoholic" book from my mom. if you haven't read this series I HIGHLY suggest it! laugh out loud funny!

christmas card supplies purchased last week on my lss's bus trip to local shops.

my large framed drawing i did for my senior studio thesis in college and fall decorations in the hall.

clementines i bought yesterday. not sure they are completely ripe. i love these in season. above is another prized possession of my parent's. they recieved it from a family friend when i was little. a madonna and child triptych.

Well..I'm off to try and get some stuff done today!
Happy sunday!