Taking things easy

Above photos, December 15. Leaving Boise, Arriving Austin.

The past month has been pretty much of a blur. I was able to go on my planned trip to Idaho and spent two weeks there. Doctor had told me to get a lot of rest, and that is pretty much what I did.  Spent time with my Mother and other family members. Spent a great deal of time just sitting by the fireplace drinking hot beverages and relaxing.  Hubby did most of the cooking plus took very good care of me.  It is really hard for me to sit back and let anyone do things for me. It always has been, which is part of my persona, but things need to change.  After the heart attack and all the meds I am on, I do feel really tired most of the time.  So I guess I am getting pretty good at this resting thing, simply because I have no choice.  And when I do have a choice, things are going to have to be a lot different from now on.

I've been back home almost a little over a week, and have had several doctor follow-ups. I'm back at aqua yoga, and I have had to modify quite a bit and it still tires me out.  I've been told it's expected so I am going with the flow and taking things one day at a time.  If I sound blue, it's probably because I am, but I think it will pass as I feel better.

Fortunately hubby and I don't get too carried away for Christmas anyhow. This year will be even less than usual and it is just fine. I have these 3 little lighted ornaments in the bookshelf in the family room and that is it for décor.  Oh except for wrapping a string of wire lights around one of my succulents on the hall table.  Ha.  We have lots of candles, they are battery operated and come on when it gets dark and go off 6 hours later.  So there is no need to get stressed about Christmas, because it will come and go without us.  I have been to no retail establishments since coming home except World Market and Target and they were very quick visits.  These little lanterns are from World Market and are new this year.

 

Little brown succulent in glass terrarium

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Happy, Merry, Cozy Week-end

Merry Christmas to Y'all. Whatever you're doing, wherever you are, however you celebrate.

Our weatherman forecasts a "wintry mix" for tonight. It's 41 right now with a wind chill of 38. I like it! It's 65 inside, I'm bundled up in sweater/scarf/tall boots. Cozy. Candles burning. Me listening to Led Zepplin and Simon and Garfunkel.

A couple of neighbors stopped by with baked goods, I delivered a few myself. There's a neighborhood block party/open house later tonight. We'll stroll down for a hot drink.

Not a lot of decorating done around here, but hubby and I both had an artsy/crafty day yesterday. He's hiding something in the garage that he's been working on. He raided my Tim Holtz drawer of supplies, and made off with handfulls of stuff. Well, yes I said he could use whatever he wanted....I am afraid.

Today is my parents 69th wedding anniversary. Will call them in awhile. As a kid, we always opened our family gifts on Christmas Eve, then Mom and Dad went out dancing. Christmas morning we trekked 35 miles to Grandmas house, with all the Aunts and Uncles and many cousins. Forever, all the days of my childhood. Good memories.

Striving for Serenity

Settling for Simplicity. It's all I can do right now. Some holiday seasons I can "get with it", this is not one of those years. I've been struck by the normal holiday melancholy I seem to have become inflicted with, gradually over the years. I didn't used to have it. I once was one of those Martha Stewart clones, a tree in every room, lots of baking and entertaining. All the trimmings so to speak. Besides working full time, I drove myself crazy to get all this done. By the time Christmas day came, all I wanted to do was lay down under that tree and go to sleep! That was in my "perfection years" and those days are long gone, thankfully.

Well, I know good and well all families have strife and sadness, it's just part of living. This year has been a particularily hard one for both mine and hubbies. We're just kind of skating over Christmas this year. We've never been caught up in the "buy, buy, buy" part of the holidays, so it's been even easier to scale back. Staying OUT of the department stores has been such a relief. The few gifts we have bought have all been handmade, from various Arts&Crafts shows from around town, or by me. Fortunately, the people I know and love and give gifts to appreciate handmade.

So, yesterday afternoon, I sat in front of the window, in hubby's big leather chair, for a good long time. I drank tea, watched the neighbors cat chase the blowing leaves, read the entire Sunday paper, drank more tea. Then I addressed the last few cards while hubby cooked us bacon, turkey and swiss cheese paninis. Pretty darn good...It was applewood smoked, thick sliced bacon, and NOT even low sodium. After dinner we both called our families and even that was nice and relaxing. My Dad never wants to stay on the phone for more than a few minutes, but he was very talkative last night. After reading for awhile and doing a bit of yoga, I fell asleep and didn't wake up once during the night. Very unusual for me. So I felt rested and really had a better outlook this morning. It's dreary and misty outside and I have stayed in all morning, and think I will not go out the rest of the day. I have some candles burning and am listing to Pandora radio. Cozy, that's me

Merry Christmas!

Well, everything that needed to be done has been done. Very simple Christmas around here this year. No travel, no company, just me and the Hub. A friend or two dropping in for a bite to eat or football watching. Lots of snacks and a little baking. I feel more relaxed than I can stand. I have been focused about 95% on Physical Therapy and just taking care of myself. Everything else has taken a back seat. Besides making a lot more rosettes, big and small, I've become addicted to sewing yards and yards of paper garlands, and hanging them everywhere. I've delivered both rosettes and garlands to the gals at Starbucks, the mail lady, the physical therapists, etc. I can't stop making them! And everyone thinks I'm so clever. LOL At least I'm doing something crafty and no pressure or deadlines. So I DO feel pretty clever!
This rosette is 6" in diameter.




Oh, and here is the card I would have sent some of you, if I'd actually gotten around to mailing cards. So I guess I have my cards for next year, if I can manage to pack them away in a place I can find them when the time is right. I totally fell for these Anna Griffin cards, they are all the colors I'm enjoying right now, silver, grey and sparkly. Plus add "deers" to anything and I am hooked.


Very best wishes to everyone, no matter what or how you celebrate.

It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas

Even though I love decorating for Christmas, it seems like I do less and less each year. I still enjoy getting out all the decorations and looking at them and remembering where and when we got them, etc. The whole memory lane thing. I just don't seem to have the energy to decorate the entire house like I used to. When there's only the two of us living here, and not a lot of entertaining, I do as little as I can get away with. Hubby wants to haul it ALL out and really deck the halls for just the two of us, so he does a lot of the work. Especially this year, with my shoulder surgery and continued rehab. After getting the tree up, I do feel more like getting into the spirit, so will probably still be putting stuff up for the next week or so.

Trees are really hard to photograph. I think my tree is much more beautiful in person. Using a flash totally washes it out, without flash it's blurry. I had to settle...just couldn't get it right. Hopefully I can get some better photos later.

Papier Mache' deer are about 30 years old.

Hubby and I buy at least one new ornament each year. We like acorns. Some years we buy a pear, some years a bird. The acorn is in the upper left corner, kind of hard to see. It is pretty large though.


Dear Sweet Hubby played golf all day yesterday, with the promise he would hang lights today. Of course it was cold both days, so here he is, getting started, 38 degrees and windy. He did the front yard today and will work on the back yard tomorrow.


I spent a big part of today making these Tim Holtz rosettes. They are NOT as easy as he makes them look. One needs 3 hands to hold and glue them. The perforations that you fold on are very easily torn apart. I am glad I don't have to make a living assembling these little things. Also, glad I have decided I won't be making enough for a garland! If I were, I'd have had to start in July!


We had a great Sunday, just hanging out together, doing stuff, went out for coffee and a newspaper. Weather forecast says we will get into the low 30's tonight.

Fall is Finally Here

41 Degrees This Morning! Yay! Slept with the window open last night and an extra comforter on the bed. I always feel better as soon as the cool weather arrives. I drove myself to Physical Therapy for the first time this morning. It was a little uncomfortable, but I have soooo much more movement than I had just last week. It seems to be improving a bit each day. After PT I went to Starbucks and Target. Guess what, all the Christmas "stuff" is up, out, and all over the place. Well, it is just around the corner after all. No new Christmas stuff for me, there is not a thing I want nor need for decorations...so these darn retailers better not be trying to tempt me with those little paper mache' forest creatures that I have been seeing in all the catalogs!
Oh, but I do love looking at all the new scarves, hats, and fall accessories. I have wanted some of those fingerless gloves for quite some time. They have them in many styles and colors. I succumbed to buying something that wasn't even ON SALE...and got these cute arm-warmers! I'm not quite sure what the point is, they are just cute, and maybe I really liked the way they look with my new nail polish.

Happy New Year !

A little belated New Year wish for everyone. Here we go, on an exciting new adventure. I feel really positive and good about the next year. I don't always feel that way at the end of a year and beginning of a new one. It's odd, that I would feel more positive this time round, as it has been a weird year. My hubby and I have had a rough one, with lots of challenges. Most centering around a job that was lost and a new venture begun, resulting in a drastic decrease in monetary rewards. We have had to revisit a lot of older lessons we had learned earlier on in our marriage, mainly, how little we really actually NEED to get by. I guess I would have to say that the drugs have helped...LOL I'm not sure I could have made it through the past year without taking something for the anxiety/depression. Even though I hate taking meds, and want to get off them asap...It is an ongoing process, which I hope won't take more than a few months of this new year.

Christmas was spent very simply and laid back, as have been the last few days. As promised, we did go out in the back yard and howl at the moon on New Years Eve... A special Blue Moon, that to me, means good luck any time it occurs, but especially at the beginning of a new year. Whether or not it happened in 2009 or 2010, makes no matter, it was still in the sky when I went to bed and when I woke up.

So, how many calendars have you all hung so far? Here are mine. These are the ones that will get used. When B&N puts theirs on clearance for 75% I will probably grab a few more just to tear up.

Hubby gets me this one every year, by Cavallini. It hangs on the leaf green wall next to my computer desk.


Gift from my friend Pat, this one has gorgeous artwork, and each page is printed on the back with templates to cut into other things. File folders, gift cards, little boxes. Very cool recycling ideas.


Daybook organizer, Polar bear from Half-Price Books, Spiral bound from my insurance agent.


I love the book that my insurance agent gives me every year. On the left is the altered one from 2007, and on the right the new 2010. Now I will make a journal out of the 2008 one.


Close-up of Daybook organizer

I'm feeling more like Christmas

I have recovered from my little meltdown of last week-end. I ran away for a few days and it seemed to help. Of course a day or two in a nice hotel, drinking lots of creamy coffee and eating chocolate for breakfast will remedy lots of ailments, I'm sure. Add to that a great pal who delivered a big box of books and magazines to the hotel before I even arrived. I definitely had a respite from real life! I'm facing life a little more focused right now. Taking one day at a time instead of letting 3 or 4 attack me all at once. Everything is done around here that is going to get done. I swear I am not going to do one more thing.

This morning I woke up at 4, made tea, and spent a long time sitting snuggled up in a blanket, admiring my Christmas tree. It looked ugly to me last week, but this week it is beautiful, and it didn't have to do a thing, but sit there and wait for me to look again!! I love sitting in a dark room with only the twinkle of the tree lights on. I went out later to World Market for a few food items and a quick stop by Michaels, for a couple of Tim Holtz items to play with later. No pressure, just play.

Notice the round silver frame in this photo? Look at it closely. I will tell you a funny story about it tomorrow.


Close up of clip-on bird


I love these white paper ornaments from Hallmark from I don't even recall how many years ago.




This year I used gold,silver, white and turquoise

I wish I had a river I could skate away on.....

If you listen to the Joni Mitchell song "The River", that describes my Christmas spirit. I swear every year that I will ward off the blues, but my nature, being what it is...well.... I used to be Martha Stewart, with a tree in every room, all perfectly themed and color matched. Tons of baking and entertaining and the whole package. Some years I was so tired on Christmas day that all I wanted to do was crawl under the tree and take a nap while everyone enjoyed the fruits of my labors.

Circumstances change, years pass, we are far away from family. That makes a huge difference. Hubby and I have developed many new and different traditions, so we don't buy into the commercialism, not that we ever did much. As far as gift-giving is concerned, we keep that real simple. Some gift cards, food items, and charity.

I am just really blue this year. Part of it has to do with medication problems that I am working on, so I can't blame it all on the season. Anyhow, since I last posted, I have been moving slowly, dragging my feet, sleeping a lot. This week-end, I finally got the ONE tree decorated. It took me all week. Hung the wreath on the door, and I think I will call it done. And I think I will run away from home. Oh wait, the bird-feeders need filling. Better do that first. Oh, and I should probably tell hubby I am leaving.

Lime and Turquoise, my signature colors


Close up of wreath