Hello 2014 !

Wow . . . a new year already !!!

Time just keeps going faster & faster !

I always try to take some time at the end of each year for a little reflection . . . 

take a look back, gain some closure, and gear up for a new year !

2013 was great in so many ways . . . and draining in so many ways, as well.  I find that I'm not happy with the ways I felt and reacted this past year.  I realized that I allowed the words and opinions of others to really determine what I felt & believed about myself . . . as I put it to Jack, I allowed these things to really "wreck" me.  And I don't want to repeat that !

Here's what I wrote in my journal last week:

"I'm not really one for resolutions or to-do lists, but I've been thinking a lot this last week about things I want more of in my life.  I can't always get rid of the things I don't want, that bring me down, & wear me out, but I can make a commitment to add things to my life that make it easier, more fun, and more enjoyable . . . more authentic . . . more me."

So I chose a word for this year:  

MORE !

(I did this whole word thing a few years ago, too !)

I want ( & need !) more color, more creating, more exploring, more little moments, more trust, more beauty, more festive, more movement, more homemade, more whimsy, more nature, more play, more little touches, more nesting, more relaxed, more pictures, more real . . . 

Sounds & feels a bit overwhelming initially. . . but I look at it the same way I've looked at my eating habits the last few years:  if I focus on the healthy things I need to eat everyday & meeting that daily goal, I find there's less room for the unhealthier things to creep in, & I feel better all-around !

One thing I decided to do to add MORE to my days & year is the 365 Grateful project.  So hopefully everyday, I'll have added another picture to my Instagram feed over there of something I'm grateful for that day.  Love this idea & the motivation behind it . . . I'll definitely try to keep this one up !

So, here's to a year of MORE !!!

December Goodness

An Hour Well Spent

Beautiful . . . educational . . . inspiring . . . & just plain lovely !!!

That would be the PBS Craft in America Holiday Episode.

Loved it . . . definite thumbs up !!!

Now I'll need to catch up on other episodes . . . !

Changes

I've been absent from this space a bit this year, especially these last few months . . .

but I'm still here !!!

Priorities, schedules, routines, and focus change as life moves quickly along . . . I've found that each of these has moved me a bit away from my blogging space.  Since I've barely posted like I feel I should have & feel a little guilty (like I do with almost everything !), I've thought several times about stopping the whole blogging thing.  But I started this little space here as a creative outlet, a place to search for & focus on the little things that resonate & make me smile . . . and I still need all those things !!!  Just maybe not as frequently, here, as I once did . . . and that's okay.

Here's what I've been looking at lately . . . .

- I've gotten totally addicted to Instagram (a little late to the party, as always !).  I just love their filters and effects . . . not too many or too complicated . . . really user friendly !  They make my pictures look great !!  One of my favorite users to look at is @benjaminhole . . . stunning look at the English countryside & the life of a farmer . . . gorgeous !


- This book now wins the award for "most underlined" . . . I just couldn't stop highlighting passages that resonated with me !  I whizzed through this one in less than 2 weeks (pretty good since I read right before I fall asleep !)  Just what I needed to hear, when I needed to hear it . . . !  I'll be rereading this one again & again !


- I discovered this lovely website (and added it to my favorite places !) after reading about its author in a recent Grove City College alumni magazine . . . she's a fellow former Grover !!  Though I haven't tried any recipes yet, I love getting a glimpse into her "big city" life, and following along on her journey toward publishing a cookbook . . . beautiful photos, wise words, and a passionate heart !


- Even though my knitting is often slow-going, it's always going !!  This is one of my favorite sources of inspiration and sweater lust.   Each collection & lookbook that comes out is gorgeous . . . lovely settings, beautiful photography, and modern/classic styles !  One day, I will knit another of their designs . . . !

(my one & only Brooklyn Tweed pattern, so far !)

- I love quotations/sayings/mantras/words of wisdom . . . always have !  I remember partially filling a journal with them in high school . . . not much has changed (witnessed in this Pinterest list !) !!  Here's one that I read recently that really rang true:

                    "Don't aspire to be the politest girl in the room - you know, the one who defers to everyone else, who never speaks up, who claims to have no strong partialities of her own -
or one day you might find yourself the bitterest."





Good things all around !!

Outtakes & Randomness

I made this for my pecan pie-loving husband . . . 

not good . . . I overcooked it !

Leo just folds himself into the weirdest positions when he sleeps . . . 

a gaggle of fuzzy feet !!

I just love to admire the history & workmanship of our  100+ year old barn.

They're rarely this close together, much less when they sleep . . . 

These were steaks.

When I went to get them off the grill, I saw that the grease had caught on fire,

and we had quite a blaze going on !  These poor guys got doused 

with baking soda . . . and we had to find something else to eat for dinner !!!

Marty apparently likes to photo bomb !!!

I've started playing with paper & glue sticks & paint again,

 just like I did when I was a kid . . . 

and it is great fun !!!

My favorites are on their way out . . . but I love to try to capture them

when the sun is shining on them just right  !!!

And that's all for today's random photos & thoughts !!!

It Really Does Fly

Time, that is !!

Between the usual workday, doctor appointments, car issues, cat issues, and all other manner

of craziness, here's what's been happening around our little corner of the world . . . .

Christmas came in July this year, as we got Over The Rhine's new double album

"Meet Me At The Edge Of The World"  over a month before it's actual release . . . 

the perks of being a backer of the project !!!

Of course, it's phenomenal . . . 

it's been playing non-stop in my car (& in my head !) since it arrived !!

           Click here to take a listen & download (for free !) the first 5 songs !

"Called Home" is my current personal favorite . . . . !

I actually do still knit, too !!!

A new sweater is on the needles:  the Blue Jean Sky Cardigan.

It's named after one of the songs on the above-mentioned CD, of course !

"Gimme a swig of a little kick-ass beauty . . . "

And, we had this cutie recently for his 1st overnight at our house . . . 

. . . our nephew, Ben !

We made an unexpected stop at a water park the next day, too . . . 

Fun !!!

There was also a 16th anniversary squeezed in there somewhere, too . . . 

Now at least I feel a little more caught up on August . . . 

before we head into September next week already !!!