Happy Monday!

Renovations…

Well so much for me bouncing back into my regular blogging routine. I didn’t foresee the extension of the work of the carpenters and painters we hired to repaint and repair some wood rot on the exterior of our home. The work began on July 1st and we are still in the mix. The painters would be closer to finished however the carpenters discovered some wood rot that is on a corner beam of our home which could be really serious. So today they will wrap up their original work and begin to look into it to see what kind of damage we are dealing with and what additional costs needed to complete the work. I am pleased with the work to date I am just trying to prepare for the new scope and the additional time it will take to complete the work. I also didn’t foresee the heatwave that just wiped me out this past week and especially this weekend. I literally just wanted to lay on the couch and drink loads of water all day. Not my best moments. Needless to say, I wasn’t quite in the mood to sit down and write a post.

Carpenter at work.

Today the humidity has lessened and the temperature has dropped enough for me to work outside on my deck. So I am sitting out here with my husband who is also working from home. I have some Coltrane on my headphones and in my periphery I can see the contractors move about. I know despite the unexpected additional work, the house will look beautiful. We had been putting this off for long enough so I am pleased to check that box.

Paint scraping and electrician securing safety.

How has your summer been so far? I always feel rushed as we near the end of July. It has been a fast ride here especially since we had a cold and wet spring. I cherish the additional outdoor time because in the winter, I don’t spend much time outside.

I’ll send some garden pictures soon to show you where it is at this time. The heat has made it a struggle for me to weed. I don’t like doing it much anymore and the heat only discourages my feeble efforts. But despite it, I see my vegetable garden progressing and so thrilled to see my garlic soon. I keep checking in on my garden guru friend on when I can harvest them and she keeps telling me to be patient. So I wait.

We have had two Robin families put their nest in a shrub next to our house. It’s really an honor however it is near my water source and so when I go to reach below the tree to turn on the water to water my plants, the mother and father bird swoop low over my head and then land on my garage and squawk at me until I leave. I try to explain I won’t hurt the babies but they won’t hear it. It’s wonderful to watch the cycle of life so close up despite my run ins with mom and dad.

Well I am off to get some work before my boys decide it’s time to get out of bed. I will be back later this week with some crafty happenings. Have a blessed day!

Belinda

Happy Monday: Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

Hello everyone! I hope you are all well today. We are in the aftermath of our first winter storm and it’s not the volume of snow that is threatening but the temperature drop (currently 4 degrees Fahrenheit. So everything is frozen and we have high wind gusts which I am hopeful that our power will remain on. Something about winter storms are stressful at times but something else is so cozy and comforting. To be tucked in your home with all the things and people you love makes me happy.  So I am hoping to get some reading and a little crafting in before the day is complete.

Enough about the weather. Happy MLK day!  I hope you all are finding ways to honor his message and maybe sneak in time to reflect on his life. I am embarrassed to say that I have yet to read an adult book on him. I keep waiting for the “right” book. But I really would like to read one this year. A couple that I have in mind as contenders are:

Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? (King Legacy) by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Author), Vincent Harding

The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Hopefully this will me the year.

I hope you all are well and I will check in this week with some crafty posts.

Have a great day!

Belinda

Happy Monday: Wellness planning

Hello and Happy Monday! I am writing this post late today because I was hanging out with my husband before he leaves for a long business trip. I am going to miss him but I have a busy week ahead that will hopefully distract me a bit. First, how was your weekend? I hope it was relaxing and fun. We hosted a group of my family over our house to watch a playoff game. I make myself laugh because for some strange reason, I love trying out new recipes when I have company. Now some might call that cool and adventurous but I think it only adds to the stress factor a little when you want to feed a large group.  I can say most of the time, it turns out alright but I do recall some losers. However, this time was a winner and luckily I made a large portion so we could eat throughout the game. It was really fun to catch up with my family and laugh at our old family memories.

Tomorrow I will begin another 21-day cleanse. My last cleanse was in June of last year. I have to admit I have slipped off my clean eating big time. But like the rest of the New Year’s resolution planners, I too made a promise to get my act together. I have been doing cleanses every 6 months for several years and I like to do them to help reset my habits and renew my love of good food. I mean let’s face it, the winter time is pure comfort food, slowing down and indulging in decadent desserts.  So it always presents a challenge for me but I am willing to take it one day at a time.

That all said, I started planning what meals I would like to eat throughout the cleanse. I find that my success really relies on me being organized. I plan the week’s meals then shop for them and assign them a day to make. I put in a lot of soups this week. Because they can replace the less than clean comfort food I have been eating since the holidays.

I will check in with updates on my status and share recipes so be sure to check back.

Well I have to get ready for pick-up but I wish for you a blessed day!

Belinda

Happy Monday: Beautiful Sunrises and Time Well Spent with Friends

Good morning and happy Monday! This time of year, I get a little cranky because we change our clocks and the days have earlier sunsets. It gets dark so early in the afternoon that I often feel rushed and begin to stress. One thing I notice is that I complain about the same thing every year and of course nothing changes, we change our clocks and so the process begins. But what I somehow forget is that the absolute best sunrises occur this time of year and I can capture them right from the windows in my home. I rise very early each morning for a mini workout before I bring the boys to school. I wake when it’s still dark outside and this morning was no different. I woke up, tidied up the light mess left behind from my kids and unloaded my dishwasher. Then as I walked out towards my living room, I could see this beautiful pink light streaming through the blinds.  So I rushed to the window and opened the blinds and snapped this photo.

My point is, that although I always hate that it is dark by 4:30 every day, I somehow managed to forget the magnificent sunrises. No two are the same and some are more spectacular than others. I always stand there for a bit watching it and being thankful for the blessing to be here to witness it. It’s my first real pause of the day and boy do I cherish it. So perhaps instead of my usual broken record complaining about the earlier darkness, I will remember natures beauty that I get to witness many mornings. This might be the shift I need to go through this season less cranky!This weekend I spent one day with my talented, crafty friends. It has been 4 weeks since our last gathering and longer for some of us. I packed light and only brought a couple coloring books and my colored pencils. I managed to finish a page I started a while back from Kerby Rosanes’ Fantomorphia coloring book. We ate and made each other laugh as usual and one of my dear friends brought me the cutest gift. This very cute bag that has pretty flowers all over it. It’s a great size to tote my coloring book and supplies.On Sunday we took our boys to the mall to do a little shopping. My oldest is getting his first pair of glasses so that was one of our objectives as well as finding a new winter coat for my youngest. My boys hate shopping but because there is rarely a standard size from store to store I bring them on occasion until I know their sizes in particular stores. We had a nice time despite some grumbling later in the day on how tired they were from walking. It’s so funny, I remember loving the opportunity to go to the mall with my mom. Maybe it’s a boy thing. Once home we settled in for some dinner and football.

Well, I’m off but I hope you all have a blessed Monday and please take time to vote tomorrow!

Belinda

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