Southern Snow and Slow Decorating - January 2025

Are you comfortable in your home? Have you been hanging on to things that don't serve your aesthetic? Yes, we all have an aesthetic. It's kind of like a style, but it's such a compilation of who we are. Maybe you're ready for some change, tired of all the things. But if you pull back all the things at one time, remove the placeholders all at once, you'll be sitting on a box you brought home your groceries in from Costco, and decorating with a gift bag from Christmas. 

I've been culling down items from what feels like the last 30 years. We renovated in 2013, and just yesterday repaired the kitchen range-- for the first time. I say 'we' liberally-- Eric is extremely capable with trouble shooting and repairing. But we both usually go straight to YouTube for tutorials. Yesterday, we looked up cleaning the control panel on the back of our Frigidaire Gallery Range. And one thing led to another and now I basically have a completely refurbished range & oven.  We're now back in the business of cozy cooking for the first Southern Snow of 2025

I have to say, Eric has us ready for power outages, with wood stacked to the fence-tops to be used in our wood stove. It is a key feature seen in our main living space. It's always an energy saver as it warms our entire first floor and well enough on the second, should we need it. He's working on a plan now to hook up our generator if we lose power. 

I'll be sharing more of our 'slow decorating' projects on Instagram, Pinterest as well as YouTube. As I mentioned, we did a big renovation of the first floor in 2012 and finished out our bathrooms on the second floor in 2024. We completed the landing 2023 and will be completing the trim & decorating this year. 

Completing the projects is essential. Closing a chapter, giving time to work on new goals and live life beyond the four walls and within is the goal. For now, I'm doing a little 'look-back' and shoring up my recent changes. 'Richard  Parker,' is here for it. 

Whiteboard, Chalkboard, Build a Bunker ~ January 2025

 I have 2 whiteboards in my home office. One is inspirational and the other is practical. The inspirational one has become a permanent fixture since 2020. I've evolved a bit in my activities since then, but it was the jumping off point and I can't erase what's there. Do you ever feel stuck like that- like you just can't throw that momento away for fear that you'll forget the event or catalyst that inspired it's keeping? This is the feeling to overcome in looking forward to new things. Freeing up space for the new is what frees us to live in a forward thinking manner. 

I've culled and culled this December and January. I've determined not to leave behind piles to be hauled away. I'd rather lovingly haul it away myself, or at least dispose of it ethically. But mostly, it's for my mental health. 

No longer are we just inundated by physical objects, but by the backlog of our e-mail boxes, our Amazon wishlists, and our photos in the cloud. We literally- virtually run out of space and must purchase more 'cloud,' to store our photos we'll only be abruptly reminded of by Google at precisely the most inopportune moment. 

Build a bunker. This is one of the most effective efforts I've embraced while working outside the home. My workspace is small and public. But it's mine and it directs my thoughts and activities throughout the day. So does my home office, my kitchen, our living room. Our living spaces are important. So to that end, I'm reinventing, cleaning and purging after about 12 years of living in this house. I'm loving the guidelines I've found on social media-- 'don't hold onto it for 'someday.' Oh my. How liberating when I realized how many times I've moved certain objects over the course of 30 years. It won't look like a Swedish condominium when I'm done. It will likely still look just as cluttered as when I started to the unknowing eye. But it already feels calmer. I've already disposed of 12 bags, 8 boxes, probably more broken, too small, too big, random, un-needed items. This is how to build a bunker. No matter what the work or activity or feeling-- you have to start by cleaning out. 

 

Love Hopes All Things~ Bookshelf No. 2 ~December 2020

 In  March, I read  'The Secret Garden. ' While I   am well acquainted with Frances Hodgson Burnett's,  ' A Little Princess, ' I had never read the famous story of a secret garden. So I put myself to it, to be rewarded by such passages like this one  I stumbled upon again just  yesterday: 

 'I'll tell you who would put you in the humour, perhaps,' said Mary, reflecting. She felt as if she would like this to be settled one way or the other.  'I believe Dickon would. He's always talking about live things. He never talks about dead things or things that are ill. He's always looking up in the sky to watch birds flying - or looking down at the earth to see something growing. He has such round blue eyes and they are so wide open with looking about. And he laughs such a big laugh with his wide mouth - and his cheeks are as red - as red as cherries.'  She pulled her stool nearer to the sofa and her expression quite changed at the remembrance of the wide curving mouth and wide open eyes. 'See here,' she said. 'Don't let us talk about dying; I don't like it. Let us talk about living Let us talk and talk about Dickon. and then we will look at your pictures.' .... It was the best thing she could have said.' 

 Last year, I read along with a writing group, Stephen King's , 'On Writing; A Memoir of the Craft.' I have no need of any of his other books, and only one movie,  based upon one of his works of fiction, 'The Shawshank Redemption.' The story of Andy Dufresne, who is falsely accused of a murder and sentenced to life in Shawshank Penitentiary, delivers us an opportunity to meet 'Red' who is also a 'lifer.' Red shares in the story how he would guide his younger self, who made a poor choice,  suffering the exponentially awful consequence of  prison life in the 1950's. But his philosophy is one I hold sacred: 'Get busy living, or get busy dyin.'  Red and Dickon have much in common.  Red found ways to look for things to hope for, meaningful ways to keep himself occupied and invested himself in a safe group of friends and collegues. Dickon lived with his family in rowdy houseful of children, but found his way to a garden to work and make things beautiful, even without employment or even the ability to read. Meaningful work in a garden which is the epitome of hope. 

So today, I'll put up the Christmas tree. I'll finish the decorating and complete the tasks at hand. Our tree is one that Mom passed along to me- one now whose 'pre-lit' lights no longer work, but have been clipped and replaced with strands of white lights for each layer. I've narrowed down the ornaments to one  large box. I'll put a few strands of icicle lights on the outside of the house and we will embrace December looking  up to the stars and down to the dirt lying quietly until Spring returns. We will live with a confident hope that there is life worth living- and we will be busy living it. 

If you are Christmas shopping and books are on your list, I highly recommend Goldberry Books, and independent Bookshop, opened in November 2020~~ the essence of hope in 2020. A beautiful anniversary copy of 'The Secret Garden' illustrated by Tasha Tudor would be an amazing gift for someone special on your Christmas List. 

'Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things...' 

         

Spray Paint Might Save the World ~ Bookshelf No. 1 November 2020

  If we've never met, you may think I'm a bit shallow. But once you run back through a few posts, you'll  realize I'm not shallow, just layered. Picture the layers of the ancient city of Troy, Trojan horse and all. I  don't pretend to be as capable as many of my peers. But I have my skills, like-- I can see through a pile of fabric anywhere and spot the block printed French cotton a mile away. Yup. I'm a #wickedthrifter over at #littlebirdtextiles

So when I say,  spray  paint might save the world, take heed.   I was old(er) when I had kids, through adoption, and much like that, nothing has gone according to plan, in my unique universe, or in the world at large. And there is nothing a good dose of green (my preferred color) spray paint can't redeem.  For example, the basket from Goodwill that will hold a variety of things. It could have been trashed- yet, for .99, I have a new catch-all basket to make my activities more efficient as well as colorfully encouraging. 

Before you start to trip out on Goodwill--  I'm also a capitalist. Do you know the  cashiers at your Goodwill? I do. Somebody had a good idea. Donate stuff. Employ people to organize and shelve it. Sell it. 'But what about those bad folks up at the top who make the big paychecks?' Those folks are the risk takers who invest in the rehab of the big-box stores that nobody uses anymore(our local store was a Best Buy.) So now, the once empty big-box store employs folks who work hard. Often they are folks who might not find a job elsewhere. And you know the bonus? They actually have an employment office in the store. Dang. Can this get any better? While I didn't look at the yearly statement for this company, I don't lose sleep over it, because I know the lady who checked me out today, who often shares her happy experience with me, and she will receive a paycheck in a timely manner. And that was enough for me. I left with a .99 basket that is now green that will  hold my dishtowels(I have many green baskets), while I make brownies for my kids.  And I will think happy thoughts about the redeemed item that was not put into a landfill.  Yup. Even recycled.  And even more about the happy lady who has meaningful work. 

Sounds like a win-win to me.  #green #recycle  #community

Which of course leads me to a book. It would seem that such an insignificant experience might not be worth the recounting in such a jaded, confused time in our world. Yet, for literally centuries people have been waking to the same sunshine to decide how they will live out their day. I have a favorite author whose books don many of my shelves. Alexander McCall Smith. He is my go-to for book recommendations because he introduced me to Mme Precious Rmwatswe. I believe everyone should know her. She determined herself to be the proprietor of  The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency and therefore, Smith wrote at  least 15 books about her and her community. Her stories are filled with gentle appreciation for her modern culture in Africa, with a regular glance backward to her most noble father who is 'late,'(passed.) (My own introdueced me to these stories.<3) But one I found on my own after meeting her(and her writer) was of another unique period of time and is a stand alone worth every minute. La's Orchestra Saves the World,* asks exactly the question that every person must ask themselves when they wake each day. Is what I do really meaningful, does it matter, and consequently, do I matter. I love the action she undertakes to  move forward in an uncertain time. In a twist of irony, I have had a student who plays French horn, a featured instrument in the book, and a very unique instrument, one that if played well takes one to another level of orchestra and appreciation of the world of music. He, my student, is that type of person and is equal in exceptionality as the instrument of his choosing. His mother commented one day, after lesson number 595, about whether the  playing of the French horn really could save the world-- and I replied, I believed so. For it is is the learning by heart 'something' which trains our minds to seek excellence-- yes, to sense that traction of success, and therefore propels us to hope. And having hope is the essence of that which will truly save the world. 

The books I've mentioned have links to Goldberry Books, an independent bookstore in Concord, North Carolina. The proprietors have opened a brick and mortar store I can't wait to visit. Visit their link to support small business! Their opening in Fall 2020 is the definition of Hope! <3 

 

Community, Working-Out ~ November 2019

     Of all the things I never imagined would come from working out came community. I look for the brave faces who dress for comfort over style and bravely bare their (our) less than perfect bodies.  A handful of friends I've known have been in my classes, surprising me with their strength and stealth at the same time. One friend, I knew worked out, literally dumbfounded me with her agility and core strength. Her plank was a thing of beauty. For all my attempts, I still looked like I was barely trying. But that's the thing about real community: folks will meet you where you are and know you are trying just by showing up. You've already made yourself vulnerable. When you face-plant like I did one day, you're cheered on by getting up and back to it. When you concentrate your effort on isolating the muscle for the intended stretch, you're on the platform at the Olympics. At the right gym, folks know you're not trying to make the swimsuit calendar-- they know already you are in training-- you know your 'why.'  Obstacles are everywhere and you've got to strengthen for the long-game. With every weight successfully lifted, with every fly masterfully engaged, the body preps for when the mind wants to falter. It really does work, if you work it. Nana 'V' always said, 'Use it or you lose it.' She walked our creek side road in Franklin, often leaving us in the dust with her speed. Right up to the end, she flexed her arthritis ridden fingers, in numeric rhythm. Use it, or lose it. Or as Red says, 'Get busy livin' or get busy dyin.'
     The hardest thing about changing old patterns is realigning deeply rutted traditions. Those that center around fellowship and family. Meals, dinner, Sunday lunch, evening gatherings. I found #Whole30 to be a hugely successful approach for me a year ago, but I'm to the stage now where I need to move forward with planning and recipes, meal prepping and focus. Interpret this to say, I'm slipping because my taste buds are bored and my time is limited even more. Stress levels are high and food and drink are my buffers. The holidays are here and I've fallen back into foods like a stunt man falling off a building. 
     So I've pulled out a couple of favorites, including Whole 30 Fast and Easy. To double down and not miss the moment of transition out of my 10 week Fit Body Challenge, I plan to start meal planning more effectively. I've only done what feels like 'level 1' of eating healthy. The staples and basic and sometimes obvious things. But my taste buds are burnt out.  21 days is what folks say it takes to start a habit. Sustainability requires a plan. 
     Community is essential.  Having a common goal or activitiy creates the opportunity to be with people. With the holidays here, a handful of invitations have come my way. They are a blessing, but the everyday community is what sustains us. Yesterday, I was reminded of a book I see everywhere but have never read. I have already been encouraged to improve my 'Turquoise Table,' prep the coffee and be in community. The Turquoise Table: Finding Community and Connection in Your Own Front Yard by Kristin Schell has offered up numerous simple ideas for engaging and noticing those around us and being present. 

     Another I found that appealed to the need for schedule was Return to Sunday Dinner: The Simple Delight of Family, Food, Friends, and Food by Russell Cronkhite. Predictability and consistency are calming in our chaotic world. This book has far more to offer than recipes. It's mere presence on my shelf  reminds me the importance of what I grew up knowing about Sunday dinner.  (But it doesn't have to be Sunday. Ann Moses made legendary pizza every Friday night for years. Years.) Many of the recipes are not quite #whole30 compliant, but that's not the focus. Finding the compromise and creating the beauty around what comes from making the effort is the goal. 

      Thanksgiving is tomorrow. So many things for which to give thanks. Here's to being a good steward of the abundance of God's good grace. God be honored in all things. HE is Worthy. 

Painting with Miss Mustard Seed ~ November 2019

Recently, I won the prize for thrifting in a moment of chance. I snagged the tag for the best piece of furniture among the lot of discarded items and didn't look back. After having several folks ask me if I was really going to buy it, I knew I'd scored a keeper. 
This dresser has found its home in Henry's room. It's wood was quite beautiful, but raw, and needed a protective coating. 

I love Miss Mustard Seed's projects and decided to purchase some of her sealer. I've used it now on two projects and its beautiful. It's clear, non-yellowing and durable. I'll be on the look out for more furniture to experiment with her colors of chalk paint. My favorite is 'Boxwood.' If you're looking for a great  sealer to protect your hard work, I can recommend this for making the finish last. *You'll note, my bottle has been used for 2 coats, so you can see how much I used for the project. Also, the label covered some of the instructions, but I knew I could find instructions at Marian's blog if I needed them. 

*Amazon Affiliate Links

"How are all those resolutions you made going?" November 2019

Well into the fourth quarter of 2019, I've been asked about my book purchases, my diet and my exercise. While there were a few other commitments that I quietly added in January, those are the top three. I am reminded about my self challenge, 

"A Year from Now, You'll Wish You'd Started Today." 

So instead of counting regrets, this year I'm counting accomplishments. Instead of stepping into December with panic and dread, I'm getting creative with my shop and adding students to the schedule. 

Instead of eating the whole box of cookies and camping on the sofa indoors, I'm adjusting my thinking to an intentional way of living. 

Intentional living allows for the slip-up, but not living in denial. 

So, what worked? 

I began to move. Literally. I started walking regularly at least 2 miles at a time, and at all times of the day. Weather is only a circumstance, and if perceived negatively, I reminded myself that, 

'The Obstacle is the Way,' 

and,

 'What doesn't kill ya, makes you stronger.' 

I started listening to different voices. A mantra can create deep ruts in the mind, so I actively started to listen to life affirming 'voices.' Podcasts, friends, family who 'got' me and 'support' my effort to succeed and live life fully. While the negative voices don't always go away-including our own negative thoughts, and when we proactively choose to listen to fulfilling life affirming conversation, we are less likely to buy into destructive lies we might have once told ourselves. 

A year ago, I actively reunited myself to Edie Wadsworth at Life In Grace. I was watching her Facebook live videos in December. These became the fundamentals to her Life Mentoring School. I started taking these classes in September 2019, and couldn't be more thankful. 

My friend Sondra has successfully participated in Athens Fit Body Boot Camp for a year, and with her genuine giving spirit, she has helped and encouraged me through a 10 Week Challenge. 

Yup ~10 Weeks.

 I found muscles I forgot I had. The physicality of the class combined with the amazing guidance and encouragement to do HARD things set me up for another facet of change. I actually WANTED to go to the gym. My body feels better and my dependence on stress buffering agents has decreased. Clearer thinking and confidence were the bi-products I needed and achieved. 

I became accountable to myself. Instead of looking for loopholes, I began look the path of resistance square in the eye. This sounds counter intuitive, but it is usually where the problem is, and once the problem is conquered (or accepted by looking at it instead of avoiding it), the path is clear to do hard things. Once you do the hard things, life seems to open up to allow what is deeply fulfilling. 

Books. Well, I haven't stopped buying, but my number is well under that of years past and almost exclusively, I buy from the FOL (Friends of the Library) book room. This year, I didn't even go to the BIG sale. I know..... did you just feel a gust of spooky wind roll through?? Instead, I've been utilizing a library app on my phone to access books more effectively. I actually used this for teaching this fall, which was one of my 'loopholes' (excuses for retail therapy) I've abused this greatly in the past. 

One must find the balance between reading about life and learning about life AND ACTUALLY LIVING IT. 

Which brings me to a favorite book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, A Year of Food Life, by Barbara Kingsolver. I  couldn't have enjoyed this book more. It reminds me of my most recent foodie book, Whole30. The only way to go through a life change is to embrace it head on and with humor. The constructive discussion about how to achieve a goal spreads graciously over like foliage into all areas of life. It's a beautiful insight into one author's world, and enlightens us into the authenticity of her work, Prodigal Summer. 

So what take-away did I share with a local-bestie today? 

"Do It Scared." 

Once confidence and wisdom are on the mend it's important to try. State things in the affirmative. Move forward. 

Embrace the Moonflower ~ October 2019

I'm a gardener. I'm not an excellent gardener, but no time in the soil can be wasted. We have found a small rhythm of smallish projects that keep us busy. Our yard and garden are the result of a large forgotten, for-closed  subdivision lot. We have 3 raised beds we have now given over to sunflowers, zinnias and jalepeno` peppers. There is even an asparagus bed that has taken good hold. Occasionally we pick up a few bushes and plant within numerous outcroppings of lush perennials. My hope is to draw pollinators and grow glorious color. There is, though, one plant that will not die. The battle I've waged with this one has been unsuccessful, and its prominence right out my kitchen window is all the more insulting. A moonflower is a thing of wonder. Their most beautiful bloom is so unique. Yet it grows on a plant so awkward in its form. At a distance it is tolerable. I know this, because my neighbor has one in his yard. It is hardly noticeable until it blooms. But up close, it's awkward stalks are unstoppable. Persistent, unyielding, it rises like a bouquet of bamboo, with too many knuckles and ankle joints. The bloom begins, but appears, up until the point of blossom, like a spent and faded yellow tissue. But then it blooms and all of the anticipation(dread) has been worth what might be thought an accident. For all the frustration, it showed me. It's pointless to try to improve it, shape it, mold it. It's going to be just what it was created to be. I just get to watch it bloom. Despite my attempts to amend and cause effect, instead I am offered the up-close seat to appreciate and witness. 
If I had been around in the planning of this yard, I might have been able to offer better locations for some of the landscaping. If I was wise, I would have given it a better place, to be seen in a more  complimentary profile. But I wasn't, and ignorantly would have likely torn it away with an earthmover.  I've accepted tree stumps in all the wrong places (I know how to handle those), but up until this 10th year of working this yard, I've never allowed this plant to take it's rightful place in the scheme of our 'garden,' just as it is.  There are some things that can't be fixed, time and opportunity lost are just that- lost. And perhaps  the original essence would have been altered with change. Damaged roots sometimes never recover. The perfection I've sought just isn't as important as learning the lesson of acceptance, contentment, and observation. 

The garden of perfection is long gone. But the opportunity to see beauty in creation is never ending. Quit kicking and chopping. Appreciate it's beauty. Let it grow tall. Watch it bloom. 

December 2018 ~ #whole30 #ihike2019 #lifetimemeds #readthebooksihave

Before the Christmas rush was really on, I had already decided some things would change-- this year. Of course, folks have thought I was crazy to start a #whole30 diet in December. Who does some thing like this?? This is the season of indulgence and all good things. But just like the book says, no time like the present. And then there's this constant reminder: 

A Year from Now, 

You'll Wish You Started Today

So I started. I've documented everything. Every. Thing. 

I even had to visit my GP, and was able to brag. I told her I was actually looking forward to seeing her in March to see my bloodwork. 

I don't  (but that's for another post..) know exactly what pushed me, but I know hearing about someone's medical cost for things that could be prevented with early(ier) life changes in diet and lifestyle made a huge impact. 
I just don't want to live like that. I want to live. Fully. In a way that honors God and supports my family, not weighs it down. 
I've been watching Heidi Scovel hike this year, and have decided I'll set a real goal. #ihike2019 is the code for my present count of 0/52. Why should I wait for a doctor to prescribe what we already know? 
I talk to my BFF almost everyday and for some years she's been talking about Whole 30. She recommended reading 
'It Starts with Food,'  
I read it. And jumped in. All the way.
 I've been successful, with my weaknesses right at the forefront of my plan. No compromises. It's been almost perfect. And I can say, I'll keep up most of it after I'm done. I've never felt better in my life. I don't want to go back. I have 48.5 more years to go to get to 100, and after reading this article today, I think I can make it. Why shouldn't I? The gardening I plan to do to support this diet should surely work! Not to mention fresh eggs! 

One of my 5 chickens as of December 2018.

 Gardens including an asparagus bed ready for winter. 

My chicken's egg on the left. Store bought on the right. 

Over the last year, (and continuing into the next,) I have been reading many books in preparation for teaching Advanced American History IEW Writing in the fall 2019. And I believe I have all I need for that endeavor, so I made another decision. 
This year: I will buy no new books. None. (This is where to lay bets folks.)
I will #readthebooksihave 
I gathered up some reeeally good ones in the last year. One in particular is a great place to start for the upcoming new year. 

Shannan Martin holds nothing back. Should any of us, when it comes to loving our fellow man? loving God? 

2019 will be an interesting year for sure. I will certainly begin counting my #lifetimemeds again, and enjoying hobbies that feed my soul. 

What are your goals for 2019? 

Remember~A year from now, you'll wish you started today! 

October 2015 - Lifemeds #48

'Be kind.'
'Kindness always.'
These are the usual words you'll hear me say first when an argument or disagreement, no matter how mild it may be, breaksout within our home. 
I've taken to making these signs, on leftover wood, and pass them out as gifts. It seems to be a universally understood way of saying so many things one might wish to share with children arguing-- adults for that matter. 

While words will stick if repeated over and over, often its the experience of being kind to someone or something that will create a memory, a feeling that cannot be reversed. The momentum of goodness is started, and one cannot deny its existence. In our world, pets seem to take over. Exhibit 'A'. As temporary as this moment was, (she's not allowed to remain here)its a telling moment. Peaceful, even. Lucy is here to stay. 

Curly and Larry, the cats, are long members of the family. As abrasive as the light in the photo is, their calming influence on our home is just as firmly planted as they are cozily snuggled in this bed.
Every part and action of a home is telling.
While the world rages on, we will continue to keep the peace here in our home. Serenity. For now.    

Summer 2015 - Lifemeds #46

The summer has flown by. 2 months were not enough. June and July. August 5 brings me to the first day of school for Henry, and 2 weeks from our official start up for Jack.
It seems it has never stopped.
We had a wonderful summer, full of adventure, swimming, and fun. Heat brought a longing for fall and winter, seasons that change our hearts and minds.
Here's a glimpse, don't blink-- you'll miss it!!

Life's problems are just 

the management of blessings. 

Counting them is Lifemeds. 

#46 times to be exact.  

December 2014

Cranberry bread recipe from JoAnn Jacobi, shared with Mom when I was little. So yummy.

A new tradition that has 'it's own life, Buddy, the Elf.

Our trip, with kids to Athens Symphony. Can't say enough good. Dreams come true.

We stood, boys and all, through the Hallelujah Chorus! Yes!! 

2006 Christmas

2014 Christmas
Feeling at Home, at last.