mushrooms, wine and a mini lion

chanterelles drying for use in the off season

It was a pretty good time to use a needle and bookbinding thread and hang them from the ceiling. A normal Tuesday night... :)

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Lucy, chantrelles and the wine
***

Lucy, who with her real bobcat fut collar looks like a proud mini lion, is checking out a new part of her domain.

I sure like that cat. xo ~Susie

in process...

cuffs!

grass and mushroom

*

ACEO's etc

*
grapes!
xo! ~s

Reasons why lately I have been a bad blogger...

1. I went out of town unexpectedly last week to attend my Grandmothers funeral.

2. I left my camera in Utah :( but happily I think I will get it back tomorrow.

3. We have finally started harvesting grapes which means that there is lots of extra work to do and lots of overtime.

4. I have been slightly stressed out by certain job changes (I may or may not be employed January 1st).

Reasons why right now is pretty great:

1. Harvest is fun. 2. Its getting cold which means lots of bundling up and wearing big cozy things. 3. Change can be exciting. 4. I am reading a book that I bought at Goodwill, I cant remember what its called but its about magic and its very fun. 5. In Utah I got to see all sorts of cousins and family members I haven't seen in years. 6. The view of the vineyard in the morning. 7. Sweet and creamy coffee. 8. M will be home tonight.

How have you all been??

today in Amity

Today in Oregon the rain has finally stopped, but I sort of already miss it.

Things feel very busy around here. Life seems to consist of running and waiting and not much in between. The grapes are very late this year, but are finally almost ready to harvest, and with them I am almost done with my harvest preparations. A lot goes into a bottle of wine my friends, and that is before the fruit even gets to the winery.

I was finally starting to feel settled here. On top of things. Like I knew what I was doing and where I was going at least for the next year maybe. But now that feeling is somewhat gone. I am worried.

I am sick of change.

I think I could sleep for 2 whole days.

I cant wait to get the mail today.

This morning I have had 3 cups of coffee, half a bagel, one cheese and peanut butter cracker and have done more vlookups (excel fun) then I cared to.

Hope you all have a lovely Tuesday chickadees.

happenings

Its been a busy week, but good busy. M surprised me late Wednesday night and was able to stay around last night, which was wonderful.

At work we are getting close to harvest, which means there are a million things going on.

I started to paint again.

And this week I wrote three poems.

I also have a few book designs swimming around my head that I am excited to get home and try. They combine leather, birds, branches and my sewing machine.

Tonight I am looking forward to a night in, doing laundry, painting, cleaning, a quick nap and then a coffee infused 1AM drive to the coast.

Have a fantastic Friday friends!

a-ok

This has already been a busy (bordering on frantic at times) week and its only Tuesday.

But, today I am getting organized and I know everything is going to be fine. Things tend to work out eventually.

I will figure out how to fix my car and find someone to do it, hopefully it wont cost too much money, I will get packed, I will get moved this weekend, I will settle into the new place, I will get things done at work, and I will survive a week or two on my own.

Also

last night I somehow ended up parked on the street in front of a house dropping off a friend in the just about the same spot where I had been dropping off the same friend many years ago, and in that odd and interesting moment when we realized this, we also happened to see a coyote in the street just ahead of us. He sat and looked at us for a good minute and then turned and ran. Lots of cultures think that this is good luck, so in the words of my friend, it looks like we might just be on fate's good side.

Reasons why I like today:

I have felt super productive and like I am finally kind of on top of things.

The sky is blue and my cat got to spend the whole day outside.

I ate chocolate and strawberries for lunch.

Tonight will be hot tubing, enchiladas and Glee.

I made a BIG book binding materials purchase and have some fun custom orders in the works. I like making albums and am hoping to keep doing more of it.

I am finally reading Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. I have no idea how I haven't read this already, but I am reading it now and I love it. Its fun and funny and inspiring and I have big plans to start scheduling writing into my life.

I am starting to feel my balance return.

finally...

Well, its official. I have accepted a job in an administrative position at a vineyard about an hour southwest of Portland and I am feeling great about it.

On a clear day the view from my window will look like this:

credit

I will be able to live in a very small town if I want to, or have a slightly longer drive to work and live a bit closer into civilization. Though even the civilization there can't really be called city. I'm looking forward to getting to explore and decide just exactly where I want to be.

Today has been one of those good days where I just felt like things were going to work out, and then they did. I got the job offer I wanted, had a great yoga class, was productive, have been enjoying reconnecting with an old friend, and have nice evening plans to look forward to.
***

Of course with the thought of a new job, a new home, a new place, new neighbors and friends, there is a bit of fear too. But that's ok. There is nothing wrong with a little fear to keep things exciting.

Photo found here.

Also I am hoping to find a place to live that looks just like that.

good reasons to get up early

amazing skies

birds

the delicious solitude of the early morning, journal writing, and herbal tea

morning mist

sunrise

homemade iced coffee from a jar

priorities and looking that grey sky square in the face

found HERE ***

This has been on my mind lately. The idea that if something is important to you, you will make time for it (within reason of course). When someone says they don't have time for a thing or a person really what that means deep down is that they don't care enough about it to make a space for it in their life.

***

Lately I feel strongly about being honest.

About living in reality.

If I want something, I want to be honest with myself about WHY I want it. And then I can make the best most informed decision about it. Or if at a specific moment in time I need to go completely by feel, I will see that need, admit it, give myself permission and then go for it.

What I don't want to do is tell myself that something is a good decision when it isn't.

Or tell myself that I don't really want that thing anyway, when really I do want it. Desperately maybe. I want to admit that want, even if I know I wont get the thing I'm after. Pretending to not have the desire will only confuse things further.

I am currently sitting in a McDonald's (it was the closest place with wifi) drinking coffee and waiting for the breaks on my car to be repaired. Hopefully it will be finished in time for me to make my noon yoga class. Hope your day is full of productivity and clarity.

~s

some journeys are small

It was rainy yesterday but I needed

a little cheering up so I grabbed a

friend and off we went.

The cherry blossoms are coming out,

but somehow it still doesn't feel quite like Spring.

Not yet.

But I think its close.

I have a very strong love for bridges.

Maybe because they let you cross over from one

place to another. A new place,

full of possibility and promise.

There was lots of moss, ferns, waterfalls, and walking.

A good day, even with a little rain.

bread and blue skies

The blue skies were yesterday.

Today we got some good ol' Oregon rain.

growing pains

Sometimes you want to be in the mood

for a good time and instead all you want is

a cup of tea and a book of poetry.

Tonight was one of those nights.

I have been in a reading frenzy.
(writing too)

I cant seem to stop.
I love it.
Also I have drunk more milk in the past week then in the whole 6 months before.
Its like when I was a young girl with gangly, long legs. As they grew they would ache and I would drink milk and lay with them extended high into the air. Sometimes my mom would rub them.
It helped.
Maybe this is just another kind
of growing pains.

a rainy weekend and cycles

I have been seeing lately how much of my life goes in cycles. For example, I love photography. I get tons of happiness and enjoyment out of doing it, but sometimes its like I forget or don't think I have time or for whatever reason I put my camera on a shelf and neglect it for far far too long. Then eventually I see it sitting there and think maybe its time to get it out again. And so I do and then all the joy from it comes rushing back and I wonder what in the world could have kept me away for so long.

I do that with other things too.

Certain people

or feelings

or actions that I know

bring balance.

So this weekend included:

watercolors

beer battered elk

playing with a 1 year old

driving on a sunny day

my camera

lots of rain

and neglecting lots of cleaning.

But I am not going

to worry about what I didn't do.

Have a good Monday friends :)

shine

found HERE

I'm quite taken with the whole collection frankly.

In other news, I am finally going to a yoga class tonight (YIPPEE!!) I have desperately needed it. Also I was sad to realize this morning that I left the cord that connects my camera (both cords for both cameras even) at my sisters house. So some of the fun and lovely things I have been working on these last few days will have to wait while I wait for them to arrive in the mail. But don't you worry. There is plenty of other fun stuff to share.

Also music can change the mood of an entire day.

Toodles lovelies!

baking bread and balance

The other day my sister and I decided to bake a little bread.

We used this recipe and just went for it.
And let me tell you it is GOOD.

It had been years since I had made bread so I was a little rusty, but as soon as I got that dough in my hands it all came back to me.

They are a little misshapen maybe,

but that doesn't make them taste any less amazing. :)

***

Very few things make me feel as pioneer woman like as kneading dough.

Good times.

In other news,

there is snow on the ground.

I'm drinking a mocha and using coffee shop internet.

I've been painting rocks

and watching the first season of Bones.

I'm 50 pages from the end of Outlander.

The skies are blue and the mountains are covered in white.

I have a job interview (for a job in Utah) tomorrow.

I didn't bring anything fancy so this afternoon I need to find something to wear for said interview.

I miss my cat.

Things don't always work out how I want them to and I have been letting go a bit, of expectations (and hopes maybe) and I suppose my attempt at control. Letting go of that does make it easier to be content with life as it is. But it also drives out motivation. And I worry about letting expectations get to low. Balance always seems to be the right answer. I guess I'm working on it.

creative spaces

I have always been interested in and inspired

by the spaces that artists create for themselves.

Sometimes all that is necessary is a coffee shop,

or a blanket by the ocean and a pen and journal.

But sometimes you need something a little more complex,

with a home to tenderly place each tool.

***

Here are a few that I have come across lately:

This workspace belongs to Lisa of Lisa's Lovelies.

Image found here

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The dearest UmberDove

Image found here
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Kerri of Songs of Light

Image found here
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Heather Smith Jones

Image found Here
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Portland artist Betsy Walton

Image found here

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Necessary parts of any creative space for me:

room to sprawl

natural light

something alive and green and leafy

music

images or items that inspire

lots of storage

bits of nature gathered during my travels

Have a lovely Tuesday birds!

the last few days...

The last few days have included some really great things.
Here are a handful:

a Hawaiian plate lunch,

live music,

a small but perhaps quite telling freak out,

winning a chia pet elephant at a Christmas party

(clearly this is the gift I was hoping to go home with),

a weird job interview,

this view,

picking up my sister from the airport,

wrapping gifts,

journaling,

working on some new ideas,

remembering how nice it can be to let yourself really want something,

planning meals and shopping lists,

cleaning,

and sleeping in.

so the last

few days

have been good.

Hope yours have been too!

when in doubt, add more tinsel

I am beginning to realize how close Christmas really is.

Last night I got very bundled up and walked down a street full of lights.

We got to see Santa and men in kilts playing bagpipes.

***

I woke up this morning, got a mocha and went to Goodwill to find the perfect white elephant gift for a party tonight. I think these wooden reindeer will do the trick. :)
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Lucy keeping me company.
***

This have felt quiet lately. I have been writing more. Going more slowly. Being gentle with things. There is no need to rush or to try to force anything. I am beginning to understand that. To just let go and allow things to unfold, having faith that they will happen as they should.
***

This season has been peaceful
more then joyful.
But peaceful is good.

Have a lovely

weekend!

seeing past the rain splattered window

1. Looking through a rain spotted window.

2. Searching for the perfect yoga studio.

3. I made three medium albums that will dry overnight

and then be ready to ship off tomorrow.

4. I am researching new cameras.

I adore photography and have only had a little point and shoot for too long.

So I just might get one.

Merry Christmas to me. :)

5. A trip to the post office where happily the line wasn't TOO long.

6. I will soon have dinner with some friends at a rib place

that is apparently owned by Snoop Dog's uncle.

The food sounds quite promising.

7. I was also lucky enough to be the winner of this lovely calendar HERE.

Thanks Cathy!