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... :)

***
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

cute animal photos

These were all found in funny email forwards I received from family members. :)

Hope everyone's week is off to a great start!!

~S

in progress

I finally went out and got the right tools and now I am making myself an awesome grass belt. I cant wait to wear it.

2 thoughts: Leather is really fun. Everything is better when you have the right tools.

PS. I may even make a cuff or key chain in this pattern for the shop in the next few days. Exciting stuff!! :)

Lucy assisting.

Hope everyone is having a great week! Mine has gone super fast, I suppose because of the holiday. But that sounds good to me! xo

cute animal awesomeness and lists

credit

credit
via Daily Pep Talk

The last couple days I have been making a lot of lists. Mostly of things I want to and have every intention of doing. I hope I actually do them. I guess there is a lot in my head these days and the lists are a part of me trying to make sense of it.

I am feeling a little bit of a creative void lately and I am trying to find ways to fill it that I can still do while working a full time day job. I am pretty sure it will all work out.

These cute animals are a good distraction.

Have an amazing weekend friends!

I got a rock

found here

***

The last time I was at the coast, which happens to have been new years eve, I gathered lots and lots of lovely Oregon coast stones. The shape and texture of each one is unique and just wonderful. For weeks I just stacked them up around the house and enjoyed having them there.

But then while I was at my sisters house a couple of weeks ago

I decided it was time to get out the paint.

***

I painted lots of them, but picked just a few to share at first.

I have to say I really enjoyed working with these rocks and am quite happy with how some of them turned out.

***
Lucy sometimes likes to get involved in photo sessions.

***
That is, she thinks she wants to until I make her pose with me :)

Have a restful

and happy

weekend all!

stone and hemp

* bracelets made from hemp and stone*

Picasso Jasper in black and white (18x26mm)

Coral fossil in shades of creme (15x20mm)

Lemon Chrysoprase faceted nuggets in some quite fabulous shades of green (24x16mm)

*

Lucy sure likes them!

*

These will be in the jewelry shop

in the next day or two.

Thanks for stopping by!

an afternoon in the garden

With my parents out of town

it is my happy job to tend

the garden.

Calla lilies ~ baby green peppers

(which I am eagerly anticipating eating) ~

and unidentified purple flower loveliness.

{clockwise, starting at the top left}

a nap in the hammock ~ watering the flower beds ~

journal writing with Lucy ~ kitties like to chew sticks too ~

O the lovely scent of the Jasmine ~

and purchased on the side

of the road raspberry goodness.

Taking care of living

things, whether they be plant

or animal or person,

is a wonderful thing.

freedom, the outdoors, and the art of perfect timing

1. Freedom, artistic and otherwise, is important to me.

2. Its time for an adventure. :)

3. Moments of solitude and reflection are healing and precious

and I will not take them for granted.

4. Continuing to feel brave is important to me.

5. I can make a place into HOME by what I put into it. Its not a location.

That makes leaving a place a lot less scary.

Today

I am finding joy in

favorite music,

the outdoors,

and reconnecting.

Today I have been able to look at my life, at what I have and don't have, and see the good and the bad in both. There are things that I have wanted (desperately) and still want, that I don't have (yet). But I can also see the ways I have been incredibly blessed. I can see the ways in which not getting what I wanted (yet) has itself been a blessing.

And I can see that there is heartache and difficulty

sometimes in getting the thing that you longed for

Lucy my tiger-kitty.

day 2 in photos

Iowa was a little stormy at first, but I actually enjoyed driving through the rain.

There were tons of wind turbines.

They were pretty amazing.

Nebraska!

Lots of big beautiful skies.

Lucy managed to stay comfy.

going West

Today I packed up my car drove away. I left Ohio.

Leaving a place and people that you love is a hard thing to do.

But,

when one must one can.

I am not sure that this is entirely legal

(cat on lap while driving),

but it worked for us

and honestly I was just happy she wasn't freaking out.

:)

"When we speak we are afraid our words

will not be heard or welcomed.

But when we are silent, we are sill afraid.

So it is better to speak."

Audre Lorde

a rant for Tuesday...

I was going to rant,

because its Tuesday,

and because I am pretty put out

by any number of things at the moment

but then i realized

that i don't really have

the energy to rant...

so instead i will just say that i am feeling

tiered

and sick

and overworked

and not really very appreciated

and today is turning out to be one of those days

when i don't enjoy living alone.

but

at least there is

a pretty sky

and i am wearing my pj's

and hopefully things will

all look a little better

tomorrow

and the winner is...

EMILY

Congratulations!!!

I will contact you over email so we can discuss your book. :)

Thanks so all who entered!!

i made it!

9:00 am got up (45,600)
9:45 am made coffee and took a shower
10:00 am thought about writing but decided to go shopping instead
Changed my mind again and decided to write just a little and go shopping later.
10:21 am (46,244)
10:51 am (47,201)
11:00 am get to a good stopping point and actually go shopping
2pm home. Put away groceries. Organize Christmas presents.
2:45 start writing again.
3:16 pm (48,475) Time for a little break.
A phone call from an old friend.
3:59 pm back to writing for 10 more minute’s until my lasagna is out of the oven.
Lucy figures out how to climb onto the roof from her favorite tree. (photos below... happily she does also eventually figure out how to get down).
4:30 pm. Break for dinner/lunch - 48,957
5:15 pm. (49,665) so close I can almost taste it. I want to just power through it though its going a bit slowly right now.
5:23 pm. my pace has picked up again (49,934). AHHHHHHHH!!!!!
5:24 pm 50,005 :)
And I am done.

The book itself isn’t, but my first NaNoWriMo is. And I have to say I am pretty proud to have finished it. (I will keep updating my word count and let you know when it’s completley finished). My next goal is to have the book finished by Christmas. Then I will take a bit of a break before I start editing.

Hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend!