We had an ice storm last night and into the morning, so Calvin had an “ice day” off school.  The roads were just wet this morning, so Jeff still went into work and Marshall went to his college class.  It made for a slow morning, though, and a day that felt like it should be a staycation kind of a day!  I ended up getting work done, though and took some time to do some meal-prepping as well.  I don’t plan everything in detail, but get some staples ready to make lunches and dinners quick and healthy.  I made a batch of rice and tried some refried beans for the first time. I’ve started working on some organizing with just one drawer, the junk drawer in the kitchen, and now I am getting excited to do more!  Anyway, here are my four things for this week… what I’m reading In

Can you believe it’s almost February?  Didn’t we just start decorating for Christmas?  Someone once told me that when you have kids, you press the fast-forward button on your life.  Of course, time travels at the same pace whether you have kids or not, but it does feel like the days, months, and years are going faster than they used to!  In the final days of January, here are my four things… what I’m reading After being a bit lazy with my daily walks, I am back to walking 3+ miles a day.  I have learned that December and January feel like hibernation months for me.  I just want to knit, paint, read, snuggle in hoodies, eat soup and bread, and give myself a bit of a break.  As an added bonus for my winter-loving self, we’ve had a couple of nice snows along with periods of below-freezing temperatures, so

This has been a quiet week and colder than usual for this area (Washington County, Maryland.)  I’ve spent a lot of time painting, writing, sketching, and other good cold-weather pursuits.  While it’s been in the single digits and teens much of the week, with a layer of crunchy snow on the ground, I’m already thinking about the garden waking up in a few weeks and what I want to tackle in the yard this year.  But, there are a few more weeks of reading, knitting, and indoor projects before we get there.  I’ll enjoy my hoodies, wool socks, and soup as long as I can. Here are my favorites from this winter week… what I’m reading I received an advance copy of Patina Homes & Gardens by the ever-talented Steve and Brooke Giannetti.  It comes out in just five days!  I have their other books, Patina Homes and Patina Farms, which

I’ve heard from several of my blog readers that they enjoy my Four Things series and it’s given them ideas for how to share on their own blogs or social media or even just in their personal records.  I’m so glad to hear that!  I always hope my blog posts will be a jumping-off point for the creative work (and hobbies) of those who read it. For those who have been waiting for my next original art sale, it will be happening next Friday, January 24, 2025.  I’ll post a preview with more details, available works, sizes, and prices on Monday. So, here are my four things… what I’m reading I’ve been researching the history of record keeping for the past few months and, believe it or not, it has been a fascinating subject that has led me down more rabbit holes and to more books.  I’ve been reading about

Here we are at the first four things of 2025!  I’ve enjoyed this little round-up of favorite things.  Even if you don’t share online, I would encourage you to keep a list of what you’re up to each week.  It can be informally as a list of what you’re reading, what you’re watching, what you’re loving, and what you’re working on.  I guarantee keeping a simple record will make you more observant, intentional, and aware.  It’s also fun to look back to see how you’re spending your time, what you’re taking in, and how you’re growing.  As I shared yesterday, it’s all practice for who you’re becoming. So, here are my four things… what I’m reading I’ve been listening to the audiobook Camille Pissarro: The Audacity of Impressionism while on walks or when I’m getting ready in the morning and it’s been such a fascinating read.  As the title suggests,

This will be my final Four Things of the year since I will take a few weeks off for Christmas break.  If you’ve been reading my blog, you might remember that I used to post every single day – Christmas Day, on vacation, after surgery, when I was sick.  It was a little crazy, but a big part of the daily posting was I enjoyed it so much.  I was always elated about time off when I worked in the corporate world, but I loved writing and sharing on my blog, so I didn’t feel like I needed a break from it.  After a few years of not taking any breaks, I felt understandably burnt out and finally took a week off for Christmas.  As you would imagine, I learned the value of seeing rest as an important part of work and now I take regular, healthy breaks and actual

One of my Instagram followers said it best, “You’ve been Mondaying hard this week.”  Based on the snippets I’ve shared on Stories, I can see why it would look that way.  Sunday afternoon I dropped my palette paint-side-down on the floor.  Less than an hour later, I put a hoodie in the wash (because I got paint on it) and thought it was heavy because the sleeves I had already cleaned were wet. I learned about 15 minutes later that it was heavy because my iPhone was in the pocket.  Miraculously, it still worked.  I put it in front of a fan for a few hours and it’s been fine.  So far, anyway. Then, Tuesday night, I kept waking up because my left foot hurt.  I couldn’t get it in a comfortable position and finally got out of bed around 5:00 to see if I could stretch it out. I