My World In This Moment- **Picture Heavy**

Well- *my* football season ended tonight in a close game.  That frees me from sports until April when the Sox start playing.  Tonight (it's Sunday) I thought I would share a few pictures of the house, what I am up to and- naturally- Auggie.  No major post, just things I am grateful for today.  **All pictures taken between October 1st and yesterday.  They are not in order- Blogger is being a bear about moving them to where I want them**

 The House now that it's winter, and just before the snow

Had to include the monster bed.  I feel like The Princess and the Pea when I climb in. 

The Harry Potter collection in my home office: 

Auggie- King of my world: 

 

Just because it's true: 

 We spend MANY hours like this: 

My latest project- Wands for my store's upcoming Harry Potter Book Night: 

 The house while we were moving in- Miss Harley loved the back yard: 

 
 

 

 

 

A lovely glass sculpture from my Mama that is named for the Sisters hangs over the sink: 

Taking care of myself and getting back to cooking/prepping real meals:

Naturally- still Haunting in season: 

JOSH came to visit to help us move- and then went haunting with me.  :-) 

The Rush is OVER!

Well, my Rush is over.  I made it through my first rush without my Assistant Manager.  It was grueling and now I am paying for it.  I spent about 6 weeks working no less than 60 hours a week and my body has officially rebelled.  My everything is swollen, my everything hurts.  I expected to bring on an RA flare but this time I even brought on a Fibro flare.  When I saw my Rheumy yesterday I told her "even my skin hurts!".  She was pretty taken back because I rarely complain.  But- she put me on a 12 day dose pack of Prednisone, changed my muscle relaxer and now I just take the next 3 days to rest, relax and recuperate.
I don't love Prednisone but if it makes it so I can put on real shoes again- I will deal with it.

Hubby is still without work.  It's making both of us crazy.  He has turned job hunting into a full time job (as he should) but he's getting very frustrated.  I understand it but he has to understand that he's 50.  He's up against people much younger- and less "expensive" for jobs.  Oh well, what can you do, right?  Just keep plodding along I guess.  I shouldn't say it but I have kind of enjoyed having a "house husband" during my rush.  It took a lot of pressure off of me.  If we could afford it, it would be good for me to have him here full time to keep taking care of the house and all the day to day.

Now- it's time to go back and put my feet up and nap before the Patriot's game today.  I hope you all have a lovely weekend.  

Finding Time and Ways to Relax

     When you are plagued with chronic illness; be it the host of chronic pain illnesses that I live with, or something like Crohn's, Depression, IBS, PTSD, any other chronic disease or even if you are a major Type A (or High D on the DISC styles), the best thing you can give yourself  is the time and a way to unwind.

     Now I know (being both a Type A and a workaholic) that that is easier said than done.  There are times that I have to actually schedule in my down time.  The thing is- it's imperative that you give your body and your mind time to quiet and recharge.  No matter who you are you can only go so long before your body rebels.  I experienced that countless times pre-diagnosis when I was burning the candle at both ends.  I would go and go and go until I just couldn't go any further.  You know, and I know, that there comes the point when you can FEEL that you aren't at your best, so rather than wait for that to happen, taking time to destress can make a world of difference.

     There are the "usual" ways to relax;  take a few minutes to watch the sun rise or set, take a walk, (if you are like me) spend some time with your puppies, spend some time with your children just doing what they want to do, read a book, take an exercise class, go for a bike ride, take in a movie, etc.  I am sure you have heard them all.  So what else can you do if these aren't working for you or just aren't your cup of tea?  Here are a few low to no cost things that I have on my list:

• Do a round of yoga at home.  If you have cable, OnDemand often has a yoga video or two.  Personally, I prefer this series from YouTube that I can fire up on my iPad, lay it on the floor and follow along.             
• If she is not to your liking, there are hundreds of beginners videos on Youtube for you to choose from.   
• Re-watch your favorite movie.  Pull out that DVD, pop some popcorn and sit back and enjoy.  I don't think you want to know how many times I have seen the 8 movies in the Harry Potter series, ;-) 
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• Turn off all of your devices.  I know- BLASPHEMY! One thing that always stops me from truly relaxing is hearing the "ping" or "ding" or different assigned noises from my iPhone, my iPad, my PC.  Even if you try to ignore it, in the back of your mind you are wondering "Who was that?  What am I missing?"  Even if you put them on silent, you can hear the vibrations so it doesn't really help.  In order to eliminate feeling like you should be checking to see what's come in you really must turn them all off. 
• While you are device free, give yourself a home "spa" treatment.  A soaking bath with or without bubbles, a facial/body scrub made of brown sugar and honey to treat your skin, a manicure, a pedicure, soak your aching feet in hot water and epsom salts; pamper yourself! 
• Dance your heart out.  It doesn't matter that you are at home, if you are alone let loose.  If the kids are at home make it a dance party, they will love it!  Whatever you do, just fire up the music and go.  
• My current favorite way to relax is to COLOR!  I have less than zero artistic talent but I can color all day.  Do you remember just laying on the floor and coloring when you were a kid? This is my current project:
  
    Barnes & Noble has a plethora of coloring books for adults which you can see here.  Crayola also has us in mind-they have sets of crayons that are twistable mechanical pencils.  The books start at $6.99 in store (ALWAYS support your stores if you can get there) and the Crayons run $7.99 to $10.99 depending on where you get them.  You can also find some really cool downloadable coloring pages online- just search Coloring Pages for Adults on Google.  I can color for hours and block out everything but which shade I will use next.  
• Take a warm beverage into a quiet room and just sip it.  Don't do anything, I mean NOTHING until you finish your beverage.  I am a coffee girl throughout the day but when I want to relax I choose something different.  Lipton and Bigelow have wonderful herbal (caffeine free) teas.  I like the Peach, Blueberry and Superfruit. I add a little raw, local honey and close the door to my bed room.  My current favorite beverage is AOI Tea Company's Blueberry Matcha.  It's subtley sweet- I don't add anything and you can make it with milk or water.  It is truly divine.  I keep a serving of the powder at work for those afternoons when you just need something.  I shut my office door for 15 minutes and just enjoy the matcha. 

       That's a few ideas from me.  How about you?  Do you have inexpensive ways that you relax? Whatever you do today- give yourself some down time.  Stop, breathe and do something just for you.  

     

The road less traveled

“You’ve got a lot of choices. If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and you’re not smiling on a regular basis, try another choice.”
― Steven D. Woodhull

I got this quote in my inbox on Friday.  As I read it, I just smiled because it is so simple, yet makes so much sense.  How many times have we stayed on the same path for far longer than is good for us because it is easier than making a change?  I know I have- far too often. 

A prime example is getting out of Massachusetts.  For many, many years my Grandmother (rest her soul) and my parents advised me to get out of there.  They offered us a place to stay in Indiana so we could make a life for ourselves out here.  For those same years- we had a million "reasons" (read-excuses) why we should stay there but what it boiled down to was that it was the life we knew.  Even though Massachusetts has an incredibly high cost of living, even though we struggled month to month- it was easier than picking up and changing our lives completely.  Of course- now we know by having made that move coming up on three years ago- it was the best thing we could have done. 

We also know that had we listened to our loved ones years ago- Josh would not be facing the exact same conundrum right this minute.  Josh is having a tough time of it up there.  We have offered him a home, my parents have offered him a home, my sisters have offered him a home- all in different places across the country- all with the possibility of a fresh start.  He, like his parents before him, is trying his hardest to make it work where he is comfortable.  What he doesn't realize is that all of us understand how hard it is to make that change and we only want to hold open the door to possibilities for him.  It is up to him to walk through that door.

Choosing to take the road less traveled is just that- stepping through a door and opening up a world of possibilities.  It's a chance to re-invent yourself and to (as Oprah is wont to say) "Live your best life".  It's literally a chance to have a mulligan or a "do over".  You can go someplace were very few (or no) people know you.  They don't know your history, they don't know your mistakes, they only know what they see of your words and actions from this day forward.  Sounds good doesn't it?  No matter how good it sounds it can very, very hard to make that first step.  It means physically walking away from what you consider "home".  Even though there are email, IM, phones, it means "leaving" your friends.  It means leaving your comfort zone.  Stepping out of that comfort zone can be very SCARY- but if you take that leap it can be equally gratifying.  

In going back to the quote at the beginning of this blog- I cannot be grateful enough that we did exactly what Mr. Woodhull advises and made another choice.   Having taken that chance, having stepped out of our comfort zone, having opened ourselves up to the possibilities has given us more blessings than we could ever have imagined.  Most importantly, it has allowed us to find out who we are and not have to live up to what others think.  It has allowed us to reinvest in our relationship with one another and if possible we are happier now than we were as newlyweds.  It has give us peace, in our home, in our hearts and our souls.  Would I recommend the road less traveled- you bet I would because if you keep your mind and your heart open- it can change your life immeasureably. 

Comfort Foods

As I sit here, I can close my eyes, take in a deep breath and smell the scent of chicken, carrots, celery and onions. In fact- the scent has combined over the hours to pervade my entire home. If I rid myself of the electronics going all around me I can hear the bubble, bubble, bubble of the broth as it it thickens courtesy of the dumplings. From finding the recipe in the very cherished cookbook that my mother made for me to putting the whole chicken and spices in to start it cooking this morning, to deboning the chicken, to hand rolling, cutting and dropping the dumplings into the stock through the time I sit down with the bowl- the process of making these Chicken and Dumplings is a pure pleasure. It doesn't matter that it takes many hours from start to finish. What matters is that I know that with every step and every delicious bite I am tied to a past generation. This recipe came from my mother's grandmother, to my grandmother to my mom, to me and I have shared it with my son. We have each added a different touch and we have all added our love to that pot. When I eat it, and when I share it with friends and family- there is a warmth that floods me and makes me feel as if all of my worries are long gone if only for a few minutes.

My husband has his own comfort food- the chili that his mom taught him to make. Though he is both a good- and creative- cook in his own right, the only modification he makes to his mother's recipe is how much heat he adds in the form of various hot sauces in "his" batch (he makes the original for me and spices his up). Other than that- the recipe has stayed the same as the way she always made it. When he makes it, indeed when he thinks about making it, it brings a gleem to his eye that lasts till his last bowl.

There are other comfort foods in my life. Just the other day I was having a high stress day and I would have literally hurt someone for some mashed potatos. In fact-I can't think of anything done to a potato that doesn't bring comfort. Oatmeal- especially with brown sugar and fruit is just the perfect start to a day. It reminds me of being a child and getting ready for school. You know- the days when the biggest worry was if your best friend was still your best friend? Sitting down with a bowl makes life just seem simpler.

Comfort foods make us smile when we don't feel like it. They make us feel better when we are sick or down. They make good days even better. Chicken noodle soup is the universal comfort food but each of us has our own personal thing that makes everything better for our own reasons. Thank you Mom, Grandma and Great-Grandma Clara for handing down and sharing your love and your chicken and dumpling recipe. I think of each of you when I make and eat it and I hope that Josh does the same and passes it on when he has children.