for the weekend



This photo is one I took a year ago when BAJ and I went to Seattle for a short vacation.
(It was in a small park near the International District).
I love it... because I absolutely adore ferns... but more than that...
because it speaks to me about our current situation.

Sometimes it's easy to feel like you are "between a rock and a hard place...
and certainly... coming up on the prospect of being both jobless and homeless...
brings on lots of thoughts of insecurity... pain... frustration... and yes... wanting to give up.

But... like the fern it the photo...
I believe we can not only survive our current predicament... but... perhaps even thrive.

To this end, I have been concentrating on clearing out any extra stuff... and selling it... (or donating it)
because we have no idea where we are going... and the less we have to worry about taking with us...
or finding room for... or potentially having to store somewhere... the better.

These coming few weeks are going to be really busy.
Fixing up the yard... trimming trees... cutting lots of stumps and such that have been "seasoning" for firewood...
doing some simple landscaping things like adding mulch to our old garden beds...
fixing little things inside... like knobs in showers... and painting a couple ceiling lights...
replacing light fixtures outside... gutters that have loosened...
and cleaning... like the vents... windows... the furnace pads, etc.

It's all a process... and we're working on it.

friday finds


I read... alot.
I love the written word.

I have decided to feature some of the blogs I read on friday's... hence the title... Friday's Finds.
I have about 250 blogs currently on my reading list... and I'm going to be sharing those links over the course of this year... on Friday's.
(plus any more I come across).
If you have a blog.... or have a favorite blog that you want me to feature... just shoot me an email (moongipsies@msn.com).

***

It's been a busy week.
One of the things I have yet to go through... is my sewing/ quilting/ needlework stuff.
I did go thru it a couple years ago... but with the impending move, 
I don't want to take any extras... as I am  not sure how much space we will eventually end up in.

With that in mind... I've been thinking alot about the fabric and such that I have...
(most of which was either my grandmother's, sister's... or stuff I picked up along the way).
In particular, I have saved 100% cottons, flannels, hemp and bamboo fabrics... and vintage.
I want to get back into quilting again... and love the more natural fabrics.

To that end... I've also been looking at some of the fabric themed, and fabric "friendly" blogs
on my reading list... and thought I would include some more here today :)


and this awesome site that features Japanese Textiles









trepidation lurks
with every new up and down...
the wheels of this life

***


Life is very unpredictable.... and that is OK.









my full moon morning... 
full of promise and beauty
as the day begins

***

I took this one 2 days ago... when the moon was full... and getting ready to let the sun shine.
It was gorgeous.



today was not a good day... and I can't come up with a decent Haiku to save my soul...
and so I will wish you all the best... try to be optimistic... and post a pretty photo that I took yesterday.

MondayUPs



Monday's can be rough... But I'm here to help.

In celebration of my 15th year selling my handmade stuff... 
I am going to be featuring things I've seen on blogs, on the internet, in books
...wherever inspiration strikes! On making new items from old goods..
hence, MondayUPs (upcycling)...

***

 Because we are in the middle of packing up stuff... 
I thought now would be a good time to write a more 
"generic" post on recycling/upcycling.

 One of my goals for my Etsy shop (here)
is to have the majority of my items
to be from recycled/upcycled/repurposed elements. 
Granted... for some of my jewelry... It will not be possible because 
I also use new beads, gemstones and findings... as well as vintage and salvaged ones.
And for most all of my scarves at the moment... the yarn was bought new... and is not from recycled fiber... 
but in the future... :)

 Which means currently...
3/4ths of my items have recycled, repurposed & re-used elements!
(about 300ish out of the 400ish listings).

I feel really good about that.

 But I also want to stress... that for me at least...
this is a lifestyle.... NOT just a front for my store... 
or something I consider to be "trendy."
We hardly ever buy new (other than food and stuffs).
We recycle, close to 80% of what comes in this house.
We use quilts, garden, buy eco-friendly products, etc.

 And this is not a post to "toot my horn"... but to show that it is possible! 
And cool, and rewarding... and awesome to embrace doing what you can for ole' Mother Earth.

 So do what you can... and wade on in... the water's fine :)

Here are some photos for inspiration! that I got off of Google...

for the weekend



So it's been very busy here these past few days... as you would expect.
My dearest BAJ is earnestly updating and submitting his resume everywhere he can in hopes of finding a good job that he can invest many years into...coincidentally also is the son... who is also suddenly unemployed.... which seems crazy.

And the daughter and I have been working on things around the house... mostly gathering stuff that we put into a massive sale that we had the past few days... and we did better than we anticipated. The remains of the sale will (hopefully) be sold en-masse for some other person to have a sale... or donated to charity.

We also made appointments and such... and have an array of carpet people, electricians, and painters... to do fixes around the house. We had a visit from our Realtor... and gave him the "skinny" on all the repairs/ updates we've done to the house these past few years (new roof, new and updated water treatment system, kitchen remodel, bathroom remodels x2, got all new energy star appliances, new tile floor everywhere --'cept the bedrooms, new furnace, new water heater, new swamp cooler... the list goes on... ).
We still need to do quite a bit of yard work... and need to replace a few other misc things... but mainly... it's packing things up at this point (once the painting and carpet are done).

It's been an enlightening process in many ways. It's also been great to radically cut down the "stuff"... and keep only what we really like. I've been slowly downsizing our stuff since I had to quit working in 2003... 10yrs now/that's hard to believe.... but it's been good. And I think it's really made a difference in our lives... in more ways than you would think. At this point... we have very little furniture... misc stuff... household stuff; but alot of books, art, and art supplies.... so we need to work on that yet.
The one thing I haven't been able to do so far... was get all my photos/slides/negatives etc scanned and into digital files. But considering the amount of photos and such that this is... I will cut myself some slack. Perhaps that is the main job I will have once we are in our "next" place... wherever that is.

And so... the door is wide open. Who knows where things will go from here.
These next few weeks... finishing up this house... selling... moving... time will tell...

((the photo for today's post is one I took on a trip BAJ and I took to Seattle.
........I love the water... and this place was so very calming... and so it seemed appropriate))

friday finds



I read... alot.
I love the written word.

I have decided to feature some of the blogs I read on friday's... hence the title... Friday's Finds.
I have about 250 blogs currently on my reading list... and I'm going to be sharing those links over the course of this year... on Friday's.
(plus any more I come across).
If you have a blog.... or have a favorite blog that you want me to feature... just shoot me an email (moongipsies@msn.com).

***

Today all my sites have to do with photography.
In all the chaos of this past week...
sometimes it's wonderful to just sit with a hot cup of tea,
ponder some gorgeous photographs...
and enjoy the ride.

Chateau de Pierrefonds
Jonathan Fleming
Payam Mohammad
Seattle Daily Photo
From the Woods
Far Away in the Sunshine
It is What it Is
Greg's Photos
Vanilla and Lace
My Daguerreotype Boyfriend

and here is a wonderful blog site about tea!
HERE










little balls of fluff
chirping madly for their mom
showing off their spots




the wind blows eastward...
dancing on hot, brittle leaves
dried up and twisted

I came to the woods
looking for calm in my "storm"...
and found it within

MondayUPs



Monday's can be rough... But I'm here to help.

In celebration of my 15th year selling my handmade stuff... 
I am going to be featuring things I've seen on blogs, on the internet, in books
...wherever inspiration strikes! On making new items from old goods..
hence, MondayUPs (upcycling)...

***

 One of the things I've been meaning to make
is a Bug House.
And I am going to be working on it this week (hell or high water)... 
so that we can install it in the yard before we move.

 I first came across the idea of a Bug House a couple years ago...
and I have seen lots of really cool ones; in magazines... and online.
The photo below... is a collage of Bug House designs that I have gathered in my files... 
and I hope they will serve to give you some inspiration to make your own.

 The awesome part is... you can recycle all kinds of materials in the making...
dryer lint, hair, yarn, cardboard, sticks, shells, nuts, chunks of wood, 
feathers, raffia, dried coconut shells, orange peels...
straws, chopsticks, chicken wire... 
all sorts of things.

 Here are some awesome links on making a Bug House:


 HERE
HERE
HERE
HERE
HERE -- this is a video
here is one on placement of you house once it's done
and even more ideas on Pinterest



for the weekend



I am a little late writing this weekend post... but alot has been going on.
My dear BAJ discovered a couple days ago... that his job is being downsized ... and in 2 weeks he is moving to part time...
and a short time after that... he could potentially be out of work altogether.
And while we were shocked at the news... we weren't.
So many people across the nation are in this same predicament... or worse.
BUT... we are being as optimistic as possible.

That said... there are going to be lots of changes ahead.
First off... we must fix up the house and get it on the market to sell.
This week I hope to schedule to have painting done, carpeting installed, an electrician to check everything... a new garage door opener installed... lights fixed... the list goes on.
I have ALOT of yard work to do... not the least of which is (hopefully) selling off the majority of my herbs and plants and such...
and most all the pots, stands, tools, etc.
And ... I have been going thru the house and gathering additional things to sell... as we are anticipating that we will be moving into a much smaller apartment... somewhere... while we look for work.
We are also selling Jim's car.... as we certainly don't need 2 vehicles.

It's a strange thing... to be in our situation. We have never been able to save any money.  Instead... we chose to use that money to help others... to fund numerous trips back and forth to PA to visit/ help family... to help our kids and such (son's wedding/divorce/custody/lawyer/car/insurance, etc)... it's all been a wild ride.
And while we wouldn't probably change a thing... it does put us in a rather tight squeeze now.

And so. We are cutting things down to minimum ... forging ahead... and diving off into the wild unknown.

If you want to help (which would be awesome)... here are a couple links.
I would've had a yard sale or some such... but I completely suck at selling my own stuff... I just end up giving it away... which would be OK...' cept we could use the money :)

---my ad on Craigslist... HERE
---a new profile I put on FlickR. It shows photos of everything we are selling...
and if you click on the photos... it will give you additional info... and prices. HERE



friday finds




I read... alot.
I love the written word.

I have decided to feature some of the blogs I read on friday's... hence the title... Friday's Finds.
I have about 250 blogs currently on my reading list... and I'm going to be sharing those links over the course of this year... on Friday's.
(plus any more I come across).
If you have a blog.... or have a favorite blog that you want me to feature... just shoot me an email (moongipsies@msn.com).

***

Everyone knows when it happens...
you've reached a "fork in the road"... and you just know... that life from this point on
...will never be the same.

This week... we reached that spot.
That moment.
The place you never thought you would be at... and yet...
were secretly hoping for all along.
Changes they is a comin'...


What does this have to do with Friday Finds?
Nothing really... and yet... everything.
Because in a sense... I am at that point when life-altering decisions are  being made.
What do I really love?
What can I live without?
How does money, time and effort fit into all this energy we are walking in to?

In the course of the next few weeks... we have an opportunity for greatness...
Fixing up the house... selling the house...
(hopefully) using funds to pay off most (if not all) of our debt...
and moving on.
And choices will have to be made.


These blogs were chosen for today's edition of Friday Finds because:
1. they are beautiful
2. they are written by people who have made some life changing decisions
3. they involve love... and art... and simple living...
and well... I like them.


Always Time for Tea
Enchanted Living Arts
Food in Jars
Periwinkle Marmalade
Dinner with Picasso


pretty and prickly
basking in the summer sun
New Mexico's best







wishes BIG
wishes SMALL
BLOW the seeds... 
...and WISH them all

 (an ode to Dr. Seuss)




no more taking it
no more making it okay
it's now or never

***

comes a time... when the bricks hit the wall...
and you have to just grit your teeth and make things happen.
Changes are a comin'

MondayUPs



Monday's can be rough... But I'm here to help.

In celebration of my 15th year selling my handmade stuff... 
I am going to be featuring things I've seen on blogs, on the internet, in books
...wherever inspiration strikes! On making new items from old goods..
hence, MondayUPs (upcycling)...

***

 On a completely (or not so) different post...
Today I wanted to take a moment to be serious, 
and talk about organ donation.
I am a firm believer in "not taking it with you."
After all, it's not like you will be using your old parts in your next life... or in  Heaven... Summerland... or whatever you believe.
I realize that there are some religions who disagree...
and I honor that. 

 See this link: here
and this one: here
and this one: here


 However, for the rest of you...
let me implore you to at least consider donating your usable organs, bones and tissues to those who could really use it.
and so... rather than extol the virtues of donation, 
I am going to list several sites to get you thinking...
and ones that offer much more information than I could include here.
Wiki article
The National Network of Organ Donors
Donate Life America
US Dept Of Health and Human Services: Organ Donation
Life Legacy Foundation




((on a personal note... I have chosen to donate all organs, 
tissues, bones for the service of others, and donated any remains to science))


for the weekend



It's after midnight... and the phone is ringing for the 3rd time.
It's an unknown caller from Espanola, NM... and they are drunk... only speaking Spanish... and insisting that they are calling someone they know... and that I am not passing the phone off to that person.
It's hot. Like really hot. And it's going to be in the 90's and low 100's at least for the next week.
The people on the HGTV show on the TV are really, really rude... and not appreciating any of the help they are getting.
Is this a trend? Rudeness... insistence on getting your own way no matter what?
It's almost a "righteous indignation" kind of attitude... and I don't get it.

I am tired. And depressed. And feeling broke... out of luck... and in a hole.
And while I would be inclined to wallow in the "when will it be my turn to get what I would like" feeling...
I try to hold off. I try to be optimistic.
I try to believe that things are going just as they are supposed to... and while it may not seem like I am making any headway towards my goals... at least I am not moving backwards.

I worry for my mom... who has been having health issues... and feel like I should be going back to help her more... and yet. I am not physically (... we won't even discuss the mentally) well either. Not sure I could even make the trip and be of any use to her when I got there. And I feel guilty.
And I am worried for my son.... who is going thru a particularly hard time (again)...
for my dearest BAJ ... who is not loving his job...
for the daughter and I ... who just want to move... and it goes on.

I am sure that some of my distress has to do with a lack of sleep.
Because of my intolerance to the heat... I find that the few hours of the day that I can be (sorta) productive... are at night... and so I try to sleep during the day... and well... things are wonky.
My studio space is not insulated... and so I am coming up on a season of not being able to do much out there... because of the heat. I need to figure out ways to bring portions of it inside... make it portable... so that I can work on things at the kitchen table.
There is so much to do around the house here... and yet... where to find the strength and the energy to do it... and can I do it after the sun goes down? Certainly not most of it. And so I am frustrated.

and then I realize that my problems are small... and inconsequential to that which most people in this world are facing... And again, I feel guilty.

and so I walk outside and stand in the dirt.... then take a brisk ice cold shower... make some tea... gather myself up... and try to move on....

 “We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.” 
― David Mamet, Boston Marriage


friday finds



I read... alot.
I love the written word.

I have decided to feature some of the blogs I read on friday's... hence the title... Friday's Finds.
I have about 250 blogs currently on my reading list... and I'm going to be sharing those links over the course of this year... on Friday's.
(plus any more I come across).
If you have a blog.... or have a favorite blog that you want me to feature... just shoot me an email (moongipsies@msn.com).

***

Seems like several people I know are moving.
And although I am extremely jealous... moving itself can be a nightmare.
Packing, sorting, organizing...
finding movers, (or lifting it all yourself)...
storage... traveling... the works.

When BAJ and I were newly married... we moved 6 times in the first 2yrs of marriage...
add to that... having 2 kids in the first 2yrs of marriage traveling with us...
and a rabbit.

and so... today's post features stuff about moving.
Blogs of people who are in the process of moving; or who have recently moved...
sites on organizing and such...
and making new stuff for your home from recycled goods:

My Other Car is a Moving Van
Bohemian HellHole
Things Organized Neatly
DishFunctional Designs

and this one's just awesome:
Moveable Type

***

...the photo for today's post is one I took while traveling to PA one summer.
I love trains... and photograph them any chance I get.
You can read about this train route HERE