Great Day for Yummy Soup

Made this today while the snow was settling and the temperatures were dropping.

It has kale, yellow squash, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, tomatoes, celery, a little sea salt and pepper.

Super delicious!

Where I grew

This is where my very first roots were planted.

It's quiet and simple. It's changed over the years, but it's stayed the same. The most important things are still there.

Drove nearly two hours yesterday to visit. The above photo was my view while waiting for my Dad to get home from work.

I'm twenty-seven years old and the tall pine has been there since I can remember. Even in photos before I was alive, it was there.
The hills behind it are where I played. I ran through the hills with my dogs and made furniture out of oddly shaped rocks. There were vines to swing from and flowers to pick. Fields of corn to plant with my grandfather and evenings of lying in the porch swing.
My childhood was rocky, but so very rich.

Student Blogger

(Books for 3 out of 5 classes)

I'm nearly finished with week 3 of my second semester of college.
I knew that it was going to be overwhelming. I'm 27 years old. I've been out of school for 9 years. I didn't go into it thinking it was going to be easy.
Week 3 and I'm so frustrated.
Last semester I had most of my classes online. This semester I am there Monday - Friday.
I want to stress that I really do enjoy most of my classes. I love Composition, the Professor makes it fun and interesting. Intro to Fine Arts allows me to experience art, music, sculpture, architecture. There's so much variety with what I'm currently learning.
I love learning. The homework is sometimes stressful because there's a due date and I want to make sure that I've done everything the best of my ability and that I understand the material.
The social atmosphere is almost unbearable at times.
I should fashion a sign to wear that says "I'm not a piece of meat. Go away!". Unwanted advances make my stomach turn.
I feel so sleep deprived.
This is far from what I imagined doing at 27.
...
My goal right now is to devote more of my free time (however small it is) to blogging.
Blogging makes me happy.
It's really such a great way for me to destress.
It's something positive in my life, and it allows me to reflect and appreciate.
I feel that if I don't devote more time to blogging, to feeling productive in a carefree way, then I will become even more burnt out with this college experience.
Blogging at least 3 days weekly? Sounds good to me.

snow storm

The snow started only a couple of hours ago.

The roads are terrible.

Staying warm inside!

My Day

Rainy day.
I ran a few errands, found time to organize some things, worked on customizing the cards (to hold individual pairs of earrings) and tags for items that I'm selling online and at flea markets, wrote a few notes with my new stationary, and read for a while.

(new stationary from Hallmark that was gifted to me at Christmas)

 

 Pretty much a lazy day indoors.

Jewelry and Sunshine

I've been spending some time making jewelry recently.

It's a lot of fun, especially when the results are lovely. I like making things work together. I had collected quite a lot of beautiful rocks and seashells at Topsail Island, so I'm hoping to incorporate them into my work as well.

Today was very sunny and not too cold. It almost felt like Spring and I took advantage of it to the fullest. Took a nice walk in the sunshine with Moya, ran a few errands, and found time to go to the library.

(view from the backyard)

 Definitely the kind of day that lifts your spirits!

Staying Warm & Sane

The weather is pretty darned cold here. 

(juniper shrub)

These were taken yesterday (Friday). It hadn't snowed since Tuesday night, Wednesday morning but it was super cold, so it didn't melt much. 

Is it so very bad to wish that it were Spring already? I don't like wishing time away, but the cold is starting to weigh on me. 

I'm trying to stay busy with crafting, reading, organizing, and what-not. I'm currently on break from my college classes, so my time hasn't been as restricted as it usually is.

I found a cute tutorial on Youtube for envelope making. Pretty simple.

(paper for envelopes are taken from magazines, it's a great way to recycle them)

I've also been playing around with the camera. I'm not very experienced, but it's fun. I took this shot of an ornament. 

So yeah, I'm trying to stay busy despite the cold (checked the weather and it's going to warm up quite a bit next week!!!)

How do you stay busy during the frigid winter months?

2013

Goals 

Bye Bye, 2012

I can honestly say that I'm glad to see the year end and another begin.

2012 wasn't the easiest nor was it the most pleasant year. It was full of ups and downs.
Not to say that it was completely terrible, there were really great things that happened like having Moya given to me, going back to school, getting a new/used car, holidays with family and loved ones, lots of crafting, getting a new tattoo that I really love, new adventures, etc.
It was just such a tedious, emotional year.

I'm looking forward 2013, to try new things and to become healthier physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
I'm ready for a fresh start.

Happy New Year!