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!

Gratitude Sunday

Today I'm joining Taryn at Wooly Moss Roots for Gratitude Sunday.

This week I'm grateful for:  

- A new year! I really need a fresh start!
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- Making healthier lifestyle choices.

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- Lovely dinner of  mexican food (vegetarian for me) with my Mom and Aiden. There were lots of laughs!

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- Making it home safely after driving home through the ice and snow.
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- Hand-written notes. They're much more personal, and fun to write.
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- Doing what's best for me, and making myself more of a priority.
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- Yummy dinners that I've made at home for us.
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- Relaxing with 'The Sweet Far Thing', the last of the Gemma Doyle trilogy. (so sad this is the last book, but they've been such great reads!)
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- Amazing Zhena's Gypsy Tea. It's by far my favorite brand.

There's so much to be grateful for!

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?

{This Moment}

Today I'm joining Amanda at Soulemama for {this moment}

{this moment} - a Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember.

........

What I'm Reading

To some of you this may seem crazy because it has been such a popular book for decades now, but I had never read "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl". Never. Isn't this required reading in public schools?

Anyway, I found a battered, old copy at the library and had the above mentioned epiphany. How could I have never read this?

Most of you know the story of Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl who goes into hiding during the war with her parents, sister, another family, and a dentist.
The diary is full of Anne's thoughts about life, her youth, war, boys, her parents, her sister, etc. It reads like most any diary with the exception of the destruction around them in the form of a raging war and the possibility of being found and carted off with other Jewish members of her community.

Reading her girlish thoughts and chuckling to myself, I realized how sad it really is. She wrote these things, she felt these things. She didn't have a chance to become a woman, to grow and prosper, and find happiness in the world. She represents so many poor souls who were tormented and killed.

I'm enjoying the book because it lets me glimpse into her world, but it's also difficult to read because it's constantly in the back of my mind that I know what happened to Anne after it ends.

Yarn/Crocheting

I'm in the process of crocheting two scarves.

For the first I'm using a bulky yarn that I've grown really fond of. It's probably my most favorite to use. This particular kind has been dyed in muted earth-tones. Really loving it. Of course, this scarf is going to be for me. I can't wait until it's done so that I can wear it, and know that it's something that I made with my own hands.
Using a medium yarn for the second, which is a gift for someone. At first the medium yarn just didn't seem to hold my attention for very long. I scrapped the first attempt (which went haywire), and started up again later. I'm glad that I did because I'm also in love with it. It's dyed in dark browns, black, and a very light creamy tan.
(A post with photos of the finished scarves to come)
I'm dying to order yarn from Brambleberry Yarns, that a fellow blogger mentioned in her Yarn Along post today. The yarn is dyed using only natural dyes. It looks amazing!
The fact is, I'm not an expert by any means, but I enjoy learning about different yarns, new tricks and ideas, and patterns. It's a craft that I had never delved into really until recently, but I find that it's calming and occupies my time in a productive, positive way. And yes, I am a bit obsessed now.

Cheers to yarn!

2013

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