Wow! It has been over a month since my last post and in a strange and totally unplanned twist it was a year ago today I started this here blog. It has been a busy year with lots of change, a few ups and downs, lots of love and a whole lotta laughter.
My oldest daughter has graduated college and is currently living back at home but for how long no one knows. My middle daughter is just finishing junior kindergarten and has not quite come to understand that school finishes next week for the summer, and my baby turned three.
I have been busy at the gallery with clients, artists and growing the business. I have begun doing freelance CAD work for various professionals, done a couple of home staging jobs, expanded my business into another community in partnership with a designer there, and am knee deep in committee work helping to build our community's new brand and loving it. I have also been doing some speaking engagements on customer service and sales to some emerging artists and entrepreneurs. I have been a busy busy bee.
I have thought a lot about this here old blog (I can say that now that it's a year old) and where I want it to go what I want to use it for, and how. Do I have that all figured out just yet, not really, but as time progresses more and more reveals itself to me. For the moment I am happy in my life and where it is taking me and when I can, I will stop by to give you all an update or to give my two cents on whatever meets my fancy.
I haven't even really been on pinterest much lately...that is how busy I have been. But I did find this today and thought it rather appropriate...something we as women need to remember.
Also my lovely daughter has started a blog as well...and if I do say so myself she's pretty darn good. check her out here at Cait- Off the Beaten Path.
I thinks that's all for my one year anniversary post...which once again was just a fluke that I happened to log on and happened to decide to post and it happened to be the exact one year today...too funny...and perhaps a bit of a sign...no?
I just wanted to pop into today to give you an explanation, since those of you who have been kind enough to read this here blog may (probably not...but maybe) be wondering where I got to.
Well I am here, and all is well, health has returned to normal and of that I am so very thankful. the process of healing was an interesting one in that the side benefit was having the time to reconnect with my kids, my mom, and my husband. In so doing I have disconnected from the blog, blogging, and the world of blogs. The few that I have sent to my email I read because they are there, but this is the first time in ages I have logged into blogger and looked at my blog roll.
It is the start of our season here in Muskoka and with the sun shining and the temperature sitting at 27 degrees our corner of the world is heaving. Those of us who own businesses up here have been busy for weeks getting things ready; stock in, stores organized, product displayed all for this most important starting weekend, and it is proving to be one for the record books.
As far as my input into blogland, as you well know there has been none. And the reason is I have not felt that I have anything to add, share, or give voice to in a long time. I haven't felt interesting, or engaging and so as I would in the real world, when I have little to add, I add little. I am not one to talk, or in this case type just for the sake of talking. I have, in a very real sense, felt empty. And though this sounds bad, it really really isn't. I have been living a very full interesting, complex life since my last post, but nothing in this life has inspired me to action on the blog front.
Where will I go from here? I am not sure. Will this little corner of the blog world still exist?...I think so. I trust that at some point in the near future I will feel inspired and with a voice again, and then I will be back at it. But until then, I am here, I am well, and I thank each and every one of you who reads this post. I am checking in though very infrequently, but checking in none-the-less.
I haven't disappeared literally, just figuratively I suppose. Healing and recovery are going well, but not being out in the world is becoming difficult. I am struggling with motivation and inspiration...I should say I was, because over the last few days things have turned a corner for me.
Let me explain...before the surgery and the cyst that precipitated the surgery I was active and in the middle of my weight loss journey. I had lost 40lbs and had about 40 to go. When the cyst was discovered I felt fine and continued to live my active life, but not long after the diagnosis something happened that left me in pain, a lot of pain. A trip to the hospital to a deaf audience it would seem and they felt it was a bladder infection though there was no pathology to support this. No-one wanted to hear about the cyst and no diagnostics regarding it were done. We know now that if they had they would have discovered that the cyst had moved, and twisted, a torsion cyst, which can be quite dangerous. I suspect that if that had been discovered, the surgery would have happened long ago and recovery would be a thing of the past, but c'est la vie. As it was I left the hospital with antibiotics and went about my business. The pain receded and we presumed the 'infection' was gone. I started to exercise again but again was met with pain. I stopped exercising and waited for a few days then tried again to the same outcome, so for the six weeks leading up to the surgery I did not really exercise. This ended up having a very negative effect on me both emotionally and physically. I gained weight and the tiredness I experienced pre weight loss returned. Now my recovery has been a bit more difficult than I anticipated, in that while I physically feel good, I am so very tired much of the time, and I still cannot do much activity. I always thought I hated running, but did it because it was the best way to burn calories...turns out I miss it so very much and now that the weather is turning I am dying to get outside for a run.
Anyhow tired, lacking inspiration yada yada yada...Then last week a friend of mine posted to Facebook about a tough run she'd just had and how she ended up walking half of it. She was disappointed in herself and I thought why is she disappointed she got up a 5am, got out the door on a very windy cold wet morning and ran 10k...ummm hello...hero? So as I sat here that morning thinking about her post I thought 'by jeez if she can do that then the least I can do is lace up my runners and get on the darn treadmill'...so off I went and walked a half hour...I realized I had been stuck in a mode where I felt that if couldn't do what I wanted to do (run, yoga, weights) then why bother with anything at all...silly really but that is in the past.
Then on top of the wonderful motivation my friend unknowingly provided me (I did later message her a thank you and some encouragement) I caught a segment of Ellen interviewing Tom Shadyac a Hollywood producer and director. I didn't see all of his interview but caught that he was promoting a new documentary called Happy
During the interview Ellen asked Tom about his move from his Hollywood mansion to his mobile home...this caught my attention and while I was then distracted by a child in need, when I had time I settled down with my laptop and Google'd Tom Shadyac, what I came across was a documentary he made called I Am. I watched it last night and highly recommend it ( It will explain the move from the mansion).
I have once again found my inspiration, in the people around me and the world at large and cannot wait to get on with things.
I hope your weekend is full of inspiration, love, happiness and health!
Hi all hope you are having a stellar week...Here, I have no complaints. Recovery is going well, all pathology came back clear so life is slowly returning to normal.
So as I often do on Wednesdays I thought I would share with you where in blogland I visited today...
However before I do this I have to share my new favorite beauty product. Now, I am not a slave to makeup, I wear very little; a little blush, sometimes a nude eyeshadow, occasionally eyeliner, and always mascara. My only other must have is that I cannot stand to be without my toenails polished. When I was in hospital that polish had to come off and I could not wait to get home and get polished. My darling daughter Cait was kind enough to paint them for me as I was not able. She even went to the store and bought a new sweet blossom pink colour by Joe Fresh. Last week I decided to paint my finger nails which I almost never do and since my toes were blossom pink by Joe I thought so should my fingers...I am in love with this nail polish. It goes on smooth, wears well, dries fast and does not smell horrible. I am officially an addict :o) My sweet husband even went back to buy me a few other colours.
There you have it! Where I got to in blogland today and some musings about nail polish (and I was not compensated in any way for this)...Happy Wednesday all!
Today I read two blog posts over at Huffington Post. Both were on the same topic...a 7 year old who has identified himself as gay. Both were written by his parents, one his mother, one his father. Both were wonderful.
Amelia writes about the first time her son verbally identified himself as gay and the moments since. It is an eloquent account of how she is managing this realization and it's early onset. She talks about how she and her husband are simply accepting that this a part of their son just as his love for Lego is a part of his seven year old self. Amelia's husband Dave has written a blog post in response to many comments to Amelia inquiring about how he is reacting to his 7 year old sons revelation. Dave is also eloquent, understanding and non-judgmental. He says "I don't see how a father, or any parent, can look at their son, the one
they've loved since before the child was even born, and upon hearing him
say, "Dad, I'm gay," turn their back on him."
I had to share these posts because Amelia and Dave are parenting role models. Regardless of whether you believe a 7 year old is capable of identifying his or her sexual orientation, the heart of the matter is showing your children love and respect and acceptance.
So a week has passed already...time flies...hope the pace keeps up or I'm gonna get bored.
Today I thought I'd share a favorite space in my home...
Every day I pass by a corner of my home that I love, it sits atop the stairs, houses an old armchair and a bookcase I picked up long long ago when I was a single gal on my own. I love this bookcase...I always have, I always will.
As you can see it is not styled, the books are just forced onto the shelf however they happen to fit. The top is full of family photo's and little treasures are found on each shelf...maybe this is why I love it. The chair was bought from Habitat for Humanity's Re-Store here in Muskoka (honestly the best you will find...it is worth traveling for) the fabric is so bad it's good. I nursed my youngest in this chair during her late night feedings. This is the chair I curl up in when I cannot sleep and the chair I read to Isobel in when we have to put Lilah to bed before her (they share a room). My two cats curl up here at night and sleep together, and I often perch on the arm of this chair to peruse the bookcase for a good read.
This corner is one of my favorite spaces in my home. It is not designed, nor styled, but a reflection of how we live, and the things we love. I hope you have a space in your home that you love as much I do this.
Hello all! How've you been? I am here 4 days post op...home and doing well. Struggling to sleep comfortably, but with the ability and expectation to nap during the day it's all good.
I wasn't sure when or what I was going to post when I got back to it, so I spent some early morning hours thinking about it, and settled on sharing some of the things I missed on Pinterest while I was out of the loop...
The biggest thing is that they have adjusted their terms of service which I am happy to report. Not gonna lie, I was worried I would have to leave this shangrila and thrilled that the powers that be listened to the concerns of their users and worked to allay their fears.
As I scanned recent pins this morning I came across this pin from Rue Magazine
