Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Ebb & Flow: January 2018

The highs and lows of the month.


Bird of the Month:
Tufted Titmouse

Perfume:
Sonoma Scent Studio Sienna Musk

Perfume Oil:
Sixteen92 Death by Stereo

Lotion:
Cosmic Cleanse ScentSations Apparition in the Garden

Soap:
Handmade in Florida Spa Time

Lip Gloss:
Shiro Cosmetics Pumpkin Butter

Candle:
Nui Cobalt Designs Cloak of Evergreens

Wax:
Ten Digit Creations Patchouli Mint

Drinking:
Celestial Seasonings Extra Sleepy Time tea

Eating:
Perky Jerky

Listening:
Enya on Pandora

Reading:
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

Watching:
Every Sunday afternoon we watch the next in the series of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings with Savanna. She is on the last book in the trilogy and we are gearing up for her party. I love it.

Awaiting:
Savanna's birthday. Adam's Gandalf costume arrived and my bits of the Radagast costume arrived that I will be sporting. I still need to pick up a nest and a couple of birds. There are Hobbit shaped door cookies, hand sanitizers from Fortune Cookie Soap, teas from Adagio and copies of The Hobbit that Savanna wrote in for her friends. I bought beards for the girls to wear while they embark on a quest in the woods behind our house. My sister Lindsey has her first wedding dress shopping in February and I am over the moon happy for her. It will be a wedding in Maine (in June) and I have always wanted to visit Maine. To top it off I am also looking forward to having a three day weekend in February for President's Day. 

Dreading:
Catching this flu bug that is going around. 

Hit:
Lowe's. I picked up my Rabbit's Foot fern and a nice container garden that had a ton of full grown herbs in it: parsley, cilantro, thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil and mint. 

Miss:
A bookmark order I placed on Etsy went south. Granted, they came from France, but when they arrived the chains and beads were busted. The lady wanted me to pay to ship them back to her so she could fix them. Um. No? Why would I pay additional money to get something that should have came the way I ordered it? So I am making lemonade out of broken lemons, or rather bookmarks, and making my own cute dangles for them. 

Low:
Worried about my dad. He had to have more surgery for his neck. Long story short, the first surgeon did a hack job and tried to anchor his bolts and supports in his neck into a fracture vertebra. The hardware was floating about his neck and the pain was immense. He now has a titanium plate there after a new surgeon took over his care. Healing has been a long road for him. 
I am struggling with getting back into the healthy mind frame I was in during the second half of 2017. It will come. Just need to push myself.

High:
Done with school! Huzzah! Ready to get those transcripts in the mail so I can get my certificate and hang it back on the wall. 

How was your first month of 2018? I would love to hear from you.

13 comments:

  1. I love that you've added a Bird of the Month category! And what a fine looking winner you have for January. Hopefully you get a hummingbird this year.

    Okay, you definitely have to show me pics of these costumes from the party!! And I want to hear all about the quest into the woods.

    That sucks about your dad's struggles. Hopefully things progress more smoothly now!

    I thought January was shaping up to be a change for the better for me, but the end of the month has gone downhill fast. Although I must say, if most of the month was good, that's an improvement, right?!

    ~Deb

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    1. BIRBS!! We all like to call the birds "birbs" in our house now. Dang internet memes. But isn't he just the cutest thing?! They are vocal little things too. I hope I get a hummingbird. I have my supplies for building a raised bed garden and I want to put in some flowers to attract them.

      I will!! I will take pics once we are all dressed up. I have the long hair, long beards, robes, staffs, pipe and I plan on getting some mustaches to use as eyebrows for us. I am thinking of some type of scavenger hunt for the ring and they have to pass obstacles in order to throw it into "Mordor"? Still brainstorming it.

      It does suck. I hate seeing him down. I bought him some whitting supplies off Amazon, some blocks, tools and a book on how to carve things. He says he likes it. <3

      I am sorry. Anything in particular? I am glad that most of the month was ok for you though. I think it totally counts as improvement.

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    2. Just some out of control anxiety. I've started a daily mood journal to see if there is any pattern to this. Started taking magnesium again too.

      ~Deb

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  2. I hope your dad is in great hands now. I'm so sorry for all the unnecessary pain he had to endure. :( How terrible! Much love to him, you and your whole family during such a tough time. I hope healing and strength comes his way; renewal and restoration for his body, mind and soul.

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    1. Thank you April! I hope he is too. This doctor seems more capable. Your wish/prayer for us is so much appreciated. You are a dear friend.

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  3. A HOBBIT PARTY? GANDALF COSTUME?? NeAtO!!!! Pictures are an absolute must. This sounds like a total blast.
    I am hoping to pull off a surprise LOTR Book themed cake for my husband's birthday that I am having made. Fingers crossed that everything goes well and I can keep it a surprise.
    I am so sorry to hear about your dad and his pain. I hope that he is in better care and that he will be on the road to fast recovery now.
    I was actually wondering how your..correct me if I am wrong, Christmas Cactus? is doing? I just thought it was so beautiful and since I am probably on the long road to having a pet, a plant is probably my next best thing! I've been a bit curious about succulents lately.

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    1. LOL!! YES!!! I am a total nerd I know. Thankfully I am raising a nerd too. I will take pics. I usually end up blogging the girls' themed birthday parties. I like looking back on them. How exciting about your cake!!! I hope you show us!

      Thank you. I keep praying the same thing. He is a strong man and I think he can recover.

      Yep! It is a Christmas cactus! It is doing great! I have an old one that my stepdad bought me a few years ago and it is still doing well and the new one my mom bought me for my birthday is doing great too! In fact I have made some cuttings from them and they are taking root pretty well. I can send you a baby one that you can tend. They like a bit more water than most succulents. So they are easier to keep alive I think. I LOVE my plants now. A plant is a great thing to nurture and care for. <3 You can even name them like Savanna and I do! :-)

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  4. So many fun things to look forward to!
    January was pretty good for me. Showered my BFF with cute little girl’s clothes and love in anticipation of the arrival of her 1st child. Went on a super fun photo walk with my hubby in SF. Through a little research figured out how to follow Weight Watchers for free and am rather pleased with myself. Some long standing issues still haven’t been resolved but I’m trying to be patient and let the answers come when they come.

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    1. Thanks! It will be a fun month ahead for sure. Congrats on your bestie and her new baby on the way!! I loved seeing your SF pics. I used to do WW myself and enjoyed it. The whole points thing is way different now but it does work well. Wishing you much luck on it! I know you can do it.

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  5. Gorgeous bird! Right before Christmas I hung a suet feeder on the redwood tree outside my window but nobody seemed interested in it. Then just this past weekend, I noticed my cat was glued to the bedroom window in the mornings, and sure enough, most of the suet had been eaten. Food for the birds + kitty entertainment = win/win! The hummingbirds on the patio continue to tease poor Linus while he chatters at them through the door.

    Christmas cactuses just keep keepin' on! I move mine inside to the bathroom when it gets really cold out because it loves the humidity. It just wrapped up a big bloom so I moved it outside again since we're having nice weather for a while.

    Prayers and healing thoughts for your dad. Neck and back pain are horrible to have to deal with. Hope he's on the way to recovery now.

    January was all over the map for me. Started the year with much optimism about finally being able to crack out my professional rut, which opens up so many other doors personally, but now not everything seems to be in flux again. I have a new doctor, so hopefully I can get a handle on some of these health challenges and move forward.

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    1. Thanks! I think he is so enchanting. I want to pinch his minute feathered cheeks. You have a redwood outside your window?! I am already dreamy eyed. I hope you get a chance to see what friends are feasting on your feeder. Toddles is loving all the bird and squirrel action. She is 100% an indoor cat but we had the doors and windows open during a particularly brisk day and she darted out to a few of the birds like she was a lion stalking prey in the savannah or something. I hollered at her and she scampered back inside sans bird.

      They do! I am thrilled I have not managed to kill mine off and in fact have been able to make more grow. My back porch might become overrun with them in the near future. Humidity we have in spades. Maybe that is why it is so happy?

      Thank you Kate. It means the world to me to know my friends are sending up prayers for him. He needs it. After months of being on pain killers the doctor just denied his refill and he has been going through withdrawal and is still in pain that over the counter is just not touching. I worry about him. His surgery was only two or so weeks ago. :-(

      You got a new job?? I hope the unbalance shifts and you can regain some of that optimism and equilibrium. And I pray for your good health too.

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  6. Wishing your dad healing, that's awful and worrying about Dad's is awful.

    What a capture of that lil titmouse, it almost looks unreal! I forgot to tell you I was getting a ride home from my dad after work one dusky evening and we stopped at a 3-way cross-road when I realized I was looking into the woods face-to-face with a HUGE barred owl! Just staring at me with black eyes, I believe it's the same species that visited our backyard a couple summers ago. Anyway my dad starts taking the turn and I'm fumbling for my phone, "wait! wait! I need to grab a pic", but too late. It was cool though, a magical moment.

    Excited for the LOTR results, but I'm sure I'll see lots of it here. I can't believe your sis is getting married in Maine! That's our retirement state (the one we dream about moving to and actually follow home sale searches on Zillow with constant updates). If you wander across any near a river (there's hundreds of rivers) with a garden and a little piece of heaven, let me know:)

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    1. Thanks Jay. It means a great deal to me.

      How freaking cool! I would love to see an owl out in the wild. Barred owls are so intense. I love it. I hope it brings you a good many magical moments.

      I will absolutely blog about the party. I cannot resist it. Plus if it helps someone else who is planning one than it might be good. I will definitely keep my eyes peeled in Maine for your perfect quaint retirement home near a river. My sister's betrothed is from Maine but he came to our area as he is stationed at McDill Air Force Base. He wants to get married up there for his family and due to some health concerns. The fortuitous thing about it all is that Lindsey and I have talked for years how we both wanted to visit Maine one day together as we were fascinated by the state. And now look?! How fun!

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