10 days of Completeness

Being an Empty-Nester seems a bit more normal for us now.  After almost a year, We've gotten used to our space and freedom.  Though neither Mike nor I will forget the week of sorrow and weeping when our youngest left the nest for college!

This December we had 10 whole days of a united family for Christmas.  Our eldest was flying in from Singapore and our youngest from University - in the same state, thank goodness -What a blessing!  Indeed a few adjustments for each of us were to be struggled through.  But what a whirlwind of hugs, activities, chatting, baking, and yes, even creating some lovely heart felt gifts for Christmas.

Family photo in front of the Diego Rivera mural, Detroit Institute of Arts

High Tea at the Whitney, Detroit

Taking care of the craving to bake

Preserving our Memories

My maternal Great Grandpa Todd in the Calvary in Battle Creek, Michigan

As a resolution this year, I was determined to scan boxes of old photos of my Maternal Great Grandmother's and Great Aunt and Uncle's, Paternal Grandmother's, and my mom and dad's old pics that have been stored in cardboard boxes for countless years.  I am happy to report that said resolution has been accomplished!

My paternal Grandmother's family, the Case's

My maternal Great Uncle Leon's picture from the service in WW2

My mother, Conita as a baby

My Great Uncle Delos and his dog, Skippy

My Mother and Father's Wedding with my maternal Great Grandparents on the left (Todd) and my paternal grandparents on the right (Hutchinson)

I even went one step further.  I copied all the photos onto cds to share with my family, put my paternal grandmother's photos into acid and lignin free albums, and returned photos to other households.  I cannot express the relief I have of no longer being responsible for the safety of generations of old pictures in the case of a house fire!  Now, many cds will be spread throughout the family. Should a tragedy destroy the originals, nothing will be lost and countless backups will provide relief.  Sigh. :)

New Year, New You...

I am excited about the prospect of new beginnings, trying new things, and freshening up my living areas.  Normally I don't make New Year's Resolutions, because they seem to peter out before the month of January ends.  This year I started some resolutions before January 1st!  Sounds weird?  Maybe, but I found that I focus on what is important to me, rather than what I think I "should" focus on.  There are two things that I began; one well before December and one in December.


I finally prioritized my artwork!  December was a great jumping off point for this, as I prefer to give handmade gifts rather than something purchased at an overcrowded store.  The time I spent creating each gift fulfilled my need to create and gave me some beautiful quiet time during the busy holiday season.  I still don't understand how I let housework, laundry, and the never-ending to do lists take precedence over my art.  Here are some of the pieces I created for Christmas gifts:

These Short story bracelets are made from recycled materials like dog food bags.

The containers to give the bracelets were made out of toilet paper holders and sprayed with Glimmer Mist and stitched closed.

Homemade tomato juice and dilly beans for my dad, complete with 50's/60's retro labels.

Potted Amaryllis and PaperWhite Narcissus for the neighbors.

Potted bulbs wrapped and ready to go.

Now I find it easy to spend five, fifteen, thirty minutes or more to work on a project or at least one step of a project in my daily life.  This has brought great peace and joy to my life.  I will not let go of it!  The laundry and housework will always be there....waiting!

The project that I started far before December was something that I struggled with for a very long time....my weight and my health.  I prayed for years, asking God to remove this burden from me.  I did not want my fat to be the cross I had to bear!  I recently realized that He answered my prayer in an unexpected way.  I got a job at Curves in Dundee this last April.  At the time, the company was promoting a new weight management program to it's employees before releasing it to it's members.  I had no choice, or time to prepare.  I was an employee and had to get on the program.

62 pounds later, I am grateful to God for answering my pleas.  I still have 38 pounds to go to reach my ultimate goal, but this program is a lifestyle.  There is nothing to count, measure, or journal.  I do not have to focus on food each day, the way I did on other programs.  I shop at my local grocery store and I don't ever have to eat processed, packaged food.  I have already been keeping off the 62 pounds now for several months.  I maintained my weight through the holidays, not even trying to lose, so that I could enjoy select treats.  I did not gain!  Here are my before and after pictures...so far!

Waterfalls and Weddings

This summer has been crazy with the last child graduating, leaving for college, the gardens, the garden parties, the canning and preserving, and my new job.  Hence my absence from my blog and my life-giving artwork.
Today I thought I'd take a few minutes to get back into the habit of posting by sharing a remarkable weekend my husband and I spent in and around Ithaca, New York for our niece's wedding.  If you've never been to upstate New York, and the Ithaca area in general, you are missing some fine scenery and waterfalls everywhere!

Mike and I stayed in a wonderful Bed and Breakfast called the Rogues Harbor Inn in Lansing, New York.  A beautiful old brick mansion that has turned the lower level into a fine dining experience, which includes at least one locally grown food in every dish.  We tried the Squash blossoms stuffed with local duck sausage and feta cheese...marvelous! I was really impressed with the local fare supporting local farms and how "Green" this B&B was.  They believe in reducing, reusing, and recycling.  They definitely walked the talk!  Impressive.

This photo and the previous one show how the third floor ballroom has been turned into a charming breakfast room.  Can "charming" be used in a space so large?

Ursula, one of our breakfast attendants.

The history was exciting as well.  This very Inn was part of the Underground railroad that helped slaves escape the south and get to Canada.


Since we had half of Saturday to ourselves before the wedding, we headed off for some waterfall sightseeing....and the Farmer's Market.

This is where we bought our lunch.  I'm not sure Mike had ever eaten vegetarian before, but we bought the Sampler's Platter, which included a bit of each item on display.  We took it back to the B&B and had a delicious, locally grown meal with flavors and textures that were so unique!

Then it was time for some hiking to the Taghannock Falls.  The day offered perfect temperatures and weather for our excursion.  When we hiked to the lookout, we ran into some amazing views that weren't even the right falls! Still they were breathtaking.

These are the Taghannock Falls.  They are actually taller than the Niagara Falls.  We hiked a couple of miles to the overlook.  We were planning to hike down into the gorge, but we had to get back and get ready for the wedding.  The girls and I will have to put this on our "Must do" Road Trip list! :)