Just Journaling

It's late and I usually write first thing in the morning and throughout the day to track my days. But I'm thinking I want to remember today so here I am.  Today started off a bit... shall I say, I wondered how it was going to end up and if it was going to give me a migraine.  I hate when the phone rings before you even have your coffee. Fires to put out everywhere for the first few hours, then things calmed down. There's a lot that goes on when you sell your house, when you pack up your life and make such a big change. It's mind boggling. And then in this market, what WAS I thinking? ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Etsy is busy these days. People probably buying things for the holidays. I'm thankful for them. Today we had a huge special order. The girl was so nice it was a pleasure helping her. And then.....  I actually had some time to do a few new listings. Some of the stuff we have is so unique I want to keep it all for myself! But that would be crazy. This is a handmade, probably...

WOW, where does the time go? November was a busy month for sure!  Hubbybub and I spent the whole month packing up my art studio and getting the house "staged" to sell it. We thought this was going to be the forever house, but I wonder... I don't see anything in our life anymore as being the same forever. We like change and when we get an idea in our head we are not afraid to try something new. It keeps things interesting.  And because I can say what's really on my mind here, I'm having deep thoughts lately. You only live once and I want to remember that this life is a gift from above.  Yesterday I found out 2 of my friends are dying. They are my age and that's not supposed to happen just yet.  According to a movie I just watched, called "Serendipity" the Greek people don't write obituaries when someone dies, they ask instead if the person had passion. I have been accused of being impulsive and I wouldn't have it any other way. I would call th...

I have not gotten a creative project together yet and I'm starting to get a bit disgusted with myself.  Note to self: I AM going to at least get out a sketchbook today and jot down a few ideas. ( hopefully I can find one that I didn't pack ) SideStory: Mom passed away in 2015 and I still have all her clothes. That sounds rather extreme but she had very little in the way of clothes.  She lived in a very small house which  was actually the carriage house on the back of my property at the time. Well it wasn't a house when we moved there, the people before us used it as a garage and the people before them used it as part of their business where they made old time carriages.  Kerns Carriage Works.    Some interesting info here too. Not long after we moved into the old victorian we decided to convert the carriage house to Moms "Little House". She definitely wanted her own place but also to be near me and my girls and this was a great solution. (little did we...

Happy Thanksgiving. It was yesterday but we had ours on Wednesday so now I'm 2 days late. I would not be caught dead out shopping on the day after Thanksgiving! My youngest loves to shop on this day, not me, I don't like crowds.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Little House is shaping up now, I mean it really is. A bit plain for my taste but simple settings are what sells a house I'm told. It is super clean and I bought all new curtains for each room. I have to say if this house was at the beach I would buy it in a HOT second!  I would like to note, that hubbybub did a total house renovation on this baby and whoever gets this place will be a lucky duck. EVERY THING has been replaced. The guest room looks great. We only have 2 beds in the house, so we are using a high blow up mattress in this room. It has a slight slow leak so I have to give it some air each day.  We also propped it up on moving bins so it really looks like a regular bed now. We laugh about what might happen if some...

My vacuum died today... and I'm very sad. I had the darn thing my whole life I feel like, I think it was about 35-40 years! It was an Aeros, canister and was a real trooper.  I wonder if they still make them.  I looked. Nada. So I bought this cute little purple vacuum, it's called a Bissell Zing with bags, and I have one at The Tiny House and it does just fine. I'm sure it won't last long but it was inexpensive so no guilt and I don't have the time to research a good vacuum at the moment.  Wasn't that exciting news? Don't despair, a bit of creative talk coming up next! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jelly Jar Fabrics This is from my "Jelly Jar" dyeing, it's the last fun thing I did in the house before I started packing.  That also reminds me of the last project I did this summer at The Tiny House (at the campground). For that I used some of my vintage knit fabric that I sell in one of my Etsy shops.  It's a Shibori technique. I folded the fabrics in differen...

I'm not sleeping so great. I fall asleep fast cause I'm dog tired from packing and cleaning, but then a few hours later.... WIDE AWAKE and thinking of the move. We are going to list The Little House soon but don't have a place to go.  Yes, this was supposed to be our forever home, but things change and I'm willing to go with the flow, be adventurous.  There was this one house, we loved it, but I guess not meant for us. Even after we had an arrangement, they sold it to another family. Some people are not honest.   I keep dreaming about that house, it was perfect. Something else will come along and I must move on.  You would think that is what is keeping me up but no, it's the BOXES. There are SO MANY and some heavy and big. Where will they go if we don't find a place to buy, not live, I am not worried about that. We can rent a summer beach rental for the winter so we have that and then we can live in The Tiny House at the campground.  Yes, I like to name the plac...

That's what I used to say to my hubbybub when he grudgingly went off to work on a Monday morning. He no longer goes off, he goes down, as in stairs. We work from home and have for many years now. It has it's Ups and Downs. ha So time for some self care and then back to packing. Wondering what interesting things will unfold today. ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~ A little yellow love stitching. maybe I can do one each day and then connect all the love into one big.... what? The word is eluding me at the moment. I am feeling something but can't express it. maybe later it will come to me.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~ This question plagues me, for awhile now.  how old is too old to pack up and move all your things to a new home, area, state. ? Mom was 66 when she moved from NY to PA. My sister 73 when she downsized and moved into a 55 and older community. My brother was 68 and moved from NY to Maine AND got married. Gosh I guess I'm not too old after all. (66 years young) I have been drag...

brings new thoughts. Grandpa & Grandma ~ West Coast, St Pete, Florida 1957 This morning I was thinking about a story my mom told me from when she was little. Every spring her dad would pack them up (there were 5 siblings) and move them to a bungalow at the beach. Breezy Point. And each fall/winter they would have to get a new apartment in Brooklyn.  As they got older and their kids were grown they wintered in Florida. Nice. What DID they do with all their stuff each time they moved? ~~~~~~~~~~~~ We have a LOT of STUFF!  and by stuff, I mean things for the Etsy shops  plus HubbyBubs and my art supplies. My household stuff, not so much.  Wondering what we will do with all of it if we sell our house and don't have a place to live. ? BIG question.  A wee bit on the scary side. Must TRUST that it will all work out.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~ this journal is not necessarily in any sort of order but instead when a thought comes to me, and it's break time... or ma...

  I decided to make time. I don't have time for much these days, I'll be honest. My sewing is sitting in a bag by my chair... I do pace myself with packing and take lots of breaks and just sit, well, and I read. I'm reading a blog.   I discovered this awesome woman who actually inspired me to start this journal. Her name is Jude Hill and she has a blog called spirit cloth . I could write a lot about her and how she has impacted my way of thinking AND BEING, but maybe you should just go look for yourself. (besides, this break has to be short and is now over) ~~~~~~~~~~~~ I'm finding all sorts of things I forgot I had, in particular, a box of my moms love letters from her youth.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~ And then the box with the tape recorder... I remember when I asked her to make me recordings of her voice. I knew back then, how much my heart would ache for her company when she was gone.  She tells me stories and many words of wisdom. (would my kids like something like thi...

I've been thinking about this for awhile, well, the hubbybub, he's been bugging me... Too much traffic and too many people. It used to be quiet with a corn field across the street. Soon there will be MANY houses and no more corn. And a Wawa right down the street. Thats says it all I think. It's been a process for me to get to this point, lots to say here. Another day.

  ... take notes I said this to myself one day as I was packing up my entire life to go on a new adventure. And so it began.