Springtime, Rain, Coronation

This has been another crazy spring! The weather has waffled between cold and too hot, too soon. Yesterday and today we are back to colder and rainy. It's pouring right now and I'm loving it! I've always been a fan of a rainy day. Perhaps I should be living closer to the coast or somewhere like Portland or Seattle where they get a lot of rain.

Speaking of rain, did you watch the Coronation of King Charles? A bit of a rainy day for it, but I loved all the pomp and circumstance and the historical rituals involved in every aspect of the day. Since I get Britbox streaming TV, I watched the British coverage. Next best thing to being there. It was broken into three episodes like a mini series. A very long day for all those involved but so important. Everything from the coach, the horses, the military, the decor, the clothing, the crowns... it was all amazing to see! The music was also beautiful! I love an orchestra and a choir! 

Here's a glimpse of my springtime.

Beautiful pink blossoms!

A Snowfall of Blossoms. What happens when the spring winds hit.

And the Barbies! I bought myself these off of eBay. Sold my childhood Barbies years ago and decided I wanted to own a Barbie again. The one like I originally had was listed at $350!!! Not on my budget, so I bid on a couple of affordable ones. This replica of the 1959 Barbie is now 30 years old! The replica!!! The Arizona Jeans Barbie is 28! Where do the years disappear to? I'm watching a GAP Barbie right now, hoping the price won't go too high. I'm a jeans and t-shirt gal so I love having a Barbie in jeans!

"Cool shades!"

"I think we're headed to very different parties."
"Love your jacket!"

I've been keeping myself busy with audiobooks, working on the Grow Me A Story challenges. Posting springtime photos to Instagram and Facebook, pushing myself to get back to journaling every morning, listening to their Dreams and Bones Podcasts (you can listen to these on the website or wherever you stream your podcasts), and I'm also writing a bit. Lots more that needs doing, which is why my blogging has taken a hit. I'd say I'll do better, but I don't want to make empty promises. It is on my huge to do list, so we shall see. Until next time!

© 07MAY2023 ajjahner

Procrastinating... Again...

I was just having a big laugh at myself. I'd decided to look through my blog drafts, you know, those half-done posts that never made it to the blog. One was labeled "Procrastinating" and talked about how I should be cleaning instead of blogging. Well, here I am again!

And the wind quickly swept her up and away...

Right now, I have laundry to finish, a comforter to locate, and a few little things I wanted to help my youngest do before he leaves for campus in the morning. What am I doing? Well, I checked my email. Printed some stuff for the elder son. Checked Facebook and that took longer than planned, which is no surprise! It's like a creepy vortex, sucking you into the dark hole of other peoples delights, problems, big news, political views (dear Lord, spare me!), funny photos, sentimental photos, cartoons, complaints, half-formed thoughts, and full-blown documentaries on the daily routine of their lives. After reading all that, somehow I feel compelled to put down my own version of any of the aforementioned, or sometimes all of them! Before I know it, days have passed! I'm bleary-eyed, dehydrated, and pretty cranky! This is the punishment for the Procrastinator! You feel like you're doing something, but in reality, you're in some kind of a Twilight Zone/Doctor Who crazy alternate universe where nothing important ever gets done!

The draft was dated May 2013... Time to get back to the cleaning... Right after I answer a text...


© 27Aug2015 ajj

The Art House Co-Op Mystery Project

I decided to do something fun and different.  I entered a Mystery Project Challenge through the Art House Co-op on Facebook.  They mailed me a card with a theme and a Prismacolor pen which had to be used in the challenge.  Other entries can be seen on their Facebook page by clicking Art House Co-op.

My theme was "Things and the people and places using them" and it had me stumped for a bit.  So I started going through some of my "things" and found a teacup of my grandma's (by the way, Happy Birthday Grandma!).  It was the inspiration for my project.

I chose Miss Tami's Restaurant/Cafe for my "places" because of the memories.  You can visit Miss Tami's on Facebook or go to the web page by clicking on Miss Tami's.  My mom and I loved going there.  It's a restaurant, tearoom and gift shoppe.  Miss Tami not only stocks collectibles of all kinds, there is jewelry, art work, stationery, books, and vintage items.  The gift shoppe area is smaller, as the tearoom/restaurant has expanded, but it is still filled with many lovely things.  Just a note... if you click on the photos, they should enlarge for better viewing.

This is Miss Tami's... Wouldn't you love to sit and have tea or lunch here?  So cozy!

So now, I had my "thing" and "place" for the challenge.  I looked through my collection of tea cups and found three favorites.  One was Grandma Martha's, one was my mom's, and I believe the other was Grandma Wait's.  I played around with different arrangements, taking photos of each, and I finally settled on one.  I printed the photo on to fabric, washed, dried, and ironed it.  Next I outlined areas with pencil to make them stand out, and used the green Prismacolor pen to highlight the leaves and shamrocks.  I mounted it onto poster board and matted it.  It was complete.

Just a few of the treasures to be found at Miss Tami's!

Thought you'd like a closer look...

The next part of the challenge was to take the artwork and install it in a public place.  I had to document the installation with a photograph, and post it onto the Art House Co-op Facebook page.  Then I was to leave the artwork for someone to find.  I put a short note of explanation on the back of the photo, with the instruction that it was free to the finder.

More treasures...

Heavenly....

And there it is!  My Teacup Photo!

I hope it makes someone smile.  It made me smile.  I had so much fun doing this project, and I can't wait to try a new challenge.  While I was in Miss Tami's, so many memories washed over me.  Not only of my mom, but of my dear friend Judy and her mother Ann.  After my mom died, Ann would take Judy and I out for our birthdays.  Ann and I had November birthdays and Judy's is in October.  Miss Tami's was one of the places we loved going to.  I hadn't been back to Miss Tami's since Ann passed.  Being there today just made my heart happy.  I enjoyed every minute of it!  I even found a picture during my visit, that had to come home with me.  A couple of delicious lemon shortbread cookies also found their way to my house!  It's been a wonderful day!

Christ Is All, All Is Good...

Hello Friends, before I get to my update I have a prayer request.  Those of you who know Pam Warden at Pam Warden Art and Faith Folk Cafe will be familiar with her husband John's situation with his lung transplant, and the ongoing struggles of her children, Toby and Jessie who both have MS (multiple sclerosis).  Tuesday Pam posted the following on her Facebook page:

John is in the hospital, I'm at a hotel in Madison. They will be doing a bronch in the morning to see what is going on. He is the very sick. Thank you for praying. Also for Jessie and Toby ♥

And yesterday...

Bronchoscopy this a.m. for biopsy's on John's lung. Can they find and stop what ever is causing this? We pray. This was sent to me today...so simple so absolute "Christ is all, all is good."

Pam's faith in God is amazing!  She has so much going on in her family, but she takes time to reach out to others.  She has been such a support for me.  Please pray for her and her family.  Pray prayers for healing, strength, and peace.

As for me...
It's been a busy couple of weeks since my last post.  For those who contacted me expressing concern, Thank You!  There have been some health issues for Lucky 13 and for myself.  I won't go into lengthy details... I'll just say more of the same.  I haven't driven since sometime in late November, so I've been here at home.

I've had some old friends get in touch with me, and through that I regained contact with more friends I hadn't heard from in years.  That has been so much fun. 

The past three days I've been having a nightmarish time with my Facebook account.  Each time I go to sign in, I find my account suspended again!  I have spent hours trying to fix this.  It keeps telling me that I've been hacked, but no matter what I try I cannot clear it up.  As soon as I leave the page it locks me out again!  *sigh*

I have been catching up with some of my blogger friends, going through the posts I didn't get around to reading during the holidays.  What a busy, interesting bunch of people you all are!  It is so much fun to leave my little world for a while and see what is going on "out there".

I've been listening to some "new to me" artists on YouTube.  I love music of all kinds, so this has been a lot of fun.

I participated in a "Daniel Fast" with my church.  My Pastor mailed me the materials so I would know what was being done.  I chose to do a partial fast of eliminating a couple of my favorites that it would be hard doing without... for me that was 21 days of no fast food and no chocolate.  That was extremely hard for me.  I also increased my intake of fruits, nuts, and vegetables.  Even without doing the strict version of the fast, I found I got a lot out of it. I've tried a new variety of leafy greens.  I regained my love of salads! 

I spent more time in prayer and meditation.  I cut back on my TV time, also very hard for me.  I tend to put in Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, Frasier, etc. or tune in to HGTV as background noise when I'm doing other stuff.  I hadn't realized how many hours the TV is actually going.  It helps drown out the constant traffic noise from the street and the persistant barking of my neighbors dog.  It also drowns out the sound of bird songs, squirrel chatter, wind, rain... all sounds I love.  I'd almost forgotten the joy of the simple sounds of life.

The past few weeks, I found myself taking another look at my life.  My thoughts, my deepest beliefs, my dreams.  It's good to "shake the dust off" what and who we believe ourselves to be; to re-examine our goals, our strengths, and our weaknesses.  To search deeper into our spiritual lives.  It's been a great way to begin this new year.  For me, it is a beginning full of hope and anticipation.  Great things are coming.  I really believe it. 

Give Away, Warning, and Update on Lucky13

Hurry to sign up for a wonderful give away at Castle And Cottage Signs.  Paula is giving away one of her signs, pictured here... "Believe"

To go there, just click on her highlighted blog name (above).  All you need to do is leave a comment. Go now because the drawing ends Sunday evening at 7 PM!  While you're there, take a look through her beautiful blog!

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A Warning Note:  Donna, of Made in Heaven had her Yahoo Mail and FaceBook Account hacked!  They now have the name of the hacker.  She was able to have her mail restored, but her FaceBook is still shut down.  A reminder to be cautious of unsolicited email and of FB applications.  I am choosing to stop most applications on FB for the time.  You can read about what Donna has gone through by clicking on her blog name above.

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While I'm online, I want to thank each of you for your prayers for my son.  The diagnosis was Epstein-Barr Sydrome, which began as a virus last spring.  It can be a long road before it is out of his system, but we are trusting in God to carry him through this.

He is in less pain, but the dizziness and exhaustion are persisitant.  We had to withdraw him from High School which was hard because it's his Senior year.  The school district provides a free online school.  He began classes a couple weeks ago.  He'll take one or two at a time.  So far he has all A's!  How all this will empact getting into a university of his choice, we just don't know.  We were counting on his involvement in Orchestra to help, but there is no way to do that online.  Lol! 

One of the greatest blessings in all of this... his online school counselor has been through Epstein-Barr.  Her daughter was housebound for a year with it.  The counselor had to take a leave of absense to care for her.  She said she will do whatever it takes to support Evan and make sure they accomodate him until he graduates.  We are so blessed!