Tag: Blogging (page 1 of 3)

November 20, 2020 / 0 Comments

Life Lately

It’s Friday. The sun is glowing and the air is nippy. The shadows have been changing throughout the house on a daily basis. As I write this now a golden hued beam is dancing across the floor towards my feet. Two week ago at this time, that beam would have been in a different place. It feels like a beautiful autumn day, the kind of day my parents would pack up the car with a picnic and take us up to the mountains to feast and hike.

Christmas music is playing. It’s been playing since November 1st! The house is clean and ready for the weekend to begin. I’m working on a final plan of attack for Thanksgiving, so I can ensure that the bread I’ll use for stuffing and the loaf we’ll use for sandwiches and the pumpkin pie are all baked on time. I’m also working on a final grocery store list for the week ahead to ensure I have all the little odds and ends I need.

Thanksgiving will look very different for many this year. It will be as it has always been for us. It’s just us around our Thanksgiving table. Because of school schedules we have yet to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with our family overseas. But, one year that just might happen!

This year has found me very quiet in this little place of mine. I have felt at times that I did not have a voice. I’ve still been working on my own writing projects, but this has not been a place that I’ve wanted to come to. I’m not truly sure why? The time I have been spending here has been with the help of Mr. Michie, who has aided me in making changes to the overall visual look of my blog. It’s been awhile since I have written code, so this project was a good refresher! There are still a few things left to tick off the list before I get it close to how I would like it. It is a very different, more streamlined look for me and I have enjoyed that, although it was a hard design decision to come to. I narrowed it down in the end and decided what would work best for me.

Our days are moving one into the next. Life is still happening in the midst of all the chaos. There are lots of games of Scrabble being played and books being read and albums being listened too. There has been a steady rhythm that we have continued to beat out through this storm we are all weathering. And that rhythm will continue to carry us through.

I hope wherever you are today that my ramblings find you safe and well.

{Cranberries, Andrew Wyeth, 1966}

January 28, 2019 / 0 Comments

From One Day to the Next

These January days are mixing like watercolours on my palette, one bleeding into the next. Time is getting away from me and I haven’t been coming to this little space of mine as often as I would like too.

The new year has started off with a bang and we’re trying to keep up with it, while still enjoying the little moments.

We had a snow day last week and a promise of another this week, if the weather forecast stays as it currently is. I hope it comes to pass. I love snow days, they are a gift from nature, to just be and take in the world around you.

Most of this weekend was spent in a 50s groove, but this morning its been nothing but a 70s vibe around these parts. This is what’s spinning on this very frosty Monday morning:

December 19, 2016 / 0 Comments

The Last Monday

Today is the last Monday before Christmas. How can that be? December seems to be flying right past us, even though we are drinking up every single drop.

Last night we watched Home Alone, while I wrapped up a secret Santa present and finished the last of our Christmas cards. I was missing two addresses and between my Mom and my sister, they had me covered and happily forwarded me the details. Mr. Michie sat at the table with me and wrote out his cards for work. We drank tea and ate the most delicious brownies, sent to me by a kindred spirit.

Mr. Michie also very graciously gave me about three hours of his time yesterday, helping me rework my blog. It’s been a long time, since I’ve done some behind the scenes hacking and I was happy to have expert help on hand. So now, no matter what updates are thrown my way, everything should just stay put! I might change a few more things, but for now, I’m satisfied.

This morning, I ran to the grocery store after a frosty 6 mile walk and couldn’t resist the fresh rolls they were putting out. They were still warm! So, off I meandered home to eat a warm roll with butter and make a cinnamon hot chocolate for breakfast. Our lights are glowing, the candles are lit, my Christmas potpourri is simmering away on the stove and Christmas music is playing throughout the house. I’m so very happy!

January 25, 2015 / 0 Comments

Surprises

I love grocery store surprises! Today Mr. Michie brought me home a grocery store surprise of a little chocolate heart. I shared it with him, it was delicious!

The end of last week, got the better of me and I never found the time to come to my little home here and write. I have so many things to share, including a Copenhagen post (or two)!

I hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend, wherever you may be! x

January 18, 2015 / 1 Comment

Online Cleaning

I feel that it is just as important to re-ogranize your house as it is to re-organize and evaluate your online presence. I have spent a bit of time doing just that throughout December and January. Culling through my Feedbin account and removing blogs that I was no longer reading as well as sites that hadn’t posted anything in over a year.

I have also done the same with my Twitter account. I had over 700 people I was following and I have now reigned that in to just over 300. I’m streamlining. I’m trying to keep things simple in order to be more productive and not have such a digital crowded space. As Martha would say, “It’s a good thing!”

September 19, 2014 / 0 Comments

A Ray of Sunshine

This was my brief glimpse of the sun this morning. It tried so hard to peak out from behind the clouds, but alas, the clouds won and the sky has turned to ash grey again.

It rained last night and the morning air felt clean. The air was crisp, but by the time I made it into the city, it had started to become muggy. Everyone was moving slower this morning. Not the usual exciting pace a Friday morning normally has. Maybe it is the weather, it can’t decide whether it should be hot or be cold. Everyone seems tired, worn out already, waiting for a pause to catch their breath.

This has been such a busy week, I will confess, that I have been living for today. Waiting for a break. I got back in the pool for the first time since our summer vacation this week to put in more hours towards my scuba certification. I was a little rusty, but I remembered the majority of it! It was wonderful to feel the weight of the tank on my back and the rush of water washing over me as I jumped in. I love being under the water, it is a certain kind of freedom.

I have tried very hard to come in to my space this week. But, it has proved difficult. I must work harder to find my balance as this little space is also a freedom for me. A freedom to write, to think, to share.

There are papers to grade this weekend, a cottage to clean and hopefully a long meandering walk through the park. I can feel the Japanese Garden in Regent’s Park calling my name. I want to walk from one end to the other and cut down our “secret” path that is behind the London Zoo, so we can look down at the animals from the hill. The camels are normally outside munching away and if we are lucky the warthogs will be out lying in the mud when we cross the bridge.

Here’s to the weekend, long may it last.

May 26, 2014 / 0 Comments

The Onslaught Of Social Media

We live in an interesting world. The times they are a-changing’ as Bob Dylan once wrote. Not all that long ago, you used to have to think about something before you could verbalize it. If someone made you angry or sad or you were annoyed by something, you told it to your pillow, to your bedroom wall or to your diary. Everyone I knew growing up had rules about being on the phone and so you couldn’t always call a friend to chat about something.

In today’s society with the onslaught of social media, people vent their feelings all of the time. There is no thinking about something, it’s just put there. Now I am guilty of this myself as once my sister and my baby niece were flying home and their flight got cancelled and then cancelled again and the airline was neither helpful nor supportive. My dad was on the phone trying to help her, her husband was on the phone trying to get her help as well and we weren’t getting anywhere until I took to Twitter, funny isn’t it? They won’t pay attention to someone they are talking to on the phone but one derogatory (honest) tweet and they were being a bit more helpful. I know on occasion I have also have commented on the rudeness of men on my train. I still find it shocking that gentlemen seem to be disappearing at alarming rates. These men fight to get on first, pushing past female passengers and rarely do they offer to get up and give their seat to a female passenger or person in need. So I’m not perfect either in my use of social media.

In saying all of this, there are times however where I think people abuse their use of social media. Case in point and I won’t mention names but there is someone I follow on Twitter, who had quite a temper tantrum the other day. They were having a whale of a time ranting away, wishing ill will on someone, hoping something terrible would happen to their ex, complaining about their life and how they were stuck in a certain place. After they called a fellow tweeter a B— for commenting on their negative tweets, it moved into a realm of ridiculousness. What this person needed was to have a time out.

Now maybe it’s just how I was raised in the South, but airing your dirty laundry in public is just so tacky! The pros of where we are right now with technology is the capabilities to be able to communicate with people any time anywhere, the downside of where we are right now is the same thing. No one has that cool down period. If it’s in your head or on your lips, you just say it. I think we need to work harder as a society to not do that. Gone are the days of letter writing by which you had to think out your thoughts through pen and paper. As my grandpa always said if you have something negative to say, write it down, think about it, if you still feel the same way the next day think about it some more and if you still feel the same then send the letter. we have no thinking through period anymore, no cooling down period, that seems to have vanished.

This idea was mentioned about two months ago in a New York Times article, The Lost Art of the Unsent Angry Letter. It is all to easy to use social media as a quick outlet for our feelings, but think before you speak, because you just might regret what you had to say and you can’t easily retract those thoughts!

May 10, 2014 / 0 Comments

5 Years Bloga-Versary

Well May 5th came and went for me this year. I have to tell you that there are times where my working week gets the better of me! We are up by 5 and I am home past 6 every night and by the time we make dinner, do the dishes, have a few minutes to talk, do a few things around the house, speak to my mom or my sister or sometimes I’m lucky enough to speak to both, it is time to hit the hay before 5 o’clock rolls around again, because it comes around all to quickly.

I have so many things I want to share with you. I have yet to share with you about going to my Shibori Dying Class, or about visiting the Matisse Exhibition or the number of other things that flit through my head. I will get there. I just need to work harder on my work/life balance. It came to me last night that 5 years of being in this space came and went unnoticed by me this week.

When I started this space 5 years ago, I didn’t know where it would lead, but it has truly grown into its own. A year ago I moved into this new space that I call my writing home. I love the simplicity of my site. It is colorful, yet simply elegant, it lets me showcase my writing and photography without a lot of fluff and that is what I wanted it to be.

Thank you for sharing this space with me. Thank you for coming to visit me and read my words and view my pictures. I write for me, but it is nice to know that my writing not only touches my own soul, but you have shared with me that it touches yours too.

When I did think of writing about my 5 years of blogging the other week, I had made a Kentucky Derby Pie. It turned out perfectly. A slice was cut and fresh vanilla whipped cream was pillowed on to the top, but Mr. Michie stole a bite before I could get a picture.

So, instead of sharing that pie with you and recipe, I shall share a cake recipe with you, as cakes are a wonderful celebration of life. The image and recipe comes from the lovely Twigg Studios. The pie recipe I will share just as soon as I make another one. Pies should be made to share, but unfortunately, this one was just too good, we were greedy and devoured it ourselves before we could even give away a slice!

For the full Mandarin & Lemon Cake recipe and assembly instructions please visit Twigg Studios, HERE

Image pinned HERE

June 25, 2013 / 0 Comments

Blog Update

Hello? Hello?? Are you there? I just wanted to give you a mini blog update today. Well, I am pleased to announce that I am FINISHED! All of my Jenny Wren posts have now been updated to make sure that everything is working, all pictures imported properly, all videos and links accounted for…

I have also had a long discussion with Goose Girl & Foxy. They have decided that they don’t want their own space anymore. They felt lonely having their own site and wanted to come back to sharing my space. I’ve let them.

So last night the three of us with the occasional double checking with Mr. Michie, worked to import their blog here and make sure all posts moved over smoothly. It was a bit of a tall order for a Monday night, but nothing we couldn’t handle. So from now on, this along with their menagerie of friends is their home too.

It should be smooth blog sailing now in my new home, so stick with me and enjoy the ride.

{woman on the phone found here}

May 5, 2013 / 1 Comment

4 Year Bloga-versary and BIG NEWS: I’M MOVING BLOGS!

Well first things first. Today is my 4 YEAR BLOGA-VERSARY! I can’t believe that it has been 4 years since I got on this ride and I have loved every minute of it. I have learned a lot in my 4 years sharing this space with you, which leads me to my next announcement: I am moving blogs. This has been a long thought out decision for me and an ongoing design process. I have loved the time that I have shared with you in this space, but I feel it is time for me to grow-up a bit and have a place to truly call my own.

The paring down approach we are taking with us into this new year, is one that I have decided to take into my new space. I wanted to keep the design clean and simple, yet still elegant and whimsical.

I will begin the process of moving everything over soon, so please bare with me as I will have a bit of tidying up to do to ensure that everything has moved over smoothly.

Thank you for sharing this spot with me, I hope you continue to read and follow me in my new space. For the next little bit, this is still “home”. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted on the BIG MOVE, I’m still packing up boxes, so I’m not quite there yet.

Jennifer x

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