Author: nschristine

Journaling

10 February Journal Prompts

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  1. What is your favorite Valentine’s Day gift? If you have not gotten one, would you like one?  What would it be?
  2. What would you like to try that you are afraid to do?
  3. What are your favorite colors?
  4. What is your favorite mythological story? Give a brief summary.
  5. Write down everything you do for a weekend by hour.
  6. Have you ever gotten anyone’s autograph.  Describe the person and the circumstances.
  7. What are you most afraid of?  Make it a tangible thing like spiders, ghosts etc.  Then tell what you are most afraid of that isn’t something physical like failure, or losing.
  8. Do you wear a watch? Why or why not?
  9. Draw or paste a picture of your favorite butterfly or bird.
  10. What was on your bedroom wall in your teens?
Clothing

10 Fashion Terms to Know

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So many terms, so little time.  Here is this month’s installment of 10 Fashion Terms to know. Learning different fashion terms not only enables you to discuss fashion on a whole new level, but can give you new clothing ideas and a history lesson to boot.  Enjoy!

Aglet:  The plastic or metal tag at the end of a shoelace tip at the end of lacing.  Can be ornamental.  Used to join clothing in earlier periods.

A-line: A term created in 1955 by Christian Dior to describe the style of dress where the dress starts out close to the shoulders and then slowly falling away from the under arm area to the hem.  It resembles the letter A.

Alpaca: An animal that is related to camels but has a sheep like coat.  It is native to South America.  While related to the Llama, it should not be confused with it. It’s coat is used to spin yarn which has a lustrous sheen.

Bagheera: A fine uncut velvet characterized by short, close loops.  It is known to be crush resistant.

Bandanna: A scarf made of cotton, calico fabric on a red or blue background.

Blouson Blouse: A blouse that has fullness at the waist that is gathered into a band.

Bow Blouse: A blouse with a band around the neck with two long ends you can tie in a bow.

Gypsy Blouse: A blouse with a drawstring neckline and short or long sleeves that puff out.

Peplum: A shirt or jacket with a separate seam at waist to which a ruffle or circular piece cut on the bias is added for fullness. Can also be a blouse that is long and full with an elastic waistline.

Snake bracelet: A bracelet made in the form of a serpent coiled around the arm. Dates back to the ancient Greeks.

 

 

Self

New Year, New You?

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A New Year usually means giving ourselves new goals for the year.  In 2019, I am trying to give myself a bit of a break.  I’m still doing resolutions, but more kinder and gentler ones. I want to continue to work on making my health better.  It’s an ongoing struggle.  I have been eating a lot better.  I tried two meal delivery services.  We tried Hello Fresh and Factor 75.  I love Hello Fresh.  My family gets the classic menu for two people, two meals a week. I have loved the vast majority of their meals.  They have been really tasty and fresh.  I look forward to having them.  Definitely better than the same old, same old meals. I’m really tired of spaghetti, if you know what I mean.

Factor 75 is another food subscription service. This one I got just for myself.  I wanted to eat healthier lunches and one have individual portions.  Factor 75, the company, got the best reviews online for a more veggie based menu.  They cook the food in advance and you reheat it.  I honestly didn’t care for the taste of it.  So I cancelled it.

I really need to lose weight.  Since I have gone on medication for my chronic migraines and pain I have gone up four dress sizes. I’m thrilled to be able to live again without pain, but I hate looking at myself.  I hate going to the doctor and getting a lecture on my weight.  What?  I’m obese?  How could I have missed it? (I so wish there was a sarcasm font)  I want to start exercising again.  I’m pretty weak, especially after my month long bout of pneumonia. So it will be slow and steady. The subzero freeze isn’t helping either. It got down to -53 wind chill.

I would like to improve my marriage.  We have been spending all of our time on the remodel from hell and our son’s troubles that we have not been working on us for awhile.

The fourth thing I want to pay attention to is painting again.  It has been so long since I have done it.  I really want to get back into it.

The next thing on my mind is to do more reading.  I used to love it. I’ve got a huge stack of books to finish. Plus, I have a wish list of other book titles I want to look at.  So many pages so little time.

Last, I need to finish my to do list that I’ve had for over a year.  It’s over 30 things that do not need attention right away.  The do need to get done.  Since there is no rush they often get put on the back burner.  Do you have one of those “to do” lists? Things on mine include get curtains for the guest room, work on family history, finish beading a bracelet, clean out the laundry room etc. I’m all over the board.

What are some of your resolutions this year?

 

 

Uncategorized

Quick Update

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Just a quick note to let you all know I have gotten very ill before Christmas with Pneumonia.  It has been two weeks and I’m still hit hard.  I guess it takes over a month to get over. Please be patient with me as I try to get better and neglect my blog a bit.  I will still post on Instagram on occasion. Hopefully, I will start posting again in February.  Please be patient!

Self

My Favorite Books

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Reading is something I love to do.  It is something that I haven’t done in the last year.  I know my son’s current problems have lead to me not read anymore.  I’m just too mentally spent.  I only lately seem to have time for podcasts.  I have a huge pile of books that need to be read! One of my new goals for 2019 is to get my pile of books read.

I love to read all types of books.  The following are my top five favorite books:

  1. Skeletons on the Zahara by Dean King. This is an epic true story of survival when 12 merchant sailors where shipwrecked on the coast of Africa in 1812. Kidnapped and sold into slavery only a few would survive thanks to the generosity of a single stranger.
  2. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. Memoirs was a  New York Times best seller, and this book also appears on PBS’s Great American Read.  Geisha tells the story of Nitta who at a young age was sold to a Geisha house.  It follows her through her trials and tribulations to become a Geisha herself.
  3. The Land of White Death by Valerian Albanov. Another true story of survival. See a pattern here?  I love to figure out what motivates people and why they do what they do. This is a journal of crewman Valerian Albanov and how he became the only survivor of the expedition ship Saint Anna.
  4. The Gryphon and Sabine Trilogy by Nick Bantock. I love this whole series. It’s the combination of a great story with artwork. It’s a quick read that is really enjoyable.
  5. The Tatooed Map: A Novel by Barbara Hodgson. If you like the last recommendation you will love this novel by Barbara Hodgson.  It’s a very short read, but the combination of art and story are wonderful.  This is a great book for a creative in your life.

What are your favorite books? Are there any you are giving  for Christmas?  Let me know in the replies below.

Home

5 Things to Do to Help the Environment

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There are always so many ways to help the environment. Where do you start?  Some things seem to take a long time to do, cost so much money, or require a major life shift.  There are some things that are little things that can make a big difference.  In fact, many of these smaller things are a great way to get young children into caring for the environment.  Indirectly, many of these tips can help you save money or be more minimalistic.  It’s a win win for everyone.  Here are 5 tips you can use to up your environmental quotient.

  1. Add plants to your living space.  Plants are nature’s detoxifer.  They can help purify the air and bring the outside in.  Just adding a couple of plants to each room will help purify the air.  Then relax and enjoy.
  2. Turn off the faucet when you brush your teeth.  If you brush your teeth after every meal you can use up to as much as 45 gallons of water.  Way to much waste.  Speaking of faucets, also get a leaky faucet or running toilet fixed.  It will use less water and not annoy you as much.
  3. Support politicians, musicians, companies and websites that are devoted to helping the environment.  Your support matters.
  4. Join an organization that supports environmental causes near to your heart.  It could be an international, local, state or national organization.  There are so many out there from conservative groups to radical ones.  Some are long established others address newer concerns.  Just make sure they work within the law.
  5. Share.  One of the things that I have done to help the environment and share is giving toys to other kids in the neighborhood when my son outgrows them.  They enjoy them and they continue to get use out of them.  See if you can set up a sharing circle with some of your neighbors?  It’s a great way to get new items and not have to pay new prices.  Then they don’t end up in the landfill either.

What ideas do you do to help take care of the environment?

 

 

Self

5 Self Care Ideas for December

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Holiday Season is such a busy time.  Kids have school projects coming due.  There are band concerts and chorus shows to attend.  Have you got all your baking done yet?  Then the meal planning and the visiting schedule have yet to be worked out.  Oh, and how are those resolutions coming along?  It never ends does it?  It’s easy to get overworked and stressed out on a daily basis.  I know it happens a lot to me.  I can easily forget unless I write the reminders down.

Here are five quick and easy ways to take care of yourself this month.

1. Turn off all the phones and electronic devices for an evening.  Play a board game as a family or go see the lights.  Plan something besides the norm.  We all need a change of pace once in awhile.

2.Don’t put up all your decorations.  Go through them and donate what you really don’t want or need. We were pushed into this by accident.  We adopted two cats this summer so this is their first Christmas.  We didn’t want the ornaments to be ruined so we only put on lights and ribbon.  The ribbon has already been pulled off by the cats.  Thankfully they have not tried to climb the tree yet.

3. Just say no.  You don’t need to go to your cousins house for the day after Christmas extended family celebration.  You don’t have to go to your families Christmas and then drive like a bat out of hell to your spouses family 4 hours later.  Take a holiday off.

4.Give less gifts.  Your sanity and wallet will thank you.  Does your sister really need more potholders?  I know they have kitties on them and that just screams her but let someone else get them. In my family we have this rule that once a person hits 18 they no longer get gifts.  If you are over 18 the next time you get a gift is for graduation, marriage, new home, or birth of a child.  No more holidays.

5. Have a different meal than normal.  A huge Christmas meal with all the trimmings?  I know you can make it potluck.  I just get tired of it all.  So how about a lasagna or pizza instead of ham or turkey?  It doesn’t have to be crazy!

I hope these self care ideas help.  I know they technically are not traditional self care ideas like getting a pedicure.  Sometimes you just have to cut down or not do anything as a form of self preservation.  Good luck.