Do you ever see something that grabs your attention, you instantly fall in love with it, and then you walk away? Yes, well that is the story of me and this plant today. Look at this beauty!! Black and purple…swoon!

But wait, look at this grouping…

Oh ladies at Rhoads Garden Center, you are making me such a happy girl! But alas, I did not get the planter or this grouping. Sad! I was honestly after a white lilacs bush, and a peony bush. I did get the lilac, she is spent and kinda sad looking, so I won’t show you her lack of her beauty right now, but I will show you what I did get!

For those of you that come to my house and always admire my coleus, here is my selection this year! It looks tie-dyed, and my picture does not do these plants justice. We also got a hibiscus bush, which looks like just a plant currently too, so moving on.

The petunia basket, William picked to put on the hook we got too. I am holding back on more annuals for now, as the dogs tend to tramp a lot of my flower bed, so if I keep it a bit smaller and snugger, that will make us all happier. Oh! I am not sure I mentioned, but the garden center has a great wine selection, craft beer selection and a charcuterie selection too. Some people love coffee shops, give me Rhoads Garden Center and Nursery in Circleville all day long, they speak my language!

I am taking a break from all the things I could be doing today, will jump back in tomorrow and this week. Sometimes we need to take a celebrate what we have done, rest before what we will do. What about you, how is your Saturday shaping up? Drop me a line and let me know what you are in to today!

So, I should just start with telling you all that this was the week, the week I finally felt that I am not overwhelmed any more. It took a lot of steps for me to get to this place, a lot of things had to occur, and a lot of emotions had to not only be reprocessed, but released(some re released too). I am so very relieved and grateful that I am at where I am right now…just waiting on what is next!

I have been so productive today, that I don’t have anything exciting or interesting to report, unless you count soaking diffuser parts in a water/vinegar mix, 7 loads of laundry(clothes, bedding, dog beds), swept then carpet cleaning in the dining room, dusting the downstairs and Avery’s room, cooked dinner, dishwasher, and climbing steps a bazillion times. I topped it off with some custard and a ride through the cemetery with William after it was all said and done. Writing it down seems like I did very little, but it kept me busy all day long!

Anyhow, I am enjoying sitting here for the moment, resting after a busy day! What was your Friday like? Drop me a line, let me know!

In January, I was talking to a good friend that said he would love to have a tattoo, but he wants it to mean something. I agreed, and told him that I firmly believe in tattooing what holds deep or strong meaning to you, something symbolic that holds meaning, or anything that means something in some way to you. Sounds vague, in that it is open to interpretation, but meaning is different to us all.

I have two tattoos, and will be getting a third in June. Bill will get his 6th in June, Avery has at least one… Brooke has wanted this tattoo for a long while. She hasn’t wavered, and it holds much meaning for her. I am all for someone wanting to express themselves, to remind themselves, and to find more confidence in themselves. Brooke had our full approval!

Brooke sometimes struggles with anxiety and worry. She sometimes frets too much, and needs a reminder that she just needs to let it be, trust God, and let it go. Whispered words of wisdom, Let it be.

Clint McCollister, of Beautifully Stained, came highly recommended to us from a friend, and he did not disappoint! Clint was great at explaining everything to Brooke, the process from beginning to end, he was friendly, fun and very professional! What a great experience for Brooke to have!

We didn’t stop there, Brooke and I went to Envy Ink afterwards to get her nose stud changed to a hoop. Alix is always great when Brooke gets services from her! No pics of that, but another pic of Brooke’s tattoo.

I cannot say enough positive about Clint or Beautifully Stained! Highly recommend!! Do you have any tattoos? Do you want one? If you do, I know some people, here, there and everywhere. I would love to see your body art, drop me a line or picture, show those tats off!

I have been paining quite a bit, including patching holes and painting those spots. I also washed the walls and washed the curtains. Next is more carpet cleaning! Yay! I am ready for the transitioning to be done, in all ways in my house. Hello Mercury Retrograde. Today was a low energy, low productivity day. I listened to my body, will probably be in bed for the night, soon enough. I am okay with that, as I will be back in action tomorrow! Have a good night all, rest up when you need it!

Whew! I have not been doing yoga lately, and I went this evening…oh boy was I out of practice!!! Dear body, I am so sorry that I have neglected you and let you down!! No more!

I can’t believe that I stopped going to yoga so regularly, stopped walking regularly, and stopped eating so well. In life, we always pick or chose where our focus is, and these things have not been in the fore front for me. I hate that, but I can choose to make a different effort, and I shall.

Drop me a line, let me know if you are getting more exercise with the warmer weather, I would love to know!

I have to ask, is anyone else out there going through huge shifts in their life? It seems like all of 4 of my family members are going through some big transitions, and it is positive for all of us. The level of pain or discomfort has been differing to us all, but present nonetheless. I know a few other people going through a similar theme of big change, but give me a show of hands and let me know if you too are in transition.

While I am finishing up home change projects, let me show you an edit I did on Brooke’s photo from Prom yesterday. I think it is good to try some different techniques, it let’s you know what you like or don’t like, shows you what’s learned or what needs learned. Truly, you just never know what you like until you try.

I am always open to new things, changes and adjustments. The thing is, the biggest one, is yet to be seen or done. I feel that I am brimming with possibility of something new on the horizon. I really just needed to work through the things holding me back, release what no longer, or maybe never did serve me. How about you, what does the horizon look like for you? Drop me a line, I would love to know!

A tribute this Mother’s Day written by William for Erin…

It’s Mother’s Day today, and I would like to pay tribute to my wife, and the mother of our awesome daughters, Brooke and Avery!

You have raised 2 beautiful souls, both inside and out, and they will both be something very special in the world!

You have also helped raise one man child, who is always 4” away from something, and I’ll be forever grateful for your continued love and support!

This Mother’s Day, reflect on the good times and days, but don’t lose sight of the fact that moms deserve a special day because most of the other 365 days per year are hectic, stressful, and mundane.

My wife truly is a goddess, and if you’re lucky enough for her to let you into her world, you are blessed!

Happy Mother’s Day (and Union Day) Erin! I hope your day is as special as you are!

The last week has seriously flown by! With preparing William’s office, eye appointments, visiting with friends and more office preparations, the hours in the days have seemingly sped by! I am definitely taking advantage of all of these daylight hours.

I am going to keep it short and sweet today, as I have had a busy, full day. How about you, did you have a busy, full day, and did you watch the Kentucky Derby? I have decided that next year, I am having a party, who’s in? There will be a hat contest, fun! Drop me a line, let me know what your Saturday consisted of, I want to know!

Do you remember when I said I was feeling the overwhelming urge to paint…and this week that happened when I painted for 8 hours on Tuesday, and will happen again when I patch paint in the dining room next week? Yes, well sometimes we know what we want more than we know how that will actually happen. There were other things I wanted too, and those things have also occurred, so words matter if we say them or think them. Words manifest.

The irony is that in January, William boldly stated that he was ready for a promotion and he let it be known, to people within his company. Seriously, a month later he was approached about applying for a promotion, and sure enough, he got it! This new position has been a catalyst for change, in a good, uncomfortable way for him, but in a truly positive way for him, and for all of us. Due to his promotion, it has prompted us to redefine spaces in our house. William has moved his office to our basement, which means we have changed our dining room back to a dining room, and our kitchen table area has now become a seating area.

As we work through changing spaces, we are also changing within ourselves and our dynamic…our marriage. This is all a work in progress, and I have absolutely no predetermined or expected outcome. I feel it best to flow with life, William is starting to, too. Life is not something we need to have an iron grip on, but a secure hold with room to adjust.

I keep telling you I will share these spaces, but you’ll just have to accept progress shots for now. It takes big tasks like paint, carpet cleaning and lighting changes, but it also takes wiping things off or down too…Life is like that too, we need to do the big things and the little things…enjoy the big things and the little things. Flow with life, secure within ourselves, but open to inviting and accepting the new.

How about you, what are you manifesting, what words do you notice you manifest, and are you happy with that? Drop me a line, let me know, I would love to talk with you about it!

I never understood why people wanted to treat their symptoms, and not the root problem. While I was a massage therapist, my clients understood that yes, we are treating symptoms, but we are looking for the root problem, so we could address that, possibly treat it, or send you to a specialist that could treat the root problem. This is a life philosophy of mine, deal with the root problem.

We are bearing witness to a major onslaught of horrific things in the last few years definitely, but longer than that for sure. If you have been jumping on sides the last few years for this cause or that cause, you are feeding symptoms, and are not looking at the root cause. You may even need to look at your root cause to understand it all.

I am a woman. I have had two viable pregnancies, and one miscarriage. I looked at that miscarriage as a blessing for the soul that may have suffered had they been born, it was not viable clearly, although at one point it was viable enough to be considered a new life forming. What was the problem, I don’t know, but it happens more than you realize. 1 in 4 pregnancies result in miscarriage, and yet I was easily accepting that this occurred, as it was out of my control.

Things out of our control happen all the time. We suffer consequences due to us having no say in matters that involve us, and while that is tragic, what I find worse is inflicting pain on to others that didn’t ask for it, especially if we are just immature and irresponsible. Was I irresponsible and that is why I had a miscarriage? No, it is seriously common, sadly.

I could say that I have no opinion on certain matters, that isn’t true. I could say what I think other women should do, in their individual circumstance. I could say that men should shut up and sit down because they are less involved in conception to delivery…but I won’t. I won’t say any of those things because it is all symptomatic talk. I would rather say, what is the root cause of these things?

The answer to that question could be a multitude of answers, ranging from shallow to deep, depends on who you are asking. But what I really want to know is, when will people look at the actual root cause of the issues from the last two years? Instead of having an opinion and a fight for everything and everyone, look at why you are being poked and prompted to fight, have an opinion, stand behind a cause? What is at the root of THAT?

A picture to look at while you contemplate things.