life of a georgia Artist

  Last week's post was about smells. I was telling you about essential oils. This week I want to talk to you about sight. When we rush from one thing to another we miss so much. Our eyes glance over different things, but we never really see them. I love to hike. The woods are my happy place. But if I just wander and do not actually see the forest then I miss so much and obviously, Autumn has so much to see with all its colors, but if we hike conscientiously, we will notice so much more. First off leave no trace Pack it in, pack it out. Do not leave the woods anyway other than how you have found it. Second, as you walk, look at what has walked where you now are. There are always animal tracks in the woods. You will notice animals leaving feathers, fur, droppings, paw prints, and more. Take time to notice what is below your feet.  With that said look up. Get right next to a tree trunk and gaze up its side and notice how it seems to touch the sky. Notice where the bark has been e...

  Photo by Allef Vinicius on Unsplash Finding joy lately seems to be harder for us all. We are struggling with this pandemic. We are trying to move from day one to day two and avoid getting ill. We are consumed with shots, boosters, masks, no masks, people, no people, what is ok, and what is not. It is chaotic at best and dreadful at worst. I work with essential oils and have been working on mixes for mood, for uplifting smells. I find that smells play a big part in my moods. Peppermint helps with my migraines and also in mopping with it, my house smells amazing. I inhale tea tree from a diffuser to ward off sinus infections. I love lavender for a calming effect. Eucalyptus hanging in my shower mixing with the steam also helps me breathe better.  I feel smells can make a mood better. Walking into an open house with a house that smells like cupcakes or banana bread will make you see the house as welcoming and homey. If it smells of disinfectant then you are turned off and perh...

  Photo by me, taking in NJ I wrote this to submit to an online platform and it was just not a good fit, but I feel it's honest, it is raw, and I pray it will touch you and that you read it and say, me too! The Uninvited Invite him in they said. He is the rock that you need. Your life will change they said, but I was happy as I was. Why do I need the lord in my life? It is going simply fine. I wrestled with inviting him into my heart and soul for a long time. I go back and forth from I do not need him, to please lord take this burden and be with me. The lord and I have had an on-again, off-again relationship. I am not proud of that. It is just a fact. I come to him with everything in my life, but then I take it back ten minutes later because I think he did nothing in those ten minutes to help me. I invite him in, but I am keeping him out. I want him to rule my heart, but my mind races with anxiety about what he will truly do with my broken soul. I was raised in the Catholic church ...

  Photo by SOCMIA Fotografía on Unsplash Sunday Road tripping to my son's house this weekend.  Got furbaby snuggles. Got to spend some great time with my son and his wife, and got some great food, though my tummy seems to be on strike. With covid, we all stayed home, but now we have had enough time together as needed. Sunday was the interstate backed up, it was stop-and-go traffic, it was chocolate melting in my trunk. Yes, I put it there so I didn't eat it as I drove home. It was belly laughs for the first time in a long time as we tried to assemble furniture, ending in fits of laughter that were sorely needed.  Life had us all scampering to our own corners, but I am thankful for a weekend with my son. Reminder to self, go up more. Going to try one weekend a month to go visit him. He is only 2+ hours away. We played games on TV, we laughed, we tried to move other furniture and only ended up cracking up. We think we are a superman and then realized what we were trying to...

  Photo by Nick Page on Unsplash Weekends are for relaxing. They are for slower pace days. They are filled with walks and friends and good food until you need to mow, do laundry, cook, clean and flip mattresses. When the day takes a turn and now it is about cramming everything you need to do before work into one day, well that is a non-relaxation day. It is a day about hurrying up, running here, there, everywhere, cooking all the foods, prepping for the week, getting it done hurry, hurry, hurry, and then exhaustion sets in, and when we hit Monday we are already tired and ready for another day off.  I truly believe we need three-day weekends each and every weekend. We need two days to take care of our own stuff and a day to truly relax. We are horrible at self-care. We rush and struggle. We are truly never present when we are rushing through life like this. We are thinking of the next three things we need to do. I know for me I am already thinking that we have a meeting tomorr...

  A Cup of Tea, a biscuit dunked, a hot steamy mug to clear my head, and the color red that I love all make up my morning. And then... the day begins. It is off the race to start, to get it all done, to clean everything I have made a mess out of for seven days, and to clean it up in one day. How does this even make sense? But yet here I am, mop, broom, a bucket of pine sol, sprays for the kitchen counters, the microwave plate out to clean and to clean the inside of the microwave. The rat race was brought on by society, but I am home alone. I feel their eyes of judgment on me. Look at that dust, they say. How is she even alive they say, as they see my yard needing to be mowed? The rat race though is in my head. It is racing my blood pressure and it is causing me health issues, but out loud, no one has said anything to me. I perceive it from the looks I get from strangers. Strangers who do not matter to me and who may or may not be judging me. My daily life Monday to Friday is work. ...