Weariness and Pressure - A Little Relief

Its  August, humidity levels are soaring, the sun is hot and the air feels thick.  The only  refreshing time of day are those wee hours of the morning between 5:00 and 6:00 am.  In the early light, before the noise, pressure and heat of the day, the air is cool and refreshing.  The world is quiet and reverent, anything louder than a whisper feels out of place.

5:30 am August Sunrise 

Sometimes our lives feel like the heat of high noon;  a scorching sun hangs over us,  humidity closes in on us, the path we walk is void of shade.  We thirst but refreshment does not come.  We grow weary.

We've all known weariness, grief, fear and even if we are not in the midst of that weather pattern today, we will probably experience it again at some time.  What helps me is to physically get out of the house (or office, or classroom) and look up.  That's all, just look up at the sky.  Watch the clouds, or the birds or a plane moving across the blue, watch the snow fall, feel the rain on your face or the breeze against your skin.  Look how vast the sky is.  The world is so much larger than our pressing concerns.  This realization alone begins to help me  put my fears, anxieties and heartache into perspective.  The problem doesn't disappear but with perspective I can see it more clearly for what it is.  A problem that I cannot seem to escape indoors, evaporates a little out of doors,  be it in a true natural setting, or even just the sidewalk in front of my home.  I can breathe a little more deeply, it isn't all about me or my issue.  I can look outside of myself, beyond my life.

Let the vastness of the sky help to put your concerns in perspective.

If you find yourself in the heat of a pressing concern I encourage you to take yourself outside, breathe deeply, look up and watch the clouds see if you can let the breeze carry away a little bit of the heaviness in your heart.

Thank you for stopping by today at My Turquoise Kettle Life,

Wishing you a refreshing day,

Sandra

How to Whitewash a Table Top

I am the owner of what was once a roadside-abandoned kitchen table.  The legs are painted a gorgeous rich red but when it was rescued the table top had a hand-painted plaid motif down the centre.  I lived with it as such until my mom said "You should really do something with that table, paint it or something...."

It was true, I had become so accustomed to its ugliness, I no longer noticed it.  So over a year ago, when I was on a very high dosage of the prescription drug Prednisone, (I mention this because Prednisone can create in one a sense of... let's just say...."unabashed enthusiasm") I awoke very early one morning (very little sleep being another side-effect of the medication), grabbed some paint from the studio and repainted my kitchen table with large bold flower-like swirls.

table extension sanded and painted table top 

I still believe the flowers were an improvement over the plaid and I happily lived with it until the past few months when I began to hide it under various tablecloths.  So last week I dismantled the table, hauled it into the driveway and began the process of stripping, scraping and sanding (thank you Dad for the loan of the belt sander!!).

Stinky, messy, toxic stripper. This wasn't working for me.

Out came the big guns, my dad's belt sander!

Getting there, very slowly

Finally beautiful bare wood.

With the top down to bare wood (I'll spare you the details of how long that took), I decided to whitewash the top. I used a mixture of two acrylic paint colours: unbleached titanium and white. Mixing 2 parts paint and one part water I brushed on the paint using long strokes going with the grain of the wood, then with a slightly damp cloth I wiped off the excess paint to even it out and reveal the wood grain.

Unbleached Titanium Acrylic Paint

The extension whitewashed

Final result 

With the top completely whitewashed and dried I very lightly sanded over the entire top (220 grit sandpaper), moving in the direction of the grain. A quick wipe with a cloth and I was ready to put on the varnish: two coats of matte and a final coat which I mixed half matte, half satin finish varnish. Be sure to give each coat time to dry and sand lightly before the next layer.  I'm delighted with the result and won't be hiding it under a tablecloth any time soon!

Thank you for stopping in at My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Paint yourself the perfect day!

Sandra

Under the Influence

Hollyhocks - (Sandra)

Recently my five year old granddaughter has been painting with me in the studio.  We've talked about landscapes, portraits and still life. She is a free-spirit and has her own ideas about most things including creativity and painting so it was interesting when we tackled a still life and her work was very reminiscent of my own style.  Not surprising; we imitate and learn.  We are influenced.

Pink flowers in a blue bowl  (SJ)

I wondered if "influe" originated with the idea of in-flow and yes that is the origin of the word ( late Middle English: from Old French or Latin, "inflow".  Originally suggesting "influx, flowing matter".) If you adhere to the belief that all life is vibrating energy flowing and moving, you can picture how influence may work, other people's ideas, beliefs, behaviours and energy flow to us and through us.

So when Jim Rohn famously said that "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.", I can see how that may be true or at least how the general idea of that may be true.  We are sponges soaking in our environment, what we see, what we hear, what we consume (both physically and emotionally).  With awareness we can always choose to reject and release any negativity that we have encountered, but how much simpler and healthier to deliberately choose, when we can, to surround ourselves with what we do want to absorb, what we do want in-flowing and influencing us.

Since I'm highly sensitive, I'm particular about what I eat, read, watch and how I care for myself.  I try to surround myself with beauty and to choose people who are uplifting and positive.  Does it mean that we don't reach out to those who are depressed, ill, hurting?  Not at all, we are meant to give and receive help, comfort and connection; it is important though to strike a balance and perhaps to off-set a particularly negative, draining encounter with a rejuvenating one.  Sometimes however, a long on-going, no-end-in-sight situation calls for extremely difficult decisions; ending the relationship, changing jobs, moving and moving-on.

We are all "under the influence" of our environments and relationships.  What or whom is influencing you? What could be tweaked to fine tune your already wonderful, happy life?  Or conversely, if life isn't flowing as you would like it to, is it time to make those difficult choices and  "flush" a negative influence down the proverbial drain?  

Thank you for visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Wishing you a most positive day,

Sandra

"Be Good To You"

I've known my friend Wendy for years; she always greets me with a big embrace and when we are parting her words of wisdom are always, "Be good to you!"

The past two or three weeks have been particularly hectic surrounding work and I knew that going into this busy period I would have to be diligent about getting enough sleep, eating well etc.  But I have also been looking for ways to nurture my senses and my soul.  Here's a quick list of ideas that have really helped:


Creating two serene spaces to practice yoga




I cleared off my back deck and have been using that platform to do my morning yoga.  Its private, quiet and peaceful.  Feeling the morning air and a slight breeze is refreshing, a great way to begin my day.

I also tidied up my indoor yoga area and created a small

 "alter" with candles, some pretty stones and little mementos  

that have special meaning to me.

Sitting down to drink a cup of tea



I know it seems silly but I'm usually carrying my mug of tea from room to room (often forgetting it and finding it cold, hours later) while I multi-task.  So I've been allowing myself the privilege of sipping my tea quietly without jumping up (okay, trying not to jump up to do something).  I've found that sitting outside on my balcony with a book is very, very relaxing.

A bedside bouquet

Last weekend I indulged in a small bouquet of fresh flowers.  Normally I would arrange them and place them on the kitchen table or counter but this time I found a little china milk jug, trimmed the stems and put them on my bedside table.  Waking up and going to sleep beside a pretty bouquet feels absolutely luxurious.

Unscheduled time

I'm a maniac with my planner.  Yes, I'm the one with the blocks of time colour coded and hi-lighted, the tasks all scheduled in for the week in their appropriate time slots.  So I'm trying (really trying) to leave space for a day, or even just a morning or afternoon totally open.  This isn't easy, all those lines with the times of day beside them cry out to be written on!  

Being good to yourself may mean something totally different to you than what it means to  me; it could be a manicure, a drive in the country, a lunch with friends or an afternoon nap. Whatever those special indulgences are for you, make some time to allow yourself the luxury of enjoying them; you deserve it.

Thank you for visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life today,

Be good to you,
Sandra

Jam Jar Door Bouquet

The art of welcoming.  We go all out to welcome our family and friends into our homes, we want them to know that they are cherished and appreciated.  But how do we welcome ourselves home at the end of the day?
What  could be nicer than a fresh bouquet of summer flowers to greet you (and your guests) every time you walk through your front door?

Jam Jar Door Bouquet

Materials list:
small jam jar
plastic pill bottle that fits inside the jam jar
picture hanger/nail
picture hanging wire
flowers/water

• Wrap the wire around the top edge of the jam jar tight enough that it won't slip off.  
• Leave enough wire to create a loop that will hang from the nail.  
• Drop the pill bottle inside the jam jar and fill with water. (I use a pill bottle inside because the smaller diameter requires less flowers and creates a "tighter" arrangement.)  
• Arrange cut flowers and leaves inside the pill bottle. 
• Nail picture hanger into door at suitable height (wooden doors only).  
• Hang your summer bouquet and change flowers when they begin to wilt.

If you don't have a wooden door try hanging your bouquet from the  mailbox
or your civic number sign

Last week I used forget-me-knots in my arrangement and this week its daisies.  I love the idea that the bouquet will change throughout the summer according to what is blooming in my garden.  Why not practice the art of welcoming yourself home, is there anyone who deserves it more than you?

Thank you for visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Be good to you,

Sandra

White

My early morning walk today and all things white:

My Garden Gate

Dandelion on a bed of crab apple petals

My little white dog, Jessy

White moon in the morning sky

White apple blossoms

Bird droppings.  White and kind of artsy don't you think?

Amazing how what you focus on suddenly appears everywhere you look. Just for today try to keep your attention and focus on all things good, worthy and beautiful.

Thank you for stopping in at My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

May your day be full of goodness,

Sandra

Discouragement, a Rake and a Spade

"What is a weed?  A plant whose virtues have never been discovered." 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Last weekend was the big gardening weekend.  Since our geographical location makes it risky to plant before mid May, Victoria Day marks the beginning of gardening season.  A walk around the neighbourhood this morning confirms that while I worked all three days of the long weekend at the boutique, every single one of my neighbours were out beautifying their properties.  

So it was this morning that I found myself, rake in hand, standing in the center of my backyard overwhelmed and discouraged.  The grass is full of weeds, as are the flower beds, even the gaps in the patio tiles are sprouting long weeds.  I'm trying to grow grass over what was last year's vegetable garden but it is sparse. I'm probably over-tired, and looking from one eye-sore to the next isn't helping. 

One eye-sore ....

.....to the next.

I need a plan because there are hours, days and probably weeks of work back here and I am only one woman with a rake and a spade.  So I decide to begin to the right of the entry gate and work slowly on the flower beds around the edge of the property.  I will only look at the area directly in front of me and make it as weed-free and trimmed as possible.  I tell myself, "Do not look at any other area of the yard, only these few square feet in front of me."  It really is a matter of focus; don't look to far ahead, deal with what is in front of me at this moment.  How many times could I benefit from this approach to gardening and to life? 

After four hours I have one garden weeded and trimmed, two garbage cans are overloaded with weeds and both lawns are mowed. I'm sweaty, exhausted and dirty but my prior discouragement has somewhat abated and perhaps this summer I can actually rescue this backyard; even if I am only one woman with a rake and a spade.

Thank you for stopping in at My Turquoise Kettle Life.

Plant yourself a happy day,

Sandra