Raige Creations

Bones sez Happy Halloween Happy Halloween! It is a sad one for me today, as it marks the last day of NaBloWriMo 2013 .  And yes, it's Halloween, but we really don't celebrate that much anymore. For one, I have no candy for trick-or-treaters (we don't get any because of our long, beautiful yet potentially creepy even on a normal day, driveway). Second, my teens don't dress up for Halloween anymore (well, except my daughter who gets to dress as a literary character in AP English class - she is Elizabeth from Frankenstein, but I won't get to see her in costume!)  The most I do for Halloween is hang up my dear old friend Bones . He was an excellent Toekini model, but lately he just hangs around. I have really enjoyed this year's NaBloWriMo . I made some good new blogging friends, and my passion for blogging is even stronger now. I am sad in a way that it is done for this year. Also, I suddenly have a desire to make more Toekini's ! How diffe

That is all I can think of right now. No other title for the day. Though there is plenty on my to-do list (neglected yesterday), I am going through the pictures of the beautiful day I had yesterday. View from Craggy Pinnacle Hike photo by Raige Creations The kids were off school, I have family in town, and we all spent the day together. The lunch at 12 Bones was great! First time I tried grits. I know, I know, living here in the south and first time trying proper Southern grits. I never thought I would like them, having only tried instant grits as a child. Since I tried those instant grits (like cardboard baby food), I never even considered trying them. But when I saw them on my son's plate, they looked nothing like the ones I tried as a child. And let me tell you, they are damn good, especially at 12 bones ! Lunch at 12 Bones hope they don't mind I shared this. you can tell my son is not too happy... photo by  Raige Creations Full bellies, we traveled up th

photo courtesy of Structure in an Unstructured Life on FB Would you care if you were a couple days late paying that cable bill? Would you care if you left that laundry in the living room for 2 days waiting to be folded? Would you think you should have taken that day off and spent it with family, or would you be glad you did? Even though I didn't get this posted yesterday (late for NaBloWriMo again!), I am sure glad I did take the time to enjoy yesterday. Keep things in perspective.

photo courtesy of Draculina on FB I am truly blessed, even though times have been rough. I can still smile, laugh a lot, and I never stop dreaming.  This powerful song is perhaps the best way to start a Monday.  Dream On.  link here for background of song , and link here for lyrics , both good reads. Does it sometimes take a great song or a great saying to get you going on a Monday? 

I get tired of roasts. They are just boring sometimes. I sometimes want something more cozy, comforting. Less dry.... So this time I decided to try a slow cooker stew.  I found some good recipes (like  this one that I AM going to try  when I get some squash), but ended up using several as a reference and tweaking, as usual. Potatoes and onions in the Crock-Pot photo courtesy of Raige Creations I started with using the same ingredients I would with a roast. Ingredients: Potatoes, onions, carrots, meat.  I cut up the potatoes and onions and popped them into the Crock Pot dish. Meat photo courtesy of  Raige Creations I got a Pork Loin Roast, it seemed like a better deal, and tried to cut off some of the fat. Leave a little, it adds to the flavor.  Cut that into cubes, about 2 inches square-ish. The supporting cast photo courtesy of  Raige Creations Then I assembled some spices and the juice needed to make it more stew-like, and added them along with the carrots. 

Why did I get up so early today? Since we moved the business out of its downtown location, and I no longer have to work 6 days a week, including all weekend long, I have completely enjoyed sleeping in on Saturdays. I do still wake up, but the freedom of not having to get up, going back to sleep....ahhhh. There is nothing quite like it. But today, alarm went off the normal weekday time. I got up by 6:30 am (yes, I like to press snooze for an excessive amount of time), made coffee, fed the animals, the normal morning routine. WHY? My youngest son had to meet his drivers ed teacher at 7:30am! photo courtesy of   Travelers Point . Yup. It has happened.  All of my children are now drivers . I now have to dispense the advice that has been handed down from my father .    My youngest is now on the road. He took the class, and now is out there with all those other crazy drivers . I honestly don't know if I can handle sitting in the car with him while he drives.  

Leaf Filled Path photo courtesy of Raige Creations Just as the leaves were falling, and changing color, we were hit with freezing temperatures! There was a chance of SNOW last night. (luckily that didn't happen here)  The sun is so very misleading.  It was 32 degrees this morning! I almost didn't go out for a run, almost.  But I did. And I rocked it.  It felt good, and somehow my pace was better than it has been in, well, ever maybe. That I am not sure of, but definitely recently.  I just may be ready for the Jingle Bell Run . 43 days left and there is still time to donate, click here ! But seriously, so many leaves with the chill doesn't make ya feel like raking. If only we could do this. photo courtesy of Diply (formerly Different Solutions) Does anyone else dislike raking?  (I do, especially when I realized it now really hurts to jump in a pile of leaves.)

Clarity Through the Mist photo courtesy of Raige Creations This is the beautiful scene as I was running on Monday. The fog was drifting over the water so brilliantly, it was a great distraction from the run. I was on a route that I don't often use, around Lake Louise.  I ended up going farther than usual, mainly because I had to go around the loop more than 3 times to get my usual 3 miles. Then I had to get back to where I head home, so I logged 3.38 miles. Almost all of it a run. The day started out pretty good.  Hard to believe how the day changed , but it is a lesson in enjoyment of the moment , because moments change, moods change, and if I didn't have that good morning I can't even image how truly bad the day would have turned out . I was glad to see this picture today. It reminded me of the beauty right outside my door. It reminded me that I will see clarity at some point, I will find my way. Even if I can't see it exactly, once I get settled after

The true test of any relationship is the assembly of cheap-ass Chinese pressboard furniture. We have spent the last 20 years testing our relationship doing this. This Ikea furniture thing wasn't around back then like it is now, but I imagine it's the same kind of test. photo courtesy of George Takei on FB Monday was one of the more recent tests. When the day started, we had no idea we would end up putting together 5 big-ass displays, with no directions, but a memory of how they went together. We started out the day looking forward to spending it together. Normally a treat.  But as the day went on, after moving a huge amount of heavy furniture, (remember, we have been moving crap for the last 2 weeks....) after re-arranging our new booth at The Regeneration Station , and "disagreeing" over many, many things along the way, we were then tasked with putting together those Chinese made, pressboard displays with some very heavy parts. Keep in mind too, that we ha

Yesterday I just couldn't find a song I related to. Well, I did while running, but couldn't remember what those songs were by the time I was done. So instead I randomly searched for inspiration. I spent a long time looking for a song. Somehow, Born Slippy got on my 'suggestions'. I forgot how much I liked this song! And wouldn't this be great for a running playlist? YES! I just hope I am not on my way to a new tension headache..... Why Born Slippy ? The title of the song comes from a greyhound the band bet on and won . Then the 'suggested list' showed Iggy Pop , Lust For Life . (If you hadn't noticed the Trainspotting theme, yes these are on the soundtrack . Great movie !)  Well, that's like hypnotizing chickens.  ( My new favorite lyric.) Nothing is better than Iggy's endless energy, never a shirt, dancing around like a crazy person. I might add this to my running playlist too..... If these songs don't get your day going,

Second full day at home, doing home things, and I love it! I am much more relaxed today, in leggings and a big-ass old stained sweatshirt, and my fuzzy socks .  It is amazing what 2 days in a row off can do. For one, I got back to running. I took 2 days off this week, and could run more today than the last workout. Plus, I still have 5 days working out for the week.  Rest is good! Still 5 days on the calendar for the week! photo courtesy of Raige Creations (This is what I want my calendar to look like most of the time, between 4 and 5 workouts, walking or running, each week.) Believe it or not, this run today WAS relaxing for me today. There was no rushing, nothing plaguing my mind that I had to get done today (except for dinner, which I thankfully already have planned as Chicken and Noodles! recipe here ). Oh, and getting a blog in today for NaBloWriMo , still keeping with that goal of making writing more a part of my life. Today, my run could be as fast or as slo

Huh? Wha? "You look like you need some water" she said to me. I stopped in my tracks. Did I look that bad? photo courtesy of world pics dot com Kosovo   Yes, I did misplace my bottle of water 4 hours ago. Okay, I hadn't showered that morning either, so my hair was a little frizzy, and perhaps the makeup I put on had worn off with the sweat as I was unloading boxes and unpacking and tagging.    "You need to eat something too" she said again. Well, yes I didn't eat any breakfast that morning, and that doughnut hole just gave me sugar rush 2 hours ago. But was it that obvious?    "We have a drinking fountain over there by the men's room, you know." No, I didn't know that!!!    I have spent the last 2 weeks, almost every day full, moving our business out of its downtown location. My days, each one, for these past 2 weeks has looked something like this: get up, coffee, run maybe, clean something in the house, shower, blog,

photo courtesy of Pinterest . I just want to know when the chaos will end. The only thing that has helped me through this crazy chaos is the vision of less stress, more family time, and greater creativity. I still see it ahead, but am not quite done with the chaos. I am taking a chance on something new. I am starting again, right after closing one door. I have questions that this is the right move, but a fter voicing my uncertainty to my daughter, she simply said 'you don't know if you don't try.' The wise words of my daughter are getting me through. I think I can handle just a little more chaos, then take a real break and enjoy the little things in life again. Wish me luck!

  When will it sink in? Will it sink in? Door Closed photo courtesy of Raige Creations What will I do, now that the move is done?  Even the moving truck is tired. photo courtesy of  Raige Creations The truck was filled once on Monday, and 4 times today. Empty. photo courtesy of  Raige Creations Now I can re-group and focus. But focus on what? 'An Open Road?' photo courtesy of  Raige Creations Well, I suppose the way forward! I can now walk down that road! I can get to the next door, actually pick the next door maybe. photo courtesy Pinterest Just don't let me get caught up in the hallway while I open that next door.

It's here. October 15th. Half way through the month. Been so in incredibly busy, worn myself out almost every day trying to finish up business at our downtown location and figure out our next steps. Somehow, I still have managed to get some running and walking in. Plus, helping me achieve my NaBloWriMo goals, it gives me great motivations for writing. Looking at the summary of the month, I can hardly believe it.  31.31 miles. 6.55 total hours. 2,966 calories! So, I guess it was okay that I ate some cupcakes (even though they didn't turn out like I planned ), treated myself with some ice cream with chocolate syrup and walnuts, ate pizza (too much), and attacked those sour cream and onion chips.  Imagine if I had eaten a little better! I believe I can start thinking I will break that plateau, well I did break it but the wrong way, I gained weight, and maybe lose a little weight. Tentative Scale Calibration photo courtesy of Raige Creations It doesn

Some songs just pop in your head. And then repeat. Over and over.  But just certain sections of the song, not the whole song.  And then you can't remember the rest of the song, just the section that plays over and over in your head........ As I was checking email (I have 3 different accounts), having received no new emails since last night, this song popped right in my head as my mind said: Sign in sign out, sign in sign out, sign in sign out And it took me forever to remember what song had the breath in breath out lyrics, because all that was repeating in my head was breathe in breath out, breathe in breath out . I could not remember what came after, before, anything. Just breathe in breathe out. Incidentally, this would be a great song to run to. With that, I am off for a run!

"Serendipitous Timing" Uttered to me today by a wonderful new person I met. Before I jinx anything, I will just say a few things. All my worry last night , lack of sleep, and stress about getting everything done, led to a huge relief of sorts. After some driving around and few phone calls, I made the best phone call which made the end of my day rather pleasant. photo courtesy of photobucket Of course, lots of prep, planning, organizing, logistical figuring was figured into the day. Working to achieve a smooth transition out of one location is not an easy thing.  But if all goes well, this wonderful new person will be saving me from dread and unpleasantness beyond what I could handle at this point. AND, as it turns out, I will be helping her in a way she didn't anticipate happening at this time, yet wanted to. I am bringing her closer to a goal she has had, she is bringing me close to a goal I have. Serendipitous. We met not quite by chance, as most serendipi

12:01 photo from ClipArtETC 12:01. That's what the microwave said when I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. 12:01 a.m. I had been laying in bed for about an hour. This, after being woken up from the couch to go to bed because we have another very big day tomorrow. We spent the day packing and organizing the shop downtown.  My business, Blue Rage of Asheville , had a good run in its 8 College St. address.  After a very hard summer, and saying so many times I couldn't count, ' There has to be a better way' , the time had come to let this location go, and go find the the better way. 8 x 10 print by The Love Shop on Etsy I spent all week carefully packing the fragile inventory, making sure all the consignors picked up their inventory, taking pictures of displays, dealing with banks, utilities, etc. Over 30 boxes, and probably 20 pieces of furniture and displays, and oh yes, the track lights and drop down lights, all packed up. Still more to do