Raige Creations

Anisina  :  in memory of, in commemoration of, in remembrance of Thanks to everyone who suggested tunes for today's Music Monday!  Only one could be chosen, and the suggestion that we could ease into Monday over our coffe with this one made it the winner. It is an added bonus that Anisina is a special word, meaning: remembrance, memory, recollection . A perfect way to start this, for most of you, short week as we prepare for Thanksgiving.  Source: Pinterest Remember, those people who grate on your nerves this Thanksgiving could teach you something. Enjoy the stories they can tell over that pie you have to unbutton your pants to eat.

**I wrote this post way back last winter. I never finished it, or published it. It is still mostly relevant today, so here you go. Updates are found between these astericks. ** We don't often realize it, when we have matured. When we have learned enough of life to know certain things and thus have an air of comfort in our own bodies, ways, abilities. It often happens slowly, and one day we realize we have matured.  For me, it hit me when my daughter needed help with her outfit. My daughter came rushing to me one morning, as she was getting ready for school. "Can I borrow that black and white scarf, the one I gave you?" she asked excitedly. "Of course" I say, always happy when I think I am cool enough that my daughter wants to wear my stuff, even though she gave it to me.  **Since originally writing this, my daughter is happily in college, maturing like crazy, growing so much it is hard for me to see her as the wonderful young adult she is turning in to.**...

Wow,  I don't even want to think about how long it has been since I blogged. I don't even want to go through all the trials and tribulations we have gone through to get us to this point in our lives. (Let me tell you, when I sit and think about it, I am amazed at all the crap I have gone through, all the hard work I have done, and so many, many failures, difficulties, and frikin crazy bitch people I have had to deal with!) I am actually quite amazed we have made it here . Here , being a place where I wake up and am so thankful for the beauty around me. Here , being a place where stress is so much less than it was a mere year ago. Here , being a place where I can actually understand that I would not be here unless I went through all that crap. (well, and also wouldn't be here without the help of family and friends to get me through all that crap) All those here's are a state of mind, really.  A state of mind knowing all the hard work and pa...

Source: fashionablepins.com I am actually a bit tired of the new at the moment.  EVERYTHING has been new, again and again and again.  Another new bed to sleep in, new kitchen to get used to, new foods to try, a new (old) car, new roads to learn, new people to meet, new internet codes to set up, new phones to hook up, packing a suitcase again. I am so ready to settle in and have some things get old again. I am ready for my space to become familiar. I long to be able to wake up in the middle of the night and know where I am!  (Still takes me a minute or two to figure it out) Building the new is exhausting. But...totally worth it. Source: Raige Creations

Source: Jacqueline via Pinterest A bit unlike my recent blatherings of how wonderful life is and how good things are going? Yes. But I have realized one thing: No matter where you go, no matter how hard you try to be positive, there are some things that just suck! I will give you three things you will most likely wholeheartedly agree that universally, totally SUCK: Utility Companies Used Car Salesmen Insurance Companies No matter where, when, what other things are going on, these things ALWAYS suck.  The key is to always remember.... source: Jamie via Pinterest

Yes, I am still here. I have emerged from the chaos. I have survived the incredibly hellish move, the journey over land and sea, the displacement to an entirely new (yet familiar) place. I have survived the 3 months of preparing for the move, the sorting and purging and packing, the hellish week of emptying and cleaning the house, the day of travel on 2 hours of sleep, the 2 weeks in a resort hotel right next to the Jet Ski hut, the 3 weeks of living out of a suitcase, the strange beds and kitchens where you don't know where anything is, the start of a new job. We have survived the search for a new place to live, a new car to drive, a new life to settle in to.  We landed in the world of the tropics, steel bands, beaches, and a slightly more laid back lifestyle. A lifestyle we haven't enjoyed for more than ten years. I sometimes have to pinch myself, wondering if this is all a dream. I am slightly suspicious when things keep falling into place, and worki...

Yes, you read that right. I made Angel Food Cupcakes. Yes, they were from a box, and all I had to do was add water. Not the picture of delicious made-from-scratch Angel Food Cakes, which really are the best, but a necessity in our current situation. I have to empty out the entire kitchen this weekend, and I don't want to throw away a bunch of perfectly good food (well, mostly good food), so I am trying to creatively cook up anything that is left in the freezer, fridge, and cupboards, with the remaining kitchen utensils that I have not yet packed. I found a box of Angel Food Cake mix in the back of the kitchen cupboard.  (Okay, it had passed the expiration date by a month or 4, but hubby was fine with it, and since I only had to add water and there were no creepy crawlies rooting in the mix, I said 'Why not?') I should mention too that Angel Food Cake is the only cake hubby will eat...so I had to make it. Oh, and I should mention too that I have had a checkered pa...

It has been almost an obsession lately. I hate it, but I love it at the same time. Craigslist . Of course, Weird Al had something to say about Craigslist . I have listed a good many things on Craigslist , after our massive purging over the past few months, and also years ago when we last moved. Things we didn't want or need anymore, things we decided we couldn't move with us, things the kids have grown out of, furniture, cars, motorcycles, tv's. (Sadly, no slightly used sombrero to throw in.)  Why give them away when you can get a little dinero ? So I listed, and yes I fielded MANY scams, dealt with ignorant and difficult people, even had someone try to return an item after picking up and taking home and fiddling with it. (I won't go into details about our newbie mistake years ago, like taking a check from someone wanted by the police for check fraud and writing bad checks) I have had email after email, asking for explanations and haggling prices. And g...

Source I love to sing to songs. In the kitchen....in the car....even a little bit when I am on my walks with my headphones on. (I sometimes even look around to make sure no one can hear me....sometimes.....) When this classic Pearl Jam song came on the radio one day when I was in the car with my son driving, I said, "Oh Pearl Jam, I like this song!" Source sodahead.com And because he was driving I could sing along with even more focus and enthusiasm! When it started, I quickly remembered that THIS was the song that was THE WORST mumbling that Eddie Vedder did. (He did mumble regularly, and at the same time became known for his distinctive and powerful vocals....) I garbled through the song, belting out whatever I thought he was saying, mostly making up the words really. After a short time, I thought it best to hum, and my son wholeheartedly agreed. Imaging then, when I found the video with the lyrics! I could sing right along!! Join me, sing along!! No, ...

Sometimes there just aren't the right words. Sometimes you just can't find the right quote, or saying. Sometimes all you can do is just savor the moment, and bask in the warmth and love of the moment, and not try to put words to it. Like when I got home on Tuesday, my daughter said: "I got you something!"   That was a surprise, and immediately I felt so grateful, not even knowing what it was. My beautiful gift. photo courtesy of Raige Creations . But then, when I saw it was an Iris, purple and yellow (my favorite!) , I knew just how thoughtful, and what a loving a gesture it was. We had been going for walks together the past few days, noticing all the blooming Iris flowers around. I then got to tell her the story of how I insisted the Iris should be my wedding flower, in October.  Note: they bloom in the Spring. So this request was a tall order for an October wedding! I insisted, so of course we only had a few, and had to supplement with other flowers...

My new mantra of late - That's One Less Thang. Even spoken like Forrest Gump . Because every time I finally get rid of something I have been trying to unloaded for a long time, or every time I cross something off my long, long list, or every time I pack yet another box, I utter: 'Well, that's good. One less thang!' A sense of relief, even though I have much, much more to do. Many more boxes or bins to load with things we just can't part with. Many many trips to storage, for the things we have to ship. Every day something added to the list that I can't forget to do. Thankfully, not really too much more to purge, compared to what we started with. But each thing gone, packed, and crossed off the list is one less thang. And that ain't so bad.  Do your mantras change?  Mine sure do, like here , here , and here just to mention a few. And one here that I still say so often   (thanks again hubby!) , as that day will soon be here where we ...

Sitting in the living room yesterday morning we heard loud thumping upstairs. It sounded like a large animal jumped down off of something and the ran full speed across the room. Several times. All I could do was giggle a little, knowing it was our small, barely 18 pound mutt of a cat doing the things crazy cats do: run across the room for no apparent reason at high speeds. The strange thing is, there is no furniture left upstairs. So what did she jump off of? There are boxes, but most are low to the ground so the big thump had me stumped. The only tall box is the one our large screen tv came in. The tv is gone now, but for some reason we still have the box, and it is over 3ft tall. I doubted she would jump up that high, plus the sound came from the other side of the room. Was she on the windowsill? Source xbox music These sounds continued for about 5 minutes. Back and forth, thump, thump, then the clomp clomp down the stairs. I just thought is was funny, and even strange in...

"American Woman!" Said in not so nice a way.....to me....by Hubby..... Guess why? Because I didn't cook rice with dinner last night. I cooked potatoes. Who cooks rice WITH potatoes? Not me. And last night, we had potatoes. But apparently, I was reminded yet again,  "There must be rice with every meal!" Damn Caribbean Boy. He grew up with rice, or rice and beans with every meal. But he knew when he married me I was not a cook. I have come a looooong way since then , but apparently I still don't always get it right. It is true, we haven't had rice with a meal in a  few days...4 days without rice, I believe.  And apparently that is just one too many days without rice. So, tonight, rice, with something I don't know yet. Maybe even rice and beans. Because I don't want 'American Woman' to mean 'Can't cook worth shit' anymore. 

Finally feeling almost like normal.... the perfect time to feature Disturbed . Down With The Sickness . Because I was so, so sick last week. So sick I didn't feel at all like myself. I could do nothing, but sleep and feel rotten. The sickness...a cold. I know, that doesn't sound like much. A cold. Big whoop. But dang. This cold.....wiped. me. out. No packing, sorting, planning. No re-stocking the booth, no promoting, no work of any kind.  At all. The most I could muster for several days was cooking, and even then I had to sit down in the middle of it and rest. Several times. Weak, dizzy, congested, coughing, and the headaches! It brought me to tears. And it also brought my daughter to tears. We were the only ones who got sick. And thus, Hubby and son were the ones who bore the brunt of our illness.  source This could be why they both suggested this song, after I asked for some inspiration because even though I am feeling better, I still was havi...

source  via Pinterest 'Think outside the box'   Yeah, right! Until all you do is try to fit your life inside boxes. Which is what you have to do when you move, which we are. All I do is figure out how to fit my life in to boxes!  How can I think outside the box?!?!?! Perhaps my goal should be this: source I am sick to death of boxes.  I may just get rid of them all!

Thank goodness the rain waited until this morning to come. But cleaning up the leftover moving sale stuff was a bit miserable this morning. Cold, windy, wet. source It is said that in this song, Creedence Clearwater Revival use a metaphor of the rain to speak about seemingly endless times of confusion and misery. That is how I feel after 3 long days of the sale, and weeks of preparation for the sale, and now at least another couple days dealing with the leftovers from the sale.  Seemingly endless times of confusion (what to keep, what to donate, what to try to sell) , and misery (the weather, being outside in cold temps, wind, and rain all weekend, and dealing with 'customers' who want something for nothing, and then a discount on top of that, and when we did not give in to their demands, they left not buying anything!!), and then today the rainy wind while we cleaned up the leftovers just added to it. So, I wonder, who'll stop the rain? When will I be able...

The million dollar question. One that inevitably creeps into your head when you are preparing for a yard sale.  But even worse when hubby puts on Hoarders and refuses to change the channel for 3 hours. 2nd-Hand Tips You are going through all your worldly belongings, when questions like, "Do I really need 2 bundt pans?" enter your brain. Have I ever baked 2 cakes at the same time? Of course not! So the logical answer is,  "NO!, I really don't need 2 bundt pans!!"  Then, the thought creeps in, "But maybe I should save one for my daughter who someday might want to bake a bundt cake...." Hoarder. bestnatesmithever.tumbler.com After you have convinced yourself it is really ok to have only one bundt pan, you move on to more difficult things. Like collections of things hubby has been collecting for a gazillion years, each one painstakingly selected, researched, and purchased, then lovingly taken care of move after move after move.  With so...

'Times when the day is like a play by Sartre When it seems a book burning's in perfect order'... As I sit and stare at the boxes in the basement, living room, and piles of stuff throughout the house, at least I have this peppy tune to make light of the situation. I am prepping for a yard sale, compiling piles of our things that we no longer need or want. Add to that about 20 boxes of books just picked up at an auction, and I wholeheartedly agree with the lyrics posted at the beginning. A book burning may just be a good idea! A few of the boxes But no, these were bought in the hopes of re-selling to make a wee bit of money to actually help us in our move. The reality is that this is a task I am quite overwhelmed with. I love books, but this is ridiculous!  'Too much of a good thing can be taxing' , as Mae West said . A few more of the boxes If I had the time, it would be great to sort through, scan some, and read others, If I had time t...

Welcome to this week's Featured Artisan from the group On fire for Handmade . Meet Teresa! She is a fellow creator from just up the road from me, here in North Carolina! Teresa says: "I have been a creative and resourceful person ever since I can remember.My first real crafting love was sewing,and I have tried countless other crafts. Jewelry making started as another hobby, but has grown into an obsession! I love everything about it from choosing the materials and actually designing something beautiful! I am always looking to learn new techniques and expand my knowledge and skills.My love of handmade has inspired me to open Hollyhocks, LLC. My store in Mebane, NC sells handmade items from local artists Stop by if you’re in the area!. I am happily married to my best friend, have 2 grown children,a daughter in law,a dog and our first grandchild!" T.Rusk4U Featured Artist T.Rusk4U is this weeks featured artist on Share the Love Blogger Unite! You will find...

We thought it was Spring. But no. Even though the calendar says Spring, Mother Nature has other plans. I heard this song on one of my walk/runs (got 3 in last week, this week so far, a big fat none...but the week is still young....) and it was a good pace to walk to, a little slow for running for me. Still, kept me going. And yes, I was wearing a sweater (well, sweatshirt) And Yes, the forecast has SNOW in it this evening! Dangit. But, hopefully, it won't be long until we can put our sweaters away.  And for me, maybe put away for good! I will be dreaming of no more cold winters......and a Spring that really is Spring when the calendar says so......and walking and running in shorts and a tee! Can't wait. Video and photo by The  Neighbourhood .

Click here to vote! I am sure I am not alone in feeling this way, but I am SO ready for Spring. In fact, this week's Great Finds is all about SPRING, so head on over there to get your fix. And while you are there, give Raige a vote. These Toekini's are being featured. Sunshine Yellow with Groovy Red Heart Toekini's Ready for Spring, bare feet, beaches, pools, and to not be cold any more! Who is with me?

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I have been taking so many pictures these days. And no, not the fun, inspirational ones I usually like to take. I have been taking pictures of things we have to sell. source: zulily.com So lately, the way I am seeing my life is through all the crap we have, that we don't need.   How did we get this far away from living simply?? I don't want to see my life like that. In what way would I describe what life is like? There are so many options.........like monkey bars.... source: MotivateHopeStrength Yes, I am letting go of so much stuff!  So we can move on.  I can't wait to be done with the 'getting rid of stuff' ! It is hard to be letting go of some things. The change is hard, but I am ready to move on already. You could say life is like.......underwear? source: TARTORA Lingerie Ok...you could say that. And yes, I keep talking about moving, and yes we are moving, so you could also say that life is like riding a bicycle.... source: Move...