Raige Creations

Almost finished with my first ever 2 week vacation, and I finally am unwound and reminded of life without work taking up all my thoughts and time. It took more than a few days to unwind. And more still to tackle some things that I had let slip. I don't know what it was that gave me the motivation to do that 2.5 mile walk (with hubby!) this morning, not rushed. Then I did 30 minutes of yoga after the walk, no rush. I also wanted to get a swim in before the dreaded grocery trip that was needed, but not as dreaded as usual because I wasn't in a big rush.  I had spinach and sugar snap peas and almonds for lunch, with a nice lime in my water - healthy! (It makes no difference that this was all that was left after throwing out the rest of the rotted spinach - it sat in the fridge untouched for a week and a half.)  Lunch - better than it sounds, especially with a little poppy seed dressing A short rain shower delayed me, and I leisurely started some laundry. Then, for the first time ...

Grateful. Thankful. It is said if we acknowledge what we are thankful for regularly it will make us happy. If we write down what we are grateful for we live a more fulfilled life. I will try to get back to my thankful posts , lord knows we need some more positive things to hear about these days.  So today I am thankful for turtles, and my job.  Perhaps a short explanation is in order. First, my job.  I had a high paying job that I traded for a job I am passionate about . I am truly thankful for that, even if it did mean a hefty pay cut.  I am so challenged and busy in this current job, but I really like it, and love the variety of things that go on. For instance, what other kind of finance and HR job will you come across a bucket full of turtles ?  Our team of turtle monitoring people brought this bucket in to the office the other day. The intent was to give it to my boss, as she lives near the beach where these little guys were stranded in their nest. The inte...

It was a long work week this week. After the emotional  last few weeks, I had to be knee deep in year end reports. Ah the financial world. Though there is some satisfaction when the spreadsheets balance, it is often a long road to that point. Add to that, there has been no exercise for the last 3 WEEKS! Yes, that is correct. 3 friggin weeks. And it wasn't like I was eating carefully either. It seems when one goes out the window, the other follows. My lame and completely wrong justification,  "Well I am not working out anyways....so why not have those fries, and yes I may as well have another cookie while I am at it!" It was thus proved I have NO willpower. At all. None. And I was feeling really crappy about it. The evidence is, I ate 2 boxes of my favorite Girl Scout Cookies in 2 weeks. No willpower. At all. Had them for dinner one night. Feeling like big fat crap. My kryptonite, I don't care if they are called Caramel DeLites or Samoas , I am too weak to...

I was spending a Saturday on the porch, hanging with hubby, and just passing the time drinking sparkling water with lime in it - a treat I have been giving myself these days and I love it. He was lamenting lack of materials to make the art that he wants to make, and I said 'What about using what the ocean giveth?' The ocean does giveth. It is constantly churning and mixing and depositing things on the shores from unknown places. Sadly, lately, it is a lot of garbage, but don't get me started with the garbage in the oceans. I watched this movie, A Plastic Ocean , and it scared me so much I couldn't watch the whole thing. It is really disturbing how much crap is in our waters. I hope and pray a solution will be found, or a few . But I digress. We do find things on the beach that we don't consider garbage, and we lovingly bring it home to keep, eventually to use in other ways if we can figure out a way to do so. We find pieces of old pipe. We find pieces of pott...

We were treated with lobster on Easter Sunday...wish I had heard this song a couple weeks ago. So when I came across this sone, listening to a playlist on Amazon of all places, while at work of all places, I had to stop and listen to these hilarious lyrics. And start craving lobster. What a groovy tune, man. And bunch of goofy dancing too, perfect for a rough Monday. And listen to the sounds of the Jellyfish! Narwhals, piranhas, manta-rays oh-my! Hysterical. Why go through a Monday that is normal when you can get through it with this song? Put in on while at work, I guarentee you this will brighten your workday. And, probably make you crave lobster. Sorry 'bout that.

South Sound beauty I get to experience regularly. Thankful for where I am. Now you too can have a postcard with this beautiful image on it. Mail it to someone who needs a reminder of the beauty of this world. Sunrise in Pinks - South Sound, Grand Cayman Postcard by RaigeCreations Or here is a Greeting Card. I thought I would put on some cards too. Leaving it blank inside for further words or wisdon that you come up with. Sunrise in Pinks Greeting Card by Raige Creations by RaigeCreations I decided to mix it up a bit and throw in a sea fan. Sea Fan in South Sound Greeting Card by RaigeCreations And then I found pillows....this is dangerous. Sunrise in Pinks Pillow by RaigeCreations Sea Fan in South Sound Pillow by RaigeCreations Taking a little break now to work out some glitches and clear the cobwebs from my brain about Zazzle. I actually can't wait to put on some mugs, even though hubby says they aren't good sellers. I migh...

I first started this in January, asking ' And now almost half of January? ' But now it is MARCH! Time sure does fly. And I try to write, and am plagued by ' Where do I even start? ' Then I start, and never quite finish. So, time flies but have I been having fun? A bit, yes. That and a bit of a piled on work load at the 9-5. Work load over full, the lead up to the holidays flew by, and suddenly our house was full. Kids were home from College and they got me to play a bit. I even miraculously got some time off from work! And I even managed to get the whole family up before sunrise Christmas Day to watch the sunrise together. Best present ever! Christmas Day 2016 Sunrise via  Raige Creations But suddenly the holidays were over, and I was back to work and they were back to school. The house was again so quiet. In January, I though maybe, just maybe I can get back to more writing and creating. I tried to make it higher on my priorities this year. (Not th...

Take this as literal, as in actually digging in the dirt and sand. The song relates to, as says Gabriel, "During this period I discovered the most unbelievable phenomena within myself, characteristics which I value for myself, but also characteristics with which I would rather not be confronted, like unlimited rage, or merciless hatred." But no such rage or hatred was involved in this digging. Only curiosity and awe at the finds. This led to research, a digging of sorts, for information on practices long changed and nearly lost. The site was next door to a cemetery, and after the earth and sand was greatly moved for a new development, these things were near the surface! Very interesting finds, and the mind does want the stories that go along with such things. Thankfully, hubby is a pro researcher, having the interest and curiosity to search and search until every possible thing is found out, every possible theory, scenario, etc. At times, it is tough to keep...

Sunrise 4-29-16 Apparently I only needed 6 hours of sleep last night. I was up at 4:30am. But, make the most of every situation, right? So when it started getting light, I popped out and put my feet in the cool sand, snapped a pic, and have high hopes this Friday, and weekend, are as spectacular as the view this morning.  At the same time, I know I will be getting tired, and know that when I am tired, the grumps set in. I may just want to hide this afternoon, kinda like this wee little froggie I caught in the banana plant.  Wee Little Froggie  Hiding Sunrises and hiding froggies.....could either be a great story of beauty and nature, or a tale of impending doom. It will be interesting to see how this Friday unfolds.

That is a good summary of my week, actually. Didn't realize it until I started writing. It was a week of negotiations for a bathroom renovation (due to an unexpected leak - pain the...well wallet, ass, life, etc), loss of a family member, and injury of my stupid quadracept in a Cross Fit class. Breaking waves, and rain in the distance.  As I see it, it is still a beautiful view.  First, we now have a contractor we think we can work with - thankfully for a decent price. Second - the loss of a family member is sad, leaves an empty spot, but she lived a beautiful life. Through her life, she taught us how to be caring and giving. She was both to the extreme. Third - the injury. The burning pain made me realize perhaps I jumped too hard and too fast into the Cross-Fit class. I like the class, but it is HARD. Nothing like an injury to help us set our boundaries and limits. So I will have to find other, less strenuous ways to get my workouts in.  The waves broke...

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?

source - Pinterest I am sure I am not alone in wishing for the temperature to start going up!  In this vein, I am sharing some of my warm weather creations for us to dream about no wool socks and slippers , no fuzzy socks , not being covered in quilts when watching tv , etc etc. Let's dream about being barefoot ! Natures Green Rose on Sunshine Yellow Toekini's Alices Blue Flower Garden Toekini's Let's dream of a nice Valentine gift too. Red Open Heart Toekini's Beating HeartToekini's These make you feel too cold still? How about some with a little more cover? Purple Mesh Barefoot Sandals Sunshine Yellow with Groovy Red HeartBarefoot Sandals All that is missing is the beach I would be on wearing these..... (click on that beach link to see the beach I mean.....) Well, now back under the blanket, because it is really only 27 degrees outside, even though the sun is shining like it is Spring. Stay warm!

For all my friends who are getting a wee bit o'snow. This might ease the pain. Imagine......a beach.......gorgeous blue water....you are the only one there.... Source: Visit Cayman Islands you and.... your cheeseburger Stay Safe!

My Current  Dream Writing Space photo: Raige Creations Someday, my Actual Writing Space and my Dream Writing Space will be the same. For now, I mostly sit at my dining room table, which is not what's in the first picture here, by the way. That is my kitchen table, with a nice view, plenty of light, more comfortable chairs. My Current Dream Writing Space. My Actual Writing Space is my dining table, and it is basically in the living room (it wouldn't fit in the kitchen). The living room is on the side of the house that doesn't get sunlight, so it is very dark and the lamps don't really help that much. My Actual Writing Space (dining set IS for sale ..... as soon as we can move it out of there.....) photo: Raige Creations It is also where after a couple hours my back starts to hurt, because my  my feet don't touch the floor when sitting on the dining room chairs because I have short legs. This strains my lower back so I can hardly sit, and basically make...

Perfect time to dream of the sea (it was 32 degrees this morning) ...meet Cindy of The Sea Of Dreams, today's featured artisan.  The Sea of Dreams - Featured Artisan This weeks Featured Artisan is Cindy Anderson Wilson - The Sea of Dreams! At the Sea of Dreams you will find Beautiful Creations from the Sea! In all of her pieces you will find The beauty and mystery of the sea...there is nothing like it in the world and there are really no words to describe the feelings evoked by the sea. You can find the Sea of Dreams on: Etsy Facebook Blog Twitter Grab the Code for your Blog HERE

Story of my life.  Oh Crap I'm Late Again Clock My mother was always late. Growing up, w e were never super late, always five or ten minutes late. Not too late to miss much, but always late enough to miss the beginning.  I vowed to not be like that of course. But some things are just inevitable.  As I got older and functioned on my own time, I got to be less late. But still late just the same. I usually made it within the first five minutes of something, and even sometimes right on time. I never did manage to say I was actually early for something.  Rum Point, Grand Cayman Then I moved to the Caribbean, where late is the norm. Everything moved slower, perhaps the heat and beauty slowed everyone down. It was perfectly acceptable to be late. In fact, if you were on time or even (gasp) early, you were often all alone and then eyed suspiciously by those who showed up at the assumed proper start time, fifteen to thirty minutes after the stated time. Buffal...