Raige Creations

As if I was actually writing a book.....I am not..... but still consider it a new chapter that has just begun, even if only metaphorically speaking. A new chapter in my little book of life. Source: Pinterest I have embarked on a new adventure, I have embraced the magic of new beginnings. I started a new job. It is a job I really wanted, and was so happy to get. Though, driving in the first day, I was...well there is no one word the word for the feelings. I felt so many things: I felt a little worn out, like ' Here I go again having to start over '. Then switched to ' I am starting something exciting .' Then felt ' How strange to have this new start, excitement like I was just out of college starting a new life '. Then the doubts. ' Can I really do well at all the many and varied aspects of this position? Some I have not done in a long, long time, and some not quite to the depths that is required of this position! Can I really do this? ' Th...

Source - Pinterest Go, ask, step. Sometimes we need a reminder, if we are feeling stuck or stagnant, to just do it. Sometimes it is that simple, even if it does take a great effort. It will get you results. I needed this reminder, as I have stopped working out, been really lazy, and now feel stagnant. I will be starting a new job Monday, which I am actually very excited about, even if a bit worried about the huge job description and big responsibility.  I worked my whole life really, for just this type of position (GO), I applied (ASK), and I was offered the job (STEP). Now, after weeks of waiting and being most definitely lazy, back to work I go. For me, I have decided this also means back to working out, back to blogging, back to not being lazy. A good reminder, just to GO, ASK, STEP.

What a race! The Flowers Sea Swim , a very well done event, this year is the 27th year it has been going! I trained a long time for this, since January. All through training, I simply wanted to just be able to swim a full mile without stopping. And at the start, I realized just how hard that would be. But, after months of training, I knew I could swim that far, even if I did stop to get the mouthful of water out of my mouth, or massaged a cramp, or slowed to get a better look at the fish. So the day came, and I wanted to swim it faster than I had in every training session. I was excitedly nervous. The weather was beautiful, even if a bit hot. The ocean was calm and a few clouds gave us some relief from the sun sometimes. Me and my numba! Never so proud to wear J16! Especially after I got my number painted on me! I felt so good, actually, with that number on. It was official now. Now, I just had to stash my stuff - they had a shuttle to take our stuff to the finish line....

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 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...

I tried. Finally. Had this recipe up for almost a week, vowing to make this delicious concoction of healthy apples and sweet cinnimon, so easy, no dairy so safe for Hubby. I procrastinated, as I am prone to do , and have blogged about many, many times. But finally decided that I would be Miss Accomplishment and bake it before work today. I put on some music, and began the mixing and cutting of apples, wondering why I don't spend more time baking and cooking. It is these simple pleasures that I want to bring more to the forefront of my life. There has been too much negativity, fighting, and just plain unpleasantness going on, yet while I was mixing and cutting to music, it all fell away and I was relaxed and enjoying the process. The apples and cinnamon smelled so good, the apples weren't browning, I stirred often. The wet mixture was ready. Then all that was left was the dry ingredients - and only two of them. I was in the homestretch with time to spare. I p...

from Pinterest via http://paleoaholic.com/ My mind was the one that had the bright idea to try the early morning Cross Fit class. I knew I had to do it, get back to seriously exercising, but I was afraid. I had not been to Cross Fit since the end of May. Two WHOLE MONTHS. Plus, I did very little in the way of any other exercise. I stopped getting up early for run/walks. I hardly walked on the beach. Swim? Nope. Kayak? Once. Eat? Hell yeah! I ate. I ate pizza, fried fish with French fries (yumm), and more pizza, had cookies, pies, ice cream. I even broke down and had a Wendy's burger with French fries (yummm). (I LOVE French fries) Ugh. By yesterday, after polishing off half a pie in 2 days, I was downright feeling fat, disgusted with myself. Now, I DID enjoy everything I ate. I made sure to. I knew all along it would catch up with me. And yesterday it did. I felt like I was rolling down the hallways at work, sloshing around the house. When I sat I felt like Jabb...

I heard this on the radio the other day, and it made me want to bring back Music Mondays. I love when old songs pop up, songs from the great days of this new channel - MTV! That day, this song made me think of my son, the "science-y" one. (a term coined by my artfully creative daughter, the Art major, who was explaining her difficulty in a required science class, Psychology 101 - "yeah, the science-y stuff I dont' get). He was explaining to me what he was wanting to study in graduate school - Molecular Biology and Bio Technology. Of course, he went in to more detail, all of which I listened to, probably looking like a lost child trying to keep up. I am fiercly proud of my son, who is about to graduate with a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology, for his brilliant mind and passion for "science-y stuff" (including cellular biolgy and DNA sequencing). I just can't wrap my head around most of it. But I will always listen, with the glass-eyed ...

Yup, this was the converstaion I had with my youngest after I got back from the store yesterday. You see, we had the wonderfully aweful vertical blinds in every room of the place we have now. The ceiling fans blow the strips so they make noise, they stick so you can't open them without a fight, and well they are just plain ugly. And they let light in. A 17 year old doesn't like this fact in his bedroom. So I went to the store, got these great curtains, on sale. Was waiting for the sale..... They are light blocking. What the boy wanted. A normal 17 year old request, yes, but also because there is a light right outside his window that shines right in his room everynight.  Easy Peasy, hang and ready to go. Except they were WAY too long. So some alteration was needed. But then we discussed options, and he just wanted one piece of fabric going across the full window. He wouldn't be opening them - ever - and didn't need the bulk of two. Wanted a clean no fuss thin...

Spread your love and FLY! Just a feel good song today, much needed after a very busy weekend of letting things go.  We are cleaning out stuff, prepping for a move. Lightening the load gives a weightless feeling (for a brief time)! (Details not available as yet, just knowing we have to pack up and begin a new adventure.) I hadn't cleaned out my closets, dresser, or anything really, since we moved here! (over 3 years ago!!) Long overdue. And I will probably do it again before we move, getting rid of more stuff.  There is something quite lifting about letting go of things. Got lots more to purge, but I already feel the lightness of letting them go.  The reward - not flying - but less to hold me down. How often do you go through your things to lighten your load?

What a whirlwind of a weekend we had. It was the weekend of my daughters graduation, in this post she will be known as Little Buttercup, as that a pet name her daddy used since she was born . Let me tell you, she busted a$$ and graduated.  She finished a semester early , with High Honors to boot, and a designated NC Scholar!  (meaning she achieved excellent grades in several honors and AP classes) 2014 Grad Our Little Buttercup (we are so proud!) source:  Raige Creations We could hardly believe this is our Little Buttercup! She used to be a littler 'Little Buttercup'... with eyes so blue.... Little Buttercup, at about 2 years old source:  Raige Creations Daddy used to sing My Little Buttercup to her since she was a tiny baby, trying to make her laugh. He would get through the song with no response. Then he sang it from the point when everyone joined in, imitating the Mexican response. The giggles came fast and hard when he got to this: My Littl...

Here I am, trying again to get back to working out.  To say the least, my workouts have been sporadic. I try, I get out for one walk, then don't again for a week, then two walks with a little running, then nothing.  But I am trying again. Since it is the beginning of a new month, I am trying to keep track, and be more consistent.  Here are my recent workouts. It looks a little scant, there in the line graph. And yes, the previous workout was 2 weeks prior.  But here I am, now with 2 workouts in one week, and now that I am sharing, well if I don't keep at it you all will notice. Plus, today I ran for almost 2 songs, and walked the rest. A little bit more each time.  Whether you like it or not, I am making myself accountable, and will be sharing with you, my new (perhaps unwilling) workout buddies. I will record, share, and hope to make some progress this time. I am trying again. After all, the true failure is not trying.  Plus, seeing ...

There is so much to find during Spring. The world comes alive, and we notice things with such color and hope. I have spent the last few weeks completely enjoying the Spring, mostly in the gorgeous flowers that are suddenly everywhere! We also noticed our bushes had some unusual activity lately. And look what we found! We eagerly were anticipating baby birds, peeking occasionally at the nest when Momma wasn't there to view the beautiful blue eggs. The trademark of the Robin eggs. So the weeks went on and the flowers bloomed beautifully, and started the end of their run. We check and check the nest. And one day.... Gone. All 3 gone. No shells to be found anywhere. We were all so sad about this, even though we know such is the circle of life. It is just so special to see, and witness nature's blooming all around, and just as disheartening to see nature's circle that takes away potential life. Hopefully Momma Robin had a chance to build another nest, ...