A Happy Thanksgiving to All!

I've been working on a plethora of projects, but none so enjoyable and relaxing as crocheting.

I've slowly developed my crocheting skill as I've worked on more projects this year.  I'm thrilled to be able to offer some scarves and such in my Etsy store, TheHuntshire.

As I spend this afternoon winding down with a cup'a tea, some good jams by Bon Iver, and continuing some work on my latest scarf, I am thankful for my hardworking and soft-loving husband who affords me the luxury of being a housewife.  I can pursue my interests by day and enjoy time together as a family when he returns every night.

Looking back on my posts this year, there's lots of events that I am grateful God made part of my life:
☺ We were able to give The Piggals a new place to call home.  They bring joy to everyday moments and have been a creative inspiration to me.
☺ We found a new veterinarian for our pets that we trust.
☺ Our little family's had ups-and-downs health-wise but everything seems to be improving.
☺ Living in a place where mowing the acres with my little tractor and spending the day doing these simply wonderful things can happen.
☺ I've been blessed to visit with my cousin and Hubby's family several times this year.
☺ The development of my new pumpkin pie that I'll be making again tomorrow in preparation for Thanksgiving (but with a ginger-snap crust!).

I just opened my Etsy shop for commissions this morning and I feel so thankful to be able to do something I love while providing something beautiful and useful that will enhance someone's life.  I  look forward to how this year will end and all the new things that will be part of our lives next year!  I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and can find many nuggets in your life to be thankful for!

XOXO
-Kate

Bring a smile to someone's face (even if it's your own!) and order and Autumn Sky Openwork Crochet Scarf today...just in time for Christmas giving!  Handcrafted and made to order with love!

Why I haven't blogged in a month

Well, I'm sure no one is sitting around wondering what I've been up to in my month of absence, but for posterity or for the curious, I'll share.

Almost exactly a month ago I got back into the most addicting game, World of Warcraft.  I hadn't played since the 2012 release of the last expansion, Mists of Pandaria.

I really enjoyed it but since then we have moved out to the boonies where high speed internet is only available via AT&T 4G hotspot.  It's pretty pricey, but with the recent Apple iPhone 6 release, AT&T offered a new plan that doubled our data to 60GB/month for $100 less than what we were previously paying for 30GB.  I finally had the data to update the game and get back into WoW just in time for the November 13th release of the next expansion, Warlords of Draenor and WoW's 10th anniversary!

It's been a fun distraction from the stress I've been dealing with, sick kitty, sick piggie, house-hunting anxiety, daily aches & pains, and family issues.  The kit-kat and guinea pig are both fine now, thanks to a great new vet and extra TLC from Hubby.

It's also been nice to reconnect with a good Christian friend I used to play Star Wars The Old Republic (SWTOR) and The Elder Scrolls Online (TESO) with.  He introduced me to a great guild full of generous and active players.  Learning the ropes again has been pleasant and fun.  I made a new character and leveled her to 90. I've never gotten a character that high and there was lots of new things to see and do.

Now that I am re-established with the game play and have my character topped out, I will be settling back into a more regular daily schedule.

Have you ever used a hobby as a distraction from stress in your life?  Do you think it's healthy?

The Motivation Train has Entered the Station!

I'm not sure what's caused the sudden rejuvenation of spirit I've felt in the last couple of weeks, but I'll ride this train until it gets to where it's going!  I've really felt motivated to plan a house-hunting trip to the Catskills, knuckle-down on my nutrition and exercise regimen , and get a few crafts projects done! Yes, I said DONE!

This kind of confluence almost never happens, and I know I should have the determination to do these things even when I am not motivated.

I have lost 4 pounds in two weeks and here's how I did it:

1. My Fitness Pal app on my iPhone

   I set my goal weight and time-frame I want to reach it. 
   I enter my age, gender, weight, etc. So it can calculate the total number of calories I should be consuming daily.
   I enter everything I eat and any exercise I do each day.  I record my weight.
   I eat under the prescribed number of calories each day and check my nutritional content to make sure my carbs, fats, and proteins are balanced.

2. Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012 on Xbox 360

   Yes, I play a video game to help me get active and lose weight.  This is my first fitness title on the Xbox 360 and it's pretty good.  I've been using it at least 3X's a week and I have noticed that I am getting better at some activities.
   I really feel like this is one of the major reasons that I have felt so uplifted lately.  Mood enhancing endorphins are flowing through my system much more post-workout (which I try to do in the morning) and I feel like my day is much more productive afterwards.  No more sluggish feeling.

3. Ovia Fertility app

   Okay, that probably doesn't sound like a fitness tool, but it's been pretty great!  It is an iPhone app focused on fertility and tracking cycles, but it's a great health journal as well.  I can record my moods, symptoms, sleep, blood pressure, weight, nutrition, activity, and medications daily.
   Recording this information daily has helped me become more aware of what's affecting my body and I feel it will be a great record that I can use to communicate more effectively with my doctor. 
   I encourage my lady-readers to check it out.  It's free!

4. Walking

   My husband has supported my dedication to change by making time a few mornings a week to go on a walk together.  We live in such a pastoral area and it's so nice to get out and enjoy it at a slower pace (at least before the snow comes!).
   I've gotten some beautiful photos along the way which is inspirational and hopefully marketable.  And it's always good to spend some quiet time together in the beauty of nature. 
   The 2-5 miles a few times a week has been doable with noticeable benefits.

I am encouraged by the results and I just can't wait to see more progress.

Lazy, Rainy Summer Day

It's been a lazy, rainy summer day.  I spent the morning on the porch finishing A Book By Its Cover, the fifth book in the Guideposts series I am reading called Secrets of Mary's Bookshop.  I previously wrote a review about the first book in the series and intend to share my opinions about the others soon. 

Anakin lounging on the pillows enjoying the lazy, rainy day

I love spending these quiet times alone with my thoughts or a good book, and my furry companion, Ani, makes serene moments complete. 

Mother and I had a good back-and-forth going this morning on Angry Birds Friends.  It's always fun when I think I've bested her and then I log in to see she's topped me again.  She texted me to let me know she had done just that.  She had a doctor's appointment but she had time to chat with me about the new book I started immediately after finishing the last one, Agatha Christie's Five Complete Hercule Poirot Novels which includes Thirteen at Dinner, Murder on the Orient Express, The ABC Murders, Cards on the Table, and Death on the Nile.  I'd never read an Agatha Christie novel but of course I've heard of her and after picking up this hardback at a local Friends of the Library used bookstore, I was anxious to get immersed.  Mother also had time before she headed home from the city where her doctor's appointment was to let me know that she was in the drive-through at our most favorite barbeque joint, Sonny's.  I haven't been there in many years because the closest location is about 4 hours from my house, so she was kinda rubbing it in that she was having Sonny's for lunch.  It made my lunch of boxed mac 'n cheese seem heinously unappetizing by comparison.

While walking by our large front window, I noticed a little butterfly perched tenuously on a bright pink thistle blossom.  I ran out to snap a pic.

Swallowtail Butterfly Papilioninae on a pink Thistle blossom

And that's why I carry my phone everywhere I go.



Every time I got on a social media site today and yesterday, I saw news about the suicide of Robin Williams.  I have always been afraid to enjoy comedians' work because I feel most of them are haunted by pain and tragedy and that is the source for their comedy.  I am particularly reminded of the life and death of Andy Kaufman, John Belushi, and Chris Farley and comedians like Jim Carrey and Robin Williams always give me chill just when I want to laugh most.  I swear I can see the pain behind the smile and it hurts me. 

A high school acquaintance of mine recently committed suicide as well.  Mother told me that her friend died this morning.  After a death there are memorials, heartfelt messages of compassion and love, support for family, and kind gestures.  Those words of gratitude, appreciation, love, or shared moments are words that every person longs to hear.  So why aren't they shared with friends and family while they are still alive? How many suicides would be thwarted if people were as outspoken about their support, love and tenderness toward each other everyday instead of just the days after a death?  How many accident victims would spend their last moments knowing they were loved and were meaningful in others' lives?  I have had depression...or rather, depression had me, and during the worst times the only friend I had was my husband.  I wonder if I were to die today, would there be an outpouring of love and affection that has been unbeknownst to me for these decades in which I've needed friendly help.  Sure, I have tons of social media "friends", mostly old school-mates or co-workers, but the last time I got a phone call from a friend was...about three years ago.  And he called because he needed help from me.  As hard as it is for me, I still initiate connections time and time again without friendly return. 
Maybe I should become a comedian......

I have been praying for my brother, Jordan, who is going through some medically, financially, and emotionally trying times and after this morning's prayer for him, Mother texted me to let me know that my husband's father, Roger, who lives near Jordan, stopped by to help him fix his vehicle which was currently nonoperational in a parking lot.  It was just one of the things I had prayed about; I wanted God to make clear to him his own strength and ability to help himself so that he could use the resources around him to steer himself out of the muck his life has been sliding into.  I am so thankful for my father-in-law who had asked my husband how my brother had been doing and upon hearing of the problem with his car, took the time and effort to help him get it fixed enough to get it home.  Despite the hardships in his own life, he always takes time to help others, God bless him.

I had sent Jordan a Bible verse yesterday as a bit of inspiration:

2 Timothy 1:7
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

I wanted to remind him to give his worries to God and that He has provided what he'd need to pull through....and that we loved him.

I hope I have made the people in my life feel the love that I have for them.    

Beautiful Skies and Promises of Better Days

One of the things that I am so thankful for since moving here to the mountains is the beautiful and awe-inspiring vistas.  Natural beauty is abundant here and even on the foggiest, dreariest, coldest day, the soul-filling serenity is as boundless as God's Love.

I have many days that I spend in pain and imagine how much harder my life would be if I didn't have the benefit of being able to stay at home while my husband works hard to support us.  Even on my worst days, just looking out of the window from my bed and seeing a fawn play with his mother or the birds soar, or the gorgeous sky fills me with hope and happiness.

I am not sure what this life has in store for me, and I will never stop looking for greener grass, but in the meantime I am happy to stop and smell the roses...or watch the sunset for the five-hundredth time.  If this is all there is, I am learning the patience of contentment.

Sappy Reflection Time is over.

So July is a busy month of birthdays in my family (lots of folks getting busy in September!).  My sister-in-law's fiancee, Brother, Father, and Hubby were all born in July.  Hubby and I invited the fiancee and family up for his birthday and we had a fun day of fishing, catching up, and of course, eating a lovely summer feast.

Brother has had some medical issues; he just found out that he has a bleeding ulcer.  I am unsure of how truthful he's being about the pain or the diagnosis because of discrepancies his story has had when telling Mother, Hubby, and me.  But I love him completely, fibs and all.  I hope he finds the  fulfillment he is seeking and desperate for.  I feel like he is lost in this life but that providing him with a guide would blind him further. I think it's in his best interest to find his own way out of the hole so that his roots will be firm.  He's been helped out of the hole so many times that he has become weak and reliant.  I hope and I pray that he will see the lights before his life is over and he has too many regrets.

Here's one of the cards I made this month

This was taken in our driveway. Just another cute bunny crossing the driveway...and then I embellished it using the Aviary app on my phone.  I thought this was pretty cute.

Journaling about the market, picnic, mowing, and a low country boil

Mike & I had a busy Saturday:

We headed into town to go our weekly shopping and about half-way there I remembered that Saturday mornings there is a local farmer's market that we keep missing.  At first I thought it was in Orange, VA so Mike turned around to head in that direction...as soon as he did, I remembered for sure it was in Culpeper, VA which was where we were heading to begin with. Oops! On the way to Culpeper we pass Commonwealth Park which is equestrian competition grounds and there was a big show going on.  I was so torn because I wanted to stop and watch a while, but I was pretty sure the market closed at noon and we really needed some good corn, potatoes, and veggies for The Piggals (our guinea pigs).

We made it to the local market in time and there was a great selection.  We got some freshly picked corn, small red potatoes, and cucumbers from the C&T Produce stand.  I was encouraged to try the corn...even though I already had a dozen in my cloth sack.  I happily nibbled away while I browsed and Mike paid :) We had other shopping to do so I didn't pick up eggs or meat from one of the other vendors although it looked good. I was really glad we made it.

Three horses in the shade. Commonwealth Park, VA

The shopping trip took longer than we had hoped (it always does) so at three o'clock we were soooo hungry and picked up a pizza and headed home.  I didn't want to eat in the truck and the pizza was way too hot anyway so I figured we'd find a pretty spot to park and eat.  My first thought was Mt. Pony where the Library of Congress is located. I've been up there for events before and it has a breathtaking view of the mountains, but the gate was closed and it didn't seem that anywhere else lead up to the vista.  My next idea was Commonwealth Park!  It was just a minute away so we quickly parked and found a nice spot under a shade tree next to one of the rings where the young-adult division was participating in the jumping portion of the competition.  It was great to sit and watch while we enjoyed our picnic lunch.

Enjoying our shady picnic next to this beauty

A young-adult jumper competing. Commonwealth Park, VA

We cross the Rapidan River on our way home and we saw this

Rapidan River Mill cluttered with logs after the storm

As soon as we got home, we unpacked, changed, and I headed out to mow!

Mowing silhouette

Scene from the tractor - the Blue Ridge Mountains

Then I made my first attempt at a low country boil.

Low Country Boil
Fresh corn * smoked sausage * new potatoes * peel-on shrimp
1/2 C Old Bay * 2T sea salt * 8Q water
Boil water with seasoning.
Add potatoes. Cook 13 min.  Add corn. Cook 5 min. 
Add shrimp and sausage, Cook 3-4 min.
Drain. Dump onto paper or plastic tablecloth and dig in!

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Water Test

I have become increasingly concerned about the quality of our water here.  I knew as soon as we moved in that the water was hard with lots of minerals in it.  It's incredibly hard to clean with it and hard to clean off the scale build-up in places where it collects (like the shower).  We have a pretty thorough water testing kit for use with the fish aquariums and we used that the day we moved in, but there's only so much we can test for.  We weren't able to get an answer from the owners of this property by way of our realtor as to when the well was last serviced, but it is under a decade old.  I was a bit concerned though, because there have been a few earthquakes here in the last few years.  I feel like that's the kind of thing that should be checked out afterwards. 

After all of the problems we've had with the health of our pets that occurred within months of moving in, I thought maybe the water was the common thread between them even though the vet said that it was not likely the case.  Our 10 year old bunny, Duchess, had a calcium buildup that her kidneys just couldn't process and she passed away a few weeks ago, Ani has been sick twice with an undiagnosed & untreated malady that eventually cleared on its own (both times in the same week of spring in the 2 years we've been here), and now one of my newly adopted guinea pigs has blood in her urine which is often a symptom of bladder stones (usually caused by too much calcium) or a UTI.  We do use bottled water the majority of the time, but Ani likes playing in his water so much, he goes through a few gallons a day, so it's not really reasonable to use it in his porch water dish where he plays the most.  We also use filtered water from our Brita, but I assume it doesn't filter everything out. 

Yesterday Hubby took two water samples to Environmental Systems Service for testing; one sample is being tested for bacterial content and the other for mineral content.  It's costing us $40 to get our water tested but because we are on an artisanal well and there is no county water here, we have no other option.  We could go to the regional health and environmental services but it'd cost a few hundred dollars to have the well tested.  I feel like that's something the owners of the property should do anyway.   I look foward to finding out what the test results are.  I hope it's fine, but just knowing will be one thing I can take off my mind.

No End to the Anguish

I began cleaning The Piggals home this morning and Fancy squealed when Hubs picked her up to put her on the floor to play while I cleaned.  He knows how to scoop them up the right way and she doesn't mind being held at all so it was quite unusual and alarming for her to do that.  He handed her to me so I could check her out and her lady-parts were bleeding.  I shrugged it off for a moment thinking she must have started menses, but then I recalled having several female piggies before and they never menstruated, so I was a bit unnerved.  I finished cleaning their pen and carefully placed her back inside noting that there were a few drops of blood where she was sitting.  Then there was slightly bloody urine where she wee'd in her pen on the fresh bedding. There's been no more bleeding today and other than this momentary incident, she was not showing any signs that something was not well...although that's pretty typical of guinea pigs.  They don't show weakness until it's almost too late to treat them.  I'm always on the look out for warning signs.  I got online and read that a bloody discharge could be symptomatic of a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) or Bladder stones among other, more serious things, like cysts and cancer.

Fancy watching Lisa Vanderpump on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills with me the other day

Hubs made an appointment for the vet and we weighed her and I began keeping a notebook with her daily weight and her "input" and "output".  We've just gotten over our second annual bout of undiagnosed maladies with our cat and just lost our beloved 10 yr old bunny a few weeks ago, the same week we adopted the 'pigs.

I am so mentally exhausted from worrying about the pets' health.  Ani has had the same mystery illness two years in a row at exactly the same time of year and it never occurred until we moved here to the foothills of the Shenandoah.  He was never diagnosed with anything but it did subside after about a week.  I was so scared both times that we were going to lose him.  He is always so healthy but he still hasn't bounced back.  He lost so much weight, this last time particularly, and he just isn't gaining it back.  It makes me think of how we almost lost him every time I pet him or cuddle him and I feel his bones.  I don't know if I should be disappointed with the vet, but I feel so sad that I can't do anything more to help him.

I also have worries about the money it has taken to get our pets treated since we moved here.  I feel like we had such a great vet (where I even interned in high school), but we never needed him for anything but regular checkups.  Now we are here, with a new vet that we don't know, and everything seems to be going wrong.  We lost our bun after spending so much money to help her.  The night before she died, my husband had picked up new rounds of meds for her that we never even used...hundreds of dollars that I feel were a waste.  I wish she could have been spared the pain and terror of that last week of her life.  I hope my end isn't as tragic.  I also worry for the pain pets have to go through that is probably mostly unexpressed because it is in their nature to hide pain (and weakness).  We had been saving for a downpayment on a house so we happened to have some money in the bank to cover these medical expenses, but now all that money is gone and not one pet has been healed yet.  I would give all my money for my pets to be healthy and happy, but to give it all and know they are not, hurts so much.

Hubs and I haven't even had health insurance for ourselves in over a decade.  We haven't been to a doctor or a dentist in that time even though it has been needed.  We take care of our "babies" first and until we moved here they haven't had any major medical expenses.   Every time I feel like I've gotten up from a heavy punch, I get knocked down again. We really need to buy a house and get health insurance so that we can start a family before we are forty, but at this rate, it's not going to happen and I'm kinda terrified of where our life is heading. 

Sometimes things are just going too well. 


You've been working hard. You've been trying new things.  You've been taking up others' slack.  You finally have a bit of confidence and aren't looking over your shoulder at every turn to see who's ready to take you down a peg.

And then it happens. You've overstepped some invisible boundary and have fallen on your face.  You realize that all the insecurities you've overcome were things you deserved to be insecure about.  Who were you kidding?

And it's never a direct punch.  It's a sentence, not even aimed at you, but one you're meant to overhear and infer from, and it hurts worse because you didn't see it coming and it was from someone you thought was a friend.  Someone who would have been kind to just say what they thought to you, but this was meant to cut- and it did.

Struggling to prove my worth...to myself.