Return to Me

In the busy, multi-tasking lives of women, there comes a time that causes us to slow down and reflect upon who we are and who we want to be. The Return to You campaign hopes to encourage women to take a deep breath and discover how to get there. I’m honored to be part of this campaign and share my story.

I’m 58 years old. It’s only a number, but it means I’m no longer scaling that hill, I’m over it, and I’d better embrace each coming year.
Sleepless nights, hot flashes and crazy mood swings of menopause are behind me. My husband will never forget the time I asked him to stop teasing the dog. The barking and growling were getting on my nerves, and I knew the dog would try to bite him. When he didn’t stop, I exploded in a fit of anger, stomping and screaming my way upstairs. I slammed the bedroom door shut and flung myself on the bed sobbing, all because he wouldn’t stop teasing the dog!

My children are successful and have given me grandchildren to love and spoil and a few grey hairs.
But being this age puts us in the sandwich generation between our kids and our parents. Being in the middle can feel like being pulled in both directions at the same time, worrying about our kids and our aging parents. Can we do everything for everybody?
My Mom recently passed away from Alzheimer’s disease at age 81.

                                                                       Mom and me on a hot Summer day in 2010.
In 2005, my stepfather passed away suddenly, and I found myself fully responsible for my mom's care. It felt like smashing into a wall; life changed drastically. I realized how much of the disease he covered up by doing things for her, and it angered me because I was unprepared.

Before placing her in assisted living, I lived with her for almost a year. I don’t know how I kept up with my own home, family and full time job. Let me tell you: guilt is heavy if it’s on your shoulders every day. Add to that witnessing the slow demise of a parent, and the guilt is coupled with a deep sadness. I felt alone in my cocoon of grief.

Now that she’s gone, the cocoon is slowly opening. It’s time for me to focus on who I am, who I can be, and who I want to be. It’s time for me to figure out what it means to Return to Me.
With an average lifespan of 84 years for women, taking care of my physical health is a top priority. Like a car, we need routine maintenance; don’t skip mammograms and preventive checkups.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in American women. For me that means taking a statin drug everyday to lower cholesterol and trying to eat a heart healthy diet. Losing that stubborn 20 pounds is on my list of things I really need to do, but then there’s mocha frappes and cinnamon buns. That’s just not fair!

Return to Me means to stop being so hard on myself. No one’s beating me up except me. Setting boundaries and grabbing a few minutes for myself isn’t selfish; it recharges me to be the best I can for my family.

Stop worrying and learn to laugh from your gut. So I showed up for an appointment on Tuesday but the actual appointment was Thursday? I have to shrug my shoulders, roll my eyes and let it go! It really doesn’t matter.

Return to Me also means staying connected with friends, becoming more involved in ladies’ activities in my church, discovering new interests, trying new things and finding my passion to improve my emotional health.
Return to You can mean different things to each of us. Was there a time in your life when you realized you needed to put yourself first and Return to You? I’d love to hear your personal story. You can share it here in the comments.
It’s time to rediscover your best self. It’s time to return to you.
And don't forget to check out Pfizer's Page on Blogher.com to read other blogger "Return to You" stories.
Return to You means reaching out to other women experiencing the same challenges and letting them know they are not alone.
Let’s all reach out!
Debbie (((xx)))

Inspiration, Christmas Trees

This beautiful wreath is part of the outdoor decorations at Country Cupboard in Lewisburg PA. I had the opportunity to stop there again this year, it’s one of my favorite places to view decorated Christmas trees. You’ll find tons of inspiration and amazing displays that will have you ohhhhing and ahhhhhing!

This white tree greets you as you enter. I’ve always wanted a white tree and this one done up in red and green was delightful.

Do you remember shiny aluminum trees? My grandmother always had hers in the front window with a rotating color wheel on the floor that made it appear different colors.

 

Notice the old fashioned feather tree in the background. This was such a pretty vignette. I love the bottle brush trees.

Mia had fun pretending to eat a giant sized ice cream cone ornament. She said she matched the tree!

She really wanted to pick up baby Jesus.

 

Bubble lights!

They also sell clothes and have a bakery, green house and a restaurant. I could spend hours just looking around.

You’ve heard of Southern Comfort, well now there’s Northern Comfort!

I haven’t started my own decorating yet, but I am working on a few small projects. It won’t really seem like Christmas for me until the weather gets colder.

Are you done decorating? I think I better get with it! White Christmas is my theme this year.

 

 

Debbie (((xx)))

Thanksgiving 2011 recap

Sharing a little recap of Thanksgiving before we get totally engulfed by Christmas.

Here’s my husband and me. It was so warm outside and extra warm in the kitchen with all the cooking going on that my hair was totally a limp mess.

My granddaughter Mia, enjoying some veggies and dip before the feast. If it has dip on it, she’ll eat it!

My daughter Dawn and her husband Scott.

Dawn and Mia are making green bean casserole. I planned on fresh broccoli, but the broccoli I bought was brown on the inside and bitter tasting, so I had to come up with something else.

 

She’s so cute, I love this picture of her cooking like a big girl.

My oven isn’t big enough for all the dishes, so I always end up using a roaster to cook the turkey. If I ever have another kitchen, it will have double wall ovens!

Mia had a great time talking to my husband’s mother, Catherine, who’s almost 95.  Mia called her Nona, and told her she had pretty rings and earrings and pretty hair. She can be quite a chatterbox.

 

 

Care for a little Kahlua with your chocolate trifle?

 

It's so good!

That famous after Thanksgiving dinner snooze…..my grandson, Dave, a student at Pace university in NYC, was sleeping soundly with a smile on his face!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, now let the Christmas decorating begin!

 

Debbie (((xx)))

The making of The Princess and the Pea, doll, bed and pea, Part 1

While wandering around in the Re Build It store one day, I spotted a bin of spindles in all lengths and shapes for 25¢.   Immediately I started thinking of how I could use them. It’s a curse, or a gift, I see treasures when others see trash.
A doll bed came to mind. I don’t know why. I wasn’t planning on making a doll bed. Then there was a big “ahaaaa,” the Princess and the Pea. Which meant besides the bed, I’d also have to come up with a princess and a pea and a lot of mattresses. If you don’t know the story of the Princess and the Pea you can find it HERE.
I don’t do many woodworking projects, but knew I was going to give it a try and wing it, making it up as I went along.


The spindles had knots and imperfections but a little wood filler and sanding made them good as new and they worked out fine.  Remember they were only 25¢.  The frame for the bed was made out of scraps of trim cut on a 45 and glued together.

L brackets hold everything together. The shims give the beadboard base something to rest on, and were screwed onto the L brackets too.
Later I turned it upside down and screwed in the beadboard base from underneath. It’s really sturdy now.

For the headboard I used paint stir sticks. I laid them on, then glued them to cross pieces also made from stir sticks.


I may have taken just a few extra stir sticks from Lowe’s!


You can see the cross pieces that support the headboard. The bed is now completely primed and ready to paint.
Here’s a peak at the progress on the princess and her mattresses.

I need to make the princess some clothes, make a pea in a pea pod and a ladder so she can climb up to the top of all those mattresses, but the project is on hold until after Thanksgiving.
So far it cost me about 3 bucks. I needed to buy the L brackets and a couple extra screws. The princess and her accessories were all made from fabric I already had.
Part 2 and 3 will be coming up as the project progresses. I think it’s going to be so cute!  A gift like this could become a treasure for generations. Sure hope my granddaughter Mia likes it! I do!



added to Southern Institute
Creation Corner 
Debbie (((xx)))

Planting amaryllis and your Narcissus {Paper whites} need a little cocktail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Narcissus, known as paper whites, looks so pretty in holiday décor, but

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

unfortunately for me, I’m one of those people who don’t find the fragrance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

pleasant. However, that doesn’t stop me from planting a few bulbs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They’re so easy to grow and don’t even require soil, just a bed of pebbles will

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

do. Make sure to pack them in tightly so the roots intertwine to give the

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

stems a little added support.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hgtv.com

Paper whites are so pretty paired with mercury glass and silver. I love the way they look at Christmas.

 

 

 

bhg.com

Here’s a little trick I recently learned. Paper whites enjoy a little cocktail every now and then!

In a warm house the stems grow too tall to support the weight of the flowers and fall over. You could tie them up in pretty ribbon or twine, but instead give them a cocktail of vodka and water! 1 part liquor to seven parts water. The stems won’t grow as tall, but the flowers will be the same.

Any alcohol will work, except beer and wine because of the high sugar content. If you use rubbing alcohol (isopropyl), the ratio is 1 part rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) to 10 parts water. . Start giving them the a cocktail when they’re about 3 to 5 inches tall. And since no one likes drinking alone, have a little nip yourself! Your family will wonder why you’re so happy and your paper whites will stand strong!

This year I bought paper white and amaryllis bulbs at Lowe’s that were packaged with a plastic pot and a dehydrated cylinder of peat. Just add water and the peat turns into something that resembles coffee grounds. Instead of using the plastic pots that were in the bulb kit I used some white urns.

Not loving the coffee grounds look, I added moss that grows in our yard. I really wish you could see the color of the moss in person, it’s a bright limey green.  Instead of moss to cover the soil, you could sprinkle on a little grass seed or add some fake snow. Christmas balls were added in the pictures above from bhg.com. Get the kids involved and use legos or army men.  The possibilities are endless. 

 

I like watching them grow and get anxious for the blooms.

 

 

Here are some narcissus about to bloom in a Valentine’s day centerpiece from  2010.

I planted this very tall amaryllis in early 2010 and it bloomed at Easter. It reminded me of an amaryllis beanstalk.

There’s still time to plant paper whites for Christmas, give it a try! It’s probably too late for amaryllis to bloom for Christmas, but you could look for them on sale after Christmas and have beautiful blooms 8 weeks later.

 

Home Stories A 2 Z, Tutorials and Tips

Debbie (((xx)))

Christmas decorating with Peacock feathers. Inspiration

 

If you want to make a unique decorating statement at Christmas, consider using peacock feathers. Their colors are the perfect complement to the soft blues, grays and aquas that are so popular now.

Imagine a bedazzling peacock feather wreath like this on your front door.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: kelleymoorecreativemedia.blogspot.com via Bungalow on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or this stunner!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: altogetherchristmas.com via Bungalow on Pinterest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wrap your gifts with a feather accent.

 

 

 

 

 

Issue.com

 

 

 

Create attention grabbing vignettes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Southern Living

 

 

Here’s how Beverly Hills designer Mary McDonald lavishly incorporates

peacock feathers in her holiday décor. The look is exotic but warm. I

love how the colors and textures working together draw you in to soak up

every drool worthy detail.

 

Spot the peacocks? Life size peacocks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a tree topper!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orange paired with blue is an enchanting combination, lovely with peacock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

feathers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’d describe this as enchanting.

 

Source: veranda.com via Bungalow on Pinterest

 

A somewhat traditional feel is created with the addition of fruit.

 

 

 

If you’re considering using peacock feathers, they can be pricy, but you

 

could probably find a reasonable site online.

 

Sharing at Pinning and Singing at 5 minutes just for me.

 

No, I won’t be decorating with peacock feathers, but I love this look. It’s

unexpected and fun!  I’ll be dreaming of a white Christmas this year.

 

Are you?

 

Debbie (((xx)))

 

Welcome to the Everything Thanksgiving Linky party!

So glad you came!
We have several Canadian Hemlock trees in our backyard that are full of miniature pinecones. While they’re really cute, their small size makes them difficult to use in crafts. But they were the perfect embellishment for a Thanksgiving banner I made for the fireplace.




First I cut the triangles of burlap. Next, I free handed the letters with a black marker and glued them to a long length of twine. I added pinecones all along the twine and created tassels at the ends with large pinecones.

The bible verse was downloaded from Cottage in the Oaks.com

Gathered items from around the house complete the mantle. The bronze Quail were my Moms. The pitchers, wooden pedestal and frames all came from thrift shops. The praying hands are one of my thrift store treasures, they look so real and are a perfect accent for Thanksgiving.


 I added sheet music to the mirror and some sheet music cones to a pitcher.



Sharing at Tip Junkie, 
Funky Junk Interiors SNS
2805

Give Thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. Amen

We all have much to be thankful for.

Now let's get going, Link up everything Thanksgiving! Please be kind and link back. : ) Please don't link to etsy shops.