Out with the Old- Blog that is!

Well here we are, tomorrow is the Last Day of the Year.  It is hard to believe that 2012 is almost out of here.  In so many ways I am glad to see this year leave- there are things I am ready to leave behind.  And then its also kind of bittersweet to leave this year.  Both of my sons reached major life milestones this year and I am constantly reminded of just how close they are to leaving our nest and I am so not ready for that so I wish time would slow down just a bit.

But Father Time does not listen to me so I embrace this new year and I look forward to a fresh start. Like so many others I want to start this new year with some changes the first of which for me is changing my Blog Name. SO starting tomorrow, you can find me at http://theblissfulthistle.blogspot.com/ .

I am still organizing and tweaking this new spot so bear with me, I hope I will see y'all over there.

Since my tomorrow will be busy prepping for New Year's festivities, I wish you all an early Happy New Years! Be safe!

Many Blessings,

Inspired by Coco...

Happy December Bloggy Friends! I am enjoying seeing all your wonderful Christmas projects and decor. You are inspiring!

As previously mentioned- my absence and the long story that goes with it. I'll fill you in.

Its really not a very long story afterall....its quite a classic tale of the one who looks seemingly forEver to find a job, finds job, throws herself headfirst into her job and then ends up entirely in over her head and miserable in said job.  You know that story. And for the first time in my working life (and being that I am almost 40 and this is the first time I have felt this, I consider myself blessed) I have been in a situation that I just felt that the heart & soul I put into the job was just not worth the stress & unhappiness that was coming with it.

But I stuck with it.  Why? First of all because I am not a quitter and I am ever hopeful, I really thought I could turn this around and make this most of the job and the opportunity that could possibly come from it.  And lets be honest-quitting a decent paying job in this economy with 1 son in college, 1 son in high school & a hubby VERY VERY near retirement from his military career, is NOT the wisest of choices.  My family told me to quit.  My husband told me to quit after the 1st time I came home in tears and full on snufflelump snorts. (God Bless him!) My friends told me to let it go. Even a co-worker commented that she didn't know how I put up with what I did and said she would have split if it were her....Yet, I didn't quit. Glutton for punishment- who me? So one morning while I browsed the internet for some kind of inspiration to lift me away from this situation...I found this lovely quote from Coco Chanel....

"Don't spend time beating on a wall hoping to transform it into a door"

...and it spoke so very loudly to me. So I did what I needed to do...I told everyone I knew I was looking for a new job. Why that? ...because we all know, in today's world it Is who you know, and I have some amazing friends who know Lots of people. I got quite a bit of feedback(love my Sav friends!) , but I really didn't jump on any leads until one...from one my most wonderful sources of inspiration and.......I got the job!!!! I have tried to be very even keel about it, but I will let you know, I.Am. Stoked. I am Not looking forward to the longer commute (40 min as opposed to 8) but I immediately fell in love with the job and most importantly, the warm feeling I got from my co-workers to be. It was refreshing. I am looking forward to be in a role that I can support and be supportive. I am feeling very blessed!

Giving my notice was hard simply because I know I leave my current place in a huge lurch and I honestly care for them.  But it felt so good to give that notice, this has been weighing on my mind for 4- 5 months.  I have been praying for the right thing to happen for me and I feel it is happening, now my prayers are that they find the right person for the job. I feel confident there is someone out there who would fill this role perfectly.  It was hard for me to let it go for alot of reasons, none of which really have to do with money, to be honest, I feel defeated in some ways, it really was too for me to handle....but...I learned so much about myself from this job and I am coming out feeling pretty darn strong...and that is a great feeling.  I feel so very much at peace. I have done the right thing for my sanity and for my family. Phew..that was 14 months of Interestin  ;) So there you have the where I have been!  I fully expect to be busy in my new role, but there is no way it can be as mentally & emotionally exhausting as my previous job. And I welcome my new challenges and look forward to growing in this role.

And since I just cannot have a blog post  without sharing a photo...back to doors! ( I could have taken a picture of my fav Coco Channel parfume..but I don't have any! I am currently in Love with Tocca Brigitte- its 1 of my favorite things!...link below!) So doors it is!

 

Savannah has some Beautiful doors and you should know, I have no qualms about snapping pictures of people's front doors, especially at Christmastime. This simply beautiful set of classic red doors belongs to the Lutheran Church of the Ascension.  Which is such a beautiful church on the inside as well, if you are even in The SAV check it out!  Their Christmas door decor is simple, pure & just lovely.  And of course it has a meaning....2 doors...2 openings...more on That later ;)

 

Have a wonderful week!

 

 

 

 

                  Blessings to you all!

Tocca Brigitte Parfume
http://www.sephora.com/brigitte-P221135

Back From Outer Space With a Sandwich

...so here I am! Alive & still kicking...I have been so insanely busy I feel like I have spent the past few months on a strange planet, I can hardly believe I have any kick left, but I do! So much has gone on- its insane, it would take me weeks to catch y'all up on Everything so my quick update for you- myself, my hubby & boys are all well & healthy- for that I count my blessings daily!  I certainly hope this post find you, my bloggy friends, well and recovering from Thanksgiving festivities with friends & family. I am enjoying reading all your Thanksgiving posts.

   Our family hosted a lovely little Thanksgiving for some friends of our oldest sons from college. It is always nice to bring a little piece of home to these kids so far from home.  We enjoyed ourselves and ended the evening feeling Really old. And really warmed by these kids, excuse me, young adults and their outlook on life. I know people my age who don't have it as put together as these kids...ack-er-young adults!

   Of course I made lots of food & now have lots of leftovers, I think I prefer leftovers to the actual dinner! We have made the turkey sandwich a meal atleast once a day and I always chuckle at how differently we all eat our sandwiches. The items on the counter for the sandwich making include pepper, Old Bay, Slap Ya Mama cajun spice, salami, bacon, Miracle Whip, mayo, ketchup, dijon mustard and cheese. One of my children has attempted to put all of the above listed items on one sandwich. He swears it was tasty- I simply stood by with the Pepto.

This year I made the Best darn turkey sandwich Ever!

   Keep in mind I am not a food photographer- so this picture does it no justice, but trust me- its awesome.  The ingredients are simple and pretty much a smathering of Thanksgiving leftovers...potato bread, turkey, stuffing (warmed of course) bacon and cranberry sauce. (this year I made the Lemon Cranberry Sauce from the Nov/Dec 2012 issue of Clean Eating magazine- recipe to follow) with some Smart Balance light mayo & Emeril's New York deli mustard. I cannot believe I have never thrown these ingredients together before to make a sandwich! It was a whole Thanksgiving meal between 2 slices of bread. Awesome!

 

Here is the Lemon Cranberry Sauce recipe. You can make this up to 5 days in advance, so its great for those of us trying to save time anywhere & anyhow.

 

Ingredients....

1 lemon
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
3/4 cup sucanat (I used agave nectar because I had it in my cupboard)
1/4 tsp sea salt
Directions:
In a medium sauce pan, add cranberries, agave, salt and half a lemon zested. Bring the mixture to a boil, then let simmer for 10 minutes until cranberries just start to burst. Now is great time to taste it to check out the sweetness factor. Remove from the heat and let cool. Place in a sealable container and put in the fridge until you are ready to serve. When it’s time to serve, place the cranberry sauce in a pretty dish with one final topping of fresh lemon zest...so simple and so tasty.

I hope y'all are well!
More to follow!!

Settling in Suburbatory

...I grew up in the Boonies. Not as far removed from society & such as some, but a good 15 + minutes to anything remotely populated. While I loved the 10 beautiful acres we lived on (and mowed & gardened) I hated it. I used to wish my dad would move us to a real neighborhood, one where mail was delivered to your front door (not 1/4 of a mile down the dirt road) one where there were sidewalks and people came to our house for Trick or treating not us driving to find a neighborhood. One where my friends could come over whenever, not when my parents or their parents could take the time to drive us around.
   Life with the Hubs has taken us to different housing situations. We have had the quiet neighborhood- no sidewalks but the mail came to the front door, kids trick or treated at our door. The country living - close enough to town but far enough that the sky was pitch black at night. The duplex style home smack dab in the middle of the neighborhood. And now- after searching for a home forEver- we settled on a house in surburbatory. And I have learned that I don't belong in the suburbs. I in no way mean this as a jab at my neighbors, who for as close as we all live to one another, I do not know, but I am sure they are nice people. (although I am still unsure of the woman who sits in her garage all day smoking- my Hubby calls her our back-up ADT) And my little "hood" is decent. It's safe. It's close to where we need to be. The house fits us. And for these things I am Absolutley Thankful. My problem with living here is that I feel absolutely stymied creatively. I feel completely boxed in. We have a nice yard, and a beautiful privacy fence that separates us from the woods (& the creek where the gators live...). But in the mornings when I look out on my backyard & that fence, I can't help but think of good ole Bing singing "Oh give me land lots of land under starry skies above, don't fence me in".
   I crave something more spontaneous and not so planned. I crave wildflowers, not manicured flower beds. I crave sitting outside on a warm evening and not hearing people next door talking. I feel no photographic inspiration walking around mile 2.2 mile loop. Zilch. Zero. Zip. And the house. O the house. It is a good little house....but it too lacks individuality.
   Luckily for me (and my dear sweet hubby who has worked so hard to provide for us and just does NOT need to hear me whine about these things) I live in a cute little town, a cute town full of neighborhoods Just Like Mine- but cute nonetheless. And I live in a town that just a stones throw from my home in Suburbatory is this.......

    This makes me forget all about those fences! This gorgeous sunset view is attached to this piece of land....

   .....which is completely out of my price range at the moment. But oh just looking at this makes my creative juices flow! So until then, I will love my little house tucked in with all the others and I will make it a place where I will bloom and one day some other woman will step outside and admire the beautiful roses I have planted, the bottlebrush trees I nursed back to health and all the little things I do to make this more my home.

Happy Monday to you all.