Good morning, Cuppa Clan!

I have a holiday today so I was at the gym at 7, back home by 9, ate and about to jump in the shower but wanted to say hello first.

I am going to the mall    today to look for something new to wear.  I haven't bought myself anything new in a while and I received my rebate from purchasing a new phone a while back.  So I'm gonna spend it on me.  I have to go out of town next week for a meeting so a new outfit is on order.     Like I needed an excuse!

Storms passed thru here last night, but I slept right thru them.  That's when I sleep best.  

Looks like a couple of beautiful days ahead, then bad weather again on Sunday.  May get some poolside sun tomorrow at a friend's house.  

I sure do hope you all have a spectacular day and weekend ahead.  Enjoy!  

Blessings,
Amethystone

Another beautiful overcast day with birds singing everywhere!  

Yesterday, on my way back from the teachers' meeting, I saw on a telephone wire the most beautiful bird I had never seen before.  It had a swallow's tail as long as or longer than its body and when it dove down off the wire briefly, that tail spun and waved in the wind.  It was incredible.  When I got home, I immediately went online to find out what it was.  It was a swallow-tailed flycatcher.  I had never seen that before.  I love the gifts that nature gives us!  I also researched its habits so that I could understand its meaning to me.  Very interesting.

Sounds like an awesome bird SM.

birds are waking me up in the mornings and greeting me when I arive at work. I love spring and the return of the symphony of the season and all's it's wonders!!!!

Dong some prep work for dinner tonight and dinner tomorrow.

I still can't get into the whole 'holi-day thing, but for the kiddos' I try.

got my first batch of Jello jiggler eggs in the fridge.

gonna make some roasted carrots and parsnips. Might have a few for tonight and reheat the rest for dinner tomorrow.

Well gonna bail cause I need to go clean up the kitchen/diningroom!

Cathca later.

Take a few and step outside and enjoy the newborn season!

That's great, SM.  

I had a strange thing happen to/for me the other day.  It may not sound like much, but really touched me in very special way.  I walked out my back door to get into my car and this small feather floated down in front of me capturing my attention, then softly landed on my car, as if for a reason.  I looked up and didn't see any birds around at the time.  Anyway, I picked it up and brought it into the house and put it in a safe place so I could look at it closer when I returned home.  I took it to work and showed it to several people I thought could identify it and after looking it up online, turns out it is a female cardinal feather.  I guess she just wanted to bless me.  I don't know, but it sure gave me a special feeling when it happened.  

I was doing laundry this morning at 6:45.  I wanted to get there and get through before the place got packed.  I was home by 8, then off to the gym for my spinning/abs class.  I am about to go to a friend's house and sit poolside hoping to catch a few rays before the storms set in tomorrow.  It's only going to be 70 this afternoon, so I'm sure we won't venture into the pool.

We've got Cardinals in profusion around here this year.  They are a beautiful bird.  Mr. K was enthralled by one he saw sitting in our tree.  He had never seen a red bird before.  There were actually two, the male and female.  According to Ted Andrews, the Cardinal represents many things, among which is  renewed vitality and accepting our true self-worth.  

We've also seen a great deal of Blue Jays around here as well.  (Its a very patriotic bird year evidently...lol).

Cardinals and Blue Jays are abundant in here in Virginia. I find both birds beautiful.

"the Cardinal represents many things, among which is  renewed vitality and accepting our true self-worth."  

Thank you, SM

I'll accept that.  That is what I needed to hear.  

Happy Easter!!

I actually had forgotten that today was Easter until I got on the computer!  I just came back from taking Shiner the Mutt for his morning constitutional and the day is just perfect.  The little bit of rain we had last night cooled it down nicely and the air is just right.  The birdlings are twittering madly in the trees.  The flowers in the small grassy field where I let Mr. Dog do his thing are growing profusely, and everyone is quiet in their homes.  Probably most of them have either gone to church or are sleeping in because they have the day off.  

My lavenders are starting to grow now and I'm looking forward to having that lovely scent on my stairway as I climb.  The aphids that tried to invade my roses left the day after I sprayed them with LEs bug concoction which I found somewhere around here.  The mint that I planted last month has already overtaken the 10 inch pot that I put it in, so I will be having some fresh mint tea this evening!  All is right with my world for this moment.

Beautiful sunny (but cold) day here in NY.  Also glad the full moon's influence is over, I was overly sensitive and weepy last week and it was getting on my nerves!  My daughter is coming for dinner tonight,  since the new boyfriend entered the picture I haven't seen her as much as usual and I miss her!!  I'm really looking forward to it, and I'm even going to cook!! (haven't done alot of that since the husband left 6 months ago, heehee)  Anyway, I'm going to make one of her favorite dishes and a dessert and then send the dessert home with her so I can't snarf a few thousand calories down over the next few days.  

Hope everyone has a lovely Monday.

Sounds like it is going to be a nice visitAcasia.

Not much going on here at the moment. Oldest is in the midst of finding a new place to live as the dump she lives in want to raise the rent to $600 a month for her one bedroom with a jack up thermostat and a florr that tends to leak like hell during the rainy season.

Been raining here the past day or two and is heading into a frost tonight.

am looking forward to next Saturday when my GF and i are heading up north an hour or so to a small town called Weston mo to walk about looking at the early buildings (Was settled in the Lewis and Clark time) and just have a girls day out! yeah!

That is a really high price for that type of apt. Novia.  That's one of the reasons we decided to buy ours.  We were tired of the high rents with nothing to show for it but a leaky roof and a long walk to the laundry facility.  I hope she finds what she needs for a good price.  Try to talk them down.  You can negotiate to some extent as far as I know.

Hubby called me at work today to ask me for a favor.  He wanted me to finish up some shopping for his family as he is traveling day after tomorrow to Egypt and hadn't bought all the gifts.   (insert eye roll here).  I didn't want to do it because I knew I'd be tired after work and the long drive but I did it anyway, because I wasn't about to have his brother's family upset that he didn't think of them.   Thank God for Ross, anyhow.  So, I bought three Liz Claiborne purses, a Dickies shirt set, perfume, a Ralph Lauren shirt and a toy for the young'un all for under $100.  

...But, on the way to Ross, I stopped in at our local metaphysical store, which will be moving within a month.  I hadn't realized this, and found that everything in the store is reduced.  I found four essential oils that I didn't have at half off!!!  I WILL be going back this week when I get paid.  Ah, the joys of a good sale.

I've been wanting to get to our little shop here in town but alas as the weekends go I don't make it, since saturday is the only day I can go. they are closed on Sundays.

maybe in a couple weeks I'll go.

Need to put some oils in to burn, or light an incense to maybe settle down to sleep a bit earlier tonight!

What happened to that renewed vitality and self-worth?  Oh, well.  

Life has its ups and downs and right now I'm on a downer.    
I failed to protect myself while I was standing for some others a few days ago and you know what happened.  Some of that same ole stuff (depression, self pity, worthlessness) fell on me.  Some not so good health issues have me down, too.  It has all left me wondering where my life is headed.  

Gotta go out of town for a few days on business and I'm not looking forward to it at all.  I usually share this time with someone special and they won't be with me this time.  I just look forward to getting back home to this same ole mundane life that I keep trying to convince myself is what I want.  

I know in a few days I'll be back to normal, but just had to rant a little and get some things off my chest.  I just couldn't think of any place I'd rather do it.  

(hug) Have you done any negativity banishing meditations?  Focusing your mind on draining that energy that has stuck to you helps a bit.  I often use a black stone of some kind with it to absorb that yuck and then immediately run it under water when I'm done.  

I hope you get to feeling better.  Enjoy as much of your trip as possible, even if your special someone isn't there, take that time to go inside and truly enjoy the nature of silence and the world around you.  

You know, as I read this, I find that the more I post, the bossier I get.   I'll leave it in anyway.  

  Evening folks...I have resurfaced from the land of exams and various other joys.  I am on holidays for this week...but alas have two more damn exams to study for  (thinking)

Hope all are well, im going to kick back with my hot choc and catch up on all the reading I have missed!

A