Life @ RuffHaven: every day life

Showing posts with label every day life. Show all posts

Friday the 13th ?

I am not one to rant on my blog but . . .

I need to get this off my chest

and out there to anyone who will listen
to my first blog rant

It wasn't like this when I was a little girl,

I think I first noticed this happening about ten years ago.

Starting on December 13 or 14,

depending on the calendar

and how they count days I guess,

a blogger or business will announce the

Twelve days of Christmas

um...people, people, people,

today is not the first day of anything related to Christmas.

I wasn't going to post this on my blog today.

but

When I logged onto the net and was slammed with

"Today is the First Day of Christmas"

I had to speak up.

NO IT IS NOT

Today December 13 is the Feast of Saint Lucy

and December 14 is the Feast of Saint John of the Cross

I repeat:

The First Day of Christmas is . . Christmas.

Why is this so hard for people get?

Look at it this way.....

Let's look at another religious holiday ....Easter.....

The First Day of Easter is not

Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday or Good Friday.

Easter starts on . . . Easter.

So why do so many people have such a hard time

understanding that The Twelve Days of Christmas

begin on Christmas Day and run through Epiphany?

ever since I was little . . .

Epiphany was the day we take down the tree.....

which is a pagan morphed into christian tradition....

but that's another post

In our house....

we celebrate Yule and Christmas .

Right now I am preparing for both.

I will celebrate Yule on the 21st

and when December 25th rolls around

I will celebrate Christmas . . . for twelve glorious days !

Just like the Christmas celebrations that I remember.

So what about you?

What do you celebrate this time of year?

and

When do you start?

Silent Sunday and the 8th day of #kickinit

Today's prompt:

We hope you don't mind if we invite ourselves over.

We'd love to see where you blog!

I blog in my kitchen nook

photo 3c6d8824-f873-49de-97f2-a4f5ae47f9de_zpsc91a4833.jpg

Every Day during the Month of December I will be linking with

Kickin it Old Skool and blogging just for fun and connections.

I have already met some pretty cool people who I have added to my must read list.

I see some new friendships are in my future

You can join in any time here.

One Sentence Saturday

After a day of yard work , a Country Artisan Studio Tour and dinner by the fire ,

the dogs watched her hang the last few santas on the tree.

Every Day during the Month of December I will be linking with

Kickin it Old Skool and blogging just for fun and connections.

I have already met some pretty cool people who I have added to my must read list.

I see some new friendships are in my future

You can join in any time here.

Tuesday, Tea and . . . Taking a breath

Good Evening Tuesday

On Tuesdays I like to link up to Elizabeth and Friends.

But recent events have taken on a life of their own and computer time was....

well there wasn't much . . . if any.

Please pour yourself a cup of your favorite beverage.

I have some catching up to do.

Today I am having some Lady Grey Tea in a Starbucks mug that was given to me as a gift.

I have been working on a shawl for
....someone...
I am not sure who.
Maybe me. Maybe you ?

But I like the pattern and needed to stay calm during

the first month of my new granddaughter's life.

Preemies have a way of taking over an entire family,

and the emotions of so many key players became very overwhelming.

I love knitting.
It really calms my nerves.

In other Artsy News ...

I made four 5x7 Art Cards for the monthly

Happy Art Swap with SandieKaye ( link on sidebar)

I also made ATCs for a one-one swap with someone I met through Instagram.

So Yes I have been keeping busy.

in other news...

A large branch fell and shattered one of our skylights in our sunroom.

So
We had tree work done.

We had four skylights removed.

And we had new shingles installed.

It didn't go smoothly....they were installing the wrong color shingles.

so they had to remove them and do it again.

oh and.....

My dear Lifeguard traveled out west to scout out an
area in Colorado, where we would like to live when he retires.

He likes the Northern part of the state...
easier to get to Jackson Hole, the Tetons and Yellowstone.
While I like the Southern part of the state because it's easier to
get to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Zion, and Albuquerque.
So we thought Glenwood Springs would be the perfect halfway spot.

and finally . . .
. . . . the completed scarf.

October was a very busy month.
I hope November is quiet.
Thanks for stopping by.

Marianne

I named her Stella . . . 'cause she's Yella

If you follow me on Twitter, facebook, and /or Instagram,

you have seen pics of Stella,

the yellow garden spider who lives outside my kitchen window.

I know I have a few readers who only know me thru this blog.

So I wanted to let them see my latest fascination.

She has me mesmerized for a few hours every day.

here's another photo of this variety of spider from IslandCreekes.

Here's a link to more spiders found in Maryland if you are interested.

Now I have the urge to knit something.

Hope the sun is shining where you are and all is well in your world.

Marianne

fear no color

I think I used all my colors on these Art Cards.

They are on their way to Sandie as a part of the monthly swap.

I am terribly late this month. I can't seem to catch up.

October was supposed to be a smooth sailing month.

Babies sure do have a way of altering the fabric of a family.

The cards are a combination of collage and watercolor.

I used Tim Holtz tissue wrap over a gelli plate background

and then I just allowed the rest to flow. A little water color,

a little stamping, and a little colored pencils . . .

some gesso . . .

oh and I even managed to schmear on some gelatos .

I added a bit of detail with a very fine pitt pen.

The cards still don't feel finished to me, but they are in the mail so..

well... they are finished.

I made several color copies of them so

you'll bee seeing these hearts again in more projects.

Have a great weekend !

Marianne

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, Tea and easing mild Tension

Good Morning Tuesday

It is amazing how quickly the weeks are rolling by.

Once again it is Tuesday and time to get together with

Elizabeth and friends for a little cup of kindness.

Oh lord I must be tired, because I would never say that in real life.

Do you find yourself doing that? Do you 'speak' differently on your blog? I don't do it often. But sometimes when I can't think of how to say what I want to say . . . it comes out sounding a bit fake. Not completely insincere . . . just not me. Not the way I would really say it. I'm not sure if I would even say it at all.

whatever

So what have I been doing since last week?

Sewing the binding on a quilt, painting, drawing, reading,

walking dogs and planning a few trips.

If all goes well I will be going out west for a week in November.

It's been a bit tense around here.

As the seasons change,

The lifeguard and I shift our routines.

His work-life is less hectic and he

comes home a bit earlier each day.

He doesn't like to see my 'stuff' on the dining room table.

Since I have the room in the basement

he thinks I should stay down there.

But I like to play up here.

In the natural daylight, with the dogs.

So there is a little tension there.

Nothing a cup of tea can't cure.

I've been working on my September Calendar and

just added "T" on Tuesdays.

The Art

the words were cut from my tea bag wrapper

I also added our local rubber stamp stores anniversary date .

"A Happy Stamper" is 10 years old.

I remember the day Angela opened her doors and all the rubber stampers poured in. She was an instant success. I took several bookbinding classes there as well as classes from well known artists. Angela has just the right mix of cute, classic and edgy in her shop. Stampers and mixed media artists love to shop there.

I have introduced many close friends to her store.

And sadly I don't get down there very often as I used to.

So I will definitely be there on the 28th to help her celebrate.

The Tea

Yogi brand - Calming

I love the messages on the tags.

The Mug

Another 'everyday' cup from Pier 1 .

My favorite shade of green.

My goodness I feel chatty today.

I think I'll write another post

maybe one for WOYWW.

Thank's for stopping by

Hope your Tuesday is not too tense.

Marianne

Tuesday, Tea and Dangle Tangles

Good Morning Tuesday.

Last Tuesday I slept in. Today I am up at 4 am.
???
Dutch can't sleep...so I can't sleep.
the bright side?
I can get a jump on Elizabeth's Tuesday link up.

A few weeks ago I received a
box of ephemera in the mail.
Yes, I know I just muddled through a BIG Purge,
and have no business taking in more stuff
...but hey...new old stuff is always fun.
right?

One of the pages in the box was this ad from 1967.

Do you remember Avocado Green?

We had both Avocado Green and Harvest Gold in our kitchen. I guess my mother couldn't make up her mind. But that's ok,because the wall paper in the kitchen had both colors in it. Everything matched. Life was Good.

Anyway.

I decided the hip chick in the ad needed a new enviroment.
One that would compliment her modern vibe.
so
I cut her out

and sifted through the options.
I decided I didn't want anything to clash with her avocado attire.

Black and White was needed.
a doodle
Yes !
But I know from experience my doodles can eat up a lot of time.
I needed a quick fix.
I turned to Dangle Tangles.

The Art

Yes. Yet another term to "classify" age old doodling.
But I do kind of like the name, . . .
and the idea of the tangles dangling from the top of the page.

If you want to know more about them
I provided a link to a video at the bottom of this post.

The Tea
So what was in my mug this morning?
Good old Lipton Tea
one packet of Splenda
1 oz. of milk