make an aesthetic for yourself from photos you have on your phone

I haven’t done one of these in a while and I saw @takethewatch do it a few days ago and thought I’d jump on the bandwagon.  ^_^  She did 9, but I was having trouble even narrowing it to 10, so I stopped trying.  As a side note, it amuses me to no end how many of these are from my favorite arboretum.  *snerts*

(Also, if you look closely, I snuck the scarf in there that I just finished.  ^_~  It’s being washed at the moment and once it’s done blocking/drying, I’ll post real pictures.  So, sometime tomorrow, maybe?)

Anyone who would like to do it, too, feel free to @ me so I can see yours!  ^_^)

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Today was a pretty good day, so I thought a “good day photoset” was in order.  ^_^

First three pictures: my new soothing bowl, some brewing earl grey midnight tea, and the newly cleansed clear quartz chips that will go in the soothing bowl.

Middle pictures: Gabriel being a cutey.  ^_^  Because he is.

Bottom three pictures: MY GARDEN.  LOOK HOW WELL EVERYTHING’S GROWING!!  😀  My first zucchini should be ready in a few days and I’ve been eating the chives for over a week.  ^_^  SO EXCITED.

Other things that were good behind the cut:

So, my therapist is out on medical leave for back surgery and her friend/mentor is taking over most of her cases while she’s gone.  Anyway, I was REALLY REALLY nervous about that.  But you know what?  I REALLY really like her.  In fact, I hate to say it, because I really do love my therapist, but I’m almost tempted to say that D. is a better fit for me.  We have the same energy in a way?  That kind of high-strung, excitable almost-nervous energy?  And combining me with another person like that usually means SHIT GETS DONE.  So… I’m tentatively hopeful?  Which would feel like a major betrayal, but my therapist basically already said, “If you like working with her and want to stay with her, THAT’S OK.”  So… I guess we’ll see?  -.-;;;  Anyway, it’s at least two months too early for that particular worry, so I’m going to not focus on it for now.

Other things that are cool: I finally stopped in at the yoga studio and got information on classes with an eye towards starting yoga again.  Because I am so stiff and in so much general muscle pain because of all my lost flexibility and something has to give and I’d rather it not be my back.  -.-;;;  Anyway, I really liked the studio and the receptionist was SUPER nice and just kind of left me with this feeling that this was the right move?  Which is good because I think I needed that level of encouragement.  Because on some level, as the new therapist smacked it right on the head, I don’t think I deserve to feel better.  So I don’t do the things that I know will make me feel better.  Well, FUCK THAT.  I WANT TO FEEL BETTER.  So.  Gonna try?  -.-;;;

And last but not least, my soothing bowl.  LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THIS BECAUSE IT IS COOL.  It’s exactly what it sounds like – a bowl meant for soothing you.  Here’s a picture.  It’s a bowl with some kind of polished stone/crystal chips inside it.  Nothing fancy.  Anyway, the idea is that when you’re stressed, you run your fingers through the chips and pick them up and let them sift through your fingers.  And I saw the one they had in the window and was kind of like… huh.  That sounds interesting.  So I did as instructed and just… OMG.  As a sensory thing is was SO SATISFYING AND SOOTHING.  It was everything I love about running my hands through dry sand without the roughness of the sand or the granules getting stuck in the creases of my fingers.  So with that in mind, I bought a larger ceramic bowl the color of sand fading into the turquoise ocean in the bottom.  And when it came time to pick a crystal, well… I know nothing about crystals.  O_o;;;  So I just go with my gut of which one I think feels right.  And I picked clear quartz.  This is the blurb from the store about it:

Crystal Quartz is known as the “master healer” and will amplify energy and thought, as well as the effect of other crystals.  It absorbs, stores, releases and regulates energy.  Clear Quartz draws off negative energy of all kinds, neutralizing background electromagnetic radiation.  It balances and revitalizes the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual planes and acts as a deep soul cleanser, connecting the physical dimension with the mind.  Clear quartz enhances psychic abilities.  It aids concentration and unlocks memory while it stimulates the immune system and brings the body into balance.

Sounds like just what the doctor ordered for someone with anxiety, ADHD, a wealth of negativity, and chronic pain, doesn’t it?  O_o;;;  GOOD JOB, SUBCONSCIOUS.

Anyway, I cleansed two of the bags of crystal chips earlier and they’re now drying in the window, so hopefully they’ll be dry enough for the bowl by tomorrow.  ^_^

So, yeah.  That’s what’s going on with me.  Not too shabby for once, huh?  ^_^

Been a while since I last sat out here to read, but the weather’s perfect for it today. *_* So I think I’ll sit out here for a while instead of working on my paper. I deserve it after the night I had. Ugh. 😛

For as long as I can remember, every year my father has planted a garden.  Mostly tomatoes and cucumbers and strawberries, but with the occasional zucchini and grape vine and herb wandering in.  And ever since I moved in with my uncle, I’ve wanted to plant a garden of my own.  There’s just something about growing your own food that is so immensely satisfying, and let’s face it, it just plain tastes better than most of what you get in the supermarkets, because it doesn’t get any fresher than “walk outside and pluck it from the plant to put in the salad.”

But for some reason or another, every year I managed not to have time or to forget until it was too late, or whatever reason it was that kept me from doing what I wanted that year.  NOT THIS YEAR.  THIS YEAR I DECIDED I WAS PLANTING.  *firm nods*

Cut for babbling about planting things.  ^_^

The only thing was that I needed to coordinate with my father.  Because, you see… that house on the right hand side across the fence?  That’s my parents’ house.  So, let’s just say that plenty of food gets shared across the fence and there was no need to double-grow anything.  -.-;;;  SO.  Today my dad and I went to the nursery and coordinated planting.  He planted his usual: tomatoes and cucumbers, and already has the strawberries in the backyard.  My mom also planted some herbs – basil, parsley, and dill.

So, I went with chives (because some of my fondest planting memories are of finding chives outside, plucking them, and eating them right there ^_^), eggplant and zucchini.  I also chose lavender because it smells and looks pretty and it attracts bees and I had decided that if I was going to garden, I was going to do it responsibly and put in at least one plant that bees like.  *nodnod*  Then my dad popped his head over the fence to tell me that he ended up with one more grape tomato plant than he had room for and he didn’t know where to put it, so I offered to take it off his hands.  ^_^

So, now I have all kinds of yummy things just waiting to grow and I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS.  ^_____________^

(I’m also excited that my dad’s sprinklers apparently reach that bed because it effectively means I won’t even have to water.  NOT A BAD THING.  ;D)

2nd of the 11 journals from that large order.  I’m pretty pleased with how this one came out, especially with how quickly it came together.  Maybe 2 hours total not counting printing the paper?

~5 1/2″ wide x 8 1/2″ long x 1/2″ thick; quarter cloth case binding; heavy-weight bookboard; 128 pages, lined; 64 lb. (95 g/sq.m.) charcoal paper; inner cover pages of  65# cardstock; cover of hand made
100% cotton bookcloth and ribbon in a quarter cloth style with ribbon bookmark and appliqued logo printed on 100% cotton; hand-sewn; bound by hand

This one’s not for sale as it was a custom order, but there are a couple in my Etsy shop all set and ready to go for anyone who’s interested.  ^_~  (Also, a reminder that any journal covered in bookcloth can be customized with an appliqued logo.)