gloomy day

On the last day of August it's raining. I don't think the girls mind too much though. They've been outside playing.

dahlias

Over the weekend, I went to the Dahlia Festival in Canby, OR with my parents. It was beautiful and overwhelming. I was drawn to all of the orange blooms in different sizes with fringed pedals, smooth pedals and spiked pedals. I placed my order to be delivered in the spring. I am very excited to start a dahlia garden next summer.

saturday afternoon

For my simple Saturday I went outside, took care of the chicken coop, picked some veggies out of my garden and pickled them. It's the simple things in life that bring me pleasure. I couldn't think of a better way to spend a day.

Choose a vegetable. I chose beets, carrots and pearl onions.
2 cups cider vinegar
1 and a half cups sugar
half of a cup of water
2tbsp whole peppercorns
2 tsp pickling salt
2 tsp fennel seeds
8 sprigs fresh rosemary
8 sprigs fresh thyme
8 dried bay leaves

Clean and prep vegetable. Cook vegetable until tender. In a large saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, water, peppercorns, salt and fennel seeds. Brings to a boil. Remove from heat. Pack vegetables into warm jars and poor warm liquid over the top. Process in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes.

enjoying my time off

In the last few days I've done nothing significant. I played with my dogs, watched the chickens, I've done some cooking and cleaning and relaxed in my garden. I found myself wanting to enjoy the beauty inside as much as I do the outside. I spend the majority of my day outside but when I come in, it's not as happy. While outside, I looked around and started picking different flowers. I picked roses, fennel, borage, mums and hydrangea. I placed them on my table and now I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner there. It's very peaceful and it makes me happy.

fresh start

I sold my soul for money. Today is my first day of being unemployed. I had worked for large corporations for years and now it's my time to do some things that I love. Life isn't about making money and seeing how much stuff you can accumulate. It's about experiences and seeing beauty in everyday simple life. Today, I woke up, drank a few cups of coffee after taking care of the dogs and the chickens, spent an hour watering my garden, started some spaghetti sauce, made hummus, cleaned my house, cleaned the chicken coop and took my dogs on a walk. Life is not about running around trying to fit as much in as you can. You should stop, take a deep breath and enjoy yourself. I will be posting my daily activities of unemployment for all to see. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

a favorite product

I love this cleaner! It's been around for years and it's awesome! Why do you need to use harsh chemicals when nature makes something that works just as well and it's biodegradable? If you're a Comet or Ajax user, go to your local natural grocery store and pick up some Bon Ami! It's only $1.49 at Whole Foods.

what's next?

As I close a door in my life, I will have to open a new one. I am leaving my corporate job and moving on. I'm hoping to do something I really love this time around. I think I have an idea but I'm really not sure yet.I will start posting things that I'm working on in my free time as I will have a lot of it. Keep your fingers crossed for something exciting!