I just spent the last 3 weeks doing a full-time temp job and I had to dress like a grownup every single day. Wow, that was hard. So this is the picture I took on Saturday morning rejoicing in the fact that I finally got to be me again - lace, jeans and a hat. What a relief.
I'm sure the whole grownup/job thing will happen again soon (I'm not fond of temping but there doesn't seem to be much interest in my resume these days) but for now I have a few days free to hang out at home and that means it's time for a new painting project.
I got a pair of these awesome cabinet doors at Camp Vintage this year. I plan on repurposing them into jewelry organizers. At first I thought I wouldn't paint them at all because I love that mint green color but I have a couple of different ideas now.
Over the weekend I asked Mr. T to help me move this table over to the patio so that I could set up a nice workspace with plenty of room.
I've got all my supplies together and can't wait to get started!
Charlie, on the other hand, would prefer it if I would stop moving around and just hang out on the couch with her.
50 days ago I ran across the 100 Happy Days challenge on Instagram and I thought, why not?
Actually, what I thought was - I need this.
Florida wasn't turning out the way we'd hoped and I knew I needed to focus on at least one happy thing each day so that I wouldn't dwell on yet another disappointment. Five years of stress was starting to get to me.
Ironically, the day after I signed up for the challenge we found out that Florida definitely wasn't going to work out for us and we were back on the edge of the cliff. I chuckled at the irony of having committed to 100 Happy Days just the day before but I never once thought of not going through with the challenge.
50 days into it, it's definitely been a struggle to find that one happy thing each day. Some days are no brainers
Other days are definitely more of a stretch
This past week has been the biggest struggle of all, not only are we still dealing with our situation but there's big, heartbreaking stuff going on in my family that makes me feel helpless and alone.
But I'm determined to stay the course and keep finding that one thing that makes me smile each day because it really does help me keep calm and peaceful in the midst of the storms. It helps me to appreciate all the blessings that fill my life. I wish certain things were different but I am beyond grateful for my life and my family. I'm pretty sure I'm going to keep posting my happy things long after the challenge is over.
Here are a few of the things that have made me smile over the past couple of weeks
Of course, some days there's no struggle at all. Something comes along that makes me VERY happy. Yesterday was one of those days. I had a chance to reconnect with a friend I hadn't seen since high school graduation. We found each other on Facebook about a year ago but yesterday was our first face to face meeting in over 3 decades and it truly was as if no time had passed at all.
So here's to the next 50 happy days.
Have you noticed I haven't been around to blog much lately? Well maybe you haven't but I sure have been missing the opportunity to share with y'all. Things have been happening here at Jasper's Cottage - some good, some not so good - and some of it has kept me far away from home each day...I haven't figured out if that last one is good or bad. I hate being away from Charlie each day (and Mr. T, of course) but I'm enjoying having a new experience.
But I couldn't let today go by without sharing a few old pictures of my baby Jasper. He's been gone for 4 years now and his memory grows sweeter with each passing year. I loved Shifu and I love Charlie but Jasper was the most special dog ever. He was my child. For anyone that's ever loved a dog, you know how it is. I miss him so much but I love being able to share him with you.
