Micro-Blogging, Creativity, and Renovations

I’ve been getting requests to buy my blog from random people on the internet, so I figured it was time to quit ignoring you in here and say something. To be honest, I have been doing my best to live life to the fullest and with all that is happening in my world right now (helping my son get through his first semester of college, spending time with him before he moves six hours away this summer, renovating the downstairs, purging things, homeschooling my elementary kids, gardening, cooking and juicing to prevent a cancer relapse, doing photography gigs, and everything else…), I’m spread about 5 miles wide and half an inch thick.

I thought about it and wondered what the world would be like with some other Sprittibee out there besides me. I just couldn’t imagine it… so you’re stuck with me, if that’s OK. I can’t promise to be as engaged as I will after some of the dust of “right now” settles, but I’ll do my best to keep popping in. What would you like to hear about? What are the things you read my blog for? Let me know and I’ll jot some notes down and try to update you more on those things.

I know a lot of you out there have Instagram. As a photographer, IG is my sweet spot on the internet. It’s my creative outlet and part of my “art therapy”. I tend to find myself microblogging there and all my thoughts end up finding their way on my photo comments and not in here. I actually give myself a “challenge” each month to complete to keep me from NOT creating art. I was putting everyone else’s creative and learning needs first and neglecting my own, so having a goal on IG has given me accountability to really earn my title as photographer and artist, rather than letting my talents sit idle. Maybe someday I’ll post about my creative process, but there is an art form in “gridding out” your “feed” on Instagram and it has been a fun self-growth project. It has even gotten me back in to painting, drawing, and crafting!

Sometimes I “microblog” on Instagram before bed as I post a photo, and then I wake up the next day and am too busy to get on the computer – further keeping me away from regular blogging. I’d like to say sorry, but I’m not. I’m all about enjoying life, lately. I think that’s just a side effect of feeling like God gave you another crack at life after a cancer diagnosis.

I won’t be stressed or guilted in to much any more. I do find myself starting to lean in to old patterns and take on too much, but then I take a deep breath and sit down with a glass of tea and remind myself that I refuse to go that direction again.

I try to embrace the sawdust on the floor, the ceramic tile dust on the piano, the mortar clumps in the downstairs bathroom, the unfinished flooring in the kitchen, the pile of laundry that can’t be tamed no matter how I struggle which ends up in baskets and on my bedroom floor… I see all these things and work on them when I can, but I’m not going to miss out on the mulberries outside or let them keep me from watering my garden. I’m not going to let the imperfections prevent me from a long talk with my 20 year old son, reading a book to my little guys, or watching an episode of “Lie to Me” on Netflix with my husband.

As far as health updates go, I’m doing good…. that I know of. My main problem right now is my left shoulder being really out of whack. It has been hurting for a long time and I’m about to go see a doctor to get an xray. It may be related to my neck or spine, also. My mom thinks it is “frozen shoulder”. I’ve lost range of motion. They tested me for Lymes, Gout, and antibodies that might indicate immune disease because of the constant joint pain and how my left wrist is also sometimes affected. Lymes was “on the borderline”, but they said they were “calling it negative”. She said she wants me to keep taking my mistletoe injections, so I’m going to start those again next week. It will have been a month off by then, or longer. I quit to make sure they weren’t causing rheumatoid arthritis by making my immune system crazy strong and on the attack. You want to know something that is crazy? I haven’t been sick since last August when I got out of the hospital for my tumor removal — not once. My family has gone through numerous things, including a throw up virus, and I’ve been well.

Jesus, juice, mistletoe, and supplements, baby… all the way! My last oncology check-up in March was great – nothing on my sonogram for the liver, nothing in the bloodwork. I go back again in July for more blood tests and my next colonoscopy is scheduled for September. (Please get one of these yourself every few years after age 40? Remember, I’m not even 45, and I was stage III without hardly a symptom!)

People have asked for a few recipes from images I’ve posted on facebook and instagram, and I will be getting to those some time soon in here. I also have a ton of great books we’ve been reading to share about: children books, mom books, cook books, you name it!

Hmmmm, what else?

Oh, I’m going to Arlington and Woodlands THSC again this year. The Texas Homeschool Coalition is putting on another two conferences this summer. They are doing their homeschool blogger meet and greet again, so if you are a homeschool blogger (or any kind of social media or blogger), come hang with us Saturday afternoon at either conference. THSC hired me to do photography again (this will be like my 6th or 7th year of covering their events) and I’m excited to go.

Last year, I ended up in the hospital having cancer removed right after taking photos for THSC Woodlands, so this will be a full year since then, when I complete my job at Woodlands. I was thinking about that last night… one full year! My grandma was not so lucky, as she had stage 4 when they did her surgery and she only lived 3 months after that. I was blessed that it was operable and stage 3… and that there’s so much information out there for people who want to do things holistically, rather than relying on chemo and radiation. She was like me – she refused chemo, knowing that it was too late for her to take it anyway, with cancer in her liver they couldn’t remove. I just wish she had been given all the health information on the Truth About Cancer and had seen the protocols on Chris Beat Cancer and the videos of survivor stories that I have. She was a spectacular lady.

Want to see a glimpse of my Texas cowgirl renovation? One day at a time we are transforming the rooms downstairs… here’s my “cactus corner”:

You can see the flooring, trim, and accent wall color here. Love that “Gibralter Grey” at Lowe’s. As you can see, the wall on the right has no trim and isn’t painted yet. It used to be tan colored, but now it is in a state of transition – half tan (from 6 foot and above) and half light grey (ha!). At least we have the trim up now on that side. So much to do, so little time…

We (and by we, I mean my husband has done the work and I have just been the “creative director”, nag, and clean-up help) have finished over 800 sf of the flooring out of about 1200 sf downstairs. The entire floor down there is going from nasty carpet and builder-grade vinyl to wood-look ceramic tile. We couldn’t afford to have someone else who knew what they were doing put in, so we bought the tile at Lowe’s on sale, watched a few YouTube videos, and are installing it ourselves (like I said, it’s all my husband’s work) slowly. We started last summer and had to take a huge break while I was in recovery. It looks so gorgeous. I finally have the house looking more like I’ve always wanted it to look. I do admit that sweeping is a chore, but it looks like a million bucks when it’s polished. It hides dirt really well and goes GREAT WITH MY COWGIRL BOOTS. My husband loves it, too, and since it’s his knee-caps that are taking the hit, I’m so glad!

I’ll try to come back soon and chat. 🙂

Disclosure: This post is NOT sponsored, but I love Lowe’s anyway – even if we couldn’t afford to have them install the tile.

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