Perk me up Friday!
 
 You ever drift through your day feeling as though you’re caught up in a fog? You’re not quite sure how you got from one place to the next, how the list you set out to tackle has grown shorter, and there is no definitive impression as to how or when you actually got those boxes ticked off?
  Well I’ve been feeling that way lately, like crazy. I’ve not been sleeping well, or some nights literally at all, for the past month. Apart from the obvious tired feeling, it’s exhausting to not sleep. My brain refuses to focus, my body feels like a floppy mess, I forget whole conversations, and though my eyes are focused on you when you speak, I’m likely somewhere else altogether.
  It’s a problem!
  I’ve tried as best as I can to stick as close to a daily routine as possible, but that has been a challenge.
  I’ve forced my jumbled, floppy-jalopy bones to exercise, not only to exhaust my weary muscles, but also to clear my overactive mind, and to do something that feels “normal”. To no avail though, my hands continue to wave in front of my face unseen as through a fog. Sleep has escaped my seeking grasp.
  So as a final and exasperated attempt at attaining those precious yet lost hours of floating through oblivion, I’ve gone extreme.
  I’ve tried. I repeat, I’ve tried, and failed miserably at cutting out caffeine.
  There are several “reasons” for this grand failure. Reasons is how I’m choosing to phrase it, because let’s be honest here (that is another thing I’ve been working on!) they’re all just neatly packaged excuses!

A slightly skewed Top Ten

Reasons it is hard to cut caffeine

~ holding the mug/paper cup/chilled plastic container in your hand is a treat in itself
~ my eyes don’t like to open in the morning without it
~ I’m making a statement to myself by turning the coffee on in the morning before I do anything else. What is that statement? I know you’re curious, and it is profound! I am important too! -- I’m not just your launderer, your own personal chef, your chauffer, your bank machine. Indeed I do all those things and so much more, but to start my day, though it is an action that will accomplish little, it reminds me that if I do nothing else for myself for the rest of the day, I was important enough to put myself first in that single instant.
~ it’s some sort of right of passage. It is available everywhere you go, and whether it be in a meeting, a casual gathering, while you wait for your oil to be changed, or sitting in the chair at your hairstylists, it is always offered. Can I mention as well how when the person next to you is holding a cup and you’re not, it’s all that you can think about
~ the headache that lingers days after you’ve had your last cup doesn’t seem worth it
~ it’s hot, and if you’ve chosen to live in the climate that I do, sometimes hot is the only thing that helps
~ it really smells good. Comforting, soothing, inviting, and consistent. I wonder if it can be compared to the friend that is always there, never judges, and forever perks you up when you need a bit of a boost
~ it changes with you as your mood desires. I’m a milk or cream kind of gal, but should you desire to spice it up, it’s as easy as a shake of cinnamon, a drop of syrup, or a dollop of whipped cream. The options are an endless and confusing list of choices, all of which likely hit the intended target with a vague perfection
~ I don’t really want to cut out caffeine…..I just want to sleep
~ It is plain and simple, good. It wakes me up and there’s nothing else like it. It’s one of my favorite things

Happy Friday!

Well hello there!
  
   I feel myself slowly coming back.  It's a good thing, and about time too!  I'm going to brand myself boring with this next statement...I love routine.  More than that, I need it.  Summer schedules, or lack there of are always anticipated, but this creature of extreme habit functions all the better for having one.
   You say boring, I say efficient!  You ask- where's the spontaneity?  I say, I don't really care, it can be overrated!  You say uninspired, I say, No Way! (I'm making a corresponding face to go with that outcry!)   When I know what's coming at me, I know how to prepare, when I know how to prepare and how to budget my time, I am very pleased, which helps me to be on top of everything, ubber inspired, and ultra ready to pick up and do something crazy!
   So here's to inspiration and all the trouble it could get me into, all the joy it fills me with, and all the flexible ways I am able to express myself in...
   Today, people, I feel SO ready to face the world!

   This morning's inspiration smells like a warm and soothing pot of soup.  Fresh leeks, dill and potatoes from the garden looked so gratifying even before I diced, chopped and stirred.
   This afternoon the world is at my finger tips!  A hot cup of tea infused with a sliver of ginger, mint and lemon balm (also from my garden) will perk me up when I feel myself lagging, and hopefully if all goes well, my fingers will fly across the keys to create a new and fantastic world that my imagination cannot contain another minute!  (SIGH...)
Ahhh, routine!  You are my favorite!

Kiss Me - Ed Sheeran

 Each week I feel like I'm scrambling to share with you my new favorites, unusual finds, or the latest thing that makes me smile and inspire me.  This guy isn't new anymore, at least not to me, but his brilliance needs to be addressed!
  I've been a huge fan of this kid for what seems like forever, I actually don't remember what music I liked before this guy!  This particular song is one of the highlighted favorites from my most recent project, and because I plan do to another round of editing on that monster piece of work, I thought I would let you in on what is going to help me slide into the mood! Also just so you know, I've never grown tired of his voice even if my play count has well exceed 100 on several tracks.
  Lyrically Ed Sheeran is a magician and I'm not going to lie, I want to dive into his brain and float for a while, get all pruny in the words of his mind . Once I've digested the words, when I feel like I can't soak it up any more, I want to feel the sweet melodies and harmonies he creates to make the words all the more powerful and memorable.  I would love to understand how he melts these two arts together so cohesively so, dare I say, perfectly!  Yep, I'm that much of a fan, and I haven't even mentioned his smooth as honey voice that almost never steps off pitch, how he sounds on his live tracks, or his ridiculous covers. 
  Have a quick listen.  Let these lovely words ease you into a new week and float you through Friday!

Ten for the week!

1-Fresh homemade pesto, made from the tender basil sprouts I lovingly coaxed to maturity these past months.
2-School starts today! (I am dancing with pure joy!)
3-iTunes festival-tons of brilliant bands performing at your fingertips!
4-Amazing friends. You should all get superpower t-shirts printed to wear under your every day clothes because you all have remarkable powers!
5-I’m still hopelessly in love with the flag in the yard….can you imagine how many times a day the wind changes direction and how truly fascinating I find it?
6-Pretty shoes. There’s always a reason to adorn your feet!
7-The return of “the schedule”, huge sigh of relief coming from this mom, that’s for sure!
8-New duvet to curl up in when the night grows extra chilly.
9-The sound of rustling leaves and crackling fires!
10-Curry sandwiches. My new fall favorite!

   There you go! I didn’t think I could come up with ten again, I’ve thought that each time actually and it hasn’t been as hard as I anticipated.

   I’m looking forward to the weekend, I have grand plans to tackle a long list of projects that need to be tended before fall has vanished and winter is upon us! Ha! Speaking of…does anyone know how many days until Christmas?!

Happy Friday! Enjoy the Sun and be thankful for the simple!

A Different sort of music!
  
  Did any of you hear it last night or earlier this morning?  The announcement of fall flying overhead heralding it's arrival with it's less than glamorous, though poignantly welcoming HONK.
   That's right!  The geese have proclaimed the inevitable, summer is over!  That's not to say there won't be sun drenching warm days to come, or that you should pack away that itty bitty bikini till next year, but it would be a good idea to dig out your heavier knits and grab a pair of shoes that covers your toes!
   Autumn has always been my favorite, over the years I could tell you many different reasons for that, but more recently, I'll be honest and share with you a not so stealthy secret.  My brain tends to zero in on food, and fall has something on all the other seasons.  In spring I crave lighter fare that is citrusy and light tasting. In summer when it’s hot, I would rather not be bothered and could survive on whatever goodies I pick up from the fruit stand. But fall? It invites me in and asks me to stay a while; to linger and steep myself in its warmth. A deep-dish bowl of curry filled with pumpkin, squash, and zucchini. The colours we trust. The colours of warmth, of shedding leaves, of harvest, and fires in the hearth…..Ah, Autumn how you enchant me!

   You'll be listening for it now.  The simple sound of fall.  Take your cues from the flocks overhead who flee for warmer climate.  There is no better place to warm up your day than the kitchen...and if that's simply not your thing, layer up, grab a scarf, prepare a thermos, and head outside.  Use your senses.  Hear the crunching leaves, see the changes around you, smell the difference in the air!  It's worth the indulgence!
 

 

 Honesty...

  I’m going to lay it out there, spew some thoughts that have been on the front of my mind recently.  If you had to guess the actual percentage of honesty people share with you, would it be a high percentage?  Somewhere in the middle maybe, or if you are a cynic, the percentage would slide much, much lower.  Who tells the truth?

  I began this lowly space with grand intentions.  The spectrum of what I imagined to share was broad, though I didn’t and still don’t want to follow someone else’s mold.  Mostly, I wanted an outlet to share what was on my mind.  Let me premise though that inside of that optimistic ideal, I never set out to offend, shock, or cause dissension.  Yet saying that causes me to stop my tapping fingers and ask: If I never do any of those things, with or without intention, am I really being honest?  How long can I live in this smoothly spinning sphere without hitting a few bumps, speeding or slowing the spin of my wheels, or heaven forbid having to stop, scrap the whole thing and start over, without being branded a nasty failure.
   Is it possible Simply Me has an alter ego called Nasty Me?  We all have our moments, don’t we?  We can deny it all we want, and though the act of denial doesn’t help us one small bit, it may stave off the wolves long enough for us to sort it all out and get it together.  Or at least that is the ideal we’ve used to convince ourselves.

   What am I talking about…..sometimes I get carried away and forget.

   What is honesty?  It might be easier if I gave you an idea of what honesty isn’t.  And this here I know is everyone’s truth.  Look out folks, Nasty Me is about to be unleashed.

   Honesty isn’t smiling while telling a friend you are fine, when they can clearly see you are not.
   Honesty isn’t sacrificing your own desires and wants for those around you repeatedly and without reciprocation….let’s face it, at some point everyone realized that you’d give in. It’s called being walked all over.
   Honesty is not remaining silent when you know you need to speak up.
   Honesty is not to say you’ll call a friend knowing full well you likely won’t.

    I understand fully that there is a time and place for everything.  I also know that the more you push your own honesty down beneath the surface, the more difficult it becomes to be you.  (I find myself lost in this cycle too often)  I also believe the usual first question we ask, how are you… incites the cycle to continue.  Straight away we put on a face to respond.  So why ask that particular question, especially if you’re addressing a minimal acquaintance.  Do you expect them to lay it all out in the aisle between the peanut butter and snack puddings?  It drives me crazy, yet I ask it too.

   Now, I’m also not saying go spill your guts to the world.  All those little secrets, the truth behind your lies laid out for every self-indulgent, gossipy, sloth to talk over in hushed whispers.  No.  That’s not what I’m saying.
   I’m merely wondering how much topical truth is out there.  The small things we say each day, not the big, dark, daunting skeletons in our closets.
   Jane Austen encompasses this truth so simply, so clearly, and so perfectly correct.  Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little mistaken.
   Ahh, now that’s something isn’t it!
   So perhaps after spending an itty bitty chunk of time pondering this, you will put in a dime sized effort to be purposefully honest in your small disclosures.  Maybe you’ll just walk away from the screen believing Nasty Me has indeed lost it, is no longer lighthearted and fun.  Maybe nothing happens.  Maybe Nasty Me needs to come out and play more often?
   I’ll tell you, I’ve been thinking about honesty a lot lately, (and here’s a confession: I have a heap of work to do here too).  So I will do my utmost best to be honest.  Maybe that means deflecting the questions I can’t answer instead of blurring the lines.  Maybe that means avoiding the chatsters at the grocery shop, at school, work, or church.  Maybe that means streamlining what I deem acceptable conversation.  Maybe it means saying; I can’t talk about it, or putting the harsh reality out there by stating -- it’s none of your business.  I may just stand in one spot, look down at my lovely shoes and grin broadly when approached with that dreaded question- how are you?
   People will always want to know, they will always ask, you will find yourself repeatedly in a position to share a partial or lesser truth.  It's what we do.
   I’ve been challenging myself to be more….whatever that means.  I know it’s not a perfect world, and I know I fall so far below that bar that it’s embarrassing, but I won’t give up trying even if the going is insanely slow and painfully awkward.

   Good luck! 

Ben Howard covers Call Me Maybe in the Live Lounge

 Hey all!

  I am going to assume that the long weekend has gone over a treat! Now here for your Monday morning listening pleasure is something I Love!
  Whether you want to deny you like the original song or not, this one will hopefully get you moving your head in a more chill, appreciative way!  Ben Howard took the song and made it sound like him, I respect that like crazy, and I think it`s genius!  I especially love the fun he appears to be having doing it!  The quick smirky-smile-laugh at 3:40ish......ah! love it!
  Enjoy! Maybe head over to your regular music page and check out his album....also just....ah!