MHA Event done!!

Mental Health Awareness Day is over. It was a special event that I was on the committee on in my County and it was an exhaustive day but quite wonderful. I handed out programs and was on my feet for many hours. I also helped with a special award and it was very satisfying to see that handed out and know that my help with the wording was on a plaque that will be up for a long time.

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I look at my fingernails as I type. I am so glad that I don't have my fake fingernails on anymore as it makes it so difficult to type. AND they were awful to my real fingernails, which are now even more transparent and weak than they were before. I am babying them in the sense of no more fake nails, at least for a little bit!! ;)

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Busy, busy. Happy:)

Still here! I am LOVING my Craftsy class "Sewing with Diana Rupp." I am learning so much! I have gotten the stuff yesterday to make my 20x20 pillow and taking it a step at a time.

New task: someone at work wants me to hem some pants. I brought my pins in a marked where the hem should be. Hoping this will turn out well. If so, he has jeans to hem too. Money is involved.:)

Tomorrow I am going to a Renaissance Faire. Hoping the walking won't wear me out. Supposed to be a nice day and I am looking forward to it.

Thank you to my commenters. I am so glad to see you here, too!
Have a good day.:)
Jungletart

Projects, projects - Autumn is coming.

Hello! Five months since the last post!? What is that about? :)
Well, I am here today. I have been doing well. I am getting more and more into my hobbies. I have completed my first sock, knitting-wise, and now working on the second of the pair. I am getting into sewing. There's a great new site (that I totally am not paid to shill) called 'Craftsy' and I am excited to say that I am getting ready to take the sewing class with Diana Rupp on that site. I will tell you how that goes after I take it. I have been working on some small sewing projects, including a rag doll for a relative's daughter and hooded baby towels for twin boy babies, hoping to get this all done for Christmas.
I am enjoying a time of eveness, although I say that and wonder a little when the other shoe will drop.
Oh big change, I am TRYing to do Weight Watchers again. When I am counting PlusPoints I actually lose weight. I have taken a little hiatus from it, and I need to get back on the bandwagon. It's the only thing so far that I've seen has worked for me.
Well it is getting late. Time to take the medicine. :) Hope all have a wonderful Labor Day and that all had a great Summer! Bring on Autumn - lets hope that it is fruitful and kind to all of us.

I am still here!!

Hello Blogworld, Things are percolating right along. Spring has sprung!! It is so beautiful around here. Sunshine. Flowers. The green, green grass of my neighborhood. (and dandelions!:)

I have been working on a few things here. I am still working at the Drop-In Center. I am also on a committee to help organize our county's Mental Health Awareness Day. I am still a presenter for NAMI's 'In Our Own Voice' program, and the coordinator for it for our county. I am doing well professionally.

More and more I am getting to help out my favorite cause (helping to break the stigma of mental illness and share my compassion as a person with others). Those of you that have been following the blog from that first post know that I have just wanted the opportunity to touch even one life, to share a commonality with others that yes, suffer, and also triumph daily over difficulty.

I am very happy to report that after all these years, since 2006 I think I started this blog, that I have been able to see good things in my actual life come about as a process in working in the mental health world as a person who has a mental illness myself! Wow! It really is something to get to say that on the blog.

No, I'm not going anywhere (not leaving the blog) in case this got you worried. We still need to talk about this stuff. I'll never stop wanting to talk about mental health. People need compassion and so so many of us need someone to talk to about these things. Just sayin' :)

I'm sign off this post for now. I wish you all a Great day!
Sincerely,
Jungletart

Today is a better day!! Yay!

So yesterday and last night I was tired, tired, exhausted so I finally took my evening medicine somewhere near close to when I am supposed to (9 p.m.) at actually 8:54 p.m. (a new record for me) and LOW and BEHOLD it worked it's magic and I went to bed at a somewhat decent time and woke up this morning at 6 A.M. bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to go today! GO FIGURE!! Routine people. It can be a magical thing. Aaaannnnd, my medicine does knock me out when taken properly, that is a proven thing.

Rest makes all the difference in the world.

Happy Ash Wednesday!!

Well, Mardi Gras is over so I have taken down the beautiful purple Mardi Gras background and refound my lovely other day-to-day background! I like to keep up with the times and seeing how today (Ash Wednesday) begins a kind of holy time for many, I am just keeping up with it.

I know it's ridiculous to complain about it, but I am surrounded by Pugs and they make it difficult for me to type on here. Emma, my oldest, (dare I say sweetest?) Pug insists on wedging herself next to me and the couch arm, or just plain stepping all the heck over the laptop and doing nutty things with my computer, all by mistake of course. How kin I be mad at her? So's Blossom is peering to the left of me like 'How come's the other one gets the special spot, I wanna lay on you too??? Now she has decided to curl up next to me and they shall take naps. :):)

Tomorrow is another Day.

I was just exhausted today but I do feel better after sleeping a few extra hours this morning.

I am coming to acceptance that perhaps as a bipolar happening I've got these seemingly enormous ebbs and flows of energy sometimes. I am able to get marvelous things done at times and complete tasks and complete projects that make me happy (knitting, sewing, work for work) and yet other times I cannot keep up with all that. I get tired or down or just not able to function so well. And marvelous of all, I am not beating myself up about this, I am simply being and holding onto my Scarlet O'Hara (Gone With The Wind) belief that "tomorrow is another day." It is a good moment still for me, peoples.

I have been looking and having a blast skipping around the internet looking at knitting and sewing blogs, Pug blogs, and even delved into Artfire.com today ~ looking and soaking up the 'Good.'
Recently I bought a book on sewing cute little toys and dolls (Sew It, Stuff It by Rob Merrett) and have had a grand old time imagining and thinking about making a few things.

I got some projects done for Christmas last year (2010) including a baby blanket for a family member (knitted) and chicken shaped sachets for all the female family members in my extended family (and that was at least 11 people I was sewing for) and a cross-stitch for my MIL and got it all done in time to take to Christmas. That was a blast now that I think of it, but a good bit a stress up until the point that I did get them done, as it did get down to the wire.

It would thrill me so to have the energy to really sew a lot of things and sell them and share the love with others. Maybe I could think about this and work on things and do a craft show once in a while.

Have a Great Day blog world!

Spring is on it's way!

I am feeling better but tired. I played cards with friends last night (Spades is really popular with us) and couldn't get to sleep last night. I am looking forward to a few things. Enjoy the recent background. Happy Mardi Gras everyone.

Sometimes I feel like it doesn't matter what I do; it's going down the drain anyway ~ or at the very least, to describe it, I get full of negative thoughts and start going down that very awful winding path down.

I have come to understand through paying attention to an affirmation tape (CD) of mine that it is up to me to fill my mind with positive thoughts. It becomes a one foot in front of the other endeavor.

Then I start to feel that the little things I do DO matter.

And then I start to see or feel better or see positive results from that.

And that's a thought for the day that I think I'll leave at that.

I procured an African Violet today.:)

Although I am still feeling the effects of my back hurting I had a good day.

Yesterday, I discovered that I have a reusable HotCold pain relief compress and that is in the freezer right now, waiting to be used. I did use it yesterday and I think it helped actually.

I work on Saturdays, and went to work as usual. My boss came in and asked me if I would like to go on a road trip. One of my co-worker's daughter's office was moving and they/she was giving our non-profit first pick of anything they were planning to discard in the office!! So we found some things that will be a wonderful addition to our Center.
Along the way, I found an African violet, very small and not blooming in any way and asked if I could have it. They said yes, and I have the little Violet here by the computer. I am thinking of taking pictures as I am sure I can get it to grow and flourish. I love plants, really the creative process of any kind. I am looking forward to attempting gardening when it gets warm too.

Greetings and Oysters made me feel better today.

My Gosh!! It's literally been months since I've said anything on the blog. Well, as I sit here wriggling in back pain, seemingly unable to fully support my back for a lengthy amount of time, I think it's time I said something on here!! Hello, blogworld!
Each time I think of something to say, I think how absolutely boring it sounds, like how I've had a cold for WEEKS now. My place of work is a hot-bed of germs to be honest and it seems each time I've got this thing nearly licked, it rears it's raspy, throat-junked-filled, ugly head and I am now prone to thankfully only occasional fits of coughing at this point. Yay me!!
Today I did something fun. I shucked oysters and ate them!! Yes, it made my annual visit to not my favorite restaurant much more fun this year as I was busy working on those oysters.
Explanation: For his birthday, we take one of my very good friends to his favorite restaurant, we call it the annual visit, I won't even grace the place with it's name here. Normally, I feel somewhat uncomfortable there, but this year I actually had a good time there. They brought out a bucket of these oysters and a shucking knife and cute little fork. I was a little at a loss as how to open them as some were very shut and had to be pryed open with said knife, but I considered it an adventure.
Then for a rousing game of Scrabble with my friend, which I was soundly winning, before Husband and I had to go home.
And that is how my day is going right now. My back hurts but it was an interesting day.