Back at it!

As you may well have noticed, my silver making has been on hiatus, but today, I got back at it!

Since the beginning of the year, my focus has been elsewhere, but now I'm hoping I am at a stage where I can find a balance with other areas of my life and make time for jewelry again.

The change started at the beginning of the year when I went back to my studies.  A few years ago, I completed my masters in health psychology and then trained as health coach, but at the beginning of this year, decided that I wanted to specialize in helping those with cancer, so since January I've been studying to become a cancer coach.  I'd previously trained as a cancer guide, but this new training was much more thorough.  I'm progressing with it - not quite finished yet - but that is what my mind has been focussing on.  And I'm loving it.

My goal is to do some health coaching and also some jewelry. But my ideal is that my jewelry business can support my health coaching business enabling me to coach cancer patients free of charge. One business, supporting the other.

The cancer topic is making it's way into my jewelry too and so you'll see some jewelry coming up - both new and old designs, that is based on affirmations to help us on our way with chronic diseases or difficult times in our lives. For example, like this "bird in the hand" necklace.  A great reminder for us to be grateful for what we have, instead of always wanting things just out of our grasp.

I have a blog for my health coaching business - Tickety-boo Health Coaching and I should finish developing my website in the next month or so.  That will really tell you what it is all about. I plan to run programs locally but also develop an e-program for cancer patients.  I'll let you know here, in case you are interested.

So I thank you for your patience as I've been developing another aspect of myself.  It's a great journey and who knows where it'll all lead.  But I can tell you, it felt good to get my hands in metal clay again today :-D

Weekly bird in the hand

Here's this week's things that I am grateful for, my "bird in the hand":

Photo by USFWS Headquarters

• blogs.  I love reading blogs and am right now finding some great vegan recipes that I'm trying.  Today I'm making a raw lemon tart.  There is so much variety out there but it's tricky to not just get 'consumed' by them all  - hee hee!
• catching up with friends
• watching rabbit ears twitching below the window, when I couldn't see the rabbit!
• getting our raised beds ready for veggie growing
• choosing a new pomegranate tree for the garden
• hearing good news about my nephews
• hearing that both grandchildren - and their parents(!) will come and visit - one lot in May and one lot in June
• being inspired with new business and jewelry ideas
• finally getting over the hurt from a nasty customer. I'm hoping I'll get back into jewelry making this week or next. My mind's been buzzing so I'll plan on writing a blog post to tell you what's been going on and what's coming up.
• watching the great blue heron at the pond
• learning lots of new things

Hope your week has been full of new things too. Here's to a great week coming up - and don't forget to change your clocks this evening.  One hour forward.

Weekly bird in the hand

Here is this week's list of things I am grateful for - my "bird in the hand":

Photo by PunkToad

• sunshine and showers.  I got pretty wet on one of my walks this week - and I could have cut it short, but continued anyhow.  How often do we just walk in the rain?  It felt good - but then so do my walks in the sunshine too!
• a good hike on Saturday at Annadel State Park.  I loved being in all the trees - but there were quite a few mountain bikers to contend with!
• drinkies with my friend in the afternoon!
• deciding on some new garden ideas - including raised beds for vegetables.  We've grow so many different types of fruits, but until now, haven't really got into veggies - so this will be a good project for 2012.
• trying lots of new cooking ideas - like making cheese from cashew nuts.
• hearing about all the fun my parents have been having while they've been away
• audio-books - I just so enjoy listening to books as I walk and drive.  
• going to a gala fundraising event with friends.

Hope you've had an enjoyable week too.  What are you particularly grateful for?

Weekly bird in the hand

Here's this week's good stuff - the things I am grateful for:

• A passerby who wished me "have a great afternoon".
• Spending time with good friends who are up visiting us for the weekend.
• Taking a class and learning something new.
• Going to my friend's art show.
• Warm weather (helping the grapes along) and still enjoying eating dinners outside.
• Cooking quince and enjoying all their flavors.
• This time of year. I just love it.
• Picking fruit off the vine or tree and eating it, warmed by the sun.
• The conversation between myself and my hair stylist.  It's such a different relationship from all others and  I always look forward to our chats.
• Seeing frogs jumping.
• Planning our trip back to the UK in 3 weeks time.
• Sharing green smoothies with friends!

One thing I am sad about this week however is that our friends from England who were due to arrive yesterday and share the grape harvest with us, had to cancel their trip due to ill health.  Here's hoping J gets better soon and that they can come another time instead.

Hope you've had a week full of things to be grateful for too.

Weekly bird in the hand

The things I am grateful for this week:

Photo by Steve (huz001); back in Missouri

• A few weeks ago we got the wonderful news that there will be two new additions to our family in the new year.  This week, we heard one will be a little girl. Still waiting a couple of weeks to hear on the other.  Yippee-yeye-yeah!!! 
• Walking in nature.  I love my daily walks, watching the deer, birds, lizards, squirrels etc all busy with their lives.  I wonder if they enjoy watching us too?
• Success at getting a reservation for The French Laundry restaurant in Yountville (best restaurant in our area) with our friends in October. I've tried quite a few times to get a reservation there and never been successful. Now we get to try it. 
• Our book club.  Yesterday was our August meeting and it was just a lovely way to spend the morning and then lunch.  Great group of women.
• Meeting new friends and finding out all that you have in common with them.
• Enjoying my latest food heaven: pumpkin seeds. I've recently been toasting my own for salads etc but now found "eden foods" low salt spicy pumpkin seeds and just adore them.  For those Brits reading, the flavour sort of reminds me of twiglets you get in England and I haven't had in years - but the pumpkin seeds are a little spicier - and gluten free.
• Seeing a stranger have a good old laugh! It is quite contagious and definitely brought a smile to my face!
• My gentle dental hygienist.  She is so considerate and I really do appreciate that!

Hope your week has been full of good things too.

Weekly Bird in the Hand

Photo by Joyseph

 

 

Here's my weekly bird in the hand - the things I'm grateful for:

• A happy chatty parrot when we came home.  Harold seemed so excited to see us!
• Getting back into singing after my few weeks off
• The sunshine and warmth when we got back to northern CA (- which has since changed to rain and cooler temps...but never mind!)
• A good week of sales of jewelry
• The wonderful news of my friend being pregnant - Congratulations F and M!
• The wonderful news of two of my friends getting engaged - Congratulations E and D!

By cupcakes for clara

Weekly Bird in the hand

Here is this week's bird in the hand - the things I'm grateful for:

• Meeting friends whom you haven't seen for a year but instantly reconnecting like you saw each other just a few days ago
• Bumping into people you haven't seen in 15 years and seeing the joy in their faces
• Being able to laugh about death and funerals!
• The beauty of architecture - we went to Malmesbury this week and saw Malmesbury Abbey which is a wonderful alchemy of Norman and Gothic Architecture. Fascinating to see the changes over the hundreds of years.

•  British foods that we have missed in a few months (like all the pork pie John has been eating this past week and all the gooseberry and rhubarb yoghurt I've been eating!!!).
• Umbrellas!

Hope your week has been a good one!

Weekly Bird in the Hand

Here is this week's 'bird in the hand' - the things I am grateful for this past week:

Photo by Luca Venturi Oslo

• having time to share with friends - for coffee, lunch and a bottle of champagne!
• seeing a pileated woodpecker on our grape vines (unfortunately he was eating the grapes - but he still looked good!)

Photo by pbonenfant

• my friend Angie whose birthday it was this week
• the offer of friends to take care of our pet parrot Harold when we go away for 6 weeks in the New Year
• good medical news about my Uncle Dave
• my two nephews both being awarded a school prize
• having fun with my silver birds after being influenced by my cartooning.

Hope your week was full of great things too.

Weekly Bird in the Hand

Here is this week's "bird in the hand" - the things I am grateful for:

Photo by lyrandian

• My sister and her husband's marriage - today is their wedding anniversary. Many congratulations

• Shoes maketh the man!  My hubby left this morning for a business meeting in Seattle wearing his 'wooden' shoes.  There aren't really wooden but the leather has that lovely wooden richness to them.  Whenever he wears them I think of "shoes maketh the man".  What do you think?

• Cooling weather so I could switch back on my Aga cooker today! Yippee!  During the summer, we switch it off for the season and cook outside but as fall is approaching, today is the day!  I just LOVE cooking on it and have missed it a lot!  Bring on the baking days!!! Here's a photo of my Aga  - it's the turquoise thing in the middle, in case you didn't know.  A whole different way of cooking.

• A day to myself so I can stretch out in the house and take over!  I have plans for putting up a big table and working on my aluminum today and not getting in anyone's way!

• Finding time to read a good book.

Hope you've had a good week too.

A bird in the hand - ring

I seem to gravitate to the saying "a bird in the hand......" as a symbol of gratitude.  I really like the saying and in the past I have made a few necklaces depicting it.  But this week I've made it into a ring which is adjustable to whatever size you need it.

I saw a little comedy skit about the saying on television this week.  It was a mock up of the Antiques Roadshow and this woman had brought in a white porcelain-looking hand with a colored bird on it.  They discussed the history and art and style etc, very seriously....and then the guy turned to her and said " and as for what it's worth........I think it's definitely worth two in the bush"!

I've decided I'm going to do a regular - weekly - 'bird in the hand' post on Saturdays.  It'll be my post to say what I am grateful for each week........ A little summary of the good things that have happened that week.  The first one will be this Saturday, so I hope you'll come by and read my  Weekly Bird in the Hand.