A pretty difficult week, hike with the pups and more miles on the Rachel Carson Trail!

I don't even know where to start with this post.   This year has been an extra tough one in the personal life area and last week I was supposed to have a vacation at Conneaut Lake like we do every year.  My grandfather built the cottage when my Mom was born and she grew up there and then I grew up there in the summers.  So I packed the car and was so excited to spend some relaxing family time up there.  I haven't really gotten to relax with the family as my sister just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and things have just been a tab busy. 

So we get to the lake and Chance started to not feel well immediately... to make a long story short I had to rush him home the next morning for an emergency appointment because he was allergic to something in the cottage.  He had a rash all over his skin, he couldn't stop shaking his head because his ears were bothering him and his eyes were red and swollen.  I drove home on literally 2 hours of sleep and then sat at the vets office for 2 hours after the 2 hour drive home.  They gave him a shot and did some x-rays since he also had been throwing up to rule out obstructions and they came back with the news that his quality of life should be questioned because his irritable bowel disorder is not resolving and his intestines looked horrible. 

Welp- I just about lost it.  She asked that I talk to the specialist at our appointment the following Monday (a week away) to see if there were any other options for treatment or to really think about his quality of life... We have been working with the specialist all year to help with his irritable bowel and thought we had everything under control.  I couldn't wait a whole week to get this news, I had to call today so after I came home and then had to go back to the vet because he was allergic to the allergy shot they gave him I then called the specialist to see if we could be seen sooner.  She said come on in tonight - we have an opening.  I jotted down everything I wanted to say and laid with my Chance until the appointment.  My husband and I went and told them all what happened.  He was already coming down off of his allergy attack and was feeling a little better.  She looked at the x-rays and did an ultrasound and it turns out his intestine are okay- he just had a lot of stool present.

 

Poop. 

 

He had a lot of poop.  Needless to say I was upset about the misdiagnosis at our first vet and so frustrated and angry but at least I wasn't going to have to lose my dog.  BEST NEWS EVER. I cried happy tears!  She checked him over and we left.  It was an expensive day. I can't believe how much vet bills can add up like that so quickly but honestly, I'd do as much as possible for him- he's my bestie!

So - we can't go back to the lake - all we could do was have our vacation at home- we took the pups on a long hike and cuddled and played in the yard. Those dogs mean so so so much to my husband and I. 

 

So on a good note, we got in 2.45 miles on the Rachel Carson trail towards our trail challenge of 100 miles in a year. We opted to not do the 15 mile race we were going to sign up for because Chance would have to go to Conneaut so my parents could babysit him and we can't have him there anymore.  But we will plan some other fun things in the meantime. 

 

This week has been a hard one.  I have cried several times and not just over Chance.  I feel like I need to find a new way to vent, a new vice.  I thought my art would be enough but it's not.  I need to exercise more and focus more on the little things in life... I have posted some photos of the hike with the pups and the hike on the Rachel Carson Trail along with the bench I got at goodwill for 20$ - not sure what I'm going to do with it exactly yet but I have ideas! I hope this next year will be a good one- it needs to be.  2018 has not been kind- but good news- I still have my family and my friends and that's what matters the most- the other stuff will fade away in time :)

 

"I feel the icy grip of depression creeping up on me just as winter creeps up on Autumn taking the last of the colorful leaves from the trees.  I feel bare, weak and vulnerable. Time will give me the strength to bloom again but for now my feelings are changing just as the seasons do..."

 

 

Inspire (& Pumpkin fest)

Hello Everyone!  I am so happy with how this photo turned out!  I really didn't know if it would work and I'm so glad I tried it- honestly, I didn't think I would have a lot of editing and it really took some time.  This is our new fence in the backyard- we have some landscaping to do but it really was just installed.  I thought having a white background may help me cut our figures out for the silhouette look. It was really sunny and a beautiful day! I am on vacation this week and trying to knock out some projects and of course trying to take every opportunity to take photos :) 

Above is a quick before and after to show you some of the steps I went though to get my final image.  

And here is the final oracle card (below) :) I just adore this! I may frame it here at home!  I'm also thinking maybe if I get Brian & Bear I can do a family version of this for our Christmas cards! 

Chance did not want to sit or look up today.  I love our outtakes though, I think they are so funny to look back on!

We went to Conneaut lake this weekend for Pumpkin fest.  It was packed and I didn't take a lot of photos- I don't remember it ever being that crowded but we did venture down to the lake and got a beer and enjoyed the weather.  There were some really awesome craft vendors there and it just made me realize that I got to get a move on with my crafts and enter into some shows! It's just challenging to get enough crafts together for a show! It's no joke and a lot of work! My favorite booth this year was an older gentleman (maybe in his late 70's) and his wife.  He hand carves Christmas ornaments and paints them.  You can tell he loves to do it and they were all so good- I wish I could have bought more!  I picked up a snowman for our tree at home!  

They actually drop a 1,000lb pumpkin onto an old car at 5pm every year.  It was Brian's first time witnessing it! It's a big deal there! I have a video below :) 

Also- we had two very happy puppies that were excited to be out by the lake! 

Side note: I am so proud of the progress we have made on our home! We still have a TON of work but you can see the photo above was from google maps of the previous owner three years before we moved in and then the bottom photos is our current situation along with some Halloween decorations (my favorite time of year). 

Thanks again for reading and stopping by! I hope to shoot some behind the scenes footage of photos this week :) EEEP! :) 

Clarity.

"Recognizing that people's reactions don't belong to you is the only sane way to create. If people enjoy what you've created, terrific. If people ignore what you've created, too bad. If people misunderstand what you've created, don't sweat it. And what if people absolutely hate what you've created? What if people attack you with savage vitriol, and insult your intelligence, and malign your motives, and drag your good name through the mud? Just smile sweetly and suggest - as politely as you possibly can - that they go make their own fucking art. Then stubbornly continue making yours"-Elizabeth Gilbert (Big Magic)

I was on the fence about this photo.  I really had a hard time even posting it.  But since I have been reading Big Magic, something in me has been inspired.  I swear, read the book.  I beg it of you! I have taken way too long to get through it but I have been taking notes on the pages and re-reading the same paragraph over and over and folding pages over as reminders to go back and read them again.  I am just obsessed.  READ IT!

This was also taken when we were on our vacation at Conneaut Lake.  I can't say it's my favorite but it's something (in Big Magic, it states that putting something out there is better than putting nothing out there).  I suddenly have so many ideas flooding into my head for new photos that I can't wait to dive in.  I felt a little standstill for a month or so.  
This is my next photo (#4) in the oracle series.  "Clarity" is to represent clearing of the mind and getting your head out of the clouds.  I hope you enjoy it!  I've been having a hard time with life lately so expect more photos - I have to create when there is chaos in my life- it's my way of staying sane (and control something) ;)

Before and After

 

Also- here are some behind the scenes of Chance NOT wanting to participate at all! He was not interested in the camera one bit that day ;) Side note: I don't know what I would do without my dog.  He's so very special to me.  I just love him so!

Thank you for reading!

Recap Post- Painting, Conneaut, Lily Dale and Bear Getting Skunked.

So I think this is going to just be a recap post as I feel I have a lot to update.  I keep meaning to sit down and post but there is always so much going on, sometimes it's hard to find the time.   So - My Sister and I decided to work on updating her dressers that she purchased and regretted from Craigslist.  We decided to do an antique look and went at it.  We completed one piece and am almost done with the other two- all we have to do is sand and seal the long dresser and the nightstand and we will be done! I absolutely love how they are turning out and it was great Sister bonding!

She is such a goofball and I love her!

We just finished our summer vacation at Conneaut Lake.  We went the week of August 20th and I really enjoyed being there for the eclipse - I didn't get any fancy photos of it but it was just surreal to be there, outside, to take it the surreal feeling.  I actually took out the kayak and enjoyed the eeriness of it all out on the water.  For once, I didn't take a lot of photos of our vacation.  I got a few of the family and a few of the dogs but I didn't really feel like snapping a whole bunch.  I truly just wanted to enjoy not having a camera in my hands. Though- I did do some photos for my oracle deck and will have to wait to post those until I find some time to edit them- but they deserve a separate post anyways.  

Yes, this was our friends and family dancing on the beach during the eclipse to the song: Total Eclipse of my Heart.  That was all my sisters idea, again- she is too funny! <3

My Mom and the boys!

My Dad taking photos :) 

Oh and I picked up some paints at Walmart (lol, I know!) and did some watercolors on the rainy cold days when we couldn't make it to the beach.  The weather was kind of ...eh. 

 One of our only nice days!

My Husband and my Mom!

And now to the best part of the updates: 

My sister and I had planned on going to a place called Lily Dale, NY for a while now and she made plans with me to get a reading from a medium on Saturday the 26th!  The woman, Carol Gasper, has been doing readings most of her life and had connections with Iceland so we were immediately drawn to her! 

Here was her cottage, creepy right!?

We had a friend of my sisters come along and my husband and we got to walk around the little town.  I have to say  - it was an expensive trip.  It's only a little more than an hour from Conneaut so the drive wasn't bad but it was 15$ PER PERSON to get into the town.  Then however much the medium charges for a reading.  Carol charged us $80 but it was a long time.  We each were in with her for at least an hour to an hour and a half.  Some of the other mediums charge $100+ per 30 mins.  I don't want to get into details about mine or my sisters readings but let's just say- I'm still skeptical (even though I want to believe). Though my Grandmother and Grandfather were supposedly present and if it was real, it was truly a special meeting.  If you want to learn more about Lily Dale - you can watch the documentary filmed in 2007 so it's a little dated, but still relevant: No One Dies in LiLy Dale. 

I would go back but I don't know about getting another reading.  I do have more interest in Tarot and would prefer a card reading.  I feel a lot of closure with people who have passed in my life and have no reason to reach out to the other side yet.  Maybe someday but not at this time.  I wish they would be allow to read tarot cards there!  

Even if you don't get a reading, the town itself is incredible and the homes are so beautiful! 

 I purchased two quartz crystal points a moonstone and some incense at the Crystal Grove :) It was an adorable, really awesome store that allows you to purchase some very unique things!

My Sister getting ready to go in for her reading!

We did stop in the coffee shop for some food for lunch- I have to say, their salad was really good with a homemade dressing! 

They also have a fairy trail that was pretty unique.  The woods were beautiful and had a very strange feeling while walking through them.  

So, there is my update :) I hope everyone is enjoying the start of September.  Fall is my absolute favorite season but I strongly dislike what comes after: Winter *gags*.  I can't wait for the cool weather, coffee, pumpkins, Halloween, Haunted Houses, Bon Fires...ahhh I LOVE FALL! <3 


Oh and I almost forgot... Bear got skunked the other day: 

We have cut down the trees in the back yard because we are getting a fence put in mid September.... of course we had to have this happen right before the fence went it... 

 So the skunk was in the yard at 11 pm when they went out for their last tinkle of the night... Bear ran after it- I truly didn't see it or I would NEVER have let them out.  We just had a warning that there were a lot around that had rabies.  Well, before I even knew what happened I was outside trying to do something to not make the situation worse.  I saw the skunk after I saw Bear chasing it through the yard.  I didn't know at this point if he got sprayed or if Chance did either.  Chance is scared of everything so he didn't really get involved with it.  I started to scream for Brian who had just laid down for the night- people probably thought I was hurt or in trouble- that's how loud I was screaming for him.  I finally pulled Bears leash around the skunk and got him inside since the skunk didn't show any signs of running away or even leaving the yard.  Now our back porch started to smell and I knew he was skunked.  I inspected him and Chance to make sure no one was bit or scratched.  In the 5 years I have had Chance I have never had to worry about having anything in stock for an emergency de-skunking.  Well, we had nothing at home to help and Brian already took him down to the sinks in the basement.  Our entire house smelled awful!  I have smelled skunk before when I have been driving or maybe throughout the neighborhood but never this close.   It was so strong I vomited...twice.  I decided to be the one to drive to the closest store that sold de-skunk shampoo, tomato juice and the peroxide mixture everyone recommended online.  Problem? Yes.  Walmart was 40 mins away and we had work in the morning.  At this point it was midnight.  We both decided we were not going to work the next day.  I drove out to Walmart, picked up everything that was recommended and $40 later was on my way home to de-skunk our little Bear.  We were up until 2:30 am and the house smelled awful.  The entire next day we cleaned and de-skunked - it's finally starting to get back to normal though Bear, 4 baths later, still has a little stink to him.  I hope we never ever have to deal with this again.  Though the best part, they weren't hurt.  These dogs are our lives.  They mean the world to us.  Luckily Chance stayed out of the way and didn't get sprayed.  I hope none of you ever have to experience that either if you have dogs and if you do have them- stock up on an emergency kit- just in case! Anyways - that concludes my update post, hope you enjoyed! 

Thank you to all who read this :) <3