Showing posts with label witch's_view. Show all posts
Confessions of a Modern Witch - Episode 1
November 20, 2017
Labels:
baublesmith,
life,
new mexico,
november,
witch's_view,
witchy_Wednesday
A Witch's View - Doors, Floors and Sores - OH MY
October 29, 2017
This week has been really busy for Eli. My last day at work was Friday and was our goal day to leave for our trip to NM. Due to our issues with our helper and the amount of work to do it appears we are still probably about 4-7 days out depending on weather and pain levels.
This week Hubby got the doors in and we kicked out some flooring on Saturday. Here are a few pictures of what he was able to accomplish. He is amazing.
Here's the new door he installed in the kitchen.
This is a before picture of the floor in the old craft room. Bedroom number 2.
This is the after of the craft room (bedroom #2) with the new floor install.
This is hubby laying the flooring in my old office (Bedroom #3)
This week Hubby got the doors in and we kicked out some flooring on Saturday. Here are a few pictures of what he was able to accomplish. He is amazing.
Here's the new door he installed in the kitchen.
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Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson |
This is a before picture of the floor in the old craft room. Bedroom number 2.
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A Witch's View - Rehab Continues
October 22, 2017
So this week a lot of progress was made on the house. Hubby has been painting, sweeping, framing and so much more. We are both so looking forward to my upcoming vacation. We're actually taking a full on trip away from the house that doesn't include working in any shape or form. If we stay on schedule my PTO begins in one week and we'll be hitting the open road for a a wonderful trip out west.
Hubby playing a little photo bomb in the master bedroom.
This was my office. We have finished the painting (we, Maggie and Eli) and next we just need to install the flooring.
This is the master bedroom. Hubby finished the trim work and next we'll be pulling out the carpet to lay down the flooring.
We had to take down the bathroom light fixture and repair the wall and then apply paint. Our "painter" decided to put the kitchen trim paint in the bathroom. That will be fixed. I'm not really sure why he did that. But that's why we're doing it ourselves now.
These are the finished cabinets with "moose mouse" colored cabinets and new handles. I thought they were really pretty. We are leaving the fridge and stove as is.
We both love the southwest so our plan is to pack up the RV and spend some time in New Mexico. We have always wanted to go and now is a wonderful time as the weather begins to get colder here on the east coast, for us to kick off our grand adventure.
Back back to the house. After our recovery from our hired painter, we have been able to clean up the walls enough to get the paint on and the molding complete. Hubby has been a trooper getting through all this. I have a few items left to sell and I'll be setting those out today as well as finishing up my yard work.
Here's a few photos of the work he finished this week. Remember we're still in construction mode so there is still a bunch of cleaning to do.
This coming week we're finishing up the painting, starting on the flooring and then we'll be working on the outside of the house.
This is the hallway. Cleaned off the kitchen trim finally that our "painter" applied to all the door jams and the wainscoting in the hall. It was a tough job but hubby finally cleaned up this guys mess.
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Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson |
Hubby playing a little photo bomb in the master bedroom.
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It has been an interesting and fun project. I'm working full time, and not able to focus on BaubleSmith or this project fully. Hubby has been carrying the load and getting the job done. It is pretty amazing. Tune in next week for flooring!!
A Witch's View - Still Working...
October 15, 2017
I'll just sell my house, I said....
Some of this I'm confused about.
Eli decided to just go a head and paint the cabinets in there.
More of the paint splatters on the floor.
Random starts and stops through out the house.
Ummmmm
This wall Eli had finished and then the trim was applied. ???
Yeah well just stop that crazy shit right now, ok! I had no idea how much went into selling a house. But I did do it before. I did walk into my living-room and start setting stuff out on the street for a yard sale. I packed everything I owned into a little car and headed west. It was freeing. It was terrifying. It was exactly what I needed.
This week we worked with someone we hired from a local group to come out and do some work around the house. We had yard work, clean up work and some more detailed inside work. Painting, pulling carpets, that sort of thing. We learned very quickly that not everyone has the same work ethic we have. My back is killing me but at least we are were I had hoped the yard would be when we added our hired help. I ended up having to call someone else to finish the mowing and Eli spent the entire day cleaning up to a point where we could start painting again.
Here are a few photos of what we came home to.
So in all fairness we did tell him we were replacing the floors but seriously??
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Photo Credit - Renee Olson |
Some of this I'm confused about.
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Needless to say we decided to cut our losses and just figure out another solution. I'll be taking some pictures of the front of the house tomorrow and getting more of the yard under control while Eli finishes the cabinets and gets them ready for me to put on the hardware. I'll hang the doors while he gets back to painting. We still have one room that hasn't been started at all. The laundry room needs to be started and then carpets torn out. We still have an elliptical, a laser printer, a washer and dryer and a bunch of odds and ends left to sell.
It is going to be a long week!
Labels:
house,
mirror,
paint,
rehab,
witch's_view
Working, working, working - A Witch's View
October 8, 2017
Good Morning! Happy Sunday. Today is going to be a quick one. I have so much going on right now it is unbelievable. Eli and I are getting the house ready to be sold. You would think that it would be a quick endeavor but no. Our realtor who first offered to help us get the house on the market, told us to repaint the walls, tear out the front fence and replace the floors contacted us last night saying that she couldn't list the property at all.
So now here we sit, walls spackled, fence pulled up and no one to sell the house. My hopes of getting up to MD this year are slowly dwindling away. There is so much work to do here just to get her ready to sell that it maybe quite a while before we can get moving.
That being said, I choose not to focus on the negative. We're going to get this done. We are going to get the house ready and we're going to move. It just may not be in the direction or time frame that I was hoping for. It will however, all work out. I still have some big items for sale (including the house, lol) and hope to get those taken care of over the next few weeks.
Here are a few pics of what we did yesterday.
Next, we paint!
So now here we sit, walls spackled, fence pulled up and no one to sell the house. My hopes of getting up to MD this year are slowly dwindling away. There is so much work to do here just to get her ready to sell that it maybe quite a while before we can get moving.
That being said, I choose not to focus on the negative. We're going to get this done. We are going to get the house ready and we're going to move. It just may not be in the direction or time frame that I was hoping for. It will however, all work out. I still have some big items for sale (including the house, lol) and hope to get those taken care of over the next few weeks.
Here are a few pics of what we did yesterday.
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Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson |
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Labels:
house,
moving,
witch's_view
Traveling for Business - A Witch's View
September 24, 2017
One of the things I dread most is traveling for work. Each time I went on a plane, I would have to ask for the seat belt extension. The flights were crowded and the seats small. No one really wants to sit next to the "fat girl".
At the time of this writing I'm prepping for a trip to my companies home office. I have worked for the same company for nearly 15 years and work remotely. Over the years I have traveled to the office for special occasions, training sessions and product launches with the occasional visit for symposium.
Here are a few photos from those past visits.
This was one of my first trips with my company. I went to Vegas. Got an award. :P This photo was taken in 2005.
This trip I needed to go out and buy all new clothes for the trip. Needless to say I'm still completely terrified about getting lost, showing up for work naked (ok not really) and/or spilling coffee on the boss. But at least that seat belt extension will be a fear that I can tuck away and never worry about again.
Here's the photo - Trip to Connecticut 2017.
This year after getting myself healthy I've been struggling with the whole Eff your Body Standards campaigns. While I get that we want to be happy and healthy in the skin we're in, we also don't want to be promoting unhealthy behaviors or celebrating a disease that is killing us. A few years ago I had my DNA tested and it revealed that I was prone to obesity. My DNA makes it harder for me to lose weight, maintain a healthy weight and with that opened up the door for a lot of weight related illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke. I started at 250. Now this isn't the largest I have been. Before I had a gastric bypass surgery I was up to 305lbs. Today I'm at 175lbs with a total weight loss (this round of weight struggle) of 75lbs.
Hubby found Dr. Furhman. We have changed the way we work with food and it is really helping me this time.
So what should I weight? Dr. Furhman says the following:
Women: 95 lbs for the first five feet of height and four pounds for every inch there after.
Men: 105 lbs for the first first five feet of height and five pounds for every inch there after.
These are only rough guides since we all have different body types and bone structures - source
Currently I'm still obese according to the BMI at 33.1. I will be here for a bit. But then I didn't get fat overnight so why would I lose the weight overnight?
According to Dr. Furhman's calculations I need to weigh around 99lbs. Should be interesting to see if I keep the negative foods out of my diet how close I get to that number.
Ultimately, you'll be able to tell where you should be based on how your body feels when you do day to day basis. Such as traveling for business. Is it hard to get in the airline seat? (Yes, I know they are really small but just give me a second.) Is it easier to board? How about putting your luggage in the overhead? How about buckling that belt?
Let me state clearly, you can be a full figured person and be healthy. You can be a skinny person and be unhealthy. Only you and your doctor can make that decision. The only thing I can share with you is my experience and what I have seen in my weight loss journey. And if I were given a degree for the years of study (or struggle) I have on this subject I would be walking around with a doctorate.
This post is not intended to body shame anyone. Take a moment and do a self assessment. Take what helps you from this post and leave the rest behind.
At the time of this writing I'm prepping for a trip to my companies home office. I have worked for the same company for nearly 15 years and work remotely. Over the years I have traveled to the office for special occasions, training sessions and product launches with the occasional visit for symposium.
Here are a few photos from those past visits.
This was one of my first trips with my company. I went to Vegas. Got an award. :P This photo was taken in 2005.
This photo was taken just after a trip to Orlando in 2009. I went down to work on site to help with an event my company was hosting. My cell phone was stolen while I was there on day 1 of a 5 day trip. I was grump. :P
This trip I needed to go out and buy all new clothes for the trip. Needless to say I'm still completely terrified about getting lost, showing up for work naked (ok not really) and/or spilling coffee on the boss. But at least that seat belt extension will be a fear that I can tuck away and never worry about again.
Here's the photo - Trip to Connecticut 2017.
Photo Credit - Elijah Olson |
This year after getting myself healthy I've been struggling with the whole Eff your Body Standards campaigns. While I get that we want to be happy and healthy in the skin we're in, we also don't want to be promoting unhealthy behaviors or celebrating a disease that is killing us. A few years ago I had my DNA tested and it revealed that I was prone to obesity. My DNA makes it harder for me to lose weight, maintain a healthy weight and with that opened up the door for a lot of weight related illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke. I started at 250. Now this isn't the largest I have been. Before I had a gastric bypass surgery I was up to 305lbs. Today I'm at 175lbs with a total weight loss (this round of weight struggle) of 75lbs.
Hubby found Dr. Furhman. We have changed the way we work with food and it is really helping me this time.
So what should I weight? Dr. Furhman says the following:
Women: 95 lbs for the first five feet of height and four pounds for every inch there after.
Men: 105 lbs for the first first five feet of height and five pounds for every inch there after.
These are only rough guides since we all have different body types and bone structures - source
Currently I'm still obese according to the BMI at 33.1. I will be here for a bit. But then I didn't get fat overnight so why would I lose the weight overnight?
![]() |
Screenshot- https://bmicalculator.mes.fm |
Ultimately, you'll be able to tell where you should be based on how your body feels when you do day to day basis. Such as traveling for business. Is it hard to get in the airline seat? (Yes, I know they are really small but just give me a second.) Is it easier to board? How about putting your luggage in the overhead? How about buckling that belt?
Let me state clearly, you can be a full figured person and be healthy. You can be a skinny person and be unhealthy. Only you and your doctor can make that decision. The only thing I can share with you is my experience and what I have seen in my weight loss journey. And if I were given a degree for the years of study (or struggle) I have on this subject I would be walking around with a doctorate.
This post is not intended to body shame anyone. Take a moment and do a self assessment. Take what helps you from this post and leave the rest behind.
Labels:
fear,
photo,
Photography,
plane,
travel,
weight loss,
witch's_view
Recent Works - A Witch's View
September 17, 2017
Here are a few photos of some pieces I have been working on lately. I've always wanted to learn a type of channel setting for stones using wire weave instead of soldering. These are my attempts at that process.
This first piece is a Labradorite with Goldstone Cabachons.
This second piece is a Labradorite with Swavorski Crystals.
I created a couple of videos so you can see the flash on the stones. At the time of this writing all pieces are available for purchase. My webhost is dragging their feet at updating my page so I can't post these for sale. You can however message me directly on this blog or on my facebook page to purchase them.
This first piece is a Labradorite with Goldstone Cabachons.
Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson |
This second piece is a Labradorite with Swavorski Crystals.
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Labels:
baublesmith,
Copper,
crystals,
goldstone,
jewelry,
labradorite,
pendant,
wireart,
wireweave,
witch's_view
Memories - A Witch's View
September 10, 2017
I put an old memory card in my tablet from years and years ago today. It had a lot of old pictures on it that brought back so many memories. Since I use this space - A Witch's View - to show you the world thought my eyes, I thought it would be fun to go through my old memory card photos and share those with you. There were hundreds of photos on this card. Here are a few that struck me.
November 14, 2015 we were vending. It was SOOOOOO cold. It was also pretty Christian. I felt so out of place.
December 25, 2015 - We had a Christmas Frog in the house. Hubby grabbed it and set it free. It was warm for December. But yea, we had frogs.
December 30, 2015 - Apparently I was being a troll doll! LOL
February 22, 2016, hubby was practicing his drawing. He has mad skills.
March 21, 2016 Pandora playing with her "Sock-o-Monkey Bunny".
March 26, 2016, I made Eggs Benedict. We were not vegan at this point. No hollandaise, just eggs, muffin and sausage.
April 8, 2016, we had marshmallows.
April 16, 2016, before a pee from Hurricane Matthew Eli and I were hunting for an RV. We were thinking about moving from our house into a travel trailer. I found this photo on the memory card.
I remember walking around the trailer lots and my hips hurting so bad. No wonder. Thinking back to that time I don't feel like a new person. I honestly didn't realize how fat I was. You can see the pain on my face. I'm so glad that I took the steps to improve my life. Today. Life is good.
In October of 2016 Hurricane Matthew. We had upwards of 36 inches of water on our property. This photo was taken when we were finally able to get back to the property after the water receded.
We set the yard stick up next to the back fence. You can see the waterline on the bushes. Pretty scary stuff.
Finding old memory cards are always exciting. Sometimes memories can be painful. Pandora left us later that year; her seizures finally getting the best of her. The house survived the flood and we're still here today. At the time of this writing we're expecting another hurricane to come through. I'm on travel and will be worried the entire time. Eggs Benedict and Marshmallows are no longer a part of my diet. Time goes by and changes so quickly. Always take a moment to stop and appreciate where you are in life. There may not be a memory card that you can whip out to see these actual images but they all live in your CPU. Dig in there and see what you can find.
November 14, 2015 we were vending. It was SOOOOOO cold. It was also pretty Christian. I felt so out of place.
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Photo Credit - Elijah Olson |
December 25, 2015 - We had a Christmas Frog in the house. Hubby grabbed it and set it free. It was warm for December. But yea, we had frogs.
December 30, 2015 - Apparently I was being a troll doll! LOL
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Photo Credit Elijah Olson |
February 22, 2016, hubby was practicing his drawing. He has mad skills.
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Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson Artist - Elijah Olson |
March 21, 2016 Pandora playing with her "Sock-o-Monkey Bunny".
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Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson |
March 26, 2016, I made Eggs Benedict. We were not vegan at this point. No hollandaise, just eggs, muffin and sausage.
April 8, 2016, we had marshmallows.
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Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson |
April 16, 2016, before a pee from Hurricane Matthew Eli and I were hunting for an RV. We were thinking about moving from our house into a travel trailer. I found this photo on the memory card.
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Photo Credit - Elijah Olson 2016 |
In October of 2016 Hurricane Matthew. We had upwards of 36 inches of water on our property. This photo was taken when we were finally able to get back to the property after the water receded.
![]() |
Photo Credit Renee Sosanna Olson |
Finding old memory cards are always exciting. Sometimes memories can be painful. Pandora left us later that year; her seizures finally getting the best of her. The house survived the flood and we're still here today. At the time of this writing we're expecting another hurricane to come through. I'm on travel and will be worried the entire time. Eggs Benedict and Marshmallows are no longer a part of my diet. Time goes by and changes so quickly. Always take a moment to stop and appreciate where you are in life. There may not be a memory card that you can whip out to see these actual images but they all live in your CPU. Dig in there and see what you can find.
Labels:
card,
memories,
past,
Photography,
photos,
usb,
witch's_view
Flowers from July - A Witch's View
September 3, 2017
I'm a bit late sharing these but as I was cleaning out my Drop box I found these photos from July. I love flowers. I hope you enjoy.
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Labels:
animals,
bees,
flowers,
natural,
nature,
outdoors,
photogprahy,
photographs,
witch's_view
Bracelets - A Witch's View
August 27, 2017
So it has been a while since I shared some of my jewelry. Here are some images from my most recent creation. Hope you enjoy.
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Labels:
bracelets,
Copper,
dragon's eye,
healing,
jewelry,
protection,
wireweave,
witch's_view
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