M. Jean Pike's Blog, page 18

Sprung?

Despite a passing shower this morning it is even nicer out today than yesterday. The temps are supposed to hit 63 degrees this afternoon. Yayy! Since I am working closing shifts all week I have the morning and early afternoon free. Emma and I will definitely head back to the park today.

It was even warm enough to sit outside with my coffee this morning. I was greeted by a couple of robins in the sugar maple, and I was happy to see a male and female bluebird popping in and out of the nest box. And… my tulips and daffodils have started coming up!!

All of these things seem like miracles to me every year, but especially this year, after the challenging winter we’ve had. Do I dare believe spring has sprung early??

February Walk

It is 40 lovely degrees out this morning, the warmest weather we have had in quite awhile. Since it’s been a long time since we’ve walked, I put Miss Emma in the car and headed to the park.

She’s never quite sure what the car ride is going to be, and was overjoyed when we pulled into her favorite parking lot!

It was quite messy in some spots so we were careful to stay on the path. Well, at least I was.

There were a few other people at the park today. Miss Emma forgot her manners and told a couple of people off, and she wanted to sniff EVERYTHING, but I gave her quite a bit of leash since she’s been cooped up in the house all winter.

I loved the way the sunlight reflected off this tree.

We did just two laps today, but enjoyed every minute of it. The weather is supposed to play nice, at least for this week, so I plan to walk as much as possible. Do we dare hope the winter weather is finally over??

Sweet and Simple

A couple of weeks ago I picked up new bedding at Big Lots’ going out of business sale. I questioned the wisdom of a white comforter, due to Emma’s constant shedding, but so far it is working out OK. I also added a teddy bear. I haven’t had one in years and years, but this little guy went 90 per cent off after Christmas and I couldn’t resist his sweet face! He’s been on a shelf in my closet ever since. A senior girl, Emma has pretty much outgrown the chewing stage, but every now and then she goes after my decorative pillows, so I didn’t know how Teddy would fare. I came home from work the day after finally putting him out and found Emma snuggled up with him against the pillows. I guess a girl is never too old for a teddy bear!

A few days after I bought the bedding I picked up this cute nightstand from a friend of a friend. The room is very small, and I had been using a plant stand. It wasn’t really big enough to hold everything, but it was all that would fit in the space. I love the “antiquey” vibe of the nightstand and it even has plugs built in for my lamp and clock, plus two USB ports for my Kindle and phone!

Did I mention my house is small? The bedroom also doubles as my office. My writing desk and a  small computer desk are in the only places they fit, but I did rearrange my gallery of my granddaughters’ pictures. Tile Pics are wonderful for renters. They have adhesive backs so no nails are required, and you can move them around with no damage to the paint. And I was able to use the plant stand for my Christmas cactus, bringing some greenery into the space!

So that is the extent of my little bedroom face lift. Small things can go a long ways to freshen up a space. My bedroom, like the rest of my house, has room only for what I need and what I love. I have found such beauty in living a simple life, such freedom in not wanting for more than I already have.

Appleseed Cider Mill

This cold weather we’ve been having has made me even more of a homebody than usual. There’s something about temperatures in the teens and low twenties that saps my energy. After working all day, I don’t feel like doing much of anything. I’m not a TV watcher. Thank heavens for books and puzzles! After I finished the Bear and Butterfly puzzle on Sunday, I went through my stack and got out a fun, 300 piece puzzle that I could do quickly. I finished it in just three sittings.

I loved all the small details in this puzzle.

The little white church, the quilts hanging on the clothes line, the people going about their day.

Little glimpses of Americana that made my thoughts drift to a simpler time in history. And gentler weather!

Cover Reveal for Superheroes!

I don’t have a release date yet but I got word this morning that Superheroes is in phase two of copyediting (Yayyy!) so I whipped up a little cover reveal video. I’ve absolutely loved every cover PBG has done for me and this one is no exception! I think this might even be my favorite yet. What are your thoughts??

Thunder and Snowstorms and Bears — O my!

This is proving to be a very interesting weather weekend, even for Ohio. In the night we had a rip roaring thunder and lightning storm. I woke up to a soaking rain, but decided to head up to church anyway. My church is a few miles out a country road and things were looking a bit floody but the rain seemed to be letting up. In the course of the service, the rain turned to snow! I normally have lunch with family on my Sundays off (they live on the same country road as the church) but not quite sure what the weather had in mind next, I came on home and made a sandwich instead By the time I got back to town the temps had dropped below freezing. Half the city is currently flooded and half is without power. All that to say, it seemed like a good day to get back in jammies and work on my puzzle: Black Bear and Butterflies. What a nice way to spend a crazy-weather Sunday! This was a fun one. Like a great book, I almost hated to finish it

Cupcakes!

Holidays in retail are not for the faint of heart. Today was a dumpster fire, but at least there were cupcakes, lol.

A Nice Day Out

I rarely go out to eat, but a friend is retiring from our workplace so I wanted to take her out to lunch to celebrate. Our first thought was Chillicothe, where there are a lot more choices for restaurants and thrifting, which is one of our favorite things! But they were predicting some nasty weather and by noon the snow had already been falling for a few hours. Since Chillicothe is thirty minutes from here, we decided to stay in town. Our town has no shortage of places to eat and we decided on Bob Evans. I’m glad we did. I got the Wildfire Chicken salad and sourdough rolls and it was delicious!

After lunch we went to poke around at Big Lots. Unfortunately that store will be closing soon but it was nice to get in on some great deals. I’ve been wanting to give my bedroom a facelift and I got a beautiful Bed in a Bag set for a steal at $19.99! The ultra soft comforter is reversible, a dusty rose on one side and white on the other. I love white bedding but have resisted because of Miss Emma’s shedding. If it turns out it was a bad choice, I’m not out much. I have a few ideas on how I want to spruce up the space. Maybe I will post before and after pics when it’s all done!

By the time we left the store the snow had stopped, so I hope we are done now. It was a lovely way to spend a day off. But on my next one I really have to get busy and do some writing!

Me again

I rarely post more than once a day, but I’m so excited I have to share. Today has surely been a day of blessings! I just found out I won a “Date with Jesus” from Stephanie’s Ninth Suitcase! I usually pretty much ignore Valentine’s Day. I know that sounds strange coming from a romance writer I have nothing at all against February 14th, it’s just not something I celebrate. But this year will be different. Thank you, Stephanie, for Making Valentine’s Day great again!

Giveaway Winner

If you haven’t checked out Stephanie’s website yet, please do!

A little boost

I haven’t been feeling that great the last few weeks and thought a visit to the salon might give me just the boost I needed. Turns out I was right. I’ve been coloring my hair since I was sixteen years old. I’m just done. For the last several months my stylist has cutting away the last of the color. This morning’s visit took care of most of it and one more good cut around July should do it. I’m pleasantly surprised that there isn’t more gray. The streaks I have, I can live with. At least for now