Category: minimalism

art studio · lifestyle blog · minimalism · personal blog · personal development · pets · simple life

Day 17: Your Pet

caroline

These are my paws. My studio and this blog is named after my them. I always call them 4paws when I’m looking for them, especially the cats!

I have a white cat who is mischievous, knocks things off the counter. Broke about 3 items. He’s been living here for 6 months. I love him and don’t get overly mad at him breaking things. My sentimental items are locked in a cabinet, so he can’t easily get to those.

My dog is about 13 years old. It makes me sad she older. Definitely seeing old age in her. She was my aunt’s dog, I took her in after she died.

Then there’s the revolutionist. Always up to something but is too afraid to do it. She’s a sweetheart. She’s all about me. She will cuddle by me, but she’s a large cat and it can become uncomfortable.

And finally my blind cat. She’s my nighttime buddy. She gets excited to jump on my bed and lay on her pillow by me. She loves to be held, well I think she does. Lol. She walks up and down the stairs, will run the white cat downstairs. And she loves playing. Blind yes, but really she has the same behaviors as a cat with eyes.

And I want to share I had 4 other cats prior. I terribly miss them. One was a shy little Maine coon. The other was a stray I took in. Tabby cat. Boy, she didn’t put up with anyone’s BS. Except mine. Loved her dearly. And a black cat, who was my sister’s but he preferred me. He was in love with me. And then the calico. Loved her. She was Miss house manager. She kept me on my toes. My heart breaks without them.

Happy Day

Caroline

Day 9: Jewelery
art studio · jewelry · lifestyle blog · mindfulness · minimalism · personal blog · personal development · simple life

Day 9: Jewelery

caroline

Jewelry is always fun to look at. The sparkle, textures, designs and shapes. It really is it’s own piece of artwork.

I have a large box of costume jewelry. It is tangled. I wanted to sort through them and see if they can be worn with my outfits for work. Maybe I will get to that soon. That would be a good decluttering goal as well.

Happy Day

Caroline

Day 7: Landscape
art · art studio · lifestyle blog · mindfulness · minimalism · painting · personal blog · personal development · simple life

Day 7: Landscape

caroline

Instead of photography of a landscape, it’s an acrylic painting of a landscape.

It’s very snowy here, mounds of snow stacked. The mounds are so high, it’s difficult to see when turning on the street. It’s cold and honestly, I just don’t feel like driving and finding a landscape to photograph. My legs are tired and I’m just feeling overworked. So another plan- I’ll paint.

This evening I decided to paint. It’s been awhile since I sat at my craft table. I said to myself, just paint a landscape using intuitive painting. Trust yourself, go with the feel of the paint and colors.

This painting reminds me of spring. I’m counting down the days for spring. And for us to have less snow and more melting. I feel bad saying that, as we really need snow and climate change certainly has interfered with our seasons. But I prefer spring!

Hope you enjoyed this imaginative landscape and intuitive painting process.

Happy Day

Caroline

Day 4: Something Green
art studio · lifestyle blog · mindfulness · minimalism · personal blog · personal development · photography · Your Shopping Wishes

Day 4: Something Green

caroline

Plants. I love a home full of plants. Indoor plants provides a natural look to the decorating but plants are a benefit to our health and home

Benefits of Plants

  • Air purification, indoor plants can absorb carbon dioxide and they help release oxygen
  • Plants release moisture into the air.
  • Plants improve your mood
  • Reduce fatigue, improves stress and anxiety.
  • improve focus
  • minimizes headaches.
  • helps with dry skin

Photography of My Plants

From left to right: cactus, green onions, Christmas cactus

Palm tree- it’s 11 years old

Snake plant

From left to right: ivy, peppermint

Christmas cactus

Both of these are cactuses

Poinsettia tree- I took the plant a few years ago and replanted it in a larger pot. I heard it can be grown indoors. It needs to be in a dark place to get the red leaves, but around Christmas I get a few red leaves even near this window.

From left to right: mini rose, and some kind of cactus (I think)

Cactus

Mini rose plant

Some kind of tree plant.

Those are my plants, they are in my living room, dinning room, and the bedrooms.

I love bringing nature into my home. It’s fun watching them grow and bloom.

If I move, I really would love to have a sunroom to put my plants in.

Your Shopping Wishes

https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thepaws0f-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B08R9HCF8V&asins=B08R9HCF8V&linkId=7e5fff43f7aa783fe2bcedc5557654e9&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff
plant grow light
https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thepaws0f-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B0828SMZNS&asins=B0828SMZNS&linkId=81049cbe01c4c246510ee0acc7302edf&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff
potting soil
https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thepaws0f-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B08C7FLS3P&asins=B08C7FLS3P&linkId=7b81d96ebe9acca1501da43a6ad6727a&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff
pots for plants-looks like a great deal
https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thepaws0f-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B07T1N1CZ4&asins=B07T1N1CZ4&linkId=37a993f20e558ef010ea58049ed06185&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff
Sticky traps for indoor plants to catch insects
https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=tf_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=thepaws0f-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B08SM9KRR7&asins=B08SM9KRR7&linkId=7899dd6018a73307f8eaa26d39e28a9d&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066c0&bg_color=ffffff
watering can with plant mister

Happy Day

Caroline

A Review of Meals this Week
autoimmune · dairy free · dinner · gluten free · mindfulness · minimalism · recipes · rheumatoid arthritis · simple life · spiritual

A Review of Meals this Week

caroline

My diet consists of gluten free and dairy free and soy free. I have an autoimmune illness, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

On Monday, tuna, chicken BBQ and chicken burgers were prepared. Rice and roasted vegetables were also prepared.

An order from Whole Foods Market was made. They have the best gluten free and dairy free products, that I can not find anywhere else. Plus they deliver, so it’s easier to order there as my work schedule can be difficult to get to a grocery store.

I did not have a dessert every night. I finished the cinnamon muffins last night. The gluten free homemade biscuits were starting to loose it’s freshness so I had to toss those.

A spinach smoothie was made for Breakfast, along with eggs, avocado on toast and left over veggies were warmed up.

The refrigerator is now empty of this week’s meals.

This evening, I’ll make dinner. It will be a salad and a baked potato.

Tomorrow I work, so I have the chicken soup and tuna thawing. I will make those for dinner when I get home from a long day at work.

I’ll have to eat the grapes today for a snack. I also got out of the freezer the gluten free brownies I made the other day. And today I’m going to make blueberry muffins. Blueberry muffins will be my breakfast for tomorrow along with fruit. I’ll post the gluten free blueberry muffins.

Meals

Happy Day

Caroline

Friday Morning Cleaning at the Studio
art studio · mindfulness · minimalism · photography · simple life · smoothie · spiritual

Friday Morning Cleaning at the Studio

caroline

This morning, the floors needed to be cleaned. I decided to get the floors finished before I get ready for work. Today I’ll be working from home. I love Friday’s for that reason.

There’s some areas of my house that needs dusting. I’ll try to do that in-between my sessions.

The candles in my family room and bathroom are turned on(I use hot plate warmer and plug in candle wax- I have cats!) Hoping the fragrance from the candles will energize my home and make it feel refreshing.

Photos of Fresh Snow

We had fresh snow last night. Maybe 2 inches of snow. It’s much warmer than it was the last three days. But there’s more cold and snow in the forecast next week.

On my walk early this morning, these photos were taken.

Preparing for Smoothies

On my counter there’s bananas that are becoming brown. I don’t care for them at that point, so I cut them up and put them in the freezer for future smoothies. Also can be used for banana bread. Great way to save money and be intentional about your diet.

This evening I’ll be knitting and resting. I work on Saturday, all day!

Happy Day

Caroline

Morning Solitude
meditation · mindfulness · minimalism · simple life · spiritual

Morning Solitude

caroline

“The difference between a flower and a weed is a judgment.”

unknown

This morning is a solitude morning. Quiet again. It is below zero wind chill and the cold really does go through your clothes. The house constantly is heated. I had to put blankets at the bottom of my doors to keep the cold out and the heat in. The windows also have towels along the window sill for the same reason.

I started my morning with hot tea and breakfast. It appears today will be a slow quiet day. I am hoping it will be that way for the entire day, as I will have to go into the office later.

Meditative Thinking

These slow quiet days allow me to think about what I want and to dream about it. The one thing I really want is to have a small house in the country and be able to work from home. I have not decided if I want to work from home at this time, or if I will wait another few years and do it. I need to also decide if I want to stay in my field. Working as a counselor for over ten years has been rewarding, but it is intense and quit frankly I am getting a burn out from the codependent needs and anger that comes through the office.

Meditative Goals

I dream of a holistic business, selling lotions, fragrances, candles, art, yoga and meditation items. I dream of providing coaching to improve the overall health. I want people to see the beauty and magic life can bring them. I want beauty around me and soft fabrics and warm colors and simple pleasures at work and at my home. I dream of a business with love and respect. I dream of peace and not having to worry about money and needing to worry about liability issues. I dream of a change for me.

Happy Day

Caroline