Sweet Dreams from Sugar Bean Bakery

I have been sooo busy in the last few weeks. From traveling for work, to just working, I feel like I've been out of action.

 But I had to add one more thing to my plate. It was a ton of work, but also a ton of fun.

 I decided to do a Sugar Bean Bakery booth at a local art show on Saturday.  I spent a good 12+ hours baking and packaging and a few days before that planning my decor.  When Saturday came around, I was glad it wasn't raining!  I pulled out my favorite cake stands and set up my goodies.

All proceeds are going to a local farm animal refuge that is in development and, since we totally sold out, I will be getting to give them $360!

I really really loved my booth (as you can tell from the tons of pictures with more going on Flicker), making delicious vegan goodies and can't wait to do it again in the fall!

Pretty Much Sums It Up

I've been off of work this past week and on through the New Year.  This is pretty much my goal for every one of those days.  Movies, books, baking and napping are going to sum up my to do list.

I hope you all are having a happy holiday season too!

A Visit to the Lowcountry

As I mentioned before, my grandmother (who was just about to turn 91) passed away last week.  She lived in an area of South Carolina near Hilton Head.  This is where my Dad's whole side of the family lives and where we went often for family trips when I was growing up.

Known as the Lowcountry, coastal South Carolina is so different from where I grew up in Miami and even other parts of the state.  And even though just a few hundred miles away from where we are in NC, it has a totally different personality.

The city she lived in used to be so small and sleepy but, due to it's beauty and history, has really grown over the last 20 years.  Tons of films have been shot here and the population has shot up, as has the number of businesses and traffic.

My Dad, though, lives on one of the many islands that makes up the area and when you are there, right on the water, it's very peaceful.  We spent much of our quick visit hanging around the house, playing with the cats and enjoying the view.  Here's a few quick pics -

The front of the house...

The Kitchen...

The lovely porch...

Lowcountry sunset...

Sweet Tea the kitty!

We got up on Sunday to enjoy the crisp air and the sunrise off of the dock.

And said hello to some of the regular visitors...

I think we are going to head back in a few months.  I want to do yoga on the dock at sunrise and maybe jump in a kayak to have a closer chat with the dolphins!

Grammy

My Grammy passed away yesterday.  This was one of my favorite photos of us - my wedding day.

Some of my favorite memories of her:

- She was wonderful with plants and grew the most beautiful tiger lilies and African violets.

- She had a great love of animals and always had pets she cared for... except for the pesky squirrels who would eat her lilies!

- She was an amazing baker and cook. She always made my favorite Sour Cream pound cake when I came to visit and I still have the recipe written down in her own hand. I've made it many times myself to much raving.

- Grits - Southern Grammies make them the best.

- Sweet Tea - you need at least a few cups of sugar per pitcher!

- She one time scared the heck out of me with this monster mask we had. Her sense of humor was amazing

- She had an enviable collection of salt and pepper shakers
 

She was the sweetest lady I've ever known.

Change is Difficult

I don't talk about my work too much here on the blog but things have been a-changin'.

I have been with the same company for the last five and a half years, and happily so, but an opportunity presented itself and it seemed like a good one.

So I'm transitioning to a new company right after the new year.

I've been a bit absent the last few days and weeks because my head was all wrapped up in the process.   I'm not afraid of change but, even if it's all good, I get anxious and worked up.

So, I have let my current company know about this impending change and now I'm in that weird space between old and new.  Not sure about what's to come while still working on stuff that will be out of my hands soon. 

So the year will be ending along with a chapter of my professional life.  I am looking forward to the new while appreciating the past.  So, I'm sorry about the weird absences but I hope more good things to be coming down the road!

Seasons and Silence

Last week I did a lot of driving... 32 hours to be exact.  I drive about 30 minutes to work each way and have found that time to be one of the few moment's of peace I get all day. 

I work in an open plan office in an industry where I'm interacting with creatives and clients and vendors all day long.  The computer is on, the phone is ringing, there is music playing and other people having meetings and phone conversations.

At home, I walk into the house with animals barking and running, the TV is often on and I need to share time with my husband.

While most of these are good, or at least interesting, things, for a "Highly Sensitive" person they can be overwhelming and exhausting.  I tolerate the stimulus as much as I can, but eventually I need to recharge and, frankly, hide out!

As a child, I had a walk in closet.  My bookshelf was in there and I would sit in there with my back to the door and relax and read.  Even now you will sometimes find me in my closet sitting on the floor and just organizing stuff.  And if I'm away from home, after a time I will need to go away from people and sit in a quiet room.  There is only so much I can take.

Moments of peace are hard to find in the over-sharing, over-stimulated, over-bright world.

On my drive home, I will frequently leave the radio off.  The wind and tires are enough background noise, akin to white noise, and they help me to transition from work and prepare for home.

Lately I have been using the TED app on my iPhone to listen to TED talks.  There are so many great ones to choose from  with topics ranging from activism to inspiration.  I just love them!

These are particularly appropriate:

Five Ways to Listen Better

Four Ways Sound Effect Us

Music, can muffle and soothe (my favorite is classical or African singers such as Habib Koite) but my favorite thing to listen to is....

The tumble dryer!  It could be the association with warm, clean towels or afternoons at home, but I love it.  I listen to that or the "cat purring" environment on iSerenity.com all the time!

The darker days of Fall and Winter, with early dusk, rain and cool weather, are my time to recharge.  What do you do to relax, pamper and protect yourself?

Thank You For Your Patience

Thank you all for your patience. 

We had a great service for my Father-in-Law with hours of people coming to visit and share the memorial with our family.  These flowers were from an amazing arrangement that was a part of the room.

I'll be back at work Tuesday. I hope you all had a lovely week and weekend.