Hello dear reader.  I know.  I know.  Thank you for all the messages and your concern.  I've been at odds with this blog for a year now.  What to do, what to do?  I've had a lot of trouble just posting and also with Instagram.  They kept deleting my account saying it contained inappropriate content.  I mean every few weeks it would happen and I'd have to jump through hoops to see if they'd allow me back in.  Finally I said, you win, I'm out.  Blogger has different issues.  They constantly change the posting prompts etc.  Honestly it is exhausting.  But I felt bad bc I know some of you were worried about me.  I'm here to say I'm fine.  The past year has been pretty good.  I'm just gonna let you see for yourself.  Don't be shocked but I changed the wallpaper in my bedroom and I love it.  I also had some recent Mohs surgery for skin cancer that was not fun at all.  The rest is garden and lots of fashion.  I hope you are all ok and again I so appreciate your concern.  I hope to keep writing bc it is probably good for me.  x

Oh! And this is my granddaughter on her first magazine cover!

Love you all.  I made it posting this but not without a lot of frustration.  But I did it and it's a start. x

I thought I'd go through my phone and post photos that came out ok.  There's a little bit of everything here.  Even a heart shaped puddle.  Thank you all for sticking with me even when I wasn't here.  Wishing you all a healthy and peaceful new year!  

Hello sweet friends.  This will be the 18th year of Christmas in this house.  Other than accessories the kitchen is still the same and I plan for it to never be changed or upgraded.  

This is the extent of my decorating and I'm pretty proud of myself for doing this!  It feels just right to me.

I am wishing you all the loveliest Christmas ever.  We've been through so much together and I hope to continue to write here.  The comment section is the best part of this blog.  I read every single comment and love them all.  Take care sweet friends and see you soon. x

Since I get so many requests about handling a low income I thought I'd share a fresh way I'm thinking about my money these days.  I watch a lot of finance YouTube people like Ramit Sethi and others like him.  They go over couples/singles finances and come up with a game plan to get out of debt or achieve other goals.  It hit me one night that my "bills" are actually my luxuries.  It's a fresh way of looking at an old topic.  

I will give you few examples...walking into a hot room and pushing a button and cold air pours out of vents to cool me off.  That is a luxury.  Drawing a hot bath on a cold night.  That is a luxury.  My cell phone.  Luxury.  When I began looking at my bills in a new light, I suddenly felt very very rich.  Literally everything in my life seems to be a luxury.  Have you ever felt like this?  Please do tell!  xo