Carly's Ramblings Blog - Style

Too Much Of A Good Thing, Time To Myself & Cliches

Today's blogs....

30 Day Blogging Challenge

When is too much of something not a good thing?

Fran 🌈🧜‍♀️ had a great picture of a woman with too much makeup. She looks clown - like and that, ladies and gentlemen, is just scary. I remember an old woman many years ago that used to take that slick of blusher and draw a line across each cheek bone... she never smoothed it in and it looked hideous. I am thinking her own vision may not have been so good or maybe that was the style from her own generation. Either way it was not adding to her appearance. I figure older women have a beauty that comes with experience. I don't remember either of my grandmothers wearing any.

Food. Too much of a good thing.... especially dessert. One or two bites and you savour and enjoy. More than that and you are just being a glutton. Enjoyment diminishes and fullness over powers your senses making you bloated and uncomfortable.
Last night I was wandering the kitchen searching for 'something'. I did not know what I wanted but I kept trying things to fill the void. I had part of a chocolate bar, some Smart Popcorn and though I was filling up I did not feel satisfaction. It was not until I found a box of Rice Krispies in the basement cupboard that I found satisfaction. I love cereal.

I am finding this chillier weather is making me get the munchies... that is not a good plan!

Blog City – Day 197 {Day 14 of the LIST}

Prompt: When was the last time you dedicated a day to yourself? If you have, share the details and their effects on you at the end of the day. If you haven't, why not, and would you if given the chance?

In a way last Sunday was a day dedicated to myself... I went off to the Eden Mills Writer's Festival all by myself and enjoyed myself. I liked immersing myself in a day like that.

But I find there is sweetness in the stolen moments. Taking myself off to a coffee shop with my book to read or my Surface 2 to write and create on. I think I am very lucky in that I can take these moments and create.

I remember meeting a woman who would do 'bed picnics'. She would take a day and lounge out in her pyjamas. She would surround herself with good books and other reading material. She also had access to a television and DVD player to watch all the movies she had missed. All day long she would stay in bed eating, reading, watch movies and napping. I don't think I could do that... seems like what I would do if I was ill, but she loved it.

I have been known to pack up my books and Surface 2 and head for one of the smaller quaint towns nearby. I enjoy the views and partake in their shops. Supporting the local community as I enjoy the sights, sounds and atmosphere it gives me. I have not done any of these this summer. In the past, I have even taken my sketch book and gone off to find something lovely to draw. Many of these small towns are picturesque. The day gives me a lift and a sense of freedom.

The trouble is dealing with the guilt of slipping off to do one of these days. Nothing practical is getting done. To make myself feel better, I may do some cleaning or other household chore before heading out. Then I feel I am more entitled to the adventure.

Things I enjoy doing on my own... for myself
#1. Coffee shops provide, not only wonderful coffee but a place to read, write or just people watch. All lovely things for a writer. Being part of the community, but on the fringes... watching; taking it all in for future writings.
#2. Going to the library to browse or research. There is a peace to doing research by hand in such a place of reverence.
#3. Bookstores are also a wonderful place to browse. I love the smell and feel of the books as well as the stories they impart. I do not have a ereader. I particularly like the small, independent bookshops where personality and connection can be made.
#4. Sketching... often outdoors. I have taken my pads and pens off to Paris, Ontario and the Elora Gorge for breathtaking views.
#5. Working outside under our canopy.
#6. Browsing antique shops can open up memories long forgotten as you see things from the past.
#7. Hikes along nature trails. This provides a sense of spiritual connectedness for me. Noticing the beauty of the intricacies of the natural world around me.
#8. Walks thorough neighbourhoods gives a chance to enjoy but also speculate on how others live. Old neighbourhoods versus newer neighbourhoods.... who lives there? What are their lives like?
#9. Browsing in shops that sell artisan crafts and other created items - wondering how and sometimes why these items where made... what was their creative process.
#10. Listening to authors read from their novels, stories and poems. Meeting with writers who have made it. It gives me hope.
#11. Writing with a group. All of us intent on our own writing, but feeling the community of others around me - this is what I love about NaNoWriMo. Writers come out of the wood work and connect in a variety of venues around town.
#12. Going to the beach - though I would almost want my husband there. I can read in the quiet moments on the blankets, then splash and play in the water with him when we need to cool off.
#13. Sitting by a stream and letting the quiet of the world around me forget that I am there and take up their unfettered display and symphony.
#14. Naps.

Welcome To My Reality – Week Thirty – Nine

5. Choose a cliche and tell us why you think it's true. Examples of cliches might include 'Don't judge a book by its cover', 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder', 'The acorn doesn't fall far from the tree', etc.

Cliques have a way of sticking because their is a kernel of truth to them. Taking time to really think about them brings a freshness back to a staid saying. Trying to impart the meaning with varied words can pull the life back into them. Cut the cliche, but keep its essence.

Don't judge a book by its cover. A dull cover may conceal a vibrant story - whether it is a book or a person. A flashy book cover may cover a superficial, blow-hole. Give the item under consideration a chance to show its true essence before making a determination. You may make some wonderful discoveries within a covering that seems dull. You may save yourself hours of boredom if you look beyond the item's surface to see who or what they really are. Outer appearance means nothing. True essence is within. You must always take the time to give things a chance.

Considering the acorn or the apple not falling far from the tree. There is an element of truth to that... trees can't throw their acorns or apples away (unless you are walking through a magical wood). Maybe a squirrel or bird may carry them off, but generally trees drop their bounty at their feet. The thing is, the meaning it that the child is like their parents... but when I think further on this... I see rotting fruit and trees that don't sprout or grow because they are in the shadow of the big tree. Yes, the similarities are there... but to really thrive and branch out one would almost want to be carried off to grow and blossom somewhere else... like seeds carried in the wind or squirrels taking them off and hopefully forgetting where they buried their treasures. The essence of the parent is in the genetic makeup - within the seed of the acorn or apple, but to really make a way for itself it needs to grow somewhere else or it will be choked out under the bigger tree's presence. Interesting thoughts.....