This Perfectly Imperfect Life

☺️ Creekside Autumn at the Perfectly Imperfect Homestead 💛 How is Autumn looking so far in your neck of the world? #October #autumn #fall #foliage #creekside #indiansummer #coastalliving #blessed #nofilter #magical #simplepleasuresgreatestjoy #theperfectlyimperfecthomestead #myperfectlyimperfectview #thisperfectlyimperfectlife

My nightstand. On this cozy February snow day, I wanted to share some of my favorite spots around our home.  There is a method to what may seem like organized clutter to some in this photo.  For those who don't know, I am disabled with Rheumatoid Disease (RD) aka Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). There are days like the past few, when I'm unable to spend much time out of bed due to my health. On days like these, I need everything that I need within arms reach. I love this nightstand because the surface area lets me do just that plus keep a few trinkets out as well. (Those are more out of view because of this angle. Apologies!) The night stand also has storage underneath, that's where my laptop & tray table are hiding). Emergency meds are mostly in the basket along with hair ties & book lights, post IV session meds are just outside of it (had an IV yesterday, so I'll need those for about 72 hours). Vitamin E oil which I put on my RD irritated skin every...

Not a creature was... Presents are wrapped and 24 hours of A Christmas Story is under way. (This angle makes our tv look huge thought it's not quite). Still warm enough for open windows & whirring fans. (It was in the 70s here today with humidity in the upper 90%). I always want to stay up as long as possible so I can experience as much of the peaceful beauty of this night as I can.  Quiet blessings to you & yours, and to all a good night!

Cozy living room tidings. Bizarre spring-like temps this December. The third Sunday of Advent has just now passed, yesterday for those unfamiliar with the tradition, and while things may look like Christmas indoors, it feels like anything but outdoors for those of us in the Northeast this December! Just yesterday the temperature climbed to 67* before noon! On December 13th. While not completely unheard of, it's happened before within recent memory, it's still weird. Glorious for some, unsettling for others. Allergies are off the charts and we're dangerously low on rainfall. Today it's actually so humid I'm finding it a little hard to breathe! Things are growing, budding, and blooming. Out of season. So it's not just we humans who are confused. Spring in December in New Jersey? For Hubbs and I, it doesn't feel like December, or Christmastime. I know, it's not just about the weather, but we enjoy cold temps vs warm, so it's part of ...

Knockout Rosa 'Radcon' still blooms. View from the back yard. First candle of Advent is lit. The tree is up! The kitties love snuggling under the tree. Homemade pumpkin & apple cranberry pies. I am thankful for cozy weekends at home, for the first Sunday of Advent falling on this long and relaxing weekend so I could begin to decorate for Christmastime, for more end of the season roses and beautiful late Autumn foliage, and for homemade pumpkin & apple cranberry pie!  Thank you all for joining me again this year for these 30 Days of Thanksgiving! 

Over the river. Over the river. Over the river. Back over the river. Kitty snuggles, leftovers & reading. I'm thankful after so many years of working retail on black Friday (and the day after Christmas too) that I don't have to leave our home on this day if I don't want to! And 9 times out of 10 if I do, it's to take a walk, go for a ride, or maybe a bite to eat. I do not go shopping. (Nor do I shop on Thanksgiving). And I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am! This is one of the few times of year when no longer being physically able to work like I used to doesn't wear on me as heavily as usual. (One of the few silver linings of this disease).

Autumn journal. Holly tree in bloom. Knockout rose. Thanksgiving prep on Thanksgiving Eve. I am thankful for the grounding and comfort of journaling, always seeing something beautiful on my walk into town, roses that survive killing frosts and freezes, and the pure joy (despite the pure exhaustion) of cooking and baking for Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving Eve!

Creekside. Creekside. Front porch view. Livingroom. Livingroom. I am thankful for the breathtaking beauty of wintry sunsets (no filters needed or used!), cozy evenings at home with the Hubbs, and the cheerful glow of twinkle lights.

November red. As seen during breakfast. New livingroom sofa (and recliner too). I'm thankful for Autumn reds, silly signs that make me laugh, and new livingroom furniture (for the first time, ever). 

One of our (mine) many (heh-hum) bookcases! Our neighborhood. I am thankful for books, the joy of reading, and for being able to take a walk on a beautiful Fall day - to the library & back to pick up a book I requested that I'm excited to read! 

November roses courtesy of Knockout 'Rosa Radcon' taken after sunset Calming blues with some autumnal hints thrown in. I'm thankful for the comfort of freshly laundered sheets, evening garden walks and roses in November that help re-ground and center me after the "unseasonably warm" yet really not all that uncommon for November here 68* weather and roller coaster cold & warm temps has left me disconcerted to the point I'm feeling very out of sorts with the season(s).

Shiny new kettle! 11/13: I'm thankful for a good sale plus a coupon to make it easier to replace something we need like a new kettle.  Loving the extended Autumn colors this year! 11/14: I'm thankful I didn't break or sprain anything when I fell off the step stool late in the afternoon, while I was home by myself switching out the livingroom curtains. I don't use ladders for this reason, but I've used this 1.5 step high step stool for years without incident, and I don't even know how it happened. Thankful, thankful, thankful...

Azalea foliage. I'm thankful for rain, of which we've had far too little for far too long, and I'm thankful for this spot in our livingroom (minus the geranium at the time I shot the photo because it was on the front porch for the afternoon) just because it makes me happy.

A sample of what's blooming & growing in the garden for the week ending Friday, 5/8/15. Cleanup around The Portable Homestread has been slow & steady over the past couple of weeks, and I'm happy with how everything is shaping up around the yard, in the garden, and on the front porch. Seeds I direct sowed last Sunday have already sprouted! I'm still holding out hope that at least one of my Julia Child floribunda roses makes it, but it's looking rather more likely that neither will.  The lettuce pictured above (7th from the top) is actually from last year! I direct sowed the seeds in the raised bed, but what seedlings weren't eaten by the resident rabbit were drowned in a flash flood from a severe thunderstorm. I can't believe the lettuces have returned this year after all that plus the stormy and ridiculously cold winter that just passed!  Also on the return after a year or two...

A sample of blooms for the week ending Thursday, 4/23/15. It has been a crazy week weather wise, from Summer warmth to flooding rain and thunderstorms to frost and freeze watches and warnings! Most everything seems to be doing alright, although, whatever was iffy before this crazy weather week (like my 2 Julia Child floribunda roses!) may be done for, despite 2 strait nights of covering them for protection against a freeze. But, we'll see. The Weeping Cherries have been putting on such a show this year, I cannot get enough! Photos upon photos, of course! What's blooming in your garden this week?