Baking Therapy

Baking things is one of my self-imposed Therapies…. It helps me to concentrate my thoughts into a single task.

I love kneading bread and shaping rolls/ loaves, and bread baskets.    These are just a few of the items I Love to make…displayed in a bread basket…the basket is as much fun to make as it is to eat.

This time of year, I get to do more of it than I usually do, for more than one reason… at this time of year the baking warms the kitchen…and is great for the Holiday tables, along with gift giving.

I learned Baking Therapy from my Mom…and Grandmother (her Mom)… Mine would make bread for our meals…and all types…my Grandmother made the Best rolls (of which we have yet to duplicate)…and I remember one time when I was at her house…the smell of fresh-baked bread in the air.  She was punching down the bread and said with a smile…”I love that part…gets out all my frustrations,” and she was not light handed when she punched it down.  She was right…it is a great way to get out aggression and the warmth of the dough was helpful to her arthritis.

My Children Love fresh-baked bread, as a matter of fact…my oldest only likes it fresh from the oven…or a few hours old. He usually asks when he comes over and sees the bread…”How long ago did you make that?”   If I made it more than two hours past…he tends not to want any .  Don’t get me wrong…he will eat it if he really wants some…but he says he does not enjoy it as much…wants me to call him when I’m making it so he can get it fresh (spoiled Boy)!

I guess it is my Therapy, because if I am stressed, worried or having a hard time dealing with the struggles with my abusive past, it gives me a focus, and makes the house smell delicious, along with the memories of baking with my Mom and Grandma…it is an all around Stress-reducer.

So…if you are stressed…Try Baking…not only can you calm down…but you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor afterwards!

Enjoy your Day!!!  Happy Baking and Thanks for Hearing!

Sincerely;

Bea Heard

A Chill Setting In

The title of my post today denotes my figurative and literal feelings at this moment, let me explain….

In the literal sense…it is COLD outside…finally some of the still green leaves will lend a bit of color to my outdoor scene, before winter snow begins…I miss seeing the brilliant autumn colors of the eastern United States.

Some of the trees have a bit of color…but for the most part they are still green.

In the figurative sense…a chill set in thinking about the fact that I need to somehow venture outside these four walls of my P.T.S.D. cave to do a little work before winter.

Droplets of water…after yesterday’s rain…but not frozen…Yet!

I need to get the hummingbird in and change the dead flowers for some silk winter ones, so I can see something pretty from the window…maybe silk autumn leaves first.

Then I need to get the Hummingbird feeder from the tree, so it will not freeze and meet the same demise as last years model.

Not to mention the terracotta planters…the biggest of which did not see the soil, nor what I intended to plant in it…and the smaller ones, though perfect for halloween…need to have the dead plants attended to…then they need to come in so they will not crack in the winter cold.  Hopefully next year I can venture out to plant something beautiful…or tasty!

Sadly never filled.

Sadly neglected.

Last but not least is the hose that needs to be brought in so it will not freeze and the two outdoor faucets that need protective coverings, allowing them not to get frozen, crack and flood the basement.

All this…taking of pictures to show you my intended duties are what put the figurative chill in me…because just taking the pictures frazzled my nerves.

I love Minion sayings!

That is why I put the above minion picture in…fits me to a “T”!

Then I have been going through the MOUNDS…and I truly mean MOUNDS of knit and crochet items, piling up on my writing area and around my rooms in bags, boxes (sorry for the poor pictures…lighting not so good in the early morning when these were taken), etc..

  Piled High…  and More

 It keeps on going…and after all this, I found one thing I did not complete…now I’m wondering exactly what it could be… ?????

In going through all of them…and the storage spaces (for items gently used that cold be sold, i.e., games, cooking items etc.).  I was hoping to have a Yard Sale.

But…you know…that means…GOING INTO THE YARD…WITH PEOPLE THERE!

So…it has been put off, weekend after weekend, until now it is colder, almost Halloween, and I’m debating if a Yard/open house would work.

I need to do something, because I’d like my writing space back.  Not that I do not love writing at the kitchen table, where I get to see the outdoors, but it is nice to separate the two…(Yes my brother, you were right).

So…I will try to rally my children, who will hopefully feel generous enough to help me for a day or two…both in getting the things done outside that need accomplished before the freeze…and in the Yard/open house I need to have, both to clear my space and make a bit of money!

Now… to set a date and push through another round of fears.

With God and my Family…I know it can be done.

Wish me luck!

The above one is a saying I saw and had to post (found on Pinterest)…to inspire me and hopefully someone else along the way!

Thanks for Hearing!

Sincerely;

Bea Heard

Nice Visit From My Brother

I just had a wonderful visit from my Brother.  It was unexpected, and brightened my day.  He even brought this….

  Yea!!!!!!!!  He knows me so well…coffee fixes everything…well…almost!!!

He stopped by because he was on a break, and his work today took him close to my house.  He also brought pictures….from his camera, that I borrowed when my oldest proposed.  He even brought the thumb drive to download them for me…I’m so Blessed to have a Family like I do.  Everyone Loves and cares do much about each other.  We do, as all families, have our times when we don’t agree…but that is life. When it comes right down to it though, we would walk through fire for each other.

I thank God every day for my family and friends.  Without them, I would have never made it this far.

So this post was just to say Thanks to my brother and God!  My brother (and his son for putting the pictures on the thumb drive) for always calling, visiting, making me laugh when I least feel like doing so, for always being there.  And Thanks to God for bringing him into my life.

Thanks to all of you for reading and Hearing me!

Sincerely;

Bea Heard

October 18th Celebration…Our Freedom Day!

HAPPY OCTOBER 18th

That is what we say to each other in our family…every year on this day.  Why, you might ask?  Well, it is a special day to my children and myself because that is the day we were all Free of the Abuser in our life.

All the time and waiting for court cases to end, and waiting for the ability to move to be with family…the wait was over…that was the day we walked into the courthouse bound…and came out free!

Breaking free of the chain of Abuse!

During that day at court, our abuser (their Father) gave up his parental rights…he did so to gain a lighter sentence.  That day the Judge told my children that now I was their Mother and their Father…she joked that I could scold them in one room and then take them into another room and do it again.

I could not wipe the smile off their faces…nor did I want to…It had been a very, very long time since I had seen that level of happiness in them.

We decided to go to the store and get something special for dinner that night.  You know… I don’t even remember what we got for the meal, but I do know, my oldest saw some champagne glasses…since it was Autumn, the tops of the glasses were a gold color and the stems were clear.  It was mentioned that we should get them to celebrate…So we bought four of them, along with a bottle of Sparkling Cider ( could not have the real stuff until they grew up a lot more ), along with the food and headed home.

The Halloween in the corner takes 2nd place to our October 18th Celebration Glasses.

That night we shared a meal in the dining room, and toasted with our sparkling cider…then one of my children (don’t remember who at this time) said… “we should do this every year.”

And that is how our October 18th celebration came about…We have since celebrated it, and promised each other that no matter what or where we are on that date…we would come together, spend the day…just the four of us, and have a toast in those same glasses…then with care, we pack them up, place them in a box that is marked for the occasion and put the box carefully away on the shelf until the next year.

I just wanted to share with you the Love I feel for my children, they are the true Hero’s in our story…because they were so very courageous in coming forth with things that were so very hard.  I commend them for doing so…I could not do it for myself, I truly thought I had shielded them from the abuse, and that they were not enduring it…when I finally found out, because one of my Brave children came forward, I found the courage to do something about it.  I finally became the mother they needed. I finally opened my eyes, and realized that they had seen, heard, and endured, more than I was willing to admit.

So again I say…to my children…HAPPY OCTOBER 18th, and may we share many, many more together!   I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

Thanks for Hearing!

Sincerely;

Bea Heard

THE HEALING EMBRACE

A Hug, is truly a Healing Embrace.  It has been scientifically proven that when you are hugged, your body releases endorphins that help reduce stress, and your body produces oxytocin, that helps to lower blood pressure.  There are numerous ways that the Embrace helps you to heal.

From the time we are born we need to be embraced.

As you know if you read my post yesterday.  There have been troubling times in my life, not just for myself, but those I love. Today proved again what a Hug can do, and the healing powers it has.

One of my children came up in the early hours, and only wanted to sit by me, and be held.  My child kept apologizing for just wanting to be there doing nothing but to be held, and I had to say. “You have nothing to apologize for…this is helping me, as much as it is helping you.”

It was only then, that I felt my child’s body relax.  For about 30 minutes, we sat there in a Healing Embrace.  We said nothing, but I could tell we both were slowly but measurably, feeling the effects of what we were doing.

Then when my child left there was, for the first time in a long time, a feeling of hope, renewed love, the warmth and comfort that was mutually felt was overwhelming to me.  I wept when I was alone…not in a sad despairing way, it was a feeling of relief. It felt as if we were finally breaking through to a new level.

  

We all need human contact, as many have stated in the past…it is as necessary as breathing.  When we hug each other, whether it is to welcome someone, comfort someone, say goodbye, etc., we are giving our physical bodies a gift.  Helping our bodies to function better.  Like giving fuel to a vehicle…if you don’t have it, your body cannot run at its full potential.

Even getting and giving hugs to pets does the same thing…

 

Not only do humans need this…but most living things crave contact.

We can learn something from a bear hug.

So, Give a few hugs today…they say if you get a 30 second hug each day…it can lower your blood pressure by 20-30%…wow…that alone is a great reason to get and give hugs. Not to mention the feelings of caring, love, safety, warmth, comfort and joy that come with it.

For you, friends, family, everyone!

Do yourself, your body, and those around you a favor, and have a good Hug today…every day…seek it out, make it a point to give and accept them.

From my own experience…I know it to be true…a Hug can truly be a HEALING EMBRACE!

Thanks for Hearing!

Sincerely;

Bea Heard

SURVIVAL

Surviving can take many forms.  It can be many things and look very different in everyone’s life.

Websters definition of Survival is this…

So, I believe that my survival, looks vastly different from your survival, and our survival looks different from the rest of the world.  We all need to be aware that there are different levels of survival in our own lives and in the lives of others.

I survive day-to-day, and at the worst of times it can  be second to second.  But my second to second is nothing like the second to second for this person…

or these people…

and completely different from these…

 I guess what I am trying to say is this.  We all survive.  We survive a work day…

 

  

We survive Loss, loneliness, abuse, war, peace, financial ups and downs, winters, summers, school, friends, family, religion, race…I can go on and on about the types and ways we all survive.

As a Human race we have survived through many things.  We have grown and developed, changed along the way (not always for the better), and hopefully we learn from the lessons survival teaches us.

Let’s all try to remember that we are not alone in our survival, though at times it may feel that way.

We need others to help us on whatever path we may take…yes, some things we must do alone, but in the long run…we survive best together.

So, if you see someone who is surviving, lend a hand, if you need someone while you are surviving, reach out.  Then the paths we all must walk, will not seem so lonely…

 we can begin to heal, and survive to see the light of another day…

Believe you are Strong, because you are, Believe you can do anything you set your mind to, because you can…The road is not going to be without its bumps, but it can be Survived!

 Thanks for Hearing!

Sincerely;

Bea Heard

Reasons

I just had to put the above quote first.  I keep kicking myself for not posting for a few days, then as I realize, some of my favorite bloggers…the ones that I follow regularly…don’t always blog every day….What are the reasons?

I know that bloggers don’t blog 24-7, at least most…I would assume.  We all have lives that somehow get in the way (Ha, Ha), although for some of us, it is not a laughing matter…Life, or the lack of it, does creep in now and then to take away all we set out to do in a day.

Don’t get me wrong, some of the things that take us away from writing, are good, fun things…yes, even I have been known to have a good time now and then.  But other times it is hard to focus on what needs to be done.

This week alone I had a family member in the hospital…so some of my time had been worrying about them, and today…I go a long distance…in a car…(worry, worry), because my Mom is having surgery, and of course I want to be there.  So that has taken up a bit of my time.  I know, through the Grace of God, all will be well with both family members.  But that does not take away the anxiety and fear you have for loved ones who are suffering.

So…The quote above, about not letting a bad day tarnish everything was very appropriate to this situation…and I have to remember, as many of us do, that these little setbacks are only stepping stones…a pathway, if we let them be…to better things.

With that…I will end for today, and be back tomorrow. To take a few more steps in the right direction!

Thanks again for Hearing!

Sincerely;

Bea Heard