I am enjoying this Easter weekend, really! I am!

4 days off in a row, that doesn't happen too often. 

I cleaned the house,baked bread, started working on a new project in my leather shop, had dinner in town with extended family and friends, played a lot with my cats and watched a couple of movies. 

We've enjoyed some nicer weather, warming sunshine and the four minutes of additional daylight we are getting now every day... that feels great!

Winters here feel a lot longer then I am used to and that influences my mood from time to time. 

I have read a lot about Ayurveda over the past few months and have also gotten into Yoga. 

I teach myself as I go along, with the help of books, video tutorials on YT and yoga classes that are available online. 

The science of Ayurveda is about 5000 years old and originates in India. 

Ayurveda is a science of life (Ayur=life, Veda=science or knowledge) and I find that there is an amazing amount of wisdom in that lifestyle. 

My biggest challenge is probably that I am not very consistent and that I have bad self control, especially when it comes to my eating habits. 

I quit smoking a very long time ago, I never really liked drinking alcohol but I do love sugar. 

And I eat too much of it, it is as simple as that. Not as much as I used to, but I still feel in my body that it is too much. Less is always more when it comes to better health, just too bad that those pastries and cakes taste so darn good! 

But I won't allow myself to give up either so... !! 

I am kinda stubborn you know! LOL

I would really like to upload and post some nice photos from my mac, but since I've upgraded my Macs operating system to ElCapitan the other day, well somehow it doesn't work anymore, not how I want it to.... Dang!

And I wonder if it is possible to change the name of my blog. I'll have to look into it. "Hillybillyfarmgirl"... a name I feel like I've grown out of somehow.

Time to tidy up the apartment and make waffle batter, I'm expecting company this afternoon.

We're back on summertime now and I feel like I'm running short on one hour! Gotta hurry now!

LOL

:)

Bloglovin

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Kindness

Kindness. 

That word stuck with me all week long. It is not something we just do... 

It is more then just a word or an action, it is a QUALITY. 

I thought of all the people I know, friends, family members, colleges and acquaintances and so called strangers. 

And I wondered are they truly kind? Superficial kind or deeply kind? How does it show? Or can someone be kind without showing it. 

Towards whom are we kind? Are we kind towards ourselves? Family members? Friends? Co-workers? Strangers? 

I searched my soul and asked myself how much kindness is there in me? Can I improve that quality in me and how? 

How can we love someone who doesn't seem to be kind at all? 

What are your thoughts on kindness? 

Happy Våffeldagen (Waffle-day) Sweden! And Happy Easter all around the world weather you celebrate it or not. 

Hope you all have kindness in your lives, one way or the other.

2014

2014 was a good year, I think.
It is hard to remember all the (small) good things because often we are so challenged with just staying afloat in a sea of busyness.

I'll enjoyed picking the photos for this post because it made me remember.

Scruffy fluffy Cleo. 

Spring 2014. Mika posing for the next post on Instagram.

Easter cake

First born calf. A new life is always magical

Spring walk with Cleo

 So pretty!

May 2014 - first BBQ of the season with friends

Getting into shape!

Bought them on the market

More quality time with Cleo, she had just turned 13.

I bought a boat! YEAH :)

Me and my mother. June 2014

Visiting me for the first time in Sweden, my mom and her partner.

...celebrating Midsommer together.

I started fishing in 2014.... My first Zander. 

A nice little perch. Very tasty fish! 

 It's really not so much about catching fish.... 

Picknick on shore

20014. It was an AMAZING mushroom year! 

Picking mushrooms is more fun then cleaning them! LOL

My first visit in Austria in over 6 years. 

My brother and my mom. October 2014

With my mom and my brothers family. 

My dad <3 p="">

December 2014. Christmas party with my coworkers.  The Swedes know how to party, believe me!!! 

I love all my coworkers. They make the good days at work even brighter and the bad days easier.

Dec 2014. My most favorite visitors. Cleo and Aaron <3 p="">

Up next ...2015

/Michaela

ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS

It has been quite a while since I've written and published on this blog.
It's been quite a while since I've written anything really.
Lately though I've been feeling that I want to get some of what's going on inside my head, and in my life, out there again.

So, what's been going on in my life those past two years !!!!! since my last post?

Too much to remember it all I guess, but then on the other hand, luckily some things have stayed the same, and that is a good thing.

I think the biggest change in my life has been that I got divorced a couple of years ago. I live alone now and, honestly, I love it and I hate it.
I enjoy the freedom to do whatever I want to do whenever I want to do it. I love that I don't have to answer to anyone. I love that I can be in solitude and silence when ever I need to.
I love to cook and eat whatever feel like and I have the double bed to myself.
Except.... when the cats choose to join me and they do love to cuddle up a lot.

Speaking of cats...
and animals friends.

Some of you might remember Cleo? And Missy Lou? And Aaron?
Well, sadly they are all gone, moved on to another roam of existence.
Cleo has been part of my live for more then 14 years, good years. She is missed greatly and will always be remembered as a funny, happy little dog with a huge heart and spirit. <3 p="">

Missy Lou was part of the family for 8 wonderful years. She moved with us from Austria to Sweden and was always like a calming rock in the storm. Her last years she was happy, living where she belonged, out on the country side, free to go outside or stay inside whenever she wanted. She loved the quiet country life and she was a good hunter, and a golden soul! <3 p="">

About Aaron, the German Shepherd, well, his life lasted only 5 years, he had to leave us too soon. But he was a happy and loyal companion until the very end. Watching over his entire family, that was his job. And he did it well. He took such good care of his "Auntie Cleo" when she got to wonder through the world half blind during her past few years. Guiding and protecting her. What a loving and caring spirit Aaron was! We were so blessed to have him in our lives.<3 nbsp="" p="">

Last November we moved from the countryside to a smaller village, closer to my work.
We, Mika, ("my man" as I call him) and I.

Mika is doing well and is becoming quite comfortable in his new home. Finally. I kept him inside those past few months, but soon, when spring arrives, I will unlock the cat door that I installed for him.
He is very people shy and he needed to get used to living close to neighbors and traffic first.
In december we welcomed another new family member.
Mika got a little sister! He is very happy with his new playmate!
Please meet Mausi aka Little Mouse.

As you see, she is gorgeous. And sweet. And quite a handful sometimes for Mika. But they love each other and that is more that I could have asked for. With cats, you just never know, right?!

She likes to sit on my shoulder when I go places by car. She'll soon be 6 months old which means that we'll soon have to pay a visit to the vet to get her "fixed" so she can join Mika on his outside adventures when spring arrives.


...well, what happened other then that you might wonder?
I still work as a bus driver and I still like it, mostly.
I still think of changing career some day, and I will, but it takes time to find something else.

I started with Yoga and I meditate.
I got away from LCHF (low carb high fat diet) and am all into Ayurveda.
Now that (lifestyle) is so incredibly interesting!
Doshas, asanas, mantras.....
Pranayama, Abhyanga and tongue scraping.....
Eating and being healthy and still get to eat desert, it can't get better then that!


Life is good!


...to be continued :)