Journal..page one...

Lots of last week sucked. There wasn't one huge thing, just several middle sized things that all added up. Sometimes when I am given a week, or a day, or even just an afternoon, full of challenges like that it's very difficult to keep that "Mary Sunshine" attitude going. I spent my Saturday cleaning all of the dust/dog hair tumble weeds created by that monster of mine. He looks innocent enough, doesn't he? Who knew when he was an adorable puppy who was so shy and sweet, that it would turn out his super power is being able to shed three times his natural body hair over the course of one night? Those same dog hairs come with their own super power...they have the ability to find and combine with each other to make dog hair tumble weeds that populate my home regardless of how hard I try to do away with them. Since I worked so hard on doing away with the tumble weeds yesterday, today I rewarded myself with creating a page in the journal I made last week.

After I finished binding the book last week I painted several of the pages. No particular pattern to the pages of color, I find that I tend to use the same groupings of them over and over since they are the colors I like. They were randomly grabbed and used on various pages for me to embellish later. The collage below gives you an idea of what it looks like so far.

I wanted to create a page that showed my frustration with one of the situations last week. I'm always surprised (although I don't know why anymore) at the cavalier way some people say things. Do they realize the impact that words can have on another? Do they realize how harmful they can be sometimes? I don't know if we do realize the power of our words, or the lack of them. That old saying "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is a great attitude to take IF you can, I just don't know very many of us who can. At least not all the time.

Looking at the colors that I'd already painted the pages I decided to go with the blue. There had to be a heart, one that looked patched more than a few times, but the rest of the elements were totally unknown. I began by drawing lines onto the page, then I added a touch of color near those lines. Pink and a darker blue under, and a lime green above.

Note that I have waxed paper between the painted pages. It makes sure that they stay separate rather than in some way adhere to each other...it's that whole unknown principle of the Universe that makes only one sock disappear, or the knots appear in threads you are stitching with when there aren't two ends to knot, or pages with dried paint stick together sometimes...if anyone ever figures that out, do let me know...it would solve so many questions I have I'm sure.

When my lines were finished, I delved into the stash of paper "stuff" I have. There are random borders that I have colored when I have nothing better to do (that means when I am trying to put off doing something I should be doing), stamps, graphics, plain paper, book pages...one can never be totally certain what can be found in that stash. Some borders were chosen, or at least were options....then I created a heart that looked broken.

(I hate it when my toes get in a picture...arghh)

The heart was created by painting a page I tore from a book. When it dried, I tore it into strips and glued it onto card stock. It looked good, but needed something more, so I used black thread to make it look as though the parts had all been sewn together...like a broken heart repaired often. A more difficult thing to do than I expected it to be, my index finger bears the brunt of the "ouchie", not to mention holes, associated with that experience. Note to self: really...learn to use a thimble, grandma knew what she was doing with those.

It took some time for me to play around with the elements to get them where I wanted, but in the end, it looks like this...(click on it to get a larger view).


The entry reads:
Sometimes I think we forget just how much power words have. One kind word can heal, while others can harm beyond measure. You can never know the condition of the heart of another, so you may never know the full impact of your words. Measure them carefully. Broken hearts may heal, but the scars can last forever."

Now, that's off my chest and I am going to let it go. Next weeks goal...don't let that sort of thing bother me. The closer goal, since the afternoon is still young, is to create a birthday present for Margaret at work...and I guess I'll toss a little laundry in as well,if only the chores didn't interfere with the fun! I'll be posting what I am doing for the birthday here soon...

Confession is good for the soul...

Or, so I've always heard. So, today, I have a confession (that will surprise no one I am sure)...I have an addiction, well, several actually..thankfully, none that are particularly harmful, at least not more so than the occasional paper cut, or scissor snip, glued fingers...etc. Today I just want to confess about a couple of the addictions...I have an addiction to bright colors filled with life...I also have an addiction for gorgeous vintage fabrics...and I have a serious addiction to paper. There...I admitted it. Lucky me, I don't have any issues having these addictions. So, if you will bear with me one more time, and keeping my addictions in mind, I'm going to revisit books just once more...at least as far as the making of them.

Yesterday I made a couple of round books, just to see if they could be done. Done they were, and with some modicum of success I think. Today I wanted to create just one more that I will use over the next few weeks to journal in, and, I'd like to share with you how to create one just in case you'd like to try your hand at a very, very simple book that can have some very impressive outcomes. Not to mention it's fun to make your own journals.


When I was looking through the papers I have on hand yesterday to make the round books I came across some large sheets of Strathmore 140 pound, cold press watercolor paper with deckle edges I'd purchased a few years ago. I am never going to be stellar at water colors, I've accepted that, so it has sort of just been setting around waiting for an appropriate adventure to come along that it would be perfect for...this is that adventure. Along with the paper, I also gathered a vintage patterned fabric from my stash for the outer cover of the book, and gorgeous silk that coordinates with it for the inside. Two pieces of a medium weight cardboard, cut about 1/4" larger all around than the papers (described below) for the cover of the book. Perle cotton that coordinates, and some small grommets (made for use with paper), the setting tool, a hammer, and a brick to use for the hard surface when setting the grommets. The usual tacky glue, pencils, and rulers, and a large, blunt point tapestry needle.

I folded and tore the sheet into smaller sheets measuring approximately 7" x 12" each. The sheets can be torn into any size, just adjust measurements accordingly as the book is created. I tore them rather than cut them because I wanted to keep the edges deckle-esque..I like the unevenness of it. To make that tearing easier I first folded the paper along the lines I where wanted to tear it, then used a wet paint brush to run a line of water down those folds. When that was done, I used a straight edge sitting on top the paper, think yardstick with the edge of it sitting on the fold line that is slightly wet, then pulled as gently, yet firmly, as I could to make a relatively straight (and I stress the "relatively" part, remember, I am looking for the not so straight and even edges), yet torn looking, edge. I then folded the smaller sheet in half and scored it well to end up with 8 total sheets of paper for the journal.

A center on the fold of the page was found, and the spot marked. I then measured from the center hole to half way to each end and marked again. Each sheet then was pierced with a large, blunt end, tapestry needle. I then nestled two sheets into each other to create four leaves. That will make for a total of 32 pages to work with when I work in the journal. The next step is to create the cover for the book.


I used the patterned fabric to cover the outside. To get the measurements, I set both sides of the cover on the fabric, with just about a quarter of an inch between them. Then cut the fabric to about an inch larger all around. This is where you begin using the glue to bond the fabrid to the cardboard. Use it sparingly, you really don't need much to adhere it, and too much can definitely create more of a mess than you want to deal with. Cut the excess fabric that would cause bunching away from the corners, and mitre the edges. Feel free to use an iron to make the creases very sharp before you glue them.

Once the outter fabric is on, measure and cut the inner fabric so that you have enough room to turn the edges under, and have the lining extend relatively close to the edge of the interior. I definitely recommend ironing them to make sharp edges. Once you have that finished, glue it...using the glue sparingly again...into the inside.


The binding that I've used to create the book is not the most stable and secure form of binding, it is simple, and somewhat loose...which, for me, for this project, is great since I want to be able to add dimensional items to the journal as I use it. Earlier, the pages that I tore were measured and three small holes were gently punched into the fold of the papers, and they were formed into leaves of two sheets each. Now I need to be able to attach those leaves to the cover.

To do that, I put three little grommets in the spine. I measured first to make sure the holes in the spine and the holes in the paper will match. When I am sure of the measuring, and mark the spots where I will add the grommets. To get the grommets set correctly a pair of very sharp (the kind that cut your fingers too if you aren't careful, so be very careful) are used to puncture holes, and the grommet inserted from the back to the inside. As each is put into place the setting tool was used to spread them and attach the grommet permanently.

Now, the cover, and the pages are ready to combine into a whole book.

Following the diagram (if you click on it, it should show an enlarged version, if it doesn't, I am happy to email you the file, just let me know you want it) I stitched the leaves into the cover, through the grommets (consider them numbers 1, 2 and 3) using VERY long pieces of the perle cotton. As the threads were taken through into 1 and out of 4, I made sure to keep them separated equally to each side of the long thread running down the spine of the book. When they are all bound, tie the strings in a secure knot, and use a drop of glue to secure it completely. You can see the process in the photos below.


All in all it only took a couple of hours from the beginning to the finished product. It is simple, easy, and really a great project to begin with if you want to create your own journals from beginning to end. I left the strings on mine long after they were tied, when I am finished with the journal, I will attach things to them to further decorate the finished piece. (Can't do that now, or the book will not lay flat when I am journaling.)

My project for the day is finished. I've got yet one more blank book, and I am really excited about filling this one. I may not publish blogs on how to make books for a bit, but I probably will share the journaling process as I work to fill this book. I think it will be more interesting than filling a book bought from a book store....I guess we'll see as time moves forward! By the way, as you watch me fill this, I'd love to see pages that you have done, and if you don't mind me sharing them here, please email me a file, or send me a link to post here!

Round books....

I am a collector of blank books. I have hundreds of them, no exaggeration...all of them blank, their pristine pages staring at me...taunting me just to write something. I think I'm really just a frustrated writer who doesn't know where to begin. Could be why this blog has come to be.

It's not enough that I have hundreds of blank books, I've started making blank books. Little ones. In hopes of having a book small enough that I might actually fill it with words and maybe pictures. The little square books are easy enough. An afternoon and I can have a couple of them finished...but, last week I wondered...can you make a round book?

After pondering it a bit, I could come up with about a hundred reasons a round book would be a difficult task. What better reason to try? It took me a bit, but I made one. That little round book right up there as a matter of fact. Was simple enough, but in the end, it was a bit more difficult to open and use than I'd hoped. The next step, of course, was to try to improve the concept. This afternoon I decided to give a go to making a round book where the pages are folded and bound, like a regular book. Worth a shot, right?

Here's how it went...

And here is the finished book...well, books...I made a pair of them while I was making them...

















Not bad for an afternoon's worth of effort I think....and I even got a load of laundry done, the downstairs dusted, and vacuumed. Whew...I call that a very productive day...

Friday give away...

Friday is here! I've got about a billion things swimming around in my head that I really, really, really want to get to over the weekend, and none of them include the laundry and cleaning I'll have to do. I so wish weekends were about 5 days longer than they are...but, alas, I'll have to deal with the time constraints that are placed upon me. (That means the dusting will wait until some day of the week, or, at least that's what I'll promise myself, and I'll spend all of the weekend playing!)

Today I get to do something fun though! I finally get to give away something (and I am probably far more excited about it than the people who left comments are)!! I posted a blog about "Resorting to bribery" a little bit ago. Three comments were left when I posted the ACEO, last week. Cherie, who does ACEOs herself, who has some of the cutest witch ACEOs currently available in her Etsy shop, CheriesArtsnCrafts, left a comment. And Maria, who also has a great ETSY shop, Greene Earth Originals, where she offers mosaics and mixed media art ...some really gorgeous stuff, added a comment! And Lindy left one when I featured her blog...you can see that post to see her gorgeous work.

Since these ladies were so gracious to respond to the "positive bribery" that I offered, and since the "Don't Be Too Timid" card is a limited edition of 10, and since I have 7 of the series on hand, I'm think I'll give each of them one! (Ladies, I've left you emails, please be sure to send me the address you want them mailed to!) Yeah! My first give away. See how simple that was? I like this, let's do it again!

Like I said earlier this week when I added the post "My heart has wings" , for this week's "positive bribery" goodie, I'm putting up one of the hearts that I made using an antique quilt and polymer wings as the next "goodie". You can check out that blog post to see how this heart was made if you'd like.

Again, it's real tough to be eligible to have this heart. Just like for the last goodie, you have to leave a comment on the blog. All comments left from today until I post the next goodie are eligible. When will I post the next goodie? When I get something cute and small and fun done.

Happy Friday y'all!

The magic of frogs...

It feels so darned good to be back in the land of the living after the ickies last weekend. Being sick just does not suit me. I am a horrible "patient" who has no patience with feeling ill. On the other hand, being sick definitely makes me appreciate how wonderful I usually feel!

It's also pretty interesting to see how feeling better improves my overall outlook on life. And, at least for a time, I will definitely appreciate the small things that I always enjoy just a wee little bit more! Take for instance... frogs...

Last night while my daughter and I walked the dog I couldn't help but hear the songs of the frogs living in the trees out back. To be so darned little those frogs make some seriously big noise! Those songs, along with the songs of the locust and the crickets, always take me back to the days when I was a little girl growing up on a farm in a very rural part of Kentucky. Back then I associated them with hot, sweaty, summer nights when I couldn't tell if it was the noise that was so loud keeping me awake, or if it was the stillness and suffocating heat of the summer night that did it. Either way, it seemed pretty miserable at the time.

These days, I have a very different viewpoint. I've acquired an appreciation for those things. Not only the heat and stillness of a late August night (you know it had to be that kind of steamy, hot, sultry night that inspired Tennessee Williams to write A Streetcar Named Desire) but now I also have a sense of wonder about the songs that the frogs, and locust, and crickets sing. Something about them providing the background music for the night is reassuring. More than that, it reaffirms that whole sense of magic to me.

I've you've read any of my blog you know that, for me, that sense of magic is really important. It's a way of looking at the simple beauty in the world and seeing the magnificence of how it all "fits" together to create this amazing place we live in. What is more lovely, or magical, than slowly waking in the morning to the gentle beginnings of dawn? Is there anything more magical than watching as the twinkling stars against that deep dark blue velvet of the night sky slowly fade as the pale glow of dawn begins to rush across the sky? I love seeing the blue give way to the pale yellows, then reds and golds of the sun, another day so full of shining possibilities ahead. Hearing the birds begin their songs to wake me and let me know that it is time to get up and begin another day. (At least, I enjoy it until on any given Saturday morning in summer the birds build their songs into the cacophony that forces me out of bed far too early.)

How lucky am I to have the frogs to sing to me as I drift off to sleep, and the birds to sing to me as I wake?

Those little frogs in the photo above were my Grandmother's. I remember finding them so cute and funny when I was a little girl, and when she passed away, they became mine. I didn't inherit money from her, I inherited something so much more important. I inherited a sense of identity. An identity that comes from all of those memories of the times we shared together through the years. Sort of like those memories of the frogs and their songs...

On being "creative"....

People who know me tell me often how "creative" I am. Some days I agree with them, others I just feel "lost". I especially feel more lost after I've been feeling poorly as I have the last couple of days. You know how it is...you don't feel good, things are more difficult, things just seem to not work out quite right. It seems to exaggerate everything that may have a negative impact. I'm certainly no different. I've been lamenting to myself about how I miss that "spark" of creativity that usually burns so strong within me, and questioning if it's even still really there. (You know ...I don't feel good...poor, poor, pitiful me.) That's not good for me. Somehow it makes me feel...less me, if that makes any sense.

Since I joined the "real world" workforce a couple of years ago, rather than making a living designing, I haven't felt as connected to my sense of creativity. I miss that feeling terribly. I decided a few months ago to join Etsy, a site for handmade artists to peddle their wares. I expected it to be a breeze..after all, people are always telling me how creative I am, how they wished they had my talent, etc., etc. Well, it really hasn't been that breeze...as a matter of fact it's been terribly disappointing. I mean really, here I am TRYING to give away my art in the ACEO form, right here on this blog...and all it takes is a comment...how many comments so far.... two. No wonder I am doubting my own efforts huh?

Rather waste the time feeling sorry for myself, we all know how really useless that is, I decided to go looking for blogs that inspire creativity, and thus, inspire me. What I found was that the wealth of artists out there is astounding. Their creativity and talent amazing. The items that they use to create and make art from is just unbelievable. Since most of us can use a little inspiration sometimes, and we all enjoy seeing something beautiful...in the upcoming weeks, or months even, I'll be sharing the blogs, and the art, that inspire me the most...maybe they will inspire you in some small way as well.

The first one I want to share is a blog that I recently ran across written by Lindy Gruger Hanson. Lindy is from Bend, Oregon, and her art is just plain uplifting. It's chuck full of brilliant hues and wonderful images that somehow speaks to your soul and makes your spirit smile. She also offers a beautiful download (for free no less) featuring positive affirmations for creativity. You can see it on her website Lindy Gruger Hanson Fine Art. Look under the e-Newsletter section, it's under the area where you can sign up for her e-Newsletter.

I just checked the blog and she has some great photos of her border collies up, they are gorgeous...she also has a link that takes you to an animal rescue site. I've been going there every day for a couple of years now. You can "donate" food to animal shelters by just clicking. (Their advertisers donate for each click that happens on the site.) While you're there, click on all of the tabs across the top, you will be donating to save a rain forest, for literacy, breast cancer research, children's health, and a fight against hunger.

But, by all means, look at Lindy's art and see if you aren't inspired, or at the very least uplifted. Read her blog, and I bet she'd be thrilled if yo said hi to her too. We "artists" (I use the term loosely in regard to myself) like that sort of interaction. My thanks to Lindy for giving me permission to share her blog with you...I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

If you have a blog that you think inspires creativity, or know one that does, let me know so that I can share it. It's a great big Internet out there, and I cannot find all those wonderful blogs on my own!

Ugh..

I woke up about 2:00am feeling icky and queasy. Called in early and took the day off and have spent it doing nothing but feeling icky. I'd hoped that, at the very least, I'd feel well enough to read a bit, but alas, haven't done that either.

Ah well, gotta have the icky days so you can really appreciate the great ones, right? Maybe tomorrow...

My heart has wings...

I'm fascinated with hearts and wings lately. Well, honestly, I've been fascinated with each for a very long time, but more recently it's been them together. I'm not sure if it has any underlying meaning or not...but they have been in my dreams for a while now. Driving home from work last Thursday an idea came to me.

I tend to see things completely finished when an idea comes to me, the details all have to be worked out later, but the underlying idea begins with a mold that I have for wings, an old, old, old quilt, and is influenced by some very old linens that my grandmother embellished.

Here's how the rest of the details worked out...I decided to make two hearts, one to keep, one to give away. I began by making the wings. I used transparent and pearlized Sculpey, mixed about half and half for them. After dusting the mold well with corn starch I simply pushed the kneaded Sculpey into the mold and gently removed it. Because I knew I wanted to attach them to the completed heart later I used a large, blunt end, tapestry needle to put two holes into each wing that I could later use to sew the wings on. When all four wings were ready I baked them according to the package directions, and when cool I applied a thin layer of a water based varnish for protection.
Next, I worked out the heart. Using the mold of the wings to help me decide how big to make the heart, I used a scrap of white paper, simply set it against the wing to determine size, folded it in half and drew the standard half heart shape. When I was satisfied with the size and shape, I moved on to the cutting and sewing.
Once the pattern was worked out, I randomly set it on the fabric of the quilt until I found a couple of areas that I thought would turn out a good combination of colors from the quilt, and cut out "chunks" of it big enough for the heart. I drew around the heart pattern (on the back side of the quilt), and stitched it up on the sewing machine. Turning it was a bit tricky, since the quilt is sooooo old, it is very easily ripped. I like the look of a couple of spots so worn that they are ripping, but it is another thing totally to rip the piece at the seams. I very carefully clipped around the curves, and very, very gently turned the piece, using the rounded end of a paint brush to gently coax out all of the corners and bottom point. I embellished each heart with a daisy, made from lazy daisy stitch and stem stitches using scraps of floss that I liked on the quilt.
And, voila, in no time at all....ok, in real time about three hours, I had these as a result...(And thanks to my guest photographer, Kate, I had pictures that I could use to share them with you!)
All in all, I think they turned out quite well. I'm not sure what I am going to do with the one I intend to keep, it may well end up on my Christmas tree, or it may end up in my office...But, remember how I wrote that one I intend to keep, the other I intend to give away? I've decided that every other Friday, more or less, will be the day I post the new "You want this?" items...so next Friday I will be posting the heart I intend to give away...

Resorting to bribery...

I'm resorting to bribery...or, as I used to like to call it when I used it with my kids "positive reinforcement" to encourage people to read the blog.

I'm sure everyone knows my fascination with ATCs and ACEOs if you've read this blog. I find myself doodling them just about everywhere. When I'm at home I am cutting and pasting and gluing....I think I am only missing the glittering, and that may well be coming next. These things are starting to pile up, even with me randomly leaving them for random people to find. Almost sounds like the neighbors who grow zucchini huh?

The long and short of it is this....beginning next week, I'm going to be randomly giving them away here too. The first one will be the one you see here (I'm going to have to work on that scan though, the card is soooo much cuter than it shows up). This particular card is "Don't Be Too Timid", it features a quote from Emerson on it, and is one that is created by hand, not scanned and printed, so you are getting an original limited edition. It is number 3 in a series of 10. I know you are wondering..."Hmmm, what hoop do I have to jump through to get that?". Afterall, nothing is for free, right? You're right...it isn't. It will "cost" you a comment somewhere on the blog. The comment can be in regard to a post, or, it can be to whatever question is currently posted on the left (currently, "what can't you life without"). The "winner" will be randomly picked from the list of comments that have been left before a new card goes up (look for a new one every couple of weeks or so). Once a new card, or other goodie, is posted, everyone who leaves a comment during the time it is up will be eligible to receive that item. While I am starting with an ACEO, the goodie of the week may not always be an ACEO. That should keep it a bit more interesting for me and you both!

So, here's to the power of positive bribery...

A soapbox rant...

(Imagine, if you would, the sound of scratching across the floor as I drag my soapbox over and step up onto it...then the clearing of my throat....)

For some time now I've been thinking that my generation is just not as "nice" as the generation of my grandparents. People are far more surly than they were (or seemed to be). We rush, we schedule ourselves into a frenzy, and we never seem to be either satisfied or happy. We are surly. Downright rude sometimes. I've even seen some people who are just plain mean. To any and everyone. It makes me sad. We just are not happy most of the time.

My grandmother was not like that. She worked very hard, it was difficult growing and preserving your own food, keeping up with kids, being involved in your community, and still finding time for your husband and even sometimes yourself...trust me, unless you have done it, you have no clue. She was never surly...or unkind...or mean. She always had time to help a neighbor, or to listen to a friend, or to kiss a boo-boo, or to give a hug. That isn't to say she was not frustrated from time to time, but in all my years with her, she was the kindest, most patient (and I tried her patience often, so I know this through experience), loving person I have ever had the happy gift to know. I am thankful every day that she had the influence in my life that she did. If it weren't for her, I most definitely would not be the person I am now.

I have a theory about why we seem to be so unhappy so much of the time. (Adjusting the podium in front of the soapbox...) And, yes, it is going to sound cliche, it probably is cliche...but I'm going to offer it to you anyway, and feel free to give this some thought...and to quote me on it if you want...or to simply stop reading now...

We work too hard to find happiness.
(and thus, totally miss it all around us.)

Somehow our society has decided that you have to have more, bigger, better "stuff" to be happy. And, in general, we have bought into that hook line and sinker. It's a great marketing ploy when you think about it. If you are convinced that you absolutely MUST have their product to be "successful", and if ONLY being "successful" will make you happy...you are obviously going to work harder, and longer, to be able to purchase their product. Your schedule is taken up by work, all the running of the kids to every possible activity out there, getting the required chores done...and finally, falling into bed, exhausted, all with the promise of being able to get up and do it all again tomorrow. Afterall, if you work this hard, you can buy their product, and you have to have it, you will be happy because it proves how successful you are. Exhausted. Cranky. Over scheduled. Thoroughly burnt out.

Who set this theory up that you have to be someone else's idea of successful to be happy?

What is "success"? Really...how do you define it? Not how does someone else define it...how do YOU define it? If it is having bigger, better and more great...go for that. The recent downturn in our economy has quite possibly changed some definitions, and, frankly, maybe for the better. Maybe now it is more quality of time than it is quantity of things.

When was the last time you spent a couple of hours with your kids that were not scheduled? Maybe just wandering through the city or town that you live in, seeing the sights like a tourist might? When was the last time you simply sat in a chair, maybe on the back deck or somewhere else relaxing and simply pet the dog or cat? Or, maybe sat on that chair and breathed? When was the last time you took the opportunity to help someone less fortunate than you? Not with money, but with time...

When was the last time you took the moment to be fully in that moment? Completely aware of it, not the past, not the future....that moment. It's never going to happen again you know. If you miss that beautiful yellow butterfly over there on that gorgeous red flower it will not be there next time you look. Your child, parent, significant other will never be exactly the same as they are at that very moment. Don't squander it...take the moment to appreciate that beauty that the Universe has bestowed on you. Hug the person that is so important...really hug them, not just a perfunctory hug. Hug them with all the love you have in your soul. You don't know after this moment if you will ever have the chance to do it again. Just ask someone who didn't have the chance to do it again how important it is.

I'm going to offer a challenge to you today...feel free to take me up on it, or ignore it completely, or just think I must be crazy. This is the challenge:

BE COMPLETELY, TOTALLY, AND FULLY IN THE MOMENT.

Don't think about the past, let go of it...especially any hurt you feel, that hurt does nothing but harm your own soul. Don't worry about the schedule you have ahead of you. Stop. Take a deep breath. Look around you wherever you are and really appreciate what is around you. No...I don't mean take a superficial look, I mean really, REALLY notice and appreciate. See how the sun plays through the leaves of a tree. Hear the frogs singing at night and feel the air all around you on your skin. Breathe deeply of the scents around you. Feel your being all the way down to your soul. Remember for just that moment, a very short 60 seconds or so, that you are a spiritual being experiencing a human existence. And be thankful. Honestly, truly, deeply thankful...just for that moment. It sounds goofy I know. It can change your entire perception of the world.

If you do take me up on it...be sure to let me know if it makes a difference for you...I know it has for me.

This was supposed to be a short blog today....see what a soapbox can do for a speech?

I mentioned a blog I ran across, Operation NICE, a couple of days ago. I love what Melissa is doing over there. I'm also terribly impressed with her (seemingly) unending enthusiasm in this engaging adventure of being nice. Being nice makes the world a better place...and you don't even have to spend a penny on it...simply be kind. Let me encourage you to go be inspired by her, and the visitors to her site, as well. Visit Operation NICE, see what you find there that inspires you....then, challenge yourself to put into action something that is nice. Doesn't have to be big, doesn't have to be spectacular...just has to be "nice". And, when you are being nice...be fully in that moment...see if it doesn't do more for you than for the person you are being nice to...

(now imagine the sounds of the soap box being dragged back to the closet for a little while....let me know if you'd like to borrow it)

One of those mornings...

Ever notice how a few "mishaps" can put you into the "poor, downtrodden, the world is against me...why, why, WHY me?" mode? It's been one of those mornings...you know the kind. The one that begins badly and often gets worse.

I'm an insomniac. I've come to accept that, and even make the most of it. Most of the time. This morning I wake up and stumble bleary eyed down the stairs to make coffee. The dog has been sick somewhere in the middle of the night. How he can do this without me hearing it, considering how often I wake up during the night is beyond me. I clean it up (thinking "ewwwwwwwwwww""), wash my hands thoroughly, and begin the coffee...and take the dog out. Where I promptly become a feast for the mosquitoes. Apparently my blood is quite tasty, and I walk away with about 6 bites below my knees. Nothing like beginning the day with itchy spots.

I go upstairs to wash my own face, look in the mirror, and see a mysterious red blotch below my right eye. Great. At least the coffee is done. I spend a few minutes browsing the news, reading my emails, checking how many visitors have been by my blog, and relish the coffee. Then I hear the dog....so much for the moment. I go get the paper towels and 409 again.

Pick out the clothes for the day, get the shower in, get dressed. Pour myself a cup of coffee and get myself off to work. It's trash day. That means the garbage truck is in the middle of the road. What is it about the guy driving the trash truck? Do they like the game of NOT letting people past them? Finally around that obstacle, the road ahead looks clear. All is going well, then, of course....coffee drips on the top.

And this is all before I even get to work. The "poor me" attitude was definitely upon me.

Something I learned a long time ago though, that I do have to remind myself of from time to time (especially in the "poor me" attitude), is that if you expect to have a bad day, you are guaranteed to have just that. There is just too much time left in this day, and I refuse to spend it in the "poor me" attitude, attracting even more negativity to myself.

Blessings abound...God, please just help me count them...

I'll let you know later how it works out...

Addendum.....how it worked out...

All in all, pretty darned good. Made another sale on Etsy, put the finishing touches on two brochures at work, spent some time working out the details of the next few things I want to put on the blog, fixed my "surrogate" mom's email for her....and, I got to see photos of a new baby boy that came into the world last week....YuvRaj Samuel Dasari....he is absolutely beautiful, and reminds me yet again of what miracles exist in the world.

I hope your day turned out to be as good as mine...

A new look....

Sooooooo.... if you are a regular reader you see the blog has a new look...if you've just stumbled across it...welcome! While I loved the other background, I simply could NOT get the archives to work. So I've gone to a more simple page, where the archives do work, and, hopefully, so will everything else as this blog grows.

Honestly, I'm still surprised that I am blogging, and even more surprised at how much I enjoy it. This is definitely a work in progress, and beginning next week there are more changes coming. There will be more posts, and I will begin featuring at least one other blog a week that I find thoroughly enjoyable.

I hope you stick around, read a bit...and bear with the ramblings of someone who is trying to find her grace in this world. Please, comment, offer ideas, thoughts, and share with me blogs you enjoy.

Oh, and one more thing....you'll start finding a few freebies...just to offer a bit of enticement for you to stick around....I can't wait to get started!

Morning in the Arboretum...

My daughter, Kate, is ready to start her senior year of high school. I honestly don't know how she got here so fast. What I do know, having an older child, is that I will miss her more than she will know when she leaves for college next fall...at least more than she will know until she sets her own children off to begin their trek into the world of adulthood. We share a unique Mother/Daughter relationship by all accounts. We are very close...something I consider such a blessing since my mother and I were not. I also consider the moments we spend doing things together some of the greatest blessings of my life. Last evening she asked if we could go back to the Arboretum, we'd enjoyed an adventure out there last Sunday, and she wanted to go back to spend more time there this morning.

We got there early and spent a couple of hours just enjoying the gorgeous flowers and each others company. I think (ok, I hope) she realizes that this is a special time for the two of us too, and hopefully will look back over the time we make together this year with special memories. The morning was particularly spectacular, filled with birds and flowers and bees and butterflies.

Kate and I didn't really discover the Arboretum until last fall when she was doing some volunteer work there one evening...dressed as a bat, sharing bat facts with groups of children and their parents as they spent the evening in the arboretum. I really don't know how many people take advantage of this lovely place, but it is more and more beautiful every time we visit. Or, maybe its beauty is enhanced for me by the fact that I am sharing time with her. Either way, it is a beautiful place, so I thought I'd share some of the peace and beauty...and color...that you find there.


I hope that your time is filled with peace and beauty that makes great memories for you too...