Hello Monday...

Hello lazy sleep in kind of Monday...

would be about perfect if only we weren't missing Steve and Macey.  

Hello week 5 of training...hope to get another outdoor run in this week...

my awesome new shoes are ready.

Hello coffee and homemade scones for breakfast...yummy...would you like the recipe?

Hello sunny skies...love that we are getting close to spring!  

Yesterdays snow won't stick around too long if you keep shining.

Hello lovely natural curl and wave and body...

why can't I harness you and have this style while looking good...

instead of you just presenting yourself when I let you air dry...

oh yeah and could you move around to include the back as well!

 Hello messy piles of creativity looking forward to finishing my first vision board.  

 Hello wonderfully relaxing music...love this newly created station on Pandora.

You are perfect to listen to while I work on my vision board.

Hello to all the wonderful new blogs I clicked 

through too this weekend...you are fueling my creativity, my dreams

and just how I can bring you to reality:

Tenacious Leigh

Jen Louden

Louise Gale

Danielle LaPorte

Christine Cane

Tiny Buddha

just to name a few I could go on and on...so much goodness out there.

Hello lists...please help me stay on track this week.

Hello new recipe - hope the boys like you.

Hello Aromatherapy Class....I really do promise to get working on you...I will post abou you repeatedly until I am a certified Aromatherapist!!!

As always thanks to Lisa for such a great idea...keeps me present!

My Love of Art

I am participating in The Love of Art Blog Party today hosted by Rachel Payne

What a wonderful thing...writing about why we love art!

I am sure each of us is very different in the type of art we create

and the type of art we love or are drawn to

but I bet the reasons we love art are probably very very similar!

For me it's very basic at it's core...

I love art because it makes me happy!

When I am in the process of creating I am at peace.

Without those moments of creativity I am a mess...

nothing else can fall into place...

because I am not in place.

As long as I am creating at some level on a regular basis...

well it makes the rest fall into place a little easier.

(beautiful wooden heart by my sister Jamie)

Art connects!!!

This is another huge reason that I love art.

The artist community is a wonderful place...

meeting and chatting and brainstorming with other artists...

oh what an awesome thing... 

it leads to more courage, bigger ideas, and new possibilities...

and the discovery of some extremely awesome ARTISTS...

those Kindred Spirits...

(beautiful tin heart made by one of my favorite artists Carissa Fox of Brown Eyed Fox)

and their beautiful ART!!!

ART that now graces the walls of my home...

ART that brings a smile to my face...

ART that might just inspire more ART!!!

Not to mention the good artists do...

I have had the opportunity to help others through my art.

There have been times when maybe I haven't been able to give money to a worthy cause...

but I can always donate a piece of my art...

and it can be sold or auctioned off and maybe bring a slight blessing to another.

What's not to love about that.

So see it's simple...

art makes me happy...

I simply cannot be me without art!!

(posted both here and at Star Hitched Wagon)

My wish...

My wish for this day is that you all are surrounded in love!

And remember I appreciate each and every one of you!!

My New Year's Wish for You...

 Comfort on difficult days,
Smiles when sadness intrudes,
Rainbows to follow the clouds,
Laughter to kiss your lips,
Sunsets to warm your heart,
Hugs when spirits sag,
Beauty for your eyes to see,
Friendships to brighten your being,
Faith so that you can believe,
Confidence when you doubt,
Courage to know yourself,
Patience to accept the truth,
Love to complete your life.
-Anonymous

My friend Shelley Kinnison posted this wonderful poem...

I thought it was too perfect no to share.

Lucky Lucky Me

This post is a tad overdue but still filled with as much happiness as November 16th.  :)

Happiness???  What kind of happiness you say?  

Well on Novemeber 16th I won an ORIGINAL painting 

by the extremely talented Mae Chevrette.

This exact piece named Home:

 

Isn't it just gorgeous!!!???!!!

I could not believe my luck!  I ADORE Mae's work.

I have this print in my studio:

and it makes me smile every time I look at/read it.

These prints are on my wish list:

To Be Brave

Heat and Intuition

 

Find the Beautiful

Isn't her work just wonderful???  They would make such terrific Christmas gifts!!

And I just noticed she is having an awesome sale!

Perfect!!!

A HUGE thank you to Mae for the gift of this original piece of art work!  

I truly truly love it!!!

Happy Mother's Day....

...to our beautiful mother's.

We love you very much!

Happy Mother's Day to all the other wonderful Mother's out there!  I hope it is a beautiful day - because this is a most special day - not just a little holiday - a day to feel LOVED!!!

It's time....

I Love a Good Crop

Inspired to Scrap is having a Fall Crop - I will be there - planning on getting a bunch of pages done.  How about you?  Are you planning on joining those terrifically inspired ladies?  Hopefully I will see you there!

i dance. do you?

This week is my giveaway over at i dance - so you must go check it out.....hopefully you already knew it was my week because you have been hanging out there every week learning the oh so fun dance!!  It is a blast - if I can do it - surely anyone can.  

Inspired to Scrap

A sweet scrapbooking friend has launched a fun new place for scrapbooking goodness and you must check it out!!!

Right now she has got a great giveaway going on. This is the prize package - sweet!!!

For your chance to win go check it all out.

Hope to see you there!

And best of luck to Stacey with her new adventure!!!

Good friends

A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.
- Bernard Meltzer

That's these guys - they love me at my best and at my worst - or at least I hope they do!  :)  I love them unconditionally - not that they have a "worst"!!!!  These are my whatever friends - friends who to laugh with, cry with, drink with, dance with, be crazy with, walk with, visit with - no judging - just good friends!  Friends who I miss terribly!  
I love you guys!!!

I enjoyed my days in Sheridan.  A great way to start a great trip.  So good to hang out and catch up.  My dear friends Kim and Eric have the most wonderful front porch on their beautiful home - makes coffee so much better.  And their back yard is a retreat I tell you.  Such an amazing friend.  Kindred spirits we are.

Catching up and hanging out with Denise and Dave and Logan and Levi - oh I wish I would have brought my camera to the park - her boys are so sweet!!!  Denise I miss ya deary...you are such a terrific friend! 

 And sweet Annie....never a dull moment....beautiful and fun.

Ok guys I have come back to Sheridan many a times now it's your turn to come visit me (Denise you rock - you've been here twice since we moved - love ya) - or at least let's plan a girls weekend....

Oh the goodness...

It's good to trade....

Such talent

Art Swap update:

I received Becky's beautiful FRESH green felted hat - it is so wonderful!

Joleyn will be swapping one of her gorgeous prints.

I will be swapping a bracelet called A Reminder:

The ball has a sweet little chime in it - so I call it - A Reminder - to remind you of just how blessed you are. 

There is still time to join in - as you can see these are really beautiful pieces of art.

I am reposting the details below:

I was thinking AGAIN that we should do an ART SWAP.....would I have any takers????  I might just keep reposting this until I get some takers because I think this could be fabulous!  We could go with a theme and then crafters/artists of all media could participate - knitters, crocheters, jewelry designers, poets, photographers, paper artists, quilters, sewers, etc. etc.  Heck even if I had one taker that would be enough - we could trade.  It would just be great fun to see what others are creating.
How about a THEME of FRESH.  Whatever fresh means to you.

It's the 25th today - comment and let me know if you are interested.
DUE DATE: March 18th (which means they need to be in my hands by the 18th - sent out using PRIORITY MAIL by the 15th of March)
All items will be swapped and sent back out by the 23rd.
Ok the nitty gritty details - BEST WORK ONLY - and I am sure this goes without saying - only send in something you yourself would love to get.  Send your item along with $5.00 for shipping back to you.  Please only send cash.   
It's hard to put a value minimum or maximum - so the best I can do is tell you items I am considering making for the swap:
earrings, a felted soap, a paper door decoration, a small bird, a hanging pillow, a 5 x 7 photo, an altered jar, a set of note cards, etc......
What do you say - I know there a lot of talented people out there - and some of you even read my blog!  :)  I would love to see what we can do!!!  Hope to hear from you soon....

Falls Here

Sandal weather may be coming to an end - WOOHOO!!! Not that I don't love my sandals - but I LOVE FALL!!!!!!!!!!! I really really do. I love the cold nights and mornings - I sleep like a baby. I love the cool sunny afternoons. The colors of the leaves make me swoon - and giddy! Even the smell is so comforting. This is my season - I just can't help but be happy!

I am not sure if I told you all or not but I have a new job - I have been at it since the end of August. And here is a little secret - I love this job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As far as outside the home jobs - this job is truly the best job ever!!! I am an assistant preschool teacher - I know - I am so lucky!!! This was one of those things I thought might be too good to be true when I interviewed for it. The ladies I interviewed with were beyond wonderful. When I got the call offering me the job I was beyond thrilled. So there ya have I work outside the home now with two bunches of absolutely adorable kiddoes, and alongside some really fantastic teachers. I only work mornings so I still get to create like a mad woman in the afternoons - which also makes me giddy!!!

Life is good!

So I was reading on Scrap Happy her list of things she would like to accomplish in the next few months - and I thought it was brilliant - I have a growing list of things I want to do - so what better than to post them here - maybe some of the items will inspire you to do something different - or maybe not.

Make hot pepper pizza.

Make tomato pizza.

Go to wildlife safari for the Halloween festivities.

Go to Fontenelle Forest for their Halloween festivities.

Make a pumpkin roll.

Make new jewelry - lots and lots of it.

And hoping I sell lots and lots of said jewelry!!!

Do a layout a day in the month of October.

Go make more pottery.

Make squash soup.

Bake a pumpkin for the first time ever.

Learn to crochet - and secretly hoping I am as good as my mom!

Make Christmas gifts for my sisters, my mom, my grandma and my mother in law.

I have ALWAYS (or at least for as long as I have known Martha Stewart (yes we are bff's))wanted to have a beautiful Harvest party outside in the beautiful cool fall weather - with a perfectly decorated table in the yard dressed like it should be inside. Complete with soup in a pumpkin - maybe this year I will get around to it. A girl can dream.....

Umm yeah a date with my hubby would be nice - it's been a while.

VALA's here we come - I love Vala's pumpkin patch - we will be going at least twice possibly three times this year.

Make new friends!!!

Get together with the wonderful friends I have.

Send care packages to my 3 nieces and 2 nephews.

Send a letter - via snail mail - it has been sooooooo long since I have done this!

Read lots and lots of books - like My Sister's Keeper and all the rest of Jodi Picoult's books and The End of the Alphabet.

Watch The Family Stone over and over again and Goonies - cause I LOVE them.

Family Movie night - we are overdue - thinking it will be Where the Wild Things Are.

Go to Halloween 2 with my hubby - cause we like scarry movies.

Rent Trick R Treat - reason see above.

Decorate our house super spooky and ghoulish for Halloween - cause we love Halloween. And we sort of love spooky! Steve had a great idea to put a full sized Michael Myers behind our gate in our backyard - the street light shines right on that area - it would be freaky - might a scare a few little ones but it would be cool - the having it there not scaring the little ones!!!

Make homemade egg rolls.

Run with Connor.

Commit to walk or run at least 3 times per week - ideally 4 or 5.

Read Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs with my Xanderman.

Complete an altered canvas (like Jayne)

Go to New Moon with Xander!!!! DUH!! We both can't wait! The rest of the family are welcomes to come - the other two boys are just not that in to it and the girl - yeah we are just not cool enough - she will not doubt see it with her friends.

Etch some silver.

Etch some brass.

Make more super cool leather cuffs - I wear mine pretty much daily - love the smell of leather and it looks SOOOOO cool!

Laugh a lot.

Maybe even dance a little.

And love much!!!!!

If you have a list made or will be making please do share with me!!! I love to read these fantastic lists - it inspires me to try new things!!!

I hope you ALL have a beautiful fall.

Blog Friends

Run on over to Bushel and a Peck and read all about her giveaway. It is a hugely generous giveaway - and you really want to check out her shop too:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5349204

Her skirts are my favorite! They are so sweet - and look so comfortable - and the price is great - I really do need to order one!

Her blog is full of beautiful vintage finds and she dresses amazingly :) I commented on her blog out of the blue to see where she shops - I know tacky!!! But she always looks so darn cute in her photos. She was sweet enough to reply to my post - so she really is sweet too.

Anywho....go check it out - maybe you'll win.

Goodies From Feeling Scrappys.......

.....Shimmer, Sparkle and Shine Class