From Chaos Comes Happiness

Where, oh where, do the days go? I missed Christmas here on the ol'blog . . . the busyness of the season took hold, and the time completely got away from me. Before I knew it, I was putting away Christmas presents and thinking of the New Year! Oh, how bad am I? I do hope you and yours had the most loveliest of Christmas holidays!   We certainly had a wonderful one in our happy chaos home. From major family visits, to good food and lots of laughs, I am in a bit of a holiday fog right now. I'm anxious for the new year to begin, feeling like it's time to move on and start anew. Oh, how I love the New Year! I thought it was time to do something creative again, too . . . hence the new header. Back to the basics for me. I haven't had my little "Annalee" on my blog header for quite some time. She was calling me, so I had to add her in today. Not sure how long I'll keep the layout this way, or the font, or the header, but it works for now.  I just needed...

I'm looking at everything with new eyes lately, wide open . . . as if I have never seen before. I used to think that I was a pretty laid back person - enjoying the little moments in life and not spending time on the negative. But I think I was totally off. And after all that has taken place in our country the past week, I feel like my eyes are wide open . . . for the first time in years. I'm saying yes to a lot more . . . because I finally understand what really matters. When Katie and Ella asked if they could make cupcakes with the dear friend all by themselves yesterday, I knew the kitchen would become a huge mess and I'd be left to clean it up . . . but I said "YES!" Because, all that really matters is that we are living our lives to the fullest - laughing and loving and enjoying our moments - because every single moment is a precious one. And when they held their just frosted and slightly under baked cupcakes out for me to see, my heart filled with jo...

  When I look into their eyes, I see them. The children . . . . I see the Life. The Light. The Beauty. The Good.   These are my daughters. My angels, who continue to bless me each and every day. Who have taught me how to love and be loved, unconditionally.   I have hugged them a thousand times this weekend.   I have held their little heads in my hands, and have looked deep into their eyes, and thanked them for coming into this world for me.   I can't find the words to write tonight. My heart is broken for the souls of Newtown, CT. My tears fall for each of them, and for their families. For their angels. For their pain. For their spirits. For their faith. For what they have ahead of them.   It's too much to comprehend right now.   I just pray. And pray and pray.   For when life is too hard to understand, I have to give it up to God. I don't know what else to do. ...

Earlier this week, my friend Nicole at Destination Unknown wrote a great blog post about her love of Christmas Music. And if you have read my blog for any time at all, I am sure you can assume that I am, in fact, a lover of Christmas music too. Nicole's blog inspired me to share my own homage to the Sounds of the Season, and as expected . . . there's a story to tell. Christmas music has always been a special part of the holiday season for me. Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald . . . I grew up with the classics, and my love for them has grown even stronger through the years. I knew very early on that Christmas music would always be a big part of me. It makes me sing out loud in seconds, it can bring me to tears in minutes, and it can immediately transpose me to another place and time in my life. I can remember very clearly being a young child and waiting patiently for the radio stations to start playing Christmas music. It was a big deal...

I've been pulled towards blogland, again. The universe is telling me it's time to get back. I want to desperately catch up with dear friends from all parts of the globe and share my stories right back with them. It's a good feeling. I've been sort of burned out on the blog front for at least a year (yes . . . that long! ) It all started back in January . . . when C.O.U.R.A.G.E. set in. Remember the "Word of the Year" thing? Well, if you don't - please allow me to refresh. Every year for the past five years, I've followed the movement of a "Word of the Year" with a number of other blogland souls. The concept? To come up with a word to live life by or through or with . A word that would motivate you in your adventures. A word that would inspire  you in your days. I love the "Word of the Year" idea. In 2008, I longed for PEACE In 2009, I yearned for BALANCE In 2010, I sought to CREATE In 2011, I ho...

Back in 2009, I did a " December Daily " scrapbook for our family. It wasn't my idea (although, I would just LOVE to take the credit for it)! Scrapbook extraordinaire, Ali Edwards , came up with the concept years ago. In 2009, I jumped on the wagon and joined along . . . for I felt life was passing me by way to quickly and wanted something to stop and capture (in my humble opinion) the most magical month in the year for our family. December. I love that I can pull out that book from 2009, and see exactly what I was doing . . . today. Like, taking our family Christmas card photo . . . I love that I can look and see the photos of my girls and remember their winter coats that year, or see how the curls on their sweet heads curved around the edges of their hats just so . . . Oh, December of 2009 was a wonderful month. I did it again, in 2010.   Our dearest friends, Kathleen and Maggie, came over for dinner on December 9th, 2010. It was a great night. I r...

We're back! From a whirlwind 6 days in the most magical place on earth . . . DISNEY WORLD! Now the 5th of December . . . I am officially 5 days behind on my December Daily. I have so much I want to share with you, so many posts to write, so many thoughts to tell you about . . . I feel like I'm back . . . ready to blog again, ready to tell some stories, ready to share our adventures. It feels . . . WONDERFUL!!! I finished my temp consulting job I was doing, the day before we left for Disney. The "Two Week" turned "3 month" project came along at a really perfect time for me. I had been officially unemployed for a little over a year when my old employer called me (back in August) and asked if I could help them out with the project, and I think it was exactly what I needed to get myself back into the groove of real life again. While it was all good (and a great way to make money), I am glad that it has finished and I can get back to what was normal for ...

Oh, how I love this time of year. I love when the house becomes a magical place full of twinkle lights and pine scented candles (because, you know, I don't do the real tree thing and I have to get the scent some how). I love when I've been outside in the cold and then step into our home and my glasses immediately fog up from the warmth. I love the sounds of Christmas music in the background, and whistle of wind as it rushes up against our windows. I feel like I come alive, again, during this time of year. And I love it. Usually about this time of the year, I start to reflect on the year that is about to pass and I begin to focus on my goals for the New Year. It's as if a new energy that takes over. I'm very excited for 2013, my friends. I don't know why. I just have a great feeling about it. So many goals to work towards. So many opportunities to grab hold of. But, I'm ready. I finished my consulting job this past week. Tuesday, to be exact. I...

13 days. It's been 13 days since I've written here. Yikes. That has to been the longest break I've ever taken from my blog. How could it be? Where, on earth, have I been? I've always said I'm Multi-Creatively Challenged - I have a hard time putting creative effort into multiple avenues at one time. I can work on a couple of 'like' projects at the same time, but throw something completely different into the mix, and I'm blubber. It doesn't work for me. The brain can't function. So trying to write a meaningful and well written blog post the past few weeks has been almost impossible. Because . . . I'm in holiday gift making mode. I had a table at a local Holiday Bazaar last week and had a pretty successful show (yay!) Afterwards, I decided to throw a little bit more into the mix by hosting a Holiday Open House at my house . . . TODAY (at 3pm) . . . for all my friends, family members and neighbors. There is something pretty overwhelmin...

Phil took Katie out to the bus stop this morning. He is in town this whole week, and it is amazing how calm my soul is because of that. While he'll be leaving for the office during the day, at least each night he is home with us. Yes, life is good. Today he came back into the house after seeing Kate off to school, and said that the frost was just beautiful on our rose bushes. He grabbed the camera, and snatched some photos of it. I love my husbands photos. He could be a professional photographer. Have I ever told you that before? The modern age of iPhone camera (and the convenience of it all) has often taken the place of our usual digital camera, so I feel like we've gotten a little bit away from the really skilled photos we've had in the past. But when he has the camera . . . beautiful things happen. Here is a shot of the roses this morning . . .   I played with it, a bit, in photoshop. But after taking a second look, the unedited version above (as you see i...

November.               It's November.                                Holy Cow.                                               I still don't know where April, May, June or July went.                                                              ...

Here we are, again! It's been a wonderfully crazy and busy week. I've over extended myself, yet again. Running classroom holiday parties, husband traveling, making art, new activities for the girls, oh . . . and then there is that darn job thing always getting in the way of all the fun. ;) I hope to be finished in the next week or two. Yes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I think. I long for slower days. When I can . . . breathe. When I can . . . read. When I can . . . go to bed early and sleep in late. Maybe in January. January of 2036, perhaps. That's when my social security (God willing) kicks in. Yep, 2036. Until then . . . here's a little glimpse at my week . . . We saw Justin Bieber on Wednesday! Phil, Katie, Ellie, our neighbors Christina, Megan, Jenni and Gabriella, and me.  Phil drove all of us in our mini-van (thank goodness for our mini-van). And with the help of ear plugs, we all survived! I discovered an old love of good o...

Every time I step out of our bedroom and glance over to Katie's door, I see it. When the outdoor light shines from her bedroom windows, and it catches it just right . . . I see it. If you go up close to it and look at it from an angle . . . you can see it.  Lip gloss covered kisses, from my daughter Katie. Too many to count. Right there, on his nose. That is, Justin Bieber's nose. When I was 12 years old (way back . . . in 1984), I was in L.O.V.E. with Michael Jackson. My parents (who were more into Barbra Streisand and Johnny Mathis) didn't quite get it. My father didn't like M.J.'s choice in clothing, or dance moves (why was he always grabbing his crotch?), and my mom certainly didn't care for him. But me? I LOVED him. His dancing and his songs simply took my breath away. Loved him. I remember my dad coming home from work one day and handing me a poster rolled up in a tube. Not sure what was inside, dad explained that someone he work...

Greetings my dearest friends, and Happy Monday to you all! I hope this post finds you well rested after the weekend, and ready to take on some new adventures. I know I am . . . and let me tell you friends . . . I'm in the midst of a great adventure right now. Oh, what a craft making Diva I have been! This past weekend, I actually think I have out done all previous "Craft Diva" projects.  And oh, how I can't wait to tell you all about it! If you follow my Facebook page, you'll know that I started my most recent creative adventure this past weekend . . . making candles. It started with an idea of a new product to offer in my next Holiday Craft fair (November 10th), and you know me - when I get an idea and have a vision of what I want, I stop at nothing to make it happen. Very early in the process, I realized this was more than just an "idea". I had committed to a whole process of creating, and I learned more about myself than I ever imagined. Like most t...

. . . hearing the doorbell ring, and hearing the engine of the UPS truck pull away as you open the door and find it sitting there . . . waiting. A brown box. Some can be little. Some can be big. Just depends on the goodies you're expecting. Whatever it is, knowing that the box is from  Blick , it's just about all that matters. Nothing is wonderful as that. The box I received this week contained some new palette paper, a whole set of Mod Podge (matte, sparkle, glossy, outdoors and paper varieties), 50 small 4x4 canvas boards, and 25 assorted paper mache boxes. Yes . . . these. What, pray tell, am I going to do with 25 assorted paper mache boxes? Oh, wouldn't YOU like to know?!? ;)  Oh, I've got some ideas . . . some visions . . . some wheels that are turning. You're going to have to hang in there to see. So, I'm getting busy in my studio, again. I've signed up for another craft fair on November 10th, and I have lots to do to prepare for it. In a...

Just a little crafty thing to share with you today . . . a little project that took me a short amount of time, and really spruced up the house. I love mini-lights. And we have the perfect banister in our home to place lots of them. Usually around this time of year, as the darkness falls upon us earlier and earlier, I look for some sort of light to string on our banister. This year was no exception. After I realized the Halloween ribbon was on sale for 50% off at Michaels last week, I went to town . . . All it took was one string of orange lights, and a bunch of ribbon, cut in about 7" strips. Michaels has the BEST ribbons, don't you think? I took a strip of the ribbon, and tied it to the string of lights like so . . . I think I tied two or three ribbons between each light. After a short time, it started to look really festive! Then, I simply tied it to the banister . . .   Here it is, without the flash . . . LOVE IT!   Oh, just t...