From Chaos Comes Happiness

"And what do you do, Leanne?" she asked . . . as I stood over a counter munching on some fresh broccoli and delicious dip. "Me?" I answered, "well . . . I'm an Artist." I said it. To a complete stranger. And then I smiled. A great big smile. I've never done that before, you know? I've never said that I was an artist. But last Friday (the very day I felt in a gloomy state and wrote that "The Pits" post on this very blog), I said I was an artist. Yes, I did. At a home demonstration, over the broccoli dip. I said, "I am an Artist!" And I've been smiling ever since. I put it out there, friends. In the great big universe. And since then, I've been making it happen. After claiming my position in the universe, and after a heart-to-heart with both PG and my sister, I am moving forward. I am surrounded by love and support. From family, friends, and blogsouls (that would be you!) and I am forever grateful. Really

A few weeks ago, Katie was getting ready for school and had a few minutes to spare before her bus was expected, so she asked if she could ride her scooter on the sidewalk while we waited for her school bus. "Sure," I said, "but be careful, honey. Don't hurt yourself. " I called out, as she headed toward the door. The minute I said, "don't hurt yourself", I started thinking. Why do I do that? Why do I always have to warn her, or say something like, "don't hurt yourself", "don't fall down", "don't do this or that"? It's not like she is the type of kid who heads outside and purposefully tries to fall down and hurt herself. Why can't I just let her be a kid and go and run and have fun, and not have to throw some sort of negative idea in to the air? Is that just a mother thing? Something that all mothers just have to do when their child is about to leave from their protective arms? Hmmmm . . . I the

Fear. Ugh. Go away. I have a pit in my stomach today. A pit that hurts inside. A pit that wonders what the heck I am doing. A pit that has me thinking it's time to get back into the "real world" and leave this dreamy state behind. A pit that took a good long look at the bank account and said, "Ok . . . seriously . . . get moving, honey. You need a job. NOW." I need to put my art out there. But I still have much to do before I am ready for that. Do I really? Or is it just the scared me who is procrastinating.  Bowl of peach pits image from google image search. Original source unknown.  I'm a big procrastinator. Sometimes . . . life is the pits, you know? Sometimes . . . I just need a day like this to bring me down to reality a little. Sometimes . . . I want to crawl up under the covers and let the day go by without having to get up. But I can't do that today. Or tomorrow. I have things going on that require my presence.

Just a little peek . . . I'm so very excited! And don't forget, Christmas is right around the corner. I'll have lots of goodies for all of those on your list. My ETSY SHOP is COMING SOON!!!! YIPPPIEEEEE!!!

I had a business meeting with myself on Monday. At my local Starbucks Office. I decided it was time to develop my mission statement,  my business plan, my hopes and my dreams. It went really well. “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” - Lao Tzu I'm taking steps, my friends, each and every day.

Did I tell you that I went to a jewelry show a couple of weeks ago? And, that I am obsessed with Pinterest? They don't really have anything to do with each other . . . well, not really, but maybe just a little. Yes, I went to a friends home jewelry show, and bought myself some GORgeous jewels. Nothing too fancy, but all lots of cool fun. And I'm loving Pinterest. Have you been there yet? It's an awesome sight were one can "pin" and save some of their favorite images from the web, and I LOVE IT! I can spend HOURS there, pinning and repinning things that I love . . . (I said I can spend hours, not that I do actually spend hours there . . . although, if I could . . . I certainly would.) If you want to see some of the things I've pinned on my boards - click the red bar on the right that says "Follow Me on Pinterest." Anyway, I am sure that I was inspired by a pin somewhere for this awesome DIY project that I did today. Although, when going back thr

"Did they like you, Momma? Did they like your art?" Those were the first words I heard on the phone from Katie, my dream catcher, when I called to check in from The Creative Connection Event this weekend. I am home, my friends. And let me tell you . . . the past three days have been life changing for me. Truly. Life changing. I can't wait to tell you about it. You know, my Katie is my very own dream catcher . . . the one who has stood by me the past 8 weeks when I lost my job, the one who has watched as her Mom threw herself into her art, the one who has heard me say to her time and time again how important it is for her to follow her dreams in life . . . Yes, my little dream catcher. She was SO supportive of me as I made some pretty tough decisions the past few months . . . and she was  still supporting me. Even when I was in Minnesota and she spoke to me on the phone. My girl. *sigh* As you know, I went to Minnesota for The Creative Connection Event, where I g

You might be wondering what I am doing here, when I said I wouldn't be back for a week. Well, I've got 15 more minutes until the coloring in my hair is set (seriously), and 1 hour and 30 minutes until I have to leave the house (seriously, again), and 5 hours until my flight (yep . . . for real) . . . so, what else should this girl do with her time? Yep . . . I'm blogging. I know. I'm also nuts. I also wanted to share just a few pics with you . . . you see, this is what it looks like when you put your dream wings on and fly . . .   . . . . when those wings help you accomplish it all . . .  . . . . and what it looks like when there is nothing stopping you  . . . . It's pretty great, huh? Hugs to you all. I'll be back soon with lots of fun pics, I'm sure. Until then, I wish you all much peace and happiness in your days! :)

Well, dear friends. I hope each of you had a lovely day yesterday and hugged those near you, remembered those far, and shared moments filled with hope and great inspiration. I know that I did. I'm just stopping in for a quick post to let you know that I'll be absent from blogland for the next week, or so . . . getting prepared for that amazing adventure I am taking to The Creative Connection Event in two days, and I still have SO MUCH to do. I have been crazy busy this weekend, staying up until 1AM and then being woken just a couple of hours later by Ella (who has been under the weather.) I'm running on very little sleep, but the adrenaline has kept me painting, writing, dreaming . . . and accomplishing it all. Soon, I'll be packing. And then . . . sharing my dreams with complete and total strangers. Sounds scary, doesn't it? But I'm not scared. . . AT ALL. I'm EXCITED. I'm THRILLED. I'm READY. I'm INSPIRED. I'm MOTIVATED. And I haven'

Dear Hero, It seems so strange writing this to you today. I just felt like I had to. Because, it's been 10 years. And I can't stop thinking about you. We've never met. But I have prayed for you a thousand times, at least. I've watched as your family held up pictures of you as they searched for any sign of hope. I've prayed as rescue efforts took place, in a hopeless pile of dust. I've thought of you, and dreamt of you. I've cried for you, over and over and over. Tomorrow, I will cry again. I know that you didn't know what was going to happen that day, 10 years ago. I know that as you dressed for work, ate your breakfast, and headed into the city, or as you packed your bag and took your seat in the airplane that morning, or as you sat at your desk to start your days work, you had no idea that your life was going to change forever. I will never know what you went through that morning. I will never know the things you saw, the things you heard

If the Good Lord wanted me to try and pull the hot, just melted mozzarella cheese (sticking so perfectly to the piece of foil that I just pulled off of the steaming hot zucchini lasagna that my mother-in-law made us for dinner), he certainly would have made me Italian. I am not Italian. The Italians would have certainly let the cheese sit there . . . for just a little bit . . . until it cooled down. yes, the Italians would have known that. Not Me. But I do realize I have a good life. I am unemployed. My mother-in-law made us dinner. I am able to focus 100% on starting a creative biz. I have the luxury of sleeping well after the 5:30AM that I used to wake up at just 8 short weeks ago. I am taking myself on a creative adventure next week . . . alone . . . and will be spending 4 days thinking about nothing but my creative life. Today Ella and I ate lunch outside on a picnic bench, because we could. Just her and me. And because of all of this, I was able to sign up as HEAD room p

Wow . . . You know that feeling you get when your mind can't stop thinking . . . the thoughts, the ideas, the dreams, the plans, the "to-do's" just keep adding up, and you wonder if the ride will ever stop? I'm feeling that this month. But it's a really really good feeling. We are having a busy month in this home of mine. School is in full force and activities are taking up many of our hours after school. Dentist visits are schedule, business trips are scheduled, oh . . . and me? I'm following a dream. Yep. A BIG one. Won't go into much detail right now . . . but I just wondered if you could throw some EXTRA POSITIVE energy out into the universe for me this month (specifically, mid-month, if you don't mind). Oooooo . . . it's so good, that I'm feeling giddy. So, think positive with me, will you. Right now. Ommmm. Shanti shanti shanti. Ommmmm. Shanti shanti shanti. (Shanti means "peace", in case you weren't

We are all capable of becoming more and doing more than we ever thought we could. I am busy, busy, busy believing in myself, doing more than I thought I could, and becoming . . . something. Follow your dreams, my friend, as far as they will go. Peace

Well, that was a gloomy day yesterday, wasn't it? After writing " Melancholy Me ", I did what any self-deprecating individual would do . . . I left the house, and walked. A long long walk. The kind of walk where you never look back, never look ahead, you just keep on walking. It was the kind of walk that allows oneself to soak in the sights and sounds of nature. The kind where you can close your eyes and feel the soft gravel crunch under your feet with each step, and soon the sounds of the insects around you sound like the most peaceful symphony you've ever heard. Yes, it was a wonderful walk. PG and Ella were with me. And they allowed me to just be in the moment without much distraction or bother. I was so glad to have this time with them. With myself. With the universe. When we returned home, we hopped in our little donut-ring paradise (our pool) and let all our worries out. PG listened as I shared my recent obstacles in my creative life, and he was so s