From Chaos Comes Happiness

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 worked with knew someone

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 think of the possibil

What a beautiful week . . . what a beautiful Fall . . . what a beautiful world . . . especially when looking at it from here. My daily journey. Oh, it's been too long since I've written about my road. But it's still there, of course. I don't travel down it daily, as I use to. But I do get to visit it at least two or three times a week. This past week, it was in it's glory. The trees are absolutely gorgeous this fall. My mom and I were talking about them this morning, and determined we have no idea why people talk of traveling out east to see the colors change. The colors are beautiful right where we are. I'm coming down from the hype and excitement of the craft fair. Feeling alive and regenerated in my creative self. I shared some of my art goodies with some of the people at the hospital where I am still doing work at, and it was . . . awesome! One of the ladies stood reading my " Annalee " greeting cards and said, "Wow! I love your

Oh, the time! Where does it go? So sorry for the delay in post. I'm just recovering from the past few weeks of production, and am now catching my breath. I feel like I'm on cloud 9 right now. Life is just really, really good. The Art & Craft Show came . . . and went last Saturday. And it was . . . WONDERFUL! The weather was beautiful, and I had a prime location to display. Craft Shows like this are sort of a hit or miss. Last year, I didn't have much success. But I think I went into this one last Saturday a little more . . . positive. A little more . . . hopeful. A little more . . . happier. It's amazing what happiness can do for the soul. Here are just a few photos from the event . . . Here is photo of me behind the table, right before the show was to open.  (Sorry about the quality of the shots . . . all from my phone.)     I had this large banner made a few weeks ago through Vistaprint, and I love it. It set the tone the moment a customer