From Chaos Comes Happiness

          I love when I find a little note from one of my girls, here or there in unassuming locations throughout the house.  Hi Mom.  A little message left secretly. This time, it was found on our family room coffee table, gently tucked under a coaster. I found it last week, while enjoying a few moments of quiet.  Hi Mom.  It made me smile. Because this little "Hi" was just what I needed.  I immediately thought about my blog, and realized that it has been way too long since I said Hi.  So, to those who may stop by for a visit from time to time . . . Hi.  How are you?  Me? Oh, I'm good. Really.  The past two months have been jam packed. Ella's Communion, a weekend art class at a studio in Milwaukee, the end of the school year for Ella & Kate (which included a variety of end of school events and activities), business trips for Phil, a family vacation to South Carolina, teaching art classes at Bedford for me, as we...

A day late, and slightly more than a dollar short . . . but here, nonetheless! I'm so very grateful to be here with you today, my friends . . . not only because it has been too long since I've been away, but because this week I was asked to participate in a lovely little "Blog Tour" by my beloved friend, Kelly Warren, over at Happy Shack Designs ! Kelly is one awesome lady, with two absolutely adorable twin daughters, and such a creative soul . . . she brings happiness and inspiration to me so very often that even though we have only met through blogland (and never face to face), she is a lifelong friend whose very presence makes me smile! Truly.  As part of the Blog Tour, Kelly sent along a list of question for me to answer. I am so excited about these coming up right about now in life, since I have found myself S.U.P.E.R. motivated in my art, as of late. Because of that, I am really eager to think about it and write about it and share it. So, without furth...

No, no . . . dear friends, I am not  talking about letting the grays go el'natural on the hair coloring end of life. But thanks for thinking that! This is so much more than that. This is about life. Me. And Focus. You haven't forgotten that little 'Word of the Year' thing yet, have you? Focus. So, I'm doing that. A lot of it. The first thing I wanted to really focus on, was my writing. Here. On this blog. Last year was a pathetic attempt at writing. Again, with the mind going 100mph - there sure were opportunities of great thought coming in, but none of them stayed long enough to make it to the screen. So this week I wanted to really take a look at what kept me away from the blog. Why did my writing decline so much in 2013? What pulled me from something that meant so much to me for so very very long. It was simple . . . really. I think some where along my Blogland adventure last year, I tried to be something that I just wasn't. You under...

I went to dinner with an old friend of mine last week. Susan. She makes me laugh until I cry, this Susan girl. And then when I calm myself down, I laugh some more. Friends like that are good to have. Susan and I have known each other what feels like a lifetime ago, when we both were childless and single, living our days working full time and doing community theater at night. We were young. We were fearless. We lived life to the fullest. While we are still pretty fearless and still live life to the fullest, we now do so with our spouses and kids in tow. Susan still does a great deal of theater, except now she gets paid for it. Me? I make art. The last time we had dinner together was probably 5 years ago. Facebook has kept us in contact with the little updates here and there, but it has been way too long since we sat face to face and talked. But it felt like we just did it last week, that's how comfortable our friendship is. We each had long stories to tell o...

Just a quick question to throw out there right now . . . is blogger acting up? I just returned from my trip and found that my sidebar is now at the bottom of my posts, and I can't seem to figure out why. I can't seem to get it to appear to the right, like it used to. Anyone else notice something strange with blogger these days? Is this a sign from the Blog Gods that I should switch to Wordpress? Hmmmm . . . . I don't have time this moment to try and figure it out, just wondered if anyone else was having problems. I'll be back soon (I hope) with some photos from our trip . . .

Ooooooo . . . friends . . . . . I have something exciting to show you!! Something that has me approaching my blog with a pep in my step and a smile on my face. A few weeks ago . . . I printed my blog. Yes, I did. Ok, let me first start by telling you a couple of things. 1) I was not paid in any way for this post, nor did I receive any compensation (monetary or otherwise) from the company I am about to tell you about. 2) I am a paper girl. Now, let me elaborate on that one just a bit . . . I love the computer. Really. We are friends. We go way back. I enjoy it. It brings me happiness (most of the time), it inspires me, it has introduced me to hundreds of really cool and amazing people. But, I am really all about the PAPER, my friends. I need to feel paper. Touch it. I need to turn pages of a book (kindle fan, I am not). I like to read in the comforts of my favorite chair, leaning back with a comfy pillow and the feet up, covered by a soft blanket. That is 'as goo...

Years and years ago, I picked up a little quotation book from a local book store. The book, “The Change-Your-Life Quote Book” by Allen Klein, is filled with over 600 wise and wonderful quotes to inspire and motivate. We've all seen books like this one before - there must be thousands out there. But something about this simple little one just pulled me toward it back then. I must have felt that I needed to change my life, and bought this book to help me get the job done. I brought it home, and I assume I glanced through a few pages of the book, and then promptly placed it on a little bookshelf in our bedroom. There it has been . . . for probably 10 years. I do look at it time and time again, as I swiftly remove dust from the shelf, and it always brings a smile to my face. Then it returns to its resting place until I next need some extra motivation in my days. On Monday, I threw it in my bag and carried it to work. While I no longer feel the need to “change my life”, ...

Greetings dear friends! I do hope this post finds you well and and ready to welcome the weekend with open arms. I've got some housekeeping to do here today . . . so please allow me to update you on some exciting things: If you are in need of a story about life, love and photos today, please  tap on over to Leslie's blog at  " {Words of Me} Project " where I have a guest post appearing. There you will learn of another wacky habit of mine, and perhaps come up with a fun photo opportunity in your own life. Thanks, Les, for letting me share in the BLISS of your blog! If you have ever wondered about digital scrapbooking and how that whole thing works, I encourage you to take a look at my dear friend (Cindi) and her blog at "So, That's Why!" where she has spent some time writing a number of informative posts this week on the whole Digital Scrapbooking thing. I am not a digital scrapbooker ... but with Cindi's help, I might just look into it. Whil...

Remember me? I know, I know, "Where have you been?" you might be asking. Or, perhaps you didn't even realize that I've been a little absent from commenting this week. I'm sending apologies by way of this quick little post, and also giving you a very short update on the chaos of me. Yes, always chaos. But, it's all good. After a major heart-to-heart w/PG over us both stepping up and being a little more attentive to the family, the house, the laundry (augh) and each other . . . I committed to taking a break from the computer (i.e., BLOGLAND. AUGH! What was I thinking?) I guess a girl just has to do what a girl has to do. It seems every 6 months or so, PG and I have this little calling of the minds, when I really sit down and hash out the things that are getting to me. Poor guy. Not a fun night in our house for PG when this happens. The good thing, we come out stronger. I like that. So, I've prom...

I think I’m in an unhealthy relationship. No, not with PG . . . that relationship is absolutely wonderful. The relationship I am concerned about is the one I am having . . . with my blog. The other day, while taking a short break in my local Starbucks, I observed someone who LOOKED like they should have a blog. You know the type, right? (Don’t you think bloggers have the same sort of “blogger” look?) Anyway, this person was on their laptop and focused very intently on what they were doing, which, I was certain, was blogging. I received my coffee from the Barista and made my way to a table next to this “I Look like a Blogger” person. She glanced up at me and smiled politely, and I did the same. A few seconds went by, and I was dying to know what she was doing, so I tried to, ever so nonchalantly, look at what was on her monitor (by “nonchalant”, I guess I mean that I practically fell off of my chair trying to see what she was typing.) After a few minutes, she glanced up and saw me lo...

Just a quick little update, friends! Today I am being featured over at a lovely little place I like to hang out called, "Mama's Little Nestwork". Do you know Mama Hen? She (and her little chick) are just about the cutest people in blogland, and last week she contacted ME about being featured at her blog ... I was thrilled and am still feeling the happiness from her email!!! THANKS, Mama Hen!!! So, check it out! You can read more about me and Mama Hen here . . . (or, click on the button Now, if you happen to be visiting from the Nestwork for the very first time, please make yourself at home!! Pour yourself a lovely cup of coffee (or perhaps a glass of wine, if you like that sort of thing) and take a look around. There are some lovely little orange tabs at the top of this screen that will take you to all sorts of wonderful places where you can learn About Me , read some of my Best of Chaos posts, see who has received honorary "Get Out of Crankville Free...

I’ve never been one to like the game of “tag” as a child. I was never good at it … always looking at something else when playing it … like a flower, the clouds, or the cute boy next to me … so I ALWAYS got caught. Then, when it was my turn to do the tagging, I could NEVER catch anyone. NEVER. The kids I played with were always faster, so I’d find myself a bit frustrated when the suggestion to play the game would come up. Yesterday, I was tagged (darn!), by my dear blog friend Nicole over at Destination Unknown . She left me a little comment on a post that said simply, “Tag, you’re it!” “SERIOUSLY?” I thought to myself. I really thought I was done with this tag stuff. Evidently not. So, here is how this game of tag is played . . . I have to answer the following 8 questions about myself (thank goodness, there is no running involved. I don’t have the right shoes on for that today, so I’m ok. Oh, wait a minute . . . I get the insightful and deep-thinker Nicole to ask me the questions...

Have you ever hit a brick wall on your blog posts and thought, "That's it . . . I'm done. I've got nothing else to say. Nothing else to enlighten the world with. No other opinion or memory to share. No more stories to tell."? What do you do when you have spent the past year on a non-stop marathon of writing and sharing and laughing and crying with your newest BFF's in blogland, and all of a sudden you think, "Oh, dear... I got nothing left to tell them." I'm feeling that way today. All day long - in between a very very productive day at work and a non-stop action filled evening of dinner, baths, snack, Phineas and Ferb, story reading and snuggle time - I've been thinking about what I could possibly write tonight in my blog. And I've got . . .  nothing. Has this ever happened to you? What do you do? Do you ever worry that if you take a few days off, your blog friends will forget you? Or your followers will move on to other blogs...

I have been a bad blog friend ... so bad. But I am hoping that this post will make up for it! I've got some LONG over-due "Thanks!" and Happiness! sentiments to give to some wonderful blogland friends! So, please allow me to include you in the joy . . . First, to Anna . You may remember my 200th post back in May. In it, I gave away a few little goodies to one lucky friend,  and lovely Anna over at Frosted Pentunias WON! Yippie! I mailed out a little package full of happiness to Anna. Well, you'll never believe what this silly girl, Anna, did! Shortly after mailing my package to her . . . I received the most delightful mailing . . . from HER to ME!!! Oh, the joy and pitter patter I felt as I opened her gift . . . and you WON'T BELIEVE what I received . . . If you think it was beautiful . . . IT WAS!!!! If you think it was magical . . . IT WAS!!!! If you think it was one of the most delightful packages I have ever been ble...

Ok . . . it happened. I know it. How do I know it? I know it, because I have had this aching in my right elbow ALL DAY LONG . . . and while I was certain it was probably just an old tennis injury acting up (wait ... I never played tennis... never mind....).While I was certain it was an old persons type injury, after sitting at my laptop for now the past 15 minutes and casually perusing some wonderful blogs, I realized what it was. Yes, I have it. I have The Bloggers Elbow. Yes, the injury caused from too much time spent on the computer. I add, too much time spent on The Blog. Augh . . . Rita and Maria . . . don't laugh too loud at me, ok? I ask Rita (my mother-in-law) not to laugh at me - because I sure was on my soapbox today at work about how my elbow was KILLING me and how I was certain that it was the weather. Good soul that she is, Rita kept telling me, "Oh, yes... it looks like rain..." even though I know for sure that the sun was shining all day long. Ye...

Am I the blog commentor who never leaves? When you see my comment on your blog, do you cringe? I'll tell you why I'm asking. Because recently, I'm beginning to think that Blogger has it out for me. Seriously. Now, I don't know if it's the long day I had that is causing me to think that ... or paranoia ... or perhaps the glass of wine I had with dinner ... but I really think that when Blogger sees me commenting, it decides, "Hey, it's that Leanne chick .... let's mess with her!" You see, the past few computer jaunts I've taken have brought me to some really awesome blogs ... (none of which I can recall at this very moment, again, that must be the glass of wine's fault.) But I visited some wonderful places. And I commented. Lovely, witty, charming comments (of course). Now, being the obsessed person I am, I have RE-visited some of those blogs, to see if the owners of said blogs had anything lovely, witty, charming to say in return ...

Hello dear blogland friends, and wishers of "Good Back Thoughts" ! It's been a very strange few days since my last post. For a quick update to those of you who are waiting to hear from me, my lower back pain was just a bad sprain (THANK GOD!!) However, my Doc has reminded me that sometimes sprains take a while to heal and I just need to take it easy and let those muscles do their things. I'm doing lots of back stretches (which actually feel amazingly good), but other than that, the past 3 days have been spent on the couch. Ibuprofen is my new best friend (along with another pain med that I can't spell). So, A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to those dear friends who commented positive thoughts and sent such wonderful energy my way!! I felt it, believe me!!!! It's amazing how back pain can really make you appreciate the little things, you know? I've been really fortunate to have not had back problems in my life. But, I have known a few people who have really been thro...

Can I have a drumroll, please . . . . ANNA from FROSTED PETUNIAS !!!!! WAHOOO ANNA!!!!!!!! Here is Anna's comment from the give-away post: Wahooo to Anna!!!!! Now, for the remaining commenters - I offer my utmost thanks and admiration for the kind words you left me! Please rest assure the selection process was fair and square (and the offer of baking cupcakes did not guarantee Anna the winning of the goodies ... although it was close ... it still did not seal the deal!) Here are a few photos from the selection process that occurred this morning: It MUST begin with a jazzy bucket to place all the names in. Dearest Ella was our selector (in lovely pajama fashion this morning.) After a very quick dip in the bucket . . . And an even quicker opening of the paper . . . We had our winner! CONGRATULATIONS, again, to our dear Frosted Petunias Friend!!! (Anna , I hope you enjoy your gifts!) Thanks again, EVERYONE, for participating in my Post 2-0-0 Give Away! I promise we'll be ba...

Don't you love when you can spend time, CREATING, on the computer? I DO!!! This may actually be the OFFICIAL "From Chaos Comes Happiness" blog . . . for a while!!! It's still a work in progress (a couple things I'm working on, like adding other site buttons.) Special THANKS to all those who commented on my button color/design at the end of last week!! YOU ARE WONDERFUL and I SO APPRECIATE your thoughts! Since so many people like PINK - I decided to throw that into the background of the page. I'm loving Adobe Illustrator. I feel like a kid again . . . except I've replace paper and crayons with the computer . . . so amazing. Thanks for taking a look at the new "look". OOoooooo - and here is my new blog button (blue background, flowers, AND coffee, of course!!!!): Feel free to grab the html for the button on the sidebar scroll to the right. I am not a computer girl - so figuring this one out was a painstaking process . . . I lost count of how many...

Can it be? Am I really approaching 200 posts?!? (HOLY COW! What could I have possibly talked about in 200 posts? Oh, yeah, I remember . . . ) To celebrate, I thought it was time to create a button for my blog . . . so, without further ado, I give you. . . That's me. Whadya think? Or maybe this one . . . Still me, of course, but what do you think? I'm having a hard time deciding. So, would you mind helping me out and giving me your opinion? We'll call them Pink (for the first one) and Yellow (for the second). Oh, what the heck, let's throw in a BLUE . . . Pink, Yellow or Blue? PLEASE leave me a comment and let me know what looks most like ME, to YOU. I appreciate your help!