From Chaos Comes Happiness

I can't believe I haven't written in a month. One month. One complete and entire month. Augh. As I've said many times before, I'm multi-creatively-challenged. I swear, I need to write a book just on that concept alone. However in doing that, I fear it would bring yet another absence of some other creative task. I started the year off so strong here in blogland, but somewhere got lost this past month. In between starting a new health regimen, Phil's really crazy busy travel schedule, a craft fair, and a whole desire to get in touch with myself (again . . . ), my blog fell to the wayside. Something always gives. Sniff. Sniff. My sister is always telling me to stop apologizing for things (I am a frequent "I'm sorry" girl). Actually, she yells at me. "STOP SAYING YOU'RE SORRY!!!!" she'll demand, when I truly deep in my heart express apologies to people for what they are expressing. "STOP IT!!" She gets pissed at me. It m...

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  took a drive through the forest preserves near my house today . . . It was cloudy - a grayish overcast outside - but in these woods, you couldn't tell. The changing colors were still so present, clouds and all. And only 5 minutes into my ride . . . I could feel that we are in middle of a great change in seasons. And I loved that today. It was just me . . . and the crickets chirping, the birds tweeting, the small little stream trickling, and the distant train whistles blowing. And it was beautiful.           I like to drive through here every few weeks. Sometimes I get out and walk for a while, alone . . . but not very often. I must have seen too many SVU crime shows to be comfortable in the woods by myself. But I still love being there.  Sometimes I get upset when I see a car pull up behind me. In my moments of peace, I find myself feeling hurried along and bothered, and usually pull off to the side so the other vi...

I've been doing a lot of thinking . . . uh-oh . . . PG would be nervous. I know when ever the words "Honey? I've been thinking . . . " come from my mouth, I am sure he gets some sort of pit in his stomach. The "WHAT" that I have been thinking is never expected. It could be something random, like having pasta for dinner . . . to something as totally drastic, like going to buy a new car that day. (Seriously.) But when ever I am thinking , you can be certain of one thing . . . Change is a'coming. So, I've been . . . thinking. I've had my little "From Chaos Comes Happiness" home here for quite some time. Started wayyyyy backkkkkk  in 2009, actually, when I was a mother of a 6 and 2 year old, was an almost full-time health care worker, was not doing a single creative thing (other than scrapbooking), and was desperately trying to find  . . . me. I think I found her. Me, that is. In the past four years, I have grow...

When I was little, I wanted to be an artist. I know I've told you that before . . . maybe once or twice. It was the job I dreamed of. Well, one of the jobs I dreamed of. I wanted to make art . . . and I wanted to teach it. To empower, to inspire, to encourage, to teach. Really. It's what I think my core is made of. And my friends . . . I'm going to be doing it. I got a job, my friends. A dream job. A job that will allow ME to be ME. REALLY me. The me that can create, dream, inspire, motivate, encourage, teach, and share my talents with others. Really. Me. This summer, I'll be teaching art classes for our Park District. Yes, it's the park district (not my own studio). But it is the beginning of something amazing. I feel it. And I still feel like a "pinch me" would fit in right about now. You see, every season when the new park district catalog would arrive in our mailbox, I would quickly peruse the pages trying to find . . .SOMETHING that I...

Do you know that here they come! scene in "It's a Wonderful Life"? Right after George and Mary are married, the camera shot is a close up of Cousin Tilly as she shouts, "Here they come! Here they come!", and the new Mr. & Mrs. George Bailey head down the stairs in complete and total joy over their recent union. Oh, there is excitement and joy in the air, and life is oh-so-good at that very moment! I feel like Cousin Tilly, except I am at the top of the stairs leading to our basement . . . announcing that I have completed the moving of furniture and organizing of a room that has become . . . well, quite frankly, a mess. Here They Come!!! friends, Here They Come!! The photos from of my studio space . . . . ah, I'm so glad to be on this side of the project. Finally. The challenge? To take our basement and somehow, someway, turn it into a place that was not only my art studio, but a space where Phil Guy (my dearest husband) could close the ...

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...

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 ...

I've been working really hard this week. Still doing a bit of that work project for my old employer, and then coming home and working on my art for the upcoming art fair I've been talking about. I'm up to my elbows in mod-podge, paints, prints, jewelry and absolutely everything else that I can get my hands on this week. All of this has me living some late late nights, followed by really early mornings, and I'm just exhausted. It'll be over soon . . . I know. I feel like I'm rehearsing for a play. I used to be in theater (can't remember if you knew that or not.) I've probably been in about 30 plays in my life . . . most during my college years, but a number of them during high school. It's kind of funny that I am working for an art fair that will be held in the high school I attended. And I find myself with that same excited and exhausted feeling that I felt so many years ago at this school, when I performed in Chicago, Annie, Bye Bye Birdie...

I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I've blogged. This has to be my very longest absence . . . and one that I am not happy about. Oh, how I miss my blog. But oh, how crazy busy life has been. My blog post title kind of sums it up . . . the Days of my LIVES. And yes, I meant LIVES . . . because lately, depending on what time it is when you find me, I can be living one of five different lives. There is my life as a Mom taking care of my girls, as a wife supporting a husband and his busy work schedule, as head room mom trying to plan for the 4th grade school year, life as an employee pulling thousands of files for a project, and life as an artist . . . creating and filling my soul with inspiration and joy. That last life makes all the rest even better, you know? I am still working that "short-term" project for my previous employer. I finished the first projected they asked me to work, and was immediately approached for another, more intense one. I ac...

A couple of weeks ago, I had two hours to myself. Two whole hours. Katie and Ella had swimming lessons, and since Phil was scheduled for an upcoming business trip that would have him away (and free from parenting duty) for 10 days, I thought I would take advantage of the time and decided to stay home instead of going to workout. Phil took the girls to the club, and I was all alone. For two hours. Isn't it crazy how fast two hours can go? It's really just . . . 7,200 seconds. Really. As I closed the front door and took a great deep breath, I started to think about what I could possibly do with my new found free time. The house was so quiet, not a television or computer game was on, and only the sound of the air conditioner running could be heard. What to do with my 7,200 seconds? While I could have worked on my robot dance, cut coupons, or done some online shopping, I stepped into our kitchen, and saw this mess waiting for me . . . . . . as if we just received...