From Chaos Comes Happiness

  Driving into work one day this week, I was blown away by the beautiful sunrise unfolding in front of me. The Morning. I stopped my car while pulling in and took a few photos of the sky. The photo, of course, doesn't do justice to the sun rays illuminating behind the clouds. I wish I could have captured it clearer for you - it was glorious.  I sat right there in my car for a few minutes, taking it in. It changed quickly and I was grateful that I caught it for the brief minute (or two) when it looked like this. It was everything I needed that morning - a moment to breathe in and reflect. Focus. Be.  When I look at the photo now, it makes me think of some people who have stepped out of my life the past year. People who left - not in death, but for whatever their own reasonings may be. And it is now, looking at this picture, that I find myself coming to terms with this process . . . the loss of people from our circles who are still very much alive, but who needed to le...

We travel, not to escape life . . . but for life not to escape us.  Oh, friends. The last post I wrote here on my blog was about JOY - the desire to find it, the deep need to see  it, to have it, to believe that it was still possible. And I am still working so very hard at doing that right now. This grief thing has a pretty huge hold over me. But, in the middle of it all, in the middle of the tears and sadness over the loss of my sister . . . I ran away for a few days . . . and found some of the joy I was looking for. And I found it . . . in Georgia. Plains and Americus, Georgia . . . to be exact. One day last fall, my sister sat in our Art Shoppe with me and our dear friend Peggy and said the three of us should travel to Georgia to visit our blog friend, Nicole. I was so surprised that Laura was the one to come up with this idea (because I was usually the one who came up with pretty crazy plans.) I know that she was serious about it, though, because she connec...

                   I love when the Universe calls, you know? When you find yourself almost to the breaking point with thoughts of " life is rough and people can be pretty cruel and there is no way that I can make a difference"  - and then suddenly, a change. When the Universe reminds you of what matters. That yes, even in the simplest of ways, you can make a difference.  Yes, I love when that happens.  And this week, the Universe called me. Twice .  Most of you know that I went back into the work force two months ago - starting a new job at a pediatricians office on December 1st actually. Back in healthcare - the field that I have worked in for almost 25 years. It is a great fit for me (three days a week), and allows me enough flexibility that I can still have plenty of time to live out my creative dreams - and (most importantly) bring additional funds to our home on a regular basis.  Something is different abo...

         It's been a busy, and chaotic couple of days here in our house.  Busy with school activities, Girl Scouts, swimming, broken lawn mowers, doctor visits for coughs that just won't quite, business trips for daddy, art classes for mommy, and a whole bunch of other things that I have already filed in that 'short term memory' box days ago.  In the midst of all of that, I've been trying my best to be a good mom. You know, the kind who stops what she is focused on when she has a moody 6th grader who needs some love. Or the kind who stops cooking dinner and plays school with her 2nd grader when she needs to.  You know, that good kind of mom.  I am not always that kind of mom, though. Because sometimes . . . I just . . . forget.  I forget that it is hard to be 11 and 7. It really, really is. It's hard when your body is changing, when your emotions are going up and down and you can't even begin to understa...

                       So, I'm am ALL into Art Journaling lately.  It makes my heART feel happy.  And I love the play on words - the  heart and art . They truly are the perfect combination for me.  I am a great admirer of those who pour their creative words and creative selves onto the pages of a sketch book. I could spend hours on Pinterest looking at one image or another of someones art journals. And sometimes, I do just that (spend hours on Pinterest). It fills my creative pitcher, and sometimes - it is exactly what I need.  I bought a new sketch book strictly for my Art Journaling. This will not be one full of doodles or zentangles, like my other sketch books. This won't all be happy and sappy. The main purpose of this one will be to art journal . In the coming weeks I hope to share many of my new creations with you here.  But . . . I must preface this by saying the followi...

"Have you ever seen God?" she asked.  This is Ella. The old-soul, youngest daughter, deep thinker, sensitive hearted, love of my life.  And sometimes she asks me those questions when I am not totally in the right frame of mind. Like this morning, as I was making her lunch and watching the clock, urging her to brush her teeth, pack up her backpack, trying to get her to comb her hair and make it to the corner before the bus was scheduled to arrive . . . in about five minutes.  I think to myself, "quick . . . what was it I read in that book years ago on answering the tough questions? What would our Religious Ed Director say? How should I answer this with the softness that she needs, in a way that would fill her soul in faith?"  "Well," I start . . . turning off the kitchen faucet and drying my hands, facing her - so she knows that this is a serious reply to a pretty serious inquiry. "I do see Him . . . I saw Him the moment I met you, when the doctor han...

Years and years ago (waaaaay back in 2011, if you can believe it), I attended an awesomely inspiring and soul filling weekend in Minnesota called " The Creative Connection Event ". It was the most thrilling experience - "a national conference and market celebrating creative women and entrepreneurs", and it changed my life. Truly. It was there, in St. Paul, Minnesota, where I met my very first blog friend, Kiki. Oh, how I adore her!! (And miss her terribly! Haven't seen her since that weekend - my dear friend, we MUST get ourselves in the same state again!)    It was also there where I got to meet mixed media artist Kelly Rae Roberts, who was my first introduction into the world of mixed media art and this whole movement of creative women. I also took a class with THE Brave Girls  Melody Ross and Kathy Wilkins. At the time, I had no idea how amazing these ladies were - but I quickly learned.  I took a big leap and jumped at the chance to stand...

         " Treat others as you would like to be treated ." I tell this to my kids . . . . over and over, like a broken record. I am sure they are tired of listening to it. But I will never tire saying those words.  I think they are one of the most important lessons I can teach them.  " Do unto others "  It's pretty powerful stuff, you know? And words that I truly believe can change the world.  Last week, while on Facebook - half reading and just skimming through posts of silly weather updates and inspiring art friends pictures - I learned that a neighbor friend of mine was in the hospital. Nothing too serious, but enough of an annoyance to take this mom of three kids from her home and admit her for a few days to try and heal her. After reading comments on her post and learning a little bit more of what was happening, " Dinner " immediately popped into my head. " I'll make them dinner, " I thought. " As soon as she is home, I'll m...

I've made a fairly big decision about how I am going to play out this amazing 2014 and my attempts to FOCUS. Remember, focus is my "word" for the year: what I am going to work towards, what is going to help me move forward physically, mentally, creatively and spiritually. It is THE plan for 2014. FOCUS. I'm working so hard at it, my friends. Truly and deeply. Each and every day. I am in living in the moment, really stopping my mind when it starts trailing off into a thousand and one directions, and keep myself grounded in the now. It is actually a lot harder than I thought it would be, but so very worth it. I'm feeling good this year. Really good. So, back to my decision. One of my favorite artists and mentors introduced an e-course on her amazing craft this year. I was on the email list for updates on the class, and quickly opened the announcement when it came out. I was THRILLED (like - butterflies in the stomach excited) when I saw it. B...

I made a new friend last week. It's exciting . . . the whole idea of making new friends. A short while ago, I came to some sort of understanding with the universe that I was just done with the 'making new friends' stage of life. I mean, I am constantly meeting new art friends online through various groups I am involved in . . . but a true face to face " NEW FRIEND "? I thought I was done. I am no longer in the business world and coming into contact with new people that way. And surprising as it may be . . . the Target check out lady and I have never gone for coffee (yet). ;) It's true . . . most of my time right now is spent on my daughters. Sure, I met new parents regularly as I drive my girls to and from different activities. But parent friends are very different from the ol'fashioned kind of "we have lots in common and can fill up an hour talking non-stop" friends. But last week . . . I made a new one. A new friend . And it's ki...

I've been thinking so much about how I am raising my daughters these days. I want my daughters to know how it feels to help the world, and to know that they have the power to make a difference in it. I don't want them to think there are obstacles they can't overcome. I want my daughters to be grateful for all that they have, each and every day of their lives. To know that even though there are  wants , they truly have all that they need , and they have more blessings then they could even imagine. I don't want them to ever obsess over the labels on their clothes or the number of shirts in their closets. I want my daughters to think back on their childhood and remember the moments when they showed  kindness towards others. When they volunteered. When they made cookies for neighbors. When they prayed. When they loved, and when they were loved in return. I don't want them to expect things to be handed to them. I want my daughters to treat other...

Colors make me happy. Bright vivid colors. And shopping at Pier 1 . That makes me happy, too. Not necessarily buying things from Pier 1 (although I do love to take new things home!) Sometimes just walking around and looking at the colorful patterns and feeling the textures of dishes and linens is all I need to be energized and happy. And Barnes & Noble . Picking out a great big stack of books and magazines, heading over to the coffee area, and sitting for a few hours as I peruse the pages. Sigh. Happiness. There are more things that make me happy. Like, when Spring finally comes and the windows are open for the first time - the fresh clean air flows through the house. Bliss. Oh, and that first sip of a fresh cup of Starbucks coffee. Heaven. A clean laundry room. Hearing my children's laughter. The smell of lavender. Driving down my favorite road. When I get my sister really laughing so hard she can hardly form a word. And seeing the twinkle in...

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

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...

So, my beloved Katie is finding a passion within herself for quotes. Inspiring, motivating, life changing quotes.  (Hmmmm . . . I wonder where she gets that from.) She likes to google "inspiring quotes" on the iPad, pull up images of her search, and sit with her composition book while writing quote after quote into her notebook. I think she is going to end up with a pretty cool journal when she is done with it.  Often times she'll stop and read the quotes out loud to me, like, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent . . . ", and follow it with a,  "Wow . . . that's pretty deep, Mom." Last week, she was really interested in the words of Eleanor Roosevelt. I think that's pretty cool for an 8 year old (well, she's just 28 days away from 9, so I had better set that straight . . . you know, someday she'll read this and argue that she was 9!) I digress. So, she wanted to know all about Mrs. Roosevelt. Katie couldn't ...

I spent the day in the cellar yesterday. The Scrapbook Cellar, that is. A day with three of my dearest creative souls.  The three people who I can't hide from. The three people I can't cover things up for, and who can see right through me.  I hate that.  ;) Actually, I love that. Because I can't sugar-coat anything for them. They see right through it. They call my bluff. They get me. Sometimes a person just wants to be "got", you know?  I usually leave the cellar having learned a number of lessons. Yesterday was no different.  The biggest lesson I learned?  I have issues. No, I'm kidding. I mean, I'm not kidding that I have issues. I think we determined that I definitely have issues. And I really am my own worst enemy. What I am kidding about, though, is that that wasn't the biggest lesson I learned.  The biggest lesson I learned was that I must stop listening to that voice inside of me telling me YOU CAN'T and I must start listen...