grateful me

the little 'life is beautiful ... be happy' video that was posted on a friends FaceBook page gave me pause for thought. make a gratitude list. how much time do you have?

here are just a few of my favorite things. after the first five in no particular order ...

1. the hubs ~ I tell him if I were married to me I'd have been divorced a long time ago. for 32 years and counting we laugh. love. share. give. take. kiss. hug. he makes me so very happy.
2. the kiddos ~ beautiful. loving. talented. giving. sharing. simply the best presents I ever received.
3. my sister ~ we're sisters. what more do I need to say.
4. friends ~ thankfully they love me blindly.
5. dogs ~ mindy. michelle. truman. bailey. chaz. (sam & bettie, for a little while). unconditional love. they teach the lesson 'wag more. bark less.' words to live by.
6. brie and roast beef sandwiches ~ would be my last supper.
7. sun rays ~ the windows of angels.
8. my job ~ my refuge. creative environment. extended family.
9. flip flops ~ my year round indulgence.
10. capri pants ~ the only acceptable shorts for mature ladies.
11. the street ~ where I live. my little corner of heaven on earth.
12. the chi ~ where were you when I was 16?
13. quotes ~ the perfect expression when words fail me.
14. Paris ~ feeds my francophile soul.
15. ibm ~ supporting the lifestyle to which I have become accustomed.
16. porch swings ~ sooth my soul. my inner child.
17. pedicures ~ make me feel sexy.
18. Texas wildflowers ~ teach me that hope springs eternal.
19. dance lessons ~ where the world fades away in the arms of my love.
20. music ~ love out loud.

'empty pockets never held anyone back. only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.'

take a look

life is beautiful.



'Be happy
Show up
Follow your heart
Find a new perspective
Have a sense of wonder...
Find people you love...
Set goals
Help Others
Dance
Pamper yourself...
Face your fears...
Go to a museum
Exercise
Limit television
Get in touch with nature
Lighten up
Get a good night's sleep
Read books
Buy yourself flowers
Don't compare yourself with others
Don't beat yourself up
Be open to new ideas
Don't focus on negative thoughts...
...Focus on creating what you desire
Make time just to have fun
Keep the romance in your life
Make a gratitude list
Love your Mother Earth
Want what you have
Be true to yourself.'

gonna work on that gratitude list. next blog.

'grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. it's a way to live.'

doodlebug

when I grow up I want to be a graphic designer. I will never possess the talent to draw beautifully, artistically. but in this day and age of computers there is so much opportunity to create using this new fangled electronic box, a keyboard, a wee little mouse and a bit of software.

as I happily click through link after link of lovely blogs and websites, I find more resources to inspire me. and yesterday I came across DigiscrapDepot. a huge library of imagery, many of which are freebies (thank you talented sharing artists). you just download the free image and start playing.

so I have been experimenting with my blog title. and have found these little sticky notes that I have been filling with a multitude of miscellany and tidbits of nonsense and then adding to my blog header. as I get braver I will be to attempt to design my own blog page (presto chango - watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!). but baby steps.

so please bear with me while I tinker and craft and scribble and putter. you will be seeing a variety of test patterns in the next few days and weeks as I try my hand at this wonderful world of clipart possibility. I know just enough to make me dangerous.

'life is about using the whole box of crayons.'

why ask why

I was talking with a friend today and was asked why did I blog. I know I have had this conversation with you before, yet it seems to pop up in my head (and conversation) frequently. simply I blog for me. it is a way to put my thoughts down on paper (so to speak) and share them with anyone that stumbles across my musings.

it is easy to let the days speed by letting one moment meld into another. so it is with thoughts and miscellaneous ponderings. an idea will come and go in a wink. and occasionally in that fleeting instant I am inspired enough to jot down a few words. sometimes as a message to someone somewhere. but most often just as a reminder to myself. to not take the moment for granted. savor the experience. sit in contemplation. feel the love. relax and enjoy the inspiration.

if you find comfort and compassion and joy in my words - so much the better. for there are so many wonderful folks out there that I lean on. turn to. laugh with. cry with. thank from the bottom of my heart. so let's all keep up the good work.

'we write to taste life twice, once in the moment and once in retrospection.'

all about me

I have a dream. it involves converting a little storage room next to the garage into a 'me' room. my inspiration comes from my good friend L, who has a lovely garden room with big comfy chairs and her craft table. I could move into that little space, lock the door and be quite content for the rest of my days.

my room is not nearly so big. or charming. but it holds great potential (two words that strike fear into the hubs). as Dr. Seuss would say 'oh the things we could do'. I could read. and write. and think. and plan. and scheme. and doodle. and dream. and yes, I could, she happily admits, nap when the mood struck.

I have been gathering ideas for how to decorate that little corner of my world. fake wood paneling now covers the walls and acoustic tiles the ceiling. the floor is cement. I would put bead board on the walls about 3/4 of the way up and paint the remaining quarter. install a wide ledge to display gathered treasures. I would paint a black and white checkerboard on the floor. and get two overstuffed chairs - one for me and one to share. for lighting I want to group several mismatched funky pendants or chandeliers to give a warm glow (the picture is courtesy of a little shop in Hico, TX called Homestead). I would have a big big big bulletin board where I could pin and post snapshots of places, clippings and cuttings, random things and favorite friends. and a small cabinet that I can neatly store what ever I wish.

so I will add this little room to my ever-growing fall wish list. first I have to clean it out because it is full of stuff and I can barely get the door open. and that presents a whole 'nother set of challenges. perhaps I need to add purge to my list as I fear I am on the brink of hoarders disease. but that is an entirely different blog topic.

'in quiet places, reason abounds.'

wedges

today I wrote a letter to a friend. we keep in touch regularity through email and facebook but there is nothing that surpasses a hand-written note. do you notice it is difficult to write for a lengthy period? my hand hurts and my words become unreadable. I am just simply out of practice. I can type with the best of them. my fingers fly across the keyboard (those days in high school typing class have paid off). but I stall and sputter with pen in hand.

so I wrote a little note. way past due. just to tell her I was thinking of her and that I missed her and that I loved her. not difficult to say. and I feel so much better for taking the time to send my thoughts her way. and I know that she will smile when she sees the letter. and think of me. and that makes me happy.

so as I am on my 'just choose' kick this week ... take time and pass it on. no matter what the 'it' is. love. regret. apologies. friendship. sorrow. kindness. sympathy. empathy. congratulations. happiness.

don't think I'll do it tomorrow. the smallest hesitation leads to procrastination. don't regret the opportunity. forget the fear. choose love baby.

'if two people who love each other let a single instant wedge itself between them, it grows - it becomes a month, a year, a century; it becomes too late.'

the power of love

'all that I love is loved by God. each person that I cherish is in God's heart. there is no beloved whom God cannot aid. there is no difficulty, no barrier which God cannot dissolve. in the heart of all life is the heart of God. whoever we are, however we pray, our prayers are heard. I pray with confidence for God to act effectively in (my life and in) the lives of those I love. I trust that situations and opportunities will unfold for (us) in divine order, leading all to the greatest good.'

these words are from Julia Cameron in Prayers to the Great Creator. her words give praise and understanding through 'prayers and dedications for a meaningful life'. I find comfort and peace reading her devotions. they are gentle reminders of just how blessed I am in my life. and more so, how I need to pass along those blessings through my words and actions.

a few blogs ago I talked about the need to reduce negativity in our lives. and the key to that control is simply to choose. and the strength to choose comes from inside. and inside we find the strength that comes from faith.

'I am still learning.'