At One With All Things

I came across this site today and it took my breath away. It's always amazing what a creative mind can do...possibilities are endless. Art is so incredibly powerful and restorative to the soul when all in the world is in such panic. Look for the small things in life that generate immense joy in the moment. Enjoy your day...no REALLY... ENJOY your day.
http://www.ashesandsnow.org/vision/

DIY for Fall

My daughter-in-law asked if I might think of something to brighten their storefront for the Fall season and upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Don't ask me twice! I surfed a bit for ideas and came across a great blog by a lady who inspired me in more ways than one. Thanks, Nike! Her post Nike's blog 'THRIVE' gave me the idea to use the grapevines, throw in a little burlap, a used rake, cranberries 'n' leaves...viola!

Nike's blog is about Thriving and re-purposing...my kind of thinking. I had the old broken-handled rake, stuck it in the summer lawn umbrella weight, covered the weight with burlap, set it in a bushel basket, nabbed some bright leafy branches and some red berries, added wooden utensils and 'flowers' made out of cranberries. I decided to try to use the cranberries like regular beads, wired them then shaped them. Score!

I DID pick up the grapevine pumpkins on clearance as well as the wreaths... I confess, I DO have grapevines here. I'll make it a point to learn how to make these myself...another project, Yay!  

So in a day, the tally ended up, two wreaths and a holiday display the the kids' store!

Princes Come In All Shapes 'n' Sizes

Once upon at time... yeah, there was a little girl and she, of course, dreamed of her Prince. What can I say...it was back THEN. She'd met many who purported to be Princes, but alas, not the case. She decided to give it up and retreated to a tower, threw down the steep ladder and decided that the true Prince would have to rescue her...aha! a test.
A young man came by and asked why she was staying in the tower by herself. She said she was waiting for a Prince to rescue her... he said, 'I'm no Prince, but I can help you get down.' He had her look around to find what she had in the tower to build her own ladder. Often discouraged, she was encouraged by him to try another way and not to give up.  Finally after many attempts she was able to get down from the tower. He didn't change into a Prince and was still just a young man, but he had given her the gift of herself...And yes, they lived happily ever after facing their problems together.
Well, of course, this is a true story...and I did find my Prince. He didn't come on a shiny black steed nor was he wearing a white hat. Actually he came with a Siberian Husky and a Plymouth with a bad exhaust. He didn't 'rescue' me from the tower, he showed me how to rescue myself.
It has never been easy...but THAT'S a thing of fairy tales!

I Do Much Better Dieting...At NIGHT!

SERIOUSLY, I can go to bed and be so enthusiastic about waking up the next morning...have nothing but water and eat a nutritious breakfast. Something happens when my feet hit the floor...my mind has done a 180 and now it's all about dread and running to my favorites which includes Coca Cola!
But TODAY, surprisingly, I scoped out the fridge and came up with pure goodness thanks to my ever supportive kiddos!
To start... a probiotic (thanks Abbey and Em) and a delicious black cherry greek yogurt (thanks Jessa) with a bottle of water. YAY! I'm actually looking forward to it!
So I'll toast to the day... here's to a GREAT morning!

What Would Lizzie Do? Aka/ WWLD

From as early as I can remember, I have been fascinated with one particular person in our very large…hmmm very twisted family tree.  And though many stories may be just that…stories… I was able to find proof to verify what an extraordinary person she was.

Imagine in the 1880’s, barely in your teens and pregnant…the baby’s father agrees to marry you only after being dumped by the woman he ‘wanted’ to marry…WWLD?  She said, ‘I don’t need you’ and proceeded to go it alone…mind you, this is the 1880’s!

Lizzie did meet and marry Jabez and though she didn’t slow down having her kids (21…yeah, ouch in so many ways)…she was a tiny woman of huge strength and character.

She tended her own and others…one son’s clubbed foot she massaged to straighten it and he never had a problem…the town even paid her to nurse a invalid with TB…She ran her own maternity hospital and whenever there was a baby in jeopardy, Lizzie would always take them in.

Tiny woman with a big heart…I’m hoping I got some of that… so from time to time whenever I question myself, I ask, …hmmm…WWLD?