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To All, A Happy New Year
 I'm starting off the new year right with this lovely calendar book personally signed by Delsie Chambon that I picked it up while at Silver Bella in November. It's so beautiful inside and has large areas in which to write in. I think I will use the areas to write at least 3 different things I am thankful for each day (with none being the same) for the entire year. This will really help me to focus on the positive this year. If you are struggling in life and cannot see the good in your day, try this process, it really works! Did you know that a person thinks an average of 79% negative thoughts and only 21% positive thoughts in a single day? That alone gives me reason to continually look on the positive side of things! Unfortunately, the bug in my computer is not a positive thing. I am still struggling with this unknown bug even though my husband reformatted my entire computer right before Christmas. We think it came in an email so I spent the better part of 3 hours today deleting all emails and sent files in my Outlook today. Tonight I am still getting error messages. Because my computer is partitioned into so many sections reformatting is a huge process not to mention loading all the programs again. If I am away for a while again, you'll know why. If you are sending emails, please send them to my hotmail account; that will keep them from invading my home email again. I'd like to thank all of you who have been so supportive of me in your positive notes, emails and comments on my blog, it really has meant so much to me and has inspired me to continue to grow creatively. I've also been able to get to know some of you on a personal basis as well which has been very special. To all of you, I wish you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year! Labels: friends, new year, positive thinking
Home For Christmas
 Watching their planes take off never gets any easier... We're so thankful and blessed that two of our four children, Alex and Brandon, were able to be home with us for Christmas this year. The both flew in last Saturday and left just a day apart this week. We had such a fun time, but the time flew by way too quickly. It seems so hard to get all 4 of our children here at the same time. Last year our son Adam and daughter Niki made it home, though they missed each other by one day due to the fact that they weren't able to match up their schedules. We love and miss you two so much and wish you could have been here too! K's parents and sister and her husband also came and we had such a great time. We watched quite a few movies in the evening and several shows of the Survivor and Dog Whisperer. I now feel confident I can collect rain water should I be lost on a deserted island and tame all the wild animals with my "Ceasar- Shhsh!" We celebrated Alex's birthday early (his birthday is in the first week of January) and presented him with a cake and candles to blow out and little did anyone know; they were "trick" candles. We laughed and laughed when the candles kept relighting themselves and Alex had to continually blow them out. He replied that his wish wasn't going to come true because he had to keep blowing them out. It caught us all off gaurd and I am so glad we have it all recorded on video. I had grabbed the candles while at the grocery store and did not pay attention to the fine print! On a side note, the "project" was and is still underway but became "livable" last Sunday morning just in time for the boys arrival. Talk about timing it right down to the 11th hour! There is still so much to be done and is yet to be ready for entertaining. Labels: blessing, Christmas, family
Challenges
Are you challenged? Oh, I am really challenged at this moment. My awesome computer has contracted a terrible virus and is down for the count. For a girl like me, who has way too long of a list of things to accomplish before next week, this really hurts. I am on my man's computer and it doesn't have all the programs or access to my illustration files so I am a bit sunk. This means I cannot finish my Christmas cards and get them off to the printer. This plus the "project" is in a full scale assault as we speak and is expected to be for the next few days. MM has had no sleep and we are not on top of things as far as Christmas shopping goes. I can't even get to the photos from the camera or my hard drive even though the are linked. The computer is nada, zip, zippo! My sweet MM will have to back everything up and reformat my entire computer again when he as time which is precious little these days. I have so many programs on it that he doesn't have on his so I am literally in limbo. I plead for cheery emails to get me through this time of need, my computer is my lifeline to my illustration work. In the mean time, I am off to eat some yummy cookies from the party to cure my woes! Jessi, please pass the chocolate peppermint concoction you made! Oh, but I did find this 2005 photo for all you bella girls at Jessi's, believe it or not! :) Labels: Challenges, pheasant
Friendships
 Today's post will be a short one but I wanted to let all those who attended the Ornament & Cookie Exchange know just how much I enjoyed and appreciated taking part in the get-together. A warm thanks to sweet Teresa for extending the invitation and to the lovely and gracious hostess Jessi for inviting us into her home for the exchange. Everything was perfect, especially all the warm and friendly ladies who attended. Elizabeth (who must start a blog-you can do it Elizabeth, I know you can!), Jill, Mary Beth, Teresa, Jessi and myself. Cari and Amanda were unable to attend, so sorry you couldn't be there, we missed you! Above, my first ornament, the first one that is where I wasn't participating in a class and had to create it all from my own noggin'! For me the exchange was a continuation from Silver Bella and the chance to spend more time with the women I met there and begin building lasting friendships which are key to feeling that sense of community when you move to a new city. This was the "key" to my ornament design. I didn't use a kit or pattern and so far it is one of a kind, and the exchange was a first for me. I was very happy with the way the ornament turned out but I can honestly say I was in a fret over it for just a few days :) To my new friends, thank you for such a wonderful time, you definitely bring a smile to my face and heart when I think of you and I love my ornaments and all the goodies you baked, YUMMY! More photos posted later but back to work on the "project."
Holiday Traditions
 Jill at Follow Your Bliss is having a "Celebration of Traditons." This brings to mind many fun traditions in our family though none to me are as special and as dear as when I hear, "MOM, you ARE going to make our favorite Molasses Krinkle cookies aren't you?" "Oh, and MOM, dinner just wouldn't be the same without Grandma's seven layer salad, and you'd better make two bowls instead of one...I want one all to myself-extra bacon please!" Then you watch them MOUND their plates with salad. Whoever thought salad wasn't a favorite of kids hasn't tried this one! It's dangerous to send a tin or bag of cookies home with a sibling or for someone else in the family, because it never gets there. The tin is empty by the time it arrives to it's destination!  These little doves have beeen on my parent's tree as long as I can remember until my mother passed them on to me. I love them as it reminds me of the dove sent by Noah (in Genesis 8:8-11) to find land. When the dove returned it had in its beak a freshly plucked olive leaf and Noah then knew the water had receded from the earth. For me it symbolizes a fresh new beginning of life, faith and love. Labels: "holiday traditions", Christmas
Life is Too Short
We are still reeling from this afternoon's horrific events. Very near my office at one of our malls, a 19 year old young man opened gunfire and killed 8 people wounding 5 others, two in critical condition. He then turned the gun on himself. I was stopped on my way back into the office by the FedEx man and at that time knew nothing of the shooting. As I always sign for all the packages he was very concerned about my welfare; I had taken a late lunch and no one knew my whereabouts. Often people from our office go to the mall during lunch hour to shop or have a bite to eat as it is so close and it's one of the nicer malls to shop at. This day thankfully, no one from our office did. Several other people asked after me and my husband was very worried when I didn't answer my phone. When he was finally able to reach me he said my phone still said "away at lunch" and as it was much later than I normally left for lunch, he grew more and more worried. After we spoke and I assured him I was ok, I made the rounds at the office making sure everyone else was safe and accounted for. The rest of the afternoon we were glued to the TV and radios hopeful that the news would turn out better than it did. Nine families lives are forever changed and many more are traumitized over today's events. Please keep all those who were witness to this tragedy today and the families who lost their loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.
A-Comp-lished
  I've finished my first composition book and I'm pleased with the way it turned out. Actually, I had started writing in it a while ago and then decided it needed a lovely cover as I haul my sketchbooks and journals around with me jotting things down as things come to my mind-and that's quite a bit these days! I love reading materials and can never get enough of them. I carry a stash of books and journals with a magazine or two and a half-dozen sticky notes attached to them. I am the queen of sticky notes! That's what my journals are for but I still write lots of notes. I eventually transfer the most important notes to my journals. Today it's changed from freezing rain to snow and it's coming down steady. MM and I are tackling the project list one by one! Labels: contemporary victorian, journal, vintage
Multi Tasking
 We are in a deep freeze today; every inch of grass, trees, roads and homes are covered with a thick layer of ice. All my plans for shopping and errands..poof! The roads are just too dangerous to out be on today. The ice covered my beautiful minature rose bush in our front yard. I do hope it survives as it is north facing. So now it's to the project list. It's crazy! Do you ever have those days, weeks and months where you are working on a dozen projects at one time? That's me, the story of my life. I am high in Input so that explains everything. We are in the midst of renovating, decorating for Christmas, booking flights and I am working on a Christmas card and have almost finished my first composition book. Phew! This has me stressing about how will I get it all done? Oh, and I must make one Christmas ornament for an exchange coming up...when's a girl have time to soak and relax??? Not to mention do all the Christmas shopping... You are probably wondering why I haven't posted any illustrations lately. I actually am working on several illustrations and will post them as time permits. As I said, I am working on a Christmas card and I just finished a promo card that I send to clients. I also handed them out at the most recent Silver Bella event. In the coming year I will be working on rebuilding my website and my blog. Have I said I've put enough on my plate to wear the most industrious woman out? And yet another post of a Silver Bella project taught by the lovely Rebecca Sower.
This was such a fun project. I loved all the little glass pieces and mini collages underneath. It looks so much better in person and the edges of the glass are tipped in an antique glitter. Rebecca was so helpful and took the time to work with everyone individually as needed.
Labels: "multi-tasking", "Silver Bella", roses
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I'm starting off the new year right with this lovely calendar book personally signed by Delsie Chambon that I picked it up while at Silver Bella in November. It's so beautiful inside and has large areas in which to write in. I think I will use the areas to write at least 3 different things I am thankful for each day (with none being the same) for the entire year. This will really help me to focus on the positive this year. If you are struggling in life and cannot see the good in your day, try this process, it really works! Did you know that a person thinks an average of 79% negative thoughts and only 21% positive thoughts in a single day? That alone gives me reason to continually look on the positive side of things!
