Mother's Day .....ah yes 

A day when all the memories come flooding back.  I  realized today that  most of them are just simple ordinary moments that seemed nothing special at the time.  

I am blessed to have 52 years of memories, moments that were filled with friendship, support and unconditional love.

I would have loved 52 more, it's never enough.  There is nothing on earth like a mother's love - it's heart to heart.

I think about what I miss the most, and it's those little moments 


             ...the sound of her saying my name
             ...our hugs with a squeeze
             ...picking up the phone to tell her the latest
             ...making each other laugh

 It is my wish that if you are spending the day with your Mother that you be present in every moment, notice the sound of her laugh, the curve of that smile, feel her hug and hug her back.

My mother once gave me a card that said "To my daughter the princess -
from your Mother THE QUEEN"  and we both loved that card and laughed about it often.  Now she is an Angel, and I get a glimpse of her wings every now and again....as I catch her still watching over me (smile).

and the award goes to......................

Well, I must say I'm quite honored to receive this Stylish Blogger Award today from the very gifted and generous Lainey Parker.  Visit her blog when you get the chance to meet her VERY cute dog Mollie, get some organizational ideas, or just enjoy her take on life and don't forget to leave a comment - we all LOVE comments.  Thanks for the award Lainey, it brought sunshine to my day!  Accepting the award that I was so graciously given invites me to share 7 things about me ya'll didn't know (hmmmmm) and introduce you to the Blogs that I am passing the Stylish Blogger Award to and hopefully they are willing to receive it.

So let's have some fun!!!


1.  As a child I was so thin and scrawny that my mother gave me liquid vitamins prescribed by our Dr.

I even remember the bottle being in the refrigerator and was called something like Homacebrin.  Let's just say it worked WAY too well (anyone know how to make it stop other  than Weight Watchers?).

2.  We had a dog named "Tramp" (yes after the movie Lady and the Tramp) who crawled under the bed and being the genius I thought I was  - I quickly shoved my brother's toy rifle under the bed to get him to come out but  it snipped off the end of his tail - eek.  He was fine after a stitch or two at the vet, I can't describe the "art" he left all over whipping and wagging that bleeding tail.

3.  I'm afraid of heights - like more than one step on a ladder no can do.  Can't do bleachers or open stairs.

4.  I twirled baton in the marching band in Junior High School.

5.  Elvis was my boyfriend all during childhood.

6.  In my senior year I placed in the top 3 for fastest adding machine in the State of Indiana (200 digits a minute).  

7.  I was a hairdresser for 8 years and have been blond, redhead, frosted, had razored lines and purple streaks - you name it!

Most of my blogging world consists of people who are very talented artists with very big hearts and lessons to teach me since I'm still "becoming" me in most every way.  I hope you enjoy the wonderful "peeks" into their lives and come away as inspired as I have been.  Maybe you'll be inspired to doodle or buy 2 bottles of craft paint, a brush and just let your worries spill onto the paper.  Many have Etsy shops or sell  their work, please remember them when you need a very special gift (including for yourself).


Kind Over Matter is a Blog that in my humble opinion gives us the pick-me-up we need in our lives.  Make sure you visit their "freebies" they are printable and fun.


Andy Mathis is someone you should know, especially if you love animals as much as I do.  He shares his tales about tails and his incredible art on his Blog.



Patty Digh artfully reminds me how important each day, each hour and each breath is and her book "Life is a Verb" is on my nightstand.

Jennifer is very special and combines her love of art to her incredible faith.


Elizabeth brightens your day.  The colors in her work are a reflection of the bliss she holds inside.


Liv Lane is a burst of fresh air who finds beauty in everything and you will too.  She is one big smile.


Pam Holderman is so inspiring.  Her art is beautiful, her pets are a riot, and her stories will make you feel that you've known her for years.



Jacqueline just oozes with love and best wishes for every person she meets.  Her wares will make you want to buy a gift for everyone you know.



Valerie Hart is someone who creates beauty with every project and you feel like you have been her best friend all your life - you're gonna love her.


Jenny Lee Wentworth sketches her life out and makes beautiful sense of each day.


Baxter's Mom is a lighthearted artsy fun blog and even tho she is a grammy, Baxter is a dog (you know I love that!)


Michele Dawn Daigle expresses herself beautifully on her Blog - check it out.



Carola Bartz helps us discover what life looks like after coming from Germany to the U.S.


Tejae's life is about love and heart, her work spreads love everywhere.



Well, I hope you enjoy the blogs of my friends, and I know there are so many of you that I couldn't fit them all here (but you know who you are) so I'll have to get my next list ready -  this was really fun!  hugs and more hugs.  Enjoy your weekend.

honor your spouse....

CALLING ALL COUPLES!!!!
I found out about a giveaway on JRU Studio's Blog today - go to her website to read about Union28, a company that helps you honor your spouse.  

ENJOY enJOY - do you?

I made a new friend this summer, her name is Elizabeth and I want to share her with you.  She's living in Puerto Rico, and she's FULL of energy, love and kindness - and she'll tell you about really ENJOYING THE RIDE.  I think we all know this long ride is going to get bumpy, rough at times, scary, unpredictable and there will be curves in the road we were not expecting.  So how do we ENJOY it all??

"Finding Connections" is by Elizabeth, I think you'll enjoy her work which she sells on Etsy.  She would be  thrilled if you stopped by her Blog and read it for yourself, and feel free to leave a comment for her letting her know how it affected your ride.  I'm going to post  today my favorite part which is like an affirmation for me, almost a prayer to repeat daily and I sure hope you enJOY it as much as I did.  Oh by the way, I love comments too ;-)  

“Enjoying the Ride” is a decision. We have to face it, to embrace it, to work on it, to practice it, to make it a habit, to believe in it, to have faith in it. Most of the religions have an answer for this approach. The one that I know best has Jesus words written in the Bible: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” And I strongly believe that we can do that, too. We can change our attitude toward everything in our life and manage to Enjoy the Ride through this amazing but yet difficult journey we are in. I can write a long book on this theme, but this is not the time or place. I have many, many experiences lived that can prove that changing the attitude, being grateful, forgiving, embracing each moment, seeing the cup half full instead of half empty, loving one another, being understanding, being kind, being honest, being brave will get one to Enjoy the Ride. I read once that we have the responsibility of being happy, to smile at others so we can help others to be happy, and Enjoy the Ride. In the movie “Patch Adams”, the character said: “The reason adults should look as though they are having fun, is to give kids a reason to want to grow up!” ~ Patch Adams

I have this motto in my life and I try hard to never forget: a minute you dedicate to negative thinking, to hate, to complain, to suffer, to envy, to judge, to condemn, to make fun of others, to be angry and stay that way …..it is a minute lost, and that minute will never get back. It is my duty and my responsibility to get to Enjoy the Ride!

Sometimes you just gotta give in.....

I would love to give you a sneak peak at the stack of completed pages for the baby book project, but can't take a chance on the mommy seeing it before the presentation ;-) This has been a labor of love and I'm nearing it's completion and am very excited!! These are the last photos ....I think that is the painful part of scrapping. Figuring out which photos will be in the final cut, and what theme or common thread for each layout will be...when selecting from hundreds of photos. There is nothing like the high of looking over the work after it's complete.

THANKSgiving

US magazine runs a feature called "25 things You Don't Know About Me" featuring someone famous. I thought it would be fun to list 25 things you might not know about me. 1. I grew up in Gary Indiana 2. I have a brother 2 1/2 years younger named Mike. 3. My first dog was "Tramp" after my then favorite movie Lady and the Tramp. 4. I always had a Toni home perm or a painfully tight ponytail. 5. When I was little I walked to the grocery and put a box of Jello pudding in my little purse. The manager saw me and asked how I would pay, I said "Oh my I forgot my $" and he let me go home. I'm sure they had quite a laugh. I never again went inside the store with mom as I was terrified they would tell her 6. I am terrified of heights. 7. As a child Elvis was my boyfriend. 8. Performed tap and ballet at the historic Memorial Auditorium in Gary. 9. Took 3rd in the State for fastest 10-key adding machine. 10. Twirled baton and cape for Horace Mann High School. 11. First library book "Grimm's Fairy Tales" 12. Hate goodbyes. 13. Married, divorced 14. I was a hair stylist for 8 years. 15. Worked downtown Chicago (secretary to executive of then little known company MCI) 16. Terrified of storms, thunder and lighting. 17. Have ALWAYS been too sensitive and every emotion expressed by crying 18. Fiercely loyal 19. Dislike the color blue. 20. Treasure my freedom above any material possession. 21. Belief in God, and Jesus as Son of God absolute. 22. Growing up loved to dance and swim. 23. Crave peace and silence. 24. Smoked for 20 years, beginning in my teens. 25. Always had zero tolerance for drug use.
I am thankful for all the experiences that made me who I am, all the lessons I have learned, and the unconditional love from both parents. I have met many people from many places and backgrounds and am fortunate to have several wonderful friends. May you enjoy today, and reflect on all the blessings in your own life.

Saturday in New Buffalo Michigan

When I need an inspiration fix, artsy phartzy upload, or just a perfect day....I call on my best gal pal Woz. Her name is actually Linda, but we all affectionately call her Woz (a shortened version of her last name). We were praying for a moderate day and we got just what we wished for - it was drizzly and cloudy but the temperature stayed in the 60's. It was perfect for running around in and out and the rain kept the huge crowds away. The day began early as I have a 45 minute drive to her driveway, and we had breakfast plans at a local eatery. Everyone else had the same plan, so we darted over to Starbuck's instead. So much to talk about, and we never shut up for a minute until we returned to her driveway that night! Oops I'm getting ahead of myself...we had a leisurely drive to New Buffalo and it's always amazing to see how many studios, art barns, or businesses fold up, disappear, or pop up each time we visit. We started in town at a cute shop and as you can see I need some practice at taking my own photos, ha. Now of course my plan was to take photos all along the journey: the inspiring pieces of art we saw and certainly the incredible food we would share - but again I failed miserably as a tour guide. I was having way too much fun to document for later and didn't realize it until we had finished our fabulous dinner!! New Buffalo is the beginning of Red Arrow Highway which winds around along the wooded edge of the Lake through 4 towns. This picturesque drive is peppered with bungalows selling old and new decor items, flea markets, antique shops, snack shops, a Roadhouse, art galleries, trendy clothing stores, handmade art, a Swedish Bakery (which closed before we got there) and so many places tucked away filled with treasures. We saw a chair made from luggage pieces, speciality food items like Key Lime Mustard Sauce, nostalgic jewelry and depression glass. We oohed and aahed, and giggled while we sampled veggie dips set out to entice us, tried on clothes, sifted through baskets and boxes of trinkets and finally took a break at our favorite New Buffalo restaurant for "crabbies" (hot crispy won ton balls filled with crab and cream cheese served with a sweet Barney sauce)- it wasn't crowded and we were seated by the huge windows and chatted while we shared a Cobb salad and our personal selections of soup. Yum. Now back to the trail ;-) There is so much to see, and many of the shops have gardens or fabulous landscaping with huge hydrangeas, and baskets filled with a variety of lush overhanging flowers. When they began to roll up the sidewalk we headed up to Michigan City Lighthouse mall and stopped in a couple of stores there. If you are looking for a good summer read, I hear "The Girls from Ames" is a hot choice. It's about a 40 year friendship between several women. Time flies and now we get on Route 12 for a scenic ride home and along the way we should come upon the brand new restaurant Bartlett's - which we did but after 40 other carloads had arrived and been seated LOL....so change of plans we will be forced to eat at our VERY FAVORITE restaurant near home. Which we did and had the most marvelous time catching up and sharing all the little details that only your best gal pal wants to know. When I dropped Linda off at 10 p.m. that night, I waved and said goodbye but not for long as we had already thought up at least 4 other excursions we needed to line up in the near future. I dropped into bed with a bigger smile on my face than I'd been able to muster for months, it was such a great day. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz