Creating

 The Brave Girls Club Soul Restoration I  is winding down - it's been an amazing journey of accepting the past & finding out about what truly brings me joy.  This class is also filled with lots of creative techniques which were a bonus & could easily be in a stand alone class - thank you Melody & Kathy for sharing your wisdom gained from your heart breaking trials of life.  It's been life changing.  Integrating the creative part of the course really helps to make the lessons learned concrete in my heart & soul as I worked thru my past issues, weakness & unhealthy relationships.  I'm so thankful that Lori gave me the class & looking forward to part 2 in June.

I've been designing mini album kits for EMI Scrapbooking (my LSS in Cumming GA).  Here is a photo of the cover of one I made using Pink Paislee Old School.  It has lots of tabs, foldouts, and interactive pages.  Check the blog for a slideshow of all the pages here.

I've completed 3 others & working on 4 more!  It brings me joy to have my creative mojo back again.  I also am working on 3 layouts samples of the new Teresa Collins lines for EMI.  Her products are so amazing and well thought out for ease of designing.  I can't wait to take her classes in a couple weeks.  Teresa is a fantastic teacher & her kits are filled with so much product that there is always plenty left overs to create with in addition to the class.  There are still a couple spots left if you live in the Atlanta area call Susan at 770-888-2417 or email emiscrapbooking@aol.com.

Have a great weekend... hope you are having the beautiful weather we are here (finally warm & sunny)... and don't forget to take some time for yourself to get creative.

Being Creative Restoring My Soul

Happy Monday,

It's been a while since I felt that way... I'm doing so much better since taking this time for myself & working thru things with the help of Brave Girls Soul Restoration online course (already halfway thru the 6 week class).  Melody Ross is a fantastic teacher - making tough topics easy to understand in a highly visual way.  This is no boring self help class - incorporating the creative aspect really makes a huge difference.  There are many videos filled with artsy techniques for painting, texture, Mod Podge, etc.

I told my son that "I feel like the truths are now Mod Podged it into my heart, mind and soul". 

Here's a page I created during the class

 I am already looking forward to part 2 of Soul Restoration in June.  Melody & Kathy will be offering part 1 again in April -I encourage you to sign up -  it is a great investment in YOU.  All details here.



My son & I went to Ikea on Saturday just to look around.  We love their storage/organizing items.   Fueling up for the walk thru the showroom by eating lunch of  their meatballs & mashed potatoes. Yum.

While looking for some cooking utincels I stumbled upon these cake decorating templates that I thought would be great to use with texture mediums, spray inks or paint.  At only  $0.99  it's worth the shot.

I'll play around with them & post a review for you soon.

Thanks so much for visiting & hope you have a blessed week.

I Owe YOU an Explaination....

I need to explain why I've vanished off the face off the blogging universe.  (I'm not going to go back and reread. or I may not post... so hope it makes sense)

The last year was a rough one for me/my family (sister & mom's illnesses) & the who knew that doing the challenges with Rhonna Farrer for change & thankfulness would throw me for a loop. I love visiting all your blogs & so many other ones on the web seeing all the amazing creations.  Taking time for my body to be down doing nothing make everything even worse.  I like to keep busy even while watching TV I usually have knitting or scrapbook page going.  I have so many ideas & things I want to do but my body was fighting me tooth and nail with extreme fatigue, pain & other symptoms. This really pooked me off.   I felt extremely depressed.   But even something simple was just too much.  This was compounded by feeling guilty & that I was a failure for "allowing" myself to become depressed.  This just made things worse since no one allows themselves to become depressed it just doesn't work that way.

I try to not share a lot of "life" things on the blog sticking mostly to crafting.  I have always been torn by this since I love so many blogs that effortlessly do both in such a brutally honest way.  Stephanie Howell is a shining example of this.  But her life has so many funny moments with the escapades of her "chicks"  to balance out the hard things in life.  I'm at a different stage in life with family & my life just isn't that interesting lol..  The bad things in life seemed to be piling up on me with numerous health issues & I didn't want to turn it into a downer or pity party for me.

As a Christian I feel the pressure to be positive & "salt & light" during those trials.  I'm always amazed by those people that can just shine during the worst things in life - I think that is God shining thru them with His strength.  You know the people I'm talking about... at a funeral they can get up and talk about a loved one during the service so eloquently or go through cancer treatments never missing church until they are in hospice.  I only felt my own weakness & not His strength in me and was questioning why.  I'm naturally a person that pulls away when sick - I hate being a burden or showing I'm sick.  So with so much of this year being sick and not able to do what I want it seems I was isolated more often than not. 

October was a hard month health wise - pain & sickness can really wear you down.  Simply accepting the challenge to choose 1 thing to change in my life & focusing on what I was thankful for in November mushroomed that lack of strength.  I felt a tremendous pressure along with emotional issues being brought to the surface at a time when my body needed to heal.  Then I just "ran away" hiding out from you.  The days turned into weeks and every day I thought about what to do about the blog & those of you who are so sweet to encourage me in my hobby.  Then getting back to the blog became a burden that I thought about often I wanted to come back but didn't know how to...  It really hung over me & could bring me to tears. 

After many tears, prayers & reassessing... I'm just going to be honest - not try to hide what's happening to me anymore.  I think that is when I'm willing to share that is when God can give me that miraculous strength.  This is still going to be a creative blog but I'm not going to hide things:  in hopes of getting on a design team, not wanting seem a selfish "I" "ME" person, or a gloomy downer.  Stephanie Howell was again a catalyst for tweaking my thoughts on this.  I think her honest sharing is a way God can get thru my fat head and work on my heart. 

So here goes

First I want to say how sorry I am for just leaving things.  So many of you have been so sweet to encourage me by leaving sweet comments on my posts & even missing me while I've been gone sending emails.  Thanks so much for your thoughts and concerns they were bright points in the darkness of depression.

I'm going to come clean about my illnesses... I've shared briefly that I've dealt with breast cancer & the treatment of that has been complicated by other disabling illnesses that I've had for years.  I have rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, sjogren's syndrome, fibromyalgia & crohns disease - yep I'm an auto immune nightmare.  The symptoms have a tendency to cycle and build.  When I'm good I'm good & when I'm bad I'm bad not a lot of in between since I consider any good day as one that I can get up & do things.  The medicines help but as the years have gone on & the costs of those meds gone up I am not always able to take them as prescribed so if you don't take them they don't help.  Not taking them really makes the doctor office visit costs go up since I'm there more often & it takes more medicine to calm down the symptoms.  It's a sad reality of so many people today who have insurance but still can't afford all the co-payments/out of pocket expenses when I'm forced to take 20+ different medicines a month just to maintain.  I try to weigh the side effects before taking them because I was never an Rx person - I'd rather do herbal/holistic treatments but I had no choice.  The breast cancer on top of that really was a lot to handle.  Lupus has given me lots of kidney problems so even just simple anesthesia can cause my kidneys to "freak out" and stop working properly.  I will never be able to be on the list for a transplant and have been close to dialysis several times (which I want to avoid of course) so that made treatment tricky to say the least.  This is all out of my control but I can choose how to deal with it.

With all that I'm still so thankful for all that I CAN DO on those good days and for my family & friends.  So much of life (with or without illness) is about choices.  I choose to be thankful for what I have & make the most of each & every day that I am given.  I am slowly recovering both physically and emotionally - feeling stronger every day.  There is a lightness streaming into the darkness that I was closed in.  I really pray for people who struggle with depression as it's such a misunderstood thing & so debilitating.  I have had periods of it thru my life but am thankful for always being able to come out of it.  Depression really sucks the life out out of a person robbing them of all joy, interests and more.

One of the ways I'm going to recover is taking is Brave Girls Soul Restoration online class. (now that I have gotten some help for the depression this class for change shouldn't throw me into a deeper depression as the challenge I was doing with Rhonna before the holidays)

My friend Lori gave me the tuition & I'm so thankful for her friendship, love, support, and encouragement.  It starts today at 11:11 am pst & I'm so ready for a change/restoration.  The women that come back from the Brave Girls Camp have that lightness, shine, and joy so since I will probably never be able to attend the physical camp I'm thankful to be a part of the next best thing.  Melody Ross is incredible at combining art with life changes.  I'm excited to incorporate creativity in an effort to get over the things in my past & be the best person I can be now even with all the things on my plate that I have no choice but deal with.  I know when I create for me it can de-stress from the pressures of life and I just love it.

I'm still designing mini album kits & display pages for EMI Scrapbooking ( my local scrapbook store)& thank you Susan for being such a great friend & so patient with me.  You're the best!  The creativity has been a lifeline to me and really saved me from feeling so useless.  It's such a blessing.

Thanks again to each of you & I hope this helps you understand why I left the blog unattended.

Thankful for... creative outlets

I remember as a child wanting to be an artist but couldn't draw at all.  I don't know why I didn't think of other forms of art but for whatever reason that thought stuck with me.  So I gravitated to crafts - they gave me a chance to be creative & I've tried just about every one out there lol   Some of my favorites are scrapbooking (of course), & all other paper crafts, knitting, quilting, jewelry making, and working with clay.  Working with my hands is an instant de-stresser.  I love the entire creative process whatever I am working on.   I still don't think of myself as an artist but I'm branching out into more artsy ways to be creative.  I guess it's age but I feel I can try anything & if I like it that is good enough for me.

Here's a mini album kit sample I designed for EMI Scrapbooking Store.  The kit is selling well.  It's filled with lots of stitching & stamping.  I loved making this one (even with the inches of glitter lol)

Home Sweet Home - My Mind's Eye Lost & Found paper

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Blogger grrrr...

 I staged my week of thankful posts because I was trying to be on the ball and for some reason none of them posted....so I'll put them all in one post today to catch up so I'm not flooding email followers mailboxes with multi posts.

Tuesday - Thankful for you my followers & readers...

 

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I haven't met many of you but it really is a blessing when you leave me a comment or word of encouragement.  They really seem to come at just the right time. I hope that I am giving you some inspiration even though I've not been the best blogger this year.  You know life sometimes gets in the way & I am bad about feeling like what I have to share isn't as good as what others are blogging about and health/pain really can fuel that. So accept this BIG THANK YOU to each of you.

Wednesday - Thankful for old family photos especially those of my Grami...

they really have the power to transport you back to another time.  Remembering those who may no longer be with us is bitter sweet (as the years go on more sweet than bitter) but all part of life.  We can learn from the past.  Looking at this photo of my friend Lori & I with my Grami really takes me back to a day of sight seeing in Baltimore and Washington DC during a visit a year after moving away.

I am reminded of how much I miss my grandmother and how much she meant to me.  I was named after her & we were so close - sometimes it seemed we shared the same heart as she would know what was going on with me before she could pull it out of me.  We liked the same things - she taught me everything that I think is good about me.  She was an amazing cook - she had the smallest kitchen (couldn't even have the refrigerator in there) yet she managed to make such elaborate from scratch meals.  She taught me to make bread, cavatelles, pitzells, nut rolls, cabbage rolls, spaghetti & meatballs, thanksgiving stuffing & so many other dishes (all of which I've tweaked a bit - she even said they were better & started making them that way).  She loved "junking" & finding second hand treasures.  So creative - at age 55 she started painting - storing her brushes in a cleaned Pringles can.  Taught me it's never too late to do what you love & to follow your heart.  Loved BINGO and would always go wherever it was played - Catholic church always had one going on.  Love the beach and traveling.  Taught me how to grow flowers & how much joy playing in the dirt could bring.  She was a prayer warrior & close to the Lord.  Was a letter writer - showered me with cards & notes that I treasure today.  I love seeing her handwriting & often put it in layouts today.  I could go on and on about her...she was so sweet, caring & gentle natured.

She lived with Alzheimers for many years before passing (such a horrible disease).  Even with that she always had a smile for people & loved music.  When I would see her I could catch a glimpse of her - like she would bubble to the top for just a moment then the disease took back over.  I pray they find a cure for that very soon - as it really cruel & so hard for the family.

Thursday - Thankful for the sunshine
It is amazing how just standing out there in the sun can change your spirits.  I can feel it in my bones.  I love sitting out back in the garden with my breakfast watching the dogs rough house playing and running just soaking in the sun rays.  My dream one day will be to live near the beach so I can walk in the sunshine each morning with my feet in the sand.  That would be heaven on earth.

Friday - Thankful for Brave Girls Truths

I've been visiting the Brave Girls blog for a while now & wanting to go to one of their retreats.  It always seems sold out & the women who attend seem transformed and so happy when they return.  It reminded me of when my friends and I went to Bible camp when we were in jr. high.  Melody & Kathy share truths each day on the blog and they really have the capacity to touch hearts.  They are so honest and truly brave in sharing such personal things.  Thanks to them for these posts that touch my heart.  I'm saving to take the 6 week class in January - a gift to me in the new year.  They are giving away 10 spots so head over to the blog & leave as many comments as you want.

Hope you have a fantastic weekend and are able to do something creative

Thankful for... the pain is better

This weekend was a total loss.  I had a severe migraine caused from nerves in my spine for over 2 days.  Laying in bed with ice on my head/back& taking medicine to ease it enough & praying to just sleep it off.  Since it comes from my back the typical medicines for migraines don't help much even though I get all the typical symptoms (aura, pain, nausea, light/sound sensitivity) but as of this morning I was feeling much better - I'm just not going to look up since it still seems a bit dicey and could flare up again at any moment.  But when you go thru things like that it sure makes you thankful when that pain is eased/gone.

I'm thankful for... scrappy friends

This is an obsessive hobby that invades every part of your life.  We start to look at everything differently & non scrappers find us more than a bit strange.  I only have a few IRL friends anymore so it was nice to find so many online.  We encourage each other by giving a little "praise" on a layout, comment on a blog post, empathize with not having the right red cardstock (even when we have 20 different shades of red), oh and ah over the latest new "it" product or run out on a mad hunt when we hear about a great sale at Tuesday Morning or Big Lots.  It really boosts me up.  I've been doubly blessed to have gotten to meet some of my online friends in person at CHA & they are all so sweet.

I'm so thankful for... sleep number bed?

(no that's not us lol I snagged from Select Comfort site)

This may seem trivial but I really am thankful to have a comfy bed to sleep in.  I have a bad back & really struggled to sleep for several hours straight without being woke up in pain.  The Sleep Number Bed really has been a blessing for me.  I can not only adjust the support (independently customizable on each side) but I also can elevate my head/feet to get in just the right position.  It was a bit expensive but after researching how long they last then the bed seemed comparable in price to a standard one.  I'm so thankful for a good nights sleep because it sets the stage for a great day...

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful for such a great friend

Friends are a blessing... but longtime friends who really know you are a double blessing.  I am so thankful that I have one of those longtime friends.

I met Lori halfway through 4th grade when she moved and transferred to my elementary school.  We were instant best friends & almost 38 years later (gasp - did I say that) she is still my BFF.  2 goof balls that were not in the popular crowd but we had each other (& as the years went on our small group of girlfriends) that helped make the daily trials of school life OK.

We'd spend hours on the phone calling each other the second we got up in the morning or as soon as I knew she had enough time to walk home from school.  Our parents were understanding with a roll of the eyes.  We felt at home in each others homes - I loved having dinner at her house since her mom was a great cook & always had dessert after dinner (I still think of her when eating pound cake & chocolate ice cream).  She had the stay at home mom with the perfect house & my mom had started working  & even before wasn't always the neatest place with the clutter of all of dad's antique "finds" at auctions or yard sales.  We'd hang out in her basement which had the sweet smell of her dad's pipe tobacco - playing our records on an old "suitcase" style record player.  She had a sofa bed down there & when I spent the night we'd crash down there for privacy. She loved coming to my house since we had all the new "stuff" - video games, component stereo system, yellow black & white tv in my room, dogs, hamsters, gerbils, fish (we are both critter lovers but her mom wouldn't let her have a dog - she had hermit crabs), & a phone in my room to get into trouble calling people.

Lori was amazing... she's the best potato peeler lol she had too help cook dinner each night but she taught me how to use a peeler - I just knew how to use a knife thanks to my Gram, organizer (with the cleanest uncluttered pretty purple room around), talented piano player (I took lessons but my grandfather's talent skipped a generation to Andrew), so tall, pretty with long blond hair (taking Barbizon modeling at the department store), music we loved (Elton John, Partridge Family & Jackson Browne were favorites - though we had so many) & her hippie style (which I still lean towards today)..  We walked everywhere - going to Greetings & Readings several times a week (Hallmark/book store) for our magazines (Tiger Beat, 17, Cream), cards to send to my Grandparents in Pittsburgh, & special order books (like the Bernie Taupin - Elton John's songwriter - that we had to have  - the photos were very racy I can't believe now we were allowed to buy it lol)... I babysat the little girl next door so I had :"lots" of spending money.

Now it's great having someone that knows you so well and that you can share ANYTHING with without fear of judgement has kept me sane.  I don't have to worry about putting on airs for her or pretending - being real with her allows that honesty to actually heal the way life beats us down.  We share so many of the same interests & laugh at the same goofy things.

Even though we don't live in the same state anymore thanks to unlimited long distance we can stay in touch making a "date" every other week to talk for hours about everything clicking around on Farmville while chatting (I give her tips how to do the new things, post things for her to snag right then,  or make more money) & praying for each other.  I always start my prayer with how thankful I am for this friendship.  These talks are like therapy & I feel so much better afterwards.  Lori is like family & I can't imagine life without her.  Thanks for being my friend.

Thankful for my critters

So much of my day is spent at home but I'm not alone thanks to our pets.  We have both dogs & cats.  They really enrich my life with their unconditional love & wanting to always be close by my side... Sometimes that can be a bit much when my "posse" of 2 dogs & 3 cats come into our small bathroom with me - talk about close quarters.

And the dogs remind me of when my boys were young when they start "rough housing" playing when I'm on the phone - doing their loud growly play tugging on a toy or a sock that Charley happened to not put in the hamper (when they are stretched out you would think he would learn... not my sloppy guy).

They were all rescued except for show cat DJ a.k.a. "pom pom kitty" (nick name came from his obsession with playing with pom poms from the craft store) pictured above - he's a ragdoll.  The rescues we adopted seem so thankful for a loving home - sometimes I wonder what they have been thru when looking in their eyes.

I've always been a animal person & can't imagine how empty life would be without them in our home... sure I have to deal with "tumbleweeds" of fur causing me to run the vac more often & hairballs hacked up on the carpet (miss my old house with no carpet when I'm rubbing & scrubbing) but the love they give me makes up for it in so many ways.

Thankful for our freedom to vote.

Today is election day & it brings to mind so many things about our country.  We have  so many liberties and freedoms yet so often we take them for granted.  It's so sad to hear that we have such a low voter turn out compared to other countries.

I have many memories of my parents taking us to vote with them as a child standing in the booth & seeing democracy in action.  I guess it was their example that I looked forward to registering to vote at the age of 18.  I tried to pass that on to my boys taking them to the booth with me.

They looked forward to getting that little "I'm a Georgia  voter" sticker with the Georgia peach logo on it.   It may be silly but I wear mine all day too - not really for pride in myself but my country and maybe it's just as a silent reminder to others I might come across during the day...

We've had lively discussions leading up to election day about the issues - learning from each other's perspectives..  I hope you exercise your privileged to vote today.  Look at it as a thank you to all those in the military who are out there serving the country & giving us that privilege.