Happy Colors

I've been extremely productive this weekend . . . cutting and trimming, painting and gluing, sketching and outlining, dreaming and believing. I think it has to do with this new tablecloth I picked up (above).

I bought it our local Home Goods store a few weeks ago (I have re-discovered Home Goods! Oh, how I LOVE that store.) At first glance, I thought the table cloth was crazy busy and a tad . . . gaudy. But after further inspection, it screamed out, "TAKE ME HOME! YOU LOVE ME, and you can't deny it!!" Yes, the colors . . . they spoke to me.

I think this is my new palette in life.

I don't know what it is about these colors. They just . . . make me . . . happy.

Sigh.

I had an amazing evening last night. All my my lonesome. At a Barnes & Noble bookstore. With a cup of coffee, five different Somerset art magazines, two books, and a few uninterrupted hours.

It was bliss.

Here is a photo of the moment.

Makes me laugh, when looking at this photo, how my "Happy Colors" are so very prevalent in the reading materials I had picked up. Isn't that interesting? (Especially since I determined these colors as my happy colors weeks ago.) As I look at this picture right now, it appears I am really drawn to these hues, don't you think? Even in reading materials.

I like that.

I'm up to my elbows in new jewelry that will be hitting my shop this week, along with a couple of new hand-painted picture frames. Have you seen them yet? I tell you, I know that I make them . . . but they really are quite lovely. Click here for a closer look at them.

Wishing you all a wonderful **happy color** weekend!!

Peace!!

An Education in Love

So, my beloved Katie is finding a passion within herself for quotes. Inspiring, motivating, life changing quotes.  (Hmmmm . . . I wonder where she gets that from.)

She likes to google "inspiring quotes" on the iPad, pull up images of her search, and sit with her composition book while writing quote after quote into her notebook. I think she is going to end up with a pretty cool journal when she is done with it.  Often times she'll stop and read the quotes out loud to me, like, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent . . . ", and follow it with a, "Wow . . . that's pretty deep, Mom."

Last week, she was really interested in the words of Eleanor Roosevelt. I think that's pretty cool for an 8 year old (well, she's just 28 days away from 9, so I had better set that straight . . . you know, someday she'll read this and argue that she was 9!) I digress. So, she wanted to know all about Mrs. Roosevelt. Katie couldn't believe that she was the wife of a President. I couldn't believe how interested she was. 

I love these precious moments I have with my girls right now, when I can actually turn off the to-do lists in my head and just BE in the moment with them.  I love that in the middle of all of the teaching, I, too, am learning. I love that they would rather be kneeling by the coffee table with a pad of paper, a set of crayola markers, and me . . . instead of doing anything else. And I love that my daughters are reading things that inspire them, and talking about it.

A couple of days ago, Katie seemed to have forgotten all about these inspiring words of wisdom, though, when an argument with her very best friend turned ugly on the bus ride home from school. Katie ran into the house in a rather dramatic and distraught 3rd grader way, and fled to her bedroom while dumping her backpack and lunch bag along the way. When I went into her bedroom, she was face down into her pillow, crying aloud and telling me that she did a terrible thing.

"Mom, I said something terrible to Megan," she told me.

"Tell me what happened," I told her, rubbing her back in comfort.

"I can't . . . I just can't." She sighed that big, long, deep crying sigh, and started, "I wanted to sit with Abbie on the way home, and Megan got upset with me and said she hated me, and then I said something awful back at her. I told her she was mean and I could just stick a pin in her and she cried. She cried all the way home, and I cried, and she just ran into her house, and I ran all the way here, and I don't think she will ever speak to me again. I feel just awful, Mom. It was terrible."

Ah, to be eight . . .  when the worry of bills and jobs and grown up stress is just so far from your reality, and when an argument between you and your best friend can truly seem like the end of the world.

After a long talk, and a reminder of there being nothing she could say that would have me love her any less, Katie decided to make a card for her friend to apologize for her words. And luckily, her friend did the same.

Crisis averted.

It's so great, isn't it, that we can learn from those who have come before us. That even in the big picture of this life, we really all have words to express how we are feeling . . . when we are happy, or when we are sad.  I'm so glad that we can use our words to make each other feel better. And I am so glad that my girls aren't afraid to do that.

My favorite Eleanor Roosevelt quote that we came across last week?

The giving of love is an education in itself.

Do you have any favorites? Leave them in the comments . . . I'd love to know.

It's been a long time . . . .

You know it's been a while since you've blogged when you go to sign into blogger, and actually have to THINK about the user name and password you are entering to get into your blog.

Yes, that's me.

I've been an absent blogger.

I learned a long time ago that the key to a successful blog is consistency. Consistency in blogging. Consistency in reading other blogs. Consistency in leaving comments on other blogs. Consistency. Consistency. Consistency.

I haven't been very consistent. For that, I apologize.

If you are still here and still reading this post, then I say, "THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart!" And here's something else for you . . . I miss you. I miss writing. I miss sharing my daily stories and my journeys and my art and my life. I miss gathering my thoughts and putting them out here for all to read (or at least the 180 so followers I have.)

I always have ideas to write about, you know? Usually when I'm driving in my car, or blow drying my hair, or waiting for Katie or Ella to finish one of their gazillion activities this spring. Unfortunately, my most recent ideas seem to get stuck somewhere between my brain, and my fingers tips . . . never quite making it to this trusty computer for a chance to actually come out.

But, today is a new day. And since this is the year of "me" (remember?), I think I need to change that. So, I am hereby adding a new task to my days . . . 1/2 hour of writing. Just a half hour. To gather thoughts, document memories, share some dreams.

Like, the photo at the top of this post. I took it last week, with my phone. Just happened to be outside, and glanced up to see the most beautiful sunshine HEART peeking through the clouds. The clouds were moving quickly, but I caught it at the perfect moment. See, the old me would have blogged about it the day it happened, and shared many paragraphs with you about the whole experience. I miss that part of me.

So, I've been thinking. I'm going to come up with some things to get the creative brain moving . . . like a weekly post listing 10 reason why I love summer? Or perhaps, the biggest thing I learned during the week? Or how about my daily journey? I haven't shared any pictures with you from my favorite road in quite some time . . . .  Or, maybe a humorous story of my hubby or kids (cause Lord knows, I have those daily . . . like, today. Did I tell you? Ella decided that she should dump 1/2 a container of baby powder on the floor of her bedroom. Wait . . . I said humorous, didn't I? Oh, I'm sure there is humor in there somewhere.)

Whatever it is, I hope I'm back. Back to writing. I miss it. And I have lots to say (of course).

So, here's to a dedicate 1/2 hour of writing each and every day.

Hope to have some good stuff coming out of it . . . hang on!

And that heart in the clouds is pretty remarkable, isn't it? It really was a beautiful moment. I'll have to tell you more about it later! ;)

Peace.

And the WINNER IS . . . .

I bet you thought I forgot, didn't you? I bet you thought I'd never be back to announce our winners for the two picture frames I told you about last week. Well, never fear my friends!!! WE HAVE OUR WINNERS! The winners were selected from the Random.org list generator. (I'm getting a little fancier in my old age, aren't I? For those of you who have been around for one of my give-aways in the past, I have finally graduated from pulling names from a hat!)

I received 12 comments on the give-away post last week, and one of our commentors (Lynn) mentioned that she also tweeted, facebooked and blogged about my giveaway, so she was entered twice! (I need to hire her to do my P.R., don't you think?) And please keep reading this post, even if you didn't win the frame. There is a special surprise at the bottom of the post for everyone!!!

So, without any further delay . . . . can I have drumroll, please!!!

The winner of the

"Life is so much better with Love!" frame is . . .

CONGRATULATIONS KATHY!!!

* * * * * *

Our second winner, who will receive the

"Life is so much greater when shared!" frame,  is . . .  

CONGRATULATIONS LYNN!!!!!

* * * * * *

Kathy and Lynn, I am SO VERY happy that you are our give-away winners! If you both would please email me the address where you would like me to mail your picture frame, I will have those out to you in no time at all! Please email me at chaostohappiness@gmail.com !

Now, for everyone else . . . because I can't stand it for any one to miss out, and because it is my birthday week, and because I am so very grateful for each and every one of you . . .

I have an extra special surprise!

Everyone who left a comment on the give-away post (all 12 people listed below),

each of you will receive a bookmark from my shop!

YES!!! I am NOT kidding!!!

So, if you left a comment on the give-away post and your name is listed below . . . please email me your address at chaostohappiness@gmail.com, and I will drop a bookmark in the mail!

REALLY!

I just feel like sharing some goodies with my blog friends this week, so please do send me an email with your address, and I'll have a bookmark in the mail to you within a day or two!

Congratulations EVERYONE!