blow it all away

just a peek at what i have been braiding and knoting for the last week
adding a few finishing touches today.
a much needed change of pace from my norm, now i am starting to
crave time back in my studio for some
soldering and beading time.

last night steph announced she was going
to trim her bangs just as i was silently admiring how lovely her hair looked.
i thought out loud ' oh wonderful, i get to hear how terrible her hair looks all summer....i hate it, i can't believe i did this to my hair' mocking her whiny voice.
steph quickly assured me since she had trimmed her bangs to her satisfaction on other occasions i would not be hearing any
whining this summer.
guess who was right.
this is one time i would have loved to have been proven wrong.

oy.
it's gonna be a long summer till those bangs grow back out.

after the bangs crisis, steph and i took our post outside to take on star gazing
duty again. just a mere handful of shooting starts tonight. the summer shower is winding down quicker this year it seems.

grabbed a bottle of bubbles from my stash and blew away any stress from the day that still lingered on.

instead of bottles of xanax and vicadin they should hand out bottles of bubbles.
this is the most wonderful way to blow away stress and pain.

i have a stash of bubbles, in many different containers. a collection of them are gathered in an antique bowl in my studio.
i can sit for hours, or until i have used up every last drop of bubble juice, which ever comes first.


bubbles are my favorite thing to give friends for birthdays who have declared they are old. blow bubbles and you instantly feel 7 again.

bubbles are packed amongst other goodies in care packages for those who are in need of a pick me up.
just try to not relax when blowing on the wand that makes those magical rainbow colored floating orbs.

i dare ya to try it for yourself.

these things summer brings

while mowing the backyard max found this snow white wooley guy. always to be known as calapitars at our home. max and i took turns letting him crawl up and down our arms. nothing will make you feel like a kid again quicker than giggling as this multi-legged fuzzy creature gives you goose-bumps while parading up down your arms. we have seen these in black, brown, orange, but never white. what a treat this was.

the heat of the day drove us all to seek shelter someplace cool. not often do we see a bunny with it's guard down, stretched out and relaxed in the shade.

all day yesterday we anxiously awaited for night fall, not only to bring cooler temperatures, but saturday night/sunday morning was the peak of the summer meteor shower we look forward to every year. this year was going to be the first time in over 10 years we would all be able to watch this together, and at last check it would be the first year in many that it would not rain on the peak night..... while the boys all went to the store, steph and i came outside to see what all the noise was....we found a neighbor with his car radio cranked up and the heavens were booming with thunder. we looked up to find a clouded over sky producing some of the most beautifully colored lightning.

i am in awe of nature. shooting stars and lightning are some of my favorite sights. i stood for half an hour easily watching this show, never quite quick enough to capture the most beautiful of displays.

although our star gazing had to be cancelled for the night, we still were able to watch an amazing light show in the sky.

if the weather allows we will be back out front in the driveway on the air mattress oohhhhing and ahhhhing while counting shooting stars, satellites, mosquito bites, and swooping bats for the next few weeks.

buck naked snow angel

oh, what i would give to be able to run and jump in a pile of this glorious -white -chill -you -to -the -bone -fluff buck naked and make a snow angel.

i am so sorry i cursed your appearance 6 months ago. oh, please come for a surprise visit today would you?

ok, if i promised i would keep my clothes on would you come by to visit?

pretty puhleaseeeee with a cherry on top....

these things she holds dear to her heart

i received the note below in an email from a friend today, passed it along to others as we all do, usually to be forgotten by the next day when the next batch of emails rolls in , if not before.

but i thought about this one alot today.

most of the things on this list are captured in the locket pictured above.

how many of these emails do we receive in a day, week, month.

how many of them do we really take to heart?

after all, the friend who forwarded this email on to me is one of the people that make me laugh till i have cramps in my cheeks and tears rolling down my face and will this email change the fact that we speak no more than just a couple of times a year?

only time will tell.

i learned about 5 years ago just how quickly it can all come to an end not just once but twice, and i am so grateful i was given another chance, and another one.

We all need to read this one over and over until it becomes part of who we are

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Try everything twice.

On one woman's tombstone she said she wanted this epitaph:

"Tried everything twice.loved it both times!"

2. Keep only cheerful friends.

The grouches pull you down.

(Keep this in mind if you are one of those grouches!)

3. Keep learning:

Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever..

Never let the brain get idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's

workshop

And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud.

Laugh until you gasp for breath.

And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with HIM/HER

6. The tears happen:

Endure, grieve, and move on.

The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves.

LIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love:

Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.

Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health:

If it is good, preserve it.

If it is unstable, improve it.

If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips.

Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every

opportunity. I love you, my special friend.

11. Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a second chance.

Remember! Lost time can never be found. Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

looking forward to this

oh sunset, i am awaiting for your return. every now and then i gaze out the window in hopes that i will see you approaching.

it is 103 with the heat index at 5:07 here.

once that glowing angry orb sets below the horizon i know cooler breezes will blow.

the moon with its calming soft glimmer has always been a better friend to me.

for now it is not the heat that seems to be the nasty beast, but the humidity.

i am so sticky i feel like a licked lollipop left behind on a sizzling summer sidewalk.

stormy weather.....

many pics still on the way
we have had a bit of stormy weather
both in the literal sense and
not so.
we have had quite a bumpy couple of weeks
here.
not something i want to blog about
it is the stuff that life brings
your way
you find the strength with faith to dig your heels in
and stand your ground.
you have faith that you will come out better in the end.
a couple of more days and we will be back on track
in the meantime
below is a quick piece i put together while steph and i were making dinner the other night
this is not my usual me kind of piece.
it was so simple i felt like i was cheating!
it was made from other bits of jewelry and chain.
will be capturing better images in the next couple
of days and then listing on etsy with a few other
new pieces.

the answer: not a thing

the question: what does this picture have to do with what i am writing about.

it has been an oh-so-busy-and-oh-so-fun weekend. i have photos out the wahzoo to post and write about. my poor camera is worn out too. the battery is charging as we used every last drop of its energy to capture as much as we could of our experiences.

i am so tired i honestly am not sure if i am really typing this, or if i am dreaming it. so before i fall asleep, or wake up whatever the case may be i am saying goodnight.

will post pics tomorrow.

just did not want you to think i forgot about you.

mwah!

these things are normal, for me

shower time is my time
my time to give thanks
my time to pray
my time to reflect
my time to be present

a week ago today
i was thinking about steph's graduation
just 2 days away

i wished i could wind back time
i wished there were things i could
do differently
i wondered if i could do them differently
what our today would be like

don't get me wrong
i am grateful for our lives

i realized we travel the paths we do
to learn
to grow

i have learned
so very much

i have grown
beyond my wildest dreams

but still
if i could have one wish
just one
my wish would be
to be able to do it all over again
with all that i have learned
with how i have grown

once i was done reflecting
i gave thanks for now
i took a few minutes just to be present
just to feel the water
just to breathe

suddenly, as though someone had called my name
i was snapped back into the real world
i realized i must have been in the shower for a very long time

i quickly turned off the shower
whipped open the shower door
and checked to see what time it was.

this alarm clock is one of the best
usually i unplug it in the morning after the hubby is up
when you plug it back in it automatically sets itself

it has a button that allows you to change the time either forward or backward

when i looked to see just how long i had been in the shower
the clock was going in reverse, back in time, full speed.
i stood in awe.
not disbelief.
these things happen to me all of the time.
my hubby always thought i was a bit cookey until he witnessed
these events
i was relieved that i had witnesses at home
so i quickly grabbed a towel and
called my daughter in to see.

i know
deep in my heart
down to the core of my very being
my soul
that i was told my wish was granted
not literally
but i have been given a chance to do things
'over'
to be given a second chance.

i decided not to unplug the clock but leave it alone
hoping my hubby would get a chance to witness this message
later when i came back to check the clock
it had stopped going back in time and had
reset itself.

i have left it plugged in as a test
just to see if the heat and humidity from the shower
caused this
though it has been plugged in during many showers before
it has never done it since.

i feel blessed to have been given notice that my prayers have been heard

oh so pretty

one of the new perennials
added to our front yard garden
we worked for 7hours yesterday
2 hours of it in the rain
after the rain stopped i ran outside and snapped
a few photos.
i have never seen this shade of pink lily before.
more show and tell photos later
off to do some housework and start dinner.

these eyes

these eyes stared in disbelief as the little pink line appeared on the at home pregnancy test, after all the doctors told me conceiving would be nearly impossible.

these eyes frantically searched for her heartbeat on the ultra-sound monitor after the doctor told me there likely no longer was one.

these eyes watched my belly grow enormous and loved to see her move inside of me.

these eyes watched her birth with the aid of a mirror. giving me strength to push all 9 pounds 10 ounces of her out of my body.

these eyes watched as the staff rushed her away before i had a chance to see her.

these eyes tried to catch a glimpse of her as the doctors worked on her to bring her back to life.

these eyes saw her first smile.

these eyes saw her first steps.

these eyes watched her excitedly climb the bus steps the first day of kindergarten.

these eyes have seen her happy, sad, mad, hurt, excited, sleeping, playing.....

these eyes tried really hard not to blink knowing tears would come pouring out if i did as we watched her graduate saturday.

these eyes have watched a precious baby girl grow up into a beautiful, strong, talented sweet young woman for nearly 19 years.

these eyes can not wait to see what the future brings

here she is.....

officially a member of the graduating class of 2009

we always forget something....except this time!

believe it or not we were able to find the
needle in the haystack

with a bit more hearing loss recently
most of the ceremony
sounded like this to me....
blah blah blah graduates blah blah seniors blah blah blah....
i have to admit a combo of a.d.d.
and boredom struck so i began to
take photos of the structure around us
much to stimulate the eyes, especially when the ears
aren't doing there job.

after the ceremony i tried to snap some photos of me and bill.......where were our smiles? not sure....with only 2 hours of sleep my body was on auto pilot. no brain present by the point of the day.

steph was so afraid
that she would fall on
the steps
she worried about it
for weeks
i prayed
from the moment her row
stood
until she sat down
that she would be spared this embarrassment

thankfully she made it!
unfortunately a girl a few rows after steph
was not so fortunate.

after the ceremony we headout out to eat
and then came home
and admired the desert
we were all too full to eat
i tried to stay awake long enough to put steph's
moisture deprived
lovely flowers
into a vase.

exhausted from only getting 2 hours sleep, steph crawled into our bed corner to corner, bill found a spot at the foot of the bed, and
i curled up on the oh-so-comfy chair next to the bed
and fell asleep
all of us still in our dress clothes.
too tired to even change into something comfy, the 3 of us took a much needed nap.
the boys....all i can say is thank goodness they found a way to entertain themselves for a couple of hours.