right in front of me

Sometimes I have a need to take pictures.

With winter still hugging me tighter than I want to be hugged and the sneaux still too deep to walk in, I have no choice but to get creative inside.

This is the pen holder on my desk.

I see it hundreds of times during the day.

And for some reason today, with a need to take photos, this is what caught my eye.

And it's been right here in front of me the whole time.

What beautiful thing has been in front of you that you just now noticed ?

this song is for my lover, hubby and best friend

{and thanks to Sandy for all her help in teaching me how to post a youtube video}

old family photos.......

I was going through some old family photos and came across this one that made me laugh so hard, I thought I would pee my pants.

So that you can have a little laugh in your day, I thought I should share this with you instead of keeping it all to myself.

sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't

And obviously today I do.

{this is me, having fun in the snow....almost unheard of since I've done so much complaining this winter....and doing a little uttana}

{I stand corrected....that would be sneaux that I was playing in !}

{thanks Toni for catching that !!!}

the chair

when you're not home

my heart is lonely

you were only gone 2 nights

it was just a business trip

*

but i missed you

your laugh was not the same over the phone

the side of the bed where you sleep was

empty

there was too much space everywhere

especially in the chair where you sit

*

but i was fine

i did my usual things

and missed you

*

and then you came home

and held me tight

and rocked my night with passion

*

and today the sun is shining brightly

i hear you everywhere

i see you

i smell you

everything fits again

my heart

your laughter

*

it was only 2 days

but it felt like 3 or 5 or 7

and now i'm warm again

*

not from the sun

but from you

what I'm not afraid to tell you.......

I have never gone to bed with my make-up on.

I love magazines and books.

I start journals and never finish them.

I rarely go out after 4pm.

Even on somewhat cloudy days, I wear my sunglasses.

I love black and white photography.

On long distance trips when I'm not driving, I fall asleep almost instantly.

I only need to wash my hair every 3 days.

I'm usually scared to try new things by myself.

As I've gotten older, I sleep less at night.

I don't have a library card.

I like to have lamps on instead of the ceiling lights.

I can stay in my house for days without ever leaving.

I find thunderstorms calming.

Strong perfume or room deodorizers give me a headache.

I've broken my nose and a pinkie toe.

Bookstores relax me.

I consider cheese and crackers a meal.

I've never had a cup of coffee.

I don't wear lipstick...only lip balm and gloss.

I'm almost always cold.

I watch too much television.

Bikinis have never really worked on me.

My dream is to live by the beach someday.

I can't wear the color red.

I have lived in 8 states, some of them more than once.

Christmas is not my favorite holiday.

Spring is my favorite season.

I love flea markets.

I will only wear tankinis at the beach or a pool.

I drink tea at least 3 times a day.

I doodle when I'm talking on the phone.

I can't stand long toe nails on me or anyone close to me.

I don't make our bed very often.

I have lots of clothes, but I wear the same things over and over.

I will run screaming if a bee is flying by my head.

In the winter, my skin itches constantly.

I like hanging my clothes instead of folding them.

I hate packing a suitcase.

I rarely wear heels.

I need live plants in my house to make it feel warm.

The studio is my favorite room in our house.

Other then my pregnancies, I have never weighed more than 110 pounds.

And tomorrow night, I'll be watching everyone on the red carpet.

my yoga.....

{picture courtesy of flickr }

Yoga has become something that I really, really enjoy doing.

If I'm not doing something I enjoy, I get bored easily, stop paying attention and move on to the next thing that looks a little more interesting to me, and so on and so on.

A touch of adult ADD I suspect....seriously.

I don't enjoy getting dressed for yoga, going out in the cold, driving to the club or even setting up my mat.

But once I'm in the studio, the lights are dimmed, the music starts and the teacher with her soothing voice tells me to send out my negativity into the universe and be grounded to the earth during tadasana....well, I must say....at that point I'm somewhat delirious with my "self" and my "world" and I'm lost for the next hour.

And then at the end, when it comes time for savasana, I become more relaxed than I ever thought this sometimes stressed out and fidgity body of mine could be.

It's a feeling that I can't really describe to anyone. And if someone had told me what yoga felt like prior to me going to class myself, I honestly would have thought them to be a little nuts.

So what I'm saying is that yoga is wonderful....but I can't tell you that. Only by going to a class will you understand.

So I hope for any of you out there who are maybe thinking of trying yoga, that you'll follow your heart and go.... and then you, too, will be seeking a way to let others know what they've been missing.

NAMASTE

{plus, if you have a teacher like mine, you'll also pick up a new language-sanskrit}

Something like this......

Once again, I start with a pile of magazine cut-outs.
Most importantly...... to pick the perfect "big head,"
minus the ears.

Find a floral "hat" and oh, how the sunflowers were screaming for this one.

And after years of watching my children grow-up into amazing young adults,

I've decided....

"I don't want to grow up"

SNEAUX

That's right.

This is how I'm going to spell it for the rest of the season.

The snow that was pretty for a few days in December is now ugly.

We've gotten 83.3 inches so far and my body aches just from being tired of it.

Okay, call me crazy or hypocritical.

It was pretty yesterday.

Only because the freezing rain came first...oh the joys of winter in wisconsin

The glistening outside was blindingly beautiful.

But starting today and until it's gone completely, I will no longer have snow outside my window as I sit here typing.

It is now sneaux.

Isn't that a pretty spelling for the thing I now hate most in life?

I think it's a real word, but I'm not sure.

It looks French, but since I took Spanish, I really have no idea.

But I like it....sneaux, sneaux, sneaux.

And at his point, I need all the help I can get.

Only in my mind......

In my mind, this is where I'm eating my meals today

After the sand has been washed from my toes

And lotion has cooled my sunburned skin

Where my thoughts have been left on the beach

And my dreams have set sail with the ocean tides

Oh how I love my wild animals.....

Once again, our critter cam is amazing us.

These close-ups are just too cute.

For those of you around this area, you know how deep our snow is.

For those who need a visual, look at the legs on the deer in the front.

Now that's deep snow.

We've gotten EIGHTY inches so far for this season.

But for smaller guys like this opossum, he has no problem walking on top of the snow.

Our temperatures have been soooo cold, that the snow is fozen solid in most areas,

so he has no problem getting to the leftover birdseed under our feeders.

The deer on the other hand, are now getting feed corn.

Shhhh, don't tell anyone.

We heard that you're not supposed to feed them.

But we also heard that no human, let alone the wild animals, should have to live through a winter with this much snow.

So I think we're even.

{please ignore the dates and times....new batteries screwed up the internal calendar}

Inspiration comes in many packages......

I've been inspired by an amazing woman.

Her name is Jen.

She is 39.

A single mom.

Living in Australia.

She's funny.

And inspirational beyond words.

She writes from her heart.

And her soul.

She is strong and courageous.

And is fighting the fight of her life.

She has bowel cancer.

And it's stage 4.

Yet her spirit is amazing and she brightens my day with her kindness and passion.

Please take the time to visit her.

And send her prayers.

She is very grateful for everyone who stops by.

She needs our support.

And I can guarantee you that you will leave her blog with an overwhelming sense of inspiration to make each day, a great day.

and the winners are.....

By now, all of the winners in my Valentine tag give-away should have received their tags.

Here is a list of the winners.....

{and you can check out these fabulous women by clicking on their names}

JENA

KAREN

JEANIE

ANGELICA

LAURA

BELLA

Congratulations to you all !!!

Happy Valentines Everyone !!!

cold and snowy outisde = journal pages inside

Are you bored yet with my journal pages ?
They're just fun to make.
And for me, I need to have many pages for my many thoughts, made up ahead of time.
When I feel like making pages, I don't feel like writng.
And when I feel like writing, I don't want to have to take the time to make a page.

This quote is a rub-on.

And now with one more rub-on, this page is done.

{and YES Bella....you can make these...I know you can !}

how my big head journal pages happen

I find some magazine photos that I like and cut them out. Most importantly, I cut the ears off my heads....don't ask me why, I just do.
Then I walk around my studio and go through my files in search of the perfect ephemera.

Then I glue all the pieces down and add stamps and rub-ons.

Ta-Da....another page is done.

Soon it will be filled with my thoughts and feelings,

and then I'll tuck it away for safe keeping.

{with all the snow and cold we've had, I've been busy making lots of these...stay tuned for more!}

trying to sing

I'm so in love with youtube.

The video clips make me laugh.

Sometimes they make me think.

Often the video clips are blindingly beautiful.

Today this one was everything and it made me want to sing along~

but I didn't know the words.

So I pretended.

la, la, la, la, la, la , la

And now I share it with you.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-YUxbDEPFiM

FRIDAY FUN

This is the best pick-me-up EVER !

Some of you have already seen this, but just in case you haven't....well, YOU MUST !

It will make you smile.

It will make you laugh.

It will make you wish you had an accent.....or at least make you wish you LIVED with someone who has an accent.

And if you're anything like my family, you will walk around the house saying,

"Charlay, that huurt!"

{make sure your volume it up high!}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM

do you see what I see ?

Sometimes the only thing to do is to start looking at everything again until you forget what you're supposed to see and actually see what's there.

{photo courtesy of flickr}

SUPER TUESDAY, but different

Today is Super Tuesday, but we're setting politics aside.

What we're talking about is this beautiful baby.

20 years ago today I was in the hospital delivering her.

24 hours of labor.

A forceps delivery.

A girl.

7 lbs 8oz.

10 fingers.

10 toes

A head full of dark hair.

She stole our hearts with her first breath...

And she has made us proud every day since then.

Happy Birthday beautiful girl !!!

Won't you be my VALENTINE ?

This is my first BLOG GIVE AWAY and I decided VALENTINE'S DAY would be the perfect time to let you all know how much I appreciate you taking the time to visit and comment on my blog !
I made these last night and even though they still need a little red ribbon (which I thought I had) tied to the tops to be "finished," I decided in order to get this GIVE AWAY going, I had to get these photos up now !
{and yes, those are little red pencils {that actually write} on the sides}

Do you remember when you were younger and at school you would have "secret valentines?"
Well, that's how this GIVE AWAY is going to be.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog that you'd like to receive one of these "secret valentines" and THEN YOU MUST send me your mailing address (if I don't already know it) to my email address with VALENTINE in the subject line.


That way I can get them in the mail on FEBRUARY 11th and nobody (until after the 14th when I post the winners) will know who won....but if you did win, you will have already gotten your VALENTINE in the mail before it is announced here.


So please comment before NOON on FEBRUARY 10th to get your name in the running !..and don't forget to email me right away your mailing address !!!

And one more thing...if you have a blog and tell others about this GIVE AWAY with a link to me....I'll enter your name TWICE !!

faces and bodies, not really

I'm taking a class this year with Misty Mawn. Along with being soooo excited, I'm also scared to death. You see, all of her work has to do with faces and bodies....hand drawn and painted....hmmm, not something I do. I'm more of a paper and glue kind of girl.

But I do doodle.

I'm a huge doodler while I'm sitting at my desk....and of course with Misty's class in my mind, I've been doodling faces.

So this is one that I thought was good enough to share.

I like her.

She looks like a gypsy.

Why are lips and eyes so hard to draw ? Especially since they're something we look at all day long, for hours and hours. Is it because they're all different ?

So... have I just offered up a challenge ?

I see you all now, at your computer desks, reaching for a pencil and a scrap piece of paper all the while thinking, "it can't be that hard, can it?"

Do it ! Try it ! Why not ?