Friday Gratitude (on Saturday)

5 Good Things in my life...
1. A nice trip over to Denver!
2. Cold Stone Creamery! Yummy!
3. art - have been around a lot of inspiring people recently and just thankful for all the incredible art they do/give
4. mail love - I have received quite a bit of mail love recently and enjoyed it all!
5. Coming home to the kitty cats!

Art Tour

I really enjoyed this afternoon. We went to an art studios tour. There is a local art organization that planned what is called the Open Art Studio Tour. It is where local artists open up there studios for people to come and visit, look at their art, buy art, and so on. We first went to Diana Wood's studio. I have been in it a few times as I designed her website and Michael and I are friends with her and her husband. Her art is gorgeous! Beautiful colors and textures. I hope one day we are able to get a piece by her.

Then after that we went to another place...some people we know have space on their property for several artists plus they are a bed and breakfast (The Gallery Bed and Breakfast). Their property and the studios are simply amazing. While we were there someone said it is like being in Taos...and I was nodding. It is quite the artful paradise! We ended up buying a really pretty pottery bowl by Damian Rice. And then a painting by Dianna Fritzler of M&M's. Michael's initials being MM has meant he has collected M&M stuff over the years. So when I was flipping through a stack of work by Dianna I started squealing with when I saw the M&M's! I told Michael he NEEDED it for his office! He happened to agree! Dianna does landscapes, animals, still life...everyday things but all with vibrant color, wonderful texture and a lot of whimsy! All of her pieces are really so much fun! You just can't help look at them and feel good and smile! She is SO inspiring...she just has so many ideas and great energy! She has been very encouraging of me getting involved in the local art community. And after walking around and seeing all the art....it was very inspiring to me. I really wanted to come home and go to my studio right away and create but after having such a long day my body and brain couldn't handle it. This morning we had a photography shoot that was over an hour away. When we got back to town at a little after 1pm, we dropped equipment off and then left for the tour.

The bowl by Damain Rice...is it pretty? The colors are amazing...had to get photos of it from all sides as it so pretty!



M&M's by Dianna Fritzler....So FUN!

Friday Gratitude

Today I am going to do my Friday Gratitude using the letter L...
love - grateful for loving...giving and receiving in many ways
life - grateful for the life I have and lead
life journey - grateful to my life journey...grateful for being able to take the path I am on
laughter - grateful for the sound of friends and family laughing as well as the ability to laugh
Laurell k. Hamilton - grateful to her early books as they were entertaining plus they had special memories attached to them
lounging - grateful for the time to lounge and relax
lemons - grateful for the fresh smell, the flavor and the many things you can do with them
loyalty - grateful for loyalty that that is given to me and that I give. I am very loyal but not to the expense of myself (used to be to the point of being harmful to myself)
light - grateful for light...allowing me to see things....and even in ways I might not have seen without light shining just a certain way
lists - grateful for lists to give me gentle reminders and keep me up to speed
lip gloss and lipstick - grateful for lip gloss and lipstick that allow me to be girly girl
lips - grateful for lips the softness of them when we kiss..the way they move when speaking....plus Michael has very sexy lips!
language - grateful for language to communicate and expressive thoughts and feelings.
ladybugs - they are cute and colorful they always make me smile and make me think about all the wonders in nature.

(image of magnet that I made for a friend who was going through a rough time)

Friday Gratitude

1. Lemonade
2. Chinese take out
3. That today was beautiful...sunny, not to warm, little breeze.
4. For feeling tired (been having insomnia so feeling tired is good)
5. Michael...for being so good to me. He has been extremely supportive and loving during my sad days of grieving. He spoiled me with the shopping trip! He picked up take out for dinner this week! And just taking care of me and loving me! He is wonderful!

(atc - it was a themed atc swap - the them was Into the Sun - I made this one thinking abou the sun being my battery power at times. I am a night owl but I do need sun to keep me from getting blue.)

Daily Om....Many Times Over....

I had a bunch of Daily Om's flagged in my inbox so I am posting just a few of them here as I feel they were pretty good. Remember these are just snippets to read the whole Daily Om click on the links!

I always enjoy daily om - they inspire, enlighten and give me inner peace.

Your Allies On Life's Journey: Finding Your Tribe
Part of being human is the search for an individual identity. Bound to this strong need to establish a unique persona, however, is an equally intense desire for acceptance. It is when we find our individual tribes that both are satisfied. Our tribe members are those people who accept us as we are without reservation and gladly accompany us on our journeys of evolution. Among them, we feel free to be our imperfect selves, to engage unabashedly in the activities we enjoy, and to express our vulnerabilities by relying on our tribe for support. We feel comfortable investing our time and energy in the members of our tribe, and are equally comfortable allowing them to invest their resources in our development.


Foundations Of Evolution: Acknowledging Your Growth
Since personal evolution is most often a slow and gradual process, it can be difficult to recognize the scope of the changes taking place in our lives. Yet it is important that we regularly acknowledge our ongoing growth and reward ourselves for the many wonderful feats of self-improvement we have accomplished. When we intentionally contemplate our progress, we need never feel that we are languishing between past achievements and the realization of future goals.


Consuming To Heal: Filling Imaginary Voids
In our culture today, we are constantly encouraged to consume. This includes food as well as purchasing ever newer items that we may not need, often using money that we may not actually have. It could be that we are trying to fill a void we feel within ourselves, but if we take the time to examine it, we know deep inside that this is not the solution.


Choosing Not To Be A Target: Emotional Attacks
When someone attacks us emotionally, we may wonder what we did to rouse their anger, and we take their actions personally. We may ask ourselves what we could have done to compel them to behave or speak that way toward us. It's important to remember that there are no real targets in an emotional attack and that it is usually a way for the attacker to redirect their uncomfortable feelings away from themselves.


A Magical Mind: Wish
Wishes are important missives, expressing our heart's desire as well as our intention to create something new in our lives. When we wish for something, our consciousness opens to receiving it, like a flower unfolding its petals to receive a bee.


Lifting Pain's Veil: Bitterness
Divesting yourself of bitter feelings can be as simple as truly forgiving and moving on. Even when your bitterness has no concrete object, you can forgive situations too. Healing pain can be challenging but may be easier if you remind yourself that you are the only entity truly affected by your emotional state. In time, you will discover that letting go of your bitterness frees you to initiate the healing process and allows you to once again celebrate the possibility of the more wonderful life you deserve.