21 April 2010

50 Things I Like About Spring...

You may ask,
"Why are you writing about Spring
a month after the fact.

Well, in Cleveland,
March 21 is sort of a "pre-spring"
or
Springtime Eve
By April 21, we're pretty much out of the woods when it comes to Blizzards and such..
so here goes...

50 Things I Like About
Spring!!!

Heavy coats to the rear of the closet - light jackets to the front!
open windows for fresh air
strawberries are in season

capris
sitting outside for lunch
neighbors emerge from hibernation
My Birthday!
linen jackets
fresh salads
Easter




sunshine
tiny buds peeking out of the soil
Memorial Day
flowering trees







bright blue skies
umbrellas
my first sign of tanning
people on bikes
cantalope
cookouts
dandelions
my hair blowing in the breeze
Mother's Day
a tall glass of water with a slice of lemon
people-watching while waiting for the bus
motorcycles
thunderstorms
colorful gardens
farmer's open-air markets
iced tea
new neighbors
billowing curtains
getting in shape
sitting on the stoop of my apartment
bird's songs
fresh fruit
the scent of lilac bushes
moms with strollers
the unexpected snow storm ;-)
taking walks
spring cleaning
bouquets of daffodils
runners and walkers
floral body sprays
my cloth slouch bag
Robin red-breasts
joggers
driving with the windows down
rainbows
the end of tax season!!
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12 April 2010

Whirlwind weekend

My grandson, Alex came to visit me this weekend from out of town.  Oh, and he brought his parents too.  It is so fun to hang out with a 3 year old.  He is so full of energy, and so curious about EVERYTHING! And sometimes a little stubborn too! We went to the Science Center Saturday.
everything is such a wonder!


Erica, Alex and Mike


My daughter Cara tried to take a picture of Alex giving me a good-bye kiss.  He likes those big "smack" kisses that are so hard to catch on camera.  After about 15 tries (yeah, he fired away 15 in a row!)  our camera battery died.  This was the best of the bunch!

My Art Idea Notebook!

Last week, spent an afternoon at one of my favorite places - JoAnn's.
In their clearance isle, I found a notebook regularly $2.00 marked down 75% to 50cents!
The notebook is 4"x6" and is the perfect size to stash in my bag. 
Orange/pink with black tectured "felt"
and NO LINES!!  YAY!!!

I divided the notebook into 6 sections; 
Ideas for Art Journal
Ideas for Art Projects
Ideas for my Blog  ;-)
Miscellaneous Ideas
Supplies (needed and craved!)
and finally, Health and Exercse - which I'm seriously thinking about keeping a separate notebook for. 
(my first entries under Miscellaneous Art Projects)
I "repurposed" some used index tabs I had at work.
I'll post my progress on this project!

Keep Creating!!

07 April 2010

How Big is God?

 "Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,

And the heavens are the work of Your hands."
~Psalm 102:25


"But God made the earth by his power;

he founded the world by his wisdom
and stretched out the heavens by his understanding."
~Jeremiah 10:12





God is so big... He created ALL this and MORE!!!
Yet...
He loved you and me so much ...
He sent His only Son to die
for our sins on the cross...

Here's to contemplating the Universe..

05 April 2010

Under Pressure

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
~ John14:27 

The last week or so has been very challenging.  A week ago Saturday, I worked, leaving me with no weekend.  This time of year is extremely hectic and it is very possible to become overwhelmed.  On top of that, I had an atc swap that was overdue so I was up way too late Tuesday and Wednesday as I scrambled to create "quality" pieces for the artists as promised.

Thursday, (April Fool's day) as I was sitting in an extremely boring meeting, a sudden feeling swept over me - a feeling that something definitely wasn't ok.  My left hand went numb, and then my left arm and my palms were wet with persperation. I thought to myself, "am I having a heart attack or a stroke?"  I had a co-worker walk me to the nurse's office, where I discovered my blood pressure had climbed extremely high.  Long story short - 911 was called and when they paramedics arrived my blood pressure had risen another 40 points!  Off to the hospital I went, ambulence sirens wailing and all!

As I lay there in the ambulence - by now I was feeling a tightening in my chest - the thought occurred to me that I could see the Lord face to face - even this very day.  A strange thing happened.  I had such a peace come over me.  I was ready - if it were His will.  I'd always thought that when faced with death, I would have a laundry list of things I'd regret never doing - travelling - watching my grandson grow up- seeing my new grandchild etc etc.  But no, at the end of the day (literally!) those things didn't concern me.  I was ready to leave this earth to spend eternity with Jesus. And I knew He would take good care of my children in my absence, even through their mourning.

Well, I was kept overnight for observation and a barage of tests.   I went home the next day with a "clean bill of health" and a renewed motivation to begin living a healthier lifestyle Praise God!!!

I returned home on Good Friday to meditate on my Savior who cares for me and died for my sins and defeated death 3 days later by arising in victory!!!




Happy Easter!
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