It's Been A long Long Time...

I am not going to write it off to the best on intentions, this year just took a different turn then I have expected. Nothing is getting left behind, just a tiny shift in priorities that is all.

I have fantastic dreams of having an online store and that will happen, but the reality is, I need to make a good living off of it as well and that just doesn't happen over night. I have to put lots of time in to nurturing my online venture, not just something thrown together. Alas, nothing of any significance was completed. I have put a few other irons in the fire creatively, but they are going to take a while to come to fruition. The reality was that I was so consumed with the fear that I would not make it and make a living that I found it very very hard to create. So I shifted my focus a bit and became an Avon Independent Sales Representative as my full time job and I actually dig it...a lot. I have even found a way to work some of my handmade items in with my Avon sales and suddenly I find myself wanting to create again!

So if you have come here to be directed to some beautiful handmade creations in my Artfire and Etsy stores, please be patient. I will fill the store with goodies, that I loved to make, not just stock to make ends meet. Two distinctly different things!

It is always interesting where God leads you and life takes you. My words Gratitude, determination, serenity, reflection and action all apply. They always will. They just have manifested themselves in another form entirely!

There is an even more involved story what brought me here, but that is for another day. I will go forward from here with a huge sigh of relief for the expectations that I set for myself can be obtained in another manner and I can be free to create and see they way I wanted, with a free heart!

Love you all!

5 Words to Shape My Year

Well it is 1-1-11 and we have begun our New Year. I can say that the Guthrie New Years celebration was fun and most of us managed to doze off right before midnight. I woke at 12:03 kissed my family and went back to sleep. We are quite the festive group!

Now I have tried the resolution route in the past and have found, like public declarations of plans, I am just setting myself up for failure. So, this year I am taking a different approach. I have picked five words that I am going to use as guideline to define my year. Without further ado...

--Gratitude. Remembering what brought me here, what keeps me here and what propels me forward.

--Determination. Absolute laser sharp focus to keep me on track for all my plans big and small.

--Serenity. Acceptance at the end of the day that I have done all I can do to be the person I want to be.

--Reflection. Keeping tabs on my "image", my stamp on the world. Knowing that I a keeping up with how I perceive who I am.

--Action. I am a very creative person and it has always been my desire to have my creativity be my full time job and support my family. Bigger and better things also come from these actions.

These five words are simple in context, yet large in meaning. Keeping them close to me will help me round my year. This is my plan. What is yours? Are you a resolutions type of person, or do you just skip the process entirely? I would love to know!

'Til we meet again!

10 Things I Have Learned in 2010

December 31st marks the end of the first decade of this century. While I do not really have the wherewithal to analyze the whole 10 years, I can share with you what conclusions I have drawn in the past 12 months.

**1)This past year was life changing to an extreme that I did not expect or anticipate. So my first thing learned is BE OPEN TO CHANGE AS SOMETIMES IT IS A SIGH OF RELIEF.

**2)NOT EVERYONE VIEWS YOU OR SITUATIONS THE SAME WAY AS YOU. This one followed number 1 directly. In hashing out situations it turns out my truth and others' truth varies...greatly. Some of those variations, I can see their side, other versions of the truth simply astound me.

**3)THERE IS NEVER A "SURE THING" aka There are things you think you know for sure and turns out you are way way way off.

**4)BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU TREAD AS THE OUTCOME IS NOT ALWAYS PREDICTABLE.

**5)NEVER SAY NEVER. Never should be on the list of dirty words. For every thing I thought would never happen did. Every impossible situation changed.

**6)YOU ALMOST WILL NEVER HAVE TO APOLOGIZE IF...You are conscious of your actions and think before you speak. Especially when you are sticking your nose in someone Else's business .

**7)EVEN WHEN IT FEELS LIKE THE WORLD IS ENDING...Some of the best things get resolved and the sun shines even brighter.

**8)THERE IS REDEMPTION...There are situations that you are SURE you are right about and sure enough, you ARE!

**9)GREAT PLANS and GREAT EXPECTATIONS. It is okay to have great plans, great ideas, great thoughts, a whole book full even. But, if you do not follow up with actions big and small, well they are all for naught.

**10)TOMORROW NEVER COMES. My trig teacher senior year of high school had a sign in his room that said "NO HOMEWORK TOMORROW". He would assign homework and we would groan. He's point to his sign and say "talk with me tomorrow." Next day same thing. This went on for almost the whole school year when finally one day the teacher asked when we were finally gonna get it. Tomorrow never comes. We have today and when that physical day ends..we have today and when that physical day ends..we have today and so on. Tomorrow truly never comes. So never put off as there will be no time later.

So that is my wrap up of life's lessons for the year. I guess you might say some are obvious, maybe all of them were, but they were all things I still needed to face. Some of them changed my life in such a degree, that I am not the same person that I was January 1 2010. and you know what? IT'S OKAY!!! 

Now for some old business, way old business. Last time I posted in June, for my tea party, I promised a give a away of the magical door. If you left a comment you were entered and if your followed my blog it was and extra entry. 6 months later here it is. RHONDA ROO!!! I will be in contact with you to arrange shipping. Happy New Year Everyone!

It's Tea Party Time! And a Give-A-Way Too!

When last we spoke tea...you might remember that the Mad Hatter left us an invitation to join in the Mad Tea Party over at A Fanciful Twist. well, finally the time has come!

It was a fair summer day when I was wondering, gazing at the trees..

Looking at the clouds..when I cam upon a tree a little different..

Special branches beckoning me to look downward to..

I saw something small and golden..on closer inspection I realized it was a magic door..A Golden Magical Door!  Ahhh..but where does it lead?

I touched the handle and the whole tree opened, welcoming me inside.  I went through the door further and further to another magical forest area and just in front  of me I saw a table filled with yummy tea goodies!

I took a closer look and everything looked so inviting..

I did not know what to try first! Of course someone so kindly made me a cup of tea...There was some much to choose from, I began with some yummy cheese filled pastery..

The berries looked so plump and juicy, I just had to indulge with some fresh whipped cream..

There were raspberry filled tarts...

Yummy chocolate treats...

A delightful candies too!

What a wonderful time!  I am so glad I ventured through the magical golden door!!!

Thanks for sharing my tea party with me!  Now for the Give-A-Way!

The Magical Golden Door can be yours!  It is hand poured plaster, hand painted and glazed to a glossy finish.  To enter please leave a comment for me, even a hello would be great.  Want an extra entry?  Become a follower of this blog.  Comments will be left open until July 2nd, 2010 and the drawing will be held July 3rd.  Good luck!

Be sure to check out all the Tea Party participants over at A Fanciful Twist!

Thank you for visiting and sharing my tea party with me!

It's Been A While..

Hello To all!

It has been a while and OH how the time flies!

We are in preparation as it is recital week and we are in the middle of crazy as well as saying good-bye to the dance season. Crazy!

So keeping this short and sweet do not forget to join me Saturday for the Mad Tea Party and don't forget I have a cool give a way as well!

Till then...stay cool!

Word for the Day..Bittersweet

Welcome to Marvelous Monday!!!

As the title of this post mentions, the word or theme of this post in bittersweet.

Historically, in Julie Land, bittersweet makes me think of the Good Humor Man and his little white truck. He would come through the neighborhood ringing his bells and stop where there were the most kids. I personally had two favorites. First choice was always the Chocolate Candy Crunch. (A vanilla ice cream bar with a solid massive chocolate center and chocolate chips mixed in the ice cream. This was coated with a chocolate crunch outside). My second choice was the bittersweet chocolate sundae. (A cup of vanilla ice cream with a chocolate layer on top which was of course...bittersweet). So from the age of like 8 to high school, the word bittersweet always triggered in my mind the extra ice cream treat! When reality hit that there was actually an extra meaning other than food, I still could totally relate , because thinking back to the sundae, the chocolate by it self was unpleasant but add the vanilla ice cream and ahhhhh!

There was dance competition this weekend. Jacki is still unable to fully weight bear on her foot and is still on crutches. Joey was great in his dances, best ever, the team rocked overall but it was so sad that my darling daughter had to sit out all her dances..especially her solo. I personally got a little choked up when her usual dances were performed without her. And when I thought I finally got over it all, in the final awards ceremony they were going through the numbers of the dances and you hear "#99..that's a scratch." Well we all know what #99 was! :(

So now I am waiting for the ortho guy to call me back for an appointment and we are trying to work through this to get her ankle stronger!

On that note, wanna see a picture of Jacki's foot?

Fun right!  What a wonderful foot!

Since Jacki is out of commission, I was doing her part of garbage duty today.  At the end on the driveway, I was able to behold the first blooming of my peonies!

We have lived here going on 11 years this year and I had the peonies transplanted 10 years ago.  They were well established plants that I bought from a friend's family.  Finally right now they are beginning to look like what I expect them to.

Though I really did expect them to fill the whole space all the way on the drive way.  I have like 75 plants put in and a bunch do not come up anymore. 

What else is sort of sun is they are all different varieties!  I am going to transplant some to the flower box in front of the house! 

So that is the bittersweet in our house...Julie Land...sadness for dances not performed..happiness for a great competition overall and my blooming peonies! 

I am off to do the mid day running..pick up Jon from school, drop off Joey's lunch, drop off Jacki's lunch and pain meds and pick up our lunch..I hope the hubby is buying!!  :)

Enjoy your day.. all the parts of it!

More Friday Fun!!

Since this is my second post in a really short time, you can tell that I am surfing instead of working. (But I am having a really good time so does that count?)

I am posting to implore you to head over to Tristan's Blog called "Enchanted Revelries." Every post in witty, fun and enjoyable. So today Tristan announced a give a way! Really cool stuff too! There are a bunch of ways to enter. Just click on his "Super Groovy Blog Giveaway" button and you can join in the fun as well. Oh yeah, when you enter, please make sure you mention in the comments that Julie Anne sent you!

Now I really am going back to work!