heart is 8" tall

Doodle Days (Daze)

I know.. here's a woman with way too much time on her hands... but oh, it is SO much fun to doodle!

My Word for the New Year

My sweet friend Liz (check out her wonderful blog here!) shared a link to the blog of Christine Kane, who writes about her perspective regarding New Years resolutions (see her blog here and scroll down to read "you say you want a resolution". Her approach is to choose a single word to focus on and hold in your thoughts and actions throughout the year.

It took all of 3 seconds for a word to come to mind for me... "persevere"...and once I read the dictionary's definition, I knew I had chosen the right word.

Since I am doing a fair amount of "couch potato" activity while I am recovering, I took out my brand spanking new set of Neocolor crayons and black Castell pens and went to town. The little girl is an image from a vintage photo - the rest is drawn. If you have never used these water-coluble crayons before, I encourage you to give them a try. So much fun!! And I ended up with something that is as close to a journaling page as I have ever come... there IS hope for me yet!

What is your word?

After a very long time away from the studio, I finally finished the fabric dream journal that I started months ago. The cover was re-worked a bit and I also added a hardcover paper journal inside. I decided to add this to my online Etsy shop if you want to take a peek! It feels great to be creating again...

Pumpkin Corner

A while back I regaled you all with my apprehensions about





painting my very drab kitchen a shade of warm pumpkin. After looking at sample after sample of orange (who knew there are so many varieties of pumpkin!), I finally settled on something called "Aged Clay". A not-so-inspired name for a beautifully warm Tuscan color, just right for the kitchen. Always one to jump in feet first, the room was immediately transformed into the best room in the house. To say I love it is to put it mildly. A recent tree trimming session in the front yard yielded the branches (complete with nest!) for the corner and the bay window is the perfect spot for sitting with a cup of coffee to watch the birds. The gorgeous birdhouse was crafted by a dear family friend that I have know my whole life, a woodworker extrordinaire. All of the elements I adore in one little cozy spot. Life is good.

Those in need....

How many times have you seen a need and want to fill it? Seen an injustice and want to right it? Feel the need to just "do more"...
My dear friend Annie is spurring us on to do just this for children in need in Afghanistan. Please visit her blog and read about it here and about Frida, a human rights activist living and working in Afghanistan here.
A quick trip to Target will make a world of difference in the life of a child... one of our world's most vulnerable citizens. A quick trip... will you help??

A New Year Begins....

You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair. Chinese Proverb

Emily Dickenson said it best.... "My friends are my estate".
Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes. I am rich.

A New Year's Gift

My Lesson in Compassion
This past year has been a difficult one in my family, particularly for my 84 year old mother, who has struggled with multiple major health issues over the past 20 years. About 10 days before Christmas, she fell at home, and shattered her pelvis. After a painful and complicated surgery, she was placed into a nursing home on Christmas Eve. This is one of several recent stays there for her and now her future is uncertain. My Dad has become unable to care for her himself and they have adamantly refused any outside help. This particular quality my parents possess, one of fierce self-reliance, has been equally frustrating, infuriating and also strangely admirable. A steadfast marriage of 60 years has served them both well.

On New Year's Eve, my own health disintegrated and I was admitted to our local hospital. Some of you know that I was a critical care nurse for most of my adult life, and I have always prided myself on providing technically excellent and compassionate care to my patients. This turn of events, where I find myself on the receiving end of that care has provided me with an unexpected gift - a realization of a minute fraction of the life my Mom has endured for years. To be literally at the mercy of a total stranger - most of them kind, most of them competent, most of them believing that they are also compassionate and empathetic.

I sit here looking out the window of my hospital room, knowing that my stay will hopefully be brief... wondering. What fragment of life is my mother gazing at outside her own window. How is she adjusting to the uncertainties, knowing at some level that the life she has loved and lived has become something so beyond her control?

God please grant her the peace of acceptance.

Mom - I send you my love and my strength.

(written 1-4-07)