Happy Spring!

Eeep! My last post was last season! Joking aside, I apologize for the couple of weeks in blogging absence. I am so happy, though, that yesterday was the official start of Spring and that today Chicago's high's are supposed to be near 60! Now that's what I'm talking about! I am choosing to ignore the fact that their are possible snow chances in the forecast for later in the week and instead focus on being outside as much as possible today.

I wanted to give an update on my baked beads endeavor... Not so good. I promised a picture of after they had been painted and honestly, I cannot make good on my promise. They just looked better before the paint touched them. Yes, I'm disappointed too as I had high hopes for these little guys, but as usual, as one door closes another opens. I was out near my garden last weekend and found the most beautiful rocks of all different shapes and colors. They are so smooth that it makes me wonder how long they've been tumbling around in the dirt out there. So my new project is drilling holes through them to make them neck-worthy! They are going to be an exclusive line this year known as "My Secret Garden". Is your interest peaked? It should be! Until next time...

It's The Simple Things In Life

Some days things are far from exceptional. Other days, there's nothing really wrong with your day, but nothing quite right with it either. These types of days are my personal Doldrums.

Growing up I have always had an eye for detail. Maybe it wasn't even detail as much as it was something happening that others just weren't paying attention to. These types of things became (and are still) my own personal events. They are truly simple, but wonderful and amazing at the same time. Leaves dancing around me as I walk through a windy day; A squirrel enjoying the stem off of my pumpkin right on the porch; Car lights waltzing across my ceiling while I lie in bed awake; Seeing a small animal stick his head out of a hole in a tree as if that hole was put in that tree just for him to find refugee: My sweet son figuring out how to twist a cap off of an old bottle and then doing it again and again for a solid 10 minutes! This picture, which is still one of my favorites, of an old shudder on the side of a house in Rome.

These simple things bring me out of my Doldrums. They remind me how much life there is to be had and how I can't waste a second of it. They remind me just how beautiful everything is around me and how truly lucky I am to get to be a part of it. It's like how would a symphony sound without the violins? One less violin and the sound wouldn't be as full. These are pieces to my symphony. If I don't take the time to pay attention to them it's as if my life isn't as full. The best part is, I know now that I am a violin for someone else's symphony. Without me, without you, life wouldn't be as full.

Until next time...

New Beads

Last week I tried my hand at baking up a batch of my own beads. I only made a handful, but for a first attempt I'm not too disappointed with how they turned out! Now if only I can get around to painting them...

As you know, I am all about repurposing items for my baubles. From ceiling fan pulls to sea-glass so making beads from flour seemed right up my alley. If you have any ideas of things you'd like to see me use in my pieces I would love to hear it! I'm always looking for suggestions!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and wish me luck on finishing up these beads! I'll be sure to post pictures of the finished product! Until next time...

March 1st: Self-Injury Awareness Day

Generally, when the calendar flips over to March 1st I am so excited to wish everyone a happy March! It has always been one of my favorite months. I think it's just the month that signals change. The temperatures begin to rise a little, the snow melts and becomes a little less frequent, and in some places daffodils even begin to sprout. March 1st to me is a promise. A promise that life will soon be budding again and that the beautiful colors will be returning all around me. It's hopeful.

March 1st is Self-Injury Awareness Day (SIAD) and from one who struggled with it for many years I can tell you that encouragement is one of the best gifts someone can give. You don't need a reason to tell someone how thankful you are for them or how much they mean to you. The fact that you care for them is reason enough. If you think someone you love is hurting themselves I plead with you that you go to them, talk to them, listen to them, be quiet with them, and let them know that they don't have to suffer alone. Depression's best friend is silence. Help them break the silence. Be their loud whisper.

For some, maybe most, March signifies nothing more than if you haven't jumped onto your New Year's resolutions you're probably not going to. Or maybe if you're a bit like me it gives you hope that Winter is fading and we can begin to crawl out of hibernation. Regardless, use this month, use today, to talk about your struggles and to be there for those around you who need to talk about it.

Until next time...

Pain: -n. physical, mental, or emotional suffering

I am not afraid to say it: I am a huge fan of the show Grey's Anatomy. I've never been real into medical dramas, but a couple of years ago I got hooked and recently I have gone back to the beginning of the series- Season 1: Episode 1- because it is just as true in fiction as it is in life that everyone has a story. Everyone's pain, hurt, triumphs, and victories make them who they are. These are the things that cause us to make the decisions we make. So I wanted to see why these characters are the way they are. What brought them to these points in their lives?

I am now about five episodes into Season 3 and as I was watching last night the character Miranda Bailey was performing a surgery on a young girl who had a chromosomal defect that caused her to feel absolutely no pain. She had no sensation of physical pain whatsoever. While Dr. Bailey was in surgery she made this comment to her intern:

"Everybody wants a life without pain. Where does it get you? Pain is there for a reason."

I don't know what your circumstances may be now, or what they may have been before, but I encourage you to confront your pain. Physical, mental, or emotional. Learn from it. Use it to help others. Be glad you're not numb to the pain. Know that it is there for a reason and push yourself to find out that reason. If you are suffering or if you are in the worst amount of pain you have ever been in, know that there is One who has taken that burden freely. On the cross. And He is not only willing, but wants to take it from you. No amount of hurt is unbearable to Him or too much for Him to handle.

Until next time...