Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my blog friends!
I wish that 2009 will be a very exciting and successful year for all of you, and I pray the economy gets back on track.
Lets have the best year ever!

New art coming within the next week :-D

Blessings to you,
betty

Thank goodness Christmas is over. I feel like I gained 10 pounds over the last few days! As much as I love the season, it is almost a relief when things get back to normal. No more running around looking for last minute things, baking, or visiting friends and family.
Today I am cleaning and organizing. There are way too many books and art supplies lying around cluttering the place. It's amazing how much better you feel after you organize. Once I am finished I can start painting again.
The only thing I painted the last couple of weeks was a Christmas gift for my sister. It's the painting shown above, which I titled 'Coffee and Kitties', and is very different from my usual style. I will have to figure out how to get a better picture of this, as it is too big for my scanner.

I would like to take this time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I have met the most wonderful people here, and I have learned so much from them. I want to say I appreciate all of you, thank you so much for stopping by my blog, and for the kind words. You have all enriched my life more than I can say.
May this holiday season bring you much joy and many blessings my dear friends.
Merry Christmas!!

Wow Christmas is almost here! This is one of my Blythe dolls



I love putting together my village. This is only a small part of it.



I love Santas! Here are a few of my favorite ones.

Look what I got in the mail today!
I love these 2 little paintings done by one of my favorite folk artists Mystele. I just love the vibrant colors, and all the shabbiness! A great addition to my Santa collection, which I would love to keep out all year...
I was so happy to receive these so quickly too, way to go Canada Post! There's so much complaining online about the slow service, but considering the time of year, they must be working super hard to make sure people get their parcels. Don't you just love when you get some goodies in the mail!

Now if that wasn't enough, I got a wonderful surprise from another lovely artist I discovered on Etsy whose shop is called Studio27.
Not only did she send me a beautiful unique card, but enclosed was 2 of her original ACEOs! I collect her 'everyday goddess' collection, which I would recommend to anyone looking for inexpensive original art. Take a look at this card called Magic in the Night Sky. Just $5.00 and free shipping as well! Very affordable, especially these days when people are worried about the economy, but still want to treat themselves to something beautiful. I have bought my share of art, and will continue to do so. Now if only I can create and sell more of my own, so I can indulge without guilt :-D

This lovely ACEO called Simple Pleasures is now mine :-D

More Christmas movies

Okay, don't throw tomatoes at me, but I really like the movie 'The Christmas Shoes'. It is a surprisingly well done movie, based on the song of the same title by the group called 'New Song'. I will admit to cringing whenever the song played during Christmastime, but the movie itself, is wonderful. It stars Rob Lowe as a workaholic father who has forgotten what is truly important in life. His life changes when he helps out a little boy buying some shoes for his mother before she dies. It is a sad story, but don't let that discourage you from seeing it. I love watching movies about people's lives, and how they affect each other. There is a sequel called
'The Christmas Blessing' but I have not yet seen it.

Another one I will mention is Noel. For this movie you better have kleenex on hand. Some may call it depressing, but I find it hopeful, a bittersweet story. Just a suggestion for those looking for something different from the typical Christmas movies normally found.
So many movies, it is a miracle I get any work done!

Some pages from 'The House of Wooden Santas'.

One of my Favorite Christmas Books

I purchased this book a few years back called 'The house of Wooden Santas' by Kevin Major and I continue to go back to it every year before Christmas. What drew me to this is the absolutely gorgeous Santa carvings thoughout the book. The story revolves around a 9 year old boy called Jesse and his mother who move to a small town. His mother begins to carve wooden Santas with hopes of selling them, but times are tough. The book begins 24 days before Christmas, so it is best to read a chapter a day. I wouldn't call this a children's book, as there is an awful lot of writing! Maybe it is geared toward kids 10 and older, but adults could definitely enjoy. It would be a great book to read to your kids. It is very hard to find but I see that amazon has used ones for 1 penny!!!
plus shipping. If you are looking for a non-traditional Christmas book for the whole family, this is worth looking into.

Here is a Youtube video featuring the carved wooden santas from this book

Seasonal Treats

I thought I'd blog about some of my favorite things. Tonight I sat down and watched one of my favorite movies called 'Prancer'.
If you haven't seen it yet, I would highly recommend this feel-good holiday movie, perfect for the whole family. It is about a young girl who thinks she has found Prancer, one of Santa's reindeer. I love the innocence of the main character, her love of Christmas reminds me of myself when I was her age. Make yourself a warm cup of cocoa, turn on the Christmas lights, and snuggle under a blanket as you watch this wonderful movie.

I want this book!!



I am so excited to see Nancye Williams has self published a booklet on making your own dolls with polymer clay. At this moment, I have several doll making books in my Amazon wishlist, just waiting for some extra funds to drop my way :-)
I was sculpting dolls many years ago, but gave up in frustration. I would love to start up again in the future, and I want Nancye's book! Run over to her blog and check it out!
Speaking of blogs, I am rapidly adding more to my reading list...this is good and bad. I keep discovering so many talented artists, and spend more time reading blogs than painting! hey, there are worse habits right? Now I hope to one day make my blog more pretty to look at...

A little something to motivate you

Promises of Youth

An elderly man, in the final days of life, was lying in bed alone. He awakens to see a large group of people clustered around his bed. Their faces are loving, but sad. Confused, the old man smiles weakly and whispers, "You must be my childhood friends, come to say good-bye. I am so grateful."

Moving closer, the tallest figure gently grasps the old man's hand and replies, "Yes, we are your best and oldest friends, but long ago you abandoned us. For we are the unrealized hopes, dreams and plans that you once felt deeply in your heart, but never pursued. We are the unique talents that you never refined, the special gifts you never discovered. Old friend, we have not come to comfort you, but to die with you."


No, I didn't write the above. It had come many years ago from one of my weekly newsletters, and I wish I knew who wrote it. If anyone knows, please let me know.
I find this passage so beautiful, and heartbreaking. It is sad because too many of us let our dreams die. We get caught up in day to day living, and keep saying, maybe next year I will have more time, maybe when the kids grow up, maybe when I retire...but nothing is promised to us. What if tomorrow never came? Would you be satisfied with the life you have led? I know I would not. I am nowhere near where I want to be, but at least I am trying to take steps regularly, to create a more fulfilling life.

I have made so many mistakes in my life. So many wasted years... I used every excuse in the book to justify not sitting down to do the thing I most loved to do, Create. So what changed? I can't even pinpoint it...You see, the love of art and creating was never far from my mind. I may have taken long breaks without drawing, but I always came back to it. I guess I finally understood that this was the one life I was given and that time was ticking.... No more excuses.

Don't get me wrong, I am far from perfect. I have days, even weeks where I don't do anything productive, and that is ok. We can't be 'on' all the time, we would burn out. There is nothing wrong with taking a break from your art (or whatever your goal is), and we should never feel guilty about it. I do love my t.v. shows like "Survivor" and "Project Runway". I just make sure I get back to creating after taking breaks from it.

So is anything holding you back from doing the thing you most love. Don't make my mistakes, dear reader. Print out the above little story and post it on your fridge as a reminder. You and I don't want to come to the end of our lives, and realize that we never lived. Every day you wake, you are given another brand new shiny day, to use as you please. Try to do something for yourself even if it's just for 15 minutes. Most of all, have fun!

Don't let your music die inside you!

Lots of blessing for a wonderful day :-)

Newest Art

Quite a while ago I was asked to do a painting of this beautiful white cat. I was told I can do anything I like, because I am not exactly known for painting animals :-) Well I worried for a long time, not quite sure how to proceed, and this past weekend I was inspired to finally sit down and complete the job. I decided to make her into a fairy princess, and this is the result.

Well, time to go play with my new supplies!

Happy Thanksgiving to my US friends!

Even though our Canadian Thanksgiving was Oct 13th I would like to take the time to thank my dear friends that I have met through Etsy, as well as other artists forums. Thank you especially to all my wonderful customers over the past year. Anyone who has ever loved my work enough to put down your hard earned cash for. I truly am grateful to you all, and wish everyone a blessed Thanksgiving.


Thanks also to LDPhotography for putting one of my ACEOs in this fabulous treasury! Check out her Etsy shop, this is one very creative lady!

Painting from the Soul

I just finished reading an interesting blog post someone wrote, about creating from your soul, and it got me thinking about this. What exactly does that mean? and do I do this? The author wrote that we are drawn to those that listen to their souls' voice. I believe this is true, I have come across artists that are special, they may not necessarily be the best 'technical' artist, but they have something extra that you perceive, even if you can't put your finger on it.

An artist I admire is Mystele, I have her on my blog list to the right. With everything she does you feel like she creates from her soul. She is a self taught artist, like myself, but there is a beautiful innocent feel to her art. There are many other great primitive artists, but I am drawn to her.
Another artist I love is Suzi Blu, an absolute creative genius, in whose work you can see her passion. She listens to her soul.

So, how does one do this? I feel like my work must be perfect, and I set about making sure there are no mistakes, sometimes scrutinizing a painting for days, looking for little flaws. What if the flaws are the things that would make it perfect? All I know is that I am happiest when I am in the midst of creating, and each of my paintings is a part of me. Sometimes I cannot bear to sell them. Am I painting from my soul? I can't answer this right now, and maybe it isn't up to me to decide. I can only continue as I am, breathing life into each new painting. Finding joy in the process. And hoping, that others feel the same.

My Weakness....

My weakness is books! (and sweets, but that's for another day) I Love Books! can't get enough of them, as my poor wallet can attest. I have a wonderful selection of art books and feel the need to buy everything that comes out. There are colored pencil books that I have had for years, without doing a single exercise in them!

I have been doing mixed media paintings for a little while now, ever since I discovered it. Before that I was making ACEOs which I still try to fit in. Now I am starting to see assemblages online and really want to try this too. Oh, there are so many things to do, how can anyone be bored?
And if I had more time, I would go back to sculpting dolls, which I was doing many years ago. Back then, there really was no instruction on how to make your own polymer clay dolls, and I wasn't very good at figuring it out.
Yesterday,I picked up some books at my library on painting your own fabric, as I have some ideas in mind for my art. Stay tuned!

I ordered a book called Mixed Media Self Portraits and it should be on my doorstep any day now, as well as Art Journals and Creative Healing. My collection keeps growing :-)

Now I must get back to work, I spend way too much time on my computer.

Winter Magic

I thought I would add my latest painting, she was woodburned on wood first, then I used various media. I love snowy scenes, and have so many ideas for paintings sketched out, that I am so overwhelmed with the options, and end up doing something else....

This is my busiest time of year, working to get art ready for Christmas, and this year I am off to a slow start. I thought I would start selling a few of my newest paintings as greeting cards in my Etsy shop. So far this is the only one I listed. I tested one out, and found that the card turned out gorgeous! I had to make sure before I sold them that it was a good quality product I could offer.

This whole art self promotion thing is a lot of work! how do people do this, and still manage to create? I'm exhausted thinking about it! I think maybe I will go watch a Christmas movie instead :-D

Be back with a better update and more art soon, I promise!

My Newest little Angel

I know I don't paint many blondes, but I hope to change this. I am so pleased with how this little girl turned out. She is the blonde version of a previous painting I did a few months ago, with a few changes of course...

I have been so busy painting mixed media girls on wood that I neglected just regular painting on canvas. I felt fearful, like I do before each painting, wondering if I will like the end result. Can you believe how intimidating a blank canvas is? One day I will show a work in progress, to show people the 'ugly' stages of a painting. There are many times I just want to give up, but make myself continue. Sometimes it works, like today, other times you end up with crap.

I have several unfinished canvases waiting to be worked on, including a new fairy tale painting to go with my series, and a Frida Halloween painting...from last year!
Oh, if we could only have a few more hours in a day!!! So many paintings, so little time.

Some 'Bountiful Sale' Treasuries

It is always a thrill to find my art added to an Etsy Treasury. This time I am in 3 treasuries! These are all promoting the Bounty Sale I blogged about earlier...take a peek, lots of great sales in case you are like me, and are thinking of Christmas already ;-)





Look at the gorgeous fall colors of this one!

Happy Election Day to my American Friends!

In honor of todays historical election, I thought I would offer up a mixed media painting I finished a few weeks ago. I didn't want to part with this, but then I want to keep all my paintings :-)
This was wood burned first on 6 x 12 birch plywood, then I went crazy with all sorts of materials. I love how she turned out.
I just put her up on ebay and if she doesn't sell, she will be placed in my Etsy shop. I titled her American Beauty.

May I just add that, no matter which way the election goes (although it seems pretty apparent who the winner will be) may it be the best for all Americans. I hope this new government results in a stronger, and more united country.

Blessings from this Canadian gal :-)

It's time for a Bountiful Sale!

I am having a sale in my Etsy shop. A group of ACEO artists involved in the Bounty Challenge decided to begin a sale, from now until the end of the year. Each shop chooses the details, and how long the sale lasts. I have decided to drastically reduce many ACEOs in order to make way for new art.

This is the time I think about the holidays, and I would love my Etsy shop to be focused more on seasonal art. And basically, sometimes I just feel generous, and feel the need to drop prices way below what I would be willing to sell them for any other time. I find people are surprised when they see my art in person, it always looks so much better than I can show in scans.

Anyone interested in getting some deals for Christmas, check out our blog:
http://bountifulsale.blogspot.com/

and the Etsy thread detailing the specific sales:
click here

I will be adding new art to my Etsy store shortly, and I can't wait to begin my Christmas themed ACEOs!!

Happy Halloween!

I love halloween, and had all these great ideas for paintings planned for months. Of course, before I knew it, it was almost the end of October, and I only managed 2 new witch paintings. Time seems to be speeding up, you think you have so much of it, then find it has slipped away once again. I may add them to my Etsy store anyway. I did sell one of my favorite paintings last year after Halloween (the one my avatar is based on).

I spent last weekend re-arranging my tiny little art room. I have a large bookshelf on one wall filled with books I planned to read 'some day'. It finally occurred to me that this space would be more useful holding my art supplies and canvases that have been stacked on my floor. So I spent a full day weeding through books, and deciding which to give to goodwill. Isn't it funny that books you may have had sitting unread for 10 years would be so hard to get rid of? I figure if I haven't read them by now, I never would. So off they went. And what a great feeling that was!
Now my mixed media supplies are neatly organized on 2 shelves, beside my desk. I find it very hard to create when everywhere you look is cluttered. I always say, if you are feeling stuck, clean, organize, and you will see how quickly your muse comes out to play. The next day, I sat down and created another mixed media girl, in black white and pinks, which I love! I will post her here once I decide on a name :-D

What is going on in the world?!

Does anyone else feel overwhelmed with life? There is so much fear-mongering going on, you can't even pick up a paper without the front page screaming about the economy, the possible recession, about how pensioners have found themselves with no pension, and on and on. It just makes me sad to see how we are all on edge. It feels like there is no where to turn.

So what do we do? I suggest stop reading the newspapers! Yeah, the economy is crap right now, but terrorizing people daily makes them fearful, which in turn causes panic.

This is the time to connect with people you love, to spend more time with your friends, and hug your pets. Remember, this too shall pass. I will be making more paintings with inspirational sayings, to remind us to have hope. If you haven't discovered it yet, I highly recommend Hay House Radio, a 24 hour a day spiritual radio station....
(www.hayhouseradio.com ) I leave it on while I work on my art, and always feel so much more at peace...


Here are some simple ways to find a bit of peace in the midst of chaos. Hope something here resonates with you:

- Eat healthy, nutritious foods whenever possible (preferably locally grown). Get your family involved in the preparation of food. Your health is the most important thing to you, processed food is full of garbage that will slowly destroy your body!

-Take at least 10 minutes a day to just BREATHE. Take some deep breaths, close your eyes, and do nothing. Give yourself permission to just sit, and breath. Especially when feeling overwhelmed. You will find yourself feeling refreshed.

-Go for a walk. It doesn't have to be special, but start small, go around your neighborhood, just do anything that gets your body moving. Try to see everything as a miracle, and try to feel blessed just to be on this planet at this time. Don't forget to stretch your body, you want to stay flexible as you age. Look around amazon.com for books on health and fitness, I recommend for a start a book called 'You, staying young' by M. Roisen, and M. Oz. (from the Oprah Show)

-Go to the library, you can borrow books for free!! How wonderful that so much knowledge is housed in one place. I saw statistics once showing how few people ever step into a library, let alone read a book after they finish high school. I will blog about some of my favorites at another time.

-Throw your spare change in a jar every night. I can't remember where I got this idea (maybe Suze Orman). It's harder to spend a dollar than spare change, and you'd be surprised at how quickly it can grow. It's a good habit to get into. Oh, and RESPECT money.

I see how I can go on and on, so I will stop with one last point.

*Be gentle with yourself* We all make mistakes, and we are all doing the best we can with the knowledge we have. YOU are the most important person in your life. Throughout your life, it is your little self that is with you, and won't abandon you. Isn't it time you gave yourself a break, and started celebrating your greatness?

Never forget that you are loved, and are never alone.

Blogs and Books

It's about time I did an update. I sure hope I don't get into the habit of doing one every month.

Well, I am very excited to be featured on the blog 'Path of Heart'. It is a wonderful gathering of artists who honor Julia Cameron's very popular book 'The Artist's Way'. I had read this book many years ago, and found it incredibly inspirational. A delightful artist nicknamed 'Garlic' contacted me, and wrote up a lovely interview, with one of my favorite paintings being showcased. You can find the blog here : http://smartists.blogspot.com/

I started reading this blog and couldn't stop, the stories and authors really drew me in. Take a peek, and you will see what I mean.

*******************

Another good note, I will also have some of my ACEOs featured in a book called 'Create. Collect. Trade. A Collection of Artist Trading Cards Created by Artists and Students'. I decided to participate this year as it is for a good cause, and I will be joining many other terrific artists. Check out the blog if you are interested in joining, or purchasing a copy of the book which will help purchase books for the students... http://createcollecttrade.blogspot.com/

For those unfamiliar with ACEOs, they are little mini works of art that must measure 2.5" x 3.5" (which is the size of a playing card). I have done so many of these fun little cards, and sold many on Ebay and Etsy. With the Christmas season coming upon us (YAY!!) I plan to do many more. Check out my Etsy store if you'd like to see what ACEO cards I have available for sale. The pumpkin patch fairy on top of this post is an ACEO.

Meanwhile, I have been concentrating on mixed media paintings. I just finished a large 12 x 24 painting for my younger sis's birthday, and am happy to say she loved it. Here is a pic I took before it was done...



Now that this large project is finished, I must find time to start on the new workshop I signed up for with Wyanne, another of my favorite artists. It started Sept. 29th and I haven't done a single exercise yet! I am very excited to learn even more techniques for backgrounds, as that tends to be my weak area.
The internet has opened a whole new world for me with regards to art classes. I always thought that you could only be taught in a class room, but after finishing my Suzi Blu workshop, I know that is no longer true. The best part is you can work at your own pace, and meet so many incredibly talented people from around the world. I am hooked, and am already planning my next one.
I would highly recommend online workshops for any artists out there who want to work on their craft. If we stop learning, our art becomes stale. Art for me is a life long passion, and my one true love :-) With the selection of books and youtube videos out there, how on earth can you ever be bored? My only problem with that is I enjoy them so much I forget to do my own...so on that note, I am off to begin working on my latest girl....

Wishing you a fantastic day, and many blessings

Some whimsical ACEOs available in my Etsy shop.

So much for consistency....

Don't you just hate when life gets in the way of your plans. I was hoping to update my blog regularly....guess that didn't work too good for me, lol.

Sometimes things get out of control, and your best laid out plans just go out the window.

For now I will simply post a mixed media painting I did a few weeks ago. I will do a 'real' update in a few days.

bye bye vacation

When I was about to start my vacation I thought I should be able to get lots of new paintings done. I had a whole week!! Did I do lots of art? of course not, I am a procrastinator :-)

In fact, every day of my vacation I wondered what I should start working on, but I found my head was just too full of ideas that I couldn't decide where to start. So I didn't....

Instead, I over-ate and probably gained a few pounds, walked downtown for coffee and treats, shopped a bit, and hung out with people I care about.

I keep reminding myself to stop feeling guilty. I had fun for a few days, what is so wrong with that? There seems to be this annoying voice telling me to feel bad if I don't paint.

I did managed to get one painting done, and it is called 'Cherry Fairy'. It is a mixed media painting, with lots of layers, and of course, glitter. I find I really love the freedom of mixed media, you never know where the painting will take you.

Kooky lookin' Kitty

MEOW!

Hey look what I found in the garden! It was such a sad eyed pathetic little thing I had to take it home :-)

ok, I actually bought it at a thrift shop, it was only $2.00 and was just kitschy enough that I had to have it. I am in the process of changing my living room. It has been depressing me lately. It just doesn't reflect who I am at all. I had decorated it in a simple style, with practical furniture, and neutral walls. But it is so boring! So I'm going to paint it pink.

Life is too short! so why not make my living room a place that I can enjoy using?

I happen to love pink, and I love the 'shabby chic' look, but unfortunately, I don't know the first thing about decorating. I'm afraid it may look like cotton candy exploded in there. But that's the chance I have to take, like many things in life, you don't know, until you try it.

I guess this means I have to paint some art for my new walls :-D

Why do we procrastinate?

Today I decided to finally clean up my art room. I had bought new storage containers for my huge amount of supplies. Since I haven’t been in the mood to paint, I thought I’d do something useful. I find whenever my space is cluttered, my mind is cluttered too. The best cure is to clean something! To organize, and get rid of the garbage that fills our space. What a difference, everything now has its place and is no longer on the floor or around my desk. It’s not perfect, but it is getting there, so if you ever have artistic blocks, and find yourself resisting art, clean something! You will feel so much better afterwards, and will have an atmosphere more conducive to creativity.

Artistic blocks are so common for creative people. The more I read on forums the more I see I am not alone. Why do we resist doing the thing that makes us most happy? Why is it the other meaningless things take priority over our own creativity? I don’t have all the answers, I just know what works for me. I would let years go by without creating art, because I felt it was too late to become a better artist, or it would take so much work, or the millions of other reasons. The funny thing is, the excuses I gave for not painting seemed to be legitimate. I kept postponing it, saying maybe next week when I have more time, or maybe when there is a long weekend…the excuses can go on forever! The bottom line is, what was really so important? Did I really NEED to watch TV? Do I NEED to watch a movie every night? How important, really, is it to go to the mall and look at art books? These were just excuses.

I can’t pinpoint what changed, only that I realized this is it, this is not a dress rehearsal. The moments I waste in idleness, I don’t get them back again. The stars of reality tv, or of the sitcoms that I used to enjoy couldn’t give a crap whether I live or die. They don’t know me, or care if my life is wasted. Now I cut back my TV viewing, and choose only what I really enjoy watching. Tv isn’t necessarily a bad thing, you just got to realize it is a great way of numbing yourself, of keeping you from what’s really important in your life.

I am happy to be in a place where I do create regularly, even if I still waste time. My art has improved, and people like it enough to buy it which is always a thrill. I am honored each time someone values my work enough to pay their hard earned money for it. My goal is to fill the world with beautiful art, and to make people happier. I put love into everything I do, and hope it shows.

**If you are feeling blocked and need some extra help, I recommend a book called 'The War of Art' by Steven Pressfield. I wish I'd found this book years ago, it could have saved me years of wasting time.

Welcome to my new blog

I finally decided to get this baby running, it's only been, hmmmmm....several months! Of course, now I can't think of anything to say :-0
First off, the point of this blog is to share my art with anyone who is interested in seeing it. I will offer tips, and works in progress (if I remember to photograph them ), as well as hopefully, encouragement.

Lets start with an introduction, I am a self taught artist from Canada who loves not only art, but many crafts as well. If only I had more time I would design my own clothes, try pottery, try knitting again (really want a cool bulky scarf!) embroider cool stuff on my clothes, and even draw my pretty girls on them.

There is so much art in my head, it seems overwhelming at times. I have sketchbooks and scrap pieces of paper lying around with all these ideas for paintings but when it comes to sitting down and doing it, I procrastinate....or I decide to clean the house, or organize, or go out for a bit. I am sure I am not the only one who does this. I do hold a day job, and that is where a lot of my energy ends up. By the time I get home, I feel too drained to do much else other than wander around wasting time. (Come on lottery win!!!!).

I know there are a lot of artists who also have full time jobs, as well as have families to look after, so I understand this is simply an excuse. So the trick is, how to bypass all these excuses, and mental laziness. I just signed up for an online mixed media class with Suziblu, and am looking forward to being surrounded by creative people.


Today me and my younger sis went out and bought tennis and badminton rackets. I can't believe it took us this long to do this. I used to love playing way back in my highschool days, how is it possible to let decades go by before a lightbulb goes off, and you think -Hey, why don't I buy a racket and start playing again?

So if anyone is still reading this, lol...is there something you love to do or used to love, that you can start doing once again? Is there really a reason you can't? I encourage anyone out there, to start a list of what makes you happy, pick one item, and do it!!! Plan to take the first step towards adding more joy to your life.

We only have this one precious life, lets start comitting to making it the best ever! Get out there and play a sport that you love, or just go for a walk, even if it is to the nearest coffee shop. Call up a friend, or take your kids. We get so busy with daily crap that we forget the importance of our health. There is nothing like being out in nature to soothe the mind....
I send blessings to you my friends :-D