Moon: The moon is one of my favorite characters. He is multi-talented in my opinion. He had to ability to transform himself into a small soft white ball, letting you think that you could pick him out of the sky with your fingers and pop him in your mouth. He can alter his appearance into a huge yellow ball so big you can almost see into the craters on his old and dusty surface. The moon can be predictable like the sun, but that is what we like about both these guys. The moon has many names (the sun, not so much). We call him the new moon, harvest moon, blue moon, waxing moon, quarter moon, waning moon, full moon, half moon, wolf moon, snow moon, moon of hunger, planting moon, old moon, crescent moon and the dark side of the moon.
The moon has an impressive resume just like the sun. He controls the tide, and the cycle of woman. He can entice a wolf to howl for hours or to compel an owl to hoot. Couples that have walked hand in hand have been rumored to fall in love under his soft white glow. He has aided the lost to find their way home. He has captured emotion, both sorrow and joy just by the site of him. I have to say, he is good at what he does.
I just finished a really good book called The language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. The story was about a young woman, Victoria Jones who has had a really rough life. She is in the foster care system from the day she is born. Because of the difficult life she has had, she is angry and hard to place for her social worker. When she is almost 10 she is placed with a woman who does not give up on her and lets Victoria know she wants to be her mother. But you know this did not work out because she is emancipated at 18 and still in the foster system. The story weaves in flashbacks so you learn of Victoria’s struggles at 18 as well as her childhood. You discover why Victoria knows so much about flowers and who taught her about the language of flowers.
I did not want this story to end but when I had finished the book, I was not disappointed at the ending. I am the kind of person who can cry over a hallmark commercial and I have to say I shed several tears while reading this book, but my heart did bloom in other parts of the story.
I went to the author’s Facebook page and commented that I wanted to find a book that had photos or drawings for each flower along with the meaning. I have no idea what Larkspur looks like or Monkshood or Stephanotis. Ms. Diffenbaugh commented back quickly and suggested a book called the Flower Dictionary by Mandy Kirby which she had written the introduction for. My husband is giving me the Flower Dictionary for Valentine’s day. Will I get a bouquet that represents ever lasting love, desire and beauty? I guess we shall see…
Click here to view Victoria’s Dictionary of Flowers
Title: The Language of Flowers
Author: Vanessa Diffenbaugh
ISBN: 9780345525543
Pages: 336 Release
Date: August 23, 2011
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source: Publisher Rating: 4.5 out of 5
My Rating: 10
Book Review: http://www.shereads.org/2012/01/book-review-the-language-of-flowers-by-vanessa-diffenbaugh/
My favorite characters in a play called life – Part I
Sun: The sun is a pretty warm and welcoming dude. Most everyone likes the sun because he expends energy, warmth and keeps us in a really good mood (you’ve hear of SAD right?). On occasion the sun takes a little too much time off, and this tends to make people mad at him a bit, but most of the time the sun is pretty popular. When he is out, he can motivate us to go outside, walk the dog, throw a Frisbee, take our children to the playground, take a drive to the beach or go to the creek and skip some stones.
The sun goes by just one name (kind of like Cher, or Madonna). Unlike Prince, Sting or Elvis, the sun does not need sequenced outfits or gold lame because he is bright enough to catch your attention without any extras. He is also very reliable. We all know exactly when to expect him and when he will be departing on a daily basis. This golden orb of fire can be pretty helpful when it comes to growing plants, flowers and crops without having to sing a note or gyrate to Burning Love. He can shoot down a few rays and before you know it a seedling in the ground become a stalk of corn. Not many of us can put something that extraordinary on our resumes.
*Just a little note: I am trying out my water color pencils for the first time and have incorporated my designs for each “character” I discuss in this series.
Next character up for review: The Moon
It has been cold and rainy all weekend. I have thankfully had nothing to do outside of the house and have been checking off my to-do list. Laundry, cleaning the bedroom, finished a bubble bead bracelet and shook things up and made it a necklace instead. Yes, that’s right I live on the wild side. I called my sister, talked to my daugher and grandsons and downloaded the Raw Art journal book I wanted to put on my iPad.
I am a morning person and love getting up early on the weekends while the house is quiet and the day has not yet bubbled up into family koas. I am going to make chilli today which will bring some calming comfort smells into the house while the damp cold air wraps its wintery boney fingers around our house. I have several things I want to do, but here I sit in front of the computer. I can get so easily distracted! I checked my email and that took me to a scrapbooking site. I bought an app yesterday that easily allows you to take a photo journal day by day called Photo 365. You can create a photo journal for the entire year just by taking a picture (or pictures) with your iPad every day. The scapbooking site I went to, Scrapbookgraphics.com mentioned a 2012 project they are doing for just this type of project and so I wanted to check out this site.
I then ended up on Pinterest which is a really interesting site that is great fun; especially if you are a crafter. Members post tons of ideas from other sites and blogs and so if you are looking for projects for Valentine’s day – you can find hundreds of images and links to projects all on one site. While surfing Pinterest, I came across this cute teapot lamp. It shows the lamp you can buy for about $200 — or you can make your own and the cost is about $35. Here is a link to the blog this idea is on: Vintage Revivals. The blog article also gives great advice on what tool to use to cut holes in wine bottles and glass.
One more thing about Pinterest – you have to sign up and it takes a couple of days before you are approved. If you do sign up, let me know what you think ok?
I am now stepping AWAY from the computer and going to make my chilli.
Have a great weekend my readers!
I planned my first vacation day for 2012. It would be a “me” day. I set up my appointments for the Facial and Pedicure I got for Christmas and did my mental list of what else I would do on my day alone. I would plug in my iPod and play some tunes nice and loud and sing just as loud. I would work on my raw art journal and experiment with my water color pencils. I would work on cleaning the bedroom so I could put my new quilt on the bed (I had made a deal with myself that it does not go on the bed until the room is clean). I had a couple of other things in my head, but I know the day is only so long…
I woke up around 7 a.m. I told myself to go back to sleep until 8:00, but after 10 minutes I got up and grabbed the iPad. I hung out warm and comfy under the covers checking FaceBook and email until I could wait no longer for coffee. By that time it was about 8:30 and I realized my husband was still home. This was putting a damper on my plan to have a day to myself. In order to spend a day alone, you actually have to be alone in the house (dogs and cats do not count). My plan to do some writing and do work on my raw art journal just can’t be done if your husband walks in while you are all immersed in your right brain world and says “Just wanted you to know I am going to pay the phone bill today”. Sounds of metal screeching explode in your head as the left brain throws the switch on creativity. It is just not pretty ok. So I asked him why he was still home and he tells me the new tax schedule starts today. Really? Today? I crave time alone like a crack head hungers after crack. My awesome day was taking a down turn and it was not even 9 a.m.
So I went into the bedroom and worked on cleaning the bedroom. The thing is, I got pretty darn far on my husband anger fumes and by 10:45 when he was leaving, the bedroom was clean and my mood was going back up. He kissed me goodbye as I pushed him out the door (lovingly).
I spent the afternoon at Alecia’s Spa in Chesterfield and it was awesome. I had the best pedicure by Mercedes and she took her time and we had a wonderful conversation. I picked out one of my favorite colors (Waitress Red) and my old tired ugly feet began to sing! I then was whisked off by Stephanie and she gave me an amazing hour long facial. I paid my bill, tipped my angels and floated to the car. I arrived home to a still empty house (thank you Jesus). I had a couple of hours left to do more me stuff.
As I just now finished writing my blog…my hubbie has just walked in the door. Good day, really good day.
Tomorrow is Friday AND I get to work from home. Yes, life is good.
She told me so many times, after a while I did believe it. It made sense to me. How else could she know when I had colored on the rug, or pulled the cat’s tail? She just knew too much to not have them. There could be no other explanation. I never saw them, as they remained hidden in her poofy teased-up hair. Others confirmed it to be true. I was told that my grandmother also had them and when I became a mother, I would also have them. This scared me somewhat because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be connected in this manner to my mother and grandmother. The thought of them would keep me awake at night; envisioning my mother watching my dad sleep while facing away from him. I imagined that they would just appear one day and that would be that – no turning back, I would have them. I hoped it would not hurt and worried that they may bother me, although my mother never complained about having them. Early one morning when I was about 6 years old, I attempted to see them while my mother slept. Even before I bent down and tried to part my mother’s hair, she softly spoke my name and told me to go downstairs and watch TV. She knew it was me and not my brother, or the dog or someone coming to steal her jewelry.
Years past and my mother did not seem to need them much anymore. I actually forgot about them; but when I became a mother, my mother’s prediction did come true. I was washing dishes as my son sat at the table eating and attempting to feed the dog his vegetables. Without turning around I told him not to feed his carrots to the dog. His wide eyes validated his wonder on how I knew what he was doing. In a voice very similar to my mother’s I said, “Remember, Mom’s have eyes in the back of their heads.”
It happens, and there just isn’t any way to stop it.
______________________________________
© 1998-2012 EYES by Karen S. Cook
All Rights Reserved
Story, or any part thereof can not be published or used
without explicit written consent from the author.
For the first full weekend of the year, I think it was pretty nice. Took a beading class at Beads on Parade. Candy is always so patient and so helpful, I love taking her classes. This class was for a bracelet with beaded beads. Beaded beads are so much fun because they go so quickly (usually can make one in about 15-20 minutes). You can create beaded beads in so many different color combinations so each creation can look so different. Someone seems to always make the comment “your breacelet/necklace looks so different from mine!”
I have taken several classes instructed by Candy and have enjoyed them all. She has a special talent with picking colors for you if you need help with that. She puts colors together that I would never think of and they come out looking amazing!
I wanted my bracelet to look similar to the Ice Bubble Bracelet she had as a sample. I finished it at home on Sunday and it turned out fantastic! It is a fun bracelet! Thank you again Candy! Check out their website: Beads on Parade.
After my bead class, my hubbie and I headed over to Mimi’s Cafe and had lunch, and then went to Pots and Palletes in downtown Fred-city to paint some pottery. I had purchased a Groupon and so we got over 50% off our greenware and firing fees. We had fun painting our pottery. Bob painted a busines card holder and a little vase. I painted a coffee mug. We will pick them up in a week or so. I will work it out so I can take another bead class when I go and pick up our pottery!
I was writing out my new year’s resolutions for which I waited until the last minute to do. This is because I am such a procrastinator and if I do say so myself, I am damn good at it. I could tell you more about that, but I think I will wait until later.
A week or so ago, I had been thinking about setting my goals for 2012 because of a daily newsletter I receive on digital scrapbooking. I read each newsletter and am always inspired by the creations that are showcased as well as the articles they publish. I had read some extra communications that were sent out from the owner of ScrapGirls, Rozanne Paxman. She recently had shoulder surgery and was thinking about what would happen if she did not return. Would her husband know where all the important papers were? Who to call? How her staff should get paid etc. This really got me thinking as well. I feel like Ro, I want things to be as less stressful for my family if anything were to happen to me. I also felt like I wanted to make sure they had a part of me after I was gone; something tangible that they could read, touch and see. I want to leave something that tells a story of who I was while I was here on earth. I want them to know me as a person (not just as a wife or mother or sister etc.). I want them to know how I felt about being in my skin and my perspective on my life and how I perceived it. I want to be able to teach them some things, even after I’m gone. I want to ensure that I leave them a little piece of me and that they know I loved them and that I was worth loving back.
I want to start creating my legacy scrapbook pages and gathering stories and poems I have written. Ro from Scrap Girls has given some good tips and tools for gathering my materials and how to do it. She talks about Mind Mapping (which I love and have used many times
before). She gives great advice on legacy planning and on setting some goals. She suggests setting long and short term goals. I have gotten very excited about all of this and as with anything I can in my life, I make it a shopping (“therapy”) opportunity and so I purchased the legacy templates they have available at Scrap Girls. Click here to order it yourself.
Ro also suggested a book to read called Wishcraft by Barbara Sher and I am planning to read this book and do the assignments/exercises that are in the book.
I am hoping that I will have a long time to gather all my important papers for my legacy book; along with a large collection of scrapbook pages, stories and articles I have written so that my family can know me (hopefully with a different perspective) by reading my legacy scrapbook.
More to come on this!
And for the record – here are my “publishable” resolutions…
1. Do more writing and improve on my writing this year
2. Work on Red Heart Jewelry website and keep new products coming on the site
3. Gather materials and put together my Legacy Scrapbook
4. Have all important papers and legal documents up to date and gathered together
5. Become proficient with WordPress
6. Become more proficient with CSS
7. Take a painting class
8. Take another photography class
9. Take at least one bead class a month
10. Do I say it?? – eat healthier and lose weight
11. Exercise more
12. Be kinder to people
13. Be more patient with my family
14. Start using eBay to get rid of all our extra STUFF!
15. Win the lottery so I can take my job and…love it (as a closed chapter in my life)
P.S. I found my 2010 resolutions and some of them were exactly the same…I really do need to add stop procrastinating to my list huh? I think I will do that first thing in the morning…
Since I was little, I have loved to try new crafts. While growing up, I crocheted and did cross-stitch. I made wreaths, clothe covered photo albums, papier-mâché houses, painted houses, painted T-shirts, felt banners, candles, painted pots – the list goes on and on. I would go to the craft store for a $5 item, and would come out with three big bags of materials for 5 new projects. I tried a lot of things that I was not very good at, like stain glass (I just kept cutting my fingers). But I love making crafty things and there is nothing better than a hand-made gift. Not only do they make great gifts, but to me it is like therapy. With all the money I have spent at hobby and gifts shops, I can’t say if real therapy might have been cheaper, but regardless, it has been fun. Isn’t that what we all strive for? Just a little bit of enjoyment in our lives?
I have finally settled on what I really truly love to do. I love to bead! I have been beading for about 10 years or so and although, I still may make a wreath or two, beading is my main stay. Beading brings me joy and truly relaxes me. I make necklaces, bracelets, earrings, gloom chases, fan pulls, curtain ties, key chains and even beaded beads! I have so many beads that in order to help to pay for them, I sell some of the pieces I make (see my site http://www.redheartjewelry.com). I also give jewelry as gifts quite often, and I want to think that when I give a gift of a necklace or beaded Christmas ornament that the recipient is as thrilled to receive it as I am to make it.
I make jewelry for myself as well. That is the benefit of having a large supply of beads.! You can make something to match a new shirt or a bracelet for any holiday. I have more jewelry than Queen Elizabeth I think, (although nothing that really resembles the Crown Jewels). I am required to wear a badge at work, so I have a beaded ID badge holder in every color of the rainbow. I also have one for every holiday too! But, it’s all good, really. It keeps me out of trouble (until I go to a bead show). I have been known to drop my entire Christmas check on beads, or even rationalize how I need to buy every color and size of the new Swarovski crystals or fire polished beads.
Red Carpet Bracelet
A couple of years ago, I looked around my crafts room and realized I had spent more money on beads than on clothes and felt like I needed to step up my beading skills. I took a couple of classes in the Richmond area, but they were really basic and most of them were way over priced. I discovered a shop in Fredericksburg, Beads on Parade. They have the most talented staff and they all have different skill sets and talents. Not only that, but they offer tons of classes in wire wrapping, chain mail, bead weaving and more. They are more helpful than any place I have ever patronized. If you are working on a project and need some help – they are there to help you figure out how to string a necklace, what colors to use for your next project, what materials you should use to string your beautiful beaded bead you just created. Whatever it may be, they are always willing to help. They have given me the confidence to step it up a bit and do some projects on my own.
We call the shop the Crack House because once you take one class, you can’t stop! They probably don’t appreciate that comparison, but I swear, beading is my crack!
The most recent class I took was with Candy at Beads on Parade. The project is called The Red Carpet bracelet and once I finished it I was thinking, I just might now have some jewelry that is as fancy as the Crown Jewels!
