Any Regrets?

We all have regrets in our lives. Some small, some big. It's never too late though, to make up for some of them. But don't put that off. Do it now!

Butterflies

Look what I found on the threshhold of my front door one morning. It was sheer luck that the doggies didn't step on it when I let them out.

So to prevent its premature death by being trampled on, I gently moved it to the flower bed and set it down to take another photograph.

Later when I went to check, it was gone.

I have no idea what kind of butterlfy it is, but if anyone reading this post knows, please tell me.

Happy Father's Day

I want to take time out of my busy schedule to wish my Dad a Happy Father's Day.

There is not enough room in this little blog to say everything I would want to about Ray. But here's a little bit.

He's turning 78 on October 8. And he's still working as a barber. His favorite pastime is his carpentry. He still works on the house he built for him and my Mom. He still finds time to help my 3 siblings on their homes. He's always over at someone's house fixing, building, helping. And that's when he's not working on his third woodstrip canoe.

Just over a year ago, my mom and dad suffered a house fire that started in Ray's workshop. He lost every tool he had. Some of them he had from age 16. It was a bittersweet tragedy, if there is such a thing. Bitter because of the loss and sweet because the no one was hurt and the main house survived.

He has been slowly replacing his tools, his old friends, with new ones. And just keeps plugging away at it. Just like he does with life in general.

Is my dad a perfect father? Absolutely not. Am I a perfect daughter? No way in hell! But he's a great dad!

It's not about being perfect anyway. I love my dad with all my heart. And I know he loves me. That's what makes it possible to cope with all the issues that arise from those imperfections and the personality conflicts that result.

So Happy Father's Day to the greatest Dad I could have had or chosen!

And, of course how can I pass up the opportunity to show my love for the father of my children, Howie.

This quote says it all about how much he loves our 3 boys--"Our father gave us the best gift you can give another person...he believed in us."

Happy Father's Day to the big love of my life!

Blue Belle

We're all moved in, my gift shop is up and going, summer is here and this is my first new cuff in six months!

It feels so good to be back making my jewelry. I've had a very stressful 8 months of demolition, remodeling, moving, and starting a new business Through it all, what a challenge to also maintain an everyday life. There was absolutely no time for my art and passion.

So it is with immense pleasure and joy that I introduce my first cuff for 2009---Blue Belle.

Again, I was trying to use up leftover supplies before spending the money to purchase more. I only had a little bit of light blue wire left and quite a bit of shiny dark blue wire. So I simply picked up the wire, my crochet hook and started working. Like all of my cuffs, I have a very vague vision of the final product. It's much more fun and creative for me to let them evolve. My best work comes from that process.

When I finish the base of the cuff, that is when I decide what embellishments I want to add and I just happened to have these cute beaded flowers that were in different shades of blue.

Perfect for Blue Belle!

You can see Blue Belle in my Etsy shop where I plan to start selling my wire crochet cuffs again.

I'm taking Albina Rose out of hiatus and back into business.

Thanks for reading! Please feel free to share any thoughts with me. I love hearing from you all!

Do You Choose to Be Happy?

We all experience ups and downs in our every day lives. Some ups are higher and some downs are lower. A few of us have to endure much more serious adversities and even tragedies. While others seem to always be on top of everything. How can we still lead happy lives while riding the roller coaster of these highs and lows? And how do you "choose" to be happy?

Whether or not the following story is true is irrelevant. The message however, is completely relevant to this question.

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

'I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. 'Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.' 'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied... ' Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.

Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged .. it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it 'It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.'

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

How can you choose to be happy? You just do. Focus on the good in your life instead of the bad. That doesn't mean you don't acknowledge or deny the adversities you face. It means, you deal with them, not dwell on them.

"Don't get too attached to the good times because they don't last. But also don't get too attached to the bad times, because they don't last either."

Embrace your life, accept its imperfections but dwell on the good and positive aspects. That is the choice you can make. You are then "choosing" to be happy.

Life is What YOU Make of it!

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, screaming WOO HOO, WHAT A RIDE! "

author unknown

Mendon Ponds

I am so fortunate to live near one of the most beautiful parks in our area. It is also the largest in our county. Mendon Ponds Park is 2500 gorgeous acres of woodlands, trails and ponds.

This winter my friend and I started walking in the park and the views were just breathtaking, as you can see from just these two photos. We had alot of snow this year and that made everything all the more beautiful and magical.

These two photos were taken with my cell phone and I never thought they would come out this nice.

I plan to keep taking advantage of living just a mile down the road from this wonderful refuge of wild life and woodlands. We are going to cross country ski, kayak and hike the park alot more now that we live so close by.