Spring is on it's way!

This morning as I took my walk I saw two big V's of Canadian geese flying home! They were honking in all their glory and it made me smile wide to see them. Seeing the geese on their northbound journey is always a highlight of my year. There is something in me that stirs to the sound of their honking, the dedication to their journey and the thought of how happy they must be to be heading home again. This is the third time I have seen them in their migration in the last few days and it definitely brings a happiness to my soul.
This past weekend I taught a glass slide solder class and had a great group of students. This is always a very satisfying class to teach because everyone is happy to learn this technique and take it with them into their future art projects. It's amazing what type of mini masterpiece you can create between two 1"x3" pieces of glass!
Pam, if you are reading this, I want to wish you a Happy Belated Birthday! I hope you did something fun to celebrate your special day! And to the rest of my readers, I wish you a satisfying day and the hope that something will make you experience a happiness in your soul today.

Can January really be coming to an end already?!

Boy, what the heck happened to this month?! I can't believe we are already through the first month of the new year! I feel a bit remiss for not having posted more this month. I have felt as if I am in a state of semi hibernation, and I am not even living where it is cold and I would be justified for withdrawing from life for a bit! Today as I sat on the patio eating my lunch, I thought, "Gee, this is a real treat! So many people are dealing with the hardship of bad weather right now and I feel like I am on retreat!" I relished sitting there and closing my eyes in the sun and listening to the little birds chirping all around me.
I have been in kind of a funky space the last month or so, I don't really want to bore myself or you with that, but I feel the need to address it as I have put myself out here with a blog and I feel an obligation to share I haven't been wanting to connect with anyone. Wanting to be isolated is not a normal state for me, so while I have been working through it, I haven't wanted to be working it through with anyone else. Suffice it to say, I am coming back around.
Yesterday in the art room I played with altering some tins and some paper clay elements. The most fun thing I did though was to play with a spoon I found last week while I was on my walk. I colored it with alcohol inks and rub-n-buff, some wire and beads and some wings I learned to make from Kelly Rae Robert's new book. It isn't quite done, but I will post it as soon I have added the finishing touches. There's something quite fun and whimsical about those darn spoons that makes them irresistible!
I am happy to be writing here today and wanting to leave you with this quote I read this morning: "If you want to meet someone who can fix any situation you don't like, who can bring you happiness in spite of what other people say or believe, look in a mirror and say this magic word: Hello!" - Richard Bach

OMG (Oh My Gosh!) . . .

I can't believe I have let a whole month go by with no postings to my beloved blog! I don't even have a good excuse/reason to give for not being here of late. So, to not beat a dead horse (an awful expression!), the good news I have returned in the New Year! Here are a few things I have been up to lately. I taught a class this past Sunday on altered tins. What a great group of students! I was a little nervous because I haven't taught this type of class before, but it was perfect! Thank you so much to the creative women who made it so fun! I will be teaching it again in March. I have been fortunate to schedule more classes in the upcoming year. On the calendar is a year's worth of PMC classes, glass slide soldering, a mixed media bird project, and if I can get my act together, a book class. I was going to slack off on teaching this year, but if the interest is still there, I will show up for sure! I have also been given the opportunity to join a very talented group of women artists for the purpose of playing, experimenting and doing shows together this year and I am very excited about that!
I have been taking a look at being kinder to my body these days. This means eating well, taking my walks and getting good sleep. I have found my days go much better when I start with my morning readings, my daily writing (a good idea from Julia Cameron, The Sound of Paper), followed by my walk, then a good healthy breakfast. What comes after that is always better balanced by that good start to my day.
I have been reading and just finished Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes last night. I have Sue Monk Kidd's When the Heart Waits and Susan Tuttle's Exhibition 36 on my reading table at the moment. Over the holidays I finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, which I really enjoyed. I always feel rich with a stack of good books by my side. And I have been knitting, making socks and chemo caps. I love my hand knit socks! This is funny because I really resisted making them. I thought is was silly when you could go buy them so inexpensively and yet, I can't wait to replace all my store boughts with hand made ones now, they are just so much cuter!
So, it is good to be settling back into the blog seat again. Thank you to my blog friends who have continued to stop by and say hi, I am warmed by your presence in my little corner of the art room. I am very hopeful about the new year, excited for the adventures to come and feeling blessed by all that has been. It's good to be back.

Just checking on you guys . .

I hope you are all enjoying the pre-Christmas festivities. I have been happy with the arrival of Christmas cards in the mail box and hearing Christmas songs in the stores. I love that this time of year encourages us to reach out to connect with others. It is a perfect time to pause and reflect on the blessings we have, and think about how to help those who may not be feeling so fortunate. As you go about the extra effort that goes into the holiday season, remember to take time for filling yourself back up. And yes, you can do it with Christmas cookies, See's candy and homemade fudge! But I hope you will also include time to take a walk and breath in the clean, crisp air. Listen to the birds chirping and the happy sounds around you. Remember to take time to pray for those in need and for yourself. Read passages of inspiration. Snuggle with your four footed friends. Turn off the TV, light the candles and just bask in the glow of being secure in your home. It is a good life we live.

Its cold (for So Cal!), rainy and I think we need cookies . . .

Today was one of those rare days in So Cal with lots of rain and wind. It was the perfect day for starting the Christmas cookies I love to make only at this time of year. So I lit all the candles in my living room, got the mixing bowls out and and turned on the oven - yummy!! The house is toasty warm, good smells are in the air and my nest feels cozy and comfy! This is a big part of what Christmas is about to me.
Then I had a most unexpected surprise in the mail today. The house next to us had been abandoned by the former owners many months ago, such a sad sign of the times. In the interest of keeping things looking as normal as possible I would mow the weeds when they got too high. J. would go over and pull the weeds growing up in places we couldn't get to with the lawn mower and we would take in the newspapers that continued to be delivered in spite of my calls to have them stopped. We just generally kept our eye on the place. Well, a couple of weeks ago it was bought at auction and the lovely man who bought it totally fixed it up to sell. He sent us a check for taking care of it before he even owned it! I was blown away! What a nice man! It makes my heart happy to know this man fixed this house up right, and he cares about us wanting to have nice neighbors move in next door. I was very humbled and happy. The real estate situation has so many people feeling callused and cynical these days, and it just made me feel warmed to know it wasn't going to be that way for the house next to us.
Here's another story that warmed my heart and humbled me. I am teaching a class in January using tins to make altered art. I have three class samples in the store and this weekend a customer really wanted to buy one of them. It just so happens that it was my first one and my favorite one, but something told me to let her have it. When I asked if it was for her or someone else after she purchased it, she told me it was for a friend of hers in Colorado who is battling cancer. She bought it to send to her as encouragement. My heart just immediately melted. I am blown away when something from my heart and hands touches someone's heart. It really makes me believe in the power of the Spirit, and man, how that humbles me.
So today I wish you the peace of a quiet, cozy day, filled with your favorite smells and sounds, candles adding gentle light and a heart touched by the Spirit of the season.

It is the busy time of year . . .

We are all in our busy mode these days. Things to be done for Christmas rather it is presents to give, items to make for shows or just the internal need to create, we are all doing it! This morning I was reading this:

"You are blessed because of the love you give forth. In coming days such blessings shall you have that you will feel you have no more room in your heart to receive them. Go now to the tasks that await your hands and I will work with and through you as you fulfill your daily portion of work."

This really speaks to me. I am reminded that the creations we bring forth with our hands, starts in our hearts and brings that love to the people we share our art with. And it's not just our art, it's the way we go about using our hands throughout our day. We drive, do chores, we touch and hug our family, friends and pets, we are cooking and cleaning, planting and writing. Our hands are there to express the love that flows through us in all the actions they take. I don't know about you, but that offers me great comfort as I go about my day today.

Home, happy and hopeful . . .

I am home and had a great time with my family for the Thanksgiving holiday! We ate turkey (and many turkey sandwiches!), played lots of Scrabble games, and enjoyed each other's company. A good time was had by all!
I am happy. I cleaned house yesterday, washed windows to let the sun shine in, filled bird feeders, caught up with friends on the phone, and in blogland. Putting order back into my world.
I am hopeful and letting the excitment and anticipation of the Christmas season start to flirt with my thoughts. I am going to a Christmas party this Friday, which is called Craft-O-Rama!! It will be my first time attending and I've heard wonderful things about it in the past that I can't wait to get to go play there this year!
I love this time of year. The season is about hope, love, the promise of good things to come and appreciation of the good things we have already.