hold your head up and keep on dancin.....

Welcome to a new series called FRIDAY NIGHT VIDEOS!

I claim this blog title literally because when I found this one I just couldn't help but get up and dance. Connor was the only witness to my nuttiness! Yes, music turns me into a 20 something all over again!







Come on back tomorrow. I have some plans to share more this weekend! Happy Friday!

The birthday girl......

Just a quick note to show off the birthday girl Megan and her new awesome haircut! We had such a great time and we ate our brains out.... I am feeling a bit guilty because I didn't get charged my fair share for dinner. I will have to do something really nice for Jennifer who carried most of the burden. It was so much fun and a really big deal for me as I can't remember the last time I went out.

I have been working 2 part time jobs lately which is really helping ease the stress. I am still in negative cash flow but at least at a slower rate. The job listings have decreased lately, so I am really grateful to those who are giving me the occasional odd job for income.

Monday night TLC watch and getting ready for Jon & Kate + 8. Now that is a storyline that helps me keep my life in perspective. I count my blessings ......

a birthday wish.....

Pulled together this simple canvas for a friend celebrating her twenty something Bday. We are meeting at PF Changs for a celebration so I wanted to give it a fortune cookie theme. The fortune reads "you will always be surrounded by true friends". It is shameful how easy this was to do. First I have a collection of small canvases bought long ago during the major Dick Blick sale. When I see a technique I like on other blogs I like to play around creating canvas backgrounds to keep on hand for future. I had done this one a while back and it became a perfect base for this project. Like usual, I pulled out my Studio Calico stash and began cutting and gluing....... so simple yet so different from the other birthday cards she will receive. I will hate to see it go, it kind of looks good next to an old photo of a Monk at a Buddhist Temple in Bangkok, Thailand (circa 2003).


I hope everyone is having a great weekend and keeping with the Chinese theme.....

Nee How Ma !
(good day in Mandarin)

run on popsicles in the northwest.....

it is way to hot to fall asleep easily tonight so I am exploring the vimeo website to see what inspires me.

I am lovin' this tale of a local dude doing great things. OK maybe I've been listening to my SoCal transplant surfer dude pastor for a bit too long. I say this with a lot of love.......

Motor(ed) Bike from Overlake Christian Church on Vimeo.

I hope to one day be in a position to do something this great and this selfless. I would absolutely love to work for a non profit organization. Is this the time? I wish I could see what the future holds for me, but if I could see what is in store I would not grow in Faith. For everything there is a purpose. and a season.

Good night all......

payback for a wicked winter

Disclaimer to my Artist friends: being crafty can be a real challenge in NW summers. We had such a lousy winter that when the weather is good, I am drawn outside. There are gardens to tend, parks to explore, lakes and rivers to visit and mountains to hike....... so inside crafts just don't compete with those options.

We are currently having the kind of weather that helps us put up with our horrible winters. Absolutely beautiful blue skies and perfect temperatures sustained over several weeks. I got up early to take Connor to the park for some exercise. Focused, obsessed, addicted? All apply when it comes to Connor and a Ball. This past week I have been using a soft Frisbee like disk instead of a ball and he is getting the hang of it jumping up to catch in mid air. It went missing last night so the balls went to the park this morning. Maybe my Vet niece Emily can explain something...... why do dogs tend to run in a somewhat crooked position? I mean he is running forward but he is kind of at an angle. He has always done this and makes me wonder....... Anyhow when he plays fetch he refuses to take water breaks so when we get home he quickly plops down in the cool grass by his water bowl.

Sometimes I am afraid he will have a heart attack or something. It generally takes a bit before he settles down on my cold entryway tile for a long sleep.

So I am feeling the need to capture every corner of my home and garden on camera lately. My way of saying farewell to everything I have planted or tended to over the past 8 years. Here are some of my current blooms.........

I really hope you are enjoying your weekend and doing what you LOVE to do!

Later....

wonderful wanderings over the weekend....

Jennifer and I went to Luther Burbank Park on Mercer Island for some sun and conversation.

Later we met up with Megan who took us to lunch where we sat out on the patio and relaxed a bit before walking through downtown Issaquah....

I am a bit depressed today as I had a job rejection last week and another one yesterday. I guess I should be thankful that I at least had interviews....... but interviews don't pay the bills. Tomorrow is another day and I pray for better spirits!

One awesome thing to celebrate is James was informed last night he received a scholarship from the Chemical Engineering Department. He will have half of his tuition paid for his final year at the U of W....... I am really proud of him.

additional post:

I have just learned from a friend that a family I know is in extreme crises. Both husband and wife, parents of small children, are taking a nose dive straight to their individual bottoms due to addiction. This family would make TLC's Jon and Kate count their blessings.....

It breaks my heart to see this happen but driving home tonight, I reflected about it. This has helped me put things in proper perspective. While I might be unemployed and in financial crises, I at least have my health. Who cares where I live, who cares if I have to start over again. I am healthy!

Thank you God for revealing what I needed to see.......

jimmy johnson in the house......

what a nice saturday in seattle.....

I spent the day outside working in the garden. I know I told myself I was going to wash my car today but the back yard and the mid 70's weather just beckoned..... I had been waiting for a good day to spread the compost throughout the beds.


Compost..... "Black Gold". I find it cool to put old flowers, weeds, and kitchen produce in a barrel and return a year later to this wonder soil and organic fertilizer. It's not quite that simple but I've been composting since the early 80's and still get that awesome sense of accomplishment when your large pile is reduced to this........

Connor was also working hard with me. Always following close behind with the ball just in case I got the urge to play...... we did get some good fun time in the sun today too.

Gosh - I love the look of the gardens with the rich dark soil spread around the borders and feeding my precious roses and flowering shrubs.

I hope to get outside tomorrow afternoon too. I still have the car mats to scrub and looking forward to doing it in the sun after church.....

Great day! Great Weekend!

spring rains and a little art

Todays rain is making the garden look lush and green...... The lilac is just about ready to open in full bloom. I am a patient gardener; waiting 5 years for this colorful explosion.

Connor even enjoyed his time outside. He takes his fetch job so seriously. He too is patient....

I did these layouts this past weekend. The first layouts I've done in months. I used a mixture of past Studio Calico kits ......

James and Megan at Disneyland and California Adventure - Spring Break 2009.

Happy May Day!

Thank you for all the encouraging words. The act of writing down emotions tends to be quite cathartic for me. Putting thought to paper helps the process and I am today more focused on the exciting aspects of upcoming changes. James moving out, a career change and a home change all at the same time can be daunting at moments. But I was reminded this week how often being uncomfortable accompanies times of great growth.


So I took my earlier advise and have watched the Mike video a couple times; gaining perspective once again.


I am off to wash my sofa slipcovers and look for a few throw rugs per realtor advise. We are going to have great weather; sunny and in the 70's -
Nothing will get in my way of enjoying today!

Have a happy Friday! and a happy May Day! I am adding to my to do list.....

Make a Posie and put on my bedside table!