2011 Intentions

It is that time of year isn't it? A time for reflection and a time that most make resolutions for the new year. I'm all about the reflecting but the resolutions not so much. 2010 has been a big year for me. Dare I even say a lot of life changing stuff started to unfold.

In 2010 I....

• Started Geocaching
• Had surgery for the first time in my life
• Left my 20's behind
• Saw my daughter off to her first day at Kindergarten
• Visited Yellowstone National Park
• Took an incredible weekend photography workshop
• Got in shape
• Started a journal
• Started Blogging again
• Unravelled
• Played with fire

A sort of metamorphosis began to happen inside of me. I'm still growing. I'm still finding my way. Although, through it all I'm pretty dang happy where I am at in this moment. So looking forward to 2011 I have some wishes for myself. These are my intentions, not resolutions.

• Take more bubble baths
• Stop taking myself so damn seriously and let the laughter out
• Reach outward
• Spend more time with my nose in books and less time on the computer
• Stay healthy and be good to my body
• Listen to more music

Those are my intentions. They are all simple things by themselves but together they lead to a fulfilling year filled with love, laughter, joy and growth.

Happy New Years!

Winter Views

Christmas Eve my Dad and I braved the cold and got out for a little while for some photos. I have to admit using my iPhone has been almost as fun and sometimes easier than lugging around my Nikon. This time I ended up taking both.

Handmade Holiday

I can finally reveal a few of the things I had been working on for gifts this year.

 

The first is a metal wall calendar I did for my mom. I added on the embellishments, the quote and the custom made magnets. The second was a broach for my step-mom. The metal piece was made then attached to a flower with a pin on the back. The last is a zodiac necklace I did for my mom. I knew I wanted to incorporate her sign so I found some custom zodiac images on Etsy that I was able to print and set in resin.

I hope they were all well received and everyone enjoyed them! It really is fun making things from the heart!

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. I wish you all relaxation, comfort and good tidings. I hope the next year brings joy for you all.

Merry Christmas!

Holiday Treats

Flipping through a gourmet gift magazine last month I saw these and thought, "I could totally make that!" So yesterday my daughter and I did. Mine aren't nearly as beautiful as the ones pictured in the catalog but I bet they taste about the same. The chocolate covered morsels were referred to as Top Hats because of their resemblance. Although mine look a little more like hats that have seen better days. The secret? There isn't one really because all that is too them is an Oreo dipped in chocolate and topped with a equally covered marshmallow. Sinfully good!

A Season to Share

When I was writing out my Life List earlier this year one thing I really wanted to add for this Holiday Season was to sponsor a family. It has been a work in progress this past month but finally today I can check it off the list! I wasn't even sure where to start when I was planning it out in November but after a quick web search I found two organizations in our area that take applications for sponsorships. I got in touch with a local representative who asked me a few questions about how we would like to help and we were set. A week later I received paperwork in the mail about the family we would be helping. The rest was up to me. I had to get in touch with the family and find out what we could do for them. I figured gift shopping would be the easy part. It wasn't. The mom either was being humble when telling me ideas or her kids just really didn't feel comfortable making lists this year. Either way, I was given only a few hints as to what they may like. In the end though we managed to come up with several ideas for each child. The best part was stuffing a stocking for each of them with all my little finds.

Today our family headed to the grocery store to get the final items to stuff in the car. Our daughter, Hailee, was not thrilled at first to be heading to her least favorite place but soon she understood the importance of what we were doing and starting asking what else she could pick out for them. We had a little shopping cart caravan going on while trying to multitask shopping for our family as well as theirs. I decided to purchase reusable grocery bags for them to keep and we filled every single one. I think what made it so easy is that it is 100 times more exciting to grocery shop for someone else than yourself. At least for me!

When we met the family in person today it truly was heartwarming. They were gracious and polite and so welcoming. It really was a treat for us to help them out and for Hailee to see the importance of giving to others this season. I definitely think we have started a new Christmas tradition for our family in the years to come. Giving to charities is great but being able to help someone and see the impact first hand is even that much better.

Happy Holidays to you all!

For your other half

If you are looking to add a little spicy cheer to your partner's life this season there head on over to Kind Over Matter and print off Amanda's "naughty" card and hide it somewhere special.

I promise it will make their day.

Almost one for the Life List

Last weekend Ken and I went to a holiday party thrown by one of his coworkers. We went the previous year and had a pretty good time and after me being sick for so long I was really looking forward to getting out and going this year. Because of a surgery I had this summer it is almost impossible for me to drink much anymore. My stomach just can't handle that much substance and I absolutely cannot vomit. Which gives me a second reason to be proactive and not overindulge. But I was determined to drink just enough to numb my sinuses into thinking I was well for the night. It worked too! Through the night we noticed people heading to the upstairs obviously checking out something of interest. As the night was winding down we wanted to poke our heads upstairs to see what the draw was. Well, here is what everyone was looking at:

Having just enough to drink to feel a little less shy I gave it a whirl. Let me say two things. First, it isn't is easy as it looks. I was spinning all over the place just trying to hang on. Second, jeans do not work well on a stripper pole. Hence why all the women you see dancing on said pole do not wear them. Bare skin makes it a heck of a lot easier to....um....hold on! I came away with a new appreciation for the art and understanding on how much strength it takes to look graceful at it. I also came away with an incredibly sexy bruise on the inside of my knee. Now, had I put the words: TRY pole dancing on my Life List, I would say I could easily check that one off. But I still want to give it a proper go and take a class where all the fun happens. If nothing else I know it will be one heck of a work out!

As you can see I am omitting the part of the story as to why our host has a stripper pole out in his shop. I figure some things are better left unsaid.

I also want to add that I was slightly hesitant to share this photo here. Not because of how I look or what I was doing but because I am afraid of being judged. Too often I worry about what others may think. In the end I decided "screw it!" This is me. This is my life and this blog documents it all. This is me having fun and being me. Cheers!

A Message...

Monday Musings

5 Reasons Why Being Sick SUCKS!

• I feel like a Kleenex QA tester. It doesn't matter how soft they are, at the end of the day, they all feel like a burlap sack.


• After 2 weeks I have forgotten what food tastes like and when my sense of smell starts to return it is probably going to be sensory overload.


• Missing my December 1st deadline of being done with Christmas shopping.


• Having the obsessive compulsive desire to wash my hands every 5 minutes and disinfecting everything I touch in hopes of not spreading the plague further.


• Talking like my head is in a bubble. Can't I at least get a sexy husky voice when I'm sick instead?

A 'lil bit of everything update

• Still sick. Almost better. I can feel it! I seriously am having a discussion with my immune system. I am so over this and deserve to be healthy for the whole next year. I mean it!

• I am working on checking off the very first thing on my Life List. I plan on dedicating a post to it soon!

• Another creation from my metalsmithing class. What started out as hopefully a jewelry piece grew a little too large. It is now a magnet on my fridge.

I hope you all are taking a moment in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season for yourselves. Cheers! I promise to have a "proper" update of some sort soon!

A Message...

On being Creative

This past year has been a lot of things for me but mostly one thing: Exploration. Through that self exploration I have learned how much of my life is driven by creativity. Ever since I can remember I have loved to create. Both of my parents have helped to foster the creativity in me. I remember my Mom always crafting things for people during the holiday season growing up. I remember my Dad helping me deck out a wooden doll house with real wall paper and carpet. In High School I was involved in the year book, photography, darkroom and art classes. I had no idea then how much those things would grow to become part of my life today.

Though others have always encouraged my creative lifestyle it is only now that I am truly realizing how much I need to create to be happy. What I don't seem to be doing is focusing on one creative medium. I have dabbled in many things from paper making to now jewelry making. I love trying it all. I am finding it doesn't really matter so much what I am doing as long as I have a creative outlet. I think I need to allow myself to to take a crooked creative path and explore as much as I can because learning and trying new things are also something that truly helps my soul flourish. Hence the reason this blog was born. This is my record of my journey and I am so thankful that you are all here to share your stories with me as well!

On another note: I apologize for the drought in blog posts as of late. I have been sick, again. This time being the third time in a little over a month. The last two illnesses were literally back to back. I figured my body was trying to tell me something when I got sick the first time and thought I was listening by slowing down. I guess maybe I didn't listen hard enough.