Inspire

Well, I found that trying to keep up with a blog is very challenging and time consuming. I also found that I was spending too much time on my computer and there's so much living to do beyond my office chair!
I'm not making promises about the blog anymore, not expecting myself to worry about whether or not I post. I've decided it's better to be active, social and free of self imposed stresses.
Sooooo.....I'll be here when it feels good.

Inspire is defined in Webster's as: "guide by devine influence; to arouse and create high emotion; to exalt; inhale; breathe in."

Today, I hope your inspiration comes in the form of a smile, a kind thought, or anything that touches your soul in a simple way.

Ahhhhhhh, I'm such a lucky girl!

There's just nothing like a hot tub in the evening while the sun is dipping low in the sky and the day has been full. I was blessed with phone calls from friends and my precious MIL, my little dog is healing up well, and the sun on my face while I was soaking these old bones was Heavenly.

This one is for my friends:

Oh, the comfort--the inexpressible comfort

Of feeling safe with a person,

Having neither to weigh thoughts,

Nor measure words--but pouring them

All right out--just as they are chaff and grain together--

Certain that a faithful hand will

Take and sift them--

Keep what is worth keeping--

And with the breath of kindness

Blow the rest away.

Dinah Marie Mulock Craik

Diamonds and Stones

"Some days are diamonds, some days are stone"--John Denver crooned the words and sometimes they come to mind. When times are trying, as they have been over the weekend (my little dog is sick), I try to remember the diamond days and this old saying by


Albert Einstein:

"There are only two ways to live your life,

One is as though nothing is a miracle,

The other is as though everything is a miracle."


Even the stones have a beauty about them, you just have to be willing to see it.

It's FINALLY Arrived! The First Day of Spring!

Every year on the first day of spring, if the ground isn't covered with snow and frozen, one of our rituals is to go outside and break a few holes in the blanket of leaves that protect our perrennial garden. There they were, the daffodils! Spring has officially arrived, no one is happier than we!

The changing of the seasons humbles us once again, this one in particular for all the rebirth and renewing.....looking forward to the blooming! Happy Spring!

Thankful

I am so thankful for,

first and foremost, my husband.

I am so thankful for my family.

I am so thankful for

my friends.

My blessings are HUGE!

(P. S. Stamps are: Background, Judi-Kins

Everything Else is Stampin' Up, design is my own)

The Morning After

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in my home. My name IS Coleen!

There is the traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner, and a fun tradition that was started years ago when our daughter went to Ireland. She brought back a crock of the finest Irish Whiskey, Tullamore Dew, and gifted her daddy with it.

We are not drinkers, but just a little nip on the tongue is always a

once a year indulgence we enjoy with our boiled dinner.

We wore the green, we celebrated the day, we toasted our family and friends.

Updated....

By the way, since I'm starting over again, and it's two years since the original picture was posted, I thought it would be good to throw in my "two years older smile". This was taken at Senor Frog's in Grand Cayman on 1/14/09. I'm aging and thankful to wake up with my eyes open every morning that it happens!
Anyway, hello again, naturally!

A New Start

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.

Well folks, I'm back and hoping to be a better blogger.

I won't go in to what has transpired since my last blog note in June of '08,

That's the past, and today is all I have.

So, without spending too much time,

I'll just say, enjoy today even if you have to look hard, find something to make you smile!

This Old Friend and I

This old friend and I have:
shared some times
laughed and cried
traveled far
reached for the stars.

This old friend and I have:
stayed together
strived to be better
listened to each other
aged with time

This old friend and I have:
crooned lullabies
seen love in others' eyes
shared our days
learned to pray

This old friend and I have:
physical imperfections
myriads of reflections
more times to come
we can't be undone

Thanks old friend....you sang me through another heartbreak today....and filled me yet again
With JOY........................Namaste'

A Good Thought for Every Day.....

This is a 6 x 6 scrapbook page I made for a friend who got married recently. While I was going through some files this morning I ran across it.
I realized that this thought is one we should all be reminded of on a daily basis.

(Word Stamp is Tim Holtz--flower stamp is Fancy Pants)

Father's Day Musing

Need I say more???

Dana's Birthday

Dana was 36 on May 31.
My daughter, my youngest child.
This Mother's love sent in a handmade card.

(Stamp is Tim Holtz..Tattered Angels Glimmer
Mist background)

WHAT?!! The end of May ALREADY??!!!!!

What a month it has been...

FIRST, I must tell the world how incredible my husband is to have patiently bided the time while I was away from home and his side for much of the month. He supported me in every way--paid for all the fun and the shopping, allowed me the freedom to be me and go and do as I pleased, and met me with open arms and a loving heart at every turn. He is my lifeblood, he is everything that makes my heart whole, and he is my soulmate for life. Thank you, Richard, for YOU! Thank you for everything, everything, everything....thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

The spring retreat at Mountains of Memories Scrapbook Store in Great Falls, MT was a ton of fun! Thank you to Jen and Cheryl for an amazing three days! The classes were excellent, the company was perfect, the prizes were incredible, the food was excellent, the hours we kept were all fun and you both did an amazing job! My gratitude is deep, I'll never forget it!

When the retreat was over, it was pack, pack, and prepare...and "North to Alaska" on the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship with Tim Holtz--"An Artistic Journey".

SECOND, but not lesser, my room mate and deeply loved friend, Robyn, made the adventure very special and filled me with precious memories I shall forever cherish. She was an incredible traveling companion, full of fun, so caring, understanding, patient and kind. She made the journey exciting yet comfortable and relaxing. She and I shared many thoughts, many giggles, and many adventures. I'll never be able to tell her how much it meant to me that she invited me to go on the cruise with her, and I'll never be able to thank her enough for making it so special. If words could say it, let me try---THANK YOU, Robyn, from every fiber of my being!

What an adventure it was! Jim West, Jaci Haag, Steve and the ScrapMap crew really put together an incredible cruise and I can't express my appreciation enough for all their hard work and exceptional effort.

This was the artistic event of my lifetime!

Tim Holtz and his wonderful crew, Mario, Michele, Sharon and Karen were THE BEST! The classes were exceptional, the projects were fun and educational, the "emporium" was a great way to shop on board, the new products were fun and inspirational, the many take home goodies were overwhelming and sooooo much appreciated! I learned SO MANY things and enjoyed every single minute of class time. I'm such a novice, but I didn't feel the lesser for it, ever, and that was a big bonus for me.

All of our ports, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria, B. C. were beautiful. Glacier Bay was beyond my wildest imaginings!

Now, the big SURPRISE!! At the end of the journey, at the farewell reception, ScrapMap picked one lucky person to win a berth on the Ultimate Scrapbooking Cruise to the Western Carribean in January of 2009, and DO YOU BELIEVE IT?--I WON!!!

My husband and I have been floating in the clouds with excitement! THANK YOU Jim West and ScrapMap for such a wonderful and exciting end to what was already an incredible journey!

Of course, being in Seattle, where we got on and off the ship is always a treat for me. Robyn and I visited Pike Street Market twice, coming and going, and we enjoyed every step we took!

I was sorry to see it all end, but so happy to get home to my Richard and my little doxie, Rooster. I missed them very much, and was warmed all over to hear how much they missed me!

Shortly after getting home, we three headed out for another adventure to northern Montana.

Now that I'm home from that, I hope to find some time amidst all the chores and catching up I have to do to "play" a bit. If I get that lucky, I'll be posting some projects soon....bye for now.

Cruisin' with Tim Crew TY Cards

After waiting for a whole year, my dear friend and roomie, Robyn and I are leaving our OH SO WONDERFUL HUSBANDS home and we are Alaska bound on the Norwegian Pearl Cruise Ship to spend a week learning new techniques from Tim Holtz (http://www.timholtz.com/)!!! We're so excited! We spent part of our retreat time last weekend making thank you cards for tips for the crew members who make our journey so special! Here are a couple of examples. We used lots of glimmer mists, wish the "glimmer" showed up better, and of course, the stamps are Tim's!

Bon Voyage!!!!

Simplicity

What a fun three day retreat I attended this past weekend.

The Cancer Center of our local hospital gives sympathy cards whenever there's a need and they were running low on supply. I spent one day of the retreat making several of the card pictured here to donate to the cause.

The poppy stamp is Stampin' Up and the word stamp is Tim Holtz.

It's my brother's birthday!

April 29, 2008---today. It's my "little" brother's 50TH birthday! He is and always has been one of the most special people in my life. It's not just because he's my brother, it's because he's

an incredible guy. He spent his career teaching young men everything from industrial arts to

football and how to safely drive--among many, many other things. His students loved and respected him. He retired at the end of the 2007 school year and is now enjoying being his own boss. I made him this card and will be traveling Montana's highways to join in the celebration of this landmark birthday today. There's nothing like a springtime ride in the Montana wilderness to inspire...it's a beautiful day!

I Fell Off the Planet!

After much too long, and many hard trials in our little world, I'm back and going to try again to submit some thoughts and some of my VERY FEW recent works! There are always aspirations and expectations of myself playing out their scenes in my brain. My body, on the other hand, has been "through the mill" so to speak, and will often stop all of my endeavors to accomplish anything but basic survival. That's not a complaint, just a fact, I live in this body, it's a medical miracle, but even miracles can be real challenges! 'Nuf said about that! Because I've been struggling to survive lately, I've not had a lot of opportunity to create very much. I have, however, made a couple of simple goodies to share.

My girlfriend and her family were blessed with a new arrival on April 10. From the card, can anybody tell "IT's A GIRL!"

(Stamp: Studio G CS: DSP Stampin' Up Bling: Heidi Swapp)

Another girlfriend is having a significant birthday on April 18.

I decided to try my hand at the Kaleidoscope Card that was

an online tutorial with my subscription to the Technique

Junkie Newsletter (http://www.techniquejunkies.com/) The card front is my own design. I copied the inside design very closely because the mechanics of the card were challenging for me, but the next time I make one, it will be an original--I have some great ideas brewing!

(All stamps and CS: Stampin' Up, except the "Celebrate" it's Fancy Pants)

This last card is one I made for a new friend to

thank her for a kindness that inspired me beyond

words. (All CS and Stamps: Stampin' Up)

I so love my hobby, and each day I try to make a little bit of time to continue to learn about it. I started scrapbooking in January of 2006, I was introduced to stamping in January of 2007. I'm

addicted to both! I'm constantly learning, learning, learning.....and every once in awhile, I actually get to play a little bit. Hopefully, my play times will get longer as my education increases.

For now, thanks for looking and Happy Spring!

First TJ Card Submitted

Pictured to the left is my first submission to the Technique Junkies(http://www.techniquejunkies.com/) group.
It's a birthday card for a friend who recently turned 89. The stamps are from
http://www.ArtisticOutpost.com/
(unique and wonderful stamps & supplies,exceptional customer service) and Stampin' Up. The barnwood look in the background is the Milk Paint technique. Milk Paint is the first technique I learned after subscribing to the Technique Junkie newsletter. The response to the card from the TJ group was overwhelmingly positive. There aren't words to describe how much Pat Huntoon and her TJ Newsletter and group have inspired me, I will be forever thankful.

SO NEW!

Greetings to all who enter here!
So, now I have a blog, learning to use it has already been a challenge for me, so I'll do my best to learn as quickly as possible. To share, to learn, to inspire and be inspired...those are the goals.
Great is my gratitude for any who care to join me.