Muslims to Diablos

Oh man, am I ever Thursday night tired!  Working in the middle school with 900-plus kids between the ages of 10 and 15 (some are there on the 4-year plan) is draaaining!

I saw a fabulous photo opportunity today that made me crack up while driving.  Of course, my camera was HOME and I was not, but let me tell you about it anyway. 

Ok, follow along...picture in your mind a green grass-covered slope leading down into a small public park.  Just down the quiet street is a mosque where the local Muslims worship.  These four Muslim women were walking together toward the slope. Each of them was dressed identically in a long, black "dress", heads completely wrapped and faces partially wrapped in black.  Three of the women sit down in the grass, while number four hikes her "dress" up (no worries--she was wearing khakis), lies on her side, and prepares to ROLL DOWN THE HILL!! I so wished I'd had a camera with me...it was great!

And, on a majorly opposite note, while driving with my oldest daughter today, we pulled up to a red light.  There, stopped right in front of us, calmasyouplease, was a DIABLO motorcycle guy!!

THE DIABLOS MOTORCYCLE GANG, PEOPLE!!! 

I was on the phone with my sister, and to quote her, "They are some major bad-asses! Don't cut him off, don't tail-gate him, probably you shouldn't look at him!"  She said this just as I asked my daughter to take a photo of him with her phone...luckily, she stopped in the nick o’ time or else we might not be here! 

My heavens...from Heavenly bodies to Hell-ish bodies all in one day! 

Hi everyone. Robins are my most favorite bird ever. I mean, I love birds of prey, owls especially as they're supposedly my "animal spirit guide". But for the everyday bird, I love robins. They symbolize hope and the promise of renewal to me.

My father died in hospice six years ago on a Saturday morning in April. He was my kindred spirit. My mom is my best friend, and my dad was my kindred spirit. As you can imagine, it was an emotionally devastating morning. We'd gotten "the call" the night before that he was failing, to come quick. I did...drove like a bat out of hell through an ice/freezing rain storm to get there.

It was an endless, tear-filled, heartbreaking, family-filled, love-filled, and profound event that changed our lives forever with his leaving us. Right afterward, I went into another room for a minute alone and just stood there, staring out the huge window at the gray morning. On the slope in front of me was a lone magnolia tree, already blossoming before the ice storm had hit. All around, the grass was covered with the ice, except for an almost perfect circle underneath the tree. And in that circle of green grass, protected by the magnolia tree, was a flock of robins.

I felt a quiet smile and a peacefulness because I knew two things for certain. One was that I will see my father again, and the other was that there is always the promise of hope and renewal, no matter what. Things will always get better, spring will always come, no matter how unexpected the storm. Love you Dad.

Hi again.  I just wanted to share one more sweet picture I took earlier today.  When I got home from work, I spent a few minutes outside with my son, chatting.  When he left, I took the time to look around me and saw, really SAW, how nice the yard is looking and how much work my husband did this past weekend.  We have an acre and because we both work, the maintenance can get away from us real fast (we used to have an evil goat which took up some time and space too, but that's another story!)

Anyway, my husband put this birdhouse up and it looks so inviting as I drive in.  I also love the weeping cherry blossoms.  Aaah, Spring.  

I don’t seem to take the time to appreciate these things anymore, and I wish I did.  I  need to get back in touch with “Spirit” as my friend and Reiki master says.  I wish it were that simple. 

Good night, sleep tight.

New Life for Salvaged Stuff

Hi everyone. I am so excited about all the entries in the May Day Giveaway that I'm embarassing myself, never mind my children!! Don't forget to enter by leaving a comment!

So, my son was here when I got home today, my very talented son who is phenomenal at creating things out of salvaged stuff. Case in point...he built this barn, BUILT THIS BARN, out of mostly salvaged materials. The best thing is that he designed and built the cupola out of 100% salvaged stuff...windows, wiring, roofing and the chandelier!! Check it out!



Today he showed me the finished potting bench that he built out of a salvaged double kitchen sink, complete with the antique gardening fork! How cool is this?!


I just love seeing creativity in action!

New England Bloggers May Day Giveaway

Hi there. Just wanted to let you know that I was alerted to a problem with two of the links I posted last night. The links to Art From the Heart and My Secret Garden will not connect via my blog for some strange reason. When I posted last night, I double-checked everything and every one of them worked. Today, though, just those two won't work. I will try to fix that, but if not, you can mosey on over to any one of the other N.E. Bloggers, look for the links there, and get there that way.

In the meantime, I hope you're staying cool today. I put the a/c on even though it's only April. I know...it may be April, but 90 degrees is 90 degrees! Ick.

Hi everyone. So, here we go on the New England Bloggers Giveaway, finally! It's my first ever, can you tell? I've been chomping at the bit for a week now, jumping up and down like a 4 year old for heaven's sakes!

First of all, thanks to Elizabeth at Thoughts from an Evil Overload for starting this group, thinking of this giveaway, and organizing it. You should go visit her...she has a very cool blog.

Below, I've listed the bloggers who are participating. Give them a visit, too, and enter! They are interesting, talented, intelligent and have great stuff that they are sharing!

PARTICIPATING BLOGS

Art From the Heart -Catherine in ME
Basia-Spirit Space -Barbara in MA
The Book Kitten -Kitten in CT
Fabric 'N Fiber Fanatic -Sara in NH
Life.. as it is -Tara in MA
Living The Local Life -Virginia in NH
Loving Mom 2 Boys -Liz in RI
My Secret Garden - Sue in MA
Penny's Art Room -Penny in ME
Penny-Wise People -Colleen in NH
Raise Your Hand If.. -Carol in MA (that's me!!)
Seriously, No Seriously. -Michelle
Thoughts from an Evil Overload -Elizabeth in MA

So my little "prize", if you will, is a sign that I painted this week. It says "I hope you dance", which is a wonderful life philosophy. Perhaps you've heard the song that says "If you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance". I love that.

Anyway...the photo may not show the exact color, but the background is purple, the letters are a soft yellow, and they're all covered in a light coat of glitter. (You can never have enough glitter!) It's about 19 inches long and 3 inches wide, in case you're wondering.

Here's how to enter. If you leave me a comment, you get ONE entry. If you become a new follower, you get TWO entries. AND, if you leave me a comment telling me you are a new follower....you get THREE entries! You can enter until midnight on Friday, May 1st (May Day) and I'll pick a name on Saturday, May 2. How's that for easy? Oh, and I'll be paying for all shipping charges, so there's no cost to you.

Remember that I don't deal well with rejection, so if you don't enter, I will probably collapse in a messy heap of middle-aged angst and despair...I will need expensive therapy...my children will go hungry so that I can pay for the expensive therapy...I will be forever wounded, and all will be for naught!

And on that note, see y'all later.

Raise your hand if…it got to the mid 80’s at your house today and you were sweating like a banshee!  Yeah, me too.  By the way, what is a banshee and do they really sweat?  Who knows!

Anyway, it was gross!   And heaven forbid I go dig out any shorts…nosireeebob…I’d just rather walk around with my jeans rolled up, looking like a total idiot and embarrassing the children.

The good part of the day was that all 4 kids were here today with us.  My son and husband worked cleaning up the yard; the oldest daughter worked on the farm nearby, but came and went; the middle daughter raked the garden and got the peas in, and the youngest daughter did my inside chores.  My brother even stopped by and helped…it’s days like this that remind me of the importance and joy of family.

The weeping cherries are starting to bloom ever so slightly, the hostas are growing in front of our eyes, and my astilbes are shooting up as well.  The peonies…well, those babies are going crazy!!  They didn’t bloom so well last year, so I hope they bloom wildly this year….I’ll post photos when they arrive.

In the meantime, here’s a little lavender-filled heart that I made for my friend who’s a singer.

A peaceful night to all…sweet dreams.

Oh how I wish I were at a lake house (my fantasy lake house), wrapped in a warm afghan on the front porch, gazing at the lake, smelling the clean air and pine forest, hearing the call of the loons ahead of me and the crackling fire in the woodstove behind me. Not here, but there.

It's Friday, and you know how I feel about Fridays. Except that today marks the end of our April vacation, and since I'm a middle school paraprofessional, I have to go back to work next week. Oh, woe is me. I so love school vacations!

Happy Friday anyway.

Today was a wonderful show of color around here...the azaleas, forsythia and weeping cherry trees are starting to burst forth, just to name a few. With the breeze, sunshine and blue skies, it was close to perfect. The weekend threatens HOT temperatures, which make me real cranky, so I'm hoping they're wrong. Spring just might be my favorite season, well, except for autumn. Now there's a riot of color! ♥

Tomorrow I hope to spend the day in my cottage finishing at least one of the signs for the giveaway, hopefully two. I've also been "commissioned" to do a sign for a friend (doesn't that sound fancy shmancy?), and today, while having a wonderful Reiki session, I got some more ideas for other signs. If only free time weren't such a rare commodity...sigh, like we all don't say that!

Ah well, a peaceful, rest-filled night to everyone. See you in the morn. :)

Raise your hand if...you got to spend the afternoon in your art studio painting while watching the soft rain falling. Yeah, me too. :)

Hi-dee-ho-there! (I always wanted to say that). Anyway, remember when I mentioned my very first blog giveaway? Well, below is a list of the other bloggers that are participating...stop by, visit them and enter. They are some very talented and intelligent women, let me tell you. They have good stuff, too, and they're sharing! :)

PARTICIPATING BLOGS
Art from the Heart - Catherine in ME
Basia-Spirit Space - Barbara in MA
The Book Kitten - Kitten in CT
Fabric 'N Fiber Fanatic - Sara in NH
Life, as it is... - Tara in MA
Living the Local Life - Virginia in NH
Loving Mom 2 Boys - Liz in RI
Penny's Art Room - Penny in ME
Raise Your Hand If... - Carol in MA (that's me!!)
Seriously, No Seriously - Michelle
Thoughts from an Evil Overlord - Elizabeth in MA

Here's the adorable giveaway button again...


Tomorrow I plan on doing my sign(s) so I'll post a photo of them for all the world to see. I'll be paying shipping to any U.S. address, so no worries there.

PleasePleasePlease enter because if you don't,then I will feel rejected and I don't take rejection well at all. Really, I don't. Not at all. See? I'm already starting to get worried!

PS~Almost forgot...all you have to do to enter is to leave a comment telling me your very favorite song/singer. How's that for easy-as-pie?

Loving that sweet, simple, peaceful sound of rain falling on the roof~the best way to fall into sleep. Sweet dreams. :)

Just for today, Sunday...I smiled more than I frowned.
Outside my window...day is darkening into peaceful night.
I am thinking...about my good friend Nina.
I am thankful for...my daughter being home.
From the kitchen...quiet.
I am wearing...sneaks, jeans, t-shirt and a patterned hoodie.
I am creating...ideas for this coming week off.
I am going...to have a glass of ice water soon.
I am reading...The Pagan Stone Trilogy by Nora Roberts.
I am hoping...for creativity this week.
I am hearing...House, MD.
Around the house...our pooch acting craaaazy!
One of my favorite things...my family near me.
A few plans for the rest of the week...a Reiki session.
Here is a picture thought I am sharing...my granddaughter picking blueberries.

My husband and I worked outside for hoursandhours today and I must say, it looks quite nice, but I digress.

Earlier, my husband cut his arm on a branch and tonight, while getting ready for bed, he said to me..."I can't figure out what's with this bandaid I put on my arm. It's huge!"

I came. I looked. I laughed. He had used an EYE PATCH for his arm!! An EYE PATCH!! I patted him on the head, sent him off to bed and said "'Nite, Patch Adams".

And men rule the world. Sheesh!

Guess what! I'm taking part in my very first New England Bloggers Giveaway!! Yay!

I'll be posting more about it, including my "prizes" and the list of other N.E. Bloggers taking part, later this coming week. Since I have this week off, I'll have time to paint and create, so stay tuned!

Until then, good night, sweet dreams, and keep your nose clean, as my father used to say!

There is nothing....repeat, NOTHING like good friends! Nina, Cheryl and I went out to On The Border tonight, something I NEVER do, and laughed til the cows came home! We laughed so hard that Nina, who just had surgery three weeks ago, was in pain from her stitches!! Now THAT is successful laughing!! Had any of our children been there tonight, we'd have embarassed them! Oh indeed we would have! And suffice to say that after she had two margheritas, Nina told Cheryl and me some shocking secrets, SHOCKING I tell you!

Friends are what make the world a better place...thank you Cheryl and Nina! (Told you you'd be up here tonight!)

Not only is it Friday.....but it's Friday before A WEEK OF SCHOOL VACATION!!!

Hi all. I've been feeling exceptionally sad, empty and almost hopeless lately. As a matter of fact, while taking a walk yesterday to clear my head, all I did was think about how sad I am. A rather self-defeating practice to be sure, and not my normal state of being.

Well, I subscribe to DailyOM via email which, among other things, sends me my daily horoscope. When I read yesterday's, it was as if it was written solely for me--it gave me a chill when I read it! It talked about the feelings of sadness and hopelessness that are suffusing my soul. In a nutshell, it said that those feelings are what I'm "supposed" to be feeling right now. Those feelings are causing me to dig deeper to find their cause, and perhaps even change whatever I can, thereby changing those feelings. In essence, it gave me permission to feel sadness, to embrace it, to find its root, and to change. Permission to feel and permission to change.

Today I made a conscious decision to try that, to explore the cause, to try and change. I must say that I do prefer emotional "ruts" rather than change, so this could be a challenge, but a worthwhile, very necessary change. And maybe even those around me will change, too. Could happen. :)

On a lighter note....raise your hand if... you got new shoes today!!! Yeah, me too!!

Wednesday night means Ghosthunters night! Happy ghost hunting everyone!!

Spring has officially arrived....the STREET SWEEPERS ARE OUT!!! It's not about the flowers, the trees, the birds, the sunshine; those are all nice, but come on! It's not reeeeeeeally spring until the street sweepers appear!!

Hi. I thought I'd share with you this photo of where I spent all day this past Friday, painting. My husband built me my very own art studio, which I lovingly call "my cottage". It's my own space, my sanctuary, and I love it.




This is the sign I painted on Friday for my sister-in-law's birthday. It's about 3 feet long, although you can't tell that from the photo. I do love painting signs...such simple messages.

Raise your hand if... you've just celebrated your 51st Easter, starting with your Polish tradition of kielbasa and hard-boiled eggs for breakfast. It's good to know that some things never change in this crazy world. Thank heavens for traditions and family to keep us grounded amidst all the nonsense and chaos.

Good morning. Wishing you all a family-filled, peace-filled, sunshine-filled Easter today. (I'd be lying if I didn't say chocolate-filled, too, and what kind of person would lie on Easter??!!)

Not only is it Friday, but it's a sunny, warm(ish), quiet(ish), productive Friday. I'm working in my art cottage today which thrills me to no end. Have a sparkly day!

The world is starting to green-up a bit. Thank heavens. After every long, dark winter, there is a soft, peaceful spring. Where would we be without that promise of renewal?

Raise your hand if...you'll be watching the best show on television tonight! What is it you ask? Why, it's Ghosthunters of course!! I never ever miss it (except when I fall asleep for the last ten minutes, sitting up in the chair, and miss The Reveal!!). Yay for educational TV!

Raise your hand if....you got into your jammies and crazy slippers from India BEFORE it got dark outside! It was cold outside, it was warm inside, and I just felt like getting snug and warm early today!

Is there any sound more peaceful than that of raindrops on the roof? Not for me, unless it's a rainstorm moving across the lake.

Today was a good day. Most of today was shared with family, which is just about always a good thing.



Yesterday marked six years since we lost my father and my mom wanted us all to be together so that we could have him with us, so to speak. She came up with a great idea, so we all headed into the Berkshires for a great brunch at a sugar shack up that way. There were eleven of us today....my mother, my brother, my husband, me, our three daughters (our son and his family couldn't make it), my sister and brother-in-law, and my two nieces.

It was a chilly but sunny spring day today. As soon as we walked into the sugar shack, we were enveloped with the warmth of the wood fire and the sweet, sweet smell of maple syrup in the making. Looking out the windows into the woods we were treated to the view of a fast-moving river rushing by. We all got our meals and then squished together at one of the picnic tables located next to the woodstove. A very informal place, but such a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

We talked about my dad while we ate, reminiscing, laughing, sharing. I'm a true believer in our loved ones being around us even after they're gone, so I have no doubt that he was there, too. At one point, our daughter looked around and said "I love being with my family". I guess that's what life is all about, isn't it?

I miss being able to hug my dad or hold him close, but I know that he was with us today, sharing the memories, the laughter and the love. I love you, Dad.

Raise your hand if...you spent the whole day with your best friend at a wonderful craft fair! Me! Me! It was me!

It was a wonderful craft fair filled with tons of very cool, interesting crafts. AND, the best part (besides spending time with Carole, which happens to be my sister-in-law's name as well as mine, except that I don't have an "e", which seems to be very important that you know), was there was a guy selling essential oils which, GASP, I REALLY NEEDED! Who knew there would be an essential oil guy there?? Hurray!

I'll be making a room spray using rose geranium, lavender and clary sage. Clary sage is supposedly a tad addictive, which I thought was a ridiculous concept until I smelled it. And then I asked to smell it again. And again. And realized I was now a clary sage addict.! Perhaps someday my family will have to do a clary sage intervention! Oh dear. But what the heck...it's supposedly calming for menopause which is quite another subject altogether! (This is where I shamelessly advertise my other blog...hotflashesfromhell.)



I also bought some goooooorgeous earrings that sparkle like the aurora borealis! I just happen to be a sparkly earring addict, too, in case you didn't know. For heaven's sake, of course you didn't know that, how could you?? Sheesh!

Anyway, I have tons of colors, shapes and styles of earrings that ALL sparkle like crazy! The color of this crystal is called "volcano". These earrings mesmerize me...most sparkles do, sort of like a crow, or a ferret. I have a not-too-shabby collection of antique rhinestone broaches that I'll share here someday. I'm off on a tangent, aren't I? See what I mean about the sparkles mesmerizing me?! They totally throw me off topic, whatever the topic was in the first place. Oh yeah, the craft fair!

OH! OH! I bought another CD by Tim Janis that HE AUTOGRAPHED FOR ME!! Have you ever heard his beautiful music? I love it...especially the violins! I also love Tim Janis. I have a very big crush on him, and I think that he has one on me, too, because when he signed my CD, he put my name on it! Wha...what do you mean he does that for everyone? Are you sure? Sigh. Fine. But I still love his music (and his brown eyes).

Alright, I suppose it's time to shower with one of my new soaps from the craft fair. Hmmm...which to use? The cinnamon-clove or the peppermint? Decisions, decisions.

'Night everyone and may spring find its way to your doorstep soon.

Another week done! YAY! We have MCAS testing this week and next. MCAS is the wretched testing that our public school kids have to pass in order to graduate from high school. It is given to them from 1st grade on, but 10th grade is the one they must pass. It's a load of pressure for not only the kids, but the teachers as well--classes are disrupted, schedules are messed up, and everyone is in a tizzy; hence the YAY! If I drank tea, I'd have a cup right about now.

So...I saw this great "semi wisdom" saying on Kirk's blog, Just-Thinkin. I love the message and have got to learn to live it. He was nice enough to let me borrow it and bring it on over. Thanks Kirk! :)

There's a beautiful spring rain out there right now which brings me great peace. Perhaps it's a good day for warm muffins with butter...I think so! See ya.

Oh yeah....you know what I'm going to say. TGIF! Happy, rainy Friday!

A sigh of contentment...all 3 of my daughters are home safe and sound, and my son was here earlier before heading home after a long day of work. He mowed, raked and thatched the front yard for us. My husband made it through another day of work and as of right now, he's feeling ok. I'm headed into a hot shower and taking my book to bed with me. At this moment, life is just right. Thank You God. :)

Just for today...Wednesday.
Outside my window...grass barely tinged with spring green.
I am thinking...about starting supper.
I am thankful for...my husband making it through another day of work.
From the kitchen...the humming refrigerator.
I am wearing...dark green flannel sweats, a sweatshirt with my son's logo on it, and some crazy calf-high slipper socks from my sister.
I am creating...an idea for the two new signs I'm going to paint.
I am going...to watch Ghosthunters tonight!
I am reading...Copper River by Wm. Kent Krueger.
I am hoping...for a quiet, uneventful evening.
I am hearing..a soft spring rain.
Around the house...just Lucy the pooch and me.
One of my favorite things...quiet time at home.
A few plans for the rest of the week...picking up oldest daughter from college tomorrow.
Here is a picture thought I am sharing...
My mom, my oldest daughter and my granddaughter.