Spring is in the Air

Greetings and Blessed Be:

This weekend I went and enjoyed the winter olympics with my husband, his parents, and the kids. Even though we left Friday night when it was dark, the sky was so clear, and so many stars and different lights, the drive was fantastic and very relaxing. It took about 3 1/2 hours to reach our destination of Birch Bay, Washington, which is about 5 minutes away from the Peace Arch and entry into Canada. This is part of the view from the hotel balcony:




The pool and hot tub area where we relaxed after a 3 1/2 hour drive:



This was a much needed getaway and unplugged few days so I could hopefully sleep and recharge my brain, which I was successful at. So Saturday morning we got up and made the rest of the trek to Vancouver.. the drive was incredible, the sun was out, it was warm enough to not need a coat, and just beautiful scenery all the way around. My Canadian friends are sooooo lucky. We just enjoyed the sights and sounds, and then of course, our ultimate destination of the women's hockey game between Switzerland and China. Incredible.

After the game, we made our way and enjoyed a driving tour of Vancouver and then headed back towards Birch Bay stopping in White Rock to enjoy the best fish and chips and burgers that any of us had had in a long long time. Then it was back to the hotel which sat right across from Birch Bay to enjoy a good book in front of the fireplace and then more sleep, which was desparately needed.

Sunday morning, I got up and snapped a few photos of a new inspiring place to me, Birch Bay and we had coffee and headed home:




Now recharged, I am ready to get back into making some jewelry, and it's all going to be spring inspired because I want the winter weather and blahs to disappear soon lol.

Blessed Be.

Spring is Coming

Greetings and Blessings:

Just popping in for another short visit tonight. Cluster migraines and insomnia so do not go together or lend themselves to my making myself very useful or productive.

However, I have been able to put a few spring themed pieces together and wanted to stay on top of at least one thing. I haven't been able to do my blog-a-day as I had planned this year, but I have been able to stay on top of or be ahead of my 365-a-year goal, which is one new creation per day:

Spring will soon be upon us all and not a minute too soon can this cold, wet known as rain, slushy and white stuff called snow go away:

Think spring and stay as warm and toasty as you can while riding out the harsh winter:

Blessed Be.

Hang on to the Joyride Known as Life

Greetings and Blessings:

While it is still fairly early where I live (9:30 p.m.), I still haven't been able to sleep well and decided to just write some stuff down.

Some say (well a lot say) that life is a journey.. let me tell ya.. life is more of a joyride... it goes super super fast, sometimes so fast you don't have time to breathe and take everything in, and then BAM it's over and the joyride/journey you took ends badly, usually with someone getting hurt, or no one is hurt and people move on as if nothing has happened.

But, I am a believer that our lives should be good joyrides where we can choose our destinations. If one door closes, open another.. if you travel on a road that twists and turns and you think there will be a fork in the road, but it turns out to be a dead end.. turn around and go back the other way and then turn another direction. Apply the same thought to everything you do. If things are not going the way you want them to, don't simply give up.. keep searching for and working towards the next best thing.

Right now, I am searching for the next and best night's sleep I can have and to see the sales of my jewelry pick up. I keep working towards the next best design or combination of things that will just be a delightful piece and put a smile on someone else's face. I want my kids and my husband to stay healthy and more importantly happy. I wish the same for all my friends.

Make each day a new journey.. a new beginning. Sit down, enjoy the ride, drive it hard, but always be safe!

Blessed Be.

Insomnia, Migraine and Creativity

Greetings and Blessings...

Just a short pop in tonight. A current bought of cluster migraines mixed with insomnia has not boded well. Sometimes one or both, even together, can bring on a bought of creativity, and other times, the same can totally drain my body and spirit and creativity.

In trying not to let it win and in trying to carry through on making one new item each day this year - even if not posted, I am on track.

Here is the newest piece in trying to stay upbeat and beat the weather and the insomnia and the migraines:



Blessed Be

A Longer Winter.. Bah Humbug.. Think Spring

Greetings and Blessings...

I would imagine for most of us, it was very depressing to see that the blasted groundhog saw his shadow and once again, cursed us all to six more weeks of winter. I say Bah Humbug. It's time to think Spring and believe in spring. Think warm thoughts and chase winter away :)

I've been totally wrapped up the last couple of days on a new line of necklaces and was doing that yesterday when I came up with this one:



Today, I decided to do a nice spring and love themed necklace too since Valentine's Day is fast approaching and not all women are into plain red or hearts:



Whatever the next few weeks brings, whether more snow, rain or both depending on where you are, I wish you all a "heated" Valentine's Day and let's keep looking forward to spring!

Blessed Be.

A Return to Nature to Revive One's Spirit

Greetings and Blessings...

The last few weeks have been a personal struggle for me and quite a few of my closest friends. Various medical issues, depression, anxiety, and deaths have all seemed to hit in a big wave. Needless to say, with each of us dealing with separate issues, it's been nice to form a tight support group and sounding board for eachother. But, as I am sure most of you reading this know, being supportive and being there for everyone else, including yourself can just be such a drain on your spirit.

It's being so spiritually drained that I have found myself going back to one of my all time favorite books. It's called Return to the Garden by a wonderful author Shakti Gawain. It's a tale of the author's path to self-discovery and living on the earth in a balanced and natural way.

In reading this book for about the 100th time again this weekend, I was inspired to create a new line of necklaces that are my way of returning to nature as a way to revive one's spirit. I am hoping the entire collection can be part of my return path to discovering the part of me I feel I have lost lately and get back to a more balanced state. This is the first piece of the new collection:



Just making this piece, I felt myself letting go of some pent up emotions and I could feel the power this necklace will generate to whoever decides to give it a home.

Tomorrow is Groundhog's Day and in the words of a friend, the little bugger best tell us that spring is on the way. Then, I'll be able to spend more time outside and who knows where and what nature will lead to next.

Don't forget, this is the last chance to enter this month's giveaway. Go back a few posts and enter to win the Valentine's Day Mystery Gift Pack :)

Blessed Be.