So Much Happiness

So I got to grade

some papers today.

The students read

a sweet

poem 

about

HAPPINESS.

So Much Happiness

It is difficult to know what to do with so much happiness.

With sadness there is something to rub against,
a wound to tend with lotion and cloth.
When the world falls in around you, you have pieces to pick up,
something to hold in your hands, like ticket stubs or change.It doesn't need you to hold it down.
It doesn't need anything.
Happiness lands on the roof of the next house, singing,
and disappears when it wants to.
You are happy either way.
Even the fact that you once lived in a peaceful tree house
and now live over a quarry of noise and dust
cannot make you unhappy.
Everything has a life of its own,
it too could wake up filled with possibilities
of coffee cake and ripe peaches,
and love even the floor which needs to be swept,
the soiled linens and scratched records…..

But happiness floats.

Since there is no place large enough
to contain so much happiness,
you shrug, you raise your hands, and it flows out of you
into everything you touch. You are not responsible.
You take no credit, as the night sky takes no credit
for the moon, but continues to hold it, and share it,
and in that way, be known.

Author Naomi Shihab Nye

It was fun to spend a day reading about HAPPINESS...There is a woman who sits kitty-corner across from me and she reminds me of this poem.  I don't know her, but I get to see her happiness...it shows, it floats from her like the poem, she gets the silent giggles and she shares her happiness by just being who she is....I like getting to catch it...

Is that you?  Does your happiness flow out of you into those you touch?  Do you 'make someone's day?'  I know someone like this, everyday she is purposeful in her showing of love....she makes so many people's day and doesn't even know it.....it doesn't take much, a smile, a word of kindness, letting someone get in front of you in line, a helpful hand....so many simple ways to let your happiness pour out of you....it may be just what someone is needing and you can be that instrument of love...

with joy,

deedee

Who's on the Road to Awesome with Me?

Come on...

Get up...

Let's go!

livin happy,

deedee

Vera's House Beautiful Show

Last Weekend

I did a show at verasvintagedecorloveland.com 

with a dear friend.

Here's a few shots our booth...

I am hooked on my new garden chandeliers!

May Flowers by my daughter...her

first business venture!

They are so cute...can be worn in 

the hair or pinned on.

Cheery plant stand...

Super cute cabinet,

was not so very cute just a few days ago!

 More chandeliers...

 Because you can never have too many of those!

 I am fond of old boxes, suitcases and cupboards...

 And of course, signs!

Six or seven years ago, the show was all about

pillows..we made hundreds of them.

I made just a few of some I found in a box

already cut out and ready to sew up...

It was fun to remember and now I'm getting 

the itch to sew again!

My partner in mischief making.

I am sorry to have taken such a long break from

blogging....I'll try and post more often.

But now, the house that was

neglected while I was getting ready

for the show is desperately calling me...

as is the garden.

Blessings on you today!

deedee

Permission Granted

Today

I needed a 'snow' day.

Yesterday 

was a challenging day

of subbing.

So I took the day off.

To create.

To regroup.

And it was really hard to give

myself permission.

I kept checking the jobs available.

And kept telling myself it was okay to rest

my mind.

And my son called.

And really needed to talk.

And I knew.

I was exactly where I needed to be.

So I could give him my time.

And I was glad.

That I heard the still,

 small 

voice.

And remembered to listen to it.

What do you need to give yourself

permission to do?

To let go?

To seek?

To be brave?

Whatever it is dear friend

May you find your strength in Him,

deedee

Purposeful Joy

I just found that I

can play with color

while I type.

Simple fun.

And  purple is fun too!

Then there's sunny yellow.

And then colored fonts. Oh,

what joy can be found

if your eyes are open

to it!

Simple joy bringers.

Like coffee.

Love my Folger's

made in my

percolator.

With plenty of

half and half

in just the right mug.

I enjoy people watching.

I love these two.

Holding hands,

sticking together,

and wearing their bathing

suits!  

Nobody really

cares if you've got

some bumps on your thighs!

I remember this day at

the beach.  My young

friend and I

and the mud.

Glorious mud!

I have fond memories

of introducing my

babies to mud.

I lived in the country

then and we had

plenty of it.

Purposeful playing

and what fun we had!

Color a little outside

the lines.

Live your life and

be purposeful.

Treasure

those 

around you.

I hope you find simple

joys today.

live imperfectly with great delight,

deedee

Challenge Yourself

I am a substitute teacher

this year.

I am brave.

Well....really, I take the

jobs that seem super easy to me.

Those lovin' Kindergarteners,

Preschoolers and lower Primary grades

But I've had the thought recently 

that I need to challenge myself.

In the little things really.

Like baby steps in exercise

(go up and down the stairs more)

not too big of a challenge, you see.

But last week I accepted a teaching job

that was unfamiliar to me in the 

teaching realm...

egads...Art!

I know you're thinking, duh, she likes art.  But there

is so much I don't know how to do and I really

do draw like a little kid.  The

challenge really lies in

having to do multiple classes and

will they be respectful, to me, to each other.

That is much easier to teach when you

have the whole day with one set of kids.

But I took it...and had

A BLAST!

I got to stay for 3 days and I learned

how to paper mache' from scratch!

So today I tried making some little

French birds.

They're French because the paper

is from an old French paperback I had.

They are in process, but pretty cute

none-the-less!

                                     

These little birds in the nests turned out so cute.

Another challenge I gave myself was 

to actually make one cute thing

yesterday.

I've been in the reading, cleaning the studio and

gathering ideas mode and haven't

made anything in a while.

As you can see, I met

my challenge.

I wore my lovely feathered hat to inspire me.

Here are some drawings of birds

the art students drew for me.

I absolutely love 

children's drawings.

                                         

"Consider the birds of the air....are you

not much more valuable than they?"

Matthew 6:26

What can you challenge yourself to? 

I am kind of excited to set

some more challenges for myself.

And I look forward to when they aren't

just in baby steps.

Grace and Peace to you my friends,

deedee

Art Journaling

Yesterday was a snow day.

There was a crackling fire going

and coziness all around.

Got myself a comfy

place and actually

spent the

afternoon with my 

journal!

Are you...

 I have been

enjoying some

different journaling prompts

from Sabrina Ward Harrison lately.

I was feeling like

I kept writing

about the same things.

So I started my list...

"Some things I just love..."

 What do you love? or like? or wish?

or hope?

What are some Brave Dreams?

My word this year is 'Remain,'

so whenever I come across it, it jumps

out at me.  

I was reading John Maxwell's, 'Be All You Can Be,'

and my word came up as the definition

for Abide.  John 15, great chapter.

I was going to stop my list at 51, because 

I had just had my birthday, but

I had to keep going

it was inspiring

and fun.

Then I read it to my

teenager and she

started her list too.

 I have an old Bible from the 70's

that was my dad's.  The Berkely Translation, which

I'd never even heard of.

He was a preacher, so there's 

quite a bit that is 

underlined.  I have to underline

in it too, 'cause some verses are just popping

out at me!

I absolutely love

this translation of Hebrews 6:18 and 19

Bits and pieces add interest, these vocab

cards were an ebay find.

I really like making boxes.

They define my writing space.

 This is what my journal is for me...

A great reminder....

Always.

 Yep.

That's me.

My current journal.

My favorite books have blank white pages.

Off sizes are great.

I have to be able to open the pages

wide or bend them back.

Being able to sew on it

is an added plus.

So...Whatcha waitin' for?

Writing is soul therapy...

Journals are safe places.

I can art in them and no one

usually sees, so there's no

pressure that it has

to be right or beautiful on the

first go around.

From one Brave Girl to another...

grab the colored pencils, the glue,

those bits of cute paper...

and have a blessed day,

deedee