"The greatest gift that you give yourself is a little bit of your own attention."

- Anthony J. D'Angelo

Do something for you today

Today was just a quiet day at (my mom's) home with Mom, Chris. I tried to squeeze in some time to work on my new digi class. It was difficult during the day, but I did finish my first lesson in the wee hours while jockeying with two computers. (Chris's has PSE, Mom's doesn't, but Chris can't get online here, so I have to use my mom's computer to see the online lesson...interesting.) We also watched one of my new favorite movies - Dan In Real Life. LOVE it. It was a good day.

"Spread your love everywhere you go."

- Mother Teresa

How did you spread your love today?

Spreadin' the love with my fam in WI today! That's my sister and my mom... LOVE them! :)

"Right now is a good time."

- Tote Yamada

Right now is a good time, to start something new, to hug someone in need, to take time to relax. What will you do right now!

Right now, I get to spend some time with my sister and that means the world to me!

“Creativity is a natural extension of our enthusiasm.”

-Earl Nightingale entrepreneur, motivational author

Show creativity in your space today

I've traveled to my Mom's in WI (from PA) today - so I won't be able to add photos until I get back home unless her computer can somehow read my camera card... Hopefully, I can work it out, but I will eventually post photos to go with the daily prompts! :)

“A habit cannot be tossed out the window; it must be coaxed down the stairs a step at a time.”

- Mark Twain - humorist, lecturer, author

Lets look at our habits, the good and the bad!

One of my worst habits is leaving things go til the last minute and then rushing around like a nut. Case in point - the blurry photo, taken in a rush because I have to literally fly out of here! Later!

“Any necessary work that pays an honest wage carries its own honor and dignity.”

- W. Kelly Griffith

What is your job, your day to day job, your working life?

My job(s): I am on the design team for ScrapInStyleTV; I am a homemaker (sharing a good portion of those responsibilities with dh who works in office 2-1/2 days a week and at home 3 mornings a week; I am responsible for all the household finances - record keeping, bill payment, etc.; I am the church treasurer and so do the same for the church on a weekly basis; I co-lead the worship with dh at our church and accompany on guitar each week plus I keep all the records of music and plan the song service weekly. I try to squeeze as much scrapbooking and social life into whatever time is left over each week. For the design team work, I get compensated. The rest is all for "free"! :)

“Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard.”

Anne Sexton - poet, writer

Take time out today to listen to your heart, listen to your family and loved ones

This is something I'm really trying to do better - listen to others as they are speaking instead of thinking about what I'm going to say as soon as they stop.

12/52

(Credits: Template - 2/10/08 Ad Challenge by Kellie Mize (designerdigitals.com); Brushes - SS-swirls; Fonts - Arial Black (Title/subtitle); Century Gothic (quote))

"Red and yellow and pink and green,
Purple and orange and blue,
I can sing a rainbow,
Sing a rainbow,
Sing a rainbow too!"

Artist Delta Goodrum

While I sure don't think Easter has anything at all to do with eggs and bunnys, we still had fun with some of the traditions that are associated with this day and I thought this photo, taken on Thursday, best summed up the rainbow theme of the week, since it was also Easter week. For me, the highlight of the week was definitely Sunday morning at church. The message was wonderful, the music was great and the church was full - of people and God's spirit in them and of the JOY of the resurrection! Now THAT's Easter!

"Pink - its my new obsession
Pink its not even a question,
Pink, on the lips of your lover, cause
Pink is the love you discover"

Aerosmith

Not the best "tech" photo, but I love it anyway. After a long, full Easter day, little Eva (still in her pink jacket) fell asleep on her mom's shoulder and I was able to snap this photo. (Eva will evenutally be my son's adoptive daughter after he and Emily marry and so I will not only be gaining a daughter, but a granddaughter! If I could have chosen any child that I know to be my granddaughter, Eva would be the one. Oh, the JOY!) :)

"Gold
Always believe in your soul
Youve got the power to know
You're indestructable
Always believe in, because you are Gold"

-Spandau Ballet

My beautiful wedding band...

The Emerald City

(Located in the center of the Land of Oz, the Emerald City is the end of the famous yellow brick road, which starts in Munchkin Land.)

There's not too much green in PA right now, but I managed to find some!

"She wore blue velvet
Bluer than velvet was the night
Softer than satin was the lightFrom the stars
She wore blue velvetBluer than velvet were her eyes
Warmer than May her tender sighs"

- Bernie Wayne/Lee Morris

We dyed Easter eggs today! Can you tell?

"Ebony and ivory live together in perfect harmony
Side by side on my piano keyboard, oh lord, why dont we?
We all know that people are the same where ever we go
There is good and bad in evryone,
We learn to live, we learn to give
Each other what we need to survive together alive."

-Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder

11/52

(Credits: PP's - Forgotten Sunset, Lori Barnhurst (Little Dreamer Designs); Text Circle - DigitalScrapbookTeacher.com; Ribbons - Peppermint Snowflake (pink scallop), Heidi Larson (Little Dreamer Designs), Strawberry Lemonade (red w/circles), Jessica Sprague; Stitched Ribbons (green, orange), Michelle Coleman (scrapartist.com); Frame - Been Framed, Kim Hill (CGEssentials.com); Brad and Tag - Winter White, Amanda Sok (scrapgirls.com); Corner tag - Rustic Autumn, Jan Hosford; Fonts - CK Journaling (journaling); Unicorn (title))

"Look at the stars, Look how they shine for you, And everything you do, Yeah they were all yellow" -ColdPlay

I'm just going to do self-portraits this week that follow the color theme prompt. Fun! :)

Just a little Irish goodness - in the form of a Bailey's Irish Cream Cheesecake - on St. Patty's Day! In my heart, I'm totoally Irish! ;)

This one is for Sunday, March 16, 2008:

"I like what I see when I'm looking at me, when I'm walking pass the mirror"

-Mary J Blige

You are that person in the mirror, start loving that person!

Well, I'm loving her more and more all the time! ;)

“Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.”

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), pastor, theologian, German Resistance fighter in World War II

Responsibilitiy in all our lives is important. Our scrapbooking is a responsibility to preserve our memories for future generations. What responsibility in your life is most important?

I do not only our home banking and everything that entails, but I'm also the church treasurer and so I'm responsible for balancing that checkbook as well, paying all the bills on time and keeping meticulous records of everything. Those are big responsibilities that I take seriously.

But I think my biggest responsibility is to my children. I'm responsible to be there for them, even though they're grown-ups. I want to keep the lines of communication open and our door always open for them. I'm responsible to be truthful with them and an encouragement to them. I'm responsible to treat them with respect and try to offer advice only when asked (not so easy, that one!). And, most of all, I'm responsible to pray for them daily and love them with all I am. After all, God has entrusted them to my care. while they're here on earth. I consider that a huge responsibility...

"Beauty, truth, friendship, love, creation---these are the great values of life. We can't prove them, or explain them, yet they are the most stable things in our lives."

-Jesse Herman Holmes

What are your great values in life?

I really value truth, honesty, kindness, integrity, generosity, mercy, genuine-ness, compassion for others. These are the things that I strive for myself, but these are also the things that melt my heart and/or generate great respect when I witness them in others.

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

-Howard Thurman

What makes you come alive? Is it your work, your family, your hobby or just being here?

Really, anything where my senses are engaged makes me feel alive. Good things like creating, great conversation, kindness, passion, compassion, great music, great beauty (whether in people, actions or creation, art, etc.) all do it for me. But "un-happy" things - like anger - can certainly make me feel alive, too! If someone is being cruel, abusive, ignorant or dishonest, it lights a fire under me.

I'll tell you what sucks the life out of me - negative people. People that aren't happy unless they're complaining about something or someone. People that don't "try", but stay stuck in their ruts (when they clearly need to get "un"stuck), making the same mistakes over and over. Arrogant people that are just full of themselves. Ugh. I tend to gravitate far, far away from that when I sense it. It just totally makes me feel down.

So, yeah, I prefer to do things and be with people that will stimulate, hopefully in a positive way, my senses. Because if I'm going to feel alive, I prefer to feel HAPPY and alive! :)

“First thing every morning before you arise say out loud, 'I believe,' three times. ”

Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993), author, preacher

I believe that I am loved by God. I believe there is Truth and Truth belongs to God, no matter who else decides to put their name on it. I believe my faith is all about having a relationship with God and not about following rules. I believe in forgiveness and grace and mercy and that part of God's plan for me on this earth is to not only receive those things from Him, but also to allow Him to use me to give those things to others that He brings into my life. I believe He has richly and abundantly blessed me. And I believe that I fail - on a daily basis - to truly understand the immensity of His love for me. I fail to trust Him 100% of the time. I fail to love others as He has loved me. I fail to forgive as I've been forgiven. I fail to live my life with gratitude and appreciation for all He has given me. And yet.... I believe that I am loved by God. I believe.

10/52

(Click on layout to read journaling)

Credits: Template - KMize (designerdigitals.com) 1.13.08 Ad Challenge; pp - JSprague (Echoes of Asia); brad(s) Sweet Shoppe Designs (Carnival); brush - AnaRasha; symbol - PSE; Fonts - Walrod (title) and Century Gothic (journaling)

"Balance"

Okay, so I slapped on a little color and photoshopped my sick self a little for my photo today. It's been a rough week!

Balance - it seems like I'm always trying to find balance - in my eating habits, my exercise habits, in housework vs. play time, in finances, especially. And really, balance isn't a stationery thing, is it? If you think about someone trying to balance on, say, a beam, it's rare that they're perfectly still but, rather, they are always shifting a little weight here or there to stay in balance. So I guess it's a good thing that balance is an ongoing goal; something, though never fully attained perhaps, but always something to be strived for.

for 3-9-08 - "Comfort"

Yep, that's been my state for most of this week. And on this day (Sunday), I never even got online at all (a sure sign of how sick I've been). Friday and Saturday were pretty much the same, but I managed to check my email on those days. No photos, though... I hate being sick!

So, what is comfort to me? When I'm sick, it's curling up on the couch with a hot drink to either read or tube out. And chicken noodle soup. I just want chicken noodle soup... :)

"Soft"

My little Rocky. He's definitely one of the softest things in my world. Do you think he'd let me get a photo of me snuggling with him, though? Um... no. I said soft, not submissive. He is very sweet and sleeps glued to my side at night. Okay, okay. I know I'm just a heat machine to him, but I like to believe that he really does love me... ;)

"Explore"

I love it when I have time to just surf the web and check out some great sites...

9/52

(Credits: frame, cardboard border and alphabet, label and felt leaf - Kim Hill (cgessentials.com); ppand bird(s) - Patricia Christensen, (Weeds & Wildflowers); lg. bracket sticker - Kerry Lynn Yeary (Barnstorm) for ScrapInStyleTV.com; Fonts - "Joy" - 28 Days Later; journaling - CK Journaling)

A new month, and a new week. This week I am going to post one word, just one single word, to inspire your photo and your journalling for each day.

"Shine"

Unlike yesterday, there is nothing shiny about today, unless you count the shiny, rain-drenched bench in the photo. It's just a dreary, yucky day.

But, positive person that I am, I believe there's a silver lining (i.e. "shiny") behind every cloud. And today's is that the temps are warm enough that it's rain and not snow AND the rain is continuing to melt the snow from our driveway. And it's already made a good dent in the snow on the deck. And, since it's now March, that's a good thing!

"One day at a time, this is enough. Live in the present and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering" - Ida Scott Taylor

Record with a photo the memory of one thing that bought Joy to your day. Journal why this memory was so precious.

This TRULY gave me joy today! First of all - that thermometer actually got up to 50 degrees, today! VERY welcome after some pretty frigid temps around here lately!

Second, with energy from I don't know where, I finally tackled purging/cleaning my pantry and I can't tell you how GREAT it feels to have this accomplished. I know I'm a tad anal about these sorts of things, but having things organized, herbs alphabetized, ducks in a row, etc., just really releases a burden from my brain. I do see the beauty in it. It frees me up and it just plain makes me happy! And this is also something I've been wanting to do since the beginning of the year in my effort to healthy up my lifestyle. So now all the old, unhealthy or never-to-be-used stuff is GONE! Woohoo! Now - to see how long "we" can keep it this way! But for today - it's big time JOY! :)

"When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child."

Sophia Loren

Even though it's not Mother's Day here in the USA, as it is in the homeland of our prompt-giver, I don't mind posting a picture of my children (all "three" of them!). I'm sorry that my awesome daughter-in-law isn't in the photo (she's taking it). This was this past Christmas.

There is never a day that goes by where I don't either think about, pray for, talk to or look at photos of my children. I love them so much and I'm so proud of them. There's nothing that any of them - or anyone else - could ever do to change that, either. It's a fierce thing, this mother-love. It's intense. And it's a special kind of love that you can't possibly know for someone unless you ARE their mother. It's been one of the greatest joys of my life.

"March is the month of expectation"

-Emily Dickinson

Lets start a new month full of good expectations, full of joy to continue with our 365 journey.

Here are some things I'm expecting to happen in March: an unofficial family announcement will be made official; I will begin my new role as a design team member for ScrapInStyleTV; all this snow will melt (hope!); there will be gatherings with friends; there will be a trip to Madison; my ankle will be healed enough to allow me to start walking (up my melted driveway!); some summer plans will be finalized. I'm expecting it will be a joy-filled month!