All Things....Big and Small

Sometimes life throws out a curve ball. Something happens that makes us re-evaluate everything. Things that once seemed important, suddenly lose their priority in the daily routine. Things are just different.

The day after Valentine's Day was that kind of day. After spending two great days celebrating love and the little things in life, my family was dealt a BIG thing. We received the phone call no one ever wants to get. The one saying one of your family members is suddenly and unexpectedly....gone. Forever. Just like that. No time to say goodbye; no time to remember to do or say the things you were thinking. Just gone.

Suddenly the things I write about here seemed trivial and unimportant. I couldn't bring my fingers to the keyboard without thinking there just isn't anything I can say that is significant enough in this moment. So I took a hiatus. I needed time to let my heart grieve and for my head to try and make sense of what was happening. And now a month and a half later, my fingers return to the keyboard and I pay homage to the little things.

My cousin was an avid reader; a lover and collector of books. She had great passionate for what she believed in. She was a strong advocate for her children. She dared to travel her own path in life; to be her own person. She loved to roller skate in the living room when she was little. She gave a smile to you every time you saw her. These little things made up who she was and how she will be remembered.

And so, in her honor, I will return to writing about the little things that make up my world and who I am. Living life doing the things I want to be remembered for. Organizing, writing, scrapbooking, and decorating might seem trivial to others.....but these truly are the little things that make up who I am. And I owe it to the girl who wouldn't let others dictate how she should live her life, to live mine doing what makes me feel fulfilled.

Rest in peace, Carole. I hope heaven has a really big library, an endless-supply of homemade cinnamon rolls, and maybe even...a place to roller skate!

enjoy the little things and the people you love everyday.

-dw.

A Fresh Start for the New Year!

Happy Twenty-Eleven!

I want this new year to be a total success. I want this new year to be fabulous! So, to help make it happen, I decided to set some life goals......eleven of them to be precise. I'm not calling them New Year's resolutions because, well frankly, I never seem to take that term seriously enough. The list contains things that will improve my overall life and bring me greater joy, so I'm calling them Life Goals. It's like a one-year bucket list! While some will be easier to achieve than others, I am hoping a strong commitment and lots of determination will have me crossing each one off the list throughout the coming year.

I won't share the entire list right now, but I will share the one that has to do with blogging. One of the goals on the list is to reformulate the way I've been (or not been) blogging these past few years. I've sporadically shared all sorts of topics from the very personal moments in my life to new recipes, organizing, decorating and even sale announcements. But I feel like it's become to disjointed. So, while I do not have the technology-side of things worked out just yet (although I know it's possible), I have the details of what I want to accomplish all ironed out. Instead of writing in five or six different blogs (to cover all the things I want to talk about and share), I will dedicate one specific day of the week to each topic. In the end, I will have "category" buttons across the top of my page for quick access to the topic(s) readers care to follow along with.

The daily topics will be:

On the Menu - Monday (recipes, menu planning, and food and restaurant specials)

Oh, 2B Organized - Tuesday (craft room and home organization tips, examples, and storage solutions)

World of My Own - Wednesday (the personal side of life, MS, my goals, projects, and daily doings)

Thrifty Decor & More - Thursday (home decor ideas, re-purposing, thrifty finds, and what's hot)

Time to Get Fit - Friday (exercise, weight loss, diet and nutrition)

Writing five times a week will be a challenge for me, but it is officially on the goal list and I want to make it happen. I can't promise to be perfect and never miss a day, but I am renewed in my desire to write and share more in 2012. Okay, there's no turning back now....it's out there...in black and white...for everyone to see! Wish me luck! ;)

enjoy setting goals that make you push yourself!
-dw.

A Day of Incredible New Beginings....

All glory comes from daring to begin.
~Eugene F. Ware

On this day of incredible history, let us ALL dare to begin...

Let us lead with our hearts, surrender to our passion, and follow our own vision while respecting the passion and vision of others.
Let us speak wiser and listen closer.
Let us dream BIGGER and try harder!
Let us be what we seek to be...without limitation, without judgment, and without criticism.
Let us enable others with these same rights.
Let us not look at what makes us different, but rather what makes us the same.
Let us unite, grow stronger and be better.
Let us begin.

-enjoy the energy and unity in the air today. Let us carry it on to tomorrow.
-d.

Blogger Alert!

Like the old time journals passed down through generations, blogs are a window into our thoughts and adventures for future generations to discover.

Have you ever thought about printing out all of your blog postings and binding them together to create a real book? Well now it is super easy to do just that! Scrapbook Blogger does most all the work for you. With a few clicks of the mouse your blog is quickly transformed into the pages of a hard copy book. Print your entries out a year at a time or pick and choose which specific entries to include.

I played around a little on the site and found it fairly easy to navigate. (Check out the FAQ page before starting a project.) I wanted to do the layout and design work on my own pages, and there is an option to do just that (yea!). You can merge posts, change backgrounds, let the program design the pages for you, or arrange them yourself!

It is a quick and easy way to get your blog "published" in hard copy form and the expense wasn't much more than printing out color copies at your neighborhood Kinko's.

enjoy publishing the stories of your life!

-d.

Number 200!!!

Today is blog entry #200!
It is hard to believe I've had that much to say! (Not! LOL!)

I decided to take the plunge into blogging in January 2007 after following a couple friends' blogs and wanting to "join the party!" I love to write, share my photographs, and pass along things I learn so blogging seemed the perfect fit.

Now, after one year of writing and sharing, I can say...It has been a great party! One that I don't want to end. I love the opportunity to share great news, shopping finds and random facts. I love the way it has allowed me to form some incredible friendships with extraordinary people I may not have otherwise gotten to know. I consider myself very blessed to have blog-friends all across the country. And most importantly, it allows me to stay in touch with family and friends that I just don't get to see often enough even though they may be close in distance and emotion. It is a fabulous, technological world we live in and I am happy to be a part of it!

So thanks for hanging out with me at my very own little party day after day, week after week! I'm glad you're here! Now...where the heck is the cake?! LOL!

Here are some interesting little 200'isms to share on this special 200th blog entry!

200 is....

• An HTTP status code indicating a successful connection.


• The sum of dollars given in the classical Monopoly game to a player passing Go.


• The number of NASCAR races won by Richard Petty.

So here's to another 200 entries of successful connection, collecting our $200 for passing GO, and winning even more great friends as we race along on the SuperBlogger Highway!

enjoy the milestones you've collected along your journey!
-dw

*200'isms courtesy of Wikpedia

In the Hub of things....

As most you know, I tend to bite off a little more than I can usually chew (you have to dream BIG, right?!). So, while scouring the web in search of the perfect job, I have found a few new writing gigs to keep my portfolio growing (you know, to fill my spare time! Ha!) .

My latest venture is for http://www.hubpages.com/. Authors simply pick a topic and write a brief "hub" (an on-line article). I have taken and expanded on some of my blog topics related to decorating and organizing and have really enjoyed it.

Today, while perusing other articles, or rather, hubs...I discovered one I just had to share!

Olive_Garden_Copycat_Recipes

By Angela Harris

If you LOVE Olive Garden like we do (as a matter of fact, we're eating there tonight!) you will want to test out some of these recipes!

And while you're there, read a few more hubs...it's why we write them! ;) Authors get compensation generated by reader's ad clicks. We do what we love, you get a wealth of great info, and if we're lucky, we make some money too! Everybody wins!!!

enjoy what you learn today!

-dw

The Road to Somewhere...

Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck.

Your profession is what you were put on earth to do.

With such passion and such intensity

that it becomes spiritual in calling.

-Vincent Van Gogh

Today's quote, found on Melody Ross' Blog, touched me and I needed to share it.

Currently working from home creating a book, I go through various emotions...

Sometimes I feel discouraged, sometimes I feel confident,

Sometimes I feel insane,

Sometimes I feel completely grounded,

Sometimes I feel incredibly lucky, sometimes I feel guilty.

Sometimes I feel driven, sometimes I feel out of control,

But I always feel

I am where I'm supposed to be.

Something inside steers me and I do not know the ultimate destination.

I am here to fulfill the journey that fate has put in motion

and as long as I stay on course, life will be its own reward.

I am on the Road to Somewhere

and I am striving to enjoy each discovery along the way.

enjoy the path you find yourself on...

-dw

Dare to Go There...

In each facet of our life we can usually name someone who has had great impact on us; a person we admire, someone who has inspired us more than any other. I mentioned who those people were in regards to photography just the other day. Now I'm going to tell you who most inspires me in another area of my life.

I have always been a writer...Creative Writing class was an easy "A" throughout my school years, my teen years, and all the turmoil one experiences through them, were eased by hours of writing poetry and journaling. And as an adult I fell in love with telling the stories of my life through words and photos combined. Scrapbooking.

As a scrapbook teacher, I spent many hours trying to motivate others to journal in their photo albums. I wrote a poem about it that I shared with students in my Beginner 101 class that often moved them to tears. Years later I dedicated an entire class syllabus to writing, when I taught The Gift of Gab: How to Journal. It has been a passion of mine since as far back as I can remember.

Who most inspires me to write? Besides my maternal grandmother (as well known for her humorous letter writing as her picture taking), one other person captivated me years ago. Her book still holds the title as my all-time favorite craft book ever! For those that know me well it isn't hard to guess the answer. The book is Scrapbooking Life's Little Treasures and the author is Rebbecca Sower. Her ability to express herself, her memories, and her dreams throughout her scrapbooks and projects has served as the ultimate example and inspiration to me.

I was excited to meet and be photographed with Rebbecca many years ago while she was promoting her product line with EK Success. She was surprising normal for a woman living so high up on my pedestal! LOL! She was sweet, chatty, and seemingly shocked at her new celebrity status. She was every bit a genuine person...a wife, a mom, a scrapbooker. Her pedestal rose even higher in my eyes.

Now ready to author a book of my own, I pulled out my old, tattered copy of Rebecca's book and smiled. I'd come full circle if I could showcase her studio in my book! So I found a way to contact her and I went for it.

You don't get what you don't ask for.

Take a leap.

Believe it and you can achieve it.

All of my favorite quotes whizzed through my head as I typed off a letter to her. And while she had a previous commitment making it impossible for her studio to be featured in Creative Spaces, I was given the opportunity to chat with her once again. And rest assured you'll find Rebbecca within the pages of my book somehow. For inspiration and influence, while not always seen, can be felt.

It felt good to do something I was a bit apprehensive about. Even if it didn't turn out the way I first thought, there are possibilities of something even greater happening. With positive thoughts and extra effort we can sometimes even climb higher than we first attempted to go! Stay tuned...

enjoy the mountains you choose to climb this weekend!

-dw

The failure is not falling down, it is not attempting to get back up.

A Little Prompting...

Today I found myself with a loss for what to write. Nothing seemed significant enough to fill the page. While words are not something I usually run short on, today is different. My heart is heavy. My father in law is in the hospital and has taken a severe turn for the worse. We pray that he is comfortable and knows how much love surrounds him. It is all we can do from so far away. We are so grateful that we could all be together in Florida the week of the wedding, sharing happy and healthy times. I've said it before, but I'll say it again....don't waste the moments you are given. Live in them. Cherish them.

While some would say, just don't write today. I need to. For me it's therapeutic. And heck, it's cheaper than other forms of therapy, right?!
I decided to go to Creativity Portal, a site that gives you prompts to write about each day. A jump start if you will. The prompt was:

One thing you must accomplish today is...
Accomplish? I don't feel like I want to accomplish anything today. I want to climb back under the covers and wake up tomorrow with our world right again. But unfortunately, life doesn't work that way. And there is something I need to accomplish today. I need to be the comfort my husband seeks. To be his strength when he feels weak. To be a shoulder he can cry on. To soothe his heart as it is breaking. To hold him and love him. To be the best wife and best friend I vowed to always be. Yes, I have much to accomplish today.
So when we feel we have nothing we want to write about, we need only look to our heart for the prompting. It was there all along. I merely had to follow it...
enjoy the day,
-dw

My First Blog & Newest Adventures

Wednesday, 24 January 2007
Okay, here goes...I'm going to do it! I have been inspired to start my own blog! I often skim the internet , uncovering a blog or two here or there, pouring over all the "sneak peeks" before the trade shows, I even have a couple friends who blog daily, but I forget to check in on a regular basis. So, am I cut-out to be a blogger? Will I remember to write on a consistent basis? Will I have anything useful to say? ...I guess we'll find out! LOL!
I am the co-founder of a new magazine, Scrapbook Dimensions, that will be released soon in a free e-mail version (this issue only) and will go to bi-monthly, hard copy issues with the next issue. Writing has always been a passion of mine and I am excited to be writing and designing once again! When I think back I have always been on this path, even though I detoured a few times along the way. I worked in a printing company right out of high school, went on to work as a copy editor for a catalog company, an associate editor of a model railroad magazine, then as editor of an on-line e-zine...and now writing for Scrapbook Dimensions and working toward authoring my very own book! I feel so many emotions......nervousness - will I find a publisher?, excited anticipation - I believe in this book so strongly; I know the market is there! and a joyous burst of energy - my passion fully recognized gives me such a sense of happiness that I can hardly contain myself!
To get your free copy of the magazine, simply log onto scrapbookdimensions.com and sign up!
My book will feature workspaces and organizational techniques by crafters across the country - sure to inspire us all! To be involved in my book: Send two-three photos of your creative workspace (from closets to custom-built rooms) to me at dwshainpublishing@yahoo.com .
So, I think I can do this blog thing! I love to write! I guess now I just have to wonder if my friends will be better than I have been about reading blogs! LOL! Whether they read it or not, it is a great release. I find it healing, relaxing, motivating and inspiring to write out my thoughts, goals and accomplishments! And somehow I find this easier than reaching for my journal and pen to write down these exact thoughts and emotions.

enjoy!
-dw.