The Crafty Side of ME..

So what have I been up to creatively, or should I say trying to keep up with...

Learn something new with Shimelle has start up.

And of course I'm behind but in doing..

Well I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all the classes offered on BigPictureClasses.

After yesterday post... WOW two post in a row :)

I signed up for the Album of Awesome workshop it Starts today. I'm looking forward to taking the Good Life workshop by Amy Tan and they have started offering other types of classes besides scrapbooking, this fall Big Picture Classes will offer a knitting-felt workshop called Fabulouss Felting, thinking about this we'll see how it works out.

Catch up - Learn Something New

Better late then never...


I recorded what I learn in my journal I just didn't blog...I just wanted to finish my posts so here goes...

#12- I need to keep on top of my health and where I keep my medicine. I keep misplacing them...If I keep them in the same place I would not have this problem.

#13- How not to take over when helping my daughter with her craft projects.

#14 - when do you stop being used...when can you say you know you are being used...

#15 - I really want a puppy but I know I wouldn't give it the care it deserves...don't you hate being a grown up sometimes?

#16 - No matter what... you are never appreciated the way YOU...think you should be!

#17 - I always fell better after swimming... I really shouldn't miss swim class.

18 - Procastination is killing me and it's gonna cost me in the end!
#19 – Stop staying up so late… I always pay for it the next day.

#20 – Money can’t beat friends…. I had a ball watching kickball…I don’t like kids… but I lovelittle Miss Kenzie.

#21 – Sometimes NICE is not the way to be…do what’s best for you first.

#22 – Things I really Love…all of my family…all of my friends….Crafting… some… I just don’t LIKE!

#23 – I love being my age 40…wouldn’t trade it to be young again.

#24 – I need to get in better physical shape…I should try…bike riding…the gym and some weights…something new.

#25 - Sometimes giving a person your last is a good thing… especially if they have nothing.

#26 – Just going thru the motions @ school I really need to recommit myself to my studies.

#27 – Had a great time @ IBEW picnic…sometimes I miss working…I really miss my co-workers.

#28 – I’m very angry today but I got myself in to this situation, knowing not to trust a snake… they bite.

#29 – Attended class @ Church …How to hear GOD’s voice…I heard him…really cool…didn’t like everything he said …but are really gonna argue with GOD?

#30 – I found peace lately… GOD said I don’t have to deal with drama… just because we are family.

These are the things I learned new about myself in the month of September…what did you learn?

I love my Big Sister HAPPY BIRTHDAY

I love my Big Sister HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

It's my sisters Birthday today and it though it has become a sad day for all Americans (9-11) we choose to stay positive on this day for her. So NO TV today... NO CNN today.

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED TODAY? Make Birthdays as happy as can be... they only come once a year.

Relationships

Coasting...
I have been coasting in my personal relationships I’m not giving more than I’m taking.

A relationship does not protect itself; it requires active work and humility. A way of life does not protect itself; it requires discipline and attention

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED TODAY? STEER, DON'T COAST.

Dreams

I think when we grow older we give up on dreaming, we set goals that we feel are attainable so we won’t be disappointed. Well I have dreams that I have set up as goals so I can achieve them.
WHAT HAVE I LEARNED TODAY? Don’t stop dreaming!

I am blessed

bless•ed adj.
1 held in reverence
2 of or enjoying HAPPINESS; specifically : enjoying the bliss of heaven —used as a title for a beatified person
3 bringing PLEASURE, contentment, or good fortune
I feel it… I see it… I know it.

WHAT HAVE I LEARNED TODAY? I am blessed

I love paper

I didn’t learn this today. I love paper. All my life I’ve had a love affair with paper. As a kid I was always the teacher and made up forms and liked grading them, as a teenager I was into everything but paper, but as an adult I love photos, scrapbooking, card making and creating documents. I Like buying paper, I like looking at paper… anything paper… there It’s out!
WHAT HAVE I LEARNED TODAY? It’s ok to love paper.

Homework in my house

School has started, supplies are in backpacks, the daily routine started, and homework is sure to follow... after going to my kids school open house and meeting their teachers, I realized that my kids do their homework but I don't check to see if its neat, complete, if they really understood what they were doing... this will change today...they will do their homework at our kitchen table where I will be watching closely. WHAT HAVE I LEARNED TODAY? Be constant in training your kids for life.

Friendship

It’s not about quality it's quantity. I invited 15 people to my craft party, only 3 rsvped, 2 actually came. I had as much fun with the 2, proably more fun then if my house where full of people.
WHAT HAVE I LEARNED TODAY? You really only have a few friends.

Purge my stuff

I realize how blessed I am, everytime I purge my stuff. My life has changed and I'm finally at a place in my life that I need less stuff. After my health failed stuff could not help me, it actually got in my way. You have to store stuff. Stuff is not free it cost you money. Stuff is usually a want more than need. Stuff needs to be cleaned. If people see your stuff they sometimes want to steal it. Long ramble short... LESS IS MORE ! Purge some of your stuff...maybe it will help someone who really needs it.

WHAT HAVE I LEARN TODAY? Throw or give some things away.

weight loss

I used to weigh 287 pounds at my heaviest. I now weigh 210. I lost weight because I was sick, between reactions to medicine and food allergies there were a lot of things I could not eat. I had tried to loose weight all of my life. I started in my late teens, I've never been under 180lbs as an adult. Funny how things happen... I lost weight not really trying... ironic. WHAT HAVE I LEARNED TODAY? Things happen at Gods speed ....not yours.

I love my hair short.

I've always had a decent length of hair for a Afro-American, at times it has been long, very thick and jet black. I loved my hair. The movie Good Hair that Chris rock made publicized Afro-American women and there hair struggles. It started much controversy and hopefully open up the eyes of everyone. But even before the movie I always thought that me having long hair made me more attractive, and only have worn my hair short a few times in my life, usually after it had been damaged some how.

Now after all my struggles this past year I decided to cut my hair. I put it off for months scared not to have hair, but it was falling out, I had bald spots, it was thinning and I have so much grey now. Then I had to ask myself... am I only as good as my hair? I've spent to much money to talk about...on my hair. So I let it go... I love my hair short, its easy to deal with since my fingers don't always cooperate. Because I've lost weight it fits my face better. I used less product and you need a great hair dresser as an Afro-American with short hair its all in the cut! Found her! I'm in hair heaven. I know this may sound kinda silly, but its my truth and I'm stickin with it. WHAT HAVE I LEARNED TODAY? Hair doesn't make you beautiful that comes from within.

Is beauty skin deep?

I thought I would start with beauty this week...


I've gone thru so many physical changes this year...

weight loss, hair loss, skin rashes, lost of joint flexibility due to RA. Its sometimes hard to keep the right perception of true beauty.

This one of my favorite pictures of me, in this picture I felt beautiful.

The Webster's dictionary defines beauty as:

1: the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit : loveliness

2: a beautiful person or thing; especially : a beautiful woman

3: a particularly graceful, ornamental, or excellent quality

4: a brilliant, extreme, or egregious example or instance

How do you define beauty? Do you think you are beautiful? How you perceive other peoples beauty? These are question I had to ask my self this past year. Being sick I received a lot of stares,comments and questions about my appearance. some nice some not. So the next time you see some one how may not look what you feel is beautiful on the outside maybe you will try to see beauty from within.
WHAT HAVE I LEARNED TODAY? Beauty is and must always be deeper then skin. I am beautiful!


Below are pictures of my many phases of me being sick. I would not have even thought to post these pictures a year ago... but now I know they are just photos, triumphs over my illness.

What have you learned today?

Starts tomorrow... I feel I always learn something new but not everyday...so this may be a challenge. I also believe this is my year to grow as a person, get my sense of peace back. Since my accident I have been in alot of pain, very stressed, depressed, did I mention stressed. My life is changing for the better although a few months ago I would have argued that point. I've learn to slow down, everything is not gonna be perfect, not even close but... God has always taken great care of me and why would he stop now. I definitely take better care of myself, I pay more attention to my friends and family, I'm slowly finishing projects that I have started. I have completed goals I set for myself years ago, so its time for me to set new ones. This one has been hard to do...


I plan to document this class digitally and put it in a photo book, lets see how well I keep up. My motto this year was "finish what you start"...well I think that was last years motto. LOL, see what I mean!! It's taken me all this time to finish what I've started. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED TODAY?