One of Those Days.....

It is one of those days. You know the kind, you start out kinda tired, but pick yourself up and get a cuppa coffee. Things are looking up and you are feeling better. Then it happens...the rest of the crew climbs out of bed like a bunch of angry bears. Geesh! Fighting bear cubs who don't listen...



A less than pleasant husband that acts like you just woke him mid winters nap....


So by the time you get them all dressed, fed and out the door..which has been a monumental task all in itself..you are as cranky as they were. Grumble, grumble, GROWL!!!


Yup that is where I am this morning..I have been dragged, kicking and screaming out of my usual happy self into this miserable cranky old Mama bear. Sigh..grumble.
So I am gonna get another cuppa coffee, with honey...cause I need some. I am gonna sit and breathe for a bit. Ahhhhhhhh...


Yup that honey works every time.


Happy Thursday all!! Bear hugs, Sarah

Wishcast Wednesday

Our dear leader Jamie has asked us this morning.."What do you wish to invest in?" I had to think on this for a bit and consider whether to take the literal approach or not...So here goes.

It came down to one big thing...my health. I have told you all before about the dramatic financial drop I experienced when I divorced 12 years back. I went from upper middle class to below the poverty line. Although I do not regret that for a minute, something that was very hard to loose was medical and dental insurance.

During the last 12 years I had both briefly for about 6 months. In Idaho as an adult, to qualify for Medicaid you have to be earning less than $350 a month..basically homeless. The kids are covered completely though which is huge! Even the couple of local clinics ask for money upfront..most of those years I could not even afford that. Care for your mouth is even more scarce than hens teeth here..so my care has been hit and miss at best.

I will be 50 this Fall & am at present very healthy. I have a 6 & 11 year year olds and want to be healthy and here for them! Not to mention my older three daughters! That fact alone worries me sick! I am in tears just writing this! I am trying very hard to get all of my general health concerns taken care of this year. From a full physical to yearly exams. Without insurance I keep running into roadblocks everywhere. I keep plugging away. If I had some insurance it would be a breeze and I would not worry about the quality of care that I am receiving..which I do.. a lot!! So my big wish is to create enough income this year to take that next step up and get medical,dental,vision and life insurance for myself. It is time and I am wickedly tired of worrying about things and not being able to go and get something checked out if I feel the need to do so. I am wishing big here..I wish for enough income this year to be financially stable and cover insurance for myself so I can stay healthy!

Happy Wednesday all..what do you wish to invest in? Namaste, Sarah

A New ACEO....And A Color Test

Here is a new little ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in my new series of little quilting pieces. I decided to do a little one and add color to this one first before I tackled the color on the larger one (here) which is 8"x8". Sometimes when you do a piece that you are fond of and took a great deal of time to create...adding the first bit of color is a scary thing!! So I though I would do a little one first and test out the colors..what do ya think? Hope you all have a peaceful Sunday!
Namaste, Sarah

I am so Touched....

Cindy has honored me with an award that really touched my heart..one just from her that means the world to me. Her words were,
"I have created an award for a few of my Favorite Halloween Artists. This is for those that are always ready to lend a hand. "
Wow...I cannot tell you what it meant to me that she feels this way! Wow!
To top it off the three women who also received the award are beyond amazing, Brenda, Dede and Becca!! Wow! Not to mention Cindy herself..a Halloween powerhouse and dear friend. She is one of those folks that has supported me up all along!
Truly a gift just to know her! BTW...the box that I do all my drawing on..yup created by this amazing woman! So....thank you hon so very much!
Big hugs and love, Sarah

A New Piece of Artwork.....

Click to get a more detailed view..

Here is a WIP of a new piece..8"x8" in size. This Bee Happy Quilt Block is the first in a new series I am creating for the warm sunny season. I have not added color yet..that is next. So here is my first little quilt block..what do ya think?
Bee happy, Sarah

Wishcast Wednesday...

Our fearless Jamie has asked us today what we wish to dare!! My first thought was..I am dared out LOL! I have pushed myself to Let Fly so much in the last year I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head. Then...I remembered the thing that I am about to Let Fly with..silly me how could I have forgotten the thing that is keeping me awake nights and nudging me to complete. The thing that I am so excited to offer up yet a bit scared about? The online classes. I am daring myself to Let Fly with the very first offering..Time Management for the Creative Soul..on May 3rd. Ackkkkk I wrote it..put it right out there..there it is all..I am gonna do it!! Big breath!

Here is why May 3rd. In 1997 I left an abusive relationship. The following years were very hard, I was deeply poor, emotionally struggling..fighting for custody Etc. Etc. Etc. But something wonderful happened to me during that time..over those years I found myself..the real Sarah. It was painful and I fought it at times..but in the end the real me emerged and the blessings of all the hurt and pain I had been through made sense to me..I understood. I had been through hell and been blessed at the same time..who knew!? On May 2nd my Hanna will turn 18 years old and I will no longer have to deal with my ex as I have had to for years and years..I will be free to tell him what I think without fear that he will take it out on our daughters in some way. As of that date he does not have any more control over us! Not to say that I will never have to deal again..but it will not be controlled by him. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. So ..I thought it would be time to offer up another side of me here..the teacher side of me. So I wish to...I am going to be brave and Let Fly and be daring. I wish to dare...to start this new venture!
What do you wish today? Namaste, Sarah

Spring is Here!!! Whoot!

ITS SPRING~~~~ am happy dancin'!! The flowers are bloomin'..I like dandelions..I do!

The pansies are popping.

Oooo more dandelions!


The kits are sunning themselves..

Lucy Lu is out playing with these folks....

Beautiful Nonni was out in the sunshine with...

Her big brother Fox..oh my look at those eyes..

Of course we had to have chalk and bubbles..what would a beautiful day be without bubbles?

Happy Spring all, Sarah

Thank You So Very Much!

I just wanted to thank you all for all the sweet wishes..it really did make me feel so much better! I'm back and feeling almost myself. Here are hugs back to each and every one of you!! Happy Monday all! Love, Sarah

I Don't Wanna..but I Gotta.....

Tomorrow....I have to go to the dentist. I don't wanna..but I gotta. Several years of no dental insurance have taken their toll and now I get to pay the piper. I have to have some major work done and a couple of teeth pulled..they will start the process tomorrow. Ackkkk..So the clinic I am going to does not offer after care pain meds..so I will not get any pain relief afterwards. That makes me just a little bit nervous and scared.

So if you don't see much of me over the weekend...I will be hiding in my bed with these things and a bag full of frozen peas.

Hopefully the pain will be short and the hurt gone in a hurry. Did I say I was a little scared? Yeah..am....

See ya all on Monday! Hugs and love, Sarah

Wishcast Wednesday...

Our fearless leader Jamie has asked us this morning...What do you wish to be gentle with? I guess the very first thing that popped to mind was myself. But the more I thought about it the more the direction changed..I want to be more gentle with myself of course..but I also want to be more gentle on those in my family..my kids especially. Not that I am rough on them..but I have been thinking about this for a bit now.

I have been a Mama for a long time now..29 years. My oldest Julia will be 29 this summer and my youngest Nonni will be 7 in the fall. Kate 22, Hanna 17 and Fox 11 all in the middle. Although they are all about 5 or 6 years apart..they are truly two sets of kids. They all consider each other siblings..not half siblings. But the older three are on their own and the younger two are still home.

What is my point..well with the first three...we had money, I was a stay at home mom mostly, we vacationed, we shopped, went to the movies, went to museums, had a car, a boat, home schooled...we had it easy. I had time to do art projects and play and go on long walks, read books, consider pond algae..you get it..I had time to just be with them and play.

When I divorced my first husband due to abuse etc..I knowingly left behind being well off. Well kinda knowingly..I have learned some very deep and hard lessons about the reality of poverty. I have also worked my backside off climbing out of that pit. As I have been struggling and working I have not had as much time to play with my younger two as I would like. I have not had the frame of mind that I did with the first three as much as I would like... that "let go play and just have fun today" freedom. That free time to play and do things on a whim. I am so busy trying to make sure the family stays above the water line..I have to remind myself to stop and play.

So I want to be gentle and relaxed with my younger two..to make sure I make the time to breathe and be carefree with them. I know the reality is that things are different and I am the breadwinner..but I need to make sure that they got the same fun Mama that their older siblings had. As I am aware my roles have changed and am ok with that..I need to make sure that I keep some of that old Mama silliness too. So maybe I need to not only be gentle with them..but with me too. What do you wish today? Namaste, Sarah

Learning Curve...

I do so love my camera...I do. I will admit, I am new to lots of things when it comes to photography. My Rebel challenges me to try different things and stretch myself a bit. How fun is that? I love a good challenge. Water droplets..yup challenged me..I kinda liked this one!

So I have been challenging myself a bit. I try to do themes that make me work LOL! One place I love to go is this wonderful woman's blog.. The Pioneer Woman - Ree Drummond. Although I am one of a million followers ..I always feel at home. Frequently she has photo contests through her blog and Flickr. Despite the 30,000 submissions per day... I keep trying my hand at catching her eye. And learning...wow I am learning..a lot!

Composition..composition....


Like what the heck is Bokeh..I learned it there. In a nutshell it is that lovely out of focus background that glitters or is pleasing to the eye..I think I managed to peg it here....


Here is another Bokeh shot..I really loved this one..but that is just me.

And of course Macro photography..which you would think would be called micro..those very close up shots ..tiny little worlds..love macro!! BTW this is her contest this week!





Here is a new one to me...action sequences threaded together. Whoot Fox helped me with this one...Warrior Fox! I love boys!!

Another challenge...action shots...oh how hard I have worked on there..not quite there yet..but I liked this one. Hanna's Flying fingers..she might even use it on her upcoming music CD. Her Sr. project is a music CD she has worked so hard on..do I sound proud...yup in a huge way!!

So I am working on a learning curve her..hoping as I go along..that maybe..one day..I might just catch Ree Drummond's eye. In the mean time I am trying hard to please yours and mine. Happy Tuesday all, Sarah

Now For Something Completely Different....

So I took a little departure from my regular creative fare this weekend. I had dearly wanted to do a bit of sewing for months now..but life gets in the way. So over the last year or so I have gathered up some sweet pieces of fabric that I love..much of it by Debbie Mumm...and waited. I waited for that perfect weekend to just let my quilting bug fly.

Oh my who could resist this sweet fabric..sigh....

So I created this little machine sewn quilt..a bitty wall hanging that will make me smile.

Oh oh oh I love this fabric...

A bit of hand work....

Look at those sweet puppies and kits!

Those sweet paw prints...

And there it is..20"x24" just perfect for a little patch of wall.

Sigh..I am a happy girl!

Uncommon....

(yeah I morphed them..mine are really blue)


My mind is still working on my take on wishcasting yesterday..the idea of being different..odd... unusual. About still feeling some discomfort in the non cyber world. I was so touched by the comments..thank you all so very much. I felt like I had a little more to say here I guess. I used the word odd in the post yesterday. I think that was how I felt for most of my life..odd..different..odd man out, etc. I do loved the quote that several of you offered up to me yesterday from "What a Girl Wants"...

"Why are you trying so hard to fit in...When you were born to stand out?"

Wow!! How powerful is that! I wish someone had told me that when I was in my 20's. Although I might not have been able to hear it then. Somewhere in my 40's I discovered that I liked who I was...odd parts and all. I started referring to myself and not odd, weird or different...but as uncommon! Who would have guessed there were so many of us out there!! What a wonderful surprise to find so many Uncommon folks! So today if you are feeling odd..different...weird I would suggest that you start calling yourself Uncommon and begin to see the beauty in you! I would love it if you might share with me what is Uncommon about beautiful you! What do you think makes you wonderfully different? Please share with me.



Namaste all, Sarah

Wishcast Wednesday...

Our Jamie has asked us this morning... How do you wish to bloom? Well...here we go another amazingly on target question from Jamie!! Being authentic I guess...Bonnie was talking about this on her blog this morning...I love Bonnie's blog!! I got to thinking about the fact that I am pretty straight up here about who I am...what you see is me..not a mask or an idea of me..its me. Are there personal things that I don't share here..yup. Things that would effect others in my life..personal things that might effect me but are not mine to share..that sort of thing. But overall...those of you who know me here ..know the real me.

But...in the non-cyber world that is a harder nut to crack.. as I offer up the real me here..the mask that I wear out there to protect myself is falling away and the real me in the non-cyber world is starting to emerge. I read people so well that being in groups of women in particular is a challenge for me. I do not conform to the norm of fashion or wear the latest hair style. Seriously I could really care less who made my purse as long as it serves the purpose I want it to. I wear what is comfortable to me..sometimes that is a pair of my hubbies camo pants from his time in the service. They are a bit big..drawstring waist...but the most comfortable pants I have ever worn. I try to add a bit of flare with a sweater or hat..but seriously..I love them. Do they fit in with the young up and comers at my kids school..not so much. I adore a good Lands End dress with leggings and leg warmers and pair of hiking boots..love that. Not exactly in style. So why do I feel discomfort in being who I am? Because of the tude I get..that "oh Sarah she is a bit odd" vibe. I have always gotten that even when I tried to fit in. So..I would like my sense of self to bloom...to be comfortable with my own style and not worry or frankly care about what others think..to be the unusual flower that I am. I guess what I am saying is that I have never been an everyday beauty like a rose..I am more of a violet I guess.

So..I wish today to bloom in my authenticity our here in the big world! What do you wish today? Namaste, Sarah

Its Miiiiiiinnnnneeeee..whoot...happy dancin'..whoo hoo...

If you walk down this beautiful street...and look for the white picket fence.. you will find this front door! Not any front door...but my very own..all ours..front door! For this morning we signed closing papers on this sweet garden cottage that we love so very much! Through the amazingly gracious help of the folks we have been renting from..this sweet house is now ours!!

So come on up on the porch and join me for a cup of tea and a swing on the porch swing. So wonderful in the summertime!

Come on in and take a little look around..here is the main room...

Oh and the hallway that goes to the bedrooms..there is my chest full of art supplies!
See that blank space above the arch..I will be painting something fun there!

Come on in to the next room..here is my little studio with the lovely window.

And here us the plant window..I love the plant window.

I will even let you peek in my closet!!

My family has a wonderful secure home to call ours..without worry of moving. We can relax and grow and be happy here! My Studio has a real home..where is can stay & grow. Can ya see me happy dancin'?? Happy Monday all!! Love, Sarah