Joanie circa 1977

The Black and White eDition

Yesterday, when I was digging through MORE boxes and STILL finding photos, I found this one. It lived for nearly 20 years in the bottom drawer of my dresser in a funky K&S dime store bag. But when we moved here we got rid of that ancient (seriously, ancient) dresser and it has since resided in a box in the dungeon! (By the way... how many more places do I HAVE photos?)

Kim's texture this week is called Happy Heart! I love that term! I choose to embrace that mindset! This photo was taken in the summer of 1977, one of my most turbulent of that decade. BUT, wonderful but, I had learned that-

I AM MY OWN HAPPINESS GURU!

I know that happiness is a choice. Yes, it is easier to choose happiness if all around you is going smoothly, but it is MY choice nonetheless! I'm so grateful for that knowledge. And do I really have to make that choice all on my own? No, never! I always have the tender-loving care of a kind Heavenly Father.

texture tuesday facts-
kk- happy heart blending mode multiply 80%

Happiness...

Today's Texture Tuesday challenge is HAPPINESS...

I love that happiness is always MY choice! I love that I've learned that I am responsible for my own happiness. Can others influence the ease of that choice?  Of course they can. But when it is all said and done...

I CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY!

This is one of those things that adds to my happiness... beautiful, simple roses... growing in Grannie-Annie's garden last June.

texture tuesday facts-
kk-annabelle, blending mode- overlay 100%
kk-lilly, blending mode- multiply 75%
frame- House of 3 (Rhonna Farrer)

Thumbnail Moon Sunset

I have the very great blessing of west facing windows... I know Jane Austen wouldn't agree and think west-facing windows very incommodious. (Think all of that with a strong English accent!)  What I like is that I rarely miss a beautiful view of the sunsets if I am in my office.

I glanced up from my work tonight and saw the most deep, beautiful, soft sunset; it only got better when I pulled up the blinds to shoot through the screen (again) and saw my very favorite *thumbnail moon*. This first sliver of a new moon always reminds me of my thumbnail. (Guess that lets you know how long my nails don't grow!)



It was beautiful and soothing... exactly what I needed this evening.

CTR

Hey! I have the most exciting news! I just had CTR surgery yesterday and now I can always-

Choose The Right!

Boy-oh-boy! Don't we wish it was that easy?

This kind of CTR stands for Carpal Tunnel Release... and if I'd know how easy it would be I would have done it years ago! Compared to-

• Tonsilectomy
• Tubal pregnancies (plural)
• Appendectomy
• Varicose vein stripping

...this is a stinkin' piece of cake!

I will be so nice to have my hands back for-

• hand sewing
• painting
• hand writing
• gardening
• lawn mowing
• nose picking

The only downside is I have to wear my *boxing gloves* for the next 10 days and keep them clean and dry! (I'll have to give you a shower/hair washing update!)

319- Cloud Choices

I tend to go through periods where my trusty Rebel XS is my close companion... there are so many things to capture that day.  I end up with way too many to post on one day.

Then there are stretches of long, grey days where there just isn't anything that photo-worthy. It is on those days (such as this day) when I start digging through my files and see what I've missed on one of those *high-photo-days*.

This cloud shot caught my eye; immediately I could hear Joni Mitchell's song (Both Sides Now) in my head.



When I *Googled-up* the lyrics I found something that spoke to my beautiful-cloud/grey-cloud dilemma!

Rows and flows of angel hair,
And ice cream castles in the air,
And feather canyons everywhere,
I've looked at clouds that way.

But now they only block the Sun,
They rain and snow on everyone.
So many things I would have done,
But clouds got in my way.

I've looked at clouds from both sides now,
From up and down, and still somehow,
It's cloud illusions I recall,
I really don't know clouds, at all.

As I've sat here and pondered all of this I realized how much life is like my photo-ops.  Some days are bursting with positive energy; some days, well, not so much.

I'm grateful that I have looked at clouds from both side... the black, threatening ones, the silver-lining variety and my personal favorite, pink tinged.  I'm also grateful that I've learned NOT to let those black, threatening clouds get in my way!

I always have the option to go dig around in my mental photo-stash and find those happy, pink cloud days.  Happy thought!  So even on gloomy-grey days I CHOOSE to see those pink edged clouds... It's always my choice!

129- Mother's Day... a Choice

Mother's Day can be a bit daunting if you choose to let it be so... but *this-day* I choose NOT to be daunted.



This day I choose to rejoice in the mother who gave me life and raised me even though today marks the 33rd anniversary of her passing.

This day I choose to rejoice in the blessing of being a mother, even though motherhood is not always easy and sometimes thankless.

This day I choose to count my blessings for EACH of my children, those to whom I have personally given birth and those who I have come to love just as much as if I had.

This day I rejoice for my living (and those who have gone on before me) children who have called, text-ed or come to visit me and express their love and gratitude to me.

This day I am grateful for a loving spouse who supports me whether I am up or down, sad or happy.

This day I choose to be happy...

284- Severe Tire Damnation!

I have a very funny nephew, (actually several of them) Josh. He loves to tell stories, use accents, be funny, raging, and make us laugh. During one of our visits he got going on the sign Severe Tire Damnation using an East Indian accent. He had all of us rolling. Now whenever I see one of these signs... I laugh, quote Josh, and laugh some more.


BRUSHES- Hof3 Sample Kit, AASPN_BasicMaskGradient, FONT- Papyrus ACTION- DPMoms Perfect Workflow, (A2D)_Lomo

But, you know, I'm struggling with the mental version of Severe Tire Damnation (I had an educator friend who used to refer to is as Minimal Brain Dysfunction... yeah, well, I'm having some maximal brain dysfunction!!) I've always struggled with my dyslexia but when I am under emotional stress (like after my children died) it gets really bad.

I've been struggling with some emotional issues lately, you know the kind, you have no control over the situation because it's not your choices that are causing the stress. I think I'm handling it pretty well, using my mantra of "It's ok! Because it has to be ok!", until I try to do something like: typing (my fingers won't type correctly), singing (I can't read the word and the music and make LOTS of mistakes), express myself to a group (say the wrong words, forget what I'm saying, etc) and then I realize that, no, I'm not dealing so well with the stress. I suppose that it is an emotional barometer that lets me know that subconsciously I'm not coping with the stress.

The good news is that I have an understanding family, I can laugh at my mistakes without thinking that I'm as stupid as I sound, and, yes, have a good cry... what else can I do?

048- March of the Ents

As many of you know I love to read; but perhaps even more, I love to be read to (well, maybe it's a toss up). I love the classics or what I will refer to as the new classics (Harry Potter is one, but sorry, no classic rating for the Twilight series). I have the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the Harry Potter books on CD and have listened to them numerous times. These volumes are comfortable old friends that keep me company when I am busy with my hands, but my mind isn't occupied.

One of the first times I was driving my friend DeLoris I noticed that we have Ents marching up Maple Mountain. They aren't so noticeable in the summer, but in the winter they stand out clearly.


FONTS- Problem Secretary, CK Cursive, BRUSH- KPertiet_LedgerGrids-9, (A2D)_Lomo Action, CoffeeShop Sweet Bakery Glazes Action, Vanilla

The last time I listened to the Lord of the Rings one passage jumped out at me. It is Treebeard, the Ent, speaking of the evil wizard Saruman.

"... his face, as I remember it-- I have not seen it for many a day-- became like windows in a stone wall: windows with shutters inside." [The Two Towers; Book III, p. 76]

I've reflected on that quote since I jotted it down last fall. I've reflected on how our countenance displays who we are and who we represent. Do we see His image in our countenance? Does the Light of Christ shine in our eyes?

I am reminded of a story I heard that is attributed to Abraham Lincoln (who we all know was not a good looking man). Someone was encouraging him to choose a man for his staff and Mr. Lincoln said, "I don't like his face." The other man questioned him on that; how can you not like a man for the way their face looks? The answer was simple; by the time you get to be the age of the man in question you are responsible for how your face looks.

Again, windows in a stone wall: windows with shutters inside or the Light of Christ in our eyes... always our choice.