Reflection 2008

Reflection of 2008

January I started the year with the car being in disrepair, friends and family came to my rescue once again proving to me that love is ever present, and spirit is tangible in my life. For seven months I was forced to completely depend on others, a difficult lesson for a very independent woman. My gratitude is insurmountable!

My daughter received an all expenses paid trip to London, fruition of some childhood dreams. Her fiance repainted her on-suite and bedroom while she was gone,

As a surprise birthday present and welcome home gift!

February 14^th, her birthday month, my daughter got married in Vegas. Fittingly to the Valentine theme, bride and groom wore their favorite color,red! I was proud that my child chose a very economical unique wedding she’d scripted since childhood! Although some were upset about the surprising nuptials with no reception, the couple is excited about how it transpired with such simplicity and joy. They have no regrets, neither do I!

March I had three pieces of my art featured in an art show called Purse-sonality, which was recounted in the local newspaper. Basically the affirmation I needed to continue down my creative path with verve!

April and May were many celebrated birthdays, lots of art and poetry. My son-in- law and daughter hijacked my blog to co write an amazing birthday post that I will treasure!

The summer was very hot, July my car was repaired and the start of my crippling knee problems that lasted the whole hot summer months. Opportunity for new art projects ensued. I hobbled through a few art festivals and a wedding was attended.

September my knee settled with the weather, thankfully! I completed quite a few art projects.

October I managed an art walk resting in between; I also attended a book launch and felt very inspired by all the creative people around me!

November I did lots of reflecting, put up my Christmas decoration which took the better part of a week, by request of my traveling daughter who went to Toronto twice this year, Vegas, and London. I finished some art projects started in July, and then started crocheting Christmas gifts.

December was so busy; I connected in one way or another with many friends and family. Best Christmas gifts this year were my car starting on Christmas day so I could attend dinner with friends, and take my daughter to her in-laws, a phone call from my blogger soul sister Lucy who called me from New York, for a long and intimate chat.

That sums up my year! Of course there were interrupted sleeping patterns, sluggish days,

and more knee issues, but for the most part I accomplished a few things at my own slow pace connecting with friends along the way! With a few glitches, I did most of what I set out to do last year, eat less sugar, creative everyday, blogging and think greener!

Biggest lesson I learned in 2008 “ It's always okay to ask”!

If you never ask the answer will always be “NO”

If you ask it could still be “NO” but there is always that possibility

the answer could easily be “ Yes!” So always ASK, ASK, ASK, in a very polite manner!.

At three I was taught never to ask for anything, almost fifty years later I am figuring out the importance of asking….it can open doors and change your life!

I also learned this year that you don’t know how profoundly you are affecting others with your art, poetry, blog. I learned that one young woman copied and framed a poem of mine for her wall. She reads it daily as inspiration and affirmation. I feel so honored knowing I make a difference in her life!

Happy New Year Everyone, I appreciate you all! Thank you for sticking with my blog all year! Your comments are dearly valued! Big hugs to all of you! Be good to yourselves this year! If you haven’t yet done so….PLEASE, find your BLISS, it's the key to happiness!

Sunday Scribblings " I believe"

Sunday Scribblings Prompt is "I believe"

"It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you...yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand.."

Mother Teresa

Christmas was busy, with snow abounding. Not only did I have lots of company, I was privy to a few lovely dinners with family and friends. My knee was a bit of a nuisance. Christmas eve day my car stalled in the middle of the road, in loads of unploughed snow while exiting my garage to run around for those last minutes sundries. Paralyzed in thought for quite a few moments, pondering a solution, my neighbors rescued me, and pushed me back into my garage. I searched the net to rearrange a few recipes, making due with what I had. I substituted bacon for ham, and cheezies for dried onion rings! It turned out marvelously! I took a small turkey out of the freezer believing I might be stranded Christmas. However in the afternoon my car started, enabling me to join my friends for dinner! A nice gift for me!

My friends has us wrap a fun gift from the house, preferably something we no longer need or want, we then draw names for the exchange and steal. Much hilarity ensued, as Katie opened two Christmas characters from the eighties, a male opened a red pashmina, a grandma opened a diffuser of oil that she knew she disliked the smell of, and Jeff opened two ceramic tiles with black cats. Last year he ended up with a huge orange box of his mothers 1970's recipes. At least the tile cats were a little less invasive!

The season has been full of love and spirit. Loads of good food, and laughter. I touched base with many people I love, feeling blessed having done so! I am still enjoying a few quiet moments with my immediate family, playing games, watching movies, adding a piece or two to the puzzle they made and playing our traditional games of Dr. Mario!

Below is a culmination of several days of photos from the season. Family,friends, cousins, and siblings sharing a loving moment. Or course my married daughter and her hubby too. It may seem sappy but there is a lot of love in this post. Piles of gratitude for all these amazing people in my life! I believe love

Propelled in the universe

Can literally change lives

Forever

I believe harmony

Is possible

When you have

Respect and adoration

I believe happiness

Can live abundantly

Within

If you choose

I believe you can have

Everything

And have

Nothing

I believe children

Born innocent

Corrupted by pain

Are salvaged by care

I believe family

Can ignite passion

Or diminish you

With a few words

I believe friends

Are the souls

Sustenance

And salvation

I believe spirit

Hovers

In the foreground

Awaiting attention

I believe joy

Is found in simplicity

By honoring gratitude

And making positive choice

I believe the home

Should always be

A soft place

To fall

I believe music is

A reflection

Of humanity, history

Evolution

I believe decency

Can trump some iniquity

Beam intervention

Flourish everlastingly

I believe positive

Energy is more attractive

Than negative

and gains more accolades

I believe you attract

What you are

Any aversion

Is self disdain

I believe the strive for

Perfection

Is born of

Feeling inadequate

I believe disregarded pain

Is the root

Of apathy

And addiction

I believe we all need

Affirmation

Attention

And intimate connections

I believe I need

Solace

For creative

Juice to spawn

I believe

We have an endless

Vessel of self

Not yet discovered

I believe many things

Mostly I believe

Laughter is the best medicine

and love is always the answer!

Merry Christmas

Wordless Wednesday

Celebrating the Love!

"Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas."

Dale Evans Rogers

Despite the hoards of snow we got from a blizzard Saturday night and all day Sunday,my goddess ladies showed up to my intimate Christmas gathering. All day I awaited their cancellations.... each woman braved the slippery roads.One husband offered to drive his wife, then pick her up two hours later...after informing him she'd be staying at least four hours...he opted to let her take his truck instead. They look clunkier in person!

Finding parking was horrific. I threw on my big clunky square toed shoes with a dress no less...very bohunk looking, I just needed a babushka to complete the look!. I can legitimately call myself that because I am one quarter Ukrainian and one quarter Russian...the rest is Irish and Scottish! I quickly jumped in my jeep....more like hobbled with my gimped knee. As I was driving to pick up one goddess who lives a few complexes over, I saw a kid laying in the middle of the road, while three of his cronies stood by watching. I think he was playing chicken...he stared at my car and continued to lay across the road way! Omg does this boy not know about MENTAL PAUSE!!!(MENOPAUSE)

Holy toledo! He didn't move and so I had to stop....I was yelling some expletives, he could probably read my ( are you a total EFFING IDIOT...OMG ) lips. Meanwhile the car behind me stopped too.. the kid then jumps to his feet forms his fingers in the gesture of an "L" for loser sign.... Thank goodness I wasn't driving around in my last years brakes that were over ten years old!

Was I not looking like a crazy woman, had I not had on my funny bohunk shoes with a dress....and if I was twenty five years younger....I would have jumped out of that car so fast...his head would have spun! He WOULD have been scared in my former days!

I also met my Fairy Goddess there too! I taxied them both to my place where the party began!

Welcome to my celebration of love!!
A joyful moment!

One goddess dawns a ceramic hand over her heart...... the surprise Christmas ring holder she received in our gift exchange! We can only imagine what freaky things she will do with that special hand.....threatening to take it to work today! Instead of our earth goddess she should be our court jester with her abundance of humor always right on the edge! I love it! Nature goddess turns sixty next September and informed me she's getting her nose pierced on that special birthday....... I had mine done to commemorate my fortieth. She's holding up the sweet ornament she brought as a hostess gift....I love the face on the little drummer.

As you can see we had a marvelous celebration with loads of laughter, great food made by all, and some cheer of course! Thanks girls it was so much fun! Unforgettable really! All the ladies were asking for my Raspberry delight dessert recipe which is actually Gypsy Goddesses recipe....so as my gift to all of you
I'm posting my new traditional Christmas dinner dessert.
Trust me this is a huge hit and beat trifle by far
, everyone loves it!


Raspberry Delight
2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons of margarine
3 tablespoons of sugar

Mix those three ingredients together
pack down into a 9x13 pan
place in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes


Prepare 2 cups boiling water add 2 packages of raspberry Jello stir well
then add a 600 g package of Frozen raspberries to the hot jello and stir
Place the mixture in the fridge for a bit then stir half way through ...
so it's a thickened but not solid

Beat one cup of white icing sugar with one package of cream cheese 8oz
Then fold in the 500 g tub of Cool whip

After the graham cracker base cools,
put a thin layer of the cool whip mixture over the whole base
then spread all the raspberry mixture,
finish off with the rest of the cool whip mixture.....
sprinkle some loose graham cracker crumbs for eye appeal
Store in the fridge.....can be doubled and frozen too!
So yummy my brothers favorite dessert!