grateful...

i was quite excited this morning to find out that one of my most beloved journals made it to the front page of etsy!  the front page!  a first for me.  and i missed it, of course.  but you can see it on my sidebar.

i feel like i've come so far, since i started this blog a few years ago.  i was so unsure back then and i really had no plan at all.  i recently took some time to reflect back on where i started.  and this blog makes it easy to do that, as it is a record of my journey.  looking back, i realize how much i have learned and grown since then.  and even though i still have moments of doubt and times when i feel uninspired, for the most part, i am happy with this life that i have "crafted" for myself.  and grateful.

i'm grateful for being able to create and share and meet other creative souls through this blog.  really nice souls.  i'm grateful for those of you who read my inconsistent ramblings and keep coming back for more.  and i thought i should tell you that.  because it's nice to know when you're appreciated. so...thanks.

words that make my heart soar...

i took my daughter to one of those frozen yogurt shops the other day - one of those fun ones where you get to choose your flavor or flavors of yogurt and then you move on down the line and choose your toppings from a "topping station".  i was actually feeling a bit guilty.  she had made some brownies over the weekend and after everyone left for school and work on monday morning there was one big fat brownie sitting on the counter.  so what's a girl to do.  i ate it.  later, when she came home, she asked what happened to the brownie.  ummmm, well...oops!  (sad look from her here)  so, a couple of days later, i took her out for a treat to make up for it.  while we were eating, i told her i was really sorry i ate her last brownie.  and she piped up with the most beautiful words a mother can hear from her teenage daughter, words that made my heart soar, "it's ok mom, eating ice cream with you in person is so much better than eating a brownie alone".  profound.

number 454...

tokens of spring...

today, as i was walking, i gathered up a little bouquet for myself.  as i looked around, i saw little flowers and buds sprouting up here and there.  even though our winter this year was very mild, i'm still excited to see these little signs of renewal.  i love these flowers...i think they have an otherworldly look about them and i couldn't resist taking some time out to snap a few pictures.  i hope your spring is starting off nicely as well.

that place...

i am experiencing some deep book love right now.  this last couple of months, i've been working on some new books that i am just in love with.  i've been making books for about three years.  i started making books, because i love books.  all kinds of books.  but blank books are my favorite because they hold such possibility.  so i set about and learned how to make them.  my first books were very simple.  and nice.  but i had other ideas in my head.  so i read some books about book making.  then i practiced and messed up.  and read some more and practiced and messed up and practiced some more.  oh, and did i mention, messed up.  a lot.    

but lately, i feel like i have arrived at that place.  you know that place.  that place where you feel comfortable.  that place where you feel like you belong.  that place where you love to go every day.  it's a good place to be.  and i think i will stay for a while.

it's the little things...

my husband is a busy guy.  he works a lot of hours and often has to attend meetings that keep him out well past dinner time.  a lot of his meetings include dinner.  some really nice dinners.  he is also a thoughtful guy.  often he will bring me back something - sometimes a cupcake or some other delicious dessert.  a kind of peace offering.  because, he says, when he works late, i work late.  last night, after one of his dinner meetings, he brought me this little tiny loaf of rustic bread wrapped up in brown paper.  so cute.  for my breakfast, he said.  so, when everyone left this morning, i went to my little corner in the kitchen, the one that looks out over our backyard forest, where i watch the birds and squirrels flit back and forth, where i can sit in silence and contemplate life.  i tore into my tiny loaf of bread and poured myself a little, tiny cup of coffee to go with it.  and it was good.  so, so good.  right down to the very last crumb.  thanks honey.

broken, tattered, stained...

...but still so lovely...  don't you think?