The Journey Through

I joined (another) study tonight and I'm excited about mostly because I like the leader so much - she is a blessing to me and others in many, many ways.  The study is about learning to think differently about our health - what is our motivation to get into shape, be healthy, lose weight, etc?  Have you ever noticed that you go to a study group on a particular topic but find that what you are learning applies to so many other areas of your life?  I think that is what is going to happen with this study.  There was one statement tonight that someone said and I thought it was profound:
Going through a dark night of the soul experience isn't fun for anyone.  It can leave us confused, hurt or angry. There may even be times that we question God or our relationship with God.  I don't know what it is that you might be going through but I do know for sure that God is with you. He didn't cause it to happen.  He did promise to never leave us or forsake us.  You know what else?  You will see the light again.  Ask God for a glimmer.  I do that. He answers.  Every time. He delights to show Himself. Walking with you on the journey...

God didn't put us in the darkness, but He is with us in the darkness.

Hang on. This to shall pass.

Psychology of Pink

In honor of pink Saturday, I thought that I would do some research on the color pink. I hope that you can visit lots of beautiful pink posts today including our lovely Pink Saturday founder, Beverly at howsweetthesound.typepad.com

While pink has different symbolic meanings, individual reactions to the color pink can vary widely. The following are some of the reactions to the color pink that readers have shared. (My comments are, of course, in pink)
Reader Responses to Pink
Pink is the color of all things that are fun about being a girl. (Agree)
Light pink represents a baby girl...pure, hopeful, soft, loving...the world at her feet and a wonderful future ahead of her. (Again, I agree)
Hot pink represents the passion felt by all women who has ever loved or been loved. (Yep)
The woman who wears many hats in life and drinks life in and lives with no regrets. I love the color pink. Every shade represents a different stage or phase in my life!
--Angela (smart girl – obviously a lover of the color pink)
My pink skin, being a mother, singing to babies, tranquility, peace, sleep, taking care of people, love and candy and flowers and spring sun rises, new beginnings, weddings, joy, heaven.
--Linda (wouldn’t you like to have Linda in your circle of pink friends)
It makes me feel powerful. I often feel the need to be shrouded in it. However some shades can make me feel angry.
--Nathan (We might need to talk to Nathan)
I'm painting my room pink. My bf was living with me and I painted her room brown.. it was cute, cozy, but oh so not girly. (If, however, the brown had some pink in it, I could make it work)
Anonymous (I think)

Pink to me represents the right to be a girl, to be yourself to speak freely and out loud. It associates so culturally to females that there's is nothing left to do then to say but "no boys allowed."
--Katie (I like her)
Ten days ago I had to put my 15 yr old Shi-tzu down. From the moment I began to mourn I could not get enough pink. I normally love to wear black and neutral colors that accent my red hair. I have always felt that grown women should wear pink sparingly and only in tastefully appropriate shades for the individual skin and hair tones. Now I find myself unable to wear any other color. I also feel drawn to pink things. I am no longer picky about shade...all pinks look beautiful to me. I feel childish about this and a little silly, yet if it helps me through the mourning process...who am I to judge the human heart or the psychology of color?
--John (what a guy)
Pink is my favorite color. I wear pink since I was in preschool now I am a college student and I still wear it almost every day. It makes me feel HAPPY!
--Gloria (Another smart one)
I like pink. I always have. As a child and then when I went on to adulthood and now in my middle age, I still prefer pink to any other color. I actually have made up our guest room in antique pink and other shades of pink. I go in there when I feel out of it. It brings me back to reality quick. (This gal didn’t sign her name…I was hoping she would because I wanted to see if I could go and stay in her guest room)
I wanted to dress in pink for one of my weddings- three so far. I finally did this last time, the wedding cake was pink and so were much of the decorations to include a balloon arch over the cake table. My granddaughter is named Violet-Rose- so this gives me an opportunity to buy her most of the clothes I buy her in these colors. Yes I like pink and I will continue to wear and be a pink sort of person until I die.
--Carol (They say the 3rd time is the charm – especially when you wear pink)
I find pink makes me feel comfortable.
--Donald and Sharon (not sure if it is Donald or Sharon that it makes feel comfortable, but probably both. My husband wears a pink shirt and light pink herringbone jacket – I promise, it’s tasteful, on Easter and looks fabulous, though he didn’t say anything about being comfortable…he does, however, get a lot of compliments)
Pink makes me feel wonderful because it is my favorite color.
--Jessica (I am sure that if I knew Jessica she would be one of my BFF’s)
Pink is calming in soft tones. Very gentle and soothing.
--Sunny (You’d think that with Sunny’s name that she would be talking about yellow, but once again, Sunny is a smart girl and knows her colors)
Pink has always made me feel pretty. When I look at pink, I think of innocence, gentleness, calmness, and babies. Pink baby lips, pink baby feet, pink roses are like baby roses and red roses are like grownup roses. I love pink!
--Kalin (I love that)
I hate PINK! I have a couple of dress shirts that are pink and I very rarely wear them. The apartment that I live in through the week has a PINK dining room wall, it drives me crazy, I almost did not rent the place because of it. If I could have found something different for the same price or less with the same amount of space I would not have rented it. NO MORE PINK!
--Connie (we need to talk)
Pink makes me feel feminine.
--Helen (Yeah, Helen)
I like pink. It reminds me of a baby girl just born and smelling of baby oil.
--Marlene (ahh, I like that)
Pink is a happy, playful color. I find myself surrounded by pink even though my favorite color is green. I am coming out of a long bout with depression and pink makes me feel good, calm and happy.
--Angela (I agree with you, Angela)
Pink makes me feel both strong and weak, a perfect harmony of feeling delicate and dominant.
--Dueling Dualities
All of a sudden now that I've just turned 49 I have the need to wear pink! I feel like I need to wear some pink every day. It might be reclaiming my girlhood. It also could be that I'm enjoying making friends more and pink is the color of friendship.
--Sherry (another smart girl)
I LOVE PINK. Pink is pretty, girly, loud, bold, fun, and sometimes sexy. It bothers me when people dislike pink, it's like they're subconsciously rebelling against youthful femininity or something. I love being a girl, so I love pink, and I always will...but in response to Connie, I would never ever paint a wall in my home pink.
--Linda (you go girl, but I do have to disagree on the pink wall - I am currently an owner of some pink walls and they are awesome)
Young and silly - pretty, little, girlie, frilly...
--Vivien (thumbs up)
Pink is thought to have a calming effect. One shade known as "drunk-tank pink" is sometimes used in prisons to calm inmates. Sports teams sometimes paint the opposing teams locker room pink to keep the players passive and less energetic. (Seriously?)
Credit to: http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/colorselection/p/pink.htm

How does pink make you feel? Do you associate pink with certain qualities or situations?

 Happy Pink Saturday!!

The Question Queen

I had a great weekend....spent it in Denver by going shopping (er, I mean retail therapy), eating out, attending church (great message), spending time with friends, attending our monthly study on being steward leaders, and ended it by going to a celebration of life for our dear friend and mentor.  So, I get this phone call from Carol (who could not make it to the celebration because she is a pastor in another state) and she wanted to know the details of the party.  She tells me that "turn about is fair play" because (according to Carol), "I ask a lot of questions."  I just tell her that I am a curious individual. (insert smile) She calls me the question queen. (Well, at least I am the queen of something).  I then went on to tell her that I sometimes think of eight impossible things before breakfast."...okay, back to the conversation.  Now, I have to say that she asked some really good questions - probably ones that I would've asked had I been the asker and not the answerer.  The only thing is, I didn't know that I was supposed to know the answers. She asked if there were flowers there and I said, "yes, they were beautiful."  Carol, of course, wanted to know what color they were and what they looked like....good thing I noticed that.  She then told me that if anyone would notice these things, I would....okay....Next she asked who I met, talked to, saw, and then I told her how beautiful our guest of honor was. She asked, "did she have on the black dress with red flowers? Check. Did she have on a sheer jacket over it? Check. (Whew, I am really glad that I did notice these things).  She then asked about the food....what did they serve?  A cake?  Really, they had a cake made? Yes. Someone made it and it was just beautiful....it had more of those flowers that I told you about."  They also had jumbo raw shrimp, garlic toast with pate, croissant sandwiches, colorful fruit, petit lemon cakes, BIG cookies, punch, coffee, water....And, then she asked me about the plates and napkins - like I was supposed to notice!  Good thing I did. wink, wink.  They complimented the color scheme of yellow, orange and red.  I think the only question I didn't know was, "What earrings did she have on?" Sheeez! Carol laughed when I gave her a hard time about that one because she says it would've been a question that I would ask.  She's right.  I would've....inquiring minds like to know.  Really though, I share this because I think asking questions (okay, gathering information) helps us to learn and grow.  I do ask Carol questions - a lot - because she has a good grasp on scripture and the text and I want to understand it so that I can learn from it as well as teach others.
I decided that before I closed out this post that I would add a few quotes on questions:
To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.

Albert Einstein
We hear only those questions for which we are in a position to find answers.

Friedrich Nietzsche
Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.
Voltaire

Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.  (I kind of like this one)
Tony Robbins

I never learn anything talking. I only learn things when I ask questions.

Lou Holtz

A Bling Gift from One Bling Girl to Another

I received the most fabulous gift from a dear friend of mine - I just love it!!  First of all the packaging is scrumptious!  The outside is a burgundy damask fabric and tied with a satin ribbon.  But, what's inside is what's really wonderful!  The card says, "Every girl needs more Bling."  Don't you just love it?!  Inside is a wonderful antique bottle filled with vintage jewels, a beautiful ivory silk rose, vintage pieces of lace, softly hued tissue paper, strands of pearls, a pink chiffon bag with a tiny glass pink elephant inside, a miniature gourd, pieces of diamond confetti, chenille lace, pictures of Victorian women....I could go on and on.....What makes this so special though is the love that was put into this....this special lady took the time to think of this and put it together knowing how much I would love it.  When people put their heart into the gifts they give, they have an abundance of friends.  It is no wonder that this dear person is surrounded by so many lovely friends.  I count myself as blessed to be one of them.  Thank you, Cheryl.

Stylish Blog Award

I am honored!  Cindy Lew from http://cindylewsstudio.blogspot.com/ just gave me the stylish blogger award.
Thank you, Cindy!  Please stop over and say hello to Cindy.  She is an amazing artist among many other wonderful attributes including working with children.

Thank you again, Cindy!

Pink and Green Day

Pink and green day - my absolute favorite color combination EVER and today we get to celebrate it. As I write this, I realize that I have on my lime green denim jacket that has rhinestones scattered around it (you guessed it - it's from Quacker Factory) and my bright pink shirt underneath. I can remember buying "duck shoes" - (remember those) when I was in college and they were pink and green. When I went out on my second date with my husband I wore those duck shoes, my pink wool crew neck sweater with a kelly green monogram, kelly green corduroy pants and turtleneck. It's a wonder he asked me out for a third date. Guess it was okay though since we've been married a loooooooooong time. Anyway, I thought that I would share with you some of my pink and green goodies scattered around our home.

As always, please stop by and say Happy Pink and Green Day to our wonderful hostess, Beverly, at howsweetthesound.typepad.com.

This colorful tin picture hangs in my laundry room

This picture of a Victorian home is made from fabric and lace - I just love this.  I keep saying that I am going to try and make one but it's been about 15 years now.  I'm thinkin' that's not gonna happen...

This wreath was calling my name because it is pink and green

I bought this picture on eBay - I love the chippy frame and the pink roses

More pink roses on this beautiful clock

I bought this antique cup because....you guessed it....it's pink and green

I bought a darling gold vintage purse and a dear friend of mine made a flower arrangement in it.

This was just a few pieces to share.  Thank you for stopping by and sharing in my indulgence of these two great colors!

Have a blessed pink and green day!

Movieology

Do you know what my new favorite movie is?  Chocolat!  Yes, I know, I know, it is 10 years old, but it is new to me.  I always heard it was good and tonight I finally got to see it.  The movie had some great lessons on love in it.  How many times do we think that the way to show love is to do what we think is right?  I love how Vianne shows love to the unlovely or different while those who were supposed to represent love looked away.  As I continue to grow older and learn more I realize how much that I am called to "love thy neighbor".  Oh, may I see those who need someone to care - someone to show them that they are lovable.
How about you?  Who has come into your world that you were able to show some love to?

International Womens Day

Today is International Womens Day.  I am so excited.  Where I live they are honoring fellow artists and authors and I was asked to participate.  Here is some information about this great day:

International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.

We do have female astronauts and prime ministers, school girls are welcomed into university, women can work and have a family, women have real choices. And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.

Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more. (this excerpt was taken from http://www.internationalwomensday.com/about.asp. You can go there to read the full story).

Here was my place setting and the program said Celebrate Women. ( We are pretty special).

Here I am with some amazing artists who were featured at the show.

These ladies were also artists.  The artist on the left did mixed media collage fronts of buildings she saw in Italy.  The other lady paints beauitfully and some of it is on porcelain.  If you look in the background, you can see that she did a picture of John Wayne. Wow!

This artist was recently featured at her own show and does all sorts of art from painting to sculpture.

Cheryl's work above is full of her many creations.  She was the woman I featured as the January Woman of Hope.  She paints, makes jewelry, crochets, does mixed media and my favorite - incredible beadwork.

The lady on the left is a web designer and the lady on the right is an author.

Marianne is an art teacher at a residential treatment center and can pretty much create anything.  Featured here are her sculptures that are so much fun.  They are all in private collections.

Barb is another artist who does more than one medium.  She enjoys photography (her pictures were recently published in a book about Bent's Fort and the Santa Fe Trail), gourd design, and mixed media.

Sherry is also an artist of many talents. She does mixed media, jewelry, and paints - wow, can she paint!  Both she and her son have been recognized for their talents.  It is so much fun to be around these creative women.

These darling young women are exchange students at our community college.  They sang a song that is popular in their home countries.  They were so cute to watch and the sweetest voices.  They let me take pictures of them all dressed up.

 There you have it - a fun day celebrating women!

Vintage Polka Dot

I just received an email from Brenda Sanker of the Vintage Polka Dot.  She is giving everyone an opportunity to win one of her dolls.  I love her work and would LOVE to have one of her dolls to hug on in my home.  If you'd like a chance to win, then pop on over to Brenda's place or the handmadeartfair.com and follow the steps.
Brenda, I hope I win.....

 Happy Pink Saturday and Happy March to you!! Please stop by to visit Beverly, our lovely Pink Saturday hostess!
Can you believe that it is March already (and only 11 weeks until school is out? Yippee!..this is just a side note). This February the ground hog didn't see his shadow and we really haven't had much cold since then.  In fact, today it was almost 70 degrees.  Ahh, but not to worry.  Where I live the temperature can drop 30 or so degrees in one day.  But, for now I will enjoy it.  I got home today and changed clothes so that I could take the dogs for a walk.  Err, I mean so they could take me for a walk.  You couldn't miss me.  I was the one wearing hot pink velour sweats with a small hole in the back side and the color "peanut brittle" on my behind because of years ago when I was painting a bathroom, only to bend over to get a spot and my rear end as I touched the other side of the wall.  Come to think of it, that was over 10 years ago and I am still wearing those pants.  Oh well, you know what they say, an oldie but a goodie.  Anyway, to continue telling you about my ensemble.  To match my hot pink velour pants, I wore a turquoise slinky tank top (that I had on with my "real" outfit earlier that day) and my father-in-law's red, green, and blue flannel shirt to keep my arms warm.  Yep, that's attractive.  What happened to me?!  It wasn't that long ago that I wouldn't have been caught dead (that's kind of an awful phrase) looking anything but perfectly coiffed hair, matching clothing and accessories to polish the outfit off.  Sigh...Now, my skin doesn't fit as good, I'm tired when I get home, and I just want to be comfy.  If I was really brave, I'd take a picture of my hot pink velour sweat pants to post for pink Saturday but somehow your using your imagination seems a lot better to me.  Oh, and don't forget the peanut brittle paint on my back end.  By the way, that bathroom came out awesome.  I did a Tuscany theme - nice!
Okay, Holly, focus!  Did I mention that I have focus issues?  Well, I chose this adorable lamb picture because March truly did come in like a lamb (notice the pink in her ears).  I'm going to enjoy it because I know the lion is coming.
Thank you for listening to my ramblings.  I truly hope you enjoy your tour of the wonderful ladies who participate in Pink Saturday.  I have laughed, cried, been inspired and humbled as I have read about the women who participate in this fun day! 
Pink Blessings to you!

PS I have a link to a great video (speaking of skin that doesn't fit) with Anita Renfroe called "The Wrinkled Ladies".  If you haven't seen it, you are in for a treat! Enjoy!

Forgiveness

Forgiveness - not an easy feat when we've been painfully wounded.I once read that C.S. Lewis said it had taken him 26 years to forgive someone.  He said it in a celebratory way because he had finally gotten there.  I appreciate his honesty.  A friend asked me the other day how to forgive when the person continued to cause pain in her families' lives.  We talked about how forgiveness is more for us because when we can forgive, it takes away their power over us.  Does it mean that they will quit hurting us? No.  It means that how we let it affect us is different.  I'd love to tell you that I am an expert in the area of forgiveness but I am not.  Struggling with you....