The BEAUTY of it all!!!

WOW!!! The first bloom of the season on the peony!!! I got this plant two years ago in Colorado at a quaint little nursery in Crested Butte. I am so thrilled it has bloomed again this year!! And the frangrance is divine!

Ok, how do you add more pics to a post without all of them appearing at the top of the post??? Guess I am just used to typepad and their format....there are things I like better on blogspot and then there are things I like better on typepad...want the best of both..on each of my blogs!!!

Chaos? Why yes I seem to be queen of that!!!

Have you ever known someone who could create chaos anywhere they are??? Well, you do now! Crown me queen of chaos....no one in my family will disagree at this time! My living room was just fine, completely decorated...very Old World Italian...I simply love that look when I do it for clients...but for some reason, I decided I wanted something playful, light, airy, clean, crisp....so......welcome PEPPERMINT TEA! Now I am not talking the kind you sip....yum! I am talking the paint color. My living room walls donned that color last week, which made me need to paint the ceiling, then the bookcases, then the french doors....then the baseboards...you get the picture right? Well, right in the middle of it all, my mom (who you know is now residing with us) said she thought it all needed a finishing touch, crown molding! Well, I am here to tell you that job is not as easy as it looks! I have three 12' strips of it, butchered, to prove it!!!! Last night I researched online and am about to go at it again...so keep those positive thoughts that a creative brain can think rationally, at least this once. Hoping by tonight to have the molding up and to paint the last coat on the bookcases before I collapse into a chair and watch some T.V., Brothers and Sisters is back on tonight. -Sandra

Hippity Hop Easter Swap day #10

Isn't she adorable??? Thank you Ann Marie Scrabo for this sweet bunny box! I have it perched on a vintage metal candlestick in my living room, the crown is just the perfect touch for that sweet little bunny!!! This truly was the best Spring swap ever!! Just filled with treasures and I can't bare to take them down yet!!!

How Lucky Can You Get!

Even though I had no idea my life would spin out of control this last month, I signed up for an Easter Swap headed up by Heather Bluhm . She was an excellent hostess, emailing us with all the details for the swap...there were 11 women in the swap, and we were to create an Easter/Spring creation for each person in our group. Heather was the one with the enormous task of sorting and mailing for all the groups.

Well I was one LUCKY GIRL !!!! Just look at the fabulous creation I unwrapped out of the package that Heather sent:

I will do the count down backwards (so appropriate for me!!!) from day 11 to day one!

Day 11 was this Sweet little chick box from Vivian at http://www.vivswhimsy.blogspot.com/ !!

The little chick is handmade and is dressed for Easter in a sweet pink ruffled collar and a pastel party hat!! the box sits on a nest of white crepe paper and I must agree with Kecia (http://www.lemoncholys.blogspot.com/ ) it does remind me of a cupcake or sweet confection! I just can't get enough of this one...she is perched on top of one of my mercury glass candlesticks in a layer of aqua paper Easter grass! Thanks Vivian, not sure I can put this one away after Easter, she may just have to sit with me in the Studio!!! Love it!!!

I'm still here...I think

Just a quick hello to let you know I have not fallen off the face of the earth....just taken an overwhelming dive into a new season of life. My mom is home from the hospital and almost moved into my house...we are bringing things over daily as we find a need or a place for them. I am sitting here sipping coffee almost comotose though, as it seems there is so much more for us to do....not to mention going back to work and making some money to pay the bills....yes, darn it, they still come even when you don't have time to think about them! I really do hope that by the weekend, I will be back to the world of blog and having pictures to post....look forward to catching up on all your latest post and creativity. Say a prayer for peace and calm as we all adjust to the changes that are taking place in this season of life...and that we will continue to see the beauty in it all! -Sandra

~~~Gratitude Galore!!~~~~

What a beautiful Saturday morning here in Texas!! The sun is shining and the skies are blue (at the moment..it is Texas you know)! I feel so thankful just to be sitting at the computer, at home and finally blogging again! So, to start off with, a picture and a big THANK YOU to Kecia and Rosalyn Sue for sending me so many wonderful goodies for Valentines. We had a little swap going, and I promise girls that you will get mine very soon. February has turned out to be a crazy month for us!! First it was the stomach bug, then my mom entering the hospital, then transferring her to another hospital with a respiratory rehabilitation program, then my son gets the flu....thinking maybe I was meant to be a nurse! But thankfully everyone is on the mend! My mom is getting stronger everyday, she looks great, her color is good and she has the sparkle back in her pretty eyes!!! My son is feeling better too, he slept for two days and napped lots on the third...but now is playing games on his computer...so think he is getting over it!! Hooray!!! Combine all that with the sunshine and I am one HAPPY girl!!!

I think when you spend much time at a hospital, you see that you should be thankful for everything little thing. One patient at the hospital has had both legs amputated, is legally blind, suffers from diabetes and has to have dialysis ....bless her heart! Her husband is faithfully by her side everyday, reading to her. My heart just aches for her, then there is the woman that has had bone grafting back surgery and has not had her feet on the floor since December 27th! She just yesterday got to sit for just a few minutes as they fit her for a brace she is to wear. She is so afraid of doing something to injure her back again. When you see all of this on a daily basis, my mom and I agreed it makes you so thankful for the blessings in our own life!!

~Looking for the beauty in all things~

haven't posted in a while...life can get really complicated when you least expect it! We finally recovered from the stomach virus and headed back to work and school for all of one day...when we got the call that my mom had been hospitalized. She has COPD, a pulminary disease that causes her to be on oxygen 24 hrs a day. Well, on Tuesday morning she woke up and was struggling to breathe, my brother was there and took her to the hospital, where she was admitted with pnuemonia. As of today, she is still there, but getting stronger everyday, thank God!!! She finally was able to sit in a chair yesterday and keep her oxygen level at a good place. It is always such a scare when she gets sick. She is absolutely the best mom there ever was ( I know that is what most daughters think!) she has filled the role of both mother and father most of my life and also the role of a dear friend!

NOW, for the beauty in all of this (there is always beauty if you look real hard!!!) I have had the last 7 days to sit by her bed and give her my undivided attention. I have been able to help her when she needed something, which feels so good since she has given her life to giving and doing for her children. And...we got to watch our fill the decorating chanel and play "guest critic", catch up on our magazines and show each other the pretty things in each one...and talk about our dreams and what we want most.....time is a gift, a beautiful gift !!!

Now what is a post with out a picture or two...just thought I would share with you some pictures of a job that I have been working on. It is a little girls room and is in vivid colors of hot pink,spring green and black. I just wanted to share with you the progress and to give a big thank you to Wendy at POPIN http://www.shoppopin.com/....she ordered the adorable bed crown that I painted on to go above the beed! It is so amazing the connections that can be made in the blog world!!! Thank you Wendy...the project is coming together with lots of thanks to you!!! Check out POPIN, if you have kiddos, this is a great site and shop!