Saturday, September 19, 2015

Black and White

Clarity:


noun

1.
clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding; freedom from 
indistinctness or ambiguity.
2.
the state or quality of being clear or transparent to the eye; pellucidity:
the clarity of pure water.


I am all about "clarity".
I am not interested in grey areas.
Once things get blurry, it's hard for me to focus.

In most every aspect of my life, 
I draw hard lines--
and because I know my self so well, 
I also know I have to be careful about those hard lines
and where I draw them.

I don't flinch on somethings--
honesty.
truth.
loyalty.
effort.
integrity.

Those things I don't flinch on.
Not with myself, not with my family, not with my friends.

I was having lunch with a dear friend last week
and as this topic came up,
she said,
"Judging others is my favorite sin."
We both laughed. And cringed.
It's true. I am completely guilty of judging--
not to condemn others,
but to protect my self.
I have discovered that the older I get,
the more suspicious I am of others and their motives.
I pay attention--
if someone is especially gossipy about someone else,
in an unkind way,
I find that I am guarded about what I say to them
and I back away as slowly as I can without causing a stir.

I also have a hard time trusting someone who comes across as selfish,
self-righteous, self-serving, and diva-like.
To me, that means they will choose themselves over anyone else
leaving "loyalty" on the curb.
 I don't know what this says about me,
still figuring this out, really.
I like the part of the Hypocratic Oath that says, 
"First Do No Harm."
I want to be mindful of that oath because it's a good one, yeah?

Another fault of mine is I don't suffer fools lightly.
I don't see as my role that of correcting fools either.
Unless they're my kids--then, yes, 
I have to,
HAVE TO,
correct them.
That comes with the territory of being a Parent.
But the rest of the world is on their own.
You're welcome.

Not my business if you wanna lie through your teeth
like everyone on "Grey's Anatomy" or "General Hospital",
go ahead, create your legacy.
But 
Stay away from me and mine.

Being clear with my family is imperative because my goal
is to be as transparent as possible with them.
I want to them to be able to judge me, if you will,
as to what's important to me.
No smoke and mirrors here.

So yeah, I have to be careful where I draw those hard lines.
There's lots of things I let "slide"--
heavens, I am not interested in stirring up contention over 
silly, insignificant things--
those that fall under the heading of:
"WILL IT MATTER IN A YEAR? A MONTH? A WEEK? AN HOUR?"





A Case of "Creativity-itis"

I have had a wild case of "Creativity-itis", and I'm not looking for a cure, people.
Many friends and family have added to this "itis" n' I love it.
So here goes:


First, I did the florals for a wedding reception with a lovely and talented friend, Laurel:




 We loved the fresh garland on the mantel...we ordered it from fiftyflowers.com and added the flowers to it :


 All the table centerpeices were made from fresh florals--some from fiftyflowers.com and some from a local floral supply wholesaler here in the Springs:


I'm also working on another wedding reception doing these lantern centerpieces in all shapes and sizes:


 And I did the calligraphy for the invites to the Rehearsal dinner too:






  I was also commissioned to do these three pieces for a young man we knew as a missionary here in the Springs, as a gift for his wife's birthday. Their children's names and a special scripture he'd chosen for them.  I didn't take pics of them finished, darn it, tho I was pleased with how they turned out:










Then, I started school!
I love it.
I really do.
Great teachers, great classes, all of it!
One of my Interior Design classes has a Project Notebook assignment,
and as part of the Supply List, I had to invest in decent colored pencils and markers,
so I just started doodling to create my notebook and have found that's another
thing that I so enjoy:

























 Then I just started doodling things and such for my own enjoyment and relaxation:









In honor of Fall:

I've also been staging and unstaging homes but the selling season is about over which is OK for me since I started school.  And that's it for me!  

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Like a cudzu vine...


Joseph, age 15 1/2
Height: 6'5"
Wgt 190

Likes: Mountain Biking, Hiking, Hammock Camping, Mountain Rappelling.
Anything outdoors.
Dislikes: cleaning his room, any sport that involves a ball;
 "I"m not a dog, I don't chase balls." direct quote.

How He Spent His Summer:

Scout Camp @ Camp Alexander, Colorado:
One Week of Life spent doing what he loves, 
turned into a possible summer job for 2016
working up there. His fingers are crossed!

Pioneer Trek @ Martin's Cove, Wyoming:
Memorable quotes:
"It was too short, I could've walked for a week."
"Hardest part was watching the "women's pull" up Rocky Ridge. 
I may have gotten a little emotional, Mom."


Rocky Mountain National Park camping:
Guided his cousin on hikes,
saw a mountain lion
and a bear came through our campsite.

11 Mile Reservoir Camping, Colorado
Just he and his dad making memories.

Red Rock Canyon Bike Trails, Colorado Springs, CO.