For those who kept up with me in here, I apologize for the wide gaps in posts…please come over to Paisley Goddess and keep up with me there!

Dog’s Diary
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 PM - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
1:00 PM - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 PM - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 PM - Dinner! My favorite thing!
7:00 PM - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 PM - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 PM - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

The Cat’s Diary

Day 983 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little
dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and
I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the
rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up
my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an
Attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had
hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my
capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a
“good little hunter” I am. Bastards! There was some sort of assembly of their
accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of
the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that
my confinement was due to the power of “allergies.” I must learn what this
means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors
by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow,
but at the top of the stairs. I am convinced that the other prisoners here are
flunkies and Snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly
released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously Retarded.
The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicate with the Guards
regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged
protective custody for him in an Elevated Cell, so he is safe. For now..

While I am not a  Pisces, I am a water person and some of my favorite activities involve water - swimming, lakes, baths, boating - I just can’t have those colors in my decor. I need warm earth tones..probably because too much of the cool water stuff and I can’t get grounded! (but thats another story!)

As that wonderful thing called serendipity would have it, as I was online grabbing hex codes for the colors, I ran across this blog and my jaw dropped. Not only was it a pleasure to read, but she has some great photos of the beach! It added to my inspiration!( Go visit her and see what I mean!)

We did have 2 vacations last year, both at the beach and I did take some photos. Since we had our new puppy along, I found it hard to hold onto him and catch good images at the same time. But, after going through the images from our vacations, I found a few I could play with.

And just for fun, I’m going to share a few!

Speaking of new puppy at the beach - here he is! This picture cracks me up now! He was so tiny then! You can see a more current picture of him in my left sidebar. What a sweetie pie dog he is - but he didn’t like the water at the beach!

The sky reflection in the water

While not the same as a tropical beach, you just can’t beat North Carolina’s island beaches!

Ahhhh…sweet memories and I will always love time near water! Now…back to creating with that wonderful color palette!

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

Now, normally, I don’t even recall the words to this, but I was reciting it as I was waking up. I do this most every morning. As I am waking up I am either having a conversation with someone who is not in my life or discussing a topic not relevant to my waking life. It is a fascinating thing indeed. If I can recall what I am saying, it leads to some interesting discoveries.

I got up to do my usual email and website checks. Since a feed I use was down and causing havoc in my sites, making it so I couldn’t can’t do any posts or work in them, I decided to work on some new images. As I was going through a disc of old images, I came across one I had started last fall. It was meant to be for my son for Christmas, but I never finished it.

As I was looking at it, the title came to me “Looking For Hope”

I wanted to add something else to the image…which at this point was just tree branches surrounding a bright ray of sunshine. I wanted to add another image to the center where the light was. I got to thinking about images that signified Hope.

Well, there is the Dove - the sign that gave Noah hope that the waters would be receding. And there is the…..oh my gosh, it hit me! There is the Statue of Liberty!
Now, I don’t want to put the Statue of Liberty in the center of this image, but how weird that I woke up reciting the words on the Statue of Liberty!

Now, my mind was spinning….references to hope….so many topics and memories, current events, all came racing to my thoughts. Then a song title - which has been my absolute favorite song since I was in Jr. High - The Last Resort by the Eagles.

EAGLES LYRICS

“The Last Resort”

She came from Providence,
the one in Rhode Island
Where the old world shadows hang
heavy in the air
She packed her hopes and dreams
like a refugee
Just as her father came across the sea

She heard about a place people were smilin’
They spoke about the red man’s way,
and how they loved the land
And they came from everywhere
to the Great Divide
Seeking a place to stand
or a place to hide

Down in the crowded bars,
out for a good time,
Can’t wait to tell you all,
what it’s like up there
And they called it paradise
I don’t know why
Somebody laid the mountains low
while the town got high

Then the chilly winds blew down
Across the desert
through the canyons of the coast, to
the Malibu
Where the pretty people play,
hungry for power
to light their neon way
and give them things to do

Some rich men came and raped the land,
Nobody caught ‘em
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus,
people bought ‘em
And they called it paradise
The place to be
They watched the hazy sun, sinking in the sea

You can leave it all behind
and sail to Lahaina
just like the missionaries did, so many years ago
They even brought a neon sign: “Jesus is coming”
Brought the white man’s burden down
Brought the white man’s reign

Who will provide the grand design?
What is yours and what is mine?
‘Cause there is no more new frontier
We have got to make it here

We satisfy our endless needs and
justify our bloody deeds,
in the name of destiny and the name
of God

And you can see them there,
On Sunday morning
They stand up and sing about
what it’s like up there
They call it paradise
I don’t know why
You call someplace paradise,
kiss it goodbye

With Global Warming, the war and the greed of the present administration (not to mention the mis-use of claiming to be doing God’s bidding) and the immigration issues, this song is so relevant for today. The song even references the Statue of Liberty…the Mother of Exiles.

I could see that so much more than how to finish this image was going on…..here we are, as a country, in the middle of an election year, looking for change, looking for hope to end the madness that has been going on.

I’ll let this swirl around in my head for a few days and see what comes of it in regards to the above image. But as I was talking to my son and daughter about this today, I asked them…what do you think of when you think of the word Hope?

What images or symbols do you think of?

(Below is the entire poem that is on the Statue of Liberty)

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Emma Lazarus, 1883

Now, normally, I wouldn’t say anything negative about my hubby here on my blog, but, well, he has an explosive temper and to be truthful, when I saw the word, that was the first thing to pop into my head.

To his credit, I will say, he has come a long ways since I met him and his explosive outbursts are now few and far between. As a matter of fact, his last major explosive outburst caused him to break his hand when he hit the refrigerator door. A very good lesson for him!

So, all of that said- This weekend his neck/shoulder were spasming and he was in a lot of pain and therefore took some heavy duty muscle relaxants and pain killers. On Saturday, we decided to take our dog to the dog park. He should have stayed home as these meds make your brain mush and knock one out, but he went along.

He ended up just staying in the car and sleeping while I did the doggy park thing.

So, once we were done, dog in hubby’s lap, on the way home, I thought it’d be nice to stop at Sonic and buy one of our fav drinks there - a Route 44 Cherry Limeade ( for those who don’t know, I think it is a bit more than 64 ounces)

Well, we were in hubby’s car, he has a Saab (no drink holders) so he installed these very nifty drink holders on the doors, but with this drink being so big and top heavy, one has to keep a finger on it and hold it on corners or it will topple out.

Now, he had slept, I thought he was awake and doing OK.

He didn’t say a word regarding this drink when I was ordering it and there was no way I could hold it on my side as his car is a manual.

So, he has the drink in his drink holder, holding it with a few fingers.

We are on our way home, happy dog, my mouth salivating, anxious for the sweet cherry limeade elixir to hit my throat once we got home.

All, is fine, until we got on the very winding street to our house. I hadn’t noticed, but he had dozed off……

I rounded a corner and suddenly this huge drink of pink heaven is flying out of the holder and all over the floor on his side.

At this point, an explosive reaction occurred. Ummm…I dare not even repeat the words and the actions. The poor dog was terrified and I thought hubby would bust his door and break his elbow and I think the entire county heard him. Wasn’t pretty.

This explosive reaction went on for another 10 minutes while the dog and I hid.

I lost every ounce of my precious drink….my last visual was of that bright juicy cherry sittng next to that glorious wedge of lime, glistening in a pile of pink ice, about 3 inches deep all over the floorboard of hubby’s car.

One redeeming quality of hubby’s explosive temper is that after his explosion, he is fine. He never holds grudges or harbors his anger. A soaked pink floorboard mat is draining on the porch. And I, well, I am still craving a Route 44 Cherry Limeade from Sonic.

I hate car shopping. Hubby does all the research, but then we go and test drive, and test drive and test drive and narrow down what we want…*tiring*

But, over and over, I kept going back to the Volvo - with the V70 wagon or the S60 sedan. Yep, that is what I wanted!

So, we are off to the Atlanta Shoe Show (for hubby’s work) and he comments…there are so many dealerships here and they are very competitive, we should buy a car here!

I make my move on that note…yes, thats a great idea. So, after a fabulous brunch at our favorite French bakery in Marietta, we are on our way to the show and lookie there, a Volvo dealership! Hubby pulls in…the point was to drive both a wagon and the sedan and decide which one.

Well, they had no wagons…no one has wagons….everyone is looking for wagons (I am talking pre-owned, not new)

But they have a gorgeous gold S60…low miles…..I test drive it…then I say…”I’m tired of waiting…let’s DO THIS NOW!!”

Five hours later (and without ever making it to the shoe show that day) I am driving away in my new car!

We did get to the show the next day and while it was a fast blur through it, I did get to bring home (to test drive) a pair of flipflops designed to give your legs a workout when you wear them. They are called Fitflops.

One perk of being married to the foot/shoe guy is that he is always bringing me home shoes to ‘try out’.

So, my latest news is new workout flipflops and a new car. Not a bad deal.

Today begins a fun online Treasure Hunt hosted by Angie’s Baker Treasures.

Visit numerous great sites, collect the puzzle pieces to win a gorgeous Trinity Rose Bracelet!

Good Luck and Have Fun!

The new site is called Paisley Goddess Home and features art, decor and decorating tips based on the current zodiac sign.

Stop by and say Hi!

Well, lately, I have had so much to do and since I work from home, I multi-task. I have about 10 windows up on my computer at all times, I have 4 or 5 books open around me, my graphics CD’s scattered all over, my photographs, scanner going……

Then I’ll hop up and put a load of laundry in or wash a few dishes, or answer the phone or vacuum the floors, take the dog on two walks and a pee-pee break to get the mail, get caught up in emails or discover some new tech thing-a-ma-giggy and have to set it up on my sites.

The point being that I think I’m pretty good at multi-tasking.

Aren’t multi-taskers the cream of the crop? The wanted and needed elite?

Hmmmm…. well, I toasted a piece of toast the other day, put my coconut oil on it and my blackberry jam and then…went and did a zillion other things…there it sat…all day long! I totally forgot about it! I’ve lost my drivers license and have no clue where it could be!

Then today, I thought it was Valentines and I was stressing over all I had to do before our trip to the Atlanta Shoe Show…I’m emailing friends wishing them a Happy Valentines and fretting over what to get hubby….Lord have mercy! (I guess it could just look like I am ahead…)

Lately, I haven’t been so hot at the multi-tasking.

Then I read something that talked about being fully present when we do something. To not try to do a multitude of things at once. To give our full attention and thought to one thing at a time. Even if it means not getting to everything on our to-do list.

This is a huge step towards de-stressing your life and to being more creative.

So, I am going to give up multi-tasking. Yep. I am going to go about my day, fully focused on one task at a time.

Wish me luck!

Maybe some art will come out of that. But, I am so happy that we have reconnected and that she will now be a part of me and my immediate family’s life!

Then the stomach flu struck….luckily, it was just for a day…a day of purging, for sure! Maybe getting the rest of the family dysfunction gunk out once and for all? Could very well be the case!

January is almost over…I have a few more Valentines designs to finish, but here is my main Valentines design for this year. I decided to do something that wasn’t gender based or age based, but was still “me”.

Right now, at Cafepress, the current promotion is to save $10 when ordering $50 or more -use coupon code: SWEAT50

Enchanted Girl Apparel & Gifts Valentines Design - You Hold My Heart

This design is a pair of hands in op art fashion, with various cute hearts and the words,”You hold my heart”, subtly written within the hands. You can give this to a friend, a relative or a significant other, no matter what age they are!

Looks great on a colored Tee - how about red or pink?

I love the Ringer Tee - very sharp and this looks great with the edging in red!

Or how about for your beloved pet?