Do You Need To Speed Up or Slow Down?

Every time I think things will start to slow down, they seem to speed up.  Why is that?  Maybe it is because I have more jobs than I can count on one hand and it is pure craziness.  Someday......I'll slow down but not anytime soon.  When I think of the alternatives, I wouldn't have it any other way!

As of this weekend, we are opening the doors to our new store.  But, in my craziness I forgot to take pictures so will post them next month.  Something really interesting is that people who are walking in/by to say "Hi" are commenting that they had no idea we had such a variety of art.  In our last store, it was displayed on the walls behind the jewelry showcases.  In the new store -- part of the store is set up as a gallery - and all the work is done by local artists.  

 



















A close friend of mine who used to live in our town moved away fifteen years ago and I have not seen her for seven years.  I miss her terribly and she surprised me this month with a quick visit passing through town on her way back from California.  It is wonderful to visit with old friends -- you have history and that cannot be replaced.

How to Push Through a Painful Experience

When we go through any type of trauma in our lives, it affects us. How it affects us can be either a negative or positive experience. Hopefully, we can learn from the experience and apply what we learned if we ever go through a similar one again. But, that is often easier said than done, isn't it?

Sometimes we do not realize we have "been here before" until it's over. Pain works that way.  Pain is just that - PAIN.  When we are in the middle of it, it feels like a new experience.  Yet, it rarely is.

There are many types of pain that we experience in life.  There are times when we are blindsided and experience pain on a level we had not realized we were capable of handling.  When we look back at those experiences we often wonder how we made it through -- but we did.  And we are stronger for it.
Pain takes on many forms in your life.  Rejection, loss, physical or emotional trauma, abuse, divorce, the list goes on.

What Are the Different Types of Friends You Should Have?

The subject of friends is a broad one. There are many different types of friends. To a close, intimate friend you can say anything without feeling judged. You can tell your deepest secrets or desires. You can cry or laugh or get angry and you know it will not change how they feel about you.

Some of my greatest friends have been the four-legged furry ones. I have rescued over 30 dogs and have grieved deeply when they passed. They took with them many of the secrets I shared and the tears I cried - when only my dog would understand.







This is one friend I have not met but would like to know -- just by looking at his picture!

What 4 Things Do You Need To Live?

We have all been asked the question "What could you never live without?"  Sometimes we answer by listing those we love or some of our possessions that are very dear to us; i.e. family photos.  I think that is a given - when we lose someone we love, we feel like we do not want to live anymore.  I thought I would take a bit of a different twist here.

Each month I participate in a word challenge given four to six unrelated words to use in a story.  This month's words threw me for a loop.  How could I possibly write a story using those words?  And then it hit me, and I turned it into a post about four things I could not live without.  My words were candid, bestow, handiwork and delicious.  See what I mean?

A Large Bully Is No Match For A Tenacious Little Girl

Recently I had the pleasure to meet three on-line friends in person and each experience was amazing. My friendship deepened with each of these women, and I know we will be life-long friends. Many of you shared your own experiences when you met your blogging or on-line friends after reading How Your Blog Can Make An Impact  and Sensational Friends You May Know.

I have also had the pleasure of connecting with Erin from my grade school years.  We were friends from Kindergarten through high school and then lost touch for four decades. After all those years, we discovered we were living in close proximity of each other - 3,000 miles from where we grew up. Every year since then, we have spent a girls' getaway weekend together to play catch-up.

Unconditional Love From 6 Sensational Friends You Might Know!

Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall and see what goes on in a friend's or anyone's home?  Doing the Fly On The Wall posts each month is a great way to recap and keep a journal.  Looking over everything that happened this past month is nothing short of wonderful!

In the past three months we have lost three dogs in our family; Dakota, Willow and Texas.   If you missed these heartwarming stories, you can read them here.    This month, I am pleased to announce, we have three more!  I have already introduced you to Nayla, the Husky who is a companion to my son-in-law on his worksite.