"Heading Back Home..."

"There is nothing like
returning to a place that remains unchanged...
to find the ways
in which you yourself have altered.”
~Nelson Mandela

"Happy Sunday..."

from me to you. :)

It's an overcast, rainy, 57 degree Sunday here in

Sycamore, Illinois.

Some may consider it dreary...but...

to this Arizona girl it is a

perfect prelude to the coming of fall.

It is

a day for warm cozy fireplaces, baking oatmeal cookies,

and having good one-on one time

with my artistic Muse.

Add some take out Chinese sesame chicken for dinner

and the day is complete.

Our past week here has been filled with

visiting apple orchards, walking through pumpkin patches,

playing in corn mazes

and even strolling through a Christmas tree farm.

Fresh apple cider and apple cinnamon donuts have

topped off almost every trip.

I absolutely LOVE this time of year to pieces...

fall is my most favorite season of all.

I feel blessed

to be able to experience even this small slice of it

midwest style...

before heading back to desert and her beauty

by the end of the month.

Our time in Illinois whooshed by so quickly this year.

It has really taken me by surprise...

as I left Arizona dragging my heels...dreading the blast of

humidity I knew was inevitable here.

I sit and marvel at the fact

that I now feel I may be dragging my heels going back to Arizona!

Funny, isn't it?

My blog posts have been few and far between this trip...

sorry 'bout that.

I suppose that is normal when

changing and readjusting one's daily habits occurs.

I thank those of you

who still come back for visits either daily...

or every now and then.

I have lots of art to share...and I promise I will do so...

soon...:)

“Shut the door...
not that it lets in the cold...but that it lets out
the coziness.”
~Mark Twain

"Sweet Serenity..."

...the last of my "Sensitive Floral" series of this summer.

Happy Blooming Tuesday...

and

Happy Belated Birthday to my niece Courtney!!

Love you! XO

“Boredom is the feeling
that everything is a waste of time;
serenity,
that nothing is.”
~Thomas S. Szasz

"Reflections...A Repost..."

I,

like so many others,

remember exactly everything

about that fateful September morning in 2001

when

all of our "knowns" became "unknowns".

September 11th, 2001

started as routinely as any regular school day.

My lesson plan for social studies that day was to

introduce the concepts of

"Fact...Opinion...and Rumor..."

as part of understanding current events.

That is the absolute, unbelieveable, undeniable TRUTH!!!

I still get chills every time I think about it.

Needless to say,

during those seconds, and minutes, and hours

of that teaching day

and

throughout the infinite lessons and journal entries

and broken hearts, and tears, and the thousands of questions

of those days that followed ...

it

undeniably was one of the most powerfully moving and

spiritually inspiring

moments of my entire teaching career.

I remember that day as if it were yesterday...

it is crystal clear in my heart.

My personal memories of it are wrenching and raw

yet paradoxically serene and filled with hope.

Seeing the world through the eyes of a child is very special.

I was a privilege that day to be a teacher.

I dedicate this post to the memory of those souls lost that day...

and

to the junior high students who were in my classes then...

and

to Matt, my team teaching partner,

who "held my hand" throughout it all.

I wish you peace...

Remember...Every day REALLY does matter.

"Back To My Moleskine..."

...after spending an exhilarating, and also exhausting,

Labor Day weekend

making & swapping 25 artist trading cards

at Illustrated ATCs.

So...now I guess it's time that I had better

"SNAP" to...cuz my Muse is really a "DRAGGIN' ".

Get it? Snap...draggin'???)

Hehheheh hahahah! :)

Yeah...I know...that was totally lame...:)

“Through humor,

you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers.

And once you find laughter,

no matter how painful your situation might be,

you can survive it.”
~Bill Cosby

"The Gathering..."

...posted today in honor of the large gathering of artists

at Illustrated ATCs this weekend

for the 3 day 2011 Labor Day Weekend Artathon!

Pop over for a peek in our gallery!

Just click here!

Wheeeeeeee!

"True wisdom
lies in gathering the precious things out of each day
as it goes by.”
~Author unknown

My Entries...

...for the 2011 "I Love Japan" swap at Illustrated ATCs.

First, a Gion Matsuri Festival Lantern...
...followed by a "Cherry Blossom Geisha"...
then, an "Uchiwa Flat Fan"...

and finally, an "Uchiwa Folded Fan"..."

“Do not follow the ideas of others,
but learn to listen to the voice within yourself.
Your body and mind will become clear
and
you will realize the unity of all things.”
~Dogen
Japanese Buddhist monk and philosopher
1200-1253