Decisions, Decisions

I am trying to find a new logo for my burgeoning business. How do these strike you?

Fun in Chelsea

Jezzy and I have been having a blast in Celsea, MI. I'm up here helping my sister while her hubby is away on business. The girls and I have been very busy "hanging out."

 There have been webkinz to buy, school programs to attend, parks to play in, dollies to adopt, dogs to walk, and a fairy garden to build. I need to come up here more often! This is the delightful frog Eleanor found in the backyard last night. 

Gotta love that girl. Her momma would NEVER have touched such a thing growing up!

Digital Scrapping

I haven't posted a digital layout recently, so I thought I'd post one. This is what I worked on with a few girlfriends this weekend. We are doing an "All About Me" album together. It's fun. The assignment for this layout was to document the 5 favorite things in your house. Well, suffice it to say, mine were all books, so this was my layout.

Mark Your Calendars

For more than 10 years now I have been dreaming about having "my wedding." I know, I know, I've been married for (almost) 13 lucky years. And I know I couldn't be luckier. But as most of you are aware, we were married at the courthouse. Perfectly fitting for the people we were then. I'm so glad I made that choice. But shortly thereafter I started a manilla file entitled "Dream Wedding." I've thrown that file out several times (which also means it was created again and again).

I have had this very specific wedding in mind. It's a thought I clearly cannot shake. And it's so cliché! I want a Disney wedding -- not the Cinderella's castle wedding that readily comes to mind. No pumpkin coach here. But to be married in the French Pavilion in Epcot...the little garden near the canal...a gorgeous brunch at the Bistro de Paris with that fabulous 3 piece electric band, Bella Fortuna, that used to play in the Italy pavilion in Baroque costume. I even have a very cheesy song picked out from the Millennium Celebration album (which I will leave you to guess as it is far too self deprecating to actually admit which one it is). This is my dream, my recurring dream. I've only really shared it with two people until now. E - I love you for not laughing at my insanity.

The thing is, I found out that I could actually do it. It's for real - they really allow it and they even have a price for it (naturally - I should have realized that anything and everything at Disney can be arranged for a price). It could be doable for our 20th! I've always imagined that I'd have to haggle with some horribly made-up, 50-something, toothy wedding planner at Disney to make my dream come true. Apparently it would be much easier than that, in true Disney fashion. 

So I'm putting it out there for the universe (and you) to know. I'm planning for this as an actuality. Mark your calendars for May 1, 2015. We'll be celebrating our anniversary with my fantasy Disney wedding. You're certainly welcome to come. I'm pretty sure Mickey and Minnie will make an appearance. Oh, and if you too have the wild hare to do something this crazy, check out this fabulous Disney wedding planning site. I know I'll be back. (and back, and back....)

Oh the Fun of Photoshop!

I am really getting into all of the possibilities of photoshop. I subscribe to this fabulous podcast: Adobe Photoshop Elements Killer Tips. In it, I learned how to make photo silhouettes. It has been so much fun! Check out these images:

So this morning, Richard and I created a new header for his blog about Disney. Be sure to check it out. I am proud of it, if I do say so myself.

Spring Break

Hayes is on Spring Break this week (and next!) and we have been on some fun outings. These are two of my favorite pictures from our trip to the Creamery and the Butterfly Garden.

Ever Have One of Those Mornings?

I did. Today. It started with my restless sleeping as Hayes decided he must sleep in the bed with me when daddy's gone. Seemed like a sweet thing at 9:30 last night -- around 1 a.m. it's just annoying. And then, at 2:30 a.m. I hear the dog retching. Yup, she is throwing up. Thank God it's on the carpet and not in the bed. 

I get up to see if I can help her, and I realize it's the Easter chocolate - and the foils - from about a dozen mini Reese's Cups. Great. Exactly what I was NOT wanting to see. (In case you are unaware, chocolate is toxic to dogs and can be lethal in large doses.) I call the after-hours vet hot line and speak to Liz. She is not concerned. Apparently milk chocolate is better than dark (how can it be possible?) and the fact that there was peanut butter as part of the treat seems helpful as well. She says we can expect some vomiting and diarrhea over the next few days. Nice. I go back to bed. Jezzy comes with me. I say a short and direct prayer about doing anything so long as she doesn't "pass" the chocolate in the bed. I am sure God has heard me.

Hayes wakes me up at 5:30 - the bed is wet. So are his boxers. Really? This hasn't happened for ages. Yup, really. Ok, strip the bed; strip the kid; wash the kid; redress the kid; put kid in his own bed (where I am now convinced he should have been all night anyway); throw the bed clothes in the laundry; redress the bed; get under the covers only to hear the alarm go off -- I have to work today. Where's Richard, you ask? He's in Orlando. He'll be back Thursday afternoon. Most of the chocolate should have "moved through" Jezzy's system by then.

I'm tired. I think I'll go to bed. Alone.

John O'Donohue

I have never really heard or read much about the Celtic tradition of faith, and honestly this man doesn't exactly promote it. But poet and author John O'Donohue is what I think of as a modern day mystic and for that, I like to think of him as Celtic. He is after all a native Irish man. 

I ran across him listening to the Speaking of Faith podcast. It's an NPR show that airs here on Sunday mornings. The podcast is entitled "The Inner Landscape of Beauty." I think I have listened to it now 5 times. It is the sort of thing that I just can't get enough of. A conversation about a faith integrated with a longing for beauty and an intense relationship to God and a friends. I highly recommend downloading it.

 Although he passed away this January, his newest book of blessings has just been released. It is To Bless the Space Between Us: A book of Blessings. I've purchased it and his beautifully entitled book Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom. Anam Cara means Soul Friend. You can see why I was immediately attracted to it.