excerpt

Something I just read and really liked in As A Woman Thinketh:

She who would accomplish little must sacrifice little;
she who would achieve much must sacrifice much;
she who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.

Lotus Pillow

***The pictures from my phone were deleted for whatever reason,
so I uploaded this picture. Hopefully it stays. :)
It's not the greatest picture, but it gets the idea across. ***

My camera is still suffering from a major attitude problem, so I took pictures of my latest completed craft with my phone...I'll have to figure out how to edit these pictures. Until then, here are some side-ways shots of a pillow I made with my lotus flower embroidery for a friend's birthday. It turned out really cute!

I worked on it on Sunday at "craft day" with a few friends. I've got a great craft/project idea in mind to decorate our bedroom. I'm glad I found a group of crafty gals to hang out with!!

Pin-up Monograms

Yep, that's Pin-Up Monogram for Patrick's name.

And Pin-Up Monogram for my name.

Uncorked

Have you seen any great movies? How about your top list of amazing movies? One movie that is on my list of "WOW Movies" is "Uncorked." This little clip is from near the very end of the movie and has a guitar solo that I think is pretty sweet.



Seriously, this is a great movie to see. It's a tough one to find, though. Only one of all the Hollywood Video stores in all of Utah county had it. I was able to get it through Blockbuster Online so my hubby could see it a year ago. Unfortunately, it's not really on sale anywhere, and anywhere that is selling it has the price marked up super high.

Anyway, what I love about this movie is that it tells a story of a man who wants a certain life so badly...riches, comfort, etc. The way he is pursuing these desires, though, is a dead end. Through the insight of his eccentric uncle, life is given new clarity and new meaning.

I really relate to the man's resistance to the natural path. It's a challenge when you really think or feel that life is going to unfold a certain way, and (as we all probably know by now) at what seems the most inopportune moment, it all comes crumbling down. We are left confused, disparaged, disheartened, and wondering what to do.

In all that chaos, something beautiful is simultaneously developing. The moment where a choice can be made, new direction taken, and forward momentum created. Whether it is a movie, book, new acquaintace, etc., I absolutely thrive on anything which has subject matter gravitating around this concept.

I am currently reading "As a Man Thinketh" by James Allen. It was recommended to me by someone I hardly know yet highly respect. The copy I purchased is titled "As a Woman Thinketh," and it is exactly the same other than using "woman," "she," "her," etc. instead of "he," "man," "his," etc. I've been questioned a couple times by different people as to how necessary it is to change from male to female pronouns, and at this point, I'm sticking to enjoying being a woman and reading a book that has been redirected toward women. (that was a total side-tanjent)


As a Man/Woman Thinketh talks about how these circumstances in life are the "equitable outworking of her evolving, yet unevolved self." WOW...seriously, WOW!!!! Life experiences are the result of our innermost thoughts. They are also opportunities for us to learn and reroute ourselves onto a higher path. And, the same circumstances/experiences will continue to resurface over and over again until we do learn the lesson and make the appropriate changes. WOW! I feel like I always knew this, but conveniently denied knowing it. It was in my head only, not where it matters most...in my heart.

One of my favorite quotes from this book nails personal accountability right on the head:

"Woman is buffetted by circumstances so long as she believes herself to be the creature of outside conditions, but when she realizes that she is a creative power, and that she may command the hidden soil and seeds of her being out of which circumstaces grow, she then becomes the rightful master of herself."

So, I'm totally in deep thought about "life's purpose" and deciding how I am going to change my thoughts so I can achieve my life's purpose. Movies, books, discussions....bring it on. I love this stuff!

cold weather is for the birds...or something like that

I can't believe how chilly it is already. I am sooooo not ready for fall/winter. I'm longing for next spring/summer...they can't come too soon. :) This winter I plan on "enjoying" the season. I'll get out and go snowboarding, play in the snow, go for drives (on fair-weathered days), and will go to a gym and play racquetball to stay active. Hopefully this will keep me happy throughout the cold yucky days. There's a reason I was born in and lived in Phoenix for 22 years of my life!

Some hilarious embroidery

New Favorite Song

"You Don't Know Me" by Ben Folds featuring Regina Spektor is my new favorite song. It combines two artists that I love into one really great song. (push play!)



I love the lyrics:

I wanna ask you -
Do you ever sit and wonder,
It's so strange
That we could be together for
So long, and never know, never care
What goes on in the other one's head?

Things I've felt but I've never said
You said things that I never said
So I'll say something that I should have said long ago:

(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all (at all)

You could have just propped me up on the table like a mannequin
Or a cardboard stand-up and paint me (paint me)
Any face that you wanted me
To be seen.
We're
Damned by the existential moment where
We saw the couple in the coma and
It was we were the cliché,
But we carried on anyway.

So, sure, I could just close my eyes.
Yeah, sure, trace and memorize,
But can you go back once you know

(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all (at all)

(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me

If I'm the person that you think I am (Ah ah ahh)
Clueless chump you seem to think I am (Ah ah ahhh)
So easily led astray,
An errant dog who occasionally escapes and needs a shorter leash, then
Why the f*%& would you want me back?!

Maybe it's because

(You don't know me at all)

Ahhh ah
Ahhh ah

(You don't know me,
you don't know me.)

Ahhh ah
Ahhh ah

So, what I'm trying to say is
What (What?)
I'm trying to tell you
It's not gonna come out like I wanna say it cause I know you'll only change it.
(Say it.)

(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all (at all)

(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all
(You don't know me)
You don't know me at all (at all)

What?

(Mmmm, ohh oh
Ah ah ah ah ah
Aha ah ah ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Aha ah
Ah ah
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah
Oh-oh-oh-oh oh ohh)


Now, I know the song is kind of depressing, but seriously, anyone who has been in a serious relationship for a chunk of time knows that you do get to a point where you're just wondering what the hell is going on anymore. It's not the end of the world...it's just a point where you have to get your own worlds back on course to where they collide into each other again.

I can really relate to this song right now. I see both myself and my hubby in the lyrics. The frustration, the wondering, and the desire to stick it out and get to know each other all over again. Yesterday was our 8 month anniversary, and even in that short amount of time, I know there's room to grow closer...to be better individuals...to be a better couple. In my humble opinion and in my limited experience, the key to having a successful relationship is selflessness. If there is any selfishness, a wedge is put in place, and you end up feeling alienated and/or hopeless. The kicker here (as I'm processing what I'm typing...) is that I am and have been really selfish. Ugh. I love and hate realizations about myself.

Now, I have no idea if Patrick feels this way too, or if it's just me. I do know this is a LOT of self-disclosure for a blog. This is my "journal," though, so it is what it is.

Scrapblog

I used to scrapbook with a friend of mine, but it has been years since I really put any effort into it. I'm still working on a project for my dad for Christmas '07...a scrapbook. Yep, I find it time and space consuming, and I just don't deal with it anymore.

So...I was super excited to find Scrapblog!!! Here's a little example of what I created tonight. I know it's not the best, but it's still fun.

Embroidery pattern for a curtain

I know this is a tiny picture...I haven't yet figured out how to scan stuff and have it be normal sized. However, this is an embroidery pattern I am going to do on a curtain for our front door! I'll post pictures as this creation comes to life. The embroidery is going to be close to the bottom of the curtain, and I'm going to use ribbon the same color as the "Love Ribbon" I made for the living room. I'm pretty excited to have something other than a nasty piece of old fabric tacked to the door.

Running Shoes!

Alice from I AM NOT FROM YOUR COUNTRY inspired me to pull out my running shoes.


I got these babies at Runners Corner in Orem, UT a couple years ago. I was so impressed with the store, the selection, and the staff. And I really love these shoes. My feet always felt great when I was out running around.

Since it has been about 1 1/2 years since I last put these on, I had forgotten how good they feel. I'm glad they're a little dirty, though, to remind me that yes, I did in fact run at one point in time for a purpose other than playing softball or chasing a jail-bird kitty. As a matter of fact, when I was running, I dropped weight pretty quick and felt fabulous. That was at a point in my life when my ex-husband was telling me all too often how fat and unattractive I was and that he was done being married. Once I realized that the love was gone, I started running as a form of self-medicating therapy. Good hell, endorphins are freaking amazing. I'd get done with a run, whether on the street or on a treadmill, and I'd feel like I could do anything, including kicking his ass for being such a jerk. :) I slimmed down, felt fabulous, and moved onto much better things in life, including my new fabulous husband, Patrick.

So, my shoes are by my bed. I'm going to start getting up early to go for a jog. I'm too out of shape to say that I'd be going for a run with any integrity. :) It will definitely be a jog for now. I need to get back to Slim in 6, too. I really enjoy Debby Siebers and her workout.

So, thank you, Alice, for reminding me of a tool I have been hiding for far too long!!!!