This Morning's Lesson From Much Too Far Away From The Craft Room: Be Kind To Your Body

It is 5:08 a.m. Denver time, 7:08 a.m. Boston time, 12:08 p.m. London time...and my poor body is quite confused! I went to sleep at 7 p.m. thursday evening and slept for 11 hours! I awoke with a cold and then developed a headache a bit later in the morning...and I pushed - I went to lunch with colleagues, to dinner at a friend's house and then back to the hotel to see family members. I finally went to bed last night at midnight and was WIDE AWAKE by 5:30 a.m. There is only so much my body will tolerate from me before it says "If you are not going to take care of me, then I am going to get involved and start taking care of myself!" I have to say that for this, I am grateful - when my body says "No!" and tells me that it has had "Enough!" I wish it was easier for me to say "no" and "enough" - that I would have already learned the lesson to be kind to my body and follow its rhythms and needs. So today, I will do my best - to rest when I feel tired, to eat when I feel hungry, to be still when my energy is low.

This is a simple card from my archives. I used the scalloped edge punch and some stickles to make everything glittery. Sometimes it is the simple cards that really make me smile. Subtle touches, clean lines. I hope you like it! Today, simply be kind to your body. I know I will :)

Today's Lesson From Much Too Far Away From The Craft Room: Take Care Of You!!!

I am finally back in the United States, but still not back in the craft room. I flew in from London and am absolutely exhausted. My trip finally caught up with me - as these trips always seem to do. My throat starting bothering me last night and my voice is fading a bit today. By now you would think I would have taken my own lesson to heart - that we each need to take care of ourselves. Somehow I don't care for myself as well as I could and my body reacts and let's me know that it's not happy. So tonight I am finally going to turn off this computer and go to bed (and will hope to sleep for at least 10 hours!). Hopefully if I start taking care of myself now my body will recognize that I am finally ready to listen. My hope is that next time I will be open to listening when the sounds of being tired start to whisper quietly to me. So, don't forget, take care of you - after all, you are the only you you've got! :)

Today's Lesson From Much Too Far Away From The Craft Room: Wake Up And Smile!

Today I am starting my day with a big smile! It is not because I'm about to work all day. It is because I have awoken to another day. And, I have to admit, because I fly closer to home tomorrow - the return journey will begin...although there will be one more stop along the way. No matter what your reason, today, wake up and smile! It will set the entire mood for your day!

This card set is another set that I made for a friend to give as a gift. In the upper right-hand corner you will see the "folder" that holds all of the cards and then all of the other cards and matching envelopes fit neatly inside. I love the color combination of black, pink and white - it's fun and elegant at the same time! Enjoy....and don't forget to wake up and smile :)

Today's Lesson From Much Too Far Away From The Craft Room: There Is So Much To Learn!

As I travel and meet people from all around the world, I am once again amazed by how much there is to learn from one another! On the weekend I was having a discussion with a man from France about the expression "you're welcome" and how this did not seem to make logical sense to him since "welcome" means "hello." I had never even considered this! Today a group of women were talking about German culture and the value that the German culture has traditionally placed on women being at home to raise the children and how school is only in the morning for children. I also learned how incredibly expensive child care is in Germany because traditionally, this was not a service that was used a lot so there were few babysitters and they are quite expensive. I realize that I would never have heard about any of this if I wasn't curious and if I never left my own home. I am grateful for the opportunity to learn about how life is seen and lived by people from different places than my own. If you get a chance to talk with someone from another culture or another place, I encourage you to talk to them about their view of life and the world and to share your own. There is so much to learn from one another!

I made this simple card awhile back. I used a number of different thank you stamps and stamped them on whisper white card stock. I also stamped them on sahara sand and then tore the edge and added a ribbon. The greeting was made with oval punches. Thanks for looking!

Today's Lesson From Much Too Far Away From The Craft Room: Take A Walk In Nature

Today was a long day and an enjoyable one. I woke to the sound of birds singing...quite loudly...and since I don't have a clock in my room I had no idea what time it was. I knew it was morning of some kind :) Work went well and after the workshop I decided to take a walk around the property. There is a path that winds around a golf course - it was empty and a bit cloudy and chilly outside and it felt incredibly invigorating! The highlight were quite a number of bunny rabbits chasing each other wildly around the golf course! I had never seen such a thing! They didn't like seeing me, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching them!!!! It seems like no matter what is going on in my day, taking the time to take a walk in nature really grounds me. It opens my mind and my lungs and makes me take in what is truly beautiful...I highly recommend it!

This card set was made a few months ago. All of the leaves and flowers and birds make me think about being outdoors. The upper right-hand corner is the card holder for the set. The other cards fit neatly into the holder and it makes a wonderful gift! When I get home I will try to take some inside photos of this type of holder so you can see how it's made. Enjoy...and go take a walk in nature :)

Today's Lesson From Much Too Far Away From the Craft Room: Grow At Your Own Pace

This photo was taken last year, around this same time of year - as snow started to give way to Spring and all sorts of green started to push up through the dirt in the back yard. I'm on the road - in England - right now and am intrigued by the seasons and how London is experiencing the first signs of Spring as much as Denver is right now. Everything is starting to get green - there's an excitement in the air as plants come out of their resting places and start to grow. And so it is with us - a gradual growth process. It's funny how we use the expression "she is really green" when we are describing someone who is new at what they do - fresh, inexperienced. If anything, being green says something different to me. It says that we are willing to take a chance. To come out of that comfortable dark place in the ground and say, "I'm here!" We are saying that we are open to growth and learning.

I am also amazed at how some plants seem to appear overnight and others take their time, showing themselves, little by little. As it is with us, in different parts of our lives. We grow at different paces in different areas at different times in our lives. And so it is with what we create. Some things come to us quickly - others take shape more slowly. However it happens, let yourself grow at your own pace. A book I was reading described a tale of a farmer standing over the young shoots of his crop, trying to yank them up further out of the ground - trying to force them to grow. Of course, this was not successful. The plants were going to grow at their own pace. And trying to hurry them was not going to help them or the farmer.

Today, allow yourself to grow at your own pace. Recognize there is a perfect rhythm to your growth and it will all happen when it is meant to.