Author Archives: Sheila

August Birthday Postcard Swap

The borrowers are at it again. I have searched high and low and everywhere in between. No really, I got down on my hands and knees to look under the chair and behind the desk. My brand new little book of stamps is missing.

I went thru my wallet & my purse, which I just cleaned out last night. Nope. And I recently vacuumed out the car, and cleaned under the seats, so I know the book did not fall into any hidden spaces there. I clearly remember taking it out of my purse when I got home. And there is only one place I would put them, which is exactly where they go, where my postcard stamps are. In the drawer marked “Office”. As in supplies. As in stamps.

You know what this means right? AAUGH! (A la Charlie Brown.) I am going to have to do a serious tearing apart, I mean cleaning. But my everything-in-its-place gene seems to be on vacation. So I will wait a few days and hope that Arrietty takes pity on me and returns the book while I am sleeping.

This month there is just one birthday we are celebrating in the Milliande Birthday Postcard Swap. I also included a “Believe” bookmark. (The freebie from my earlier post) and I made a tassel with cobalt blue glass beads on it. This was is watercolor, pen and pastel.

4 x 6 watercolor, pastel, pen

Hope you all are having a HaPpY dAy too!

Happy August everyone!

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No way can it be August! Happy Birthday to all you Augie’s.

Here is one interesting tidbit for this day in history. At 12:01 a.m. on August 1, 1981, American cable television network Music Television (MTV) went on the air for the first time. WOW! I can’t say I remember when I first starting watching MTV, but I would bet it was in that first week.

I remember I LOVED all the videos. And I would race home after school to turn it on. I was in Jr. high, and I had the T.V. to myself for an hour, before my brother got home from school. Then it would be a big battle over who watched what.

As with most things, the original MTV was the best. The veejays rocked, and the videos rocked, the music was so cool. No doubt of what era I grew up in, is there . Well, I did not mean to take a trip down memory lane. I was looking for something to celebrate, and this was about all I could find. Want to know where the VJ’s are now?

Oh, and it is homemade pie day. I could sure go for some pie right about now. Anybody remember this?

Shoot, now I really want some pie. And I agree, fruit pie rules. Not cream. Must be a gal thing.

To celebrate making it past the half way point of the year, here are some free printable book marks for you. Feel free to print as many copies as you like, and share them with friends. But please do not sell them. You will want to print them on card stock.

Enjoy!

Click here to print and share.

Add a ribbon or tassel and give as a gift.

You are not here by chance

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Get your copy here

Declaration of You will be published by North Light Craft Books this summer, with readers getting all the permission they’ve craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do! This post is part of The Declaration of You’s BlogLovin’ Tour, which I’m thrilled to participate in alongside over 100 other creative bloggers. Learn more and j oin us !

The Declaration of You website has all the information on how you can share your own posts, join Facebook parties and so much more! Declare yourself! This Friday, August 2nd, you can join us in the Facebook comment party at 12:30-1 pm EST. I’ll be there!

December 2007, I was diagnosed with Lupus. For the previous year, I had struggled with constant muscle and joint pain. I had the butterfly rash. Mouth sores. Extreme fatigue. I was always cold, and my toes and fingers were often numb, or painful due to Raynaud’s. I was sensitive to sunlight, sensitive to touch and my hair was thinning. I seldom kept my supper down. I had a cough that would not quit. I had so many symptoms, that one doctor treated me as if I was a hypochondriac, and advised me to take a nap in the afternoon.

December 11, 2008, my job was downsized. I was single. Living alone, with little in the way of savings. The kicker – the company wellness program had a drawing, and gave about a dozen employees nationwide, free health benefits for a year. I was one of the recipients. Or would have been.

I had been working 60 hour weeks, taking work home. Friends told me to go on a medical leave, but taking a cut in pay was not an option. I was in so much pain, that washing my hair was difficult. I could barely climb the stairs to my apartment.

I was working at a Casino, and as standard practice, I was escorted off the premises. As if I had done something wrong. Frustration, humiliation, desperation. I broke down and cried in my car.

Out of no where, the thought came to me. “If you are not going to take care of this, I will.” I didn’t hear a voice, but it was suddenly clear. The decision I would not make for myself, had been made for me. God took the wheel from my hands. After bawling for a few minutes, a phone call to my friend, and one to my mom. I drove home. And took a nap. I had a sense of calm. And I knew that somehow things would work out. And they did. They are.

I believe. I trust God.

This is just my story. Part of it. I could tell you about all the little blessings, and big blessings that have come my way. Or how each and everyday, new opportunities present themselves to me. Really, it amazes me. Yes I am actively looking for them, but they are there.

I trust:

Good will preserver.
Right will win.
I will be loved.
I will know more next week, than I do today.
My blog, my art, my designs will continue to improve.
If my heart breaks, it will heal.
That I will learn from each failure.
Red and blue make purple.
A cure will be found for Lupus.
That God is good.

After losing my job, my mom gave me a canvas with this poem by Roy Lessin printed on it. It hangs above my desk. I trust that I am exactly where I meant to be. And that God has great plans for me. As he does for everyone.

These words inspire me. I hope they will inspire you too.

Click here to print and share