Quick Share

I just had to share this fun find with you.

People's creativity never ceases to amaze me!

I found the funnest shop a few days ago.

~pause~

(Sorry. Had to take a moment to pause and tell y'all that spellcheck seems to think "funnest" is not a real word! Really? How can it not be a real word? I use it, like, daily! Whatevs.)

Anywho...

I was out with a friend of mine (lunch date, light shopping) and we happened upon the coolest set of stores! The Villager is a really great framing shop which also carries work by photographers, handmade jewelry, THE COOLEST lamps made from vintage cameras and musical instruments and more and more and more sweet goodness (wish I would have taken pictures downstairs but I didn't so you'll have to trust me and pay them a visit). 

Then... we saw a steep staircase inviting us up to another uber cool store. I am IN LOVE people! My Apt. @ 429 is sooooo fun! They have gently used vintage and vintage style clothing, vintage kitchenware, books, jewelry and so much more. It is hands down the coolest resale shop I have ever been in (and I have been in loads). It is set up to feel like a ginormous upstairs apartment (more like a flat as it is the entire upstairs of an old downtown building). I wanted to move in instantly!

One of the most creative items for sale were these skirts.

Someone took a whole bunch of men's ties and assembled them into skirts! Some of the skirts had ties simply sewn side by side. Others were designed a bit more roomy and flowing by taking the seams out of the ties, spreading them wide and then assembling the ties together. How fun and cute is that? Do you see the decoupage collage of vintage pages on the wall heading up the stairs? Seriously! The walls were full of fun art, there were dress displays hanging from the ceiling, there were animal crackers and candy sitting out for customer consumption pleasure, and fun signs all over. Example? Sure! Here's one now!

Too fun! 

I know I said it would be a quick share and then I went on and on and on and on and I know that this was an exciting post for me because spellcheck is having a hay day with my choice of words-

funnest

Whatevs

Anywho

uber

ginormous

-so I will let you off the hook and sign off for the day. In the event that you enjoyed this post and the stores I have mentioned, I will leave you with more fun pics! So many creative ideas here!

(sorry in advance for the shoddy photography, my little digital takes horrible inside shots)

Step Fearlessly

(To break the captivating spell of a melancholy mood, sometimes all one needs to do is play!)

Sadness presses hard against my back.

A dark cloud.

A familiar shroud.

Life’s big questions going unanswered.

I stop, stare, see nothing but darkness ahead

peering from the crevices of the unknown.

Nearby shadows mock my mood

whispering and beckoning me forward to more of the same.

As I move ahead, pulled to darkness, a reflection on the wall stops me in my tracks.

The source of light?

Angels wings.

They sing their choral splendor of faith, their voices familiar and safe.

A feeling of grace washes over me.

The cloak becomes weightless, floating away, carried by the beauty of the natural world.

No longer seeing doom in the darkness,

I move forward planting firm foot to ground and step willingly into my life.

Bittersweet

photo and quote original   -   ©Lynn Retzlaff

Just Because

Took this random shot in the yard the other day.
I fell in love with it.
Why?
Just because.

A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song. ~Chinese Proverb

Fairy-est

Crystal Ball,

Crystal Ball,

Do tell all.

Who's the fairy-est of them all?

Welcome to our fairy garden!

M's Fairy Garden

cupboard

seating for four

shh... I see one now!

welcome!

The boys abandoned the sandbox below the swing set long ago.

After years of trucks and shovels excavating the prime real estate,

Darling Daughter and I thought it was time to develop.

No high rises here! We created a welcoming little neighborhood for flowers, bunnies and fairies! Shh... I think I see one now!

The Day

The day is over.
Party's done.
Grad's new life has just begun.


Yesterday introduced me to babe in arm.
Today a man with wit and charm.


How time flies.
Life passes by.
Hug 'em
Hold 'em
Love 'em.
They'll be grown and gone in the blink of an eye.

Party's Over - Silly string draped abandoned seats immediately following graduation commencement. 

My oldest graduated this past weekend. I'm so proud of him.

The party was a great success and the ceremony absolutely lovely.

I highly recommend placing disposable cameras on the tables of graduation parties for guests to use at whim. I was so busy catering to the needs of 70 plus guests, not only was I unable to converse with anyone, I didn't get a single picture taken! The ceremony was different. Camera was firmly planted to cheek.

My boy! All grown up!

~sigh~

Busy, busy, dreadfully busy...

My first born graduates this weekend.

I had full intention of putting out a heartfelt,

well thought out post about this mountain of a milestone.

As would be expected, I'm too busy to blog about it!

Instead, I will post a picture of the pretty beanbags I made for the beanbag toss.

So quick and easy and it turns out the family loves them! 

They've been practicing juggling, playing catch,

and making up various games aside from the originally intended beanbag toss.

It doesn't take much time to make them.

If you have some scrap fabric laying around, I highly recommend you make some!

Fun for the whole family!

p.s. I cheated. They're really filled with rice.

Author Unknown

I found the following story on the internet this morning but was unable to find the author. To the person who wrote this, thank you.

“Why are you crying?”, a young boy asked his Mom.

“Because I’m a woman,” she told him. “I don’t understand,” he said.

His Mom just hugged him and said, “And you never will, but that’s O.K.”… Later the little boy asked his father, “Why does Mom seem to cry for no reason?”. “All women cry for no reason,” was all his Dad could say… The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God and when God got back to him, he asked “God, why do women cry so easily?”

GOD answered…

When I made woman, I decided she had to be special. I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet, made her arms gentle enough to give comfort…I gave her the inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times will come even from her own children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going and take care of her family and friends, even when everyone else gives up, through sickness and fatigue without complaining…I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances. Even when her child has hurt her badly…

She has the very special power to make a child’s boo-boo feel better and to quell a teenager’s anxieties and fears…I gave her strength to care for her husband, despite faults and I fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart…I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.

For all of this hard work, I also gave her a tear to shed. It is hers to use whenever needed and it is her only weakness.

When you see her cry, tell her how much you love her, and all she does for everyone, and even though she may still cry, you will have made her 

heart feel good.

© Lynn Retzlaff

Makeshift Studio

It's been a busy couple of weeks with more busy to come.

End of school field trips/events/wrap-up multiplied by four (kids).

My oldest graduates High School which means P*A*R*T*Y!!!

Which means house maintenance, planning, mailing, cleaning, prepping, cooking, shopping....

What's a girl to do when she desperately needs, but cannot find time to relax and/or create?

Why, set up a makeshift studio/respite spot

out in the yard, of course!

A nice little spot for the family to hop in and take a quick nap,

paint a little picture, eat a snack, or do a little daydreaming!

Normally this is a play tent. Lately it's been "Recharge Central".

What are some creative ways you take breaks from the grind?

Recharge Central

Set The Mood

It's Monday morning.

A brand new start to a brand new day in a brand new week.

What mood do you choose?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I had a really crappy day yesterday.

I could not shake my crappy mood.

Overwhelmed, irritated, frustrated.

I tried and tried to shake it but

the ugliness clung to me like a wet coat.

After searching my thick skull for a reason,

the source of the mood was discovered.

I have a 17 year old cat.

We've had him since he was one.

He's a wonderful fella...

when he's not waking me at the ass crack of dawn. 

Every morning the same thing.

Meow meow meow meow meow meow

meow meOW MEOW MEOWWWWW!!!!!

He'll sit on the floor and stare at me in my bed.

MEOW

He'll wander the house and yell MEOW!!!!

In all fairness, the vet has suspicions that he

has the beginning of dementia (poor fella)

and one of the first things I do when I wake

is give him heave duty pain meds for his arthritic

hips and spine (again, poor fella).

You might be thinking, "What a meanie!

Blaming that poor old cat for her fowl mood."

Yeah. I know! That's the conclusion I came to myself.

Except I didn't blame the cat. I blamed me.

My attitude. My perception.

I went to bed wanting nothing more than to sleep in.

I never sleep in.

Four children, one husband, two cats.

One mom. No late mornings for me.

I went to bed at 10 p.m. and was woken at 6 a.m.

Rather than perceiving my night as a full night's sleep,

I was immediately frustrated that I was woken up.

The constant Meoooowwww plucked at my nerves.

All I wanted was to sleep in and wake on my own!!

Is that too much to ask??????

Perception.

I set the mood. I set the impossible expectation.

Seeing my error, last night before bed I lay my head

down with a different mindset. Instead of "I want to sleep in", I thought "I will get enough good sleep and wake

to my faithful old friend who loves me and needs me."

See the difference?

I woke this morning feeling rested.

Faithful Farley was right there waiting for food, medicine and love and I was up and happy and ready to oblige.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Again I say...

It's Monday morning.
A brand new start to a brand new day in a brand new week.
What mood do you choose?

No fancy pictures here, just my faithful old man cat.

He's such a good guy.

I'm thankful for every day we have together.