I Lost My Groove

I can't believe I lost my blog groove! I've looked everywhere! One simple hiatus followed by a trip to Florida and it is gone, gone, gone. I guess I'll have to fake it to make it. Come up with a new groove. Head in a new direction. Play around. 

In order to get the ball rolling, I am starting off with a post of random "stuff" (I love random)...



Florida

stingrays at the aquarium in Tampa

lovely little flowers at Saddlebrook Resort

palm with ferns growing on it - cool!

cypress trees (always wondered what they looked like - here are the bottoms!)

tootsie meets gator

Information

I picked up a book at the library a few days ago.

The Collage Workbook

by Randel Plowman

It's fun, colorful and easy to read. It's also full of good information!

For instance, the author shares some great online resources for downloadable images to use in your art. Some are completely copyright free, others supply notes and restrictions on how the images may be used. I can't wait to check them out!

Library of Congress Image Database (has notes on restrictions & copyright use)

Library of Congress' Flickr Photostream (no known copyright restrictions)

Reusable Art (copyright free in the US)

Karen's Whimsy (free images courtesy of the author)

Public Domain Pictures (royalty-free stock photos)

Artists

Here are a few I have been enjoying lately.

David O'Keefe has so much fun and whimsy in his paintings, one cannot help but spread a smile across one's face while indulging in his art.

Chasing the Moon - an up and coming jewelry artist who just happens to be holding a give-a-way!

Jenni Horne whom I have been a fan of for many years now. She paints, she makes jewelry, she teaches art to young children, she inspires! I just love her whimsical style and her cheery use of color. I always feel good after spending time in her space.

I love her even more now that she has introduced me to these delicious paints! I must get my hands on some. Pronto!

Alrighty. Enough random time wasting. Back to work for me. Now... where did I put that 'to-do' list anyway... (shuffle shuffle shuffle).

Hey you! You still here? Well bless your heart for staying through to the end. I want you to know how much I truly appreciate you, my dear reader. I truly, truly do. Thank you for making me feel even a wee bit worthy of your time. What a precious gift you have given me. Thank you!

Much Needed Message

I received the following message to my inbox yesterday. Boy! Did I ever need it! I mean, I really, really needed it. Now to get some ink so I can print it out and hang it on my bedroom wall. If you are interested in receiving inspiring quotes and posts full of wisdom, visit The Daily Love and sign up for their daily mail. Your life will be better for it!


The following is a message from Mastin of "The Daily Love".
Thank you, thank you Mastin for your daily dose of l♡ve.



As TDL is expanding, I've had to let go of a lot of sh*t.

It's crazy, actually. The craziest realization is the realization that I am worthy of receiving awesome stuff - but I have to let go of control.

My mom recently told me that she had an "invisibility complex" where she didn't see herself growing up. She is doing AMAZING personal growth work right now; it's sooo inspiring to me to see her set an awesome example of leadership and growth.

And personal growth is like an onion, there's always another layer. And when my mom mentioned this to me - not only did it resonate as true for her, but it resonated as true for me. I realized that growing up, and even a lot still today, I would do whatever I could to help others, and in the process ignore myself. And while at the beginning that was cool, what started to happen was I would build up resentment inside myself because I wasn't seeing me, and as a result others weren't either! And when I didn't have the tools or awareness, I would actually blame other people for not seeing me, instead of realizing that when I see myself and act accordingly, life changes for the better.

When she told me she had this thing where she felt invisible, it was like a million pieces of things I didn't understand all came into focus and the truth hit me like a TON of BRICKS - life turned out how it did because I wasn't really seeing myself. And even if I was seeing myself, I didn't have the belief that I was enough. I think this is a hard lesson for folks to learn. We don't want to be selfish; we don't want to be narcissistic - isn't it true? But, like the wisdom of the airplane stewardess who asks us to put on our own oxygen mask before helping others, it's important that we help and see ourselves so we can best show up for other folks.

Isn't it true? Yeah, it was a big wake up call for me.

So now I ask myself - "Mastin, how can you see yourself today and in this moment?" I ask, "What do you feel is missing from this moment and how can you BRING what you feel is missing to it?"

These questions have really helped to change my life for the better - and on top of that, they've helped to guide me to remember who is ultimately responsible for the emotions I feel - which is of course me! :o)

So if you are living a life where you don't feel seen, then my friend, I'm asking you - do you see yourself? Do you see your true needs and are your standards high enough so that they are being met? If not - now that you know better - what are you going to do? Let me know:
WhatImGoingThru@TheDailyLove.com

Lots of love,

Mastin  

Warning!!!!

You know those cute little curly bulbs on the market?

The money savers?

The long lasting ones?

CFL's

Do you also know they contain mercury?

as do the long florescent ones?

We did.

What we didn't know was how obnoxious the clean-up is.

We had a bulb break the other night during dinner preparation.
Not sure how to deal with the clean-up and proper disposal,

we headed to the government site on how to do it.

Um... Yeah.

What a nightmare evening we had.

I highly recommend you do the same.

Be prepared.

It isn't pretty.

If you don't follow the directions, you may not have a thoroughly cleaned area.

Think contamination.

Mercury is a heavy metal.

Exposure adds up over time.

It does not leave the body.

The affects can be devastating.

I'm not posting this to scare anyone.

I am posting this to educate.

I don't think most people know how hazardous they are.

I don't think most people know how to properly deal with a break.

I learned the hard way.

I want my kids safe wherever they go.

Please read the US EPA on clean up

HERE

and the information on bulbs and recycling 

HERE

Tell me what you think.

I know I will be investing in LED lights from now on.

My experience with CFL's are that they don't last as long as the manufacturer claims.

Do you know why?

Because they are not built to be turned on and off, on and off.

The switching of power wears on them and they burn out prematurely.

All these years of practice turning off the lights when not in use

are now the premature death sentence to today's long lasting bulb.