STATE of mind

(this is the first in a number of posts in reflection of my travels, May 2010)

I returned from vacation on the 27th of May.  Eager to tell you all about it and reflect on the many places I got a chance to visit...so here goes!

There were 11 States that we spent time in.  As a child, my grandmother used to make us stop, get out of the car and pose near the signs for pictures.  Since I despised that so much, I decided to capture the essence while moving.  Most of the time, my plan worked pretty well  :-)

Although, our state of mind changed more frequently, depending on our driving speed, the weather, scenery, etc. we crossed those state lines primarily in this order.

GEORGIA

SOUTH CAROLINA

NORTH CAROLINA

TENNESSEE

VIRGINIA

MARYLAND

DELAWARE

NEW JERSEY

NEW YORK

PENNSYLVANIA

WEST VIRGINIA

I will expound on each of these throughout the following themed blog entries.  If there is a specific one you can't wait for...leave me a comment & I'll put it at the top of the list!

some very crafty updates

I often read Danielle LaPorte's blog White Hot Truth.  

It's regularly inspiring and honest.  I love that combo!!!

Recently she released The Fire Starter Sessions and knowing that I would flourish personally, in one way or another, I purchased it!  I'm in the process of absorbing all of the juicy information & inspiration...i'll get back to you when I finish it.
If you happen to decide to purchase it - please give my name as a referral   =)


So...as my craft room gets more organized...my craft stuff yearns to be played with!!!  I think you know already that I am learning how to sew.  In order to do this 'properly' - I needed an ironing board.  Since I believe in supporting individual crafters, I found this lovely cover on Etsy....


Made by City Chic Country Mouse It fits perfectly, on the ironing board AND into my decor!

















Here is a painting I created a couple years ago...

my heart & soul felt empty for years, but once I became willing to connect with the Spirit of the Universe...the Light warmed my soul and began to heal my heart. As my mind also becomes healthier - one day at a time, my Life gets better and better!

One of my jewelry creations, made in a Jennifer Perkins class at the Stitch Lab last year...I gave it to my cousin, Tomi, for her birthday.  Hope she loves it as much as I do  :-)










And last but not least...

The Crafty Superstar is a super-fab book for anyone wanting to learn more about the craft biz!  Grace is full of wisdom on the storefront.  The book is an easy read, flows well, and makes a lot sense...I read it in one day b/c I couldn't put it down!!!  (this in itself, says much)  Buy it!  Read it if you have the slightest interest in crafts.

But wait - there's more!!!  ...I just received the new StampinUp catalog and simply cannot wait to order more from it.  I already love the few items I was able to order and preview as a Demonstrator.  I'll be making a few things for you to see ASAP.  If you wanna take a peek at the Retiring Items, order them now from my website keli.stampinup.net because they are 1st come, 1st serve until midnight June 30th - then they are "gone forever"

I've been Lazy...

Yep!  I admit it.  I needed a few days to rest & relax from my vacation.  Taking a near month-long vacation from the daily grind can really wear a girl out  ;-)
But, here I am, back in the saddle.  I can't say that I'm excited about it, yet there is something to be said about getting "home."  Ahhhhhhh!


So since I completely misjudged the amount of time I would have to blog during my excursion, I plan on recapturing it here.  I tell you, it's kind of a blur for me & I am really happy that I kept a fairly good travel journal.  I think it will do some good to reflect back on everything.  Here the plan:  THEMES.  The month of June I am dedicating to certain subjects that were evident for me on the road-trip.  If at any time there is something specific you'd like to hear about, please post a comment & I'll make every attempt to address it.  


For now, I wanted to provide some currency.  My first day back to work was June 1st (yesterday) and boy, did I feel discombobulated. *BTW -that's one of my all time favorite words*  Good thing I could perform my job duties, but WHEW!  I had a difficult time speaking in full sentences and capturing words to explain my personal thought process.  YES, some of you who know me are saying to yourself "she always does that" but really, I know when it's worse than normal  ;-?  I am attributing it to being 'In The Wild' for 24 days and not speaking much.  I'm thinking now that I kinda get those people who have a hard time interacting with others because they spend so much time by themselves...it really does leave a person speechless.


Next on the list:  Dreads.  We'll I am honestly feeling a bit overwhelmed right now.  They say "give it time," as with other Life issues, and I am.  But man-OH-man...this is the first time in my life that I have EVER spent so much time on my hair.  Not even in the 1980's did I have to do so much with my hair or put so much in it.  Now, I use a special shampoo and THREE products to help my hair loc into dreads.  Mind you, I've had long straight hair for at least 17 years and the only thing I would do with it is braid it, ponytails, clips - very basic stuff for the most part.  But I'm working on learning this entirely new concept for living with a new hairdo.  I want the long-term effect and this is just one more aspect of my life that is teaching me Patience.


Speaking of Patience, here is another thing.  I am on the third day of The Master Cleanse.  I completed 10 days a little over a year ago and have a goal of 14 days this time around.  It seems to be "working" much better - maybe I wasn't mixing correctly last year or something.  But I am feeling more energetic as the days pass.  Here is another link that has the original booklet available in PDF: Master Cleanse by Stanley Burroughs


I must go out and watch the storm that's rolling in.


Take Care of Yourself & may Peace be yours!