Frost Biten?

Woke up this morning hoping my indoor plant (that has been outdoors since Spring), didn't get bit by the frost! It is only 28˚ right now!

The Cat Wins (again)

My cat, "Luigi," wasn't allowed to sleep on this chair a couple of days ago (because it is new)... but of course, he couldn't resist a cozy, new place to nap. He just looks so comfy - how can we move him? Exactly, we don't! Cat wins again! :))

Stealing Paperclips

All morning my cat has been stealing paperclips from my office. He swipes them from notebooks, paper stacks and has even found the little dish I keep them in. There are dozens of paperclips all over the floor and bite/claw marks on papers, books, etc. that he took them from. Who'd have known a 5 year old cat could still be amused by something so simple. It must be their shape that he likes. He hangs them from his claws and carries them around dangling... then drops them in odd spots like the bathroom or kitchen. He has some strange paperclip-game going on... either that or paperclips are some sort of cat-currency in this house!

Invisible Isabelle

This project of mine is finalllllllly almost done. New rule for me, no starting new personal projects without finishing my children's book, "Invisible Isabelle." :) This is a 26 page picture book, I have 3 more pages to go! When I'm not working on clients' projects my desk is full of dozens of my own little projects, illustrations, books, etc. that side track me away from finishing this book. I'm on the homestretch now, so I'm going to wrap this project up and then move onto the next "distraction." :) I'll post a link to "Invisible Isabelle" when it is complete!

"Time Flies"

October 1st, wow! - already?? We always say that don't we? - No matter what time of year it is... "time flies SO fast." We can't believe its October already, can't believe its July already, can't believe the holidays are here... and on and on.

I think the happier we are, the faster "time flies." When life is hard it moves slower, sometimes realllllly slow. When we're worried, sad, stressed, missing something/someone, going through a rough patch... it just moves slower.

So, if I am right, it seems a little "messed up" that time "flies" when we are our happiest and slowwwwwws when we aren't so happy. Agree or no?

Is "time flying" for you right now? Hope so. :)

Woolly Bears to Butterflies

I was running the other day and almost ran right over a woolly bear (at least I think it was a woolly bear). Isn't it weird that caterpillars look completely different from butterflies, and yet, they are the same? A transformation that turns a fuzzy, ground dwelling, worm-like thing into a beautiful, flying, butterfly. Makes me think about all of the other transformations we see in life, and those we don't see, or can't see.

Costly Conversations

At 10¢ a text, somehow texting is becoming the most popular form of communication... making an entire conversation set you back $5, $10, $20? Unless you have unlimited texting? Then, you probably also have a cellular bill about the size of your mortgage!

Texting is so impersonal, void of any emotion... like robots sending short messages back and forth. People used to mail beautiful, handwritten letters and now they send short digital texts with the least amount of words possible. What's wrong with the phone? Emailing? Or, even sending notes with pigeons might be more affordable and personal! - It's crazy!

"Real" Books & Magazines

"Will the Internet kill magazines?

Did instant coffee kill coffee?"

- Magazines, The Power of Print®

I sure hope the internet isn't killing magazines and that Kindle won't "kill" books... A lot of companies have stopped printing their catalogs and magazines and just host them on their websites now. Personally, I don't think this route is very user-friendly. It takes awhile to load the pages, everything is really small and, well - its just not the same!

If I'm going to read a book, magazine, catalog... I need to be able to feel the pages, flip the pages, fold the pages, write on the pages, mark the pages, highlight the pages... maybe even rip a page out! This isn't possible with Kindle. Which is why I'll always be a "real book" person.

PS: Thank God instant coffee didn't "kill" the real stuff! ;)

I Hope It Rains Today

We are supposed to get rain today, I hope it rains ALLLLL day! Something about hearing the pitter patter of rain makes me really productive. It fuels me! I'm content to keep working because its rainy outside.

Rainy days make me want to clean too and get super organized. I start riffling through closets, organizing the dreaded kitchen junk drawer (actually "drawers" I should say). Its the perfect background to being creative as well. Maybe I'll finish some more Isabelle pages after work. Oh, and workouts... rainy days are perfect for spinning :)

So, needless to say, I hope it rains today.

The September Sun

I need to advantage of this great September weather and spend a lot of time outside. Pretty soon outside will just be a place we race through to avoid the freezing temps and blustery storms. All of the Summer's yard work will be blanketed by snow and forgotten till Spring.

Its always a little sad to see Summer end. Flowers are slowly shriveling up and dying. The grass is getting ready to hibernate. School buses are keeping kids from play... Trees are having a hard time hanging onto their leaves... and there is that crisp chill in the air.

But for now, flowers are still blooming, the windows are open and the sun can still "kiss" your skin - so I'm going to enjoy it!

Squirrel "Highways"

Lately whenever I look out to my backyard I see a squirrel or two skipping along the top of our fence. I didn't see that many squirrels in the Summer... maybe they are out collecting Fall nuts? They use the fences in our neighborhood like highways, some more trafficked than others.

Beautiful Basil

This morning I was cutting some roses from my garden to bring inside and put in a vase... when I looked over at my basil plant and thought "why not make a vase of basil too!" So I clipped some fresh sprigs, put in a little vase and placed on top of my stove. It smells wonderful! I can't stop looking at it. ;) Our basil plant is humongous! We can only eat so much basil. Wish I would have had this idea earlier in the Summer. Poor basil plant has been blooming for months but still growing.

It is amazing to me how cheery this makes my kitchen smell and feel. Something about a fresh vase of flowers inside is just wonderful, so cozy. Growing up, I remember my Mom always had fresh flowers from her garden in the house. Even the tiniest little snippet of a flower in a mini bud vase brought a comfy cheerfulness to the entire house.

Anyway, I put the roses in a little bud vase for the bathroom... These are the simple things that make life so beautiful.