Wishing a bon voyage to 2009
and a welcoming aloha to 2010!
May it bring us the insight and visionto see beauty in the every day,
♥ with love, Karin
pine cone flower from Donna!It's been raining steadily all day here today, hard and heavy. The forceful winds cause the raindrops to batter our windows from every direction. I am grateful to be warm and dry; glad there for no reason to venture out!
wood, sanded, 
I have been contemplating how I will proceed here, on my blog, as I encounter new and unexpected challenges in my latest life adventure with this thing called breast cancer. What had seemed straight forward and relatively simple on the surface, has become more complicated and difficult. I still have unanswered questions and more testing to go through before I know the full extent of what may be necessary, but on that list of possibilities are bone scans and a mastectomy. Quite frankly, another surgery feels beyond my limits of doable, yet having now been through seven, in as many years, I know I am able to endure far more of this sort of thing than I ever thought possible. I've come to realize, we all are.
However, I am no longer energized by anger (as I wrote about in an earlier post). I'm feeling worn down and tired. I have ideas and images I create in my mind, because my body is hurting too much to actually follow through. I am close to completing my journal, but a few pages remain, so I've been wondering - what next?
I was sifting through my studio a little today, and paging through a sketch book I made, and came to this quote I'd written down, but sadly had not given credit to the words there.
"... Once the visionary eye is open,
Such a revelation is sudden, involuntary,
shattering, and transforming.
The fortress of the individual self is destroyed
and a new being with new understanding is born."
Somehow it feels relevant,
and brought me back to feeling a place of strength within.
Wishing all a day with laughter, peace,
good food, good folks,
much happiness,
well being,
and lots of love -
Sorry for the delayed results for the drawing - I had a slow start to my day, and then we needed to get some things done before the expected blizzard settled in. So far it's just been flurries, but the winds have picked up and now we are all set to cozy up and watch it from the comforts of in doors...
Here are all the goodies I collected for the lucky holiday give away recipient...
so, are you wondering who won?!
Do you send holiday greetings this time of the year?Do you make your cards?Do you create a family 'news letter'?It's been a couple years since I have been up to making my cards, but when I do start early enough (it's usually time that bites me in the butt!) I really enjoy doing it. The above was the last one I did, I think.
Each was made by collaging holiday images from catalogs that were selling Christmas cards and I recycled them into my own cards. I hope I get to make cards again next year - maybe I should start now!❄ ❅ ❄ ❅ ❄We are battening down the hatches in preparation for the first blizzard of the season. I must admit, though it isn't great news for retailers, or those who were planning on doing belated holiday shopping this last weekend before Christmas (me!) I am very excited!Let it snow,let is snow,let is snow!!
No, this isn't a commercial for Shredded Wheat -I don't even eat the stuff (my husband does), but keeping with the recycling theme (bottle cap ornaments) this cereal box journal is another goodie being included in the holiday give away package! Perhaps a place to do your morning pages?
It's hand bound with a decorative longstitch binding,for your chance to win the goods!
Sometimes it just feels right to be a bit pissed off.click on images
for closer viewI haven't been around because I really haven't felt good. While the news that cancer hasn't spread to my lymph nodes was really good, I struggled to feel the elation I knew I should, because I've been hurting so dang much. It's the in my face stuff that makes it a challenge.I had my follow up appointment with my surgeon today, and he was able to explain why the pain and swelling have been so intense - quite a bit of internal bleeding. He wanted to know if I got hit in the chest, which I did not. So the healing process will be a little slower than expected, and also quite a bit more uncomfortable. This also means a delay before radiation treatment can begin. Can't say I'm too upset about that, at least. The silver lining?! I'll take it as such!!The best way to get over being a bit pissed off,or feel sorry for one's self,is to give of one's self...* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Thank you everyone,for all your thoughtful messages and healing vibes -they've been coming through loud and clear and mean so much to me!And as a way of saying thanksI'm offering a little holiday give-away :)It wouldn't be a *holiday* gift if there weren't the element of surprise to the contents, so I won't divulge the all of the contents, but included will be one of my ornaments. Made with elements of recycling and hardware; from bottle caps to washers, along with a fair amount of bling, these are fun for a Christmas tree, or for catching light and adding sparkle to your environ year round!
which will take place the following day, Saturday, and I'll send it off to you as soon as I get your mailing info - hopefully in time for tree hanging, if you are of the tree decorating persuasion!
Good luck!!
Tomorrow is my breast surgery to remove the recently found cancer, so I am accepting all prayers, good thoughts, and well wishes available for supporting that all goes smoothly and nothing is found in my lymph nodes. So be it!
I want to thank everyone here - my cyber support team!! I feel your care and can't tell you how important you've all become to me, and how much I feel your presence in my life each day. I continue to experience awe when I think about how much I've grown through the exchange that has been established here, in just these past 16 months.
Thank you for being a part of my world!
I'll be back to working in my journal, and sharing those images as soon as possible, because I am missing it big time! First I'll have some healing to do though, so until then, love and gratitude to all.
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The above image was created as my submission to a "fat book" project offered at illustratingstories.com To read more about the project, go here. Not sure I'm supposed to release my image before we get our books, but I didn't have anything else to share at the moment- sorry Liz and Jackie!
I have been working though - I just can't share those images yet either. They are for Carmon Torbus's new book project, which you can read about here!
