Gratitude Journal

I once took a class called Positive Psychology and was introduced to idea of a gratitude journal. It's a notebook that you write a few things in at the end of the day that you were grateful for throughout the day. I began to keep a gratitude journal only to learn that I spend a lot of time during the day looking for things that make me happy so that I can come home and jot it down in my gratitude journal. It causes me to be more positive and I have greatly enjoyed keeping one for the past year and a half.

I wanted to share a few things that come up often that I am grateful for...

 My boyfriend and I have been together for two and a half years. He is easily the biggest pain in my life (and that includes the twenty-five school age children I work with everyday), but he also knows how to make me laugh and forget when I'm frustrated with him or anything or anyone else. He makes it easy to be with him because he is understanding, honest and carefree. He honestly does bring out the best in me.

My nieces, Kaia (in the patterned shirt) and Lily (in the pink.) I look forward to seeing these two. Luckily I see Kaia almost daily and get to play around and listen to that contagious laugh of hers. I see Lily on the weekends and I always look forward to getting home from work so that I can cuddle with her and listen to her sing and talk in her baby language. They're a real joy. I adore these girls.

This isn't the best picture because my camera and I are fighting right now, but this is how I prefer to spend my mornings. On my back porch with my iPod and it's dock, my journal, my book (currently reading The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton) a cup of coffee and two of my awesome pens given to me by family. The duck quacks when you push on it's head and was given to me by my sister. When you squeeze the alligator's head, the eyes pop out and was given to me by my brother.

That's all for now. :)

Owl love!

I have developed quite the love for owl related items. Some of my favorite images I have discovered are inspirational and make me really want to draw a fabulous owl with my patterns and designs incorporated.

It's just so cute. I love the patterns.

I really wish I knew how to sew because I would love to make an owl similar to this for my nieces, Kaia and Lily. However, I would probably want to sew a dinosaur one for Lily because she roars and growls when she cries or gets upset. It's precious. Kaia would be a lizard stuffed animal because she just learned she has a tongue. (It's okay, she's only 14 months. Lily is 8 months.)

That's all for now. :)

Vampires, Were-Animals and Pinning, Oh my!

I got all caught up on True Blood. I have to say, having read all the Sookie Stackhouse books the show is based off of (in about two and a half weeks, I must add), I'm slightly disappointed in how the show is turning out. The first season was good, the second was alright, the third was pretty good (Mostly because I'm a big fan of Alcide and his prettyness), but the fourth is just goofy to me. I'll keep watching though since I'm interested in how they're going to change things up.

I do love reading fantasy novels that vampires and werewolves have a tendency to inhibit. I admit it. Lately I have been reading the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton and enjoying them thoroughly.  Since I have read so many different takes on vampirism and were-animals, it's always fun for me to read new theories and such.

Other than that, I have become addicted to pinterest.com... and I have a tendency to spend my free time browsing it. I have discovered some really cool DIY projects I want to try, thanks to it.

I definitely want to try making some cute little monster guys like this. They look like so much fun. I could even do it as an art project with my after school program.

I love how simple this one is. Take a hot glue gun and write what you want on a bottle (or anything, really) and then paint over it. It's so pretty too.

That's all for now.

Here we go

For some reason, I'm not too great at keeping at a blog, but I want to take another go at it. I read a lot of different blogs revolving around DIY and crafting and have found them to be quite inspirational so I'll put my two cents in from time to time (hence the name I chose.)

Some fun or interesting or completely unrelated facts about me:

I am an artist, dabbling mostly in marker art. The image to the left is a quote drawing I did for an art show. The quote is buy Thomas Chalmers and says, "Live for something."

I prefer to spend beautiful mornings in my backyard with a cup of coffee and a book.

I have a fascination with office supplies and have a tendency to keep extra stock of notebooks, paper clips, pens and pencils around.

I have become a huge fan of thrift store shopping, inspired by my daily blog reads.

I am the coordinator for an after school program where I get to build awesome forts and drink chocolate milk for snack. And, you know, some managerial work as well.

I am a friend, a girlfriend, a sister, a daughter, an aunt.