Dragonfly Dreams....

altered slide mount by j. N-L

Deep in the sun-searched growths the dragonfly
Hangs like a blue thread loosened from the sky.
~Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Silent Noon

Barnacle Betty?

The biopsy is in!

I don't have Paget's disease, nor is any other malignancy present.

What I do have, is an oozing sore which closely resembles Mount Vesuvius.

The cause, you may ask?

My answer: No one knows!

I'm a medical mystery!

Oh we have educated guesses....lovely suggestions like a possible arthropod reaction, (fancy phrase for "bug bite"), or avian shistosomes.

In the end, I'm guess I'm just growing things in all sorts of places that I never happened to grow when I was younger.

I feel as if the older I get, the more barnacles I grow.

Maybe I should change my name to Barnacle Betty?

Or maybe not....

Barnacle Betty sounds more like the cartoon progeny of Popeye the Sailor Man and Betty Boop, than it does a middle aged housewife afflicted by weird skin growths!

Still, it sounds funny!

And at this point, anything that makes me laugh is worth considering!

A whirl of whimsy!

altered slide mount by j. n-l

Sometimes I need to indulge the whimsy that lies within me.

I suppose that is why I created this altered slide mount. Deep down, I am very whimsical. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I am darn near Mary Engelbreit whimsical.

Oh, I don't know. Maybe I'm more like SARK than Mary Engelbreit; but either way, there's whimsy in me!

I think it's a good thing to indulge the whimsy within!

Goodness knows, the world would be a brighter place if we would all just give our whimsy a little whirl now and then!

Now I'm cracking myself up! I think it's time to whirl myself into bed before I get any sillier!

Adios!

I'm off to laugh with Leno!

Sweet Cravings....

Lately I have found myself craving pain chocolat.

The French truly know how to make a good pain chocolat.

Unfortunately, we Americans do not.

As a result, I only get to enjoy this delectable pastry in my dreams.

Such sweet, sweet cravings are these......

Music pick of the week!

Well now, this CD was released back in March; but I've only recently had the chance to listen to Jars of Clay as they strut their stuff through a myriad of songs.

Curious?

Check out some of the songs on their website:

http://www.jarsofclay.com/site.html

This is easy listening that is good for both the heart and the soul!

Gemini has died

Gemini, Oregon's two faced kitten has died....

This is sad news indeed.

It's funny how a two faced kitten can simultaneously generate both revulsion and tenderness within me.

That's how the war news from Iraq always hits me too. I feel enormous revulsion for the violent loss of life and limb, and I feel achingly tender toward all those who have suffered.

No, I'm not comparing the loss of human life and dignity with that of a small, barely formed kitten....it's just that the combined feelings of revulsion and tenderness seem so oddly joined.

Don't mind me, I'm having one of those "streams of consciousness" kind of days. On days such as these, random thoughts, some better than others, constantly flit across my internal thought scanner.

Two faced kittens, Iraq, revulsion and tenderness....I wonder what comes next?

Don't look if oozing sores bother you!

Thank Goodness!

Today's the day I go in for my biopsy!

I'm not excited about the actual procedure. Local anesthetic or no local anesthetic, this is going to hurt; but I am excited to get this tissue under a scope for the pathologist to examine!

I think that the "not knowing" is the worst part. After three long weeks of wondering, I've finally reached a place where I am more anxious to get the diagnosis than I am afraid of a negative outcome.

This is how it often is with medical issues. People just want to know what's wrong with them so they can get on with the business of living their lives as best they can.

That's the way I feel anyway and today is finally the day I move one step closer to my own diagnosis!

It's a good day, and I expect a good outcome.

One slammin skull button!

Lampwork skull button made by Michele Goldstein


I'm so blessed to have Michele Goldstein, the most jammin hot glass goddess ever, as a personal friend and confidante. Not only is Michele faithful, patient and loving; but she is always tossing little glass lovelies like the one above my direction.

I just can't help but love this little button.

I'm thinking about altering a shadow box frame and creating a little framed shrine using this skull button as the centerpiece.

Of course, I would also like to use Stephanie Sersich's knotted bead technique to create a cool bracelet and use the button as the bracelet closure.

Then again, maybe I'll incorporate the button in my latest altered book.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.....

So many possibilities are present to each of us in this life!
It is my prayer today, that each of us will choose wisely, and that we will each prosper emotionally, physically and spiritually as a result of our choices!

The Flipside of Peace

Flipside of "Peace" ATC--j. N-L

Well, here it is!

Here is the flipside of my "Peace" ATC.

I must say, that I really enjoyed making this ATC. Focusing on "peace", helped to keep me centered as I went through a week that was comprised of various doctor visits, blood draws, and a diagnostic mammogram. I cannot imagine what this adventure might have been like without Jesus as my companion.

For those of you who do not experience Jesus as a real, living presence this might be difficult to understand; but Jesus was with me in a very real way.

I felt his breath in my hair and his hand on my shoulder during my mammogram. I felt his steady and comforting gaze during all of the poking and the prodding that occurred during my blood draws and physical exams. Then, when the phone rang yesterday afternoon, Christ was there to hold my hand when the doctor called with the mammogram results.

Yeah, I know this sounds a little crazy; but I think that the followers of Jesus Christ have always been seen as a little "out there". I suppose it really doesn't matter to me what others think anymore. You can laugh, call me crazy or perhaps even find me a little pitiful. It really doesn't matter, because I have found a friend in Christ and a life in Him that can never be taken from me.

I suppose you could say, that I have found true peace.

Thank you Jesus!

Finding peace....

Original ATC by j. N-L

Here it is!

My first ATC!

I took a rather "minimalist" approach; but I like it nonetheless!

I'll post a picture of the reverse side tomorrow.

Stay tuned.....

Groundcover blossoms

Oh my!

Every summer these gorgeous blooms burst forth from a dark blanket of green groundcover foilage. They shame me for thinking that their ugly, low growing plant bodies are no better than weeds.

Do you ever wonder how often we think these sorts of things about one another?

Awww c'mon! Think about it!

We do it all the time...or have you forgotten about how everyone likes to make fun of the guy with the una-brow? Hey, let's not forget about the fat girl or the old guy with hair growing out of his ears!

It is to our collective shame, that we make fun of one another at all.

We shouldn't be so quick to dismiss or deride.

Isn't life hard enough already?

Haiku

Sweet, lip-chewing child,
what mysteries lie behind
those eyes and that smile?

j. N-L

Breast Health

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women.

Every 2 1/2 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. This could be your mother, your sister, your wife, your daughter; this could be you or this could be me.

Wake up women!

Anytime you experience any kind of change in your breast, get yourself to a doctor.

Yes, I know it's expensive. So what?

If you experience any kind of itching, redness, swelling, or discover a lump, don't self-diagnose. Get yourself to a doctor!

If you notice any skin changes or nipple discharge, don't self-diagnose. Get yourself to a doctor!

I am currently facing a possible breast cancer diagnosis. We should have answers within the week.

When my breast became itchy and developed a small lesion, I didn't seek medical care immediately. I applied various creams, trying in vain to heal myself.

Wake up women!

Don't mess with this kind of thing. Get to yourself to a doctor!

Humble beginnings

My First ATC--A work in progress

Artist Trading Cards are hot right now.

All around the world, mixed media artists are scrambling to hop on board the ATC train.

I'm no different.

I simply couldn't resist the challenge of creating a 2.5 x 3.5 inch work of art! What you see above is the humble watercolored beginning of my first ATC.

I think that most good things have humble beginnings. Good bread is made with yeast, water and a little sugar to proof the yeast. That's about as humble as it gets...

People aren't much different. Add an egg, a sperm and a little bit of love, and you have the most basic recipe for human life. Unfortunately, I think that our most common mistake, lies in forgetting to include the love. Good bread won't rise without yeast. Good people won't rise without love.

Humble beginnings...an egg, a sperm and a little bit of love.

It's so simple and yet we somehow manage to get it all so horribly wrong.

Go figure....

Future book of the week?

Several years ago, I happened upon this quotation by writer Anne Lamott about her first Christian heroine Mattie, from her book, "Blue Shoes":

I wanted to write about a character who is a Christian and yet not the kind of Christian that you might encounter at a Christian bookstore. Somebody who is crabby—you know, like me—and lusty, and a mess, and a true believer."

I read that quote and I knew immediately that I wanted to read Lamott's work.

I started by reading "Traveling Mercies" and it was so good, that I can now hardly wait to purchase and read Lamott's newest book, "Plan B". I'm guessing that it will be an equally interesting read!

Anne Lamott is a left-wing hippy who believes in universal salvation. I can easily understand why her writing grates upon the nerves of many fervent evangelicals; but my oh my, how this woman loves Jesus!

As for me, I love Anne Lamott's raw honesty, her integrity and her strength of faith.

Who knows, maybe you would too?

Jesus, Savior of Mankind!

AB collaged element--j. N-L

Ihs is the abbreviated name of Jesus in the greek (Iasous).

Some erroneously assume that this symbol means "In His Service". It's a common error I suppose....

Last March, I began a Christian altered board book round robin. The picture above shows a small collaged portion of my last AB spread. It's proving to be a wonderfully abstract page of glowing greens and golds....

There is still some work that remains on this page, but I hope to have it completed and delivered to the book's owner by Tuesday. It feels good to be creative again. It feels especially good to be engaged in such a prayerful kind of art; but then, all art for me seems prayerful somehow.

I cannot help but think whenever we enter into the process of creating something, whether that "something" be a painting, a batch of chocolate chip cookies or planting a planter box, we enter into something sacred. Somehow, without even meaning to, we touch and merge with our Creator.

I cannot make bread for my family, or scrub the toilet or weed the garden, without feeling the presence of God. Ok, so maybe scrubbing the potty is a reach; but truly, even the process creating order within my home has become a place for the sacred to quietly reach deep within and touch my soul.

I think this must be what the scripture means when it says that we are to "pray without ceasing." (I Thes. 5:16-18)

Anytime we open ourselves to the sacred, we enter into prayer.

Yes, I know that there are some who insist that prayer must be experienced as some sort of rigid formula; but the God I know is not the God of rigidity or formulas. If He were, there would have been no need for Christ.

Ok, enough spiritualizing for one morning...

Better than average...

I miss my digital camera.

Sometimes, I forget that my little Nikon is gone.

Many times throughout the day I find myself reaching for it to snap surprise photos of children, bugs, and roses. Then I remember, "Oh yeah, the thieves came and took it in the night." Nasty little cretins!

My friend Annie came to visit me early this last week. She brought me new scissors to replace those that had been stolen. I used the fabric scissors this morning and wouldn't you know, those scissors cut as though they were cutting through butter. Smooooooth cutting!

I have been blessed to have better than average friendships, better than average friends, better than average everything, come to think of it. (With the possible exception of the crooks who stole my stuff...they were definately garden variety criminals!)

So, I count myself fortunate indeed that it was my Nikon and not the life of my child that was taken. I count myself fortunate that I have sisters of the spirit to bless my life, to love me even in my brokenness.

I said it in my last blog entry and I'll say it again!

Life is good!

Waaaay better than average!