shelly beson designs

2012-01-11T16:42:00.000-08:00

When
No one is looking

I swallow deserts and clouds
And chew on mountains knowing
They are sweet
Bones!

When no one is looking and I want
To kiss
God

I just lift my own hand
To

My

Mouth.

Hafiz

Moments of the Season. Happy New Year

2011-12-31T14:00:00.000-08:00

One of our many traditions

2011-12-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

I hosted our traditional Christmas get together with the "P's", please don't ask me what P stands for because I would never tell.

We always have beautiful food. Kim brought this luscious tray of fruit on her grandmother's lovely tray. I made a pot of white chili and later we enjoyed a hot cup of cocoa with a shot of peppermint schnapps. It tastes like a peppermint patty. We had delicious dips and spreads too.

We do crafts after downing a couple of bottles of champagne. We don't really, but Kim got a bug. Isn't it cute?

No you are not blind!! How many of you out there would be allowed to put up a picture of you and your friends in bikinis? We hot tubbed and the water was like a warm blanket and it felt so good on such a cold night. Traditions are fun and they strengthen tight bonds and loosening threads.

Santa's Little Helper

2011-12-07T16:07:00.000-08:00

Dreamin

2011-11-30T15:22:00.000-08:00

While Jeff and I were in Sedona celebrating our 28th year together, we drove around looking for cool houses. We came across this old church. We had no idea if anyone was actually living in it but we drove around the property and took pictures anyway. Kinda rude, yeah, but I'm pretty sure it was vacant.

The "house" sits on a large lot with no out buildings, drive ways or anything. Just a big blank slate waiting for some magic.

This is the front room that has a red brick fireplace in it. It looks like a very old building.

Still dreamin.

I'm still Full

2011-11-27T08:11:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2011-11-24T07:08:00.001-08:00

Bali Dinner

2011-11-08T14:04:00.000-08:00

Friday night I attended a dinner party with a Bali theme. We were asked to add some Bali flair to our attire. Some of us were asked to bring a dish and some of us were asked to bring champagne. I brought champagne. I decided to splurge and bring Veuve Clicquot, one of my favorites. As a surprise to the party guests I also brought a hookah.

I wish I could remember the names of all the dishes. There's curry chicken, tabbouleh and other delectable things.

Entertainment was planned to every ones delight. She even gave us lessons. I knew that someday my spare tire would come in handy.

Ruth, the party planner extraordinaire (and fan of the hookah) and her husband, Justin, put so much love and work into this dinner. It's is quite literally the best dinner party I have ever been to.

Then came the henna. We all took turns creating designs on each others feet. I woke up the next morning smelling of the exotic flower. I was instantly reminded of my lovely evening the night before.

Even some of the husbands got into the act. I thought it was so sweet.

Our gracious host, Ruth.

That would be quite a harem.

One Beautiful Man

2011-10-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

George Harrison was always my favorite Beatle. And he was by far the cutest. I watched the Martin Scorsese documentary, "Living in the Material World." It's all about the life and times of George Harrison. He wrote some damn good songs that didn't make it onto Beatles albums but when he struck out on his own he put the songs on his albums, you know, just some little songs like "My Sweet Lord," "All Things Must Pass" and "Here Comes the Sun."

He was a cool dude and I wish I had appreciated him more while he was alive.

Fall Leaves

2011-10-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

I love scattering fall leaves around my house. I would put some on the floor if I was certain my dogs wouldn't eat them.

I love putting out old photo's of past Halloween costume's. There are even pictures of my husband when he was a little boy. And more fall leaves.

I just acquired this perfect green cabinet from Domestic Bliss. When Kristen and Dan have a basement sale, drop everything and go. It's always worth it.

I also like to add some fall foliage to the house plants.

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night's decay
Ushers in a drearier day.

Emily Jane Bronte

THINGS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO

2011-10-06T20:01:00.000-07:00

Have you ever come across something like a song or a poem or simply a memory that a smell conjured up that without explanation moved you very deeply?

One of my favorite bands is My Morning Jacket, they're on my music play list and I came across an entry from them on facebook. It went....

" I'm not sure who I was in a former life, but chilly winds, changing leaves, and chimney smoke rejuvenate me more than anything spring offers."

Is it just me or did that move you at all? I read it twenty times and every time I said "yes, yes, I totally agree."

It took me somewhere, I'm not sure where but it was somewhere sweet and calm.

Happy Autumn.

LOOKING FOR A GOOD BOOK?

2011-10-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

Every weekday morning I listen to The Diane Rehm Show on NPR. Yeah, I know, I'm a nerd. Anywho..... she always has the best interviews with authors. Love in the Time of Cholera, One Thousand Years of Solitude, The Poinsonwood Bible and The Bells are just a scant few of the books I have read because I heard about them on the Diane Rehm Show. The latest interview was with Erin Morgenstern who wrote the book The Night Circus. I down loaded it onto my Kindle that very afternoon and devoured it. I loved it! The images Erin Morgenstern paints in your mind are absolutely beautiful and the story is so original and creative. If you have already read it let me know what you think about it. Oh, and I hear talk of a movie.

The only correct actions are those that demand no explanation and no apology.

2011-10-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

Has anyone ever apologized to you like this? "I'm sorry if you were offended."

I'm sorry if you were offended is the classic example of a bad apology. It can be used to sound as if you care, while avoiding any responsibility for the hurt that you caused.
Wikipedia's entry on Non-apology apology says:

A non-apology apology is a statement in the form of an apology that is nothing of the sort, a common gambit in politics and public relations. It most commonly entails the speaker saying that he or she is sorry not for a behavior, statement or misdeed, but rather is sorry only because a person who has been aggrieved is requesting the apology, expressing a grievance, or is threatening some form of retribution or retaliation.

An example of a non-apology apology would be to say "I'm sorry if you were offended by my remarks" to someone who has been offended by a statement. This apology does not admit that there was anything wrong with the remarks made, and, additionally, it subtly insinuates that the person taking offense was excessively thin-skinned or irrational in taking offense at the remarks in the first place.

What do you do with an apology like this? What if you weren't offended? What if you were feeling a myriad of other emotions? I've known of this non-apology apology for a long time and have always felt it's insincerity. It's in my own personal moral code to always apologize for my actions and take full responsibility for those actions. I've apologized in the past for something I've done or said where the other party said, "That didn't bother me at all," but my comments or actions bothered me so I felt the need to apologize. Avoiding situations that end in the need to apologize is the best way to go but if you find yourself in that situation take responsibility, it's cleansing.

Samsara

2011-09-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

Samsara literally means "wandering-on." Many people think of it as the Buddhist name for the place where we currently live -- the place we leave when we go to nibbana. But in the early Buddhist texts, it's the answer, not to the question, "Where are we?" but to the question, "What are we doing?" Instead of a place, it's a process: the tendency to keep creating worlds and then moving into them. As one world falls apart, you create another one and go there. At the same time, you bump into other people who are creating their own worlds, too.

copyright © 2002 Thanissaro Bhikkhu

SILVER and a little gold

2011-09-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

Slowly, silently, now the moon
Walks the night in her silver shoon;
This way, and that, she peers, and sees
Silver fruit upon silver trees;
One by one the casements catch
Her beams beneath the silvery thatch;
Couched in his kennel, like a log,
With paws of silver sleeps the dog;
From their shadowy cote the white breasts peep
Of doves in silver feathered sleep
A harvest mouse goes scampering by,
With silver claws, and silver eye;
And moveless fish in the water gleam,
By silver reeds in a silver stream.

Walter de la Mare

Mother and Child

2011-09-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite pics of all time. I wish that I could go back and spend time with my kids when they were small. When they let me smother them in kisses and it didn't gross them out. I miss reading bedtime stories to them and rocking them to sleep. I think I'll go kiss them right now!!

Your Moment of Zen

2011-09-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Equanimity, or the steadiness of the mind, is the attitude most prized in Buddhism, not only because it is the state that causes the practice of loving-kindness and compassion, but because it leads to spiritual freedom. A well balanced person never takes offense. Within bodhichitta, or the wish to become enlightened so that you may help others to realize enlightenment, you can recognize the enemy an opportunity to practice restraint and tolerance. You can also practice these for the sake of others. Compassion is based on realizing the equality between yourself and others.

It's Possible

2011-08-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

It's entirely possible that my travel trailer could end up looking like this. I love it.

OH YES I DID!!!!

2011-08-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

I bought a travel trailer!! It's a 1970 Roadrunner. It's currently at my favorite father in laws up in Flagstaff. I'm trying to get my disgruntled favorite husband to take a trip up to Flag to pick it up. When I get it home I'll show you the little cutie. In the mean time check Kim and Carter's blog, they bought one too and are blogging about the "Refashioning of Alice."

Huntington Beach 2011

2011-07-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks Jaclyn for the spectacular photo!!

Jeff and Hannah kickin' it old school.

2011-07-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

I discoverd a new way to edit on Picasa. It's fun but there's a steep learning curve. I really like it so I'll keep at it. Enjoy!

Summer Lovin'.

2011-07-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

MORE CAMERA FUN

2011-05-31T17:21:00.000-07:00

It's been well established that the dogs eat at the table.

And on the table.

I made Jeff smile. He didn't want to.

My latest harvest of tomato's have horns. Can you see them?

Some people wonder why I don't post many pictures of my kids. It's because I get this.......

and this!!!

I Leave You My Portrait

2011-05-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

VISION GALLERY is proud to present “I Leave You My Portrait” an exhibition of
artworks and installations inspired by the works of Frida Kahlo, created by the Phoenix
Fridas. The Phoenix Fridas is a group of Arizona artists, Kathy Cano Murillo, Gloria
Casillas, Leticia de le Vara, Michele Delgado, Anita Mabante Leach, Carmen Guerrero,
Emily Costello, April Edwards, Lucia Madrid, Monique Sanderson-Mata & Annalissa
Rios.
The exhibition is inspired by Frida Kahlo’s quote, “I leave you my portrait so that you will
have my presence all the days and nights that I am away from you.”The gallery will be
transformed by the Phoenix Fridas, offering an installation of Frida’s bedroom, artworks,
altars and inspirational mixed media artworks.
In conjunction with the exhibit the gallery will offer free programming:
Gallery Salon Discussion - Frida Kahlo’s Influence on Contemporary Artists,
Thursday, June 16th, 7 – 9PM
Frida’s Birthday Celebration and Artist reception - featuring artist demonstrations,
Saturday, July 9th, 2011, 1 – 5PM
Vision Kidz Workshops :
• Frida Masks with Carmen Guerrero, Saturday, June 18th, 10 AM & 1 PM
• Tissue Embossed Canvases with Kathy Cano Murillo, Saturday, June 25th, 10
AM & 1 PM
• Tiaras and Papel Picado with Carmen Guerrero, Saturday, July 9th, 10 AM & 1
PM
All Vision Kidz workshops require registration for children ages 8 to 14. Call 480-782-
2695 to register.
For more information contact Yvonne Torres at 480-782-2695.
What: “I Leave you My Portrait exhibition” A celebration of artworks and Installations
inspired by Frida Kahlo by the Phoenix Fridas
Where: Vision Gallery, 10 East Chicago Street, Chandler, AZ 85225
When: June 10 – July 30, 2011
Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday 10 AM – 5 PM, Saturdays 10 AM – 4 PM
www.visiongallery.org
480-782-2695

My two girls.

2011-05-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

Playing around with my new camera.

2011-05-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

New Ring

2011-04-23T11:54:00.001-07:00

Heavy, heavy heart ring. She goes on Etsy on Monday but if you just can't wait email me. shellybeson@cox.net.

10,000 words

2011-04-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

*If you want to hear the video you'll need to scroll down and turn off my music first.
I thought of something that my husband said to me a long time ago. He said, "you can tell a lot about a person by the kind of music they listen to." I totally agree. My friend Kim sent me this video because she knew I would love it just like she does. I love the simplicity of an acoustic guitar and a voice and when it's two cute boys, well it just makes it perfect. The video reminds me of times at my favorite father in laws house. Just a bunch of hippies jammin and singing and being content. Music plays such a big roll in my life, it moves me and sometimes to tears. I love that. Today on my way home from work I was listening to one of my favorite songs of all time and one of the lines is, "the air's as still as the throttle on a funeral train." Can you feel it? Can you imagine that? I hope you can.

http://youtu.be/ugkLFwqslp8 Here's the link to see it full size. It's worth it!!

My Home and Garden

2011-04-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

“Ten thousand flowers in spring the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life.” Wu-men

The Witch's Daughter

2011-03-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

I do not have an obsession with witches. It's just a coincidence that I read another book about witches. My dear Kindle politely makes suggestions of what I might like to read or shows me books that others have bought. It's so thoughtful of dear Kindle to do that, don't you think? Regardless of how I found this book I LOVED IT!!! If you like a little fear and suspense then you will love this book. I must warn you that I had nightmares one night after reading a particularly scary part. I never have nightmares but I dreamed about the book all night long. I loved how the book was put together and the writing was lovely. Five stars.

The Kindle

2011-03-24T12:06:00.000-07:00

My husband gave me a Kindle for my birthday. He has already threatened to hide it from me. I love to read and when I have a good book I go into hiding. I get obsessed and read every free moment I can scrape up. A Discovery of Witches is the latest book that I could not put down. I drank it up. Reading this book was like breathing and I couldn't live without it. I loved every bit of this book. The author is a learned scholar with degrees in history from a number of colleges. I read some of the reviews that were from fellow learned scholars and they weren't very good. I have two thoughts on these reviews. One, I felt like I might not be so smart after all, I mean if English and history majors had their complaints and I didn't then I must be simple minded . Two, I decided that these smarty pants should get their heads out of their asses and look into artistic licence. That said, I would highly recommend this book. Five stars.

I also read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. If you liked Seabiscuit then you'll love this book. I teared up countless times reading this. It's a true story about a man I quickly came to admire. I had just finished this book when the earthquake in Japan happened and I recognised most of the places that were affected. It's such a beautiful story and full of inspiration. Five stars.

The Bells by Richard Harvell is absolutely the most beautiful book I have ever read. I say that without hesitation. The writing is like a beautiful melody. I don't want to say too much about it so it can unfold for you like it did for me. If I could give this book ten stars I would. Please let me know if you have read any of these books, I would love to hear your thoughts.

I LOVE THIS!!!

2011-03-22T15:40:00.001-07:00

We Are All Masterful and Joyful Beings

2011-03-08T12:33:00.000-08:00

No matter what your religion, learning to be in the present and less time in worries or judgments is a tool we all could use. I will be joining this class but have to miss the first class. I'm going to my daughters volleyball tournament in California where meditation comes in handy. If you live in the area consider it.

8 Week Course (1 class per week)

Saturday mornings 10:00 am-11:30 am

Starting April 2nd,
Cost $50.00 (includes Book- Meditation, The Great Teacher)

This eight week course available through A.I.B.M.C. and Shane Wilson held at 432 South Temple Street, Mesa, AZ 85204
Would you like to spend more time in Presence and less time lost in worries, fears, judgments, and other negative thoughts and feelings? By following some simple practices, you can master your mind and emotions. You can learn to be happier and more at peace regardless of what is happening in your life.

This course will give you the understanding and tools you need to become free of negativity and suffering and experience the peace, contentment, and joy of your true nature. You can break free from the limitations imposed by your thoughts and live more at peace with life and with yourself. The understandings and tools presented will help you discover who you really are and live as that rather than being tossed to and fro by a negative mind.

This 8-week course has information, exercises, and meditations to help you quiet your mind, dis-identify with it, and move into the present moment where you can experience your true nature, which is at peace with life and contains all the wisdom you need to create a happy and fulfilling life. The key to happiness is not getting something from outside ourselves or even improving ourselves, but connecting with our own source of wisdom, happiness, peace, and contentment. We are all masterful and joyful beings. This course will help you discover the true source of happiness and leave behind limiting thoughts and beliefs and the painful emotions they create.

TOPICS COVERED
· Basic to advanced meditation practices
· How to meditate for relaxation
· Setting up a your meditation program
· How to experience Mindfulness and stay there
· What it's like to be in the Now and live in the Now
· The development of concentration
. Breath Awareness
. How to deal with distractions in meditation and life.

About Shane Wilson
Shane Wilson, author of "Meditation, The Great Teacher". Formally an ordained Buddhist monk, he has dedicated his life to helping those wishing to further their practice of meditation. Shane has studied meditation In Thailand, China, with many gifted teachers throughout the world. He regularly teaches at the Arizona International Buddhist meditation Center as well as facilitating meditation sits, workshops and talks around the Phoenix AZ area. He lives in Mesa Arizona.

Words to Live by

2011-03-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

I love these signs. My only problem is that I have a few "heavies" in my life that don't seem to like it when I'm myself, all of myself, which can be obnoxious and loud.

This one is my favorite and I'll be going to Domestic Bliss very soon to pick this one up. Oh to be surrounded by great minds.

It's Complicated!

2011-02-28T12:54:00.000-08:00

Who knew the 29th of February was so complicated? Nevertheless, Happy unbirthday to me.
In the Gregorian calendar, the current standard calendar in most of the world, most years that are evenly divisible by 4 are leap years. In each leap year, the month of February has 29 days instead of 28. Adding an extra day to the calendar every four years compensates for the fact that a period of 365 days is shorter than a solar year by almost 6 hours.

However, some exceptions to this rule are required since the duration of a solar year is slightly less than 365.25 days. Years that are evenly divisible by 100 are not leap years, unless they are also evenly divisible by 400, in which case they are leap years.[2][3] For example, 1600 and 2000 were leap years, but 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not. Similarly, 2100, 2200, 2300, 2500, 2600, 2700, 2900 and 3000 will not be leap years, but 2400 and 2800 will be. By this rule, the average number of days per year will be 365 + 1/4 − 1/100 + 1/400 = 365.2425, which is 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes, and 12 seconds. The Gregorian calendar was designed to keep the vernal equinox on or close to March 21, so that the date of Easter (celebrated on the Sunday after the 14th day of the Moon—i.e. a full moon—that falls on or after March 21) remains correct with respect to the vernal equinox.[4] The vernal equinox year is about 365.242374 days long (and increasing).

The marginal difference of 0.000125 days between the Gregorian calendar average year and the actual year means that, in around 8,000 years, the calendar will be about one day behind where it is now. But in 8,000 years, the length of the vernal equinox year will have changed by an amount that cannot be accurately predicted (see below). Therefore, the current Gregorian calendar suffices for practical purposes, and the correction suggested by John Herschel of making 4000 a non-leap year will probably not be necessary.

Say hello to my little friend.

2011-02-16T14:33:00.000-08:00

I have this bird that sleeps on my porch every night. He's left quite a mess on top of the window ledge. I don't have the heart to clean it off because if I do he might not come back. I showed him to my friends one night as they were leaving and they suggested I put up a bird cage. I don't want to do that either because he might see it as a trap and leave me forever. So I just let him come and go as he pleases and sleep in his crap. I guess that's OK with birds.

Every night before bed I check to see if he has safely tucked himself in. One night he wasn't there. I first felt sad that he had left me then my thoughts turned to worry that maybe he was hurt or worse. I also thought that maybe he had found a girlfriend. I don't really know why I think of this wren as a male, it just seems that females might stick together to protect their little eggs. I do think he's a wren because of his long, curved beak. I also thought that maybe the hawks may have attacked him. I love those hawks but I think it's mean that they attack other birds. Stick to the mice, I say. I was so happy to see him back the next night.

My husband and I were driving past a dairy the other day and I noticed that the birds were sitting on the fence not a foot from the cows. In fact, some of the birds were sitting on top of the cows. I said to Jeff, "How do birds know not to be afraid of cows?" "If that were a person they would all fly away." Jeff just said "I dunno." The thought occured to me just how many different kind of birds we eat. Turkey, chicken, quail, duck, goose and so on. They have reason to be afraid of us. That reminds me of a story my mom loves to tell.

She grew up on a farm and, of course, they had chickens and roosters. One chicken in particular was mean as can be. My mom was out playing in the yard and that chicken started pecking her. She turned and ran toward the house and the chicken ran after her pecking the backs of her legs. My grandmother heard her screaming and flew out of the door. She saw what was happening and when that chicken got close she grabbed it by the neck and twisted it in the air and needless to say, that was dinner. My grandma always said a prayer before every meal and I like to picture it going something like this. "Dear Lord we give thanks for this bounty. Thank you for this chicken that nearly pecked my daughter to death!!!!! Thank you for giving me the strength TO RING ITS BLASTED NECK..............." And after a long pause she irons out the wrinkles in her apron with her hands and calmly says "amen."

New Designs

2011-02-13T12:56:00.000-08:00

Go here for a closer look.

Sweet Event at Domestic Bliss

2011-01-27T13:50:00.000-08:00

I'll be at Domestic Bliss on Feb. 12th for a sweet little trunk show. There will be a number of trunks open with cool handmade lovelies. So come and get your sweet on.

MARATHON DAY

2011-01-15T18:42:00.000-08:00

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
My your song always be sung
May you stay forever young

Good luck to Jeff, Teresa and Todd in the Marathon tomorrow.

HATE BEGETS HATE

2011-01-04T18:46:00.000-08:00

I would so very much like to write some extremely hateful things in this post but alas I cannot. I'm sure you've seen my photos of "The four agreements" bangles. The agreement I work on the most is "Don’t Take Anything Personally." Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering. I fell victim today and had to turn up the volume on that particular agreement.
I was told of some unpleasant things someone said about me. I hardly know this person. In fact I've only been in her presence once. I don't get it. I needed more help so I read this. "Although we already have some degree of compassion, at present it is very biased and limited. When our family and friends are suffering we easily develop compassion for them, but we find it far more difficult to feel sympathy for people we find unpleasant or for strangers."
I'm trying to have compassion for this person. This bitter, sad, mean hearted person. See there, I just failed again. It takes practice, lots and lots of practice. I vow to meditate more and focus on unconditional compassion this year. I'm vowing right now to not think of how I can get my revenge on this...........person.

PEACE ON EARTH

2010-12-24T10:02:00.000-08:00

MARTI IS FEATURED IN PHOENIX HOME AND GARDEN

2010-12-14T17:30:00.001-08:00

My mother in law, Marti Beson, is featured in the January issue of Phoenix Home and Garden. She loves the article and how the photos turned out. We are all so proud of her. Pick up your issue and check it out.

NEW ON ETSY

2010-12-11T08:39:00.000-08:00

Free shipping on these beauties. Go to my Etsy shop for price and description.

BUDDHA OF COMPASSION

2010-12-10T08:24:00.000-08:00

Love and compassion are the two key components of the Four Noble States of Mind revealed by the Buddha. In their eagerness to live a moral life, some Buddhists may regard love and compassion as a moral or ethical norm to live up to, or as a lofty ideal to "advocate." Apparently, this normative perception stems from the Chinese Buddhist interpretation of love as "bring happiness to sentient beings" and of compassion as "relieve sentient beings of sufferings." In other words, love and compassion is assigned a prescriptive meaning and an altruist mission.
But the Buddha and historical Buddhist sages were not moralists. Rather, they took an existential approach, pointing out that love and compassion is a quality - and an inner power -- intrinsic to our true nature, i.e., the "Buddha-nature." If we know how to connect with our Buddha-nature, we touch the abundant source of that divine quality. Here we are talking about depth psychology on a spiritual level, not religious ethics. The Buddhist perception of "unconditioned love and compassion" is neither a metaphysical abstraction nor altruist idealism. Indeed, it has an experiential basis, being experienced as the natural unfolding of an enlightened mind that transcends the narrow ego identity along with its dualistic mode of thinking and feeling.
Insofar as true love and compassion is the result of self-transcendence, it inevitably includes the selfless virtues of tolerance, forgiveness and sympathetic understanding (empathy). These virtues, more than anything else, are the acid test for the power of love as they are present in situations in which the ego is being offended or threatened. And what else can be more invaluable for a world fraught with conflicts and differences? Tolerance keeps our minds open to respect different opinions, ideas and religious faiths. Forgiveness involves surrendering feelings of animosity and hatred when others step on our toes. Sympathetic understanding means putting ourselves in others' shoes and considering matters from their positions in addition to our own when a conflict arises. These virtues help close the gap between ourselves and others, making peace possible in the face of conflicts and differences.

ANGELS A PLENTY

2010-12-09T06:18:00.001-08:00

Here are some new holiday paintings by Marti Beson (my favorite artist).

What are your favorite ornaments??

2010-11-29T15:21:00.001-08:00

Maggie isn't as fond of these ornaments as I am. These are two of my favorites.

My friends always give me the perfect ornament.

See what I mean.

Happy decorating all!!

Laughter

2010-11-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about my grandma yesterday and thought of this little story. I started laughing to myself so hard and before you know it I was crying but in a happy way. I went to my mom's house to visit her and my grandmother. My mom walked into my grandma's living room with a pair of pants on that were white with black leaves on them, kind of a jungle print. My grandma said "look at your mom, it looks like she got those pants off a monkey.......she looks real nice." When she said "real nice" she drew the words out like reaaaaaal niiiiice. Now my grandma was 99ish at the time and not so lucid. She loved telling stories and would start laughing so hard while telling them she could hardly finish. We would all laugh just because she was laughing so hard. My husband is the exact same way, he starts laughing and everyone joins in without knowing why their laughing.

You can't deny laughter; when it comes, it plops down in your favorite chair and stays as long as it wants. ~Stephen King, Hearts in Atlantis

Painting by Marti Beson (my mother in law) who will be in the January issue of Phoenix Home and Garden.

Alright Already!!

2010-11-11T07:08:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know my last post was dark and confusing for some of you and maybe I'll explain myself one of these days. But not today! Here is some eye candy to cleanse your palate.

2010-11-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

"No matter where you prepare your last bed,
No matter where the sword of death falls,
The terrifying messengers of death descend,
Horrid and giant; and glare with thirsty eyes.

Friends and family, weeping, surround you.
Eyeing your wealth and possessions,
They offer prayers and enshroud you.
Unprepared, you pass away;
Helpless and alone."
From 'Songs of spiritual change' by His Holiness the 7th Dalai Lama (transl. Glenn Mullin)

Hope You Had a Spooky Halloween

2010-11-01T13:07:00.001-07:00

Breast Cancer Awareness Pendant

2010-10-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

NEW ON ETSY!! These are selling fast and I'm relisting them as quickly as I can. If you would like one but it looks like it's sold out just leave a comment, email me or just check back periodically and a new one should be ready. I can also put different words on the ribbon too.

Avoiding the Hook

2010-10-19T12:56:00.001-07:00

I have a flaw that I decided was time to completely eradicate. It's my quickness to anger. I'm not sure where it comes from but I tend to fly off the handle for the smallest reason. I cuss out thoughtless drivers (of which I'm one but hopefully that will change when my anger subsides.) I get really mad when I drop something or hurt myself. But nothing tops getting my feelings hurt over a word. It could be just one word. Just the wrong word. Just one word can hook me into a downward spiral. I've had enough of that and went searching where I always search, where I always find the answer and where it has always felt right. Buddhism.

I found an interview that Bill Moyers did with Pema Chodron. She talked about being addicted to escalating aggression. You know it won't benefit you but you do it anyway. You can't help yourself. You know you will pay for what you're about to say but you say it anyway. You know you will reek short term havoc but you make your move and pay the price. What an absurd waste of time. Here is part of the interview.

PEMA CHÖDRÖN: So it's all about that the end of suffering has to do with how you relate with pain. Let's distinguish just for semantics, the difference between, let's call pain the unavoidable and let's call suffering what could what could lessen and dissolve in our lives. So, if there's sort of a basic phrase you could say that it isn't the things that happen to us in our lives that cause us to suffer, it's how we relate to the things that happen to us that causes us to suffer. One of the things that this eighth century Indian Buddhist master, Shantideva, one of the things he says about this whole thing is work with little grievances such as the middle seat instead of the aisle seat or your favorite restaurant being closed or not being able to get into the movie. Or whatever it is, you know? He says "There's nothing that does not grow easier through familiarity." Putting up with little cares, I'll train myself to work with great adversity. So in other words, the premise there is that if you work with two, feeling hot and feeling cold, you work with mosquito bites and aisle and middle seats. And at that level, notice that you're hooked and work with not escalating it--

BILL MOYERS: You're hooked?

PEMA CHÖDRÖN: Yeah. That I'm hooked. Hooked is an interesting quality to me.

BILL MOYERS: What do you mean by it?

PEMA CHÖDRÖN: I mean, not only has something, evoked a response in me but it's going to be difficult for me to let go. Anger is like that for sure. Prejudice is like that. Critical mindedness is like that. You don't want to let go. There's something delicious about finding fault with something. And that can be including finding fault with one's self, you know? So that's what I mean by hooked. You're sort of it because of the image of a fish and the hook and it has this juicy worm on it and you know the consequences aren't going to be good. But you cannot resist. And one of the main things we're addicted to is escalating aggression.

BILL MOYERS: So you escalate the anger.

PEMA CHÖDRÖN: So I escalate the anger, you know? My teacher Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, he calls it pouring kerosene on the fire, you know? In an attempt to put it out, you pour kerosene on the fire.

BILL MOYERS: I like that. I like the idea of being hooked. It's a new metaphor for me in the-

PEMA CHÖDRÖN: The word in Tibetan is Shenpa. And I've been teaching a lot about it lately because when I heard this teaching from one of my main teachers, Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, I thought this is fabulous. Because he says it isn't the words themselves that you're saying to yourself. It isn't the emotions. It's this charge behind them that's the Shenpa. It's this hooked quality this difficult to let go. In my case, I read a book by Ch–gyam Trungpa Rinpoche. And it really resonated, you know?

Sweetest Girl

2010-09-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

Betsy Johnson party dress: $350.00
Betsy Johnson party shoes: $295.00
Betsy Johnson jewelry: $150.00
Your daughter knowing full well you're not buying any of this for the homecoming dance:PRICELESS

I love this girl !!

HOARDERS

2010-09-15T15:36:00.001-07:00

What on earth is going on here? I watched the most disturbing episode of Hoarders Monday night. The woman that lived in the house (above) was clearly mentally disturbed. There were dead cats buried by debris and her dinning room table was covered in three feet of cat feces. The crew had to stop clearing out the trash because they found what the woman had used as her toilet which was plastic bags that she threw in the doorway that lead to the upstairs. You can see them right beneath the white door with the stain on it. You can only imagine what that might be. It's such a hard thing to understand. Of coarse it reminded me of Grey Gardens. The bottom picture is of the "Edie's" kitchen floor. What is it with cats? If you can't take care of yourself why would you have animals? I know this is an illness and my heart goes out to these poor people. The most positive thing that has come out this is that I have been purging my house of clutter. My laundry room is neat and tidy and I will be going from room to room and putting things in order. Out of some peoples illness is someone else's cure.

Two of My Favorite Pink Things

2010-08-25T16:21:00.001-07:00

We all know the feeling when we find something so pretty, so perfect and then discover it's so dirt cheap. I found these pink bowls at the Home Store for twenty dollars total!!! They were just sitting there in plain view and I couldn't believe no one had snatched them up. I love the rough edges and unevenness of these hand made treasures. I used the biggest one to serve a great big salad in. The chairs were a gift from my mother two Christmas's ago. My mom volunteers at the Gilbert Historical Museum and every time I visited her there or attended a party I would comment on these chairs. What a surprise to see her carrying these two gems into my house. They're in perfect, original condition and will go in my bedroom after we clear some things out.

A Cute Little Place I Shopped at in Solana Beach

2010-08-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

Curb Your Enthusiasm

2010-07-29T20:12:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a Larry David moment? For those of you who aren't familiar with Curb or Larry David a "Larry David" moment is when someone knowingly or unknowingly puts you out. For instance last Halloween we went to the neighbors house for pot luck. The whole neighborhood was there and everyone brought their own chairs. There was just three of us and we bought three chairs. We set them up along with our little cooler with our drinks in it then went and got in line to fill our plates. When we returned to our chairs there was a woman sitting in Hannah's chair. Hmmm, Jeff and I thought, that's weird that someone would just take someones chair without asking or checking to see if it was an extra or something. She was kind of old so we let it go but we pulled it in close the moment she got up and went somewhere. Who does that?

Today Jeff and I went with Hannah to her school to get her schedule and to pay for this and that and while we were walking in a young girl said "excuse me but could I borrow your phone to call my mom?" "Of course" I said. We were all standing around as she asked her mom to come and pick her up then proceeded to chat it up and tell her everything that had happened on her signing up for school adventure. I looked at Jeff who was clearly miffed and said "I'll catch up". She continued to talk for a while and I felt like saying after she hung up "what ever will you talk about now on your way home?"

Now Jeff and I aren't anything like Larry David when it comes to confronting the putter outers and it made for some ab crunching belly laughs on our ride home. Jeff is my daily reminder to find the humor in being put out. I would love to hear your stories.

Oh Edward.....not that Edward!

2010-07-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

"Do not burn yourself out. Be as I am...a reluctant enthusiast...a part time crusader, a half hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still there. So get out there and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, encounter the grizz, climb the mountains. Run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly and contemplate the precious stillness, that lovely, mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head attached firmly to your body, the body active and alive and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those deskbound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotised by desk calculators. I promise you this: you will outlive the bastards!" Edward Abbey

The Four Agreements

2010-07-08T13:06:00.000-07:00

STUPID

2010-07-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

Hiking the San Tan Mountains was not the stupidest thing that happened this morning. Jeff and I have been doing a six mile hike whenever the opportunity arises for a couple of months now. We were both off today so we decided to go out on an early hike. For those of you who don't know, we live in Arizona where it's 112 degrees out. It wasn't that bad because the monsoons have been threatening us with their clouds, winds and humidity so the constant breeze and a few puffy clouds help us out a little. The second half of the hike is like a roller coaster, up and down with hair pin turns. That's where it got a little hard for me. It was heating up fast but I made it out ok. This is where things got crazy. My spastic husband decided to run the same trail we had just finished. I said "Ok, have fun dying!" He took off while I headed back to the visitors center. I waited for a while and texted Hannah and called my mom. I was just about to hang up with her when here comes Jeff with bloody arms and dirt all over his back. He had fallen but that was the least of his worries. There was a family hiking with no water. A husband and wife with two small boys and a toddler and the wife was seven months pregnant. NO WATER!! What were they thinking? Jeff runs right past me while I yelled "did you fall?!" He said "yes, give me your Gatorade." He filled the water bottles, wet down some bandanas and ran back out to the trail. I went and got the park ranger and told him what was going on so he took off in his truck and drove the wife and little one back. The husband and two boys had come out before the ranger left. They were embarrassed but were very sweet and thanked us and left. Jeff is doing ok with his scraps and I'm sure he'll be out running in the morning. Stay hydrated my friends.

Project

2010-06-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

I think I have finally decided on what to do with the kids bathroom. I love this bathroom because it's so bright and crisp. I love red in just the right doses. I have to remove a very large wall to wall mirror and find two individual mirrors to replace it with. I'll also need to get the hubs to put up some bead board. Oh honey!!!

Red Brick Home

2010-06-23T13:36:00.001-07:00

Red Brick Home
Originally uploaded by dkbeson

Photo by Kim Beson

True Blue #2

2010-06-23T13:33:00.001-07:00

True Blue #2
Originally uploaded by dkbeson

My current favorite color scheme is red and blue. Here are some of my favorite photos that my favorite father in law took on his escapades around the country.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T15:52:00.000-07:00

Not only is he the best Dad a kid could ever have but he's kinda cute too. I'll probably be asked to delete this so enjoy it while you can. My kids have no idea how lucky they are.

FRIENDS

2010-06-09T19:21:00.001-07:00

One of my best friends daughter graduated from High School and this is a picture of all us girls at the graduation party. It was a fun party. Look at us with our tans. Look a little closer at my chin (I'm second from the left). I arrived at the party about an hour after I had surgery to remove skin cancer from my chin. I had squamous cell carcinoma. It started as a little pink pimple that didn't go away for three months. Out of pure vanity I went to a dermatologist and had it removed. It was biopsied and came back positive. I'll spare you the details of the surgery but I will say it was very intense for such a small bump. The nurse put a huge maxi pad of a bandage on my face before I left and my husband was mad at me for taking it off when I got home. I was supposed to leave in on for 24 hours. I couldn't got to a party looking like that, not that the two band aids made me look much better. I was also not supposed to have alcohol but after the day I had I couldn't wait for that margarita, another thing my husband was mad about. He finally said "your on your own." I love him. Be careful people! Wear at least 50 spf. I love the sun but it's spray tan from here on out.

Time Flies

2010-05-20T14:08:00.001-07:00

It seems like yesterday when we took Hannah to her first club volleyball practice. Last night we had the end of the season party at my house. What a great group of girls. Everyone got along and were such great sports.

Ina Garten chocolate with peanut butter frosting cupcakes: about $8

Floor cleaner for the sticky floors from all the pop that was spilled: about $5

Watching the season video and goofing off with sixteen year olds: priceless

Theres Something About The Grand Canyon

2010-05-11T14:27:00.001-07:00

Jeff and I went to the Grand Canyon with a group of his hiking friends. I went merely as support in case of an emergency. Their plan was to hike rim to rim to rim in under 24 hours but the snow melt had created a torrential stream that they couldn't cross. They went with plan B which was to hike to Phantom Ranch and back which took a mere 10 hours.

I took pictures of them for as long as I could then went on my way.

I visited all of the art galleries and souvenir shops. I bought a book called "The Anthropology of Turquoise" by Ellen Meloy and hiked up towards Hermits Rest looking for a place along the rim to sit and read. I had no idea the hike would be that steep and half way to my destination I dropped my water bottle, the lid broke off and half the water spilled out. Before I could find a nice, safe place near the edge I found a bench, a beautiful, wide, safe bench with a million dollar view. I would get immersed in my book and look up for a second and have my breath taken away by the splendor. How could I forget for one second that I was on the edge of the Grand Canyon?

There is something about this place that moves me. Every time I would stop walking and look out at the canyon I would choke up. Where is this coming from I wondered. I was all alone with hours until the group came back and I thought I would like wandering around alone and reading my new book but I didn't. I missed Jeff and my kids. I decided that I wanted to sell all of my possessions and live at the Grand Canyon and exist like the Natives did all those years ago. Make Indian jewelry and weave rugs.

Around six o'clock I went back to the rock I sat on that morning to watch for Jeff. I waited for about 20 minutes and then I saw him. I whistled and he immediately look right at me. We waved to each other and I headed down. I felt like I hadn't seen him for days. He was happy and still full of energy. We hiked back to the rock and waited for the others. After everyone showed up we went back to the room and celebrated with champagne and beer. Everyone was in good spirits except for one who was slowly passing a kidney stone. He looked pretty bad and went home first thing in the morning.

We woke up to this. It snowed from the time we got up until we were well out of Flagstaff. We had breakfast then grabbed our coffee and headed for the edge. It was a whole new canyon. I could see the snow falling down into the canyon. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Jeff thinks I am capable of hiking to Phantom Ranch and back if we stay over night. With a little training I think he might be right.

TRUNK SHOW MAY 6TH!!

2010-04-27T06:29:00.001-07:00

Come and join me and Minnie for a Mothers Day boutique at my house. Lots of fun things to see. Just email me for directions and I hope to see you there!!

Jeff and I are off to the Grand Canyon for a harrowing adventure. Wish us luck!! Be back this weekend.

EVERYDAY FOOD

2010-04-06T08:01:00.001-07:00

My love for cooking comes in starts and fits. I always grab the latest Everyday Food that Martha Stewart puts out and I have to say that sometimes the mag is a dud for me but not the April issue.

I've been wanting to learn how to cook fish for so long but for some reason I've been scared to try. I have no idea why fish scares me, or should I say scared me because I tried it and it was beyond easy. The recipe is tilapia and quinoa with feta and cucumber. I called my husband at Costco, where he works and asked him to bring home some fish. He brought me halibut. I had the quinoa already but had never made that either. I was impressed with the super food status of quinoa. It's low in carbs and a complete protein and mixed with feta, dill and cucumber it's delicious. The whole meal was so good and I can't wait to make it again.

Next I tried the caramelized onion and lentil soup recipe. I had lentils in my pantry but I don't remember buying them. They cook in one hour so it's easy to get the dried lentils and make them yourself, it's cheaper than buying them already made. The dollop is plain yogurt that adds some tang to the dish. Another success!!

Last night I tied Emerils chicken patty pockets also in the Everyday Food magazine but I forgot to take a picture. They were good and tasty and healthy. Next up is the home made tomato soup recipe, one that I'll probably be eating alone. My family has picky palates.

HAPPY EASTER

2010-04-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

I love this day, it's always full of sunshine and pastels. I had to post the egg picture because it made me laugh so hard. I hope you're all with friends and family today and have lots of fun!!

SWEET 16

2010-03-28T08:12:00.001-07:00

My baby turns 16 today. It seems like yesterday when the doctor said "it's a girl". I had my little girl and she had a big brother. My kids have a really great relationship with each other, just like I had hoped. She's so lucky to have a dad that thinks, knows, she is the most special girl in the world. She's funny, quirky and the life of the party. Our children are the light of our lives. We love you Hannah!!

SNOW IN THE CREEK

2010-03-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

I was walking my dogs in the wash yesterday and it started snowing. It was actually cottonwood seeds floating through the air. We have giant cottonwood trees in the wash and every year they snow all over the neighborhood. It's a beautiful sight. Lots of little trees begin to spring up everywhere and I wish people would just let them grow. I hope you can see the seeds flying around in the first photo, it was hard capturing that on camera. I love having such a pleasant place to stroll in the mornings. Have a wonderful weekend.

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO FOR CHANEL

2010-03-26T09:00:00.001-07:00

I once saw a woman in Vegas with lacy garters tattooed on her thighs and thought it was so cute and clever. She had nice legs so it looked good, I wouldn't recommend it for short, chubby legs like mine though. I saw these tattoos at Chanel.com and loved them. The great thing is they're fake. I wish they were still selling these because I would absolutely do this. I especially love the necklace tattoo. Would you do it?

Birthdays, Antiques and Babies

2010-03-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

I have an advantage being a Leap Year baby. I can make the in between years a free for all. I've had four mini celebrations this year which include lunch with my mom, dinner with my kids and Jeff, dinner with the bday four and champagne brunch with the P's. The P's are a group of five and I couldn't even begin to explain what a P is. One of my P's, Sandy, gave me these old English fireplaces that her mom brought back from London many years ago. Aren't they Divine? I love the little dudes holding up the grill. What are those things?!!

The color of these cast iron fronts couldn't be more perfect.

Jeff set them up in the back yard and it's my dream to somehow incorporate them into the back yard sitting area and grill we'd like to create.

My most creative and best friend Kim put together a Sunday brunch for me and had it out on her front porch. It was so much fun.

It wouldn't be a birthday without good champagne.

Kim made delicious lavender cupcakes that were curiously tasty.
Janine and Carmen brought a mushroom and egg dish and home made tamales. Sandy has no interest what-so-ever in cooking so she brought my fab gifts. Good enough!

After this picture was taken I went home and had family over for my sons birthday. He turned 20. My little baby is out of his teens. How time flies. I need to go and watch some home videos and relive those precious moments that I took for granted. I wish I could go back and relive it all over again with my baby's. I wish I had known then how fast they would grow and to really soak in that time and hold them close and kiss them when they actually loved having that done to them. Justin is such a sweet young man and running neck and neck with his father for funniest man I know. I love him and consider myself the luckiest mom in the world because he's mine.

New Things

2010-03-12T10:44:00.001-08:00

Whew!! And I'm still working on more things. Hope to see you!!

A lot of Jewelry and a Little Bit of Me

2010-03-10T11:48:00.000-08:00

Minnie and I are sharing a booth again at the Queen Creek Rodeo grounds. My sons birthday is Saturday so I'll just be there in the morning. I would love for ya'll to come out and see me. Minnie has some fabulous things as usual and I will have some brand new designs hot off the bench. I'll be finishing some tonight and hope to give you a sneak peak. The new stadium and barn are incredible so come on out in your cowgirl chic best.

DOMESTIC BLISS

2010-03-04T13:10:00.000-08:00

DB is having the sale of all sales. Go here for all the details. If you know of Domestic Bliss then you know that you will regret missing this sale. Just go. Get up and Go. NOW!!

Things I did While My Computer died

2010-03-01T14:19:00.001-08:00

Me and Valentine's Day are best friends. I love her. I made scads of sugar cookies, the kind with cream cheese in them. Oh La La!! I also went to the monthly wine group and when I was getting ready I was putting on my cool jeans, you know, the ones with the holes in them. Well my big toe went in one of the holes and tore them in a not so cool way. I had just bought some really cute fabric for curtains in my bathroom and decided to cover the hole with that. A little wonder under and some crystals and there you have it, Valentine jeans! I love them.

Maggie in Watercolor

2010-02-28T16:54:00.000-08:00

I just found this over at marti's blog. It was a total surprise. My husband bought me a new computer for my birthday so I'll be blogging more. I know you're just jumping for joy aren't you? Well it's off to Pita Jungle for a little bday feast.

I've been a Bad Blogger

2010-02-10T12:33:00.000-08:00

I haven't been blogging so much lately for really no reason at all. I just wanted to pop in and show you this extraordinary photo. I found it at hiddeninfrance. Corine can't remember where she snatched it from so I can't tell you either. Isn't it just beautiful? I'm home for the next five days and think I'll try to copy this look in my living room. I'm pretty sure I have all the stuff. I would like to pull up the carpet (my pee stained carpet thanks to Maggie but I still love her) and put down bamboo like we did in my workroom. The other bathrooms will be painted this long weekend as well. I'll show you before and afters when I can. I love before and afters! The photo on the right, taken my me, is my inspiration for my master bath. I'm hoping to find some shutters for the big window in that fantastic green color. I found the prettiest fabric on Etsy and am making lots of new pillows for my bed to tie in with the bath. I'm so busy I just gotta go!!!!

GET ON OVER TO DOMESTIC BLISS !!!!

2010-02-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

Henry Beston

2010-01-31T09:38:00.000-08:00

We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals. Remote from universal nature, and living by complicated artifice, man in civilization surveys the creature through the glass of his knowledge and sees thereby a feather magnified and the whole image in distortion. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth.
-- The Outermost House

HAPPY FRIDAY

2010-01-22T12:30:00.000-08:00

NEW RING

2010-01-20T15:36:00.000-08:00

It's wide, it's thick (18gauge) and it has hearts all over it. Hmmm perfect for a little thing called Valentin's Day. Show it to your guy. It's a size eight but I can make one to order. Good luck:) Is it just me or does the first sentence sound kind of funny....it's probably just me.

HAPPY FRIDAY

2010-01-15T08:51:00.000-08:00

2010-01-14T11:22:00.000-08:00

When my mom told me about what happened with Kaylee and Jayden my first thought was did Chad cover their eyes, order them to look away or get out of there as quickly as possible? I haven't talked to him yet but I'm sure he did something, its just instinct to protect your children from horrible things like that. Today I was listening to NPR and heard a report on things that were happening in Haiti. The one that hurt me the worst was the one telling how children were sleeping amongst the dead, some of them family members. It was just impossible for parents to protect their children from this horror. I can't even imagine this. I make sure my kids are home at a certain time, I take care of them when they're sick and I protect them from harm, to not have the ability to do that for your children must be heart breaking. For a safe and easy way to help the people of Haiti just text haiti to 90999 and donate $10, it will be added to your next phone bill.

Photo is of my kids circa 1995

Kaylee

2010-01-13T12:31:00.000-08:00

Do you have friends that tell funny stories about their kids and the story turns out to be not funny at all but the mom just laughs and thinks it's hilarious? Come on I know you do. Well.....I have one that I think is so funny that I just have to share.

My niece's husband was driving down a long stretch of road with two of their girls Jayden and Kaylee when they came upon a roadblock. While a police officer was approaching their car they could see a body being pulled out of the canal. Now I know you must being wondering where could this story possibly be headed but just hang on a moment. Chad asked the cop "is that a man or a woman?" The cop said " I don't know." Kaylee said in a tone like she was put out "well it better not be mom!!!" Now that's funny I don't care who you are.

CERAMIC BEAD BOARD REVISITED

2010-01-12T16:06:00.001-08:00

FINALLY!!!! My back splash is finally complete. It just took one call to my old friend and he got it done. My friend Manuel is a co-worker of mine. He can do and has done pretty much everything. I could listen to his stories all day. He is from Acapulco, Mexico and moved to the states in 1969. He was a cliff diver in Acapulco but had to give it up after he hurt his back. He was the Spanish Al McCoy for the Phoenix Suns. He has met Presidents, Senators, Governors, Mayors and all the local celebs. He told Jeff and I some tasty secrets about elected officials and voted for the first time in his life for President Obama. He's a sweet as he can be and I'm glad I'm his friend.

He questioned my choice of white tile because it didn't really go with the granite but when I put up my freshly made curtains and added some accessories he got it!! I'm so glad it's done and now I can move on to the next thing. Thanks Manny.

A Closer Look

2010-01-09T14:35:00.000-08:00

I wanted to give my Minnie slipcovers their own spotlight. There's a fabric store here in AZ called SAS and you buy fabric by the pound and Minnie found this incredible burlap there (at least I think its burlap) and mixed it with some French Hatbox that I bought on Etsy. Minnie had some left over Rachel Ashwell fabric that she decided she would never use and made the rest of the skirts in that. The back is very sweet pink rosebud fabric. I love them!!

I just took a break from my post to talk to an old friend who has come over to see if he could do my kitchen tile. I know, I've had the tile for some time now and I'm just now getting around to getting it done. He said no problem. So that's good news. He said he can also put small chandeliers over my island. Oh happy day!! So tomorrow I'll be doing mountains of laundry and sewing my kitchen curtains and possibly having my tile installed.

Speaking of curtains, I went to Ikea and bought a bunch of these plain white curtains. They're all cotton with tabs that I chose to hide and they're 118 inches long. Perfect for ten foot ceilings. I'll be making the tiebacks out of some Jennifer Paganelli fabric.

The computer has been on its best behavior so hopefully I'll be able to show you any progress that might occure:)

I'VE GOT WORMS!!!

2010-01-04T14:49:00.001-08:00

Well, my computer had a virus, a wormy horrible virus. It took hours and days of phone correspondence to places many time zones away but I think we're good for now. The computer is running very slowly so I'll seize this chance to post something. Christmas was delicious and warm and New Years Eve blew '09 out of the water. What a fun party we went to. Hopefully I'll be able to download some pictures of recent events worm willing. Take a gander at my slipcovers that Minnie made for me. They're incredible!!!! She is so talented. I hope you all had a peaceful holiday season and have packed up all your christmas things and vacuumed, that's such a good feeling.

CUTE SHOES

2009-12-18T17:31:00.001-08:00

This 45 year old loves forever 21. I bought these shoes there for 10 bucks!! They are very festive for the holidays and they were only 10 bucks!! They come in all the earth tones and they're only 10 bucks!!

HOT OFF THE BENCH

2009-12-15T13:57:00.000-08:00

The bracelet is up on Etsy but the ring is already taken!!! That was quick.

CHAMPAGNE WISHES

2009-12-12T13:06:00.000-08:00

Oh yes darling, it most definitely was the champagne. It can make you feel like a Queen when you drink the elixir of the ages.
Tonight is our annual champagne group Christmas party. We partake of champagnes from all around the world. I think it might in my top ten favorite nights of the year with all the great champagne, food and friends.

I didn't use to pronounce the "t" in Moet and Chandon but learned that the two little dots over the "e" was politely encouraging you to do so. Pierre Jouet (do not pronounce the "t") and Moet and Chandon are two of my very favorites. I hope they will be joining us tonight.

My table at Christmas will closely resemble the picture above. The children will have sparkeling apple cidar. They love drinking out of my good champagne flutes.

I'll need to ask Larry, the official photographer, to get a shot of me looking this sophisticated but in all likleyhood it will look like the picture that follows.

Now that I think about it it doesn't seem all that bad.

Let me just make one thing clear, to me, enjoying the literal fruits of a champagne makers labors must be done responsibly. During the tasting one only receives half a flute full and proper respect should be paid as to the color, size of bubbles, aroma and taste. Oh who am I kidding, I'm gonna drink the hell out of some bubbly tonight.

**UPDATE** While I was getting ready for the party I realized that Kim had not called me. This is something that never fails, she calls and says "just come by my house and we'll all go together". So I got a funny feeling and called her and said " the party is tonight, right?" She said "no, it's next Saturday, you didn't get all ready did you?" "I'm almost all ready" I replied. Then she burst into a fit a laughter. My husband took me out to dinner instead and we shared a margarita. This is not the first time something like this has happened to me.

2009-12-05T08:01:00.000-08:00

My rep Julie is from New Orleans, she's gonna love this one. Have a fabulous Saturday everyone.

Browse at you leisure.

2009-12-01T14:02:00.000-08:00

I'm so busy this week preparing for a trunk show in New Orleans. I'm not going but I do have a rep there that is having it. I just thought I'd give you some eye candy whilst I'm gone. ( I love the word whilst and just don't use it enough so there you go).
I'm making some coffee in the middle of the afternoon, something I never do, so I'm not tempted to take a snooze. I wake up every morning around 5:30 so naps are a daily pleasure.
Thanks for stopping by.

Just a Quick Hello

2009-11-27T16:59:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you're just a busy as I am so I'll make this quick. The Capon came out better than I could have hoped for. My whole world was there at the table with me. I came home from work today and my front porch was all decked out in Christmas and the tree is up. Life is good!!

I don't like Turkey!!

2009-11-23T14:52:00.000-08:00

We are having a very intimate Thanksgiving dinner this year. My mom and Jeff's mom left us for other children in other states. My favorite father in law is in Flagstaff and I only have Thursday off so that's out. We've been wracking our brains on possibly starting a new tradition of some different foods or feeding the hungry or even taking a drive out to the desert and having a picnic there.
The new food I was thinking of is a Capon. A Capon is technically a castrated rooster. I'm just going to call it a big chicken. I love chicken, it's juicy and tender and doesn't make you sleepy. Turkey can be dry and leave you in a drug induced state making clean up exhausting.
Jeff's idea of volunteering to feed the homeless is a great idea but I have a problem with doing it just because its Thanksgiving. I think, for me, doing it when no one else is would be better and doing it on a regular basis would be best. It's wonderful that lots of people want to give and help out around the holidays but what about the rest of the year? A warm, scrumptious meal with the three most important people in my life will make for the sweetest dessert, that and bread pudding. I make a killer bread pudding.

TIME, PLANS AND THANKS

2009-11-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

I'm allotting myself some time tomorrow for my Etsy store. My mom had cataract surgery today in down town Phoenix and we were gone all day. The surgery was at 6:30 am and we had to be back at one for her check up. We decided that in between we would visit some of our favorite boutiques that we don't get to very often.

We first had breakfast at the Biltmore then headed over to Melrose Vintage where we spent an hour looking around. Next was Rust and Roses a really incredible place for garden goodies. Our last stop was Cucumbers where I found some 50's T.V. trays without the racks that I'll just use for cookies or appitizers. They were only $4 bucks a piece.

I hope that you will have some time to peruse my jewelry on Etsy, the link is up there and on the right.

To all my local peeps I will be having my annual home boutique after December 9th, my rep is having her Christmas party then and I'll need some time to stock up.

Thank you everyone who support my creative endevors through out the year it means so much to me that something I make can make you so happy.

**the peruvian opal bracelet is sold**

QUALITY TIME

2009-11-17T18:35:00.000-08:00

I don't even know where to begin. Jeff and I had so much fun. We were "the wind" as Jeff calls it, we just did as we pleased, there was no such thing as time. The weather was perfect, low gray clouds hovered around the bright red mountains. Rain hit us in the face when we came out of one store to go into another. For we Arizonans that's weather!! We hiked, ate, shopped, ate, drank great champagne and sat by the creek. I would have to say besides much needed alone time with my husband my favorite thing was the lobster bisque. Yes, soup was my favorite thing. I don't have the words to describe the creaminess and tastiness of this bisque. We're talkin five star lobster bisque, it was the best thing I've ever eaten and that is no exaggeration.
The staff at L'Auberge spoiled us rotten with coffee and scones at six am, wine and cheese at five pm and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies in between. If you ever have the time for a short getaway GO!! Go to L'Auberge in Sedona and leave your worries behind.

I was reminded how important it is to tell the loved ones in your life that you're thinking about them and you love them by dropping them a note. Go here to get inspired.

REFRESHED

2009-11-15T18:55:00.000-08:00

We're back from Sedona. We had a great time and I'll fill you in on the high points later. In the mean time here are a few things that I'll be adding to my Etsy store this week. ENJOY!!!

SOLD

SOLD