Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening. It all depends on where you are. I have decided until I get back into my designing that I will use this blog for what ever feels right on the day I have time to post. Today it is this post.

I found it this morning while looking for something to post on Smoothing. So many different people went flashing through my mind. Some are gone now, passed on. Some have just left my life almost as quickly as they entered it, but left a huge mark. Some remain. This post is SO true. What forms those connections? People I have met on line and never in person are as connected to me or more so than some I have known all my life. How is that chance crossing of energy arranged? Why do we loose touch and even trying to find old friends with zero success, we recross people that we knew and maybe forgot about, or, cross people that we never knew but feels like we have know each other all our lives. What creates that connection between 2 people --- with no notice of age, gender, race, origin??

As I get older and more and more of the people I have known most of my life pass on ahead of me I wonder if I will know their energy after I am gone. Will we be in the same place? So many questions. We will be coming up on a year soon since my brother has passed away. 4 years younger than I am. Age doesn't matter when it is your time. Feeling very melancholy about life with all that is happening around me. Trying to make life changing decisions and then deal with the fall out from them. It is not just me. My daughter also has been facing similar things, as are many friends around me. It is the time of many changes, much indecision, many people seem so lost.  Working on my page, Smoothing  Ragged Edges daily helps tremendously in keeping me focused on the positive. I will not say that I do it every minute of every day (stay positive), I wish I could, but it does help a lot to be getting constant input of positive things into the thought process.  

My work schedule seems to be in constant flux. I just think I will have a week that is less stressful and it falls apart quickly. Guess that is just the way it will be this month!  I guess I am supposed to learn flexibility!!  May your days be going well and this finds you happy, healthy and relaxed. 

Life is like a bowl of cherries.  But those pits!!  My goal has been to stay positive. I was thinking I could do it, close to 100%. Ok... now that I have gotten realistic, the goal is 50-75%.

I am setting here, the sun must be up there behind all of those grey, dreary clouds dropping wet stuff... and it is cold. Leg warmers came out, double shirts, heavier jeans. The heat doesn't come on until I think in October. I know it goes off normally in the spring... and after it always gets cold again. But once off or on, it stays that way until the next switch is turned.

How much of life is like that for us? We do what we are doing until we are aware we must make the switch. Routines seem to make the hours/days/months go by and suddenly something changes the routine, another switch is activated. Another routine. But have you noticed that the switch can either make us realize we are in a rut and we take the time to stop and look around us with joy, or, irritate us because our routine has been broken.

Here in France a lot of emphasis is put on food. We see notices about the current foods that are in season and recipes to make good use of them. Decorating the table for the meals. Emphasis on family time at meals. A dinner with friends in the evening is never less than 2 hours. You can spend that much time easily at a lunch  out and at the end of the meal, no one is pushing a bill at you to pay and leave. They wait for you to say, "l'addition SVP".  You could set there until they close and they are not aggravated. Meal time is the time you don't just shovel it in and leave the table. You talk, eat in courses, savor what you are eating and enjoy those around you. Things are produced so when you serve them, they are not only very tasty, but pretty. You can buy little bundles of green beans wrapped, ready to cook and serve...tied together. Tasty, pretty. Lovely little bite size items for appetizers. Bites of cheese with toppings, colorful and varied crips and nuts. Sliced assorted sausage trays, small containers of olives stuffed with different things. That is just to start the meal... food is meant to be enjoyed both visually and on the tongue. Small, wonderfully rich flavorful portions of great food, satisfying... delicious.  Speaking of food,  I will go and get a 2nd cup of coffee, break off another chunk of that still warm baguette from the bakery I picked up this morning fresh from their ovens and watch the grey clouds slide by, continuing to spit rain at us and relax. Have a great day everyone!

Ohhhh... first week back at work. It is really hard to go back after 2 months off. It will be a while before the muscles decide they are in agreement with all this.

I have been actually looking at other scrap stores, trying to get my motivation back while spending lots of time at the sewing machine getting ready for the craft fairs in November. Motivation is a really difficult thing to get back when it is gone. At least for me. The motivation for me is the challenge to see if I can actually do it. Once I figure out I can, it looses something. I guess I need to push myself. I used to do the same thing at work also. Trouble is I don't know for sure which area I want to push myself next.

It may be 11:30 a.m. here but I am still at least half asleep. It feels that way anyway. Just dull today. Sun is shining, sky is a clear beautiful blue with the exception of the jets taking off and landing at Charles de Gaul airport leaving their trails across the sky. You don't hear anything, but I can seem them descending and climbing. Soon it will look like a tic tac toe board!

I promised myself I would try and blog regularly... makes it really hard when nothing exciting happens to blog about. The page, Smoothing Ragged Edges hit a new milestone, 1,500 likes. Next one is at 1,750. I hope it is doing those that need it some good. I really need another admin to help me. I have a handful set up, but one disappeared, one is busy, one is hubby and he is just on there to help when I can't get on to do anything... and one is around but doesn't do much. I seem to be the only one I have put on that (LOL) actually cares about the page. Maybe it is time to make changes. I made several others this morning. Went through and deleted 30+ people off my list. Blocked a couple. Deleted some applications. Moving forward in changes as I see they need to be made.  I preach that in a way on Smoothing. Do things you need to do. I realize it is very hard to do, so I pushed myself to actually do some I had been thinking about. It was difficult, but, in the long run will give me more time for other things. Slowly other app's will go... more sorting and cleaning in the house. It is like trying to clear your head when you clear around you. A healing process.  If you have not checked out smoothing, you should. Smoothing Ragged Edges  If it is not something you need, maybe you have a friend who does? Either way, it is just a positive page to check out. Have a great weekend. "I will be back!"

Setting here, feeling the sunshine on my face, listening to the cleaners clean around the "place" after the market and relaxing. Next week is back to work as normal and honestly I am not looking forward to it. I have enjoyed this last 8 weeks of not working, although the budget is not enjoying it. :)  I have been concentrating on craft fairs that will come in November. Normally I am way behind but this year I am hoping to just keep going until things are done and then I can relax. All 3 will be the same week I believe, American Church, American Embassy and ACWO.

I started a new page on Facebook, called Smoothing Ragged Edges. It is for survivors of abuse, neglect and any one else that wants positive feedback in their lives to read. Smoothing Ragged Edges  You can click the link and go take a look. I have been connecting with many other great pages who are trying to stop self abuse, help others, spread good words. It is awesome to know what is out there but trying to get it to those who need it is the thing. There are so many people who feel they are alone and hurting from past hurts.

Designing. Well, so far my heart is not back into it. Maybe it will be when I am not busy trying to get things done for the craft fairs. That is priority right now. Then I will have to relook at what has happened out there in digi-scrap world and see which direction I want to head in. I was not overly content with any I had been dabbling in, pastels, bright/intense, grunge. I personally want a NICE looking page when I get done putting one together, with maybe some cute items, nature items, old antique items. Depends on what I am doing with my photos so if I go with what I want, I need to go across the board and not try and specialize in holidays, colors, styles. What ever suites me at the time I guess.

This is just a note to let everyone know I have not forgotten I said I would continue to blog. Need to set aside a  day each week and make sure I come and do it. I know daily will be asking too much of me. Oh, also, I am helping admin on another page, Out of Character. It is a page that is for posting those photos/jokes/cartoons you may not want to put on your own wall.  It is sometimes over the line but we try and be funny. Its all just to help people laugh and let off steam. Link to that one?  Out of Character  I am PIP. I hope to see some of you there either at one or the other (or both!!) Have a great weekend and enjoy each moment, it will never come again!

Good heavens!!  I can't believe all the time that has passed. I went to get into the store this summer, had problems. Got that all sorted out after lots of hours with great help from the hosting site.  Do you digi-scrap?  Be sure to check out the store!   Flights of Fancy Digi-Scrap.com

We spent our vacation in Michigan again this summer. Relaxed, spent time with family, revisited some old friends and spent time picking up where we left off.  Came back with energy and plans for getting lots done, only to find Paris was having a very hot spell. It is just now ending so you can actually move and do something without breaking into a full sweat. We really only had a week of hot weather in Michigan, so, unfortunately we never once put even a toe in the lake.

There is so much to cover, I think  I will just hit the high points. My daughter is doing her 3rd year in NC teaching. Mom is adjusting well to being alone and has some good friends that get together with her to do things. We bought and stacked 10 face-cord of wood. As I said above, got the store up and going again.

I also started a new page on Facebook called Smoothing Ragged Edges.  It is a  place for healing, peace, positive reinforcement and at times links to outside resources and other pages with similar outlooks. There are so many people in pain from the past. Survivors of all types of abuse, neglect, depression, just to name a few. You are not alone and you need to hang on. Here is the link for you.  Smoothing Ragged Edges

I am starting to de-clutter, pitch and sort for the move back to Michigan. It will be a while yet but there is so much to do and with work, craft fairs this fall and life in general, there is not a lot of time to do all. So I am starting early. Every time I get through a small area I think, how nice, wish I would have done it years ago. Soon I will have to get into the "cave" (french storage area for our apt) and get through boxes, see what can go so I can make room for more things that can be stored for shipping.

I also have a pile of projects started and waiting next to the sewing machine. Bags to carry for shopping or every day to finish for the craft fairs in November, Christmas stockings, wine bottle gift bags, assorted gift bags, and then on to some stamping for notes while I continue to crochet 'scrubbies' each night while relaxing with hubby after dinner. September 1 will find me going back to work with much less time to get things done so will do what I can before then.

I will try and do better at keeping this up. I hope you all had a great summer!  See you again soon.

Merry Christmas!!

I hope this finds you in good health, happy/content and have had a nice Christmas. If you are one who does not celebrate it, but celebrates another holiday, I hope it was wonderful as well. Here is our tree this year. Of course, after I got it all done, I found another box of things for Christmas... need to get it all together so next year I find it all at the same time.

For those of you who are on FB, we also have a page for Flights of Fancy Digi-Scrap on facebook.  That is a place I spend time at, but I get really tired of them making changes constantly.  Hubby plays cafeworld..and complains constantly about it. I tell him if you are going to complain, stop playing. LOL!!

Lauri and Shaina are heading to Lansing today, mom is spending the day between church and different friends and Michel and I are just vegging here at home, chatting with friends and munching, watching tv. Nothing special really and nothing elaborate. We enjoy our days of just doing what we want.

I tried to get cards out to most of our friends (via net). I will have to actually break down and do some by hand, but they will be the New Year cards in the french tradition. Too late for Christmas now.  Again, a very Merry Christmas to all of you!!

Christmas Eve

Sun is shining. Good start. No snow here... and almost decent temps. :) Off work for a week.  Smile gets bigger.

I know I must get back into designing, back into Flights of Fancy Digi-Scrap.  Instead I sit and stare at the computer screen when not working.

Christmas is such a wonderful day for family and friends to get together and share special moments. Lauri and Shaina have made it home from North Carolina and will pick mom up and take her with them for the night, and she will spend Christmas with them there. That will be wonderful for her as it will be the first Christmas with my brother gone. It was his favorite holiday. Of course since it seemed like he was always a little boy at heart, it meant presents. But he liked giving as well as receiving.

At least this year I did get the tree up. Michel and I got kindles for each other as our presents. I really love books... real books. I always have one going and a pile waiting to read. But, I don't always have glasses handy. One great feature is that you can make the font larger!! No, I won't give up my 'real' books, but I will use the kindle. Even if I read the book on the kindle, there are some that will be bought to add to my series that is started.

I am also hoping to get all my cards sent out from Jacquie Lawson.  I love those cards and I know when the people get them and open them. I do need to get a few out in normal mail, but, those will be Happy New Year cards as with the French tradition, and I have until January 27??th I think... might manage that.

I know, odd post this morning, bit disjointed. A bit like my thinking I guess.  But, I did want to wish everyone out there a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas day.  If you don't do Christmas, may what ever you do celebrate be a wonderful and memorable also!!  Happy/Merry all to all of my internet friends!!!!

Update on life in general

Here I am. Looking at the fact that 5 months have gone by without word from me. It feels like part of a life time in some ways. Biggest reason was in October I ended up going back to the US for most of the month. My brother was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. That seems to change how you look at life, at least until it feels like life gets back to normal. Still waiting for that. I will try and get on more often at any rate and get back into the old groove a little bit. 

A word about a great Irish band....

I was able to go and see Switchback again last Thursday evening. We missed them last year in Charlevoix, and again when they were here in Alden this year. But, went to the "Barn" and heard them. A totally different repertoire of songs from the first time I had heard the. Had a great time. The crowd was smaller than normal due to Venetian Week in Charlevoix, but those of us there thoroughly enjoyed it. And, being the crowd was a bit smaller I had a chance to speak with Marty as well.  

I am adding their blog WayGoodMusic to my blog list. http://waygoodmusic.blogspot.com/  Check it out. They do a large variety of music, all with lots of heart and soul touching. I personally tend to lean toward their Irish songs, some of the folk-like music but they have lots else to listen to. They would love to come to Paris, so we need to work with that and see what we can do. 

Also, if you want to follow their concert schedule to see if it comes to your area get added to their mailing list "Switchback/WayGood Productions, LLC" (email them and ask to be put on their list) or you can check out facebook as well.  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Switchback/8861474301