Happy Thanksgiving

Getting ready for the big feast tomorrow...will be cooking up some Turkey with all the fixings! 


Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Jan

Lady Diana

I was so sad when Lady Diana died.  There was something very sweet and magical about her. She battled depression, like so many of us do.  She had that certain charm and realism that truly made her so appealing to so many of us.  I truly was a big fan of her and the charity work she did. She appeared to be a very hands on Mom and a good one.  She was so elegant and seemed to be a classy lady.  I admired her.  I had never seen the above photo of her before and had to post it.  I thought it is beyond great.

God Bless and Happy Tuesday,  

~ Jan

The Friendship Baton-Pass it on!

Thank you for this Jesse! Jesse has given me the friendship baton and now I must pass it on! The Main Art Blog is one of his fabulous  blogs  http://www.theartofjesse.blogspot.com/



In respecting the passing of the friendship baton, we shall observe the following rules:


a) Create a blog post, and please use the IMAGE of the relay friendship race...


b) In your post, answer the Eight questions...


c) Pass the baton of friendship to Ten bloggers, and link them in your post...


1 - When you were little and were asked what you wanted to do when you were big; What did you reply?
2 - What were your favorite cartoons?
3 - What were your favorite games?
4 - What year was your nicest birthday and why?
5 - What were the things you absolutely wanted to do, and have not yet done?
6 - What was your first love?
7 - Who was your first musical idol?
8 - Which was the most' beautiful sought (and eventually received), Santa Claus, Jesus' Child, Saint Lucia, christmas gift?
_________________________________


My Answers to the Questions:


I wanted to be a body builder, comedian, singer and actress. My dream was to be on Saturday Night Live.

ScoobyDoo and Popeye were my favorite cartoons.


I loved playing barbies, we had the barbie townhouse with the pull elevator, pink corvette, lil' wicker furniture, so many outfits! I also remember my sister and I playing backgammon a lot.

Sadly, I don't recall my birthdays as a kid or any parties, even though I've seen a photo of one in particular. Recently my sister called me on my birthday and left me a voice mail, singing happy birthday and that touched me.

I want to travel to Italy, London, Ireland and Greece. I've always wanted to run in a marathon, I want to live in many different places - want to live in a cottage near the beach, want a garden, want to live in a high rise condo - way up at the top, want a space of my own for things I love and a place to create!

My first love was speed skating. I belonged to a skate club as a kid and spent a lot of time at the rink.

My first musical idol was Rod Stewart. I remember seeing him on tv, wearing those tight pants and I remember being glued to the tv while he performed and sang - loved his confidence and scratchy voice.

My most beloved Christmas present as a kid was a stuffed bull dog. I wanted a real one, but never got one, but cried when I got the stuffed animal. I remember crying because I felt so happy to get it and hugging it so tight...my reaction made everyone in the house cry.

Below are some wonderful blogs I follow that I have linked to this post to pass on the friendship baton:

http://www.roxannetheartist.blogspot.com/

http://www.theintimatedish.blogspot.com/

http://www.blackandwhitecollage.blogspot.com/
http://www.suefurrow.blogspot.com/
http://www.bluebirdnotes.blogspot.com/
http://www.latest-bmw.blogspot.com/
http://www.rubyjunescottage.blogspot.com/
http://www.sharonlaffertyart.blogspot.com/
http://www.stfusarrah.blogspot.com/
http://www.highartat1968.blogspot.com/

Thanks for sharing and being a part of this fun friendship baton! Pass it on!

I won 2nd place at work for Halloween costume contest...that's me the cowgirl! Giddy Up!

God Bless and Happy Days!  ~Jan

True Beauty

 

One thing I have learned is that true beauty comes from within.  The most beautiful people I know have an inner beauty.  They just glow from the inside out and send off a magical vibe of contentment and happiness that external beauty alone can not.

God Bless,

~Jan

The Last Lecture

I just got finished reading this amazing book, The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch.  I just had to share some of the fabulous quotes from the book.

• And as you get older, you may find that
  "enabling the dreams of others" thing is even more fun. (p. 4)

• When you see yourself doing something badly and nobody's bothering
  to tell you anymore, that's a very bad place to be. Your critics
  are your ones telling you they still love you and care. (p. 5)

• Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. (p. 6)

• The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out.
  The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.
  Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough.
  They're there to stop the other people. (p. 8)

• [On Humility] My dad had fought in World War II in the Battle of the Bulge,
  and when we were going through his things [after he died], we found out
  he had been awarded the Bronze Star for Valor. My mom didn't know it.
  In 50 years of marriage it had just never come up. (p. 17)

• When I was in high school, I decided to paint my bedroom   I always wanted a submarine and an elevator... And the great thing about this is
  they let me do it. And they didn't get upset about it. And it's still there.
  If you go to my parent's house it's still there. And anybody who is out there
  who is a parent, if your kids want to paint their bedroom, as a favor to me
  let them do it. It'll be OK. Don't worry about resale value on the house. (pp. 17-18)

• Decide if you're Tigger or Eeyore. Never lose the childlike wonder.
  It's just too important. It's what drives us. Help others. (p. 19)

• How do you get people to help you? You can't get there alone. People have
  to help you and I do believe in karma. I believe in paybacks. You get people
  to help you by telling the truth. Being earnest. I'll take an earnest person
  over a hip person every day, because hip is short term. Earnest is long term. (p. 21)

• Apologize when you screw up and focus on other people, not on yourself. (p. 21)

• Remember brick walls let us show our dedication. They are there to separate us
  from the poeple who don't really want to achieve their childhood dreams. (p. 21)

• Anybody can get chewed out. It's the rare person who says, oh my god, you were right.
  When people give you feedback, cherish it and use it. (p. 22)

• Don't complain. Just work harder. [shows slide of Jackie Robinson, the first black
  major league baseball player] That's a picture of Jackie Robinson. It was in his
  contract not to complain, even when the fans spit on him. (p. 22)

• Be good at something, it makes you valuable. (p. 22)

• Work hard. I got tenure a year early. Junior faculty members used to say to me,
  wow, you got tenure early. What's your secret? I said, it's pretty simple.
  Call me any Friday night in my office at ten o'clock and I'll tell you. (p. 22)

• Find the best in everybody... you might have to wait a long time, sometimes years,
  but people will show you their good side. Just keep waiting no matter how long it takes.
  No one is all evil. Everybody has a good side, just keep waiting, it will come out. (p. 22)

• And be prepared. Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity. (p. 22)

Sadly Randy lost his battle with cancer. 

~ Jan

Depression

"Creativity is the antithesis of depression. It is a way of saying that what I think and feel matters...Depression is not just an illness, but a failure of creativity. We all face the problem of creating meaning in our lives. When we're depressed, we've lost hope for meaning. We all need to make a delberate effort to make the self fertile; for the depressive, that effort is essential to life."

Richard O'Connor, Undoing Depression

She hides below the surface,
The life she wants to forget,
The one where she was forgotten,
Never got to be a kid,
The pain it's all so real,
She tries to chomp it down,
The dark, hidden reality,
That it will never be,
So sharp at times it surfaces,
She's learning how to make a little room,
For this persisting voice from within,
The one that wants to speak,
She's learned just how beautiful it is,
The cocoon she's lived in,
It's preserved her well,
She's emerging as a butterfly,
No longer chewing on sharp glass,
The grip it has released her,
Her voice it is so loud,
Beautiful woman, we hear you,
Keep talking,
Keep living,
You are so amazing,
Self love, self worth and this voice,
She floats across the sky now,
So light, so cool,
Beautiful woman, you are loved!