Happy New Year

"the best way to get something done is to begin. "     -unknown

Once again, we begin a new year.  I can remember as a child thinking about the year 2000 and how strange it sounded and how far away it seemed.  Now, I think about how fast the past 11 years have passed and how the years beginning with 19__ sound so far ago.  I thank God for my blessings and look forward to a new year and new beginnings.

Giving

The challenge issued by the Diva this week was to create a zentangle and give it to someone.   Boy, did this challenge cause me to think!  Thus, this will probably be the longest entry I'll ever post to my blog.

Blogs are interesting, and for the most part self-indulging and ego building - that's my thoughts anyway.  When I started blogging, I intended that my blog would be different.  I wanted to "share" with others the things I create - quilts, knitting, greeting cards, jewelry I make, etc.   When I discovered zentangles, my blog became filled with daily tangles.  I also share a daily quote.

Quotes are a part of me,  I can remember quotes told to me over the years by my mother, husband, friends and others.  My mother had  two in particular which have stayed with me:  "It's not the climb of the mountain, it's the grain of sand in your shoe."   and "Red sky at night, sailors' delight, red sky at morn, sailors' be warned."    My hubby shared a quote when we were first married which opened my eyes, especially since we were self-employed:  "Time is money."    My paternal grandfather even posted his favorite quote on a hand-lettered sign in his bedroom:  "From the time of my birth til I ride in a hearst, there's nothing so bad that it couldn't be worse."  My brother once told me, "If you pay peanuts, you get monkey's". 

Other quotes which have become my favorites are:  "The mind, once stretched, never returns to it's original size."   "Loose lips, sink ships".   "Do unto other's as you'd like them to do unto you."   "A stitch in time, saves nine". "Life's what happens while you're making other plans". 

My quotes have also rubbed off on my daughters, as often I hear them repeat some of the above quotes.  I like it when I realize that my kids do listen sometimes.

So, as another year is quickly approaching I, like others take time to look back on this year as well as memories from other years.  I'm getting older quicker as the years go by.   I only hope you've enjoyed some of the creativity and quotes I've shared with you.  I also now realize, that even I have fallen into the trap of my blog becoming self-indulgent and providing me with an ego trip.  I love it when you, the readers share your comments along the way.  And thank you to my "follower's" for signing onto my blog. 

During 2012 I will try to keep my blog full of more quotes, inspiration, creativity, recipes, etc.; and I will try not to become too egotistical. 

Diana



 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




If there is anything the nonconformist hates worse than a conformist, it's another nonconformist who doesn't conform to the prevailing standard of nonconformity.
-Bill Vaughan

Santa

There are three stages of a man's life: He believes in Santa Claus, he doesn't believe in Santa Claus, he is Santa Claus."


- Author Unknown

I love this quote!  

Christmas

Norman Vincent Peale


Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.
 
 

May you and your loved ones enjoy this Christmas season with joy and love.

Toffee cookie crunch recipe

TOFFEE COOKIE CRUNCH RECIPE:

4oz. saltine crackers ( 1 sleeve of crackers)
1 cup stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 oz. choc. chips or white choc. chips (your preference)
3/4 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Line cookie sheet with saltine crackers in single layer

In a saucepan combine the sugar and butter.  Melt, then bring to a boil and boil for 4 minutes.  Immediately
pour over saltines and spread to cover the crackers completely.

Bake at 400 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.  Let set until chips are soft, then spread chocolate and top with chopped nuts. 

Cool, then break into pieces.


This is so easy and people rave about them.  I love them!  What a surprise when you tell them that the recipe contains saltine crackers. 

Joy of Christmas

•John Greenleaf Whittier


For somehow, not only at Christmas, but all the long year through,

The joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you.

The Christmas Tree

Burton Hillis, Better Homes and Gardens


The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.
 

As a grandparent, Christmas is truly best celebrated when my children and grandchildren gather in my home.
This year our celebration will be on Christmas Eve and I am so looking forward to the gift of my family.

Dr. Seuss Christmas

Dr. Seuss


And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?

I knitted both my girls Christmas stockings and as they were growing up filled them with all kinds of treats and small gifts.  I really enjoyed shopping and making gifts for their stockings and it was fun watching them dump them out with such enthusiasm!

Another Christmas tradition is to purchase or make them a new Christmas ornament each year.  As adults, they still look forward to their new ornament.  One Christmas a few years ago when I'd had a hectic and financially difficult year, I told them that I thought I'd discontinue the tradition of Christmas Ornaments.
Both girls exclaimed that it wouldn't be Christmas without an ornament from me.  So, the tradition continues and I must admit, I'm so glad it does.  

Both these traditions are special memories for us.  But the memories are not so much the ornaments as much as it's the tradition of showing love by creating a tradition which bonds us together. 

White Christmas?

Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won't make it 'white'.


Bing Crosby

christmas

Somehow, not only for Christmas


But all the long year through,

The joy that you give to others

Is the joy that comes back to you
 
 
 

Merry Christmas, zentangle, quote

Janice Maeditere


Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts.
 
 

Breanna's Birthday

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.


e. e. cummings

My granddaughter is growing up and becoming a lovely person both inside and out.  

Happy Birthday Breanna!

Christmas, quote

Christmas is the time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell government what they want and their kids pay for it.

Challenge #51

There is no harm in repeating a good thing.


Plato


The challenge this week was to create a zentangle using the new pattern called "fife". 

The Nutcracker ballet

My mother said, Don't worry abot what people think now. Think about whether your children and grandchildren will think you've done well.
Lord Mountbatten

Can you believe the fact that I had never seen the Nutcracker Ballet until yesterday?
Our granddaughter Corey danced in the Nutcracker performance at Ft. Wayne.  It was wonderful and she was beautiful!

Zentangle Picture, quote

If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.


Jim Rohn

 
 
Bob likes dragonflies, so I drew this zentangle picture for him.  It's a 9 x 12 size.

Challenge #50, My favorite quote

 This is one of my favorite quotes:

"The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to its original size."


Oliver Wendell Holmes



The challenge from the Diva this week is to create a "zentangle using biggie" zentangle patterns. ( Unlike the brain however, I know I can go back to original zentangle size, and I like the smaller size better.) 

 Here's mine:

The Red Thread Promise

"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break." -Chinese proverb

This quote was the basis for the Diva's zentangle challenge this week.  Here is mine:

As I pondered this quote, I began to think about destiny.  Yes,  we may be destined to meet certain people at specific times, but how we choose to interact with people is our choice.  Thus my quote for the day:

" We are not permitted to choose the frame of our destiny. But what we put into it is ours. "


Dag Hammarskjold







Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/destiny_10.html#ixzz1eXlRozx4

Are you Lucky?

"I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. "


Stephen Leacock

Challenge #48

It's like deja-vu, all over again.


Yogi Berra

This weeks challenge from the Diva is to create a design featuring a circle, square and triangle.  I had so much fun, that I make three!

The quote today is from Yogi Berra - I think his quotes are so funny and thought provoking as well. 







Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/y/yogi_berra_2.html#ixzz1dmr3TO7c

"A person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amazed!"   - Shirley MacLain

Veterans Day thank you

"Courage is fear holding on a mninute longer."  - George S. Patton

My personal thank you to all the Veterans who are serving and have served to protect our freedoms.

Special thanks go out to our Grandson Cameron, currently in the Army; our grandson Neill, currently in the Marines;  and my brother Larry who served in the Army.  Also, in memory of Bob's Dad who served in the Army; and my Dad who served in the Air Force. 

Love is hard work!

"Life is to be fortified by many friendships.
To love and to be loved
is the greatest happiness of existence."          - Aesop

Note that this quote does not simply state "To be loved is the greatest happiness of existence."  Merely being loved without feeling loving in return does not bring true happiness.   It takes effort to love someone.
Whether it's a parent, a child, a grandparent, a soul mate or a friend, loving involves effort.  Remembering birthdays,  truly listening to them both in good times and bad and being there for them when they need someone.  Sometimes it requires even putting their needs ahead of your own.    Today, truly give an act of love to someone close to you.  It will add happiness to your day as well as theirs.

Challenge #47, zentangle, quote

"Freedom is never free."    -unknown

"Fall back"

Lost time is never found again.   - Benjamin Franklin

Or do we find that lost time next year when we "spring forward"?

Don't forget to set all your time pieces back one hour tonight before you go to bed.

Happy Halloween!!

Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.


Jim Davis

The diva's subject is halloween this week.  This is my entry.







Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/pumpkin.html#ixzz1cNUF2b7b

Halloween cards & quote

"When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam,
May luck be yours on halloween."

Halloween cards & quote

"A don't know if there are real ghosts and govlins, but there are always more trick-or-treaters than neighborhood kids."  

Halloween cards & quote

"A grandparent is one who pretends they don't know who you are on halloween."  -Unknown

Halloween zentangle & quote

May Jack-o-lanterns burning bright                                 


Of soft and golden hue

Pierce through the future’s veil and show

What fate now holds for you.

~Author Unknown

Halloween cards & quote

"A black cat crossing your patch signifies that the animal is going somewhere."   - Grouch Marx

Halloween cards & quote

"Ill bet living in a nudest colony takes all the fun out of halloween!"     -unknown

Star Light, Star Bright

"When it is dark enough, you can see the starts."    -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today, look on the bright side for the stars, even if cold, dreary weather dampens your mood.  Call a friend you haven spoken to in a while.  That friend will have their day brightened by a "star".


This week's challenge #45 by the Diva is to use the tangle pattern called "chainging".  It was a pattern I'd never tried before and I really like it. 

Diva Challenge, quote

"Behold the turtle.  He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out."   - James Bryant Conant

What I like about the weekly challenge posted by "the Diva" is that she does just that - challenges us to stick our neck out and try something new.  This week she challenged us to create tangles within a larger tangle.
I chose the tangle "beeline" because it reminds me of a quilting pattern.  Using light and dark shading and patterns it creates an optical illusion.

Practice, practice, practice!

"I have not failed.  I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."     -Thomas Alva Edison

I finally took some time to sit down and create some cards.  As I've mentioned in previous posts, I've been busy cleaning and organizing my garage and basement studio.  I'm still not finished with the project but I just felt the need to be creative.  While I wasn't really overly excited about the cards I made (I felt as if I was a beginner again) because it had been so long since I'd let my creativity flow, my grandchildren will still love them!  I'm so lucky, my grandkids love anything I make for them.

Zentangle Challenge, quote

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.


Joseph Addison

The diva's challenge this week is to do a zentangle highlighting sunflowers.   Hope this brings a smile to your face!









Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/flowers_8.html#ixzz1aaairFdn

What would you do?

Sometimes I suffer from indigestion of the mind. ~Carrie Latet

Today the trash men came.  Bob and I had carried all the stuff to the curb which I threw out as I cleaned the garage.  I was really proud of myself, I only carried back three items back from the curb!    However my mind keeps thinking about one item I took to Goodwill.  Actually I took a lot of stuff to Goodwill, but my mind keeps reminding me about one specific item.  Should I go back to Goodwill and buy it back?  What would you do?

Hope, Love & Peace

We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace. ~William Ewart Gladstone

The Diva's challenge this week is to create a zentangle showing our vision of hope.  

Enjoying nature, quote of the day.

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. "    -John Muir

Here's one of my first attempts at drawing zentangle designs in a circle rather than a square.

The quote today reminds me that I don't get out and enjoy nature enough.  I've got to get out and enjoy nature more often, especially now that fall colors are descending upon us.  Nature truly paints beautiful pictures for us to enjoy!

Time goes faster in the summer!

The Future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is. ~C.S. Lewis

How quickly summer went by.  The 60 minute journey each day seems to go so much faster in the summer and the fall  weather has descended upon me far too quickly.  I've come to the realization that I must tackle cleaning our garage today! 

Life quote

For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way. Something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. ~Fr. Alfred D'Souza

This zentangle is for the Diva's challenge this week:  Using only two patterns.

Pleasing everyone

"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."    - Bill Cosby

If you displease someone, stop and consider what occurred.  If you feel certain you did nothing wrong, then let it go.

This ATC (artist trading card) was a group project by 4 members of the ATCs Anon group on Yahoo.  I was the 4th and my challenge was to add an embellishment(s).  Today, I will mail back one to each of the three others of the group.

How true!

"The problem with A place for everything and everything in it's place is that there's more everything than there is place."     -Robert Brault, writer


How true, how true!  I've been attempting to organize my studio this past week.  Seems as if the more I put things away either I can't find it when I want it (right brain, left brain problem) or there's not enough space for where I want to place things.  I've been donating, throwing away, organizing, etc. and have made progress; however,  I have to come to the realization that organization is just not my best trait.   So be it, and I will make the best of it.

Autumn quote and quilted wall hanging

"Autumn is a season followed immediately by looking forward to Spring."   - Anonymous

I love the colors of autumn.  But the older I get, the more I dread winter.  Today's quote sums it up for me.

Yesterday, I finished this wall hanging which I started while at the quilting retreat last weekend.  One of  my goals is to create wall hangings for each season and /or holiday.