I'VE BEEN TAGGED!

By the super silly and amazingly talented CARYL!

Seven “What ifs” I Bet You Did Not Know

1. What if I could meet anyone in the world to chat with:

I would choose His Holiness, the Dalai Lama for so many reasons.

2. What if I could travel anywhere in the world:

Oh my! So many places! But I would love to go back to Wales. It was magical and I only got one day there to explore.

3. What if I could have one wish granted to benefit all of mankind:

I love Caryl's idea of free health care for all! But if I were to choose differently, I would wish that we would all be given the gift of true compassion. That way we would see free health care as just one of the many rights of human beings.

4. What if I could live in a period other than the present for just 24 hours:
Hmmmm. I would have to say Paris in the 1920's because there were so many Ex-Pats there exploring their writing, painting, art and liberation from the more constrictive Victorian Era of their parents. Plus I love ART DECO and would try to bring back a bunch of things with me! ;) wink wink

5. What if I had to become an animal for 24 Hours:

Well, I truly love my cats and would seriously think about picking one of them! But, I think more than that I would love to be a dolphin for a day! They seem to truly know how to enjoy life! And to be able to swim and jump like that - that would be cool!

6. What if I could make over three areas of my body:

Just three?! Heh Heh! I would definitley pick my stomach, my spine and my shattered knee.

7. What if I could bring anyone back to life for 24 hours:

Can I pick two people for this? Please?! The first would be my dad of course. I miss his laugh and funny jokes and think that many in my family could benefit from his guidance for one more day. The other person I would bring back is Martin Luther King Jr. because I think the world could use some of his wisdom right about now.

NOW…TAG…YOU’RE IT!

BARB

CHRISTY

PATRICIA

SANDEE

JUDY

What Would Betty Do?!

Ah Cake. Everyone loves a good cake, don't they?! I know I do! We seem to celebrate cake in this society and find any excuse to bake one - or have someone else bake one. And by chocolate covered beaters, that's ok with me...

...as long as **I** don't have to make it! Don't get me wrong! I don't HATE making cakes! I love the smell of baking cake filling up the nooks and crannies of my little cottage as much as the next person! I just don't like it being something I have to do. Because I know me. And I know my baking skills. And I know what's going to happen.

OK, I'm exagerating a little bit. I didn't actually FROST the cake, so this picture isn't an accurate representation. It looks something more like this:

Yes. It completely fell apart when I took it out of the bundt pan. It was very...pathetic! I had such high hopes for this cake! Because this isn't just a cake for us. If it was, I would just say something like "dig in honey cuz I'm not making another one no matter how ugly it is!". And honey would be just fine with that because A. He loves me no matter what and B. He loves cake no matter what form it takes and C. Because after 12 years of marriage, he's well aware that I'm not related to Betty Freaking Crocker! But this cake is for honey to take to work tomorrow as a birthday cake for a co-worker. And that ups the pressure quotient tremendously! Pressure is bad enough! But CAKE PRESSURE?! Good Cupcakes, it's just too much! And yea, maybe they are not expecting a big, fancy cake from Honey. But they know Honey is married and that I don't work and am a housewife (THAT makes me laugh!) and that housewife honeys should know how to make a birthday cake! So in my head (and just maybe theirs) I am seeing the acceptable CAKE OFFERING as THIS:

And if not so regal, then at least THIS:

(Minus the wine, of course, since I will surely drink that bottle completely before honey leaves with the cake in the morning!)

But NO. My cake is a total disaster and no amount of Hershey's Fluffy Chocolate Frosting is going to cover up the crater in this bundt! So what am I doing? Well, at 11:00 PM on a Tuesday night, I am baking ANOTHER cake. And I am furiously praying to the CAKE GODS that this one will come out cleanly! Because I only had the two mixes on hand and the birthday party is tomorrow! And believe me, no bakery in town makes yellow cake with fluffy chocolate frosting in this town. I checked. And begged. A lot. And the only option was to make the darn thing myself. So as you are all dreaming of fairies sprinkling stardust on your heads, I'll be up to my eyeballs in cake reconstruction 101. And if you somehow are up reading this tonight...please say a little prayer that this cake comes out of the pan clean. Because my options are limited and Honey needs to keep his job to pay for our cool new house and all the art supplies I need! And somehow I just know that his job and the quality of the cake he brings in are somehow tied together! Sigh. I wish I was her:

I bet SHE never ruined a cake.

UPDATE: The cake is done, the world has continued spinning on its axis and I am over my little cake-induced panic attack! Heh Heh! I feel pretty stupid for stressing over a damn cake. But every 2-3 years or so I freak out because I'm not your "traditional housewife" kinda gal. I mean, come on people, I'd rather make art than cake! It's just the way it is. And Honey is very cool with that, too. In fact, during the cake-tastrophy, he kept saying it didn't matter and to just fill in the hole with frosting. But I had it in my mind that I needed to make A PERFECT CAKE a la Martha Stewart. But ya know what? I'm NOT Martha! And I never will be! And I'm ok with that - most of the time! heh heh!

20 Sweetheart Tulips in A Polka Dot Vase!!

Oh. My. Goodness! Isn't this a beautiful arrangement?! I love tulips SO VERY much! And the polka dot vase would be perfect to put tall paint brushes in after the flowers were gone, wouldn't it?!! It makes me all giddy when I look at it! heh heh! This is what I would want for Valentine's Day this year if I allowed the hubby to do those sorts of things. But I don't because it makes me feel guilty to spend the money so frivilously on myself. Silly? Yes! But that's ok! Because honestly I have everything I need and more, so I have no complaints!

So what I will do instead is make an art piece with this picture and hang it in the art room. That way it will last forever! Pretty clever, eh?! OK, maybe not clever, but hey, the photo makes me happy and happiness my friends, is an important thing in this life!

Happy Heart Day To You!!! <3

Inspired By The Moon & A Beautiful Soul

This is the second page that I did in the Whimsical Book. The idea was sparked from the previous page done by the Beautiful & Talented SANDEE!(Click her name to see the page). I love this Melissa Etheridge song and the fun figure she used and knew right away I had to play off of those things. So thank you Sandee The Superb for sparking this whimsical and wacky page! It makes me happy to think that it will rest next to your awesome page until the book worms get hungry! ;) wink wink!

Whimsical Thoughs As Small As The World

This is a spread I did in a wonderful Whimsical themed round robin book. (**SEE 3rd SCAN BELOW for completed L page with 3-D wooden "M".)This was my first time doing a journal-type spread and I think it could become addicting! It's not that I think this piece is so amazing or anything. It's just that it felt so freeing to be able to add images and words all over the page rather than sticking to a "formula". I had no idea if it would work when I started but decided to just give it a try. This is largely (almost completely!) due to the encouraging words of Kathy, the books' owner, who basically said "allow your muse to soar and create what it will". Isn't that incredibly cool?!? I thought so! So thank you Kathy for starting me on a journey I am sure will be very creative and fulfilling! :)