TIME MARCHES ON...

A New Years Prayer
-Anonymous-

Dear Lord, please give me…
A few friends who understand me and remain my friends;
A work to do which has real value,
without which the world would be the poorer;
A mind unafraid to travel, even though the trail be not blazed;
An understanding heart;
A sense of humor;
Time for quiet, silent meditation;
A feeling of the presence of God;
The patience to wait for the coming of these things,
With the wisdom to recognize them when they come.
Amen.

It seems like 2010 just marched right on by and now we are stepping across the threshold of a brand new year. I always feel excited at what possibilities a new year might hold. Oh, I am not Pollyanna enough to think that there won't be a few bumps along the way but I prefer to focus on the happy moments in life. 2010 was no exception, there were plenty of bumps and lots and lots of happy!I thought it might be fun to look back over this last year of blogging and share my 2010 memorable or meaningful blog moments...

From January 2010 my favorite reflective moment was documented in Reflections of the Land of My Heart, a post that traces my footsteps of healing the heart and coming to terms with grief and loss...From February 2010 came possibly the craziest tutorial in the history of blogdom, Going Nuts, a tutorial that shows how to turn pistachio nut shells into mini bird eggs for using in art projects...From March 2010 came one of the most fun swaps I have ever done, a Collaborative Birdhouse. Diane Knott and I swapped pieces of projects we had started and then finished the project and returned it. This was hands down one of my favorite things I created this year...In April 2010 I hit one of those bumps in the road and was tossed out of my studio space into a new one plus our lives were rapidly changing, empty nest, change of job, extended family turmoil, lingering sickness, etc. and my angst came out in my reaction to saying, Bye-Bye Midsummers Dream Blue, Hello Red Calico...May 2010 was a toss up between pivotal moments of learning the art of Blending Beauty when life is messy... And the Trans-farm-ation and healing that takes place over the span of time and space...June 2010 was a very slim posting month, I had an extended bout of sickness but roused enough to share a few Birthday Musings to mark the beginning of my 47th year...July 2010 found me making peace with my circumstances in My Gifts from the Sea...
and fostering The Fruit of Friendship...August 2010 found me looking at the lighter side of life while stepping away from the studio for what was supposed to be a relaxing weekend away in You Might be a Die Hard Crafter If...September 2010 was the last delectable sip of summer spending A Simple Silly Day at the Farm before autumn set in...October 2010 was another one of those months with a bump in the road of life when I found humor in having My Nose a Little Out of Joint...November 2010 finally saw the fruit of my labor, after months of being sick, suffering from an allergic reaction to a wasp sting, getting bit by a brown recluse, and a ton of other setbacks I found myself making friends with my new studio and now consider it A Sweet Place to Dream...December 2010 wrapped up one crazy year, another bout of sickness and a couple of allergic reactions later was about more Christmas drama than I cared to experience and then a mouse ate my Christmas tree, I had to have lots of naps and NyQuil, ending up with the most bizarre Christmas display to date here at the Quill, A Romantic Naturalist Melange Hillbilly Chic Kind of Christmas...In a lot of ways this was a rough year here at the Quill but there were so many joys to offset the sorrows, one of those being the friendships I have formed here in the land of blog and the amazing support and encouragement that is ever present. It has been my joy and privilege to spend a year with you all.

And how is 2011 fairing so far? It began with a bang, literally, fireworks going off on the horizon, brilliant sparks of colors peppering the midnight sky. It went from brilliant to bizarre upon waking this morning from a super strange dream, let's just say that watching a show about a CIA operative, marshmallow fluff, Krazy glue, and pink fuzzy bunny slippers are a few things I should never be exposed to before sleep and leave it at that.

We had a beautiful sunny but cold day today in which I spent some time wandering around flea markets and procuring a few treasures and rounding out the day by looking back over my blogging year. There is usually a lot of crazy here at the Quill but this was just a quite reflective ordinary day with a pleasant surprise of a sweet little dream that is unfolding between the January issue of these pages...So January 2011 is off to a good start. You will find no resolutions here only hope for better tomorrows, joys that outweigh any sorrows, and wishes and prayers for grace to bear whatever this new year might hold. Praying this year will be the best you have ever experienced with your very own little dreams unfolding between the pages of your life book!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!