[ Have a little Faith }

To all those who want desperately for me to succeed.

To all those who want me never to experience the pain of failure.

To all those who watch and wonder if I really know what I’m doing.

To all those who stand in judgment, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

To all those who look to me for proof of what’s possible.

To all those who only want the very best for me.

To all those who love me, unconditionally.

I share these words…

Have a little faith.

Have a little faith that I’ll make mistakes, but be able to recover.

Have a little faith that, more often than not, I DO know what’s best for me.

Have a little faith that I have within me the will to rise against adversity.

Have a little faith that I’ll know when to soldier on and when to walk away.

Have a little faith that I will not put myself at unjustifiable risk.

Have a little faith that my heart is in the right place.

Have a little faith that the mainstream path isn’t always the right path.

Have a little faith that I will succeed beyond my wildest imagination, even where those before me have failed.

Have a little faith…and a lot of love.

I came across this poem while surfing this blog. It spoke to me and i just wanted to share it with you all. Have a lovely weekend and see you on Monday with next weeks weigh in!

[ Ouch to Body Pump and a catch up]

I would have written this post earlier but it has only been the last few hours that I have been able to actually lift my arms…lol. OK, it hasn’t been that bad but man oh man my arms and shoulders have been and are so sore. No matter what movement I do it hurts and today I have started getting grumpy with it.

My arms hurt! They feel like they are going to fall off! I am not kidding - They hurt!
I know, I know. My work college happily reminds me every time that I give a slight moan that "NO, your arms are not going to fall off!" but I disagree! Moaning aside, I did enjoy the class. I am not sure I will be going back any time soon but at least I can definitely say that it works. For now I am going to stick to aqua aerobics and Body Combat.

I also wanted to update everyone on my job hunting news. I have gotten a call back for a second interview. I am so thrilled and can not wait to get out of where I am now. So, by the end of this week I am hoping to have a time and a date for that second interview and then the me that lives with her head in the clouds and gets carried away with things far too early can not wait to hand her notice in by the 25th. That means that I will have to work for 3 weeks and then the final week I will be in Scotland on holiday! Oh that would work so well! Please Lord, please!

A few days ago Cammy left me in a comment in response to one of my posts. She suggested going onto Sparkpeople and joining a local group. I know that this link is very much "Out There" but I haven't been on it in months and months. So today I decided to start back up on it. I have entered in today's food, exercise and worked on my goals. I have joined a UK Midlands group and hope to make some friends. Thanks Cammy for a great idea.

I am also hoping to go to a knitting group on Monday night at Starbucks. Never been to one before and i will have to sort out what i will take with me but it sounds fun and might be another way to meet new people.

Before i head off i just want to share this quote that i received in my inbox a few days ago. Such a great quote.

“To sit patiently with a yearning that has not yet been fulfilled, and to trust that, that fulfilment will come, is quite possibly one of the most powerful "magic skills" that human beings are capable of. It has been noted by almost every ancient wisdom tradition.”
—Elizabeth Gilbert

It's the little things

Its funny how it is so often the little things that make such a big difference - good and bad. I used to think that it was mainly the big things in life that defined who you were as a person but more and more i am realising that it is not simply those big once off events that shape who we are but it is also those small everyday things that also have a hand in shaping us.

Now i am not saying that those big once off things in life dont shape us - they definately do. I am having first hand experience with that at the moment. But by going through this big thing i am learning that life is made with those little things. Finding a parking space right outside my house after work, seeing a letter from my lovely gran in the mailbox, sharing a smile with someone who you care deeply about. Those are the moments that shape us, that make life the little bit better.

This is just something that i have been finding in my life lately - just my thoughts.

I treid to be really organised this past weekend. I took all the photos that i wanted for the week, went round to my parents and used their internet to upload them to my blog. Monday morning i came to post and something must have happened to them because i couldnt get any of them to open. So, i am having to be picture free again! Very frustrating.

I have so many things to post but for now i am going to wait until i can get my pictures uploaded properly. I dont want to tell the stories but miss out on the photos.

I came across this quote a while ago and thought i would share......have a great day everyone.

Faith Isnt Faith Unilt It's All You're Holding On To

Me

"It isn’t until you come to a spiritual understanding of who you are — not necessarily a religious feeling, but deep down, the spirit within — that you begin to take control." - Oprah Winfrey

This morning this quote arrived in my inbox and the moment i read it i knew that not only was it true but it also applied to me.

These past few weeks have been a bumpy ride as they say, but looking back and looking at where i am today i can honestly say that i have begun to take control. Control of my life, of my eating habbits, my thought life, my finances and my social life. Each morning that i wake up i wake up with this feeling of hope and expectancy for good things. Its nice to wake up feeling like this rather than waking up feeling low.

Yesterday i went for a job interview - fingers crossed i hear from them soon. Thursday night i am going round to a group from the church for dinner - really looking forward to this. I have been concentrating on my eating and my health and so far i have lost 8.5 pounds. I have been working on myself, getting to know how i am, what i like and dislike and most importantly what it is that I want from this life. This last one is definately an ongoing process but i feel good that i have made a start on it.

Between working and studying i have been doing a lot of work in my art journal. Its has all been very personal, very honest and very deep. I love it! I love how it has helped me realise what my feelings are about certain things. It has given me an avenue to express my dissapointments, to get my feelings out in black and white and to see the growth that i have experienced in just these short few weeks. It has given me some much needed perspective.

I have a few other projects that i have been working on, a painting that is probably half way done, a new knitting project that i started last night. Things are looking up!

Live Life Everyday

This is my latest painting that i finished off last night. For some reason the background is much bluer than what it is in real life. It is actually a turquoise colour but i must admit that this blue looks just as nice as my turquoise does.
It is my first small (i think it is an 8 x 8) painting and it is going in my bedroom along with another one that i am working on and i am hoping to start a third one in the next week or so.
I love how quick it was to paint and the freedom that i felt with the smaller space.
This is just a reminder to myself to Live Life Everyday. You don't know how long you have on this earth and you don't know when you might find yourself in different circumstances so Live your Life Everyday!
I was introduced to Zen habbits by Ali a few months ago and just the other day it had an article on living your life consciously. It was about making conscious decisions about your day, your actions and your life. It was about being present in that moment in your life, not just aimlessly moving through your life. It also spoke about those decisions that are automatic. The ones that you just do and don't really think about them. Like picking up that second piece of cake or working in the same company that you have been in for the last five years even though you are not really happy there and living from pay cheque to pay cheque even though you could be managing your finances better. Just things like that. Decisions and choices which help to shape your life so that you get what you want, so that you don't have to settle for second best. I was inspired.

A life lived of choice is a life of conscious action. A life lived of chance is a life of unconscious creation.- Neale Donald Walsch

Linkage Love

I have been seeing such great things on this wide web of ours that i thought i would share some of my favourite ones with you.

As we are getting closer to Christmas lets start with these first

# How about some word cards

# I have also been thinking about doing a Christmas quilt with this pattern.

# One day when i have children i am so going to be making an advent in a box!

And how about these cute sewing projects

# A funky grocery bag dispenser

# And these tea towels would make a wonderful gift

# The best head band ever

# And then how about these sweet little hair curlers. My gran used to have some that she used to use when we were younger.

# How about a reversible sewing machine cover

# Some cute owls - i have so many different ideas for these babies

# And as we are having some new baby additions soon how about these cloth shoes

# I forgot to add this cute Bagsket Tutorial

This gratitude journal is a great idea for next year and i have actually made a start on it. I decided to make one as a Christmas gift so this morning i started making 2.

And how about this snuggly neck warmer or these really funky hats

These past few days i have been wanting to do more paintings and art journaling but for some reason i have spent more time art journal surfing than art journal painting. There are some really good blogs and sites around - you can see a few of them on my sidebar - but this one in particular is one that i have really been enjoying.

OK, so i know that today's post has been a little higgalde piggaldy but i just need to vent one little frustration that i have been experiencing for the past few days. Paypal have decided that they need me to verify my bank account with them so they have put a block on me sending payments through paypal until this has been done. Just great! It is going to take between 3 - 5 days to sort out but do they not realise that its coming up to Christmas and it just so happens that i have won and bought several items which i now can not pay for ...arghh. So frustrating!!

On that note i will leave you with this quote that i found while blog surfing:

"to finish the moment, to find the journey's end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom." - ralph waldo emerson

Happy Wednesday all!

Living the art that you create

Every minute starts an hour and every minute is a new opportunity. Each time the clock ticks you have a chance to start over, to say, do, think, or feel something in such a way that you and the world are better for it.-- Source Unknown

I found this quote about a week ago now, while i was searching through the world wide web for a quote for a completely different theme. The moment my eyes spotted this quote, i knew that this quote was meant for me. It was exactly the right thing, at the right time and in the right place. I hope that this quote touches you the way that it has touched me.

The problem with addictions, and i don't mean the very big and dangerous ones, is that you feel as if you never have enough. Enough yarn, enough scrapbooking stash, enough time, enough projects, enough layouts, enough books, enough, enough, enough. I have been working on this as i have become very conscious of waste. Wasted money, wasted time, wasted efforts. Now don't get me wrong, i love to shop and spoil myself and do all these cool things but i am first asking myself if this is really something that i want and that i like and if i am getting it for me or am i getting it because it is the latest rage and everyone else is getting it. I feel this helps to keep myself in check.

So bearing that in mind, this is my next project that i want to do once i have finished Tomato. This photo and pattern is from Knitting Lingerie Style which is written by Joan McGowan-Michael.
I have bought some special sock needles off of eBay for a really good bargain. 8 sets of 4 dpns for £9.01 including postage. When i went to my local yarn shop i had a look at the needles and they were £4.99 for one set!! I love bargains.
I also have my eye on some sock yarn on eBay which ends in 2 hours 6 min and counting so hopefully i can get the cheap and then give these ago. A nice addition to my fall wardrobe.

Now, while we are still talking about knitting, let me introduce you to Shawn. Shawn is my sheep who helps me to keep count of my rows while i am knitting. Earlier this week i went to my local yarn shop looking in particular for a row counter. I had imagined something a little different to Shawn but there he sat in the Simply Knitting Magazine and so i decided to go for him instead and get the bonus of the magazine. I am pretty pleased with him.

Moving on to some scrapping..... This is a mini journal that i started about three weeks ago. The cover is done with embossing powders and a mask. Its called "Bring ME" and is all about different parts of my daily life.



I still have two double pages and the back page to do but seem to have come to a bit of a stand still with it. I am stuck and not sure what to do next. The theme of the journal is I....(fill in the blank). So far i have - I am, I live, I eat, I cherish, I must and I believe.

Please feel free to leave me some suggestions for my last few pages.

Well that is it from me for now. I am writing an exam tomorrow so please keep me in your prayers. Other than that i have some knitting to do, house cleaning, scrapping and a bit of sewing that i want to get done. Oh yeah, and we are off to watch The Simpson's on Sunday night.

Take care and be blessed.