Joy Report and a Pool Boy

It's been a week. LOL! Last Saturday I had the most awesome time, helping children craft the day away. Okay, it wasn't quite like that. We had a state-wide missions celebration for children - so they enjoyed missions, music, recreation, crafts and more. A friend  and I led the craft sessions. It was a blast.

The week was also filled with meetings, errands, and normal busy-ness. I only managed to make 8 cards this week, but I'm glad I got to make 8.

Speaking of cards... my birthday is toward the end of the month but I've already received 3 handmade - gorgeous! - cards in the mail from people on SCS. So cool!

Today's card is inspired by chapter 40 of the book 50 Truths Worth Knowing.

Just Sitting Can be Pure Joy

Anndee was a list maker. She had them everywhere - in the car, in the house, in her purse. Some lists were for things she needed to buy; others for tasks to do. She had menus, events, and more on the lists... and she loved checking things off of her lists.

Then... oh then. Something amazing happened in Anndee's life. She became a mother. That little bundle of "pink" joy (she only weighed 5 pounds and 13 ounces) suddenly took precedence over lists. Anndee discovered she couldn't change diapers, warm bottles, give baths, find pacifiers, cuddle and snuggle... and keep lists too. Soon whole days had slipped by and she hadn't added anything to a list, nor checked any little box on a list, saying the task was complete.

But something else happened in Anndee's life. One day while she was at an art museum with her daughter, Anndee began to notice things around her. The minute details in the art work - the shadows, the expressions, the gnarled hands. From that experience, she grew to focus on the things around her just for the pure joy of it. She didn't need to worry about a list, or what needed to be done tomorrow, or the day after that. Instead she listened to leaves rustling, she noticed the wedgwood blue sky, she smelled the cider at a roadside stand. And she enjoyed life in ways she hadn't been able to do as she focused on those many lists.

Did you notice? I tried something new with a couple of these photos - instead of a watermark, I added a cork "J" and "C" in the picture. What do you think?

I do like to shake things up a bit sometimes, you know.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!


Supplies Used

Stamps: Hambo stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Recollections Black and White and Stampin' UP! Regal Rose CS and DP from my scrap file

Die: Taylored Expressions Notebook Border

Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Beach Ball Brad and other Brads from an unknown vendor
SaveSave