My Brush With Life

I love Thanksgiving. It's all about the best things in life--family, food, and gratitude.
What's the best thing about Thanksgiving in Southern Utah? Dixie Salad.
This is just a small post to clarify a few things.

 What is Dixie Salad? Apples, pomegranates, raisins, walnuts,and whipped cream. AND THAT IS ALL.

 If you add anything else it is just a fruit salad with pomegranates. I just needed to say that.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!


 


 

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As the date of my eye procedures drew closer, I was filled with anxiety. The feelings were so intense, I was a little afraid I might have a heart attack. I could not relax, I could not calm down, and I could not get my body to respond to what my mind knew, that everything was going to be okay. I doused myself with calming oils, took long, hot showers, read fantasy novels, wasted time on Pinterest, but nothing helped me calm down. Finally the Sunday before we left, I was able to enjoy a church...

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There are certain things you hear a lot when you have adopted children. How did you know you could love someone else’s kids? Do you love them like you love your kids? Isn’t it weird that they don’t look like you? Are you worried about problems they might have that you might not know about? Does is feel the same as your own kids? You’re friends with their birth moms? Isn’t that weird?

Now, every one’s experiences are unique and I can only speak to my own, but I thought I’d share...

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I love dressing up. Maybe it's because I'm an introvert who wishes she was an extrovert, maybe it's because I'm an artist and love creating the costumes, maybe it's because my BFF was a drama freak who grew up to be a costume designer, who knows. Who knows?
  Making the costumes is probably my favorite part. It's gotten even more fun for me since I married a someone who is a straight-laced, by the numbers kind of guy all year round, but on Halloween if I say, "Your costume involves tights", he...
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Here's my latest Celestial Chicken. She's number six in the series. Isn't she a beauty?

 
 This is watercolor and silver leaf. 12 X 12"


 

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Well, this has been a crazy month! I have been so touched by the generosity of my friends. I wish people would stop doing things anonymously. The joke in our house is that now we have to be nice to everybody, since we don't know who some of the people are who have given so generously to the fund set up to help with my diagnosis of the eye disease, Keratoconus.
 
The good news is that so far we have raised about $3,500. The bad news is that we have lost our substantial donor. This probably means...
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Have you noticed America is practically painting itself pink? That's right, it's October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I don't need an presidential decree to help me pay attention this year. In fact, I'm considering all the hoopla one giant party for my mom, who just finished up a long ten months of treatment for breast cancer.
I've talked about my feelings for her and how brave she's been in an earlier post "What Makes A Woman" so I won't go in to that again. I'd really like to do a more se...
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Something I hear a lot, “Sooooo, what’s up with your thing about chickens?”

Hey, don’t get me started! A family pet that produces healthy food, provides relaxation, good work ethic, amusement, artistic inspiration and even affection. That’s my ladies, my chickens.                                                                                                                                                                                                                              ...

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What an amazing week. It’s times like these that almost (almost) make me glad for the struggles of life. It’s times like these that reaffirm my belief in love, friendship, the basic goodness of humanity. I struggle a bit with being on the receiving end of such generosity and I have to take a deep breath and kind of distance myself from the experience. I think if I really let myself be completely in the moment of what is going on in my life right now, I would be so overwhelmed that I would...

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