William

Hi - just had to share this video that Julie (William's sweet mama) posted of William singing in the car. It's awesome. This is from last year - William recorded himself on Julie's phone as they were driving home through their neighborhood. Tomorrow is the memorial service (Celebration of Life) for William. I'm sure that boy is in Heaven right now running, jumping, and feeling good...  as he should!

"Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads."  —Henry David Thoreau

Looking Ahead.

Well here it is, June already. 2012 is almost halfway over. It's crazy! So much has happened this year, some good and some not-so-good, but my oh my has time been flying by. It very well could be true that I am getting old....... yep.

This is the time of year when we put the finishing touches on our new stamp designs for Fall and Winter, since the big release happens at CHA next month in Chicago. So that's where most of my mind has been: designing for the coming seasons. It's fun but it also has a way of making time seem to pass even MORE quickly, living with my brain focused five and six months into the future. Anyhoo, I thought today I would share a sneak peek from one of my new Thanksgiving sets. Some swell new stuff is coming from Impression Obsession, and I also have lots of other things in the works. That Kalani chick has been busy!

OK - time to go water my garden. Even though I have Fall & Winter on the brain, it's still SUMMER here in NorCal so I better go soak up some of that lovely sunshine! Hugs.

“Green was the silence, wet was the light, the month of June trembled like a butterfly.” —Pablo Neruda

My Hero.

William, you are my hero. What an honor it's been to know you and your awesome family. You have fought the good fight and you made a huge difference for good in this world, now you are free to rest (and run, and play) without pain. Julie and Ryan, you are amazing, incredible, strong, courageous parents and I love you. There really are no more words. May you have peace.

"A human life is a story told by God."  —Hans Christian Andersen

"We must embrace our grief and burn it as fuel for our journey."  —Miyazawa

"Life is eternal, love is immortal, and families are forever."  —unknown

That's What I'm Talkin' About!

Hey America...

Motherhood

Just thinking today about motherhood, and what that means over the years as our children grow. My children are now both in their twenties, but in many ways I feel the weight, the responsibility, and the duties of motherhood in a more serious way now than when they were small. It's been such a fascinating process, having these children of mine start out so tiny and helpless, and now 22 years later, where are we and what have we become? 

Anyway... nothing incredibly profound to say today, just that I love being a mother and I am awe-struck by all the many things that motherhood entails. So in honor of motherhood, here's a bit of a sneak-peek at a new design coming sometime later this year, and I do believe that it applies to children and mothers of all ages, uh-huh. I know that you moms of older kids will agree... Can I get a what-what?

Loving and caring and praying for my kiddos, no matter their age, every day until I die. Yep.

"Motherhood is priced of God, at price none may dare to lessen or misunderstand."  —Helen Fiske Jackson

May 20: What??

Zoooooooooom, where has this month gone? I have been so busy with this and that, but I can't believe it's May 20 already. Work, kids, college admissions & student loans (booooo), friends with birthdays, two funerals, several ongoing projects around the house, Mother's day (thank you to my family for making me feel so special!), a puppy (don't ask), and life in general have kept me running. I am trying to remember to count my blessings amid the chaos... And summer weather has definitely arrived, so we're trying to stay cool.

This weekend, thankfully, has been mostly quiet and relaxing. I did almost nothing, which was almost nice. This evening here in NorCal we watched as the moon almost covered the sun in what they call an "annular eclipse," and it was way cool. The light outside at full eclipse (6:32pm local time) was indescribable, so I won't try to describe it, and Rich took some awesome photos in our backyard. Of course we did not look directly into the sun because we didn't want to go blind, but we learned from our friendly neighborhood meteorologist that the sun would make neat little crescent patterns when shining through the trees (as you can see in these photos). It was a rare sight and it was amazing. What a wonderful world...

All right, time to go relax (some more). Hugs to all!

"Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth."  —Buddha