{a happy little life}

I couldn't have said it any better if I tried:) Thank you to....Arthur Gordon!

That's one smart man:)

Lately i've really had to do some soul searching....some real thinking....some deep down am I living my life to the fullest pen to the paper kind of journaling.

Do you ever have those moments in life...

those I just don't feel like i've got it all together kind of moments.

For me ... it all starts with winter.

And snowballs from there.

Too much food....beyond stressful times at work....not getting to the gym often enough...

and just not nuturing my soul.

Soon it progresses to ...I don't feel good about my life...my goals...my decisions....

on and on.

We all go through valleys from time to time.

It's ok to go through valleys...without valleys we wouldn't appreciate the times when we feel on

top of the world:)

Spring is soon to come......
so it's time to move forward...
get back to the gym.
Stop eating to calm my winter blues {one of these winters i'll actually realize that too much pizza and wine really doesn't bring my soul happiness}

Look at the beauty in the world around me.
Appreciate who I am....
Let my inner spirit sparkle:)

Time to reflect on the goals for my life.
I have goals...big ones....
but then I get scared to fail
scared that all of this is kind of stupid
scared that no one really likes my ideas ... my designs....my art:)

 But you know what.

it's ok to be scared

it's ok to be uncertain about what you want out of life

it's ok to feel that life is flying by way too fast.

It's ok to have all of those self doubting feelings...
but you can't let them stop you from fulfilling your inner most passion in life.
You can't let them stop you from chasing your dreams..

Let them guide you and help you see areas of your life ready for change.
Let them help steer you towards what you really want out of life...
Don't let them keep you from moving forward.
Acknowledge them.....then move on:)

Over the years.....
i've come to realize there are a couple of things i'm passionate about.
1. it's making others feel good....
     I love to bring positive energy to those who might be in a  
     valley.
     Smile at the girl shuffling through the store looking down at
     her feet. Say something nice about her....
     The old man in a wheel chair trying to get all of his things
     to fit into his basket...help him to his car...strike up a
     conversation....maybe he's lonely.
     Kids who have much less than I do.....{it's why at this moment
     in my life...I am a special
    education teacher}
2. I absolutely love being creative in a way that uses my hands.
    I have found jewelry to be my passion.....my art....my bliss in
    each and every day.

It's the best way I know to blend all of the things I love into one.
Creating rustic....pieces of art...with happy little quotes and sayings:)

Little pieces of inspiration sprinkled into someones day!

It absolutely makes my soul sing to spend time in my little studio creating the day away.

And I am determined that one day.....I will make my living at it. Full time....
But for today...I keep moving along....trying to not let the voice of fear and self doubt creep into my soul.

Whatever your passion in life....

find a way to share it with others.

You'll be so thankful and happy to see the sun rise each and every morning when you are

spending time cultivating your passions in life:)

No matter what the season....

get out there and appreciate the day!

Have a beautiful and inspired evening friends:)

xo

Heather

The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you’ll be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. Authur Gordon

{hello}

Well HELLO!
How are you!?!?

Me....i'm wonderful.
I thought i'd just stop in to let you know what i've been up to!
I've had quite a few of you e-mailing me to see if i'm ok.....I am.
I just really needed a break from the computer to see if I still wanted to blog, etc.

Don't you sometimes just feel like you need a break.
Don't get me wrong...I love each and every person who stops by to say "hello."
And I really appreciate being able to share my simple little life with all of you.

But sometimes......trying to keep up with it all started to not make me feel so happy.
And being the kind of person who likes to keep things very simple and uncomplicated.....I just took a break:) And truth be told....i'm not sure how often i'll be popping in here.

The blogging community is wonderful and I just love seeing what everyone is up to.
But sometimes....when I don't spend time all alone with my thoughts.....I get confused about what I want out of life.

Reading all of the "popular blogs" started to make me feel unsure of myself....
do I want to grow my blog...do I want to grow Simple Daisy...
maybe I should like shabby white more...
Maybe I need to turn my whole house into a shabby white palace...yeah...that's what i'll do to get more visitors....
Maybe I need to own a shop.....maybe...maybe...maybe...my brain started to spin!

I retreated into just doing what I like and how I like to do things to rediscover that....

at this point in my life...
i'm content to keep my creative spirit as a hobby
I can't sit still to save my life....and thank goodness my husband doesn't get too upset when I go tearing up a room
I don't really like rooms all shabbied out and all white....maybe it's an Indiana thing...but when winter's really bearing down for months on end....I want a home I can feel warm and cozy in...
and you know what else I discovered.....I like yellow!

I just started re-doing my dining room and kitchen and yellow just started pouring out of me.
hmmmm.
I still love love love turquoise.....but yellow is starting to win my heart over!
It bright and cheery in the summertime and warm and cozy in the wintertime:):)

anywho...here's just a tiny bit of what i've been up too~

We went to Saugatuck, MI for  a long weekend and I made my poor husband climb way too many stairs just so I could see the beautiful view:)

Nevermind how I look....it was first thing in the morning and I didn't have a stitch of make-up on. And i'm not one of those girls who can hop right out of bed and look presentable:)

Lake Michigan really is a very beautiful place in the wintertime! I was on the hunt for beach glass but didn't find any:(

We started re-doing out kitchen and I couldn't be happier with how it is turning out!
I painted the cabinets using rustoleum cabinet transformations~
It was super easy......VERY labor intesive but I just love how they turned out! Here is what they looked like before ....don't mind how messy the kitchen is....it was during one of our Christmas parties:) And we all know how parties can be:):)

We still have to lay the floor and do a few other touchups but I just feel so warm and happy in there now~ My heart is rested in the kitchen now!
We went to IKEA in the middle of a snow storm so I could get our butcher block counters. My husband...it's a darn good thing he loves me!!

Sorry for the blurry photos...still learning how to use my fancy camera:)
Maybe when it's all finished I'll show you it!!

And I had my husband cut metal ...that I painted with chalkboard paint...for the closet doors!!
Now instead of the louvered look....they are magnetic chalkboards! L.O.V.E

I've just been kind of slowing down and enjoying little get-aways.
I am learning to be more thankful and instead of wishing I could move away...
I've been finding beauty right in my own area:)

It's been nice to just have no rules...
no ...I need to do this this weekend
or wait...I have to do a blog post...
on and on.
Just live life.

Spend time with my friends and not have any time when I feel I need to be back home:)

And I have to say...the chalkboard wall in the dining room has been super fun!!
I have always wanted to do it in our dining room but never did....
and now that I have...I am so happy:)

Still creating pretty little things! But have not really advertised so it's been a little more slow and I am

a-ok with that for right now:)

Ok...well there you have it! A tiny bit about what i've been up to lately:)

And just in case I don't get back here for awhile....just know i'm fine and just appreciating what each day has to offer me!!! I still love ya and am always very, very appreciative that you take time out of your day to stop by:)

xoxo

~Heather

“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity." Charles Mingus

{Happy Little Beach Day}

 Hello there:)


Thanks for all of your kind words on my last post! I appreciate that you would understand if I decide to end my time blogging.
For right now......it is something I completely enjoy and i'll just continue to focus on that! No rules about trying to post 3x a week or make so many crafty things a month or attend a blog conference to try and grow my little blog.....i'll just focus on keeping it a positive expereince that I enjoy!! And hope that you enjoy too:):)




Last weekend we were fortunate enough to enjoy picture perfect weather here in Indiana! And I can tell you that means only one thing to me.......time to head to the beach!!!!!


On Friday night we loaded up the dogs and packed a little cooler and headed straight to the beach! Mt. Baldy to be exact!

I don't know much in life.....but I do know without a doubt....my soul rests when I am in nature!
I feel so relaxed whenever I get to spend a little quality time just soaking up the beauty in nature:)


It always makes me come away feeling rested, rejuvinated and more appreciative of my life!


And I think the girls enjoy it too!!!
L.C. especially....she's a girl after my own heart with a deep love of the beach and the water!
Ruby....she's still not too sure about the water....but she tries:)

I think they were both just so happy to be outside on such a lovely evening!

Even dogs appreciate a little sand between their toes:)

It was just the best evening!

And I am pretty sure I enjoyed it even more knowing that it will be the last warm beach night we will have until next summer.

Sometimes you just have to get out there and enjoy the day!

I was surprised that on such a gorgeous evening their weren't more people soaking in the last bit of "summer" before grouchy ol man winter set in.

But I was thankful that we pretty much had the beach to ourselves!

I tinkered with taking photos.

 The girls played on the beach and in the water.

My husband enjoyed a little stone skipping time!

He was pretty good at it too....:):)

I say it all the time....I don't need fancy things whatsoever in life....I just need a little time in nature!

I could probably live in a tent on the beach and be perfectly content.

Well....as long as I had a little vino too, that is:)

 I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be than outside!


And I always come away with a handful of free crafting materials!
I thought these perfect little beach pebbles just need to become something.....so I filled my bag before we left!

I love how the beach pebbles are smoothed by the constant action of the waves. Made me think that sometimes instead of going against something that keeps occuring and is bothering you....just let it be....be like a beach pebble in the sand .....maybe the situation is meant to smooth you out:)

Who knows.....either way....I was just so appreciative to have one more time with my toes in the sand, sunshine on my shoulders and big smile on my face!!!!


Have a super happy and inspired week!

"When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others." Peace Pilgrim 

{My Mother}

Hello and Happy Friday!!!

Yesterday I went and did a workout with my mom at Grand Mere State Park!!

She hired a trainer that does outside fitness and well....you know how much I love to workout! I thought...now that's something I could do with her to be supportive!

Truth be told.....

We've had a very strained relationship....
I had a very difficult childhood and I held a lot of anger in my heart towards my mom for that.

I won't get into all the details but I can guarantee you....we would make it on the Jerry Springer show if we shared our story!

Anywho....plus over the years I've really felt that mom just let herself go.....and it really bothered me.
Why should I let it affect me....I don't know....it just did.

We hadn't talked or spent anytime together for years....I sort of went my way and she went hers....
I always just felt like she was a real whack job....sorry just being honest. I just couldn't understand where she was coming from with her life choices.
but I never asked either.

Recently...my girlfriends and I were chatting about our mothers and they were saying how much they like my mom.....I couldn't believe it...I was like...."really??" So...they coaxed me into inviting her over to a few gatherings and we all chatted.

As we were all talking......so many feelings were just welling up inside of me...anger...resentment...sadness...confusion.....and I just thought to myself...it's now or never....
I just have to get some of the questions answered...I just have to understand where she's coming from.

So with my girlfriends acting as therapists...we went back and forth...

And as tears rolled down my mothers face and I sat there and listened to her life story....I just couldn't believe my ears....how much pain she has endured in her life....every decision she made that angered me...made perfect sense...

Here sitting before me was the most beautiful woman ...with a spirit and a soul that would surpass most people i'd ever known. I never knew.

I realized that as a woman myself...no longer a child...I could move past the hurt and anger and really open my heart and be a true friend to my mother.
I realized that all she's ever wanted out of life was to be loved...truly loved...
Deep down...isn't that all we ever really want out of life......
We want people to love us:)

So as of late....I've made a real effort to open my heart...to let go....and to be a real friend to my mother.
She doesn't have girlfriends....
and so instead of feeling embarrassed of her...mad at her or just not understanding her...
I decided to just open my heart up and see what happens!

All we can do is go up from here.

I realize that she is a survivor.
And all of her qualities that drive me insane....are in me too.

She has recently embarked on a weight loss journey and when she told me about her personal trainer...I thought...well I could do that! I love...love...love fitness and working out!
I could be someone who could really support her in this journey!

And so I went to one of her sessions:)
Open heart and all.

I realized that her trainer liked her...laughed at her ....and truly enjoyed her...
I thought to myself....what have I been missing out on.

I realized I could be her biggest supporter.
Instead of holding my own feelings of negativity inside...
I could set them free and just be there for someone else.

And when we're out and about and people make fun of her because she's a large lady pounding down the french fries...I can get out of my seat...walk over and punch them in the face...(no not really).
But I won't spend my days feeling embarrassed or not understanding anymore...
I will realize that everyone is fighting their own battle....and I can love her just as she is:)
Plus...i've been known to pound down the french fries when i'm feeling depressed.....i'm not perfect....no one is.

She has lost 40lbs already...by the way!

I now choose to be my mom's supporter...cheerleader...friend.
I know our relationship may never be perfect....we aren't perfect.
But at least we are starting to have one again:)

Anywho....it was a fabulous time!! We laughed and got our sweat on .....and I just felt really, really proud of my mom!

If you're in the area.....
check out Nature's Fitness!!
It's awesome!! How can you go wrong gettin' your sweat on in nature!

Thanks for letting me share a feeling! I really do believe we all have so much to learn from one another:)
Have a fabulous Friday!

Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of 'crackpot' than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost.
~Thomas J. Watson