Spring Sunshine – at last!

I finally feel like Spring has arrived because I’m doing my favorite thing – sitting on my back deck in the sun listening to the birds. The cats are out with me and there’s a slight breeze in the air. The hectic work day is already a memory and all that remains is to relax and be still. The flowers aren’t up yet and last week’s snow is stubbornly hanging on in the shade, but none of that matters. What matters is this glorious sunshine. Driving home around the reservoir with the sunroof open and “Cecelia” on the radio is about as close to pure happiness as you can get.

Humans are strange animals. Why is it that a song or the weather can have such an effect on our moods? Outside influences have so much power over us. Take this perfect late afternoon and add just a bit more wind or a neighbor using a leaf blower and it would be ruined. I suppose that’s why I appreciate the perfection so much. I know that it is short-lived. I know that I need to absorb every moment and store it up against the not-so-perfect days that always come. So I’ll sit here just a few minutes longer and soak up the first day of Spring. Right now, at this moment, life is good.

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Looking for my GIVEAWAY? Click here! http://boutiquebybonnie.blogspot.com/2009/03/tax-relief-giveaway.html

Welcome to Widescreen

My new 22” widescreen monitor arrived yesterday! I wanted more screen area for editing photos and decided one widescreen would be sleeker than a two monitor setup. I decided on the Dell 2209WA because it’s affordable and has an IPS panel. Yes, I had to learn a couple things about LCD monitors. I found out that most monitors have a TN panel, but for photo editing an IPS panel provides better color rendition. Maybe I should have done even more research because since hooking it up I’ve discovered (surprise) that my seven-year-old computer does not have a graphics card to support the widescreen resolution. As if I know how to install a graphics card, or know anything about power supplies or AGP or PCI or all these other terms I’m coming across!

I will not panic. I can do this. I will find the solution. Hopefully that solution won’t be buying a whole new computer. I’m still satisfied with the performance (mostly) of my old one. For now I’ll just enjoy the wide open spaces of my new screen.

Looking for my earring GIVEAWAY? Here it is: http://boutiquebybonnie.blogspot.com/2009/03/tax-relief-giveaway.html

Dangle Shell Earrings

I wanted to feature these dangle shell earrings because I think they’re pretty great! They’re the only pair I’ve ever made this way, using split rings to give the earrings great movement and true dangle. And the Golden Lip Shell matches anything! Did I mention they’re under $10? Visit my etsy store to see more!

Looking for my GIVEAWAY?? Click here http://boutiquebybonnie.blogspot.com/2009/03/tax-relief-giveaway.html

Kreativ Blogger Award!

It’s time to take care of some lingering blog business. Back on March 6th I was tickled to receive the Kreativ Blogger Award from Works of Art By Sara. Thanks so much! Sara is a wonderful artist and she’s hosting a giveaway that ends March 31st. Visit her blog to enter http://worksofartbysara.blogspot.com/ and be sure to visit her Etsy shop while you’re at it www.artbysara.etsy.com.

Now for the hard part. As a recipient of this award I need to nominate seven other bloggers to receive it. Here’s my list of creative bloggers:

1. Behind the Mask
2. Ornamental
3. Buttons and Pears
4. Maya*Made
5. As the Wood Turns
6. Artisan Clay
7. If I Had a Hammer

Whew! To claim your award, just post a link back to my blog and nominate seven other deserving blogs!

Looking for my GIVEAWAY?? Click here http://boutiquebybonnie.blogspot.com/2009/03/tax-relief-giveaway.html

Back to the past

Life has a way of taking you in strange circles. Back in 1991 I was one year out of college and had just suffered the loss of my mother, my last surviving parent. After a painful good-bye to my now empty childhood home in Wisconsin, I moved to Red Wing, MN where my boyfriend lived. It was a time of transition for me. I was an adult orphan struggling to make the right decisions, knowing I had not yet developed the proper life skills to do so. I got a part-time retail job and waited for the next phase of my life to begin, which it did about a year later when we moved to Colorado, got engaged and finally married in 1993.

Now fast forward through the gain and loss of jobs, friends, weight and dreams to Monday, March 23, 2009. My boss walks over and says he needs to send me to Minnesota to help out with a project South of the cities. Where? Red Wing! I couldn’t believe it! After more than 15 years I was going back to the little town on the Mississippi. The next day I was on a plane and by Wednesday I was here, in my old stomping grounds. Strangely enough, the town seems to hold little emotional connection for me. It’s familiar, but that’s all.

I needed a map to find my old apartment. It was kind of a dump when we lived there and it hasn’t changed a bit. My strongest memory was our U-Haul sitting in the parking lot with my car hooked up behind, ready for the drive to Colorado. And I remembered trying to hide our hideous old couch behind the dumpster before taking off. A smile did come over my face when I drove across the bridge to the Wisconsin side of the river and saw that our two favorite bars were still there, going strong. I wouldn’t step in them now, but for a young 20-something they were the only entertainment around. These days, the pottery and antique mall is more my style!

Tomorrow I head back home and I must say I’m glad. I’m a homebody.  I miss my house and my cats and my daily routine. Red Wing was not and is not home, it’s just a place I floated in and out of once. The person I was back then is almost gone, buried under layers of life experiences. I belong back home - in Colorado.

Tax Relief Giveaway!

I think we can all use some relief this year, so I’m hosting another giveaway! This giveaway will run through April 15^th (tax day) and you get to pick your prize from the two pairs of earrings pictured here (ok, only one of each is shown). Please write the number in your comment for which pair you'd like to receive! This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only – sorry.

HOW TO ENTER:

1.) Visit my Etsy store and leave a comment on this post about a favorite item = one entry.

2.) Become a new Follower of my blog and leave a separate comment on this post to let me know = one entry.

3.) Post a link to this giveaway on your blog and leave a separate comment on this post to let me know = one entry.

HOW TO WIN GUARANTEED:

Buy anything from my Etsy store and I’ll include a free pair of earrings! Just write “blog” in the Note to Seller. Earrings will be my choice (not the ones pictured). This offer is also good through April 15^th!

THE WINNER will be chosen on April 16^th by random number generation (that’s why I need you to leave separate comments for each entry). I’ll notify the winner by email and post it on my blog. Please be sure I have a way to contact you through your blog or Etsy store, or leave your email in your comment.

Good Luck, and thanks for stopping by!

Blues in the dark

Night can take a sudden turn. Suddenly, I find myself in the dark. TV – gone. Lights – gone. Computer – gone. Power outage. Within two minutes I was declaring to the darkness, “I’M BORED!” There was nothing left to do but write.

I have eight candles lit and still the glow is barely enough to illuminate the words on the page. I cranked up my hand-powered emergency radio and found a community radio station doing a Blues show. I have a bottle of red wine open and suddenly this evening has turned from the ordinary to the extraordinary. I have to say, it would be downright romantic if I weren’t alone. I realize all over again how the unexpected often leads to the most treasured of experiences. I realize that I’m happy as a clam! In fact, I’ll be disappointed if the lights come back on before I go to bed. My only worry is my alarm clock, which doesn’t have a battery back-up. Other than that, this if fun! It’s like camping but in a really big, comfy tent. My world has shrunk down to this one room that I can illuminate with my candles. Just me and the night. Of course, now that I’m done writing this I have no idea what I’m going to do next. Karaoke?

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Stay tuned – A new giveaway starts soon!