hearts abound

The month of  ❤LOVE❤  is here - happy February! I am a big fan of hearts, and a lover of pink, so I could not help myself... even though I just recently changed the look of my blog, I've been swept away with all the lovely eye candy I've seen lately. My favorite blogs, and Flickr particularly, have had some truly inspiring photos! So I've thrown caution to the wind and broken free from my male infested, burping, farting, testosterone filled world, in my quest for some good old fashioned Valentine charm. I will continue to post lots of fun things in the usual mix.

I've been experimenting in my photography with a light box. Which sounds very technical considering I really don't have a clue what I'm doing. The soapstone hearts you see here are some of my first experiments. The black & white ones turned out great, which I was extremely happy about - and let's not kid ourselves, I also know it was better luck than good management. I'm still trying to get the turquoise ones right. But I had to post hearts today!

I'm also delighted to give you a report on the Hearts For Haiti fundraiser over on Etsy! When I listed my first item they had already raised about $13,000 for Doctors Without Borders. An item of mine sold last night (yay! thank you!), so I stopped over to check on the fundraising details. I was stunned and touched to see that we have now reached nearly $24,000! Bless the Etsians who started Hearts For Haiti. Bless all those who have donated their items. Bless the Doctors Without Borders organization and ALL those working so diligently in rescue efforts. And bless all of you for your generosity in contributing. Wow, wow, wow ❤ 

The month of  ❤LOVE❤  is off to a very good start!!!

I've been thinking

My apologies for going so many days without a blog post. I've had a gazillion things in my mind I'd love to post on, but probably like many of you, I am absolutely heartbroken over the recent tragedy in Haiti. As I've watched the drama, and trauma, unfold... to see an entire city so collapsed, and such an astounding loss of life... it has been sick-to-my-stomach staggering, to say the least. And to see it all from my warm house, with food to eat and an endless supply of water, and my loved ones around me with healthy bodies and smiling faces... I don't know the words to use. I feel helpless of course. I can make my small donations, I can pray for them day and night... but of course my heart still aches to see them suffer. So to post a recipe or craft or show how my dala horse is coming along... I don't know, those things have seemed almost meaningless recently, and I guess I had a little thinking to do to work everything out in my heart. 

I am so touched of course by those amazing individuals and organizations who rushed to Haiti immediately to help. I mean, right in the trenches, thinking nothing of themselves but to give aid. What would our world do without those people? I know there have already been many stories of rescues, and miracles, and there will be many more. I do take comfort in that. And it does remind me how fragile life is, how *precious* my family is, how life can be there one minute and can be gone the next. Not to be morbid - no, I believe we are supposed to enjoy life also, not just endure it, or fear it. But remember to hold what we have dear. And to always be grateful for it. And try to enjoy every moment. Laugh, laugh, laugh. And love all we can. The love that we've given, the love we've received... those are really the only things we will take with us when our time has come.

One thing that has lifted my spirits a bit has been to participate in the Hope for Haiti Flickr Pool on Flickr. I was invited by a fellow photographer Lydia, who started it, because like me, she felt helpless to do anything and wanted a way to express her love and hope for the people of Haiti. I thought it was such a loving gesture. So check it out and join if you would like to - it has been really lovely watching it grow day by day, and seeing all the heartfelt sentiments expressed in photographs. If you're interested, click -----------> HERE.

Thanks for listening to me babble :) Please leave some comments - they warm my heart more than you know :)