Help End Puppy Mills - VOTE TODAY!

Today is the day readers! I don't go into a lot of politics/policies/government bruhaha because that's not the kind of blog this is. However. A very big part of who I am, is an animal lover. I am very active regarding Animal Rights. 

I strongly believe that we as human beings have been given stewardship over the creatures of the earth. That means caring for them, not abusing them. Every animal has the right to enjoy the life they have been given, just as every human has that right. Most unfortunately, we know there is much suffering in the world - both human and animal. But animals have no voice. We must be their voice and stand up for them, as they cannot. Many are subjected to an entire life of horrible abuse - it is the only thing they know. They are innocent victims of a horrible fate. Such are puppy mills. It breaks my heart. It must be stopped. 

Change.org is a good place to start. And we are fortunate to have an animal rights advocate in our recently elected President, Barack Obama - as well as many of the cabinet members he is now appointing. By voting to stop puppy mills, our leaders will know the issues of importance to the American people. Positive changes will be set in motion. Countless dogs will be given the life they deserve. I've made it easy to vote by taking the Change.org button out of my side bar and putting it right in this post. If for some reason the button does not work for you, click here. All votes must be in by midnight December 31 Pacific Standard Time!

If you don't know what a puppy mill is, or would like more information, you can also visit the ASPCA, the Humane Society, and even Oprah's website, as she dedicated an entire episode to reveal the horrors of puppy mills, and what people can do to help. All these sites have excellent information and are invaluable websites.

Thank you all! And have a very happy new year knowing you did a really good thing :)

A Small But Meaningful Life - first post

Well, here I am. The first post ever on my blog. My blog? Weird. I can't believe I'm attempting to fake my way through this. I'm not young, hip, or cool. Actually that's not true - I am still cool. But definitely not young or hip. And I don't really know what to say of particular interest. But I love to write. LOVE IT. And I love to do crafty, creative things someone other than myself or my kid's friends might like at some point along the way. My life lately is feeling just a bit on the scattered side. This and that are all over the place. In between kids and friends and chores and errands and definitely hiding behind laundry. Paintings here, poetry there, photography still elsewhere. Dogs, drawings, ideas that keep me up at night. Projects constantly simmering. Mosaics still patiently waiting to be created. An Etsy store that MUST be created! And of course antiques all over the place. So I'm going to try to bring all these loose ends together here on my blog. A tall order, I know. But it might be a great thing - it could be a terrific thing.

I guess I need to introduce myself, considering this is my first post. Most of my friends still don't know what a blog even is, and the ones that do think it's mainly an exercise in narcissism. Fine. Nevertheless, I still need to establish my voice here. So because I have a headache and can't think of anything too creative, I'm going to rip off what I wrote about myself in my Facebook profile:

I'm the mom of 3 boys. There's a husband (of 26 years) in there somewhere too. I'm a bohemian. Color makes me happy. I'm so tie dye I need my own Ben & Jerry's flavor. I have more favorite scents than you would believe. I have a weakness for peace signs. I'm super creative. I will only use McDonald's straws. I don't know what I'd do without music. I love sunshine but I HATE the heat. I love food way too much. I read magazines backwards. I have 2 tattoos. Abused and abandoned animals make me cry. I love decorating but I hate excess. I'll do anything to avoid a public toilet. I am fun loving but I love to be by myself too. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. My speed record in my Bug is 120mph so far.

So that is pretty much me. Let me explain the "small but meaningful life" part of this post. Remember when Meg Ryan said that? In "You've Got Mail"? She was explaining her life to Tom Hanks via the internet. That description really struck me. Because no matter how small a life is, you still affect a lot of people, a lot of things. No matter how small it is, it can still be full of meaning and richness. I definitely have - and am blessed to have - a small but meaningful life.