this year… this year i am seeing and feeling the difference already. my tool? i came across this amazing, free download, awesome, helpful, easy calendar. did i mention, free?
ways to create a saner, simpler life? yes please.

the declutter and organize calendar from my simpler life.

 when wanting to declutter and organize, it can be overwhelming to know where to begin. this calendar takes all the thinking out of it. each day is a task. things like… declutter one bedroom shelf, toss expired skin care, clear off the top of your nightstand.

simple, specific tasks.

i have not been asked to share this, i do not know the brilliant woman behind this. simply… it has really helped me and i hope if you are looking for a helpful tool in organizing your home this year it might help you too!

not of gifts i want. but gifts i have.

426… laughing at the neighbor dog trotting around our yard. only when koa is inside. :)

427… my sweet valentine.

428… cheesecake on valentine's day.

429… a photograph that awes.

430… talking to my husband about a crazy dream he had.

431… working on our office that we are filling with military memories.

432… going through old military photos to hang up.

433… proud of the service our family has given.

434… laughing at some of the crazy photos.

435… finding a neat photo that great uncle melvin took during the korean war.
looks like it is from the set of mash!

what is on your grateful for list today?

joining…

 i love laughing like this. so hard you think you could pee or that you can't breathe and tears are rolling down your face and your stomach hurts. you know what i mean? :)

hope you have a weekend full of laughter!

this week in the studio…

it has been more thinking work than fun work. blog work. taking up lots of time work. makes me question things kinda work. there are times when i just want to stop all this blogging business and just do my art. do you ever feel this way? i feel like i haven't painted in ages. but then i know i would miss all the friends and connections i have made.

so this is what has been taking up my time… have you heard about the changes with google friend connect? they are 'retiring service' for all non-blogger blogs. this includes my blog. so come march 1st, if you are reading along with studiojru because you joined through google friend connect… you will no longer receive my blog updates. it is confusing. even if you are a blogger (blogspot) blog… if you used google friend connect to follow blogs, this will change the way you see all of the non-blogger blogs.

when i first heard about this change, there was nothing to replace it with. since then i heard about linky followers and decided to supply that as an option. it is similar in some ways to google reader. it was created from the same person that made linky tools… the thing you use here on friday's to join the party! :) he quickly explains it here.

i spent a few days figuring it all out. then writing a post to try and explain how it works… in an easy to understand way… if that is even possible. lol it really is not that hard to use, but explaining it in a way that sounds easy… now that was more difficult! along with a few blogging friends… we put together posts showing ways to follow blogs.

* * *

while i have many of my art friends here today… i will give you a few ways you can still follow studiojru if you are using google friend connect right now.

the new linky followers tool…  :: Follow Me ::

subscribe… using my rss feed

receive studiojru posts… in your email
(be sure and verify subscription)

so… my plan is to be able to get back to fun, messy, painting work next week!

i am so looking forward to seeing your creative heart this week.

♥

ready to share? let us celebrate the process and the accomplishments.
please remember we want this to be an encouraging group, it would be wonderful if you would visit as many of the other studios as you can.
and remember… 'studio' is meant to be wherever you are creating.
if you are new, check the about post. you can grab the button right here.

please include the button or a link back to this post so people know where to find everyone.

you have probably heard by now the changes with google friend connect coming in march. google friend connect will no longer work on non-blogger blogs like mine. they are 'suspending service'. boo. so if you are following me with your cute little photo in google friend connect, starting march 1st, you will not see my blog in your reader or dashboard. i hope you will stay with me though… i would miss you!

if you are a blogger blogger, this will still change the way you follow/read non blogger blogs. people can still follow your blog with google friend connect, but if you are following a non blogger blog using google friend connect… you will no longer see that blog.

i have a new way of following my blog to show you… linky followers. i use linky tools for my 'in the studio' posts. the creator of linky tools has created a new way of following blogs.

sign up is easy. go to the website or click :: Follow Me :: (here or on the widget in my sidebar). there are directions to guide you through the steps. just register and you will get a confirmation email. when you first sign in, you will see a widget code for you to use on your blog. this is available at any time if you aren't ready to use the code then. you don't have to put one on your blog either, you can use it just to follow and read your favorite blogs.

you can then add your thumbnail that will be seen by the blogs you follow.

 there are easy to use tabs on your dashboard… including blogs you follow, your followers, your private blogroll, and manage your stuff.

'blogs you follow'… from here you can use categories to organize the blogs you follow. you can also create your own categories!

'your followers'… you can see a list of who is following you. you can easily visit their profile and then visit their blog if you would like to.

'your private blogroll'… this is where you can put in blogs that you would like to follow and read in your blog reader that don't use linky followers.

'manage your stuff'… from here you can edit your profile, add a thumbnail message that people see when they mouse over your thumbnail photo, add your blog and blog name, and create a profile message for people to see when they look at your profile. when you are done… just click 'save profile' at the bottom of the page!

you also manage your blogs from here. you can customize the widget for your blog. you can add a 'featured follower', set the order of followers, and set how many thumbnails you want shown in your widget. this is also where you update your latest post… the only down side about this entire set up. you have to manually update your posts. you just put in your title and click update. not hard to do, but something you will need to remember to do so your followers see that you have a new blog post up. having this done automatically takes a lot of computer power and since this is a free service, it isn't something that can be done at this time. with all the other great features, i think it is worth it though.

then there is the blog reader. i love this…one of the best features in my opinion. just click the blog reader (big orange) button on your dashboard to bring up all the blogs you are following. then, you click 'view blog' next to the blog you want to read and it brings up the blog below the list. click the orange circle with white triangle to expand to the entire blog. since it shows the entire blog, you can click on any blog tabs or sidebar links and leave a comment! :) yes… you can leave a comment right there without leaving your blog reader! when you are done with a blog post, click the arrow to minimize back to your list.

i hope this gives you a bit of an understanding of linky followers. like anything new… it might take a little time to understand. but i think he has made a really easy system to use.
if you have any questions… please ask and i will try to help you out!

so what do you think… are you going to try it?

there are other ways of keeping up with your friends and your favorite blogs too. a few of my friends have made posts to explain some of them…

jacqueline from them pates talks about blogger dashboard and blogs on side bars.

jen from i believe in love talks about google reader.

stephanie from beyond words designs talks about bloglovin'.

enough said.

happy valentine's day friends!

 i know… right?

 this is one of those photos that just makes you think out loud, "wow. now that is amazing."

i saw this photo and had to share. look closely. the little white lines are actually the camels. the black camel shapes you see are actually the shadows. amazing, isn't it?

this photo is from george steinmetz, who contributes to national geographic magazine… where you can find this and other breathtaking photos.

something to think about.

happy weekend friends!

this week in the studio…

i am so happy to introduce you to my guest poster. (poster? sounds funny.)
stephanie is so sweet. she has a special story to share and she has a huge heart. you will find that out when you see what she is up to with her art! her plans have a special place in my heart because like stephanie, my mom left the hospital without a baby. my baby sister brenda, was with us just 4 short days.

Once upon a time . . . there was a little girl who lived by a world famous Museum in a little town, nestled in the midwest. Instead of taking ballet or piano like her friends, she begged her parents to let her take ART lessons. And from the moment she walked across the shiny marble floors, smelled the museum air, and took a gander at some amazing works ~ she was hooked. Each and every summer was spent taking classes, learning new things, and just soaking in the beauty that came from the human imagination!

Sadly, she lost her confidence somewhere along the line between high school and college and decided that working with children was what she wanted to do. Although in truth, she never stopped yearning to unleash the colors that swam around in her brain. Always wondering what could have been if she had the courage to follow her dream of studying art.

In the middle of all of that, prince charming came along and swept her off her feet. LITERALLY! He took her to see the big wide world, made her see things from a new perspective and loved her silly and adventurous side (oh yeah, this girl was fun;). She skied in the Alps, scuba dove off the Great Barrier Reef, jumped out of an airplane, and traveled some of the world ~ all before the age of 30.

Then, like an answered prayer, she became pregnant and began raising her babies. Her creative flare was spent splashing colors on her walls, organizing the pantry, and planning colossal birthday parties. And she was happy.

Until one day, it became clear that she must put brush to canvas again. The time had come for her art to become a vehicle of healing after the most devastating death of her baby girl. This sweet little girl that didn’t get to live, gave her mother the push she needed to create again and to finally call herself ~ an artist.

Amelia Rose was born peacefully on March 11, 2010. She weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz., was 20 inches long with lots of dark hair and, in a word . . . ~ beautiful~. I am blessed to have been chosen to be her mother. There is real beauty that has come from Amelia’s life . . . my story & art, and a passion for making a difference. And if you let me, I would like to share it with you.

Imagine giving birth and leaving a hospital without your baby. It is something most people don’t want to think about let alone try to imagine. But this is a reality for about 26,000 women who experience pregnancy loss through stillbirth each year in the United States. They leave the hospital with empty arms ~ and, if they are fortunate ~ may be given a small box Memory Box with a few precious things that their baby left behind.

When your baby dies, the things that people do and say in those first days in the hospital, make all the difference. Hopefully caregivers are trained in helping families through this socking turn of events. Hopefully, parents are encouraged to spend time with their baby. Hopefully, everything humanly possible is done to make memories and provide resources. Hopefully, you don’t have to listen to other mothers pushing their babies out or sit in shock as the cries of a newborn in the next room cut right through your heart. Hopefully, a mother is not told ‘Congratulations’ by housekeeping as they come to clean the bathroom. Hopefully, doctors don’t refer to your child as a ‘body’ or ‘medical waste’ to be disposed of. Hopefully, words are gentle and hugs are offered. Hopefully, people around you will let you grieve as you need to without putting any expectations on you. Unfortunately, this is an unacceptable reality for many people that I speak too. Thankfully, our experience with Amelia beautiful was supportive. We were given respect, privacy, understanding, and support.

I left the hospital holding only a memory box and blanket that she was swaddled in. My face buried in the soft pink folds where the smell of my daughter lingered. That was almost two years ago. And since then, approximately 58,000 mothers have lived this grief ~ as I did. And I honestly can’t bear the thought that some of these experiences will be made inexorable worse by lack of planning on a hospitals part. These families need to know they are not alone. They need to be given even the smallest comfort that can be afforded them. And nothing I can do will ever lessen the pain of this kind of grief, but I can share my story. I can give my art.

‘Starry, Starry Night’ is an image that represents stillbirth and motherhood ~ an intertwined and never-ending story. I am using this image to not only bring attention to the reality of infant loss and stillbirth in our society, but to spearhead my Donate Art project. Details can be found here.

I am donating ART Cards to hospital memory boxes so that parents to have something visual, beautiful, tangible and ‘sharable’. I want to create a piece of commemorative art that a family can hand down through generations. A visible reminder to all who see it ~ that our babies were here and motherhood is forever.

So far, three hospitals will be including these cards as a way to touch families who (like me) have to leave the hospital without their babies. As this project grows, I will have more and more requests to fill and I welcome any help that you may feel led to give. I am humbly accepting donations and would like to share that as little as $1 will make 1 Art Card possible. One dollar, one family, one blessing, one difference. A portion of ALL proceeds Beyond Words Designs earns is put towards this project. If you would like to view more of my art, please visit my shop. And if you have made it this far into this post, you are awesome! I love connecting with people and hearing your stories. Feel free to contact me at steph@beyondwordsdesigns.com. I hang out at the following places and talk all about my crazy life, art, homeschooling, kids, and Amelia. . . but not necessarily in that order:

Facebook

Twitter

Beyond Words Designs (blog)

Pinterest

see… i told you she has a beautiful heart! what a special way to use your art.
thank you stephanie.

i am so looking forward to seeing your creative heart this week.

♥

ready to share? let us celebrate the process and the accomplishments.
please remember we want this to be an encouraging group, it would be wonderful if you would visit as many of the other studios as you can.
and remember… 'studio' is meant to be wherever you are creating.
if you are new, check the about post. you can grab the button right here.

please include the button or a link back to this post so people know where to find everyone.

i had an amazing opportunity to stand in the middle of glitter raining down recently.

it was so neat. it made me smile in awe.

there was a slight breeze in the morning and the trees had snow and frost on them.

the breeze was blowing the frost and snow down.

the yard was filled with glitter sparkling everywhere. it was so beautiful. it was so fine, i was not sure if i would be able to catch it with my camera or not. i was able to capture a glimpse of how beautiful it was to share.

i love glitter days, don't you?

joining communal global for tuesday peeks around the globe.