We're taking a trip back in time...back to the Ice Age!

Happy Father's Day to my hunny!

Make a Smilebox greeting

I'll tumble for you

So I am now a Tumblr...go see what I think is cool!
www.rowanwillow.tumblr.com

My Mother's Day Makeover

I am so blessed with a beautiful daughter that is so sweet. She gave me a makeover, straightened/ styled my hair and took me and her lil sister Eve for a pedicure.

At one point both my daughters were putting make-up on me. I have to admit it was a bit more make-up than I usually wear but I felt B-E-A-utiful!




Here we are all dolled up ready to go out to dinner with the boys...TGIFridays was yummy! I had a great day with my family and feel very blessed to be their mother. Even if I'm dreading summer and bored, fighting kids!


Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and prayers. I really do believe they have helped me and given me strength in these trying times. I have a small growth on the wall of my atrium and a PFO in my heart (here is a link for more info). I am getting a second opinion, and seeing what my options are. Thankfully, it is not as detrimental as initially believed to be. I am making several changes and trying to get back to "Rowan Willow" (my muse), how I miss her! I will try and post more often and I am working on my previously owed swaps and some new pieces...stay tuned...I love all my bloggy buddies!

Calling ALL good thoughts and prayers...

I have recently found out I have a density on the back of my heart, possibly a myxoma (tumor). I am having surgery next Thursday to confirm or deny this. I need all the good thoughts and prayers you can offer. I am at my wits end with ALL my health problems. I am continuing to stay positive and have faith that I will be OK. I have to be, I have 4 kids , 3 who really need me!

I am not taking on any new commitments at this time. I still owe several swaps and I feel terrible about that. I would love to join the One World One Heart event. I made so many neat friends last year but I just don't have it in me this year. I hope to be returning to the creative community soon...How I miss it. I am feeling so depressed and overwhelmed right now, I hope you all understand. Thanks for listening and really, I am going to KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON!!!

Birthday greetings!

I have to share with you all the most amazing Birthday party I went to last night...mine (& my hunnies, his is the 19th). It was a SpongeBob Squarepants party, an undersea adventure. My 3 youngest kids (9,6 & 4) have been spending the last couple of weekends with Grandma preparing for the party...now I know why... See the shark?!?
No detail was missed. I entered Grandmas house to be engulfed with the waves and bubbles of the ocean and a giant squidapus (that's what the kids called it). I was offered an *ocean water* drink. It was riesling wine (my fav) and pineapple juice...yummy! They had made up some outdoor games which were supposed to be played during the day. We had another party to go to earlier, so it was dark when we arrived. I thought it was better in the dark anyway, it was deep in the dark ocean!



We followed the painted fish to SpongeBobs house...he wasn't home but we had to *search* for his babies...kitchen sponges, and yes, they were square!
There were killers whales and sharks trying to eat us and the babies. The kids had the best time trying to eat us and *swimming* around us. They all painted and helped create their cardboard costumes.






Mean shark...look at those teeth!













Is that Shamu??? Another shark too...aaahhhhh!!! They were trying to eat me , Grandma, and Scoutie (the dog).











Here they are all the ocean creatures swimming in the ocean waves...Max












Eve...












Zane...














My mother joined us too. Here we are getting ready to eat sushi, even the new plates Grandma Karen got were called tidal (and 50% off at Pier One, score Grandma Karen)! Look up at the top of the pictures and you can see the bubbles above us. I look like a drunk holding the bottle, I was making my *ocean water* right before Nathan took the picture.

To finish off the meal we had a DeLiCiOuS pineapple upside down Birthday cake...mmmmm The kids were so proud of themselves, they helped Grandma cook it and I heard they were eager spoon/bowl lickers!


Max helped me put in the candles...


The kids also made homemade, hand cranked banana ice cream....yuuummmm

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful Family!




Happy Birthday to US...

I can't thank Karen and the kids enough and I will never forget this birthday party. It will go down in our family history of GR8 parties, second only to Zane's awesome army party...or Eve's Princess for a day party...

I'm Back!

I am back and feeling pretty awful for neglecting my poor blog. It has been a rough couple of months but I should have at least popped in to say hello. I am at a turning point with my health problems and I have had to accept the fact that I will have a different life than I had imagined having 20 years ago. I think that has been the hardest part, and it has caused me a great deal of depression. I quit taking the morphine cuz it was making me a zombie. So now my pain is another issue. It takes my half the day to get moving now. I get up every morning around 5 or 6 from the pain, that makes for Loooonnnggggg days! This is a total switch for me, before I would stay up pretty late 12 or later, and get up around 9. Anyhoo, I am not blogging to complain...I am dealing with everything much better now....I'm blogging cuz it makes me feel good. I love making friends and meeting artists in this great big blogosphere!

In honor of my return to bloglandia, I have joined a blog party, It's on my Birthday, December 15th, I had to join! It looks really fun, go check it out.



A Pretty Little Christmas Blog Party










So I am off to putter in my NEW studio!!! Yes, I said my NEW studio...eeekkkk I am so excited, now if I could only get upstairs and unpack it ALL...uuggg! My house has a loft and previously when my oldest lived with us my boys shared a room in the loft. When Paige moved out the boys got her room and we made the loft a playroom. Well, they never kept it clean so I said "Now it's MY playroom". I have trouble getting up the stairs some days, but it gets me moving whether I like it or not (the master bedroom is downstairs, I never thought when we bought our house that it was going to be so handy, funny how things like that work out :0)
Here I am in my front room ...uh um... I mean old studio. Sadly my stuff kept spreading and I was taking up the entire front room, not good with Christmas right around the corner. I'll post pictures of the new studio soon :0)

It sure feels good to be back, If you drop by, please leave me a message ✿

Mini vacation...

We had the opportunity to spend the weekend at one of the valleys hotels (The Pointe Hilton) with a water park.  Nathan's mom got us the suite room which came with 4 passes to the pool park.  We had so much fun playing and swimming.  Man, my kids are fishes I tell ya.  

Zane is able to swim on his own and with his goggles was off adventuring, some of his hockey buddies were even there.  Eve was still pretty nervous about her skills and eventually lost the floaties and swim board and was having a blast...*mom watch this...Mom look at me...Did you see me swim?!?* She was all over the pool too.  
Max (4) is still not self sufficient and stuck with mom, dad or grandma, but by the end of yesterday was feeling brave enough to just swim with his board...no floaties, I was a nervous wreck at that point.  I was on him like stink on poo!  We all had a blast and came home a little burned and a LOT tired!  

One of the most beautiful things about the desert we dwell in is the sunsets...breathtaking...and this one is mediocre at best.

Believe...

If you have been following me for awhile you know how I have made 2008 my *believe* year.  I am constantly having to remind myself to *just believe* and I recently discovered "The Secret", If you haven't heard of it click on the banner at the top to read a little about the idea.  Anyhoo I had this in my inbox and HAD to post it.  I *believe* it is a good thing!  Oh and check out my new logo....eeee squeals of joy...I love it!!!

Ask, Believe, Receive - just three simple steps to create what you want. However, very often the second step, believe, can be the most difficult one. And yet it is the greatest step you will ever take. When you masterbelieving, you have mastered your life.

To master believing, all you have to do is tip the balance of your thoughts, words, and actions, from 'not believing' to believing. The ONLY thing that can ever get in the way of manifesting what you want, is having more thoughts of 'not believing', speaking more words of 'not believing', and taking more actions of 'not believing', than you are of believing. Base the majority of your thoughts, words, and actions in believing, and the law of attraction must obey you.

Believing contains no doubt. Believing does not waiver. Believing is absolute faith. Believing remains steadfast despite what is happening in the outside world.

Jewels Of the Sea Swap...yippeeeh I'm sooo lucky!!!

First I want to share my pendants I received from the *Jewels of the Sea Swap* hosted by sweet Heather @ The Speckled Egg. (FYI I am trying to use a new picture editor picnik, so we might experience some technical difficulties...stay tuned)


Heather added a lil bag of goodies to make your own pendant and Jenny @Fated Follies Studio made ATC's for every participant, that's 35 ATC's...WOW...Thanx ladies

I cannot tell you how lucky I feel to have received such lovely pendants, I love them all and hope the recipients of my pendants are happy and feel lucky too. Another delight was the packaging some of the gals used, a real treat to see.

Tonya made pendants she called "Sea Goddess", they are stunning with sterling silver and gemstones, and swarovski crystal.

I think the most interesting pendant I received from Bambi Doe, a sea urchin adorned with beads holding a secret surprise...inside

Why hello there...Who is this lil surprise?!?



Leslie Patton had a beautiful tag that held her pretty pendant, I love the starfish.

Michelle @ hold dear made pretty soldered glass pendants that are

 as cute from the back as they are from the front...I like that... so if I'm feeling  indecisive...flexible...everchanging...it fits my moods...
I am in a delightful conundrum...which side first...How do I choose?!?

Julie of CupcakeDD made an adorable altered domino with the tiniest lil red rhinestone, I love it!


And last but certainly not least is this dainty lil pendant from Diane Glass. It is simplicity at it finest.  I love the *mosaic* shell bead and that rhinestone dangler...beautiful!











I thought I'd share the pendants I created for the swap. I used sea glass I found on my vacation, glass beads, pearls and copper charms. The moon charms signify the relationship between the earth, moon and tides. I like the fact that the ocean can take a piece of harsh broken glass and over time with the waves of the sea can turn that piece of glass into a beautiful smooth stone.

I have sooo much more to share...stay tuned...Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives...well mine anyway!

I've been sick and when I'm sick I like a lot of Chowder...

Not THAT chowder...THIS Chowder. It is one of my favs now...It's super de duperdy nonsensical sillyness. If you need a good giggle and are a *Big kid*, here's what you need...If you just want to hear the best love song ever...forward to the 3 minute mark at the end...ENJOY