City Girl or Country Girl....I can't decide...

Can I be both? I love being in the city, but I also love being in the country. This past weekend I went to Vermont again. Yes, I am becoming quite the traveler these days.... I went out and took pictures again. Each time I go there, I find someplace new, or something new that I like and I have to stop. This time I saw this wall with the opening and the water running through...It was just so beautiful!

So, I made my way from the road down to the stream and hopped from rock to rock taking pictures. Thank god for waterproof boots! I love water....it reminds me of when I was a kid and me and my little sister would always play in the streams whenever we could find them.

If my boots had been higher I would have walked underneath this bridge to the other side! But the water was freezing and I had no desire to get wet.

Of course, whenever I take pictures, I always look for some locals. I am a big fan of these locals. Horses have such a pull for me. It made me want to pack up and move to the country so I could have a horse again. Don't you wish you could live anywhere you wanted but be able to make a decent living? I do....
And one of my favorite things is to see the maple trees with the sap buckets in them. On every roads you will see lots of these buckets hanging from the trees.

And from these trees comes some of the best maple syrup ever! Love it. But now I am back to the city...where convenience is the thing...it's all about the quickest way, the cheapest deal....and I think as I get older....that is becoming less important....I kinda like the slower pace these days....I guess when you define a "decent living" it is all about perspective....

Vintage or not????

So the other day I was dragged to the antique store by Jennifer. And while I was there I spied this lovely little purse. I feel in love with the seed beads on it. They are faceted which I find unique.

The lady that had the booth told me that the purse was from around 1910. The price was good enough that I bought it and I am going to use these in some new piece of jewelry. But what I want to know is....Is there a way to tell when beads were made? There has got to be a way to tell how old they are. I don't want to lie and say Vintage seed beads when they could have been only 10 years old. Anybody know the answer....let me know. All I know is that I loved the color and and how they are faceted.

Ok...UPDATE...on my search for more info, I found a similar beaded purse at this website. Here is a picture of it. Kinda similar right? Same shape/design. This one is in way better shape though obviously. I also learn the difference between Vintage and Antique. So assuming that my purse is from the same era, they would be antique seed beads. Awesome!

I will leave you with another picture I took this morning...It was too cool not to stop. It was the Moon setting into the mountains....I always see the sun....but it was a rare treat to see the moon clear and bright slowing moving behind the mountains....

Art & Soul Virginia 2009 is coming soon

I am starting to get excited about my first teaching gig at Art & Soul in May! I will be teaching how to make flowers like these. I have some fresh new ideas as to what you can do with them. I have an urge to go home and start creating again...which has been on the back burner for a while now.
I made me a flower just recently with my word for the year. I have yet to finish how I want to wear it, but I am going to finish by this weekend....that is my plan. I need to stick to my plan! I will also be selling my art at Vendor night while I am there. Stop by and say hi if you are attending. I always love to meet my fellow bloggers. I have met so many wonderful people through this blog.

Joie de vivre

Joie de vivre...Here is what Wikipedia describes it as...

Joie de vivre (from the French joie, "joy"; de, "of"; vivre, "to live, living"; "the joy of living") is a term sometimes imported into English to express a cheerful enjoyment of life; an exultation of spirit. Joie de vivre, In English common usage, the phrase is sometimes corrupted to joie de vie. [2] This would translate to "joy of life" or "zest for life," rather than the more affirmative "joy of living."

It's funny how when you decide to let yourself stop feeling self conscious and worrying about what others think your attitude changes and when your attitude changes and it's positive, people are drawn to you. It doesn't matter what you look like, it's about who you are as a person. I was telling my ex tonight that I was full of "Joie de vie"...and that I was attracting all kinds of people to me. LOL...maybe I wanted him to be a little jealous so for his benefit I said men!...LOL For the last 2 days I have been laughing and flirting and living my life and just enjoying the company of others. And the thing is...when you are having this much fun and put off this energy, people want to be around you. It's crazy! So why oh why can't I just make myself that happy all the time!!! Why do I have these periods of self doubt? Why do I get so insecure? Why can't it be turned on like a light switch? Hey...I need positive things in my life...click....it's on! I guess life would be too easy that way. You have to struggle through the rough times to appreciate the good times. So right now....I am living for me....just me and I have felt like a weight has lifted off my shoulders. I feel free and alive...ready to discover...

It always amazing to me that when I pour my heart out here on my blog and I think there is no end to my dark tunnel… That my fellow bloggers always make me feel so much better. They understand the feelings I go through…that I am not just some whack job who is totally crazy. They make me see the daylight at the end of the tunnel. I have started to seriously think about plans, options and such and I have made inquiries into my options. I am looking at doing things just for me. What Cindy wants to do…and I am starting to feel a sense of relief. A sense of….whatever happens will be a learning experience and I will be OK no matter what. The wind will take me and I will just let it guide me….if things are meant to be…then they are meant to be…

What happens to plans?

8 Months ago, my life was turned upside down...due to my marriage crumbling before my very eyes... At that time I knew I would be ok because I knew that in general, I can deal with anything. I have before and I have come out better for it. And I am ok...but I am not...oh what is the word I am looking for...full of life! I am missing something....I feel empty...I have a sense of wanting to run away from life....and do what I want to do...Is that wrong?I pretty much had my life laid out...I knew that certain things would never be because of who I was with and I was ok with that. I had made that choice 17 years prior. But now...I don't know what I want to do with my life. I am looking down the long road and saying...what do you really want Cindy? The possibilities are endless. But at the same time, I do have responsibilities, and love and kids... I feel like I need to start a new plan...I am just an emotional mess because I feel trapped by my need to not be like my father and to do the right and responsible things in life when all I really want to do is run and be free...free to do what Cindy wants, free to discover new things in life, free of feeling like this. I married for the first time when I was 17. I have never had a time in my life when I did things just for me. Now that my daughter is about to graduate from High School, and I am no longer "married" (not that the divorce is final yet) I want to do things for me. I am just so conflicted over this. Do I need a plan? My sisters are probably thinking...when has she ever had a plan! LOL But little do they know that I always think about all the possible outcomes of my actions. And I always have a plan B or a plan C in case things don't work out like I want...which has happened on many occasions. I am good at going with the flow and changing mid route because I have always thought about the different outcomes. But maybe, just maybe...I should just go wherever the wind blows me....seize the opportunities that are placed before me....and see where they lead me instead of me trying to control where they go... As I wrote that I thought of this piece of art I created awhile ago... Maybe I should take Mark Twain's advice....