I won!!!

VAN GOGH HAS BEEN DEFEATED!!!!
Seriously, I almost cried. Almost. LOL.
4yrs, 7 highlighters, 121 colors and 87,400 stitches and 3 needles.
Starry Night.

Sorry the photo is not very good. It's rainy and overcast and good lighting is just hiding. I soooo cannot wait to get this stretched and framed. 

 On another note... (are you surprised?)... I turned 37  27 this past weekend. Momma & Daddy sent me some advice for my birthday that I think is worth sharing...

A Little Guide to Life

BE good to yourself.

There are some things everyone deserves - 

LOVE, respect, time to recharge.

NEVER SETTLE FOR LESS.

Seek out your DREAMS.

Start small.

Take it as it comes. 

Even a butterfly has to inch along

before getting it's WINGS. 

LISTEN to your heart.

Trust your gut.

If the way seems unclear,

LOOK WITHIN YOU. 

Let your voice be heard. 

You have a story to tell and opinions that count.

AND a difference to make. 

Stay CURIOUS.

Wonder. 

Take every opportunity to learn.

Knowledge IS a gift.

It will take you places.

Hold on to what's important. 

Let worries go.

No matter how you look at it,

some things just don't make sense.

The way you choose to carry on is what really matters.

And when you make that list of what you want in life,

make another list of what you've got.

Be sure to start with all the things that make you a BEAUTIFUL person.

THERE ARE SO MANY.

Most of all, 

REMEMBER:

You're loved ALWAYS. 

Soo... I say this directly to all of you lovely people... no matter what path you may be on in this life... head the words of my wise parental unit. 

Go and be magnificent!!

XOXO 

Where did those come from???

Hey, Peeps!

Sorry for the hiatus. Hit another rough patch on the road I have been traveling. Made an unexpected trip to Elvis Town... one half of my parental unit is a stage 4. Extremely exhausting week there.

The girl that I call daughter turns 17 tomorrow. How'd that happen?

Turned my self into a fried turnip changing the brakes on Precious. Darn car is going to turn me gray headed faster than the kinder vermin. LOL She broke down on me in Elvis Town... again. I refuse to let her beat me, though.

Today, I thought of someone lost to me. I shouldn't minimize the impact, for he may have been small in stature but he was big in personality and the world lost a treasure. I knew he was troubled and gave him my cell for any time day or night calls. I'd met his beautiful daughter. We laughed a lot. He called one evening but I was busy and couldn't talk long. He OD'd that night. I couldn't bring myself to attend his funeral. I still have yet to visit his grave. I pretty much did what I do and suppressed the trauma into a small black box on the shelf in an ever expanding library. I want to go. I can't go alone though. It's been 3 yrs now. Call me a coward for not going, but his passing nearly broke me. How'd I miss the signs?

Okay, enough of the heavy stuff. I bet you're wondering where the original question came from...
I was bent over blow drying my hair this morning (don't you?) and noticed that I have started developing old lady knees!!! When did that happen? Is there such a thing as a knee lift? It's not funny, but it kinda is because then in my shock and appall I flipped my hair back over to stand up and hit my head on the bathroom door. I mean, really?!

Well, in all of this random mumbo jumbo I have made some progress. So much so that I am only lacking about 4500 more stitches to complete Starry Night!!! Take a gander...

Some words of advice before I set you free on your own path:
Find the beauty in the everyday monotony. I know it's tough, but if I can do it so can you.
Enjoy the simple things... it's coming up on pumpkin spice season in this hemisphere... fall is grand.
Take the time to grieve... putting it off can suck some of the life right out of you. If you are facing some challenges at this point in time then I am sending you love, light, hugs and prayers... consider it a silent request met.

As for today... Never Forget...