Thank You

My Valentines Day flowers reflected in the bathroom mirror. A funny place to keep them, I know, but they look so pretty against the green on the walls.

A great big thank you for all the supportive comments I have received about going back to school.  My plan is to go back full time and keep my part time job. Summer session will be a little bit easier since I work for the school system and get summer off, but I am still hopping between a mixture of excitement and fear. I am always a little afraid of new things, are you?

I was a little nervous when I began this blog, although really, I never thought anyone but family and friends would see it. Never.

That was three years, 463+ posts and over 200,000 page hits ago!  Three years ago this month. 

I can honestly say that this blog, and all of you, has changed my life.  My time shared here has encouraged me to challenge my creative side and to step out and do things I would have never thought of, or dreamed of before.  You all gave me encouragement as my kids left for college and I had to get a life of my own.  I doubt I would be going back to college for graphic design if not for the inspiration I have found through blogging.

Thank You.
So it seems a little counterintuitive that I will be taking a blog break right now. I have some catching up to do. Special orders to finish and fill, a new design that I need to get out of my head and onto the sewing machine. Some projects around the house that must get finished.

Like this....

This is my dining room right now. Fancy huh?  Time to paint the newly plastered ceiling and, while I am at it, the walls. I got a layer of primer on the ceiling this weekend and I was so sore I could barely move. (Note to self: time to get off your hiney and start working out again!)

My tablescape right now isn't something conducive to actually dining on.  You can see my paint color chips. Probably the whites, not the greens.  Anyway, this is what is waiting for me tonight, the final coat on the ceiling.  So off I go to change into paint clothes and get busy.

When I come back, there will be a give-away to celebrate the three years of friendship and inspiration I have found here at Kathy's Cottage.  Thank you friends, for all you have meant to me over the years.  I plan to keep the door of my little cottage open for a long time. I hope you will continue to come and visit:>)

XO

Kathy

No school yesterday or today for mid winter break. I got a lot done yesterday. Calls made, the ceiling painted in the dining room.  Today I have another long list.

1. Another coat of paint on the ceiling and at least choose a color for the walls. I am having the toughest time. I have decided to just go with white for now. Not that there aren't 40 bazzilion shades of white. I may actually just close my eyes and pick one.

2. laundry.

3. Meet with college admissions officer this morning.....yup.  I am looking into going back to school this spring for Graphic design.  At the tender age of (almost 52) I finally know what I want to be when I grow up.  All kinds of changes going on.  Good ones.  Growing ones.

Stay tuned.

Love

This holiday is all about love. Romantic love to be exact. While there are many types of love, all can be held up to the measuring stick of what love should really be In 1 Corinthians chapter 13.  We tend to focus on the warm fuzzies, but there is a real challenge in loving the way the Bible tells us we should.  If love is a choice, then so is loving like this....

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.


Love is patient,
I will strive to be patient with the ones I love, with their failings, with their mistakes. I have those too.

Love is kind.
I will remember that it is often not what we say, but how we say it, that hurts others.  I want to be remembered as someone who is kind.

It does not envy,
How can I say that I love others if I cannot be happy for them in their triumphs?  Whether I share those triumphs or not.

It does not boast,

It is not proud.
I will remember that real love puts others first

It is not rude,

It is not self-seeking,
I will not look at love as a "What's in it for me?" relationship.  Love is about giving.

It is not easily angered,

It keeps no record of wrongs.
I will choose to forgive as God does. He forgets the bad things I do when I am sorry. He never holds them against me again.  I am forgiven, can I do less for those I love?

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
I will push down that smugness I may feel when someone "gets what they asked for".  That isn't love.

It always protects,

always trusts,

always hopes,

always perseveres....      Love never fails.

It's a lot to live up to, I still fail sometimes.  But I will copy this and put it where I can refer to it often.  This Valentines day, I wish you all a love that never fails:>)

Ok, enough venting. Life is too short to let something like that bug me and then I inflicted it on you.  It's a mountain out of a molehill really, and I truely believe it was done without malice. All is forgiven. lets move on.  Nothing major here to report so I've grabbed some favorite photos from my Flickr account to make this valentine mosaic.  I hope you enjoy the bright colors and sentiments attached. A little shopping planned with my girl this morning, she needs a dress for a wedding she will attend, and then some project time. And by the way, I need a little sunshine, can anyone send some my way?

Whew! So glad to see the back side of January. February is a short month and March brings spring, I like to look at the bright side of things. Earl just rolls his eyes when I go through that little mantra each year this time. I also insist on adding at least 3 degrees to the high temp in every forecast. If the forecast says high of 36 it will probably reach 40. Really, it happens all the time:>)

Yes, I am quite hopeless when it comes to Spring Fever. 

I am going through a dry spell regarding postings. Anyone else having that problem?  Too much to do with organizing (or planning to organize, that can just be exhausting in itself!) sewing, trying to design new things and all the little things that make up life. You would think with so much to do there would be lots to tell. Not so much. I did just list a couple more burlap hearts on etsy.  Oh, and I have to tell you I had to disable Anonymous comments. I can't believe the spam I have been experiencing!  Sheesh!  It is fairly easy to get an ID even if you don't have a blog. I am sorry to have to do it, and I hope that some day I can enable Anonymous comments again because I really love hearing from everyone.   So, that's all that's new here.  For now.  I have the house to myself today, Earl at school, so I hope I can get a lot accomplished.  For now, it's off to work.  Have a great day!
Edited to add: I forgot I could just moderate comments so I turned full comment moderation on and will still allow anonymous comments.  Your comments will not appear until I get a chance to ok them, ok?