Monday, January 5, 2009
11:12 AM



Every morning, the sun hits the glass in my bathroom in just the right way and rainbows appear all over. The locations change just a little bit every day.

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Sunday, January 4, 2009
7:21 PM



Long day. Party. Shopping. Greek food. Happy girl.

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Saturday, January 3, 2009
12:56 PM



Sleeping in on Saturday with the kitties. Delilah comes into my room as soon as she hears me stir.

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Friday, January 2, 2009
4:43 PM



Happy mail! Ordered these after Christmas and they arrived today. I lovelovelove good mail days- it makes me feel like a kid again.

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4:36 PM


1/365, originally uploaded by gingerblue.

I joined the "365" project on Flick and this was my first photo. I'm going to try REALLY hard to keep up with this project. However, I'm sure most of my photos will be snapshots taken with my iPhone's camera, so the quality will be crummy. But I think it's better this way so I don't over think it too much.

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Wednesday, December 17, 2008
8:39 PM

You MUST watch this film:

It's called "Man on Wire".

It will change the way you see the world, and the way you live your life.

Every day is a miracle, a gift. Every day is a new opportunity to risk making a dream come true

Joie de vivre!!

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ideas and inspiration



Tuesday, December 9, 2008
4:44 PM


paperhouse_village1, originally uploaded by claudinehellmuth.

Claudine Hellmuth has an amazing (and easy!) tutorial on her site to make this beautiful little village out of paper and paint.

I really want to try this.

Claudine's work has been inspiring me lately. She's so creative. I wish I had the vision to come up with ideas like this.

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ideas and inspiration in the art studio



Thursday, December 4, 2008
1:12 PM

I must admit that the whole auto bailout thing makes my blood boil.

People are being thrown out of their homes left and right, people with families, people who receive no assistance, yet the auto industry expects government to just give them a giant loan (of which they *won't* repay) because they ask it? It's *their* fault they are in this situation- you can't operate for years and years and years on shoddy business practices, lining your own pockets, and then expect that someone will come and wave a magic wand and give you a "restart" button.

My father, who is VERY conservative, thinks that the big three should be forced to sell off their GIANT inventory at reduced prices, say 30-40% off each vehicle. A LOT of people would buy a car at that sort of price level- my parents don't need a new vehicle at all, but they even said at those prices, they would definitely invest in another car. I know we would (our cars are 11 and 16 years old, respectively).

Then use that money to restructure, start making greener cars, and deal with life is like when you don't draw a salary of millions per year for doing absolutely nothing. Welcome to the real world.

The sad thing is, the auto industry will probably get the money. And go back to their fat cat ways- exporting jobs, lowering quality, and building Hummers. No changes, unless the law mandates it, and even then just the smallest amount necessary to still continue business.

Until things change, I'll continue to buy Japanese cars.

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Wednesday, December 3, 2008
11:15 PM

A while back I was reading O Magazine and I came upon an article about this class called "Awakening Joy". The article said:

We're all so used to thinking that we'll finally be content when we find the perfect partner, lose weight, or get our dream job. Is it really possible to become happier just by deciding you can? "We use the language of having, getting, and chasing to describe happiness, rather than being," says Holden. "What we've learned about happiness is that it isn't an it or a thing. Research has proven that there is no one set of circumstances that makes someone happy; it's more about having a healthy mental attitude toward whatever you're experiencing. So, you can either chase happiness or you can choose to be happy. It really is that simple."


I figured because I don't go to spas or retreats or hang out in yoga circles I'd never have a chance to take the class, but it turns out it's offered online. It's very expensive ($250) but that amount is a "recommended donation". Participants are asked to give what they can. I am starting out with a very small donation and will contribute as I can as the months go by. I feel guilty about not being able to give them the entire class fee, but $250 is A LOT of groceries and gas!

I just really want to do this. Maybe this will help me unlock some things that will make me a better friend, a better mom, a better daughter, a better wife, a better PERSON.

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ideas and inspiration



Tuesday, December 2, 2008
11:00 AM

I don't know everyone's politics, but I do know that there are still those out there unhappy with the new administration.

The truth is that I was *not* an Obama supporter from the get-go. I was/am a huge Hilary Clinton fan and was bitterly disappointed when she lost the nomination. But I did my research, and found many of Obama's ideas matched with mine, and became a supporter (albeit a little reluctantly at first).

Yesterday's announcement that Clinton was nominated as Secretary of State was especially exciting for me. I really feel as if Obama is taking the transition quite seriously, and I still feel very much a part of this democratic process.

Here's Barack Obama making the announcement:

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life in general



 

 

 

 

 


Chel (pronounced "shell"). 34. Mama to Gracie. Artist. Friend. Adoptive parent. Scrapbooker (not a very good one, at that). Long distance swimmer. Animal rescuer. Wife. Beader maker. Vegetarian. Rubber stamp collector.

Why the change? This new face of gingerblue.com is the culmination of three online journals/blog (the adoption blog, the baby blog, the art blog), plus the personal web page I have been maintaining since 1995. Here you'll find updates on Gracie, updates on my jewelry making, what I have going on in my art studio, and what's going on with life in general.

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I have found that the art of simplicity simply means making peace with your complexity
-india.arie

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BY CATEGORY
gracie girl
gracie's adoption
everything creative & crafty
life in general
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About Me
Koyaanisqatsi: A Life out of Balance
Distractions (on hiatus)
Spirit
Wishlist Info (mine & Gracie's)


Gingerblue Beads
Etsy Shop
My LiveJournal
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twitter


Flickr Photos
www.flickr.com



get in touch with me




 



 



 



CREATIVE INSPIRATION
Ali Edwards
Donna Kato
Dale Chihuly
Georgia O'Keefe
Claudine Hellmuth
Amy Butler

FLORIDIANS I ADMIRE
Marc & Eliana's Amazing Adventures!
Oceanic Wilderness

WRITERS/POETS
Elizabeth Berg
Mary Oliver
Alexander McCall Smith
Muriel Rukeyser

COMEDIANS/FUNNY STUFF
List of the Day
Jim Gaffigan

MUSICIANS
TEGAN & SARA
india.arie
Neko Case
Duran Duran
Paul Simon
Innocence Mission

ANGELS
Christopher Reeve
Fred Rogers

MISC. & SUNDRY
Sagbottom
Adventures of LawMommy
DoodleGirl
Small Sweet Life
AllSorts
Misguidedangel.nu
In the Life Of...
Chickeny Goodness
A Typical Woman
Faisal dot com
Twisted Stitcher
In Wonderland
Bea's Log
Ellessu.net
Chaos Theory
The Onion
dinyel.com
Jeanne's Bliss Blog

CLAY & BEADS
The Clay Store
Prairie Craft
Fire Mountain Beads
Stewart-Gill Arts
Poly Tools
Cool Tools

STAMPS
Above the Mark
Purple Onion Designs
Michael Strong
Barbara McGuire

PAPER GOODS
Paper Shop Ink
Knock Knock
Quirks of Art
Making Memories

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For the Love of Cats
Alley Cat Allies
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
Vietnamese Orphans Relief Fund