« Older Archive for September, 2008

A Little Creative Play

Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 by Alyice

They say the more you play with your art, the better you get. The reason being that you are not putting pressure on yourself to perform, to get it right the first time out, to make something for the sole purpose of earning an income. Makes sense when you think about it.

Last summer I took a beautiful photo of Black-eyed Susans, complete with spider.

These are sections from the digital artwork I created out of that single photo. I’m a bit technically challenged when it comes to digital photo software, but I’ve discovered that playtime can be both liberating and fun!!

Keep Creating

Posted in Artful Wednesday | No Comments »

Happy Birthday To Me

Friday, September 19th, 2008 by Alyice

Today, I turn 40. I still cannot believe that I am old enough to be 40. I don’t feel 40. And most of the time, I don’t act 40. But alas, I am 40.

It’s a solemn birthday. It’s another year without my mom. I miss her. I miss her morning “Happy Birthday” songs.

As I think about what it means to have lived half my life—I am believing I’ll live to be at least 80 years old!—I can’t help but think about all the things I’ve yet to accomplish, all the mistakes I’ve made along the way, and all the people I miss.

But most importantly, I can’t help but feel truly blessed.

My life isn’t perfect. There are times when I wish things were different or better. There are times when I wish for so much more than what there is. But throughout all those times, there’s one thing that remains constant and that’s the fact that I love and cherish my family.

My life is so much better since meeting the man of my dreams and giving birth to some pretty fantastic kids.

These are the people who love me unconditionally, know how to put up with my idiosyncrasies, and aren’t afraid to tell me when I’m wrong. They’re also the people who’ve taught me the true power of forgiveness, who lift me up when I’m feeling down, and who rally around me to show their support.

These are the people who make this birthday special.

Give thanks…

Posted in It's Gratitude, Dude! | 1 Comment »

Thanks For The Crestor

Tuesday, September 16th, 2008 by Alyice

I just got my blood work back the doctor and thanks to 20 daily mg of Crestor® my cholesterol levels are in normal range. I have to be honest and say that I am not too keen on having to rely on medications to keep me healthy, but having tried exercise and diet plus natural remedies with no results, I am very thankful to the creators of Crestor®!

When I was first diagnosed with high cholesterol back in 2004, these were my results:

Cholesterol: 247
Triglycerides: 266
HDL (Good): 35
LDL (Bad): 159

When my husband lost his job this past summer, we lost our medical insurance. Things were really tight so I couldn’t afford to have lab work done, let alone see the doctor so I began taking 500 mg Flush-Free Niacin,1000 mg Enteric-Coated Fish Oil, 500 mg Calcium, 1000 mcg B-12, 500 mcg Chromium Piccolate, and 500 mg L-Carnitine. I felt better but to my surprise they didn’t do much for the cholesterol levels. In March of 2007, when we finally got insurance again, I went in for blood work and these were my results:

Cholesterol: 260
Triglycerides: 202
HDL (Good): 40
LDL (Bad): 180

Today, thanks to the medication, these are my results: