I don’t know about you…but the holidays brings days of people and celebrations…and all of it is good. But sometimes the chaos gets the best of you and you don’t see the forest beyond the trees. Tonight I got a chance to see the “forest”….and I’m glad I did. It was a magnificent view of winter here.

Wishing you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!

]]> http://silvertimes.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/stop-look-and-listen/feed/ 0 LindaLyell Sunset sunset sunset3 http://silvertimes.wordpress.com/2009/12/28/the-weather-outside-is-frightful/ http://silvertimes.wordpress.com/2009/12/28/the-weather-outside-is-frightful/#comments Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:35:48 +0000 lindalyell http://silvertimes.wordpress.com/?p=1358 ]]>

Post Christmas and the snow finally arrived. We’re a bit exhausted as my Dad passed out in church on Christmas Eve and ended up in the hospital for a few days. We took Mom in and found caring for her is a full time plus job. They’re home now and we’re…..

All in all…we had our share of fun and festivities…

It’s been a busy week full of family and celebrations. As I gear up for another busy day, this was in my e-mail box. It’s worth sharing….

A small, 92-year-old well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each  morning by eight o’clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, the nurse provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.  “I love it,” he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

“Mr. Jones, you haven’t seen the room; just wait,” replied the nurse. He replied, “That doesn’t have anything to do with it.  Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged … it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it.  It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work or I can get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away….just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you’ve put in.  So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!”

Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank.  I am still depositing. ‘Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.

2. Free your mind from worries.

3. Live simply.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less.

Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans….you decide!

Merry Christmas!

I sit here a bit tired this morning in the quiet of the house. It’s the day after the annual family party and what a party it was! A day full of celebrations, family, new babies, hellos, memories, good food and laughter. Tonight we celebrate the return of one of our daughters, her husband and family who ventured out of state following her heart and work. She brings her twin boys and at age 2 1/2, they will give us the gift of Christmas’ magic as only a child can give.

Tomorrow will be an “early Christmas Eve” gathering of 5 of our girls for a gift exchange among ourselves as they will scatter throughout the week celebrating with their extended families. And finally, we will celebrate my daughter’s arrival from San Francisco on Christmas Eve.

It’s been a year to remember as I’m sure it’s been for many families. A year of challenges and moving forward in spite of the wind at your face. A year of back to basics which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The challenge strengthens the spirit.  I’m grateful for us all to still be here as I have been challenged with my Mom’s health this year. She’s still with us and that’s my reason for celebration.

Most importantly, I celebrate my soul mate who makes me laugh everyday. I bought a sign this year that hangs in our home…

Anything that makes you giggle, smile or laugh…buy It or marry It!

And that I did.

I wish you noisy celebrations, quiet reflections and a holiday filled with heart!

A delicious necklace I squeezed in between the holiday madness here. It features a teardrop shaped black agate stone with snowflake crystals of white. The freshwater pearls invite you to look deeper into the layers of Swarovski crystals. It’s a bit wicked.

I’m saving it as one of my pieces for the Witan Show in February.

If you have to have it or want to see more, contact me.

Pass it on!

Happy Holidays!

I’m celebrating life tonight. No, not the holidays – not yet, that will come next week. I’m still working on getting my act together on that…and at this point, it’s still shakey.

What I’m celebrating is random connections that out of the blue come together and work in unison…like this roundel jasper stone that I’ve had for over a year. I love it but have been struggling in what to do with it. Along comes some freshwater pearls…and what the heck, let’s see what they do together…

Voila – I named it “By Chance” for you never know what’s coming around the bend that will enhance what you already have in your pocket.

And if by chance, you want to see the all of it, contact me. Otherwise, I’m taking it to Trot Home on Friday.

This past Thanksgiving before my daughter came home from San Francisco, I sent her money and asked her to come home with her pick of beads from The Bead Store. The only guidance I gave her is to pick out something she thought I would have fun with. As soon as she came through the doors and after the hug, I asked to see the beads she picked out and they were wonderful.

Not something that I would pick out but that’s what makes it fun! Give me a handful of random beads and challenge me to make something out of them.

In the mix were these beautiful blue glass beads with silver accents and two plum colored beads with an iridescent finish. I chose two of each and decide to make a silver wrap bracelet. Did you ever make something that was not only starting to get the best of you but decided that it was going to choose how it was going to turn out?

I envisioned a simple bangle bracelet showcasing these lovelies. But no…one more embellishment, now I have to balance that embellishment…then balance the colors and weight. This one was pushing me into corners where I didn’t think I was going to get out of. In fact, it almost ended up in the lake.

So I took a break…and a nap. After a few hours, I went back up and decided to give in to the creation and let it guide me to its final form. It did as it challenge me to go places and try techniques I have never tried before. It called to me to go outside my comfort zone and take a chance. It did and it won…but so did I.

I call it “Wild and Wonderful” for that’s what happens when we color outside the lines.

BTW – if you are interested in purchasing this lovely, I’ve listed it in my 1000 Markets Shop!

Here’s a sneak peek of new creations that I made over the weekend. Both the necklace and bracelet are full of cranberry colors, lots of sparkle and showcase a gilded gold glass focal bead.

Oh, did I mention the freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals?

Ha! Teasing you! I’ll be taking them to Trot Home in the morning!

]]> http://silvertimes.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/holly-days/feed/ 0 LindaLyell Holly Days Holly Days http://silvertimes.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/seven-years/ http://silvertimes.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/seven-years/#comments Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:28:14 +0000 lindalyell http://silvertimes.wordpress.com/?p=1275 ]]>

Today I celebrate seven years of love, laughter and friendship with a wonderful man who I’m proud to call “my husband”.

Marriage is not only the beginning of a relationship but also the end of a life long search for the other half of your soul. – Anonymous