picturingpositive

This too shall pass

Posted on March 20, 2023 by Beth W.

Seeing this post from March 20, 2014 makes me thankful that we are only expecting an inch or so of snow this week. It obviously could be MUCH worse! 😉

picturingpositive

I need to remember this today!

Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come. ~ Robert H. Schuller

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Posted in Just Me | 4 Comments

Tangle Tuesday 3/14 ☁️

Posted on March 14, 2023 by Beth W.

Here in South Dakota, the cloudy days lately have contained mostly snow, but the sentiment is the same whether it’s a cloudy/rainy day or a cloudy/snowy day.

There are plenty of fun things to do even when the weather doesn’t cooperate. My honey and I had a fun filled weekend that started with Pictionary and Pizza on Friday with all my kids and one of his, followed by Jackbox Games on the Nintendo Switch. If you know about those, you know that they are generally accompanied by much silliness and laughter. Each player uses his or her phone to play, answer questions, or complete prompts or drawings. TKO and JobJob are ones we always enjoy, but I also really like Murder Mystery Party and the wacky trivia questions asked during the game. Saturday, we saw “Champions” with Woody Harrelson, Kaitlin Olson, and a very talented cast playing The Friends, an intellectually challenged community basketball team. While it was a fairly simple story, I thoroughly enjoyed it and had a smile on my face at the end. 😁

My nephew met me at Saturday night Mass and then Ted and I headed to his house for dinner, a sandwich for him and Lucky Charms for me 😉 Sometimes I just have to be a big kid and enjoy what sounds good at the time.

Sunday, we decided to totally forget about doing anything productive and started assembling a puzzle I gave Ted for Christmas. While Alexa played 70s tunes, we assembled a puzzle filled with people, items, and memorable moments from the 1970s. All in all, it was a weekend well spent! 😊

Posted in drawing, happiness, laughing, relationships, Relatives, Tangle Tuesday, zentangle | Tagged Champions movie, Jackbox Games, Pictionary, puzzle, snow, Tangle Tuesday, The 1970s, well spent weekend, William Arthur Ward, zentangle | 7 Comments

Tangle Tuesday – 3/7/23☘

Posted on March 7, 2023 by Beth W.

In an effort to hopefully motivate myself to do more creative pursuits, I am going to post one of my zentangle creations every Tuesday. I have been spending far too much time playing silly games on my tablet and too little time being creative and productive. Here’s hoping this helps to hold me a little more accountable 😉

I love proverbs from every country, but thought since St. Patrick’s Day will be here soon, I thought I would choose an Irish proverb for this week’s zentangle. 🙂

Just for fun, here are some proverbs from other countries/cultures:

The poor carpenter blames his tools. – English Proverb
The chameleon changes color to match the earth. The earth doesn’t change colors to match the chameleon. – African Proverb
Dig the well before you are thirsty. – Asian Proverb
It is better to be by yourself than poorly accompanied. – Latin American Proverb
What is learned in youth is carved in stone.- Arabic Proverb
The man who appreciates what he has is the richest man of all.- Jewish Proverb
Don’t bring your rules to another person’s monastery.- Russian Proverb
If you wonder often, the gift of understanding will come. – Arapaho Proverb
If you speak too much, you will learn too little. – Armenian Proverb
Call on God, but row away from the rocks. – Indian Proverb
If you can’t live longer, live deeper. – Italian Proverb
A few kind words can warm three winter months. – Japanese Proverb
Do not judge a person ‘til you have walked two moons in his moccasins. – Cheyenne Proverb
Evil enters like a needle and spreads like an oak tree. – Ethiopian Proverb
Good advice is often annoying, bad advice never is. – French Proverb
If you wish to be valued, make yourself scarce. – German Proverb

I hope you found these as enjoyable as I have. Do you know a good one I haven’t shared here? Please share!

😊☘😊 Beth

Posted in creativity, drawing, Tangle Tuesday, zentangle | Tagged Irish proverb, Leprechaun gnome, Proverbs, St. Patrick's Day, zentangle | 9 Comments

Thoughtful Thursday – 2/23/23

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Beth W.

The weather forecast was right and we actually got the massive snowstorm that had been predicted for the last several days. Wednesday was a snow day. This allowed me some unexpected free time. Although some of this time was spent using the snowblower to keep ahead of the drifts, I did find enough time to relax and to create some more of my zentangle drawings.

I liked this quote from Bertrand Russell and thought it was very appropriate for my situation yesterday. While I wasn’t extremely productive, I enjoyed having the unplanned hours at home. Now if there could be a snow day without the need to clear the snow, that would REALLY be perfect!

My back deck remains uncleared and is serving as a snow guage instead 😉

What would you do with a snow day? I’d love to hear!

Posted in creativity, drawing, snow day, Thoughtful Thursday | Tagged Bertrand Russell, drawing, enjoy, little pig drawing, snow, snow day, wasting time, zentangle | 8 Comments

Love is worth celebrating, no matter your status ❤️

Posted on February 14, 2023 by Beth W.

You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.
Buddha

I know the years I spent Valentine’s Day alone, it was sometimes difficult to think this could be a holiday for me when I didn’t have a honey to celebrate with. I learned, though, that I could find ways to treat myself. While they might not be “romantic”, there are many ways for me to celebrate love. Some fun activities for solo Valentine’s celebrations could be:

Take your puppy for a walk or snuggle up with your kitty.
Create something – a photo, a painting, a blanket, a card, anything that brings you joy.
Have a game night with friends or family.
Bake something sweet for yourself.
Work on a puzzle. I like to jam to my favorite playlist while I assemble the pieces.
Read a good book. I just finished “The Big Dark Sky” by Dean Koontz
Buy yourself flowers or a new plant. You can choose your favorite that way.

The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.
Victor Hugo

“One does not fall in love; one grows into love, and love grows in him.”

Karl A. Menninger

For those celebrating with a partner this Valentine’s Day, it doesn’t have to be dinner out. In fact, to avoid the crowds on the actual day, my honey and I had a delicious McDonald’s dinner last night and even enjoyed Shamrock Shakes.

I searched for some alternative ideas for celebrating Valentine’s Day and here’s what I found:

https://www.thespruce.com/stay-at-home-valentines-date-ideas-1197411 20 Valentine’s Stay-at-Home Ideas

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/home-decor/g35031389/quarantine-valentines-day-ideas-at-home/ Town and Country Magazine’s “11 Ideas to Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Home this year”

https://nypost.com/article/romantic-at-home-date-night-ideas/ Romantic At Home Date Night Ideas for Valentine’s Day

However you choose to celebrate, I wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love, Beth

Posted in Carpe Diem, creativity, happiness, love, Love Yourself, Valentine's Day | Tagged Buddha, Karl A. Menninger, love, love yourself, roses, staying in for Valentine's Day, valentine's day celebration ideas, Valentine's Day, Victor Hugo | 11 Comments

Keep Learning!

Posted on January 25, 2023 by Beth W.

All done!!!
Gotta love a bit of creativity in the building process!

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.
Walt Disney

I am in complete agreement with this quote by Walt Disney. I believe when we stop learning, life becomes a monotonous routine and we age much more quickly because our mind does not stay active. I think our mind needs exercise as much as our body does. Whether it is creating a garden design, drawing or painting a picture, building something or assembling a puzzle, keeping our mental gears in motion is important.

My sweetie and I, with help from his son and daughter, built the Lego roller coaster pictured above. It was time consuming, but very rewarding when we finally got to watch it go around the tracks.

I adore community education classes and while I haven’t become a professional in any of the skills I’ve learned through these classes, I have enjoyed every one of them. I have been lucky to find classes in Spanish, French, German, bonsai, drawing, zentangle, dog training, calligraphy, watercolor, hypnosis, belly dancing, wine tasting, danish and cheesecake making as well as many others.

I think being creative and trying new activities is key to staying young. My honey and I recently assembled a puzzle that kept us busy fitting the pieces together while teaching us what the state birds and flowers are. Fun and educational at the same time. Win Win!

I would love to hear what you do to keep your mind young and active.

Posted in accomplishment, Carpe Diem, completing tasks, creativity, Embrace Life, living life to the fullest, variety | Tagged community education classes, dog training, drawing, fun, Keep learning, languages, mental fitness, puzzle, staying young, Walt Disney, zentangle | 8 Comments

Christmas – A Time to be grateful

Posted on December 27, 2022 by Beth W.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas celebration! My Christmas Eve was a bit more low-key than usual because my Dad, my daughter and several of my nieces weren’t there. We had a fun time, though. We have a gift exchange where we draw numbers and the largest number is drawn by the most fortunate participant. My nephew was towards the beginning of the line and managed to open two blankets only to have them stolen. He opened a third gift and got yet another blanket, and this one went home with him.

Christmas Day was spent with my sweetheart’s family at his brother’s home. It was a packed house, filled with fun and laughter and delicious food! I was completely surprised when I received two amazing gifts. I received a very special homemade gift from Ted’s stepmom and his Dad (well, I’m guessing his Dad lent more moral support than crafting ability…tee hee!) She crafted a lovely pillowcase that had a picture of me and Ted from our night out to see “Book of Mormon” and surrounded it with pictures of some of the zentangles I’ve made. Since I give away most of my little zentangles, the majority of these are already in new homes, so it is wonderful to have them to keep.

I was also lucky enough to receive my first ever gun as a gift from Ted’s brother and sister-in-law. How absolutely perfect for me that they chose a pink one! This was a great choice for me since I had the most fun playing with Ted’s pellet gun last time I came along for shooting practice. Maybe someday I’ll graduate to something bigger, but I think this one will be just right for quite some time!

My first ever gun….a pink pellet gun. I’ll try my best not to shoot my eye out!

Life does go on. I believe Christmas is the perfect time to remember and honor those who have gone before us. I have been blessed to have wonderful role models, both friends and relatives that have and that do encourage me and support me and are a beneficial influence for me and who have all helped to make me the person I am today.

The people who influence you are the people who believe in you.
Henry Drummond

Having a blast at my company Christmas Party in Deadwood, SD on December 2nd.

Sincere thanks to all those who took the time to think of me this holiday season. Special thanks to those who read my little blog and offer support and acceptance. I wish you peace, health and happiness in the year to come! Happy 2023!!

Love, Beth

Posted in Acceptance, accomplishment, Baking, Celebrate, Christmas, friendship, living life to the fullest, relationships, Relatives | Tagged blanket, celebration, Christmas, family, gift exchange, my first gun, Robert Frost, Robert Frost James Allen, thoughtfulness, zentangles | 18 Comments

Winter Wednesday ❄️

Posted on November 16, 2022 by Beth W.

While I relish our warm months, winter forms our character and brings out our best.
Tom Allen

While it is technically not winter, to me once it snows, winter is here. ❄️ Time to bundle up! ❄️

Advice is like snow – the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Posted in Nature, Seasons, Winter | Tagged bundle up, cold weather, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, snow, Tom Allen, Winter, winter Wednesday | 23 Comments

The Magic Thread

Posted on November 10, 2022 by Beth W.

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
Buddha

Maybe it is the colder weather and darker mornings that make me long for the weekends so I can sleep in and enjoy time with my sweetheart. At work my coworkers and I often ask the question posed by the frazzled little kitty above, “Is it Friday yet?” As I wished last night that the week would hurry up and end, I thought of one of the stories I read as a child that made an impact on me.

I found a link to the story for any of you who love fairy and folk tales as much as I do. For those not inclined to read, the gist of it is that a young boy named Peter is gifted a magic ball of thread that represents his life. With a tiny tug, he can make a day fly by. A harder tug sees the passing of a week, month or even a year. As you can guess, his life quickly flies by because of his desire to get through all the mundane tasks. As he nears the end of his life, he realizes that by skipping past all the moments he thought of as tedious, he has missed many special moments as well.

Peter and the magic thread

We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.
Bill Watterson

In the end, Peter discovers that life is lived better by being in the moment and not waiting for a far off day when all will be perfect. Life, after all, is made up of both little and big moments, happy and sad moments. We need to experience ALL of these moments to have a full and complete life.

I can’t say that I still won’t grumble about Mondays and celebrate Fridays, but I will try to appreciate that both are needed to create a lifestory worthy of looking back on. ❤️

It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth – and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up, we will then begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Posted in patience, persevere | Tagged fairy/folk tales, Fridays, The Magic Thread, wishing my life away | 7 Comments

Wordless Wednesday 11/9

Posted on November 9, 2022 by Beth W.

Posted in Beautiful, Carpe Diem, Nature, Wordless Wednesday | Tagged Metolius River, Nature, Oregon, Wordless Wednesday | 7 Comments

Expand Your Horizons

Posted on November 4, 2022 by Beth W.

Last week my honey and I went to see “The Book of Mormon” at our local civic center. I discovered that night that this would be the first musical he has ever seen. He hasn’t even seen Sound of Music….crazy, right?! 😅 He was a good sport and even though I know it wasn’t his thing, he accompanied me and I think he may have even enjoyed it just a teensy bit. 😅

Last night, I joined him at a Queensrÿche and Judas Priest concert. My musical taste is fairly eclectic, but metal is not my music of choice. In fact, when my sweetie and I were first communicating, I questioned if it was worth continuing to get to know each other once I found out metal was his favorite genre. Sometimes I am guilty of what Cognitive Behavior Therapy calls “fortune telling”. It refers to predicting a negative outcome without realistically considering the actual probability of that outcome. Imagining a future of screaming metal songs blaring in the background was definitely not a realistic outcome. My daughter challenged me that evening when I said I didn’t think we were compatible. She provided a voice of reason for me and said that it was just one thing and if I liked everything else about him, I should give the relationship a chance.

I am very glad I took my daughter’s advice. My honey has introduced me to songs by metal bands that are a bit less head banging than what he generally listens to. We even started a shared playlist on Spotify where we add songs to expose each other to new musical tastes. Through that playlist, I discovered a song from Queensrÿche that I liked and ended up listening to and adding a couple of their songs to my personal playlist.

Variety’s the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor.
William Cowper

When I saw that Queensrÿche and Judas Priest were touring, I thought, “fair is fair” and decided that I needed to expand my horizons and so I got tickets for the concert. I prepared for it last night by dressing in my best “rocker chick” outfit. I actually enjoyed Queensrÿche even though I’m sure the pulsing volume did a little damage to my eardrums.🎵🔊🎶While Judas Priest is an extremely talented band, they are a bit too heavy for my taste. Even so, I am glad, that I saw the show.

In the time we have been together, I have come to appreciate our differences as well as our similarities. Variety is the spice of life, after all and it keeps life interesting. I’m looking forward to the future and the new things we can learn from each other. 💕