“Of course if you like your kids, if you love them from the moment they begin, you yourself begin all over again, in them, with them, and so there is something more to the world again.”

“Of course if you like your kids, if you love them from the moment they begin, you yourself begin all over again, in them, with them, and so there is something more to the world again.”
William Saroyan quotes (American Writer known for his stories celebrating the joy of living in spite of poverty. 1908-1981)





More than any presents what I really wanted for my 54th birthday was to be with my children. During every minute of the testing and surgery in search of breast cancer during these last two months I promised myself my reward would be spending precious time with Barry and Kara for my birthday weekend.

From the time can remember my dream in life was to be a Mommy. The plan was to have a boy first then a girl. After I gave birth to Barry then Kara my dream was complete that was it for having children.

When people meet meet me today and hear that I was a stay home, full time Mommy their response is, "Nice that you could afford to stay home with your children."

What they never look at is the sacrifices my husband and I made so I could be home to raise our family. Barry was born just before our second wedding anniversary. After I left my job even though it was a low paying office job that put a screeching halt on frivolous spending for years. Jim drove a 1974 VW Gold Sun Bug  we bought used for $4000 cash right after we got marrind in May 1978. He drove that car until we had to by a larger car with a real trunk to transport groceries home after we had Barry and Kara in 1984. I never did learn to drive the stick shift in Pittsburgh; that left me home without a car for the first six years of our marriage. Not many young women I know are willing to do that today.

Christmas gifts for me included; a cutlery set to make meal preparation easier as well as a commercial grade Eureka vacuum with a really long cord so I could work faster cleaning our home. That vacuum was great until it was time to empty the bag full of dirt.  It was designed without paper bag liner. Still using that cutlery set in my kitchen and that old Eureka Christmas gift is still being used to vacuum my car or clean leaves and debris out of our garage.

 The first ten years of our marriage we had definite scary dips into poverty thanks to six months of unemployment when my husband was a laid off Sand Lab Technician for McConway and Torley in Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh. http://www.mcconway.com/

Funny how my happiness was not affected by our lack of money.  No matter how little cash I had access to I never considered myself poor. The less money we had the more creative I became as a wife, mother, home cook, seamstress, gardener, home decorator, day trip planner, reading specialist teacher for the children.

In other words "I was all over the place". If there was a need for myself, my husband or my children I figured out how to get the job done well with very little money. In almost every case that meant more work for me but I rose to the occasion.  Interesting how the lessons learned in the trenches stay with us for life...

Life is different for me now.  I have arrived at a new plateau of living. Barry and Kara are adults now who take care of their own needs. This is my time to focus creative energy on my art and wearable art objects sold under the cottage industry is started with my daughter rice rafferty.

Last Saturday was my 54th birthday; I feel really BLESSED ;~)

I am sitting here in my studio writing my blog while Chant is playing in the background,  and

  

Frankincense is burning in the Blessing Bowl I made from up cycled brown bag papers

 Looking back on the past week and feel truly blessed because too many good people I have known have not lived to enjoy 54 healthy years on this earth.

 I am BLESSED because I am THANKFUL;

• for a husband who has loved me for 32 years of marriage and 4 years of dating before that, he excuses my exccentricities by telling himself and our children, " Your mother's an artist" :~)
• for a son who taught me how to be a Mommy and loves me even if he is an economist and can ascribed a numerical value to me.     I'm PRICELESS ;~)
• for a daughter who shares my vision as an artist and entrepreneur
• for rice rafferty our cottage industry for women, by women, to improve the life of women.
• for friends from Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and around the world, those that moved away and friends on face book that brighten my day with their intellectual information, witty humor and fellowship via the Internet.
• for our 14 year old Pomeranian Chewie, who reminds me to enjoy everyday, he does not let stiff joints, poor eye sight and an occasion seizure kill his joy for living...
• for my grand kitty Fever that I am watching for Barry and fiance Meghan, he teaches me to linger longer out in the garden on sunny days, strike up a playful situation that is completely unprovoked and the enjoy a cat nap in the afternoon.
• for these and many more pleasures in my life I give thanks as a look back over this past week and remember...

  

  Jimi and me



wearing my latest rice rafferty breast cancer awareness statement necklace after giving thanks for another birthday

Meghan O'reilly-green, Barry, me and Kara  @ Stone Barns, West Chester, NY



I really love being a Mommy ;~)



Meghan and I share a birthday cake and week, me Oct. 9th and Meghan Oct. 17th ;~)

Thank Kara for the lovely birthday cake ;~)



last birthday celebration for this year ;~)

 The rest of the year Kara and I will celebrate unbirthdays ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdsZT7WKjW8  

" For all that has been ... Thanks. For all that will be ... Yes! " Dag Hammarskjold

" For all that has been ... Thanks. For all that will be ... Yes!"  Dag Hammarskjold

This summer I have been taking long walks or riding my bike several times a week in search of  peace through natural surroundings.  My journey has been inside myself as much as it has been in the physical world. I am always open to the creative spark. When I see a vision in my minds eye of the next object I need to create I make sketches to hold the image then begin working. 

This summer I has been visualizing a vessel or bowl shaped object.  Looking through my collection of paper and used coffee filters I worked intuitively letting the materials speak to me.  The image on the left is a detail of Blessing Bowls inspired by a chalice and paten or diskos. 

The paten and the chalice are each made of three layers of recycled paper.

The number three is a symbolism of magic, intuition, fecundity, and advantage.

• Three invokes expression, versatility, and pure joy of creativity.
• Three is also a time identifier as it represents Past, Present and Future.
• Consecutive Threes in your life may symbolize the need to express yourself creatively, or consider your present directional path in relation to past events and future goals.
• Three may also represent promising new adventures, and assurance of cooperation from others whom you may require help.

 Three typically symbolizes reward and success in most undertakings.

The Symbolism of the Bowl form is the circle, an ancient and universal symbol of unity, wholeness and infinity. To earth-centered religions throughout history, it represents the feminine spirit or force, the cosmos, a spiritualized Mother Earth, and a sacred space with generative and regenerative powers

While I was working on this object I had the strong feelings that this piece was both male and female.
Looking down on this image from above I can see why.

As I was making the bowls and paten it was very important to me that the perimiter was burned around all edges with fire.  Again, I was working intuitively so I followed my urges then researched the symbolism of fire.

• "Traditionally, fire represents the active and masculine Yang of Chinese symbolism.
• It is most closely related to the sun and the powers of change and purification.
• Contrasting to water, fire moves upward with rising energy; therefore, the alchemical symbol is an upward pointing triangle.
•  Fire can also be represented by a sword. "

http://symbolism.wikia.com/wiki/Fire

A bowl is a container of beneficence and the site of transformation.. Throughout history it’s various forms have manifested as the holy grail, the goblet and the chalice, the magic cauldron, Persephone’s Golden bowl of healing that can regenerate the dead and heal the sick, and Demeter’s Cista Mystica or magic basket and the Alchemists crucible.

Blessing Bowl made of recycled coffee filters

What is the Blessing Bowl?

 The Blessing Bowl is a vessel to share caring, love, thoughtfulness, compassion, joy, feelings, gratitude, and more.   It can hold representative objects or written acknowledgment of the blessings in your life. The most meaningful gift you'll ever receive, the Blessings Bowl is a gift of gratitude, a way to connect with our spirituality, a customized gift that celebrates life's blessings. So often we forget to tell people in our life how much they mean, the Blessing Bowl gives you the opportunity to tell them how important they are.

Attracting Wealth and Blessings

The idea of wealth can mean a lot of different things. To many of us it means money, however, being in a state of wealth is not limited to just a financial state. To me health is true wealth. Feng Shui can be used to increase the wealth of our non-material assets as well. This includes helping to foster a calm, clear, relaxed state of mind, as well as a joy for life. The wealth of clarity and consciousness is real wealth.

Paper Bowls

Paper is the most widely used around the world of all the materials that people have employed down the ages.  Crude papers were being made in China by c. 100 BCE. Its name derives from papyrus the material used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans.

These papier mache bowls are visually enticing as well as practical. They can be used as decorative objects or containers.


The bowls are made out of 100% recycled papers, used coffee filters or handmade papers and then coated with a water-based finish to make them sturdy and usable.

If you do not care to use the bowls for ritual purposes, they can be used as beautiful containers for any of the following; jewelry, office supplies, shells, stones, buttons,  business cards, keys, dried flowers, pocket change, natural gemstones, guitar picks, slips of paper with inspiring quotes, fruit, marbles or potpourri.

Place what you want to achieve inside this bowl; to renew a friendship place a telephone number; to help get a job place the advertisement; to smooth difficulties with your children place something that belongs to them; to reaffirm a marriage place a piece of jewelry with a special meaning.

Of all the possible meanings that these bowls can have, it is what they mean to you that is the most important.