About Me

Hello!

So pleased to have you stop by my blog.

Since a very young child I have been a believer in God, Jesus Christ the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit, the helper send to help us.  I didn’t start out as a Catholic, I found the Church on my own as a young adult.  I’ve had some rough times with my faith.  Depression can make everything much more difficult than it should be.  Thankfully, that is behind me now since 2016.  Read Dr. Perlmutter’s book “Grain Brain” if you want to understand how I pulled out of my depression.

As for my past, I was raised by some good ole country folks, my dear grandparents.  To sum up my past, I must share with you an old saying I used to hear – “It’s been a long row to hoe.”  It fits me.  I feel like I’ve been working at blogging for a long time, more importantly, I’ve been a long time working at putting this life together.  It has only been a short time ago that I came to realize something special about this “row I’m hoeing” called working my way through my life.  No one’s life is simple.  Really.  It can be routine and mundane, but even that path has “rocks” in the way.

There is no “blueprint” mapped out for living our life.  It’s been like using multiple tissue patterns, some like Simplicity and some like Vogue.  Sure, I pull out a sheet of line-drawn tissue and attempt to follow the directions to make something useful and pretty.  My life has been like this same process.  As for my childhood, well, that’s one envelop I will leave closed for now.  I know for sure where my “map” lies – follow Jesus, he knows the way.

Actually I did start using sewing patterns to make clothes as early as junior high school. How thrilled I was to receive my own sewing machine one Christmas!  Some projects even turned out pretty well, some served as “lessons learned”.  One in particular was  a pair of slacks I wanted very much.  I bought corduroy.  Being overly frugal, perhaps due to being raised by a grandmother who grew up during the Great Depression where everything was scarce, I laid the legs out in a more “yardage saving” arrangement.  Well, corduroy has a nap.  I ruined the whole piece.  It was a bargain purchase so I couldn’t go back for more to cut another piece.  No forgetting about nap for the rest of my days, and that sometimes the instructions have a purpose.  Lesson learned.

Sewing continued to be my source of fun and relaxation though my years of working at the phone company.  I have dabbled in making quilts.  The enjoyment of using scraps likely came from my frugal roots – “waste not, want not”.  Sounds like I have been a good girl and used only scraps.  Ha, not so!  I love fabric! Every time I go to the store my mind dreams up too many ideas. Consequently, I have far too much fabric on hand.  With so much available fabric, it is so unfair that when looking for just one more piece I find just the right shade isn’t right.

Having spent a fair amount of time in Joann’s I was encouraged to take a part time position working for them.  This was many years ago. Vowing to work during the Christmas season only I was there for 5 months.  Then when I retired from Verizon and moved to Virginia I looked up Joann’s again and worked several months.  I found a better job as a church secretary and left Joann’s.  My freedom to work at the church was illuminating.  I put together the bulletins, of course, but got to write the newsletters. There was so much satisfaction in helping people who came to me.  Also of immense enjoyment was the preschool within the building.  Oh, how precious those little darlings were, often coming to sing to me or bring me their latest project.  Real estate prices didn’t allow me to relieve my rising rent dilemma, So I quit work and went on Widow’s Benefits.

Back in Florida I learned the housing market was reasonable in Brevard County. I had friends there from whom I could draw on support and information.  With Donna and Greg’s help, and an excellent realtor David Cruickshank, I found my home.

And here I am.

But how did I get into this card and scrapbook stuff you ask? I had been scrapbooking for a long time.  I moved away from the “magnetic” photo albums after learning how short on creativity they were, not to mention the lack of longevity in keeping them.  I love the idea of decorating the pages upon which I paste my precious photos.  Since elementary school I have owned a camera – enough said.  It is true I am known as the one who takes photos of absolutely everything.  As for card making, that came when I was introduced to rubber stamping in 2006. The ladies at the local church had Stampin’ Up! gatherings.  I was skeptical at first but my daughter insisted I check it out.  She had dabbled in rubber stamping for years while very busy with work and school and a child, I kept working on my scrapbooks with stickers for embellishments.  Well, what an eye opener rubber stamping became – not only could I make cards, a wonderful form of sharing love with others, but I could embellish and personalize my scrapbook pages.  I drank the proverbial Kool-aid.

Perhaps, because of the insight I’ve gathered over these many years on my quest for the meaning of life, I have tidbits you will want to hear as you unfold the unique “pages” of your world.  Here in, if you choose, and I truly hope you will, please learn with me as I unfold my latest project and the meaning of their importance behind the scenes.

Most of all I wish you lots of exploration in your own artful quest today, and many more to come.  Join me as I test my abilities and attempt to share the journey of discovery with you.

Comments are welcome.  How else will the rest of the world know you existed in this time and place?

Hugs,

Joyce Ann