"Create in me
a clean heart,
O God,
and renew
a right spirit
within me."

Psalm 51:10






We have entered into our Lenten Season. Yesterday I found myself sitting in church listening half-hearted to Father speak. I was there to receive my ashes and begin my own 40 day journey. The past few winter weeks seem to have tucked in so many days of sadness, and my heart just wasn't feeling uplifted, rather a part of me felt my journey had begun a long time ago!

The entire Mass I held a printed out worship booklet for use during Lent. I kept finding myself reading the front over and over...it was Psalm 51:10. The words "clean heart" and "renew spirit" just kept jumping at me. Lately I have found my inner soul to be dampened by so much sadness. A dear friend has recently found out she is on the front line of battle against Cancer...another friend recently lost her sister because she felt her life to be not worth any journey. I literally know of five beloved pets, the type we call "family" including one of my own, to die. So much news of heartache I read and see in the media each day just kept adding to my heavy weight. And cliche' it might be, but even the recent weather has been more of glum than of sunshine.

My creative side has been zapped with my lack of spirit. I have been trying to pull out color, to find that special inner peace in my designs. Last week I began mixing oranges and a bit of fuchsia, the result was a rather muted tangerine. I think it would be correct to say I was not feeling it!

I awoke this morning around 4:00 a.m. My brain kept quietly saying Psalm 51:10. I silently reviewed the past few weeks of sadness...the suffocaters of my spirit. I thought about how hard returning to the Church is for me since the loss of my Mother...how seeing my friend receive her first treatment of chemo this week refreshed those hidden dark feelings, how incredibly angry I get with myself when I internally think my life is not so great, then see a plea to reach out and help someone who would love to live in my shoes. Insomnia overcame me and I just kept searching within to figure out my plan to shake things off, to 'renew my spirit', to 'clean my heart'.

As the early morning sun began to peek through my blinds, a sight we have not seen much of this winter, I saw my color. The dim 'orange' danced around the corner of my blind as it tried to say hello. Like my own creation, (or concoction!) I could see flickers of pinks, yellows and vivid orange. I knew I had my inspiration...this color was meant for the heart...to be worn at the heart. I selected my softest silk and went for the camisole design. Regardless of the day, it will warm the spirit...you may decide to keep it virtually hidden with a mere peek of color...or go bold and say "Good Morning" to all, either way, in any light, you will catch a glimpse of the morning sunrise.

The purpose of Lent is to be a season of fasting, self-denial, Christian growth, penitence, conversion, and simplicity. Sometimes we must dig deeper though, as Father said yesterday, it is not always the giving up of that candy bar...but the strengthening of the spirit...the changing of the soul. I hope this Lenten Season gives all a 'clean heart' and a 'renewed spirit'.

"Love would never be a promise of a rose garden unless it is showered with light of faith, water of sincerity and air of passion." ~Author Unknown







Valentine’s Day is upon us. A day of love, or a day to express our love to that special person. I remember as a child we would anxiously await my dad getting home from work, then he would scoot us into his car, and away we would drive into town to “Dennis & Akers Drugstore”. We would wait in the car as he flew inside. Every year it was the same process, he would come back out, hand my brother and me a small heart shaped box of assorted chocolates and one large box to my mother. All three of us would be delighted! A simple joy, a simple token, yet those heart shaped boxes held a ton of love, respect and we knew it.

Throughout the years I have celebrated so many Valentine’s Days. I have had lavish gifts, dancing bears at my door, nice dinners out, and even once, in the seventh grade a small penciled noted on notebook paper that just said ‘Happy Valentine’s Day”. You know, looking back through the years, that small note is one of my most cherished. It was simple, but from a shy guy, it meant everything at the time.

I am not one who thinks Valentine’s Day is all about big expectations. I’m about the small gestures…those tiny pieces of the heart being tugged at. Let’s face it, anyone can take us out to a nice dinner, BUT, how about digging a bit deeper into the thinking…I love romantic dinners out, but hey, with the right setting, Mc Donald’s brought home can be romantic! We hear people advertise hot, bubble baths, and guys…for some of us, that with a few candles, great music….perfect! Honestly, it is the gesture , the thought, the creativity…

So…for all my guys that love reading my blog, I have a recipe to help make Valentines’ Day a bit more unique and special. Don’t fight long lines and waits at some noisy chain restaurant…stop by a quaint bistro style and get dinner to go, bring it home, light the fire, pop in something like Teddy Pendergrass, and eat by the fire tonight! Draw a wonderful bath, nice wine or cocktail, (perhaps a chocolate martini with peppermint)..then finish with handing her an original hand painted silk wrap….

I have been trying endlessly to capture a bit of romance this past week. I think I found it! I have feather-weight, butter soft silk that is cut in a generous 44” x 108”. The perfect size to wrap all around you! The perfect shawl for an evening out, veil for meditating, parero at the beach, or just tied around the bust for a summer top! In that luscious Red…it is a seductive hug….ladies, you will love it!


Valentine…….$90


***more can be found at:
www.deborahgall.com
www.meshboutique.com
www.seagrassspa.com

In honor of dad, I painted this velvet scarf in delicious shades of red. The perfect piece on a chilly, snowy, beautiful February day. I got my reinforcement as I drove home yesterday evening and saw not once, but twice a herd of deer feeding in fields with the sun setting low and hints of red glowing over them. The snowy fields, beautiful deer, muted red and gray sky….yes, February is a month of a rich red….a warm feeling.

“Red Velvet”…..$50

“There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself“….John Gregory Brown



Today is my dad’s Birthday!

Birthdays….special day for that special person. My mother used to tell me that she knew she loved my dad when she made him a Birthday cake the first year they were dating. She told me he looked like a small child when she presented it to him. Because of her I cannot remember a family Birthday without the “cake” being the main attraction.

I was leafing through old photos recently and came upon this picture of my dad’s Birthday back in 1997. Surrounded by his “girls”, (George-David wasn’t here yet), he was in his element! I had brought the girls their Valentine gift early, the infamous “Valentine Barbie”. The overall theme for so many of his early “Papaw” Birthdays….Barbies, hearts, the “best” movie ever playing over and over, “101 Dalmatians”, and of course, cake. As you can tell, the “girls” ruled!

The cake ritual was always the best though. After a wonderful dinner that mom would make, usually steak and potato, we rapidly cleared the table. The cake would be brought over. She always made his favorite cake, Red Velvet. Decorated with the help of the “girls”, candles would be stuck everywhere. Now the fun would begin… once lit, we would just sit back and watch! I think we would sing “Happy Birthday” at least a dozen times while each girl would try to blow out the candles!! Over and over again we would go through this ritual. Some years mom would even have two cakes….a ”child” one and a “dad” one!! Her last year to share his Birthday she had two cakes. The girls were a bit older, but George-David was the perfect age to enjoy this ritual. One cake held the “hunting scene” but the second one was adorned with a small train holding candles just for George-David. I am not sure who had more fun, the kids or dad! Even present time was fun…I truly do not think he actually opened his own gift by himself for about a ten year stretch! His grandchildren were always there ripping the paper away! I believe that was the actual gift in his eyes.

Yesterday, we gathered to celebrate his special day. The dinner was light-hearted and easy. I cheated terribly on his cake, store bought Red Velvet, but sometimes the ‘gathering’ means more than the details. Dad’s life has been a constant change, constant growth. His spirit and strength have never failed though. His grandchildren still enjoy visiting him, teasing him and hearing his stories. Today he is 72. Still hard headed, funny, stubborn, and would drop and do anything for anyone at a moment’s notice. His idea of a perfect Birthday…his family there to share it, perhaps that nice card and remembering years ago. That is my dad…

Happy Birthday Dad….I love you!

"Dogs are miracles with paws." ~Attributed to Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy



I am going back in time today, to August 22, 1996. The day is still as vivid as yesterday. My youngest daughter had her very first ballet class. It was the day before her third Birthday, she was finally big enough for dance! The anticipation got the best of her though, and to her dismay, she found herself locked to the bench, to shy to move and participate. After the class, we ventured off to lunch. As she nibbled on her chicken nuggets, little tears kept peeping out and she worried that 'Miss Martha' was mad at her for not dancing. Being the eve of her Birthday, and a mom who hated seeing her girls sad, I did what most parents would say was the ultimate "NO"! I scooped her up and walked across the street to the pet store. Of course she immediately found a puppy. A blond Pekingese and Poodle mix to be exact. She cuddled, loved, kissed her, and I began to panic. This little puppy though brought strength to my Fielder, because when I said we needed to go and to please put the puppy back, she kissed her again, told her things would be ok, then flatly said good-bye to "Daisy". Shock filled my body, so much so, that by the end of the evening, as she played with her sister and our much loved sitter, Amity, her early Birthday present arrived home, "Daisy". This was the beginning of a 13 year love, companion, and best friend.

Daisy, I think back to all you endured, the endless "dress-up" days, the too-many -to-count stroller rides, the amazing ability to eat anything and everything those girls tossed, dropped or left on the floor. Your docile charm to hop in the bath tub so they both would enjoy the bath more. You never complained while being packed around the house as if a child, instead of the beautiful canine you were, nor did you ever leave Fielder to sit in 'time out' alone. You were my saving grace oh so many times.

On January 21, 2010, you left our family, and flew on to Heaven. We knew it was time for you to go, but miss you terribly. This morning I awoke and so many things began coming together for me. Before Christmas I started working on a new style of jacket. The fabric is different, a blend containing rayon but I found this blend to take my dyes and paints much differently, I never know what the outcome will be, (much like puppies from mixed breeds)! The style is a Kimono like cut, hence I named this jacket, "Butterfly".

...The Butterfly...a beautiful symbol of a spiritual evolution, a sign of the soul passing on.

My jacket has a whole new respect in my eyes today.

This style of jacket is great to hide any figure flaw, the fabric is light and flowing, and looks great with anything. I am taking orders on these jackets, and to view and see more information on this new design please visit my website and hit on "shop". In honor of Daisy though, for being the beautiful spirit she always was and will continue on to be, I will donate $10 of each sale to the local Humane Society....our pets are so much a part of our own soul.

www.melissamarschwalblay.com

"Life brings simple pleasures to us every day. It is up to us to make them wonderful memories."
Cathy Allen


2010 has exploded upon us with a great arctic chill. For many of us, we find ourselves discussing winters of past. It seems like everyone I run into brings up an old memory of a winter they endured. I have a few memories my self.

Growing up on the lake made for a beautiful winter scene. Perhaps it is the ‘childhood’ memory, but it seemed like we always had cold, snowy winters growing up, compared to my adult years. Carpenter’s Lake would usually freeze over at least once during those winter months. I had two cousins that lived across Carpenter’s Lake, and over to Kingfisher Lake, the distance was a couple of miles by road, but on frozen water, it was just a brisk walk. Georgette and Theresa were just a bit older than me, we seemed to always be together, so much so, that sometimes we were more like sisters. They were wonderful ice skaters, and when the lake cooperated, over they came. I was more of a “ice-stander”, and would hope I would spend more time moving gracefully, and less time flat on my bottom! Not a care in the world, we would have so much fun, dreaming of dances and spotlights!

Of course our visits were never complete until we made our way in for hot chocolate and cookies. Mom and my aunt were amazing at always having plenty of both! As the day would end, we would walk each other back home or at least halfway. The sun would be setting over the frosty lake, dancing its own spectacular color show. Memories…

I have begun working on new items for the New Year and some of my nostalgia has helped inspire me. My hottest item this season has been scarves. I have truly been mass producing some of them, but sometimes I stop and get slammed with a memory and my scarf takes on a life, a memory, a personality of its own. This Charmeuse Silk scarf did just that. As the poppy red mingled with the sunny yellow, I found a hint of those sunsets over the frozen lake. Usually a winter sunset is predominately grays and blues, but there was always a glimpse of warmth peeking through, a smile of sorts to say hello. So I share this scarf with those who might need a blast of warmth to the soul, a flicker of sun to the New Year chill, or a reminder of our childhood days of wonder.


***I am taking orders on my scarves, just contact me! Currently I am still painting Velvets, in addition to Charmuese and Chiffon. Most are around 72”, great for wearing, and most run around $50.
To view:

Sea Grass Spa (Bowling Green, KY)
Abide Studio (Franklin, TN)
Mesh Boutique (Murfreesboro, TN)

"Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light
From now on,
our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on,
our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more.

Through the years
We all will be together,
If the Fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.
And have yourself A merry little Christmas now."
...written by Hugh Martin


My favorite Christmas song....I share it with all of you. I hope the Spirit is flowing strong in your heart. I love this time of year! Like a child, I still wish for a 'white Christmas'....smile when I see a 'Santa'....gaze in awe at the wonderful lights as I drive through neighborhoods...and hope for Peace with every thought of what Christmas is truly about.

The season has found me busy this year, so many orders, so much to do, but then again, so much to be thankful for. I am blessed with so many great friends who are such a strong part of my life and heart. My family is wonderful, a true blessing. My mother is now physically absent at our gatherings, but still felt so strongly. She always found a way of making Christmas the absolute best...memories that will never be forgotten, lessons still being passed along. Each memory is a building block to creating our individual character, our soul.

I hope this Christmas brings each child a happy memory. We all sometimes forget what the slightest gift, the smallest gesture, the most innocent touch of kindness can do to a child's heart. I remember one year at Christmas, all of my countless cousins were gathered by my Grandparents' tree awaiting the "presents". Sitting in the front was an unwrapped, child's blender that with batteries actually worked! All of my girl cousins just knew it was "hers", and the excitement was wild. I sat quietly, knowing it was not mine, I usually got slippers. As the gifts were passed out, paper tossed wildly, my Aunt Eva stepped over to me handing me the 'Blender'. She looked me sternly in the eye and said this was for me, so I could start helping my mom in the kitchen and learn to cook as good as she did. My cousins were so jealous, but I was thrilled more than anyone would ever know. Today, I love cooking. Thank you Aunt Eva!

We receive gifts to the soul daily, but Christmas is so special. I send everyone a thank you for all you have given me and the hope for each child, old and young to have a Blessed and Merry Christmas.

"The merry family gatherings - the old, the very young; the strangely lovely way they harmonize in carols sung. For Christmas is tradition time - traditions that recall the precious memories down the years, the sameness of them all."
- Helen Lowrie Marshall

Christmas is upon us....trees are glistening, front doors are adorned in beautiful wreaths, floors show the remnants of wrapping paper and families and friends are rushing, laughing, smiling and preparing! Christmas is here!

We all have our ways of celebrating Christmas, our "traditions". A few weeks ago, my oldest was home and I was amazed at her recollection of our holidays past. She recalled how we began our season, Thanksgiving weekend and followed it through to the end. I was jolted into a glimpse of past, but also realized how some of our "traditions" have changed. What once had been a solid performance, new Christmas pajamas the day after Thanksgiving, sugar cookie making the first Saturday in December, St. Nick's Day abundant with goodies, the "mouse" moving each day to that one BIG day....oh so many "traditions", have been changed, tweaked, or simply set aside.

I have been thinking about traditions, and the celebration of the Holidays. Where did our traditions go? Growing up, the first Saturday always found my mom and me at my Grandmother's house making the infamous "Springerle" cookie. The process was endless, the result a hard, powdery, anise flavored delicacy that many would say, "yuck"! Yet every year, the same routine, the same schedule. This time of year the slightest sniff of anise and I am engulfed in those memories, the tradition.

I look around my home and see various old decorations still surviving, new additions sprinkled amongst, past Christmas photos of smiles, cards of greetings finding my mailbox and a warmth finds my soul. Our Christmas Traditions are not the actual "act", but the result, the bond, the meaning. I would have to have the Springerele recipe in front of me to make them, but I remember Grandma's laugh like yesterday, my mother covered in flour and Perry Como belting out some Christmas cheer.

Today I find my own kitchen counter filled with tins of cookies and fudge galore. Families and friends are busy making plans to celebrate. My days are spent searching for the special gift or perfect way to say "Merry Christmas". True, some of my "traditions" have changed, at least it would appear, but looking deeper, seeing my girls snicker as they shove that cookie quickly into their mouth, slowly pass by the tree to see the name on that gift, hang onto that old ornament one more year, or share one of their memories, I know my holiday traditions are still living strong. Christmas Traditions....remembering old memories, making new memories, and being with family.

I have been making so many new pieces for the season, but wanted to share my newest idea...note cards. I have transferred the paintings I do on silk to card stock...a great little way to send a unique message to all or perhaps a good place to write down those old memories, to preserve them, to share forgotten ways of yesterday...

Enjoy this beautiful Christmas Season!