happiness

Showing Your True Colors

/ Jodi / 54 Comments

Goldfinch – Mars, PA – April 2018

Showing Your True Colors.

If you could show your true color,
what color would you be?

Yellow is the color of sunshine, hope, and happiness.

Yellow stands for freshness, happiness, positivity, clarity, energy, optimism, enlightenment, remembrance, intellect, honor, loyalty, and joy.

Bright yellow is an attention getting color, and when used in combination with black,  it creates one of the easiest color combinations to read and see from long distances. This is why school buses, taxi cabs, and traffic signs are painted yellow and black.

If you were a color – would you be yellow?

If I could be as beautiful as this goldfinch that visits our backyard, I sure would be.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

Look Inside

/ Jodi / 43 Comments

February Morning – Mars, PA 2018

Look Inside.

The tiniest drop of water
hanging on the edge of the limb

that might not last
longer than a few moments

holds a glimpse of life.

It tells a story.

Look inside.
Ignore the blurred surroundings.

Squint hard.
Look closely.

Search deep

into this beautiful thing.

Search deep…
inside of You.

Like the tiny drop of water
that reflects the trees trunk and limbs.

Look inside your heart

to see what branches inside of you.

What is growing and stretching
and feeding your soul.

What is reaching
to grasp your happiness.

Look inside

at the beauty of you.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Soft Spots

/ Jodi / 33 Comments

Leopard, Pittsburgh Zoo, October, 2017

Soft Spots.

Things I have a soft spot for….

The words “I love you” – especially from my sons.
Outstretched arms – especially from my granddaughter.
Belly laughs – especially from hubby.

The smell of lilacs and popcorn and cinnamon.
Misty mornings.
The blue sky of Autumn.

Vintage pearls.
Antique library card catalog cabinets.
Sourdough bread.

Random texts.
Handwritten notes.
Doggie greetings every time I return home.

The way my daughter-in-laws look at their husbands.
Hugs from friends.
Smiles from strangers.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

I want to ask you …

/ Jodi / 78 Comments

I want to ask you …

What makes your heart skip a beat?
What memories cause goosebumps on every inch of your skin?

I want to ask you …

Who has hurt you so deeply that you have lost all confidence in who you really are?
What loss has caused bitterness in your soul?

I want to ask you …

If you could be anywhere right now, doing anything you wanted to..
where would you be, and what would you be doing?

I want to ask you …

When you take a deep breath and close your eyes, what is the first thing you think about?
Does it make you happy, or does it make you sad?

I want to ask you …

What makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning?
What makes you smile when you go to sleep at night?

I want to ask you …

What do you think life is really about?
What is our purpose?

I want to ask you …
but is it okay?

Maybe I should just ask you …
How was your day?

Isn’t that
the polite thing to say?

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

How do you say “Thank You?”

/ Jodi / 37 Comments
Crooked Creek, Ford City, PA - June, 2017

Crooked Creek, Ford City, PA – June, 2017

How do you say “Thank You”
for sunshine or health…
for clear days or gentle rains…
for happiness, joy or love?

You say it by sharing
what you have.
You say it by making
the world a better place in which to live.

-Thomas D. Willhite

How do YOU say “Thank You?”

I say it by trying to share something small every day
in this tiny little platform that is mine
to give to the world
a little bit of happiness…
a little bit of joy…
a little bit of love.

My “Thank You” might be
a photograph,
or a painting,
or a craft or DIY idea.

It might be a favorite cherished
or newly discovered recipe.
It might be a verse
or a quote or a story.

But it is my “Thank You”
for sunshine and health…
for clear days and gentle rains…
for happiness, joy, and love.

It is my gift.
It is my little life.
It is my creative journey…
at life in between.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

*Focus

Pink Apricot Watercolor Tulips

/ Jodi / 46 Comments
Pink Apricot Watercolor Expressionist Tulips - 8 x 10 Fabriano 140 lb Cold Press

Pink Apricot Watercolor Expressionist Tulips – 8 x 10 Fabriano 140 lb Cold Press

Pink Apricot Watercolor Tulips.

I found a few extra moments to steal away to my art studio this past weekend.

I felt like painting some tulips – inspired by our recent trip to Phipps Conservatory‘s Spring Flower Show.

I gave this one a couple tries before I finally decided I liked this version.  I started too tight and too “literal.”  I so admire folks who paint things that look exactly like real life, but it is not my passion.   In my first go, I tried much to hard to replicate the photo.  I then loosened up a bit and created this version that more represents the beauty I felt looking at the tulips.

To me, this painting speaks Joy and Happiness and Life.

And that is what I am feeling this week as we count down the days in wedding week!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Daniel Smith Watercolor Paints used:  Rhodonite Genuine, Cadmium Yellow Light, Green Gold, Perylene Green

Paper:  Fabriano Artistico 140lb Cold Press

Smile

/ Jodi / 38 Comments

smile-perylene-green-watercolor

Smile…

I know that this may sound cliche,
but won’t you give it a try today?

When you see someone whose eyes are dim,
greet them with a wide, happy grin?

Show those dimples and pearly whites,
it may just be their day’s highlight.

A smile is contagious and fun to spread.
Just do it, you’ll see – full speed ahead!

It could be the cure that heals the blues,
maybe even the common cold and flu.

It’s easy, and it is free to give.
it can even be a kind forgive.

A simple smile can spread some light,
and be the way to make a day bright.

It’s a gesture, it’s a gift,
it can be a huge lift.

If everyone tried this once per day,
imagine how lovely… imagine how gay.

You can turn the world on with your smile
You can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

RIP Mary Tyler Moore – Your smile will be remembered

 

The Color of Bliss

/ Jodi / 34 Comments

autumn-leaves

If I had to choose
a color
to describe
Bliss,

I believe it would be
the color of maple leaves
in the Autumn sunshine
dancing in the breeze.

They delight my senses
with their bright
and joyful display.

Until Spring…

when the color of Bliss
is again the color
of the maple leaves

even though that color has changed.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

Focusing on peace.