Baby, it's cold outside!

Dear friends! We are cold here in the South! Not really THAT cold, but we aren't used to it. And some of us Northern transplants aren't used to it anymore! Add to that houses that aren't built for the cold and outside heating units that don't like the freezing rain and you can understand that we are ready for warmer weather again.

Yesterday I gingerly crept outside in the front yard (our back porch was and still is a sheet of ice) and snapped a couple of picture of the little icicles hanging from the plants. It was a weird sound when the wind moved through the trees - as though they were made of glass. Luckily, today it will start warming up a little and by the weekend we will be completely thawed out.

And while we all (in this part of the world) wait for Spring, I thought I'd show you some more pictures of places we encountered on our last cruise, where it was very warm and beautiful!

Where the waters were clear and turquoise.

Where the colors were beautiful and inviting.

And where the wide open vistas were inspiring!

I always find that going to different places, taking a voyage, even a road trip clears my head and fills it with new idea. And with possibilities.

I had that thought last night right before falling asleep - one has to allow the possibility for new things to happen.

Last week someone mentioned to me that they couldn't draw a stick figure if they tried. Six years ago, that we me saying that. And when you believe it, it is absolutely certain.

One day I found a blog of someone creative and that changed everything for me. She was a crafter and an artist, and seeing her creative projects, I thought: "I think I might be able do something like that."

And that was it. The tiny space that allowed for the possibility of new things to happen. And what happened after that and during the last five years has been amazing for me.

Being in the portrait class now, I was watching the teacher do a demo on the first day and I thought: "I can do that - just follow the shadows." And when I tried it, I could. It wasn't as good as the teacher's, but it was a fantastic beginning for someone new at this skill.

And now that I've experienced this phenomenon on so many levels, there really is no end to what could be possible.

I have recently made the allowance that maybe I can write after all. Not just that, but that I actually enjoy it. After years of saying to myself: "You can't write. You are a numbers girl," I find that suddenly the words are pouring out of me.

I find myself writing stories in my mind and on the computer. If they ever amount to anything, who knows, but they were there and just waiting to be invited to the creative party.

It makes me realize how much I haven't allowed into my life because of blanket statements of not being able to do certain things. Some people say that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. I'm starting to think that that is true.

I still catch myself seeing something beautiful someone has made (the other day it was a gorgeous quilt) and thinking: "I could never do that." That's not really true. I have a sewing machine, I can learn, I have an eye for color, I love fabric, etc. I could do it. But I don't want to invest the time right now. That's much closer to the truth.

And it's a statement that allows for the possibility of new things coming into my life again and again.

Ok, enough with the deep thoughts. Weren't these photos gorgeous?! Daniel took all of them. This sampling was mostly from Curaçao, a place we have now been to a couple of times and could visit again and again. There are many more pictures and I'll share them little by little as the year goes on.

Oh, look at that: capris pants. As I sit here bundled up with the heater going, the humid heat of the Caribbean is sounding pretty good right about now...

I hope some of the warmth in these photos reached you and made your day a little brighter!

❧ Silke