I'm from Holland, can you tell?

<div style="text-align: justify;">For the Show us your country challenge on <a href="http://www.parokeets.com/2011/01/parokeets-challenge-show-us-your-country/">Parokeets</a> I have made some typical Dutch nails :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHiyhM0tPrb48jxF-R_5O6G151p1GelDcCjzY6-Vdr2l_f5lasyL5881sThUuFt-LLxy8iHhZk4CTru3F7d4c2gr7xjvyRRHtW_Z_7HpseI_w0oNff4pa-2wB_8JT6-_4VDg9vzNrZGU/s1600/Show+us+your+country+-Diana-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHiyhM0tPrb48jxF-R_5O6G151p1GelDcCjzY6-Vdr2l_f5lasyL5881sThUuFt-LLxy8iHhZk4CTru3F7d4c2gr7xjvyRRHtW_Z_7HpseI_w0oNff4pa-2wB_8JT6-_4VDg9vzNrZGU/s400/Show+us+your+country+-Diana-.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">My inspiration were the typical things that are used to make my country recognizable for foreign people, the images that are used on postcards or you can see in souvenir shops. So I made my own water decals of those things.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">My country is well known for their cheese so I have a piece of cheese on my pinkie. On my ring finger I have a farmer girl in traditinal clothing on wooden shoes holding a mill. A lot of foreign people think that everyone in my country walks on wooden shoes (clogs) but it is just a part of the old fashioned traditional clothing, of course there are still people who walk on wooden shoes, but that is mostly in the country life. My country is also famous for their tulips, so I have wooden shoes and a red tulip on my middle finger. On my index finger I have a mill, that is also something that can't be missing. My thumb has a black and white cow on it. You can identify my country by these five things, they all have a connection. You often see them together on photo's or postcards. Then you see a scenery of tulips with cows, mills and farmer people on wooden shoes. And the milk from the cows is used to make cheese.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">On the tip of my nails I've stamped the colors of my coutry's flag. Konad SN blue, red and M44. The base is OPI Alpine Snow with a layer of P2 Divine.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">So this is my way to show you my country ;)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Can you tell by looking only at my nails that I'm from Holland?</div>

I'm from Holland, can you tell?

For the Show us your country challenge on Parokeets  I have made some typical Dutch nails :) My inspiration were the typical things that are...

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Missing You So Much My Child...

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknczZznZACP3S40eD13_-9dICfPwMZpwgEKfhOHsy985dFkD_yMZSwGYH5h-dA8wwjCHd8XVjGee8IiWbtKxR7aoLHU0rQa6o8ct5saenRrdVF1fKHeGE7qiJ3gVxOfnsNXrK4532cIg/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknczZznZACP3S40eD13_-9dICfPwMZpwgEKfhOHsy985dFkD_yMZSwGYH5h-dA8wwjCHd8XVjGee8IiWbtKxR7aoLHU0rQa6o8ct5saenRrdVF1fKHeGE7qiJ3gVxOfnsNXrK4532cIg/s640/010.JPG" width="312" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsygZq2msFOUeUfenOG_Ud6lPgl-WdUmyO8SOiMNF7skM8UfHby8GXGy_OyTJ_t6GrysEGBcl3COV_rJ4OxFPRmbbTj390JI8fVdY_mDmuGBKdjOjzsJpddfJyYDhch9vf-z5eRCoknk/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNl91bZ5ZdqeWDZW-Y6LqA-B3dR9ov2DRHuOsq1G-_M6If7LtQ1a3pndprKVyFfojP_kAFGy3woXJlcWVqeu-rK4BQ0mPtVviD9uMHX8b5Tf_vrdqQaTzDgAd5VzRP34S-99ethg-Tf8/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="600" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNl91bZ5ZdqeWDZW-Y6LqA-B3dR9ov2DRHuOsq1G-_M6If7LtQ1a3pndprKVyFfojP_kAFGy3woXJlcWVqeu-rK4BQ0mPtVviD9uMHX8b5Tf_vrdqQaTzDgAd5VzRP34S-99ethg-Tf8/s640/014.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf88_Y9AxgLVOUbdMqF75XP95DBko5LLxeexLJhvRC27CIweBYqx-bwennS1p29G4VviB99kLS0wLdO1NTmiHlrzKqCSQX-_YWst4zwn37xAc1gfm2uccORu918_9iXY4QnoiKCyRdAMM/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf88_Y9AxgLVOUbdMqF75XP95DBko5LLxeexLJhvRC27CIweBYqx-bwennS1p29G4VviB99kLS0wLdO1NTmiHlrzKqCSQX-_YWst4zwn37xAc1gfm2uccORu918_9iXY4QnoiKCyRdAMM/s640/018.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTP_fczXLmCogtX-uDKSrCYTi1-Ac-QPCaTAzVRR-iB1gMmtbKMqCw6dOd6Bnb78dIxKqgaafVDRAg7R1KETj5Lnlsh2_UoAvbUSj3BWn6a595g4h-stWPGEFH2l2T8Cx4dPoqoW3iAq0/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="488" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTP_fczXLmCogtX-uDKSrCYTi1-Ac-QPCaTAzVRR-iB1gMmtbKMqCw6dOd6Bnb78dIxKqgaafVDRAg7R1KETj5Lnlsh2_UoAvbUSj3BWn6a595g4h-stWPGEFH2l2T8Cx4dPoqoW3iAq0/s640/008.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>I contemplated whether to write this Post and then not post it?  After all... it's not about decorating, shopping for Found Treasures or about my stuff, nor is it particularly upbeat.  It is in fact laying my Heart bare, exposed, transparent and vulnerable, for all to see... but my Blog Journey is about what I Love and is close to my Heart... and this certainly qualifies... so I decided I will.  But only after reading a heartfelt Post over at my Friend's Blog<a href="http://divinetheatre.blogspot.com/2011/01/three-years.html#comment-form"> <strong><span style="color: #0b5394;">DIVINE THEATER</span></strong> </a>, and having things put in perspective... and Pray for her and the others who were affected by a true tragedy that time has not healed.  My untidy Home matters not you see and my focus on it was merely a deflected mood... so that I didn't have to think upon what really bothers me and deal with my emotions over something I have no control over... things I cannot change and make right... and remember to turn it back over to the Lord again and just trust that in the words of Bob Marley... Everything's gonna be alright...</em></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia;">When a Mother is separated from her Child for any length of time, her Heart aches... I don't care how old the Child is... when apart, a part of you is simply missing.  They grow up but the Love and connectiveness remains as intense as ever.  Family is everything to me... with the exception of God, Family is the primary motivation and priority above all else... above career, above money, above things, above self.  Sure I say I "Love" pretty things and my Art... but compared to the Love for God and Family, it pales by comparison... there is no comparison actually because it would be like comparing a Diamond to a piece of Glass... the value of one supercedes the other by such a wide margin.  I could lose all my stuff or a career and get over it.  Careers and things come and go and that's okay, they are replaceable... Loved ones are not.  Our youngest Daughter lives in a different Country and is the Mother of five of our precious Grandchildren... we haven't been able to see her in over three years... and at times that seems like an eternity, a void I cannot fill with enough pleasures or experiences and I am often missing her so much... my Child.  My prodigal Child in fact as she has been our Wild Child and her Native American name in my Dad's language I understood meant Wild Flower... and she is... and therefore she reminds me so very much of myself! I know, it's probably difficult for you to believe I was once a Rebel without a cause! *wink - Okay maybe it's not such a stretch for you to believe it!?* Yeah, the apple didn't fall far from the tree and though that has brought much heartache at times and a whole lotta time on bended knee Praying fervently, her virtues outweigh any of the flaws... she is a beautiful Woman and a beautiful Spirit... a part of me... and so it is difficult to have this much distance between us and be separated.  Knowing I cannot be there to spend time together and be there for her.  That precious Mother and Daughter time, where the Seasons of Life have progressed to a point where you have now also become Friends and connect as Women... because she turns 30 this year and matured.  And yet she hasn't visibly aged very much at all and so it's still easy to see the Girl she once was in the Black and White photos I've shared... annually taken at the Fair in one of those cheap cheesy photo booths... but oh so precious because they are so candidly her, as she looked every day.  Then there are my favorite ones of us together, ones we had so much fun taking... when she was only a mere 12 years old, but already such a Diva that she wanted to do glamour shots together and had dreams of becoming a professional Model... and she could have been, the offers came... but she chose a different path.  It's as difficult for her as it is for me, perhaps even more so and you'll understand why shortly.   For me it's also not getting to know and hold the three Grandchildren who live so far away and see them growing up in person or speaking a common primary language.  All five are so much like their Mama that it's as if she cloned each one... just with different eye coloring.  Two of them live with us you see and have since infancy... the one with the Green-Hazel eyes and the one with the eyes Black as Coal.  They often miss Mama as much as I do and I know she misses them terribly too, but she has always loved them enough to do what is best for them, even when it hurt.   Then there are the trio that live there in that foreign land... the one with the Velvet Brown eyes... the one with my pale Gray-Blue eyes... and the one with the vibrant Green eyes.  I know everyone is where they should be in the complexity of our lives... but that doesn't always make it easier... and the missing... well, the missing is a constant... and sometimes I just feel the need to share that fact and get it from the inside... out... a release of sorts of a feeling that I've somewhat gotten used to... but I don't like very much... and need to set free from time to time apart from myself... just like a distant prodigal Child... and trust that she's always been in the Lord's Hands... and that is the very best place she could be...  Dawn... The Bohemian</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia;">PS: Thanks again my dear Friends who responded to my last Post, for putting things in perspective and helping me to move past the fixation on housekeeping so that I could acknowledge truer feelings and release them into the universe... rather than stuffing them so deeply inside... I could feel the Love... and it really does help and provide comfort more than words can convey!</span></em></div></div>

Missing You So Much My Child...

I contemplated whether to write this Post and then not post it?  After all... it's not about decorating, shopping for Found Treasures or...

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Spiritual Art... And My Lack Of Domestic Skills...

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Spiritual Art and my lack of Domestic Skills!!! *wink*  I really love and enjoy Spiritual Art, I'm a very Spiritual person and so I connect with it in a very personal and relational way.  Relationship with the Lord is definitely a priority in our lives. I've always been surrounded by beautiful Spiritually inspired Religious Art and Artifacts all of my life and it is by far my largest and most beloved of collections.  I've acquired magnificent pieces from around the World, simple primitive pieces and everything inbetween. Some items I have many, many forms of... such as Crucifixes, Icons, Rosaries and Religious Statuaries.  Because I have found that since Spirituality is deeply personal for each individual, when an Artist is inspired to create something that represents their Spirituality, though it may be an identical Subject, it will never, ever be the same and so each is distinctive and extremely unique.  Part of the Spirit of the Artist is evident and their interpretation will be as varied as the patterns of a snowflake and I really, really like that.  I also like the little bejeweled Crowns and intricate Halos on many of my pieces... I like that some have been dressed up in garments lovingly made by the hands of the Faithful.  I often dress mine up too... draped with beautiful strands of Pearls and Bohemian Jewelry or my favorite Rosaries.  Of coarse I drape my Rosaries EVERYWHERE, I like to look at them and display them... and rotate the ones that haven't been displayed in a while, so that they all get their chance to be showcased.  And here comes the 2nd topic of this Post... I'm not much of a housekeeper, our Home has always been clean enough to be healthy but dirty enough to be happy *wink*, perhaps that's the old Hippie in me, I don't know? *LOL*  But I am one dedicated vignette-keeper! I spend a lot of time arranging and re-arranging my vignettes and displays and decorating, it's like big girl play to me.  While housework bores me half to death and interests me not one iota... and I can never seem to quite keep up with it, which is rather a downer... decorating inspires and uplifts my Spirit and is a total Joy no matter how many hours have to be spent at it!    You should see me just prior to a photo shoot of anything I'm preparing to share with you all... typically I want or need to photograph it twice... because even if the 1st attempt turns out perfectly... I discover that... well... it's also showcasing my lack of Domestic Skills!!! *Gasp! Smiles and a big sigh*  It is perhaps an oxymoron that in my Home you will often see beauty side by side with dust and even some clutter.  I'm not proud of that mind you and I always try to do better and not fall short, but I'm definitely a work in progress, even after all these years. And I don't quite understand it because I'm not a lazy person, I always work very hard and have all of my life. I have had quite a measure of success in the Corporate World, but not so much success at keeping a house clean and as organized as I think it should be or could be.  I've always been a person who works at a career with excellence and great organizational skills, but housework... I really seem to suck at that!!!!!!  And it's somewhat embarrassing to admit and confess to you.  You see, I'm utterly amazed and impressed at how absolutely pristine the majority of the Homes are in Blogland!  And part of the reason why I hesitated to join the ranks of Bloggers was that I knew most of the time my Home would not be photo op ready! *LOL*  That's actually an understatement... sure, we're pretty good at doing a marathon tidy-up if company is coming so that the place is presentable... but we are a laid back bunch.   And if you're tight with us, well, we know you'll accept us 'As Is' and so you could walk in without prior notice and it will not bother us.  And since you'd be like Family, well... we might even ask you to help get the place in shape a bit... <strong>please</strong>... 'cause I could certainly use all the help I can get! *Smiles*  And though I would love to enjoy a pristine, always tidy, immaculately clean Home... so long as I have all this stuff... and the Crew... it isn't likely to happen anytime soon.  Sure, I make the heroic attempts, almost daily, to have "that" Home like you see in the magazine spreads... and in many of the Posts I swoon over... but then Life happens in here and well... I gotta go with the flow of my reality instead of the dream. *wink*   And perhaps that's why I need an extra dose of Faith and Spiritual strength dear ones... to take care of all that I have been entrusted with... and go about it in the best way that I'm able, while still making the Journey an enjoyable and memorable one for us all.   Because I suspect at the end of my Life it isn't likely that my Friends and Family may remember how tidy and clean a Home I kept... but that it was filled with memories, much Love, good times and good people... and so I'm content with that and Hope the Lord will welcome me when I pass from time into eternity with those words the Faithful long to hear... "Well done My good and faithful servant!"... Dawn... The Bohemian</span></em></div></div>

Spiritual Art... And My Lack Of Domestic Skills...

This is going to be one of those strange Posts that covers two totally unrelated topics that don't even seem go together... Spiritual Ar...

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