Happy Blogaversary to me!

See Blogaversary really is a word!

Exactly one year ago today I began my little blog by posting my very first blog entry.  I was writing on my Macbook and didn't have a clue really what I was doing!  I went back and read my first post, it was very short and my words were raw and sincere (I honestly don't think that has changed).   I had watched the movie Julie and Julia about a girl who started a blog about cooking her way through Julia Child's cookbook for one year.  It gave me the inspiration to begin mine.  I had already read the books and was contemplating starting my own blog, so I jumped in on Friday, March 26, 2010.

Little did I know back then that I would grow immensely by writing my blog and sticking with it.  I have grown in so many ways, it is hard to put into words.  My confidence in myself and in my writing is stronger, my computer abilities and knowledge are way better, my connections with other bloggers have grown and my blog has taken on its very own personality (they do that you know!)  I believe my intention was to just write about knitting and weaving and the creative thoughts that come along with that in the beginning.   Now I have encompassed all of my creative adventures into my blog . . . from knitting and weaving to watercolor painting to my newest love mixed media and collage.   I write and share about all of it, including workshops, classes, e-courses and retreats.

Most of all I feel that I have joined a community of like minded women and friends.  There are some amazing blogs out there, with women who are doing far greater works than I. Trust me, just pick up a copy of Artful Blogging magazine.  I have become a part of a tribe of creative women, who write and share their feelings and who support each other with comments and words of encouragement along the way.  I cherish each and every comment and my heart is full.

I look forward to the next year with Gentle Threads.  I always look forward to posting on Monday mornings, it has become a way of life for me.  I write my words during the weekend,  I contemplate any changes I want to make, making sure I have written well the message that I want to relay.  Then there she goes . . . out into the virtual world she goes.  I have learned to share it on my Facebook page, my Ravelry page and now I am Tweeting!!!  Everyday is a new adventure and I am loving every step along the way.  I now have 44 followers and counting!!!  Thank you for all your love, support, friendship and amazing comments along the way.  I plan to print my first year postings into a book, so I will forever have a treasure of this experience. 

I will see you along the way and I look forward to what comes next.  My blog has become my friend and it has taught me to reach out and trust myself, it has taught me that I do have something to say and that others think so too!  It is far more than writing words on a computer!  Thank you for being here and I will see you on Monday!  In the meantime, share some goodiness with me . . . my wish for you is peace in your own life and happiness in all that you encounter.

Love to you

Donna Lee

NY inspiration

I have just returned from spending four wonderful days in New York City.  Every year for over twenty years I have attended the International Vision Expo.  This is an incredible Eyewear market where all of the latest in eyeglasses frames and trends are being featured.  I found myself in color and shape overload, it was exciting and so much fun to be attending.  This is where I get to buy frames for my Optical boutique and stay ahead with the fashion and styles.  Believe me, there is a lot of art in eyewear and bright colors are definitely the new trend for this spring!

When the expo was over and the frames were purchased, the classes were taken and there was no more for me to do . . . it was time to shift into Donna the artist mode!  I had two days alone in New York before my husband came.  Independence and time with yourself is a very good thing! I was able to spend precious girlfriend time with two friends I had met at Squam last fall.  How wonderful it was to catch up with both of them.  Jennifer and Riva, you are two amazing women.  My husband came on Sunday morning, right in the hectic crowd of the NYC half marathon, happening right outside my Park Central Hotel.  I had a list of things I wanted to see and accomplish and my wonderful husband Jimmy made sure I did all of it.  Did I say wonderful???  I gave him my list of places that I wanted to go and he made sure whether by subway or taxi, we got to every destination!!  With some latte breaks at Dean and DeLuca, wonderful lunch at a Soho cafe, exploring many miles of walking, we made it to everything on my list!!  He patiently waited for me in every store and with every picture I wanted to take.   I did say wonderful hubby right?

It was a wonderful trip and I was filled with inspiration.  Here is a summary of all that I got to see! 

Cafe Europa  Lee's Art Store on 57th Ave   Rizzolli Bookstore  Laura Mercier makeover at Henri Bendel  Mary Poppins Broadway play  Times Square late at night  dinner at the Algonquin  long walk in Central Park  Metropolitan Museum  time with my other man Claude Monet  shopping on 5th Ave  famous frozen yogurt at Forty Carrots in Bloomingdales

dinner at Bobby Flay's Bar Americain  subway rides  taxi cabs  Soho shopping  Dean and DeLuca

Anthropologie  Purl Soho knitting store  Loopy Mango knit store  Dick Blick Art Supplies  The Ink Pad rubber stamp store  Empire State Building Yummy cheesecake 

and so much more!!!!!  

It was a wonderful time.  I am filled with inspiration to get into my studio.  I brought home lots of treats from unusual collage papers, to a new and fabulous paint brush, rubber stamps, French music CD for studio time and lace knitting yarn!  I loved being with like minded friends and being in a place where anything is possible!  Don't ever be intimidated by NYC and if you need a guide to show you the way, I am right here!

Donna Lee

What an incredible experience it was!

Wasting precious time

Creativity requires us to be present at all times.  To give our best to whatever is before us.  To concentrate on the piece, and allow it to come into being.  This past week has been a bit crazy for me, working a lot, having a little vein surgery on my leg, a cold that just won't go away and losing my voice on and off for over a week.  I truly believe this is my body and my world telling me to slow down, re-organize my thoughts and re-group my life just a wee bit!!!  Ever have those times?? You have to answer yes to that, because I believe we all have those moments.

I have always been one who prides myself on organization and being disciplined with my time.  Recently that just hasn't been happening and I find myself totally out of sorts.  With that feeling comes disorganization, no productive creative times and a feeling of pure yuckiness!!!  I love going into my studio, looking at everything and being inspired, yet can't bring myself to sit at my art table and actually finish anything.  Now just the week before, I wrote a blog entry about my beautiful six postcards I made for the exchange, mailed them out and was very happy about them.  Some people might say that it has only been a week since you have created anything, don't be so hard on yourself!!! I would say true!!


My thoughts have just been on not making the most out of the time I have lately.  I do work full time as an Optical Manager, so my time is not my own during the week.  I truly have to carve in time to play and be creative.  It is one of the things that centers me and calms me down, yet it is the last thing I am able to concentrate on at the end of the day!  This weekend was no different, I had all these plans, yet accomplished nothing, artistically speaking.  I watched mindless television with my husband and made Brunswick stew (now that was yummy I must say).


Monday mornings are great, that is why I always try to post on my blog on Mondays, to me it is a fresh new beginning of the week.  We now have daylight savings time, so no more driving home from work in the dark (truly depressing!).The days are beautiful and I choose to think differently.  I want to watch television less, be more productive and cherish each minute of each day.  I know that sounds a bit extreme, but I truly mean it.  As artists, we think differently, we think with dreams and a big heart.  I am so happy for my artsy girlfriends who get to devote themselves to their artwork fulltime, yahoo to them.  I have to just take another direction and use the time I have more wisely.  I can't do it all, it all doesn't have to be perfect and when my art is calling me...I want to run to it!  I have all these ideas running through my brain of what I want to create, now I need to put it into action.  I want to watch less tv, phone conversations, computer, facebook, twitter....wow those things do take an amazing amount of time to keep them going!!!  I am conflicted, because it is the way to keep in touch with my art girlies!


Next week I celebrate having my blog one full year . . . it has changed my life and I am so proud of it, more of that to follow!  Have a blessed week and if you have any suggestions for me, please share.  I always love hearing from you.  I know I am not alone in these feelings nor will they magically disappear!  I am living consciously that is the first step.  I am looking forward to my Big Wish Ecamp next week.   That is what  I am going to concentrate on fully and enjoy what is in store for me!! 

Donna Lee

My postcard swap adventure

This weekend I have been working on finishing up my stitched postcard swap from Beth Nicholls of Do What You Love For Life .  I must say I had a good time with it!  There is something so fun about getting all the paints and collage stuff out and start creating.  I had an idea where I wanted to go with my postcard, but it did begin to evolve all on it's own.

Stitchin up some LOVE!

I first began with painting my 4x6 Strathmore watercolor postcard with two colors of acrylic paints.  I used a scraper to apply the paint, instead of a paintbrush. I enjoy this technique a lot and I learned it from watching videos from Brave Girls Club.  I began to apply lots of different collage materials, from antique lace to old dictionary sheets.  I like to use Golden Soft Gel Medium (Semi gloss) to apply my collage materials.  After I had my postcard the way I wanted it, I decided to create more than one, since I have some girlfriends I know would love to get some LOVE in the mail!!  I then went to the sewing machine.  I have NEVER stitched with my sewing machine on watercolor paper before, this took me a little while to get the hang of it.   I have seen some beautiful stitched journals from girlfriends, this technique is certainly growing on me.  So I created six different postcards, each one taking on a personality of their own.  Creating is so much fun; with each added element, I got more excited.  The theme was LOVE, so of course I had a heart or two included.   There is nothing like it getting in your studio and playing with art materials, playing the music loudly and seeing where it all leads.  I believe at Squam we called that "In the Bubble".   We were meant to create and we are meant to share it.  I decided last minute to add a layer of Glitter Mod Podge to add some extra sparkle . . . we all need some Sparkle in our lives! Artwork does that you know!  I know how to begin a piece, but the artwork itself knows when it is finished.

Some postcard love

My recipient lives pretty far away, in Southampton UK and he was the first guy to participate in this swap.  He was also Beth's Nichols brother, so no pressure there!  I sure hope he enjoys a small little piece of art in his mailbox, coming all the way from Virginia Beach, Virginia.  So I am heading to the post office tomorrow to mail it.  I am in search of a really awesome postcard stamp to mail it with (the finishing touch!)  I can't wait to receive my postcard in the mail . . . I wonder where it is coming from and who is sending it? Just wanted to share my journey with you for it is always a joy for me to spend time with you!  How about you try sending a small postcard to someone you love? (I will be sure and send you my address if you need it)  Join in on a creative swap when you can, it forces you to get in the studio and create, which is always a good thing!  I am off now to post my picture on our Flicker group.

My finished piece to mail to Matt!

This is going to be fun

Look what I am participating in!


I just signed up for this postcard swap and I am so excited to be a part of it.  If you haven't heard about Do What you Love for Life  with Beth Nicholls you are missing out!  Her webpage is filled with so much inspiration, ideas, e-courses and this third postcard swap.  The theme for this swap is LOVE.
I am already thinking about what I will create.  Isn't it exciting to start a new project and see it come into creation?  What a beautiful website she has and I encourage you to visit her website.
This is certainly going to be fun and will keep me busy until Juliette Crane's Owl course begins!!
This is definitely going to be a fun next few months.

Art is beautiful!
Art is amazing!
Art is life saving!
Art is inspirational!
Art is just plain fun!
Art has changed my outlook!
Art just is! 

Just had to share all this art goodiness with you on a Monday morning.  May your week be filled with joy, inspiration and love all around.
Donna 

What I learn from E-courses

Well it is the end of February and it has been a very busy creative two months.  I took three E-courses and loved each one in their own way!  First let me begin with taking Misty Mawn's Stretching Within and that is exactly what she accomplished with this course.  There were over 205 participants and yet we seemed like we were a small and intimate group.  There was a private Facebook group where we were able to share our thoughts and ideas with each other, and yes, our very private poetry writings!  There was a Flicker photo group where we were able to post pics of our work if we wanted to and then there was Misty's weekly lessons, which absolutely blew me away!  She had so many lessons, examples, photos, references and stunning examples to learn by.  On top of that, she produced incredible videos with all of her techniques.  She was so willing to share her artistic spirit and knowledge with us, I received so much more than I ever thought.  I especially loved her music mixes she produced that we could create by.  I absolutely can not wait for her book Unfurling to come out soon, it is going to be such a studio reference for all of us who purchase it.  Misty took the time to link us to her favorite stores where she purchases the materials she taught us to use during the entire course.  Thank you Misty for your beautiful spirit, talent and guidance during this course.

I was very excited to hear that Art And Soul Retreat was coming to Hampton, Virginia just forty minutes from my home.  I signed up for a one full day handmade journal class and then last minute decided to take another full day class.   It was Misty's Painted Papers class; there was ONE SPOT LEFT and I got it!!  I love it when things like that happen.  I was intended to spend a whole day with Misty and meet her face to face!!! I also get to catch up with some of my beautiful Squam by the Sea friends, it is going to be an awesome experience, can't wait for April to come!!!!

Okay, second E-course was Mondo Beyondo.  Now how do you describe something that is so life changing in just a blog entry?  You can't.  I was wondering if I had indeed signed up for course overload, but each one was different and I needed each course.  If I had to choose which one I could have left off, well I just couldn't!!!! In Mondo Beyondo each day in my email inbox a daily lesson was sent to me with life challenges, thoughts, stories, audio interviews, affirmations and so much more.  There was a classmate discussion board where we could come together and share our thoughts and feelings.  I can't even put into words the amount of inspiration that came to me each day.  Now I am in Mondo Beyondo withdrawel, I miss my emails each day!  I did gain a pen pal out of the class and we continue to keep in touch with each other.  Please, if you ever get the chance to participate in this, do so, it will be a tremendous gift of self exploration you give to yourself.  It is life changing.

Last and certainly not least, my Life in the Fishbowl with Marisa from Creative Thursday just ended this week.  I already miss Marisa and her beautiful voice and spirit.  She spent five weeks teaching us and sharing everthing about having an online presence.  She first had an audio lesson sent to us and a few days later she visited us by video.  You just have to see her smile when she shares with you.  We learned about blogging, twitter, fb, marketing ourselves, selling and pricing our work, where she gets all of her supplies from mailing to painting! I have taken other courses with Marisa and she welcomes you into her world, lovingly and supporting you all the way.  She has given me the confidence to go forward in my online exploration!

I am in a creative space right now and I am still absorbing all the wonderful things that I have learned these past few months.  I am grateful that I can learn in such a way when I am not able to always travel to these wonderful art workshops around the country and learn in person.  The online world is opening up opportunities for me to learn and grow right in the beauty of my own home and in my jammies!!  I encourage you to explore the many opportunities that are out there!  I have linked my courses for you.

Now I get to learn how to create and paint adorable owls from the gifted Juliette Crane.  I have followed her for quite some time now and I love her art style.  We both shared the Stretching Within E course together.  I know this is going to be so much fun, I truly can't wait to begin.  I am actually looking forward to painting for fun and learning something whimsical.  More to follow . . .

Yoga in my Life

Breathe . . . Intention . . . Rest . . . Focus . . . Peace of Mind

"Sitting with Intention"
My favorite sculpture

I have practiced yoga off and on for years, but seriously developed my yoga practice in 2006.  It has truly changed my life and my perspective on how I see things.  It all happened when I stepped into a beautiful yoga studio called  Hot House Yoga in Virginia Beach, VA and I have been practicing yoga there ever since!  I immediately felt a sense of peace and tranquility when I stepped onto my mat that day.  What a gift I gave to myself,  I didn't even realize the path my life was about to take back then.

I am currently working on the 40 day yoga challenge.  It is a challenge for myself to practice four days out of seven for forty days, easy I thought!  I was going pretty consistently anyway, so this would be a breeze!  It has turned into so much more. I am feeling motivated, stronger and am seeing the results of a disciplined yoga life.  I truly thought I was already committed to my yoga, this has renewed my strength and certainly my love for my yoga practice.

Strength . . . Stability . . . Calm . . . Quiet of Mind . . . Challenge

Yoga calms me, centers me, works with my body, heart and mind.  I am loving every minute of my practice and carry it into every part of my life. When my parents were so very ill, it was stepping onto my mat that gave me a time of quiet for myself.  A time to not think about illness, a time for regeneration of my thoughts and my body.  I was able to leave the cares of what I was living through and know that during that time, I could leave my cares at the door.  Hot House Yoga was a retreat for me, a safe place where I found peace.  I know when I came there, it had a feeling of home and comfort to me.  I am lucky to feel a part of the Yax yoga family!  They rock on so many levels!!!

My yoga practice has taught me to live with intention, to live carefully and to be sensitive to those around me.  It has gotten me through a rough day at work and has certainly taught me to be mindful of all things in my life, including what food enters my body!  My artwork has grown into something deeper.  I practice mindfulness when I am painting and I am expressing myself more freely through my art.  I know and believe that I have grown in strength and wellness.  When I am asked "what is it in your life that is important to you?",  I have to answer my precious family, caring for my home, my faith in God, friendships, being an artist and certainly my yoga practice.  I believe all are interwoven together to create the fabric of my life.  Yoga has shown me the way to living in balance and that is not always easy!  I know this to be true.

I encourage you . . . if you have never gone to a yoga class, please try.  It doesn't have to be hot yoga, just try it.  It is a gift of health and life that you give to yourself.  I promise you won't be disappointed.  There are so many types of yoga,  just experiment and see where you are most comfortable.  Practicing yoga in my life has been fun and certainly challenging;  but I am growing everyday and getting stronger with each and every yoga pose!  You will wonder how you ever lived without it.  If you try it for the first time, please let me know.  Just envision me tapping on your shoulder saying you are welcome here my friend!

Embrace . . . Growth . . . Mindfulness . . . Discipline . . . Practice

Namaste

What I see

photo taken from photobucket

I have been in the medical field of eyes ever since I was sixteen years old.  I started as a receptionist, then moved to assistant to the doctor and then became a state licensed Optician over twenty years ago!  Working with eyes is the only thing I have ever known.  It has molded who I have become.  It has taught me so much about human behavior and it has been a source of knowledge and confidence in myself and my abilities throughout my life.  I especially love taking care of a little child with his first pair of eyeglasses or taking the time to visit and care for a little elderly lady.  I have a vast amount of experience in the love and care department! Eyes are a beautiful part of the human inner spirit.              

I have come to realize recently that being an Optician is my profession, it controls my time from 10-6 each and every day;  but it is not what completes me.  I have come to sense and realize that my artistic side was pushed into a little corner and just now am I allowing it to grow again.  I have found it to be an important ingredient in all that I am becoming.  I yearn for more creative time where I can express my inner artist and create those pieces of artwork that roll around in my thought process. There is quite a balance between professions that contribute to our daily lifestyle and that which pulls at our heartstrings, such as our art.  I am seeking to find balance in those areas of my life.

In Misty Mawn's Stretching Within course . . . she taught us that writing was also a part of nurturing the creative spirit.  Sharing what we write is also an important step in growth.  I wrote these thoughts recently and they seem perfect to add to my blog entry today.

I see . . .

Love all around me

Beauty in God's world

The treasure in lasting friendships

Quiet mornings are a gift 

Life unfolding before me

Countries struggling and hurting

Cancer as a horrible disease

Homelessness saddens my soul

Writing as freedom of expression
 Beauty and Strength are found in my yoga 

Connections are important

Like minded girlfriends are vital

Family is what strengthens us

Faith is what guides us

My studio is a safe place

Art can heal the heart

Time as fleeting

Health is a gift

Music inspires us in many ways
Candlelight is a gift of serenity

I see love all around me!

What do you see?  Take the time to think about all that you are and where you are headed.  I am so glad that you came here today.  I speak from the heart, it is truly the only way I know how to write.  Your visit here to my blog means so much.

Blessings to you and yours

Donna Lee

Love in friendships
(photo taken from photobucket)

Woven Dreams

This week I was able to create some handwoven eye pillows for a local yoga shop.  I am about to begin selling my work to Peace Love and Balance, a very wonderful place to represent my work!   I have been giving these pillows away to loved ones and friends for quite some time, selling them seems different to me. So I am listening to the encouragement of friends and I am stepping out there! I weave the fabric from hand-dyed cottons and actually weave the fabric on my loom.  I fill them with natural flax seeds and lavender.  I entitled them "Woven Dreams" because it expressed what they were created for; woven with much love and care, and some dreaming sprinkled in to assist along the peaceful path.

Woven Dreams

I have been a weaver for as long as I can remember . . . I love the interlacing of color and texture to create beautiful cloth.  I love sitting at my loom bench in the quiet rhythm of throwing my shuttle and beating in each thread to create woven cloth.  In fact, the name of my blog is entitled Gentle Threads and has come to represent so much more than just my weaving life!!

I feel that I walk the gentle path everyday of my life and there are so many life threads intermingled that create my own life . . . God, family, true friendship, work, art, writing, yoga, love, surrender, experiences and inspirations.  All these aspects of my life are interwoven together and mixed in with so much love, joy, self searching, life experiences, faith, dancing, music and dreaming! So how fitting that I would create woven dreams eye pillows.

I have been learning so much about dreaming this year from my Mondo Beyondo course . . . setting life goals and reaching for the stars.  I have dreams of my future and where it will all lead.   I am slowly seeing the path unfold.  I find it all  to be exciting, motivating and a little scary!  So I am going to leave you today with an affirmation from my Mondo Beyondo course.  I am following an example from my sweet friend Lisa Potoczak Gonzalez, of Happy Mama, for displaying and receiving the message.  Love to you Lisa!  You inspire me in so many ways.

This dream will carry you!

It has truly been an exhausting week!  Being able to sit down and express myself through word and thought always seems to ground me. I am soon approaching one year for having my blog and what an incredible experience it has been for me.  I was so nervous and didn't have a clue of how to create a blog, let alone keep it going.   Thank you for being here, thank you for your support and I wish you all the love and dreaming you can fill your own life with!  I look forward to beginning my second year.

Lovingly,
Donna

Creative Overload . . .

Well I have just returned from a weekend in the beautiful Outer Banks . . . the temperatures were in the low twenties, there was lots of freezing wind and parts of the OBX got two inches of snow!  Every time I return to the Outer Banks I feel like I have returned home again.  It is only an hour and a half away from where I live in Virginia Beach and we have vacationed there since my children were little guys.  My husband and I hope that we will be able to retire there one day;  so we always spend our time exploring areas to settle down in.  The ocean is beautiful and the sound side is majestic!  I truly believe it is an artist's paradise.  Perhaps that is why I feel such a strong calling to settle down there.

Sheer Beauty!

I had the opportunity to take a Soul Coaching Collage Workshop by Debbie Bishal this weekend at my precious friend Michelle Madden Smith's yoga studio Outer Banks Yoga.  First of all, whenever I enter her beautiful studio, I am overwhelmed with the feeling of peace and goodness and I have always loved to take yoga classes at her studio.   I knew I was going to be in for a day of soul searching and creative connection.  I was also able to share this experience with my daughter n law's mother Patti Dietrich and I was so glad we were able to share this together!

My "ongoing" collage

Our class first began with a guided meditation, taking deep breaths, the room was quiet, candlelit and soft music was playing.  It was relaxing and felt very inspiring.  We sat on yoga mats with lots of pillows and blankets to make us feel comfortable and safe.  No judgements, no expectations, just ourselves with our inner thoughts.

Four hours later I was able to complete my collage work, which I am sharing with you.  The questions that she asked that stuck out to me were the following . . .  What was my intention?  What is dropping away?  What seeds am I planting?  What is blocking me?

What is being nurtured in me at this time?  What do I need to begin now in my life?  What dreams do I need to imagine?  What does my imagination want me to know?  What do I truly value at this time?  What do I need to affirm or change to be all that I need to be?

There were so many more questions and thoughts we shared with each other.  I enjoyed the total experience.  I am used to working on my painted collages, but this technique totally spoke to my heart.  It was deep, revealing and opened my eyes to where I was leading myself.  When we completed our poster collages . . . Debbie explained the sections and their meanings.  I was amazed at the placement of my photos and words and how they pertained to the guidance that Debbie gave us.  Way awesome!

This has been a week of complete creative overload and I am loving it.  Misty Mawn's Stretching Within class has been teaching us about sketching and painting and of course writing a poem from a prompt.  Mondo Beyondo has been showing me the way to reach my creative dreams.  Creative Thursday's In the Fishbowl is teaching me how to strengthen my online presence!

So I have changed my blog appearance in celebration of Valentines Day and I leave you with my poem written after Misty Mawn's prompt . . .  Note to my 10 year old self  . . . it took me some time to write this one!

Live your life well . . . you are going to love your amazing life

Live your life freely . . . you are going to be a creative one

Live your life compassionately . . . you are going to love little old ladies

Live your life carefully . . . you will make good and wise life decisions

Live your life intentionally . . . you will come to love and need yoga

Live your life artfully . . . you are gonna love to weave and paint

Live your life lovingly . . .  you are going to have two amazing sons

Live your life passionately . . . you are going to love the same man for

a very long time

Live your life faithfully . . . you will love and follow and mighty God

Live your life healthy . . . you will learn to take good care of yourself

Live your life crazy . . . you will say what you feel and never hold back

Live your life on the edge . . .  you will learn to explore and see things with wonder

Live your life by example . . . so many will be watching how you do it

Live your life creatively . . . you are going to be an artist

Live your life playfully . . . you will come to need that through the years

Live your life happy and joyous . . . you will always be

Donna Lee Lee

Wow it has been a week full of inspiration, deep thoughts and time with my inner artist, whatever will be in store for me next week . . . stay tuned I am sure there will be a blog entry coming your way soon!