A THE BEAT GOES ON "BADA-BUMP"

Good Morning friends! Ah, as my current client said, "Oh Laurie, haven't you learned by now that life always gets in the way of living!" Wiser words were never spoken! A big shout out thank you to Sharon, the most patient client I have had to-date! Here are photos of the current Adam N Eve panel, ready for foiling. Being in "transition" has been a real challenge (time management!) but a welcome one. Progress is being made so incredibly fast on my stained glass studio! I am truly "living the dream"! Autumn is upon us here in Northern Illinois. Firewood was delivered yesterday and is stacked snugly in the garage. The leaves are falling fast and furious and today is a MOST precious "Indian Summer" day. I am relishing every moment of it. Lovely warmth and sunshine, leaves rustling, pine trees waving hello to the sun, and little chipmunks running around with nut-stuffed cheeks! It just doesn't get any better than this in my book! I hope wherever you are you are able to connect with nature on some level today. Sending out warm Autumn wishes! LIFT UP YOUR ART, Laurie B.

Faith Smiled At Destiny

I

first heard this song the day my niece Tendai was born. Although she isn't pictured here the song keeps her close to my heart) The year in review is such an amazing journey for me to take. I hit some real benchmarks with my business, tackled some serious health issues, rekindle so many friendships from (gulp) 30 years ago by embracing Facebook, and had both my sons married within 6 weeks of each other! The gabmit of emotions ran from fear to pure joy. Being a human on the face of this earth can be such a challenge. The political climate was a tough one for me and drove me inward towards my art. Some burdens were lifted while new ones took their places. I continue to reflect most days on my blessings, enjoying small wonders and celebrating even the hardest moments this life hands me. I tried my best to honor the past, and live in the present and create the future. Did I stumble and fall, of course, but I told myself that at least I fell. That means I'm moving forward. I remind myself that as with anything in nature, when we stop growing, we die. So my friends, here's to continued growth! With gratitude, Laurie B

A Simple Life Blog Recommendation

Photo by Laurie Beggin

I recently discovered a wonderful blog called A Simple Life. Below is a snippet of one of her posts. They are always helpful for me and I wanted to share this blog with my readers: I highly recommend the fist exercise and the plants! With gratitude, laurie b. P.S. I thought this might be helpful for all of us on ELECTION DAY! keep calm and carry on........(wink)

http://mlizcochico.com/

Between work, home and family, I am so sure you barely have time to breathe. Juggling all these can really be stressful, you need to relax. But how? Here are some simple ways I found to help you fight stress.

You can grab a moment of instant calm when you gaze at something blue. The color is automatically associated with serene feelings that come with being out in nature like the sky or the ocean.

Chew a gum. Rhythmic, repetitive actions like chewing a gum trigger our body’s natural relaxation responses, slowing our heart rate, breathing and brain activity. Believe me, it’s really effective. I used to chew a gum during finals when I was still bowling. It helped ease tension and made me feel more relaxed.

Form a fist. Kenneth Pelletier, Ph. D., suggests clenching your fists tightly for five seconds, then open them. Doing so will relax you instantly. According to him, when a muscle tenses as much as possible, it becomes able to de-tense completely.

Sing your heart out. Singing makes you breath deeply. It helps lower the body’s blood pressure and heart rate, therefore, decreasing stress.

Make someone’s day. Do something good and be kind to others. A good deed produces a rush of “feel-good” chemicals in the brain which helps boost your mood.

Plant some calm. A green environment can keep stress at bay. Studies show that women who kept plants at work had less anxiety. Plants give as a mental break from negative feelings that often lead to stress.