Expressing creativity doesn't come easily to me. That may sound odd to some of you, but it is true. Notice that I said "expressing" creativity and NOT creativity itself. Ever since I can remember I have found ways to make something, whether furniture for my Barbie dolls when I was a child or crocheted blankets as an adult. I used to teach how to rubber stamp when I sold Stampin' Up! products and I told every one of my classes, "Each of us are creative in our own way. We were made in the image of God who is the Ultimate Creative being!" I honestly believe that. Your platform may be taking pictures, baking cookies, gardening, or painting. Your outlet could be cooking, designing buildings, organizing or teaching. Each of us has a creative side and I think it is marvelous!

Lately I have been having somewhat of a "creative block." Not because I have become non-creative, but because I seem to have been overwhelmed with so many ideas that I have thrown up my hands in despair, not knowing where to begin. I have so many books to read that I feel as if the virtual and literal bookcases are going to fall in on me and drown me. My head and notebooks are filled with ideas that cry out to be let loose in some forum. My craft bins contain projects that I have been itching to finish, and I am afraid that I have forgotten so much of my trip to Europe over two years ago that I will not do the scrapbook justice. My baskets are overflowing with yarn projects and I get frustrated that they will not be completed in time for Christmas. And my cookbooks are gathering dust on my baker's rack."Calgon, take me away!!!"

Alas, there is no Calgon. Only my will and time.

Therefore, I am going to attempt to do some of the things that I long to do, and if others get lost in the mix, I will trust that I will either eventually get to them or they were never meant to be finished. I have been listening to and reading some wonderfully inspirational speakers and they all have some great thoughts. But the bottom line is I need to get off my "bottom" and just act upon SOMETHING. So here I am, writing to you. I want to share with you my thoughts, struggles, ills, insights, and possible a few hard lessons that I have learned along the way. This is going to be one of the ways I "express" my creativity.

Today I am going to begin a calendar, of sorts, to jot down what I would like to express. This is my journey. This is life as I know it. I realize that not everyone will see things the way I do, but some of you will. Some of you will want to hear what I have to say and some of you won't. That's okay. I have to learn that lesson, and I am learning that lesson daily. I just ask that if you enjoy or are even curious about what I have to express, please pass this along to others who you light think might enjoy it as well. Come back and see me often, as I am committing myself to you. You never know what will pop up on this blog. How do I know that? Because I don't even know for sure. That's the fun of expressing myself. I promise to be honest and forthright. My sense of humor may or may not come through. But I am determined to be real. My desire is to have my soul exposed. So please be kind.

Until next time,

Petra