Happy New Year & Totally Stamaplicious/SFTW

2011- what a year.  My son turned 18 and graduated high school.  My "baby", my daughter, turned 16 and started driving.  My husband and I both turned 40.  I learned a lot this year, and I have to laugh that it took me until I was 40 to learn some of this stuff.  Some of it I "knew" but never really accepted or believed - does that make sense?  Like my mom - I finally just accepted that my mom does love me in her own way, but it's probably never going to be the relationship that I so desperately wish we had.  I can either have no relationship with her at all, or I can have the one she's offering me.  Having none at all hurts too much, so I will take what she can give.  I just have to remember to avoid her when I'm feeling emotional/sensitive, or when I have PMS.  LOL ;)

Anyway, I don't mind getting older, I am finding that with age really does come certain types of wisdom and understanding.  I finally realized that just because I've known someone for 10-20 years (or a year, or five, or 40, whatever), does not mean that I have to continue to allow them to be a part of my life - especially if they are not a positive presence in it.  I learned that just because someone is related to me does not mean that I have to like them - or even love them.  Not only did I learn this, but I accepted it, for the most part.  When someone hurts you, you need to let them go - release them from your life.  You know the saying "Fool me once, shame on you - fool me twice, shame on me"?  I learned that this saying has a lot of truth to it - you don't have to keep allowing yourself to be hurt, to be fooled, even if the person doing it is related to you.

These were some tough lessons to learn, you know?  I learned that as much as I cannot stand "fake" people, I was being fake myself by continuing to try to stay friends with someone who I really don't like, just because "everyone else" is friends with her.  Sounds silly now, but the truth is that by realizing this, I also realized how many people do this.  Pretend to like people that they don't - and I don't want to surround myself with those kinds of people.  Life is just too short, you know?  I want to surround myself with people who love and accept me - not just when times are great and we're having fun, and not just when times are crappy and they can be the hero - but all.  the.  time.  People whose company I truly enjoy, and who enjoy mine.  People who let me be me because they love me for who I am.  I love spending my weekends at home with my husband, watching movies or TV, making cards and surfing the Internet, listening to music and hanging out with my kids - that's my kind of fun and that's OK.  :)

So anyway - happy new year to you all.  I hope you all find happiness and health in the new year, that's really all we can ask for.

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OK my wonderful hubby wants pancakes, which I promised him an hour ago, so I will post this quickly - I do have one little card to share today - this is for the:

Totally Stampalicious Challenge - Make it Sparkle

I used one of the gorgeous Saturated Canary images, colored with Prismacolor pencils and mineral spirits.  I added lots of glitter and gemstone stickers for sparkle - and I used one of my mini-card bases (5.5 x 3").

I am also entering this card into the:

Stampin' For the Weekend Challenge - Anything Goes

Have a fabulous day, friends.  Happy New Year!  Peace.