Life’s been a bit of a blur this past week - I nailed down three deadlines, which is typical of my winter schedule but not as typical right now. Dylan’s birthday and Mother’s Day rolled in somewhere around there, and I remember being tired and happy.

And now things are going back to the “new normal” for me, and how wonderful it is! I have been so very productive today and it just fills me with such awe. Wonderful things are happening, and I love that, too.

And back to my title. I was so out of it, that I put the rose that I got from the Mandarin, where we went for Mother’s Day early afternoon brunch (no reservations, only a 20 minute wait!) into water. I vaguely remember getting a whiff of the rose scent, then trying to slice the end off the stem, then sticking it into an empty wine bottle filled with water.

The next day, Ward asked me, “Did you put the fake rose in water?”

And I was all, “It’s NOT a fake rose. And yes, I put it in water.”

Well, as it turned out. Ahem. It WAS a fake rose. I was so tired, and the rose scent just totally threw me off.

No wonder I couldn’t cut the stem!!

I have just spent the most bewitching, inspiring night. And right now I am feeling so very very appreciative of this little blog of mine.

I’ve been blogging now for two years, and this is the first time I’ve had a “blog to call my own” - a blog that’s about me, the things that I love, the whole eclectic nine yards.

I tasted the thrill of going beyond the “niche” tonight and it was fun, fun and then more fun.

Okay, so just to explain why I’m sticking this post into so many categories.

First, appreciation. Because right now, I’m really really appreciating Belle Enchanted. I’m loving that I have this space now, finally, to come and blog about all sorts of things that interest me.

Second, intentions and manifestations. Because one of the things that I felt myself get a little bit worried about when I first started Belle Enchanted was blogging about uplifting things, seeing the world through the eyes of Source, and most of all, not lapsing into angst. And I wanted to find other blogs that were uplifting and inspiring, while still being personal.

Well, I found them. And surprise, surprise (or rather, no surprise!), most of the gorgeous blogs I found today were artists’ blogs. Many were the blogs of artists who were also writers, or writers who were also artists. And the rest of the blogs were filled with beautiful writings about spiritual journeys.

And now I feel content. My Google Reader is deliciously full (I kept it so busy by adding so many new feeds, I had to sign-out and sign-in several times because it would stop working on me).

So yes, I consider tonight a manifestation of an intention I had put out there a few weeks ago.

Third, art and creativity. Because in cruising through all those blogs, I found myself fondly back in the art world I was so intensely involved in before Dylan was born. Back then, with a new baby, I gave it all up because I just didn’t feel like I had the time. I packed up my little closet studio and gave the space over to my husband for his tools. I recently unpacked everything in the old kitchen, but while there’s storage, there’s no workspace. Tonight, I feel I’m going to remedy that. Tonight, I’m feeling the art spark and it feels good.

And this, too, is another manifestation. I do have the time now, I am so flexible with time these days. But the creative feeling had been eluding me. And now it’s back.

And finally, link love. Because I found several links that I want to share:

May 10th is Caring Bloggers Rose Day! I really really love this idea: “Let’s pay forward that day some of what blogging has given us. Use a rose as a symbol and show the world that we are bloggers who care.” I really should mark it in my calendar so I’ll remember to post a rose on May 10.

Metta Blast -1. “Lovingkindness meditation is a way to give blessings ~ first to yourself, and then radiating out to include not only your favorite folks, but also to an annoying “idiot” or two. (Or three, if you happen to be in a smarmy, gooey, sticky, chocolately mood.)” Instructions are on the page.

Madame Tutli-Putli trailer. An animated film that’s art. It might get end up being a bit dark for me (reading the description of the film, I think it might) but the animation looks gorgeous in the trailer. Found this one via It’s a Whimsical Life.

Pay it forward, the blogging way. It’s just such a nice idea.

Portrait demo by Danny Gregory. I bought the book Everyday Matters when it first came out. It was wonderful to watch him in action like this.

“I am a ‘Yoga Mama’: we kick soccer mom’s tushies“. I’m not a yoga mama (or a soccer mom) but the title tickled me, and the article is a good poke at the minds behind marketing.

And last but not least, Vickie writes about her time on the hot seat. I loved her description of how it all went, and how it felt. Terri got on the hot seat twice this weekend, too, and got some amazing answers, too.

So yes, I’ve been having fun. And since that was one of the purposes of this blog, can we say, another manifestation?

Some Sunday pictures from our afternoon. First, we had pastries (and for Dylan, a cookie) at Second Cup (or “Coffee Cup”, as Dylan calls it). And then, reading a Thomas book, cookie crumbs and all.

Afterwards, a leisurely Sunday drive, looking at houses and property north of the city. Dream time, and it felt good. We enjoyed it very much, and next time, hopefully we’ll have appointments to check out some more houses.

Today, the idea of a “country home” seemed quite possible. And maybe rebuilding our “city home”.

A lovely Sunday afternoon.

So I had a fabulous time yesterday. I knew I would, though. I was already excited just getting into the car (and now I’m thinking, I seriously, seriously DON’T GET OUT ENOUGH).

But still, part of the excitement was sharing Dylan’s excitement. This was our very first “train event”, and when it was over, Ward and I realized it was the first of many more to come.

It was a great day. The layout was just fantastic, and every half an hour they turned off the lights to simulate evening and it was just so pretty. You could see the lights in the trains as they went by, and the buildings all had lights in them. There were street lights on, and even a campfire had a little glow to it. The attention to detail was just stunning.

We went armed with a camcorder and a digital camera, and when we got back home, we realized we didn’t take any pictures of Dylan there. That was because every time we pointed the camera at him, he’d say, “No take pictures of me! Take pictures of trains!”

His wish is our command.

I have never had an interest in trains, real ones or model ones. But Dylan loves them. So is it surprising that, given what I do for a living, I’m now working on a blog about Dylan and trains? So I won’t write anymore about our day here - save the juice for one of the first posts at the new blog.

It was a great day, though. An hour and a half of watching model trains zoom around an incredibly large, fully detailed layout. It was one of those “I never would have thought I’d be here doing this” kind of things, but there can be so much pleasure in the unexpected.

A family day, at it’s best.

I’m really looking forward to this afternoon. As soon as Ward gets home from the dojo, we’re heading out to Guelph, where we’re going to see a huge model train layout. I can’t remember the name of the event, but it only happens this weekend and next, and then again in October. It’s 1500 square feet of model trains, which our resident train enthusiast is going to find very very thrilling!