The beginnings of a Dream

Many of us have dreams that we don't share.
Quietly keeping them to ourselves.
Watching them come to be

or

watching them

 sometimes painfully

 fade away...

out of our grasp.

I've had a dream for a while.
Versions of it have already come to fruition.

Opening a magazine and seeing your words.
Your creativity printed before you.
It's an incredible feeling.
That version of my dream was

promoting my dolls and my business.

This new rendering of my dream

 involves sharing photos I've taken

 around the Farmhouse.
Being brave enough to share

 the most quiet thoughts 

I've only written for my eyes.

Able to reach back thru time 

by reading them again.

Reflections of myself

 only shared with 

blank pages of journals.

I wanted to make sure to find a magazine that
seemed to fit with the idea in my head
 of the finished concept.
Have been thrilled with the magazine I have already
been part of that Stampington &Company publishes.
Thought I'd lean towards another of
their amazing publications for this dream
to come to be.

A number of friends kept sending me messages
 and emails about the magazine "Bella Grace"
 that Stampington & Company publish.
Began thinking it might be the one
to look deeper into.

In the sharing of this dream and
the desire for this magazine,it was mentioned that
 it was difficult to find in my neck of the woods.
{It's a tad pricey and I don't have the extra funds
 to splurge at the moment.}
I was second guessing myself
and even the dream.
I thought further down the road
I'd spring for a copy and
be able to hold it in my hands.
See if this truly was the fit that
I was hoping it would be.


Beyond blessed to have people
in my life that wish to see
my dream come to life.
LOOK!
My amazing friend Sandra in Texas contacted me
and said she wasn't taking no for an answer.
She wanted my mailing address so that
she could send me a copy of the magazine.
She believed in this dream of mine.

Bella Grace blew me away!
What an amazing magazine and I may have been thinking
that it was too high priced but
it's so much more then the price.
This isn't a magazine that you casually read
 once {maybe twice}and then toss away.
I am guilty already of reading this issue 4 times!

You notice a photo or a quote that you didn't quite take
in fully the last time you read the magazine.
I can see this issue being read so many times I lose count.
The photography is sheer eye candy alone.
Inspiration and fuel for a creative soul.


On their website {and inside the magazine},
it's stated that Bella Grace is a special publication 
devoted to discovering magic in the ordinary. Our aim is to
 touch the souls of our readers
 through beautifully penned stories and 
striking photographs that capture 
life's beautiful journey.




Embrace imperfection.
 Celebrate your messy life.
 Shine a spotlight on small, 
everyday moments 
– they are special, 
and they are yours.


YES!
YES!
YES!

This is the magazine that holds
my dream and will bring it full circle
into being.

I am going to:
- read this cover to cover
{again}
- write
- edit and fine tune
- practice with my camera
-look thru the lens of my camera until
my heart shows clearly.

Then be brave enough to submit
something to this incredible magazine.

The next photo of me holding Bella Grace
will be where I'm inside of that issue.
Where a dream has come true.


*****

Trust yourself to dream.
Trust that desire enough to share it.
Share it with those that will fan the flame.
That will encourage you and whisper
their strong belief in you.

With that powerful energy surrounding you,
watch your dream explode into reality
 and place you exactly
 where you imagined you could be.

Tracy(Cedara)Dunn

Thru the Attic Door
{A Collection of Primitives, 

Mixed Media Paintings and more}
*LIKE* my Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/thrutheatticdoor

{Love Yourself}

Inspired by a post that my friend Jeanne Oliver just wrote and shared on her own blog.

Since discovering how much enjoyment I get from capturing moments of time, it is usually a rare sight to find me without camera in hand. Photos of anything that catches my eye will be snapped.
My primitive dolls, the latest painting being worked on, the newest plant to poke thru the dirt in the garden. Day trips to the beach or to discover an old headstone in a cemetery. Countless photos have been captured thru my lens.

To be on the other side of the lens tends to make me feel a little nauseous.
Instant scrutiny erupts in my mind.
Some days are better then others. My youngest niece LOVES what she calls our "spontaneous photo shoots". Indulging her in this joy has given us incredible memories together filled with laughter. A few of the photos have even turned out awesome. Bonus!

Jeanne shared photos of herself in her post that took my breath away. She shared thoughts about herself with them. She asked to have folks share photos they took of themselves.
In the same moment that my heart jumped and said "I'll do it"..... the rest of me screamed NOoooooooooooo.

Woke to rain this morning and caught myself sighing with relief; giving into the quick option of cancelling.
HOLD UP!
Nope.
I can do this.
I thought the idea was fantastic when I read her post yesterday and I still did.
Putting on my big girl panties and grabbing my camera, outside I went to capture a few photos and then when the rain became too hard, finished off inside the farmhouse. A tiny wee "freaking out"dance may have occurred at the beginning. I caught myself wanting to peak at each photo taken and delete. Took a deep breath and started snapping.........

Who knew that only a few years ago so much would change for me? Being outside in torn clothes and ripped jeans, swatting bugs out of my face would make my heart smile. Hair tied back and hardly any makeup on. Planting and playing in the backyard area of the farmhouse. I still do the other things that I did....but THIS makes me happy.

My big green boots have somehow become my "go to" footwear. I am madly in love with these foolish things. When he first told me he was going to be buying me a pair of boots, my first thought was something knee length in a soft leather, that I could wear with jeans or a dress. Ummmm no.
He walked me right past that style of boot to the "work" section. I may have actually been a bit speechless.
Then I started wearing them for working around the farmhouse and fell in love.
I wore them all winter no matter where we were going. He laughed and teased me so much.

Wrinkles. Sunspots. Natural hair color.
It's all part of what makes me who I am.
Each of those wrinkles has been earned.
They came from laughing and living life.
Why fuss about dying my hair and trying to keep up with trends?
Is it clean? Does my husband like to run his hands thru it when he tells me he loves me?

I could focus on the crows feet and how my eyelids seem to "move" more when applying my eyeliner.
What a waste of energy though. Does it change anything? So what if I seem to wake each morning with more grey hair? So what if I happen to have a chin hair?
Ok......no...... that chin hair has to be plucked each time. Who am I kidding?!
I have imperfections but I refuse to send my energy there.

I'm almost 42.
Not every day is wonderful and without moments of wishing something was different on my body.
Overall, I am content. I don't jump on every bandwagon to lose weight. Working the farm and eating the food we grow has helped me lose weight and gain a healthier body which I am grateful for. I don't push myself. If I want something naughty, trust me, I eat it!
I don't beat myself up over having eaten it either.

My life makes me happy.
I'm at a place where I can smile.
I'm loved.
There is no pretending going on.
I've managed to get to a place in my life where I am comfortable on so many levels.
It's not perfect and it's not meant to be.
I'm living my life and enjoying the journey.