Things Come In Threes

There have been so many wonderful things in my life. So many. Too many to even list or share with you. But there have been 3 things in my life that were the hardest to live through. One of them was the diagnosis of my tiny, tow-headed 3 year old daughter; Type 1 Diabetes. Just thinking about that moment is enough to send me in a tailspin of sobs. It was God's way of saying, 'Huh. Don't like needles eh?' Well, how about this?' It was the universe's way of shouting, 'What's important? What will you do? When will you make the change?' I cried in the tub for 2 hours straight. I cried for 2 days straight after I gave her the first needle. Bless oranges. They were my target practices. Please join me on Sat. Nov. 14th and post a 'BLUE POST' to commemorate United Nations World Diabetes Day. The Globe set to go blue for World Diabetes Day! At the time of writing this post, more than 660 monuments - including the Empire State Building, London Eye, Christ the Redeemer, Burj al Arab and the Obelisque in Paris – confirmed they will bathe in blue for World Diabetes Day. Will your blog go BLUE for Nov. 14th? I will hug you until eternity.

YOUR COUNTRY? Click on this 'List of Monuments & Buildings' to be BLUE on Nov. 14th

I Am Remembering

What Is The Diabetes Symbol?

How Many People In The World Have Diabetes?

11 . 11. 11

Remember. One day every year, we pay special homage to those who died in service to their country. We remember these brave men and women for their courage and their devotion to ideals. We think of those who are in the military today, all around the world. Those much braver than us. We wear poppies, attend ceremonies, and visit memorials. We stand in front of our TV's and computer screens in silence. A tear may fall down our cheek. For one brief moment of our life, we remember why we must work for peace every day of the year. Don't ever forget them. Peace out.

Pretty Petals Patti Picks

Say that fast 10 times and by the time I get home you will have mastered it. I'm off to learn more about lovely blooms. Are you going to dress up your holiday flora? Isn't this so pretty. LPxo

Photo: Teresa McFayden

Breakaway

Grew up in a small town

And when the rain would fall down

I'd just stare out my window

Dreaming of what could be

And if I'd end up happy

I would pray

Trying hard to reach out

But when I tried to speak out

Felt like no one could hear me

Wanted to belong here

But something felt so wrong here

So I'd pray

I could break away

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly.

I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky.

Make a wish, take a chance,

Make a change,

and break away.

Out of the darkness and into the sun.

But I won't forget all the ones that I love.

I'll take a risk, take a chance,

Make a change,

and break away

Wanna feel the warm breeze

Sleep under a palm tree

Feel the rush of the ocean

Get onboard a fast train

Travel on a jetplane

Far away

And break away

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly.

I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky.

Make a wish, take a chance,

Make a change,

and break away.

Out of the darkness and into the sun.

But I won't forget all the ones that I love.

I'll take a risk, take a chance,

Make a change,

and break away

Buildings with a hundred floors

Swinging with revolving doors

Maybe I don’t know where they’ll take me

Gotta keep movin on movin on

Fly away

Break away

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly.

Though it’s not easy to tell you goodbye

Take a risk, take a chance,

Make a change,

and break away.

Out of the darkness and into the sun.

But I won't forget the place I come from

I gotta take a risk, take a chance,

Make a change,

and break away

Breakaway

Break away

(Kelly Clarkson)

The Only Life You Can Save

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do --
determined to save
the only life you could save.

-mary oliver

Escape Reality For 2 Minutes - STOP!!!

"The Story Is Happening" edited by Fischer Edit's Katie Carpenter from Fischer Edit on Vimeo.

Just STOP what you are doing and watch this my lovelies. Did you know she is a famous Canadian artist and author? 'We so proud.' LPxo

Front Page News

My book 'Babies' made it to the front page of the Blurb book store! This is such a wonderful experience. (Hugs to those of you who have already purchased my novel (I'm gushing) and kisses to those of you who will) Order by Dec. 1st for Holiday gift giving. Once you receive your book and you finish reading it, would you mind sending me a 'comment' so I can share your thoughts and/or a photo of you and your copy! And should I be so brave & sassy? To ask a big favour? For you to promote my new book on your blog. (insert shameless promotion effort here) I am lacking the big engine marketing budget of the big boys, so I'm expecting a miracle and several acts of random kindness with my blogging family. libertypost at gmail dot com. LPxo

Photo Credits: Flickr Book Shop

You're Invited To 'Kick Up Your Heels'

If you are any where near Toronto or a quick flight away, be sure to attend the best event in the city on November 18th! You won't want to miss it! Click here to view your personal invitation. Rub shoulders with Jane Hall The Voice of Style (and other celebrities?) and spend time with her special guests. Jane's new photocollage work will be exhibited and on sale (she will sign one too!). Be sure to sign up for Jane's free newsletter. I receive it and I love it. Don't miss Jane's 'Kick Up Your Heels Event'.

Sabrina Ward Harrison: Gesture of Goodness + Grace

I meet the sweetest, most kind people in 'Blogland'. I truly can't get over how lovely and kind and thoughtful bloggers are. I am also humbled every day by people who read blogs and those who take the time to leave encouraging and/or various viewpoints to our conversations (convos). I even get a charge out of nasty Anons (poor dears) who for whatever reason feel their negativity will somehow brighten a blogger's day. You have to love them; One, for showing up and two, for taking the time and having the courage to actually press 'submit'! Today though I wanted to share with you a special package that arrived for me in a triangular tube box. Immediately I jumped up and down screaming - "Toblerone Chocolate!!!" - but it was even better than that. It was postmarked from Whistler, B.C., home of the 2010 Olympics....gee, what could it be? I ripped it open as fast as I could and inside was the most wonderful surprise. Do you remember when I 'longed' to be heading to Baja California, Mexico to attend the Sabrina Ward Harrison travel/adventure/workshop? Oh, how I begged the universe to allow me to go. But alas, it was not meant to be for this year. The brainchild behind these camps is Angela Ritchie and she took time out of her busy life to 'cheer this little ol' blogger up out of her feel-sorry-for-herself-left-out misery' and sent me a Sabrina Ward Harrison poster of the trip with a hand-written note!!!!!!!! I had to catch my breath! Can you believe this!!!??***!!! I want to send a huge Canadian bear hug across the miles to Ace Camps for doing this. I can't wait to frame it. All of my family and friends were just blown away by this gesture of goodness and grace. One day I will create alongside Sabrina and Angela. Sending Love & Appreciation to Angela Ritchie, Liberty Post xo

Health Care For All (It's The Right Thing To Do)

"If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman." - Margaret Thatcher. Nancy Pelosi clapped her hands as she left the House floor late Saturday night. “That was easy,” the speaker said with a smile.
Congratulations America!

New Urbanism

Written By New Urban Mom:

In a nutshell “new urbanism” is rooted in the idea that cities are gathering places where residents and visitors alike live, work, run businesses and play in locations that are close to one another. Today, that means trying to reshape and bring life to older cities and newer suburban communities to make them more attractive and more accessible to everyone, especially pedestrians.
Here are the principles of new urbanism as spelled out by the folks at newurbanism.org:
1. Walkability
-Most things within a 10-minute walk of home and work
-Pedestrian friendly street design (buildings close to street; porches, windows & doors; tree-lined streets; on street parking; hidden parking lots; garages in rear lane; narrow, slow speed streets)
-Pedestrian streets free of cars in special cases
2. Connectivity
-Interconnected street grid network disperses traffic & eases walking
-A hierarchy of narrow streets, boulevards, and alleys
-High quality pedestrian network and public realm makes walking pleasurable
3. Mixed-Use & Diversity
-A mix of shops, offices, apartments, and homes on site. Mixed-use within neighborhoods, within blocks, and within buildings
-Diversity of people – of ages, income levels, cultures, and races
4. Mixed Housing
A range of types, sizes and prices in closer proximity
5. Quality Architecture & Urban Design
Emphasis on beauty, aesthetics, human comfort, and creating a sense of place; Special placement of civic uses and sites within community. Human scale architecture & beautiful surroundings nourish the human spirit
6. Traditional Neighborhood Structure
-Discernable center and edge-Public space at center-Importance of quality public realm; public open space designed as civic art-Contains a range of uses and densities within 10-minute walk-Transect planning: Highest densities at town center; progressively less dense towards the edge. The transect is an analytical system that conceptualizes mutually reinforcing elements, creating a series of specific natural habitats and/or urban lifestyle settings. The Transect integrates environmental methodology for habitat assessment with zoning methodology for community design. The professional boundary between the natural and man-made disappears, enabling environmentalists to assess thedesign of the human habitat and the urbanists to support the viability of nature. This urban-to-rural transect hierarchy has appropriate building and street types for each area along the continuum.
7. Increased Density
-More buildings, residences, shops, and services closer together for ease of walking, to enable a more efficient use of services and resources, and to create a more convenient, enjoyable place to live.-New Urbanism design principles are applied at the full range of densities from small towns, to large cities
8. Smart Transportation
-A network of high-quality trains connecting cities, towns, and neighborhoods together-Pedestrian-friendly design that encourages a greater use of bicycles, rollerblades, scooters, and walking as daily transportation
9. Sustainability
-Minimal environmental impact of development and its operations-Eco-friendly technologies, respect for ecology and value of natural systems-Energy efficiency-Less use of finite fuels-More local production-More walking, less driving
10. Quality of Life
Taken together these add up to a high quality of life well worth living, and create places that enrich, uplift, and inspire the human spirit.

BENEFITS OF NEW URBANISM

1. BENEFITS TO RESIDENTS
Higher quality of life;
Better places to live, work, & play;
Higher, more stable property values; Less traffic congestion & less driving;
Healthier lifestyle with more walking, and less stress;
Close proximity to main street retail & services;
Close proximity to bike trails, parks, and nature;
Pedestrian friendly communities offer more opportunities to get to know others in the neighborhood and town, resulting in meaningful relationships with more people, and a friendlier town;
More freedom and independence to children, elderly, and the poor in being able to get to jobs, recreation, and services without the need for a car or someone to drive them;
Great savings to residents and school boards in reduced busing costs from children being able to walk or bicycle to neighborhood schools; More diversity and smaller, unique shops and services with local owners who are involved in community; Big savings by driving less, and owning less cars;
Less ugly, congested sprawl to deal with daily;
Better sense of place and community identity with more unique architecture; More open space to enjoy that will remain open space;
More efficient use of tax money with less spent on spread out utilities and roads

2. BENEFITS TO BUSINESSES
Increased sales due to more foot traffic & people spending less on cars and gas;
More profits due to spending less on advertising and large signs;
Better lifestyle by living above shop in live-work units – saves the stressful & costly commute;
Economies of scale in marketing due to close proximity and cooperation with other local businesses;
Smaller spaces promote small local business incubation; Lower rents due to smaller spaces & smaller parking lots;
Healthier lifestyle due to more walking and being near healthier restaurants;
More community involvement from being part of community and knowing residents

Photos of Poundbury, England. New Urbanism Project by Prince Charles

Business Balls. I Mean Bulbs.

"Smack dab in the middle of a recession, the middle of a floundering block, in the middle of New York City I decided it would be fun to open a store with a HUGE sign in bright neon green that read GROW. I had a sneaking suspicion that other designers and architects had discovered the fantastic Deco loft buildings being vacated by a the furriers who were going out of business, like I had, and moved their businesses into their beautiful open spaces. My hope was, that being close to the flower district, but not in it, we might attract the folks GREENING their apartments, terraces and backyards as well as the pros in the biz. The best part of moving onto the same street our offices have been on for 3 years is that we are finally meeting our neighbors…landscape architects, interior designers, structural engineers, building contractors, architects, lighting designers…and that’s just on this block! So my dream is coming true.. I wanted to open a store/showroom where the GROWing industry of urban living, green roof gardening and organic home design merged and I wanted to be on a block that was growing. And I think we did it." - Rebecca Cole

(Now that's how to GROW a store and a business. It takes balls. I mean bulbs.) Love, love, love Rebecca Cole.

Top Photo Credit: (with interesting article) NYTimes

Highway of Heroes Poppy Pin

Trademarking a poppy? Artists worldwide beware: The Royal Canadian Legion may be coming after you with a lawsuit as they believe they 'own' the rights to the poppy image. Otherwise a lovely 'Highway of Heroes' pin would still be for sale to raise money for military families. This is absolute nonsense. Let's all boycott the 'poppy drive' (the little soft, velvety red poppies we stick in our jackets) by the Legion this month until they allow the 'highway of heroes pin' to be sold again!!! - just to show them that we can all share the poppy image to remember, express and raise funds for this worthy cause. Each November, Poppies blossom on the lapels and collars of over half of Canada’s entire population. Since 1921, the Poppy has stood as a symbol of Remembrance, our visual pledge to never forget all those Canadians who have fallen in war and military operations. The Poppy also stands internationally as a “symbol of collective reminiscence”, as other countries have also adopted its image to honour those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Peace = sharing. Sharing the poppy (for goodness sake) to raise money for people in need shouldn't be a criminal act. I can't stand legal bullies. (who make decisions based on greed, ego and page 41 of the Poppy Manual.)

NOTE: To be clear. I am talking about a lapel pin of the 'highway of heroes sign with poppy on it' that the local credit union was selling to raise money for military families. They are no longer allowed to sell them. (trademark infringement) I think this is so wrong. If people want to design poppy items to sell to make money for military families, they should be able to.

Berserk. Now There's A Word

Must have been the mushrooms. (see bottom) So where does Fort Hood leave all of us? Are we going to become increasingly racist against Muslims? Are we going to become paranoid? Imagine what it's like to be a Muslim in the military today! Did you know that U.S. army recruiters get a bigger commission for recruiting a Muslim? (can this be true?) What is going on? Backlash. That's the reality. Berserk. Now there's a word. (and no other word fits the shooter's actions yesterday) What is your perception?

BERSERK (SWEDEN) A.K.A. Major Nidal Malik Hasan or Dr. What A Waste

–adjective
1.
violently or destructively frenzied; wild; crazed; deranged: He suddenly went berserk.
–noun
2.
(sometimes initial capital letter) Scandinavian Legend. Also, berserker. An ancient Norse warrior who fought with frenzied rage in battle, possibly induced by eating hallucinogenic mushrooms.

7 Human Feet Washed Ashore In Shoes

Off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. This is a 'big foot mystery'. It has even stumped Pathologists. They don't know who the feet belong to. They don't know where the rest of the bodies are. And it keeps happening. Right feet in right running shoe. One foot. In a sock. One shoe. Floating. Why am I blogging about this? Because it is the most freaky Canadian story today! (Stephen Kingish) No leads. No clues. And where the heck is the left foot and the rest of the body? !!! Can you imagine walking on the beach and tripping over a shoe and discovering a severed foot still in it!!! So, no. This is not a design post. It's a 'strange but true' post. 7 times over.

Golden Centerfold

This is why depression is up. 'A Dog's Life' is so much better.

Bird Feeders and Other Social Media Products

Tweeting is a healthy activity. It's social and it doesn't involve awkward installations of bird feeders, seed, peanuts, squawking blue jays and cute little chickadees. Want to follow me? I'll follow you. Love ya. LPxo