Where are the elves when you need them?
Must keep working on holiday projects ... send chocolate ...
Friday, December 3, 2010
Help Wanted: December Views
Where are the elves when you need them?
Must keep working on holiday projects ... send chocolate ...
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
holiday countdown: december views
Priorities ... priorities ...
time to say less and create more. and time to be present, be here, be aware of the gifts of this season.
care to join me?
(today's theme: waiting & hoping. Moose dog has been at the vet's for 8 1/2 hours now undergoing tests as he still is not keeping food down. Not only am I hoping he is okay, but I am hoping to find a Santa who will let me crawl up on his lap and give me a Visa cash card to pay for the bill. I've been a very good girl Santa!)
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday Inspiration Celebration: abbridged version
This day I am short on time and words, but full of inspiration and ideas. Here, in no particular order, is what has been rocking my world these past chilly, windy days. Keeping me grounded, excited and enthused.
I am loving my daily practice for THIS Moment:
For some reason, when I am making art, I cannot spell! And the teacher in me now sees - and cringes - Breathe when I meant Breath. Still breathing and embracing my imperfections :) I'd rather be making mistakes and risking insight than staying still and staying safe.
My polaroid muse has to be Cowgirl:
At $3 a picture, each one has to count and she matters most of all.
Making art postcards AND sending mail. Double pleasure for me. I love the ladies at the post office where I buy my stamps.
Cowgirl's explosive learning curve; she really gets the concept of sounding out the letters to read the words and every night she reads out loud to us. She is so proud of her achievement and I am thrilled for her to experience what is one of my longest passions: reading books. And now writing! She comes home with papers filled with her words and now is leaving notes for the fairies and this note which was placed by our house gnome, Fred:
It reads (translated, of course): Fred here is a piece of paper you can make a picture.
And today my copy of Brené Brown's new book The Gifts of Imperfection arrived and it is exactly what I need to be reading right now:
"How much we know and understand ourselves is critically important, but there is something that is even more essential to living a Wholehearted life: loving ourselves."
And then this kicker: "We cannot give our children what we don't have. Where we are on our journey of living and loving with our whole hearts is a much stronger indicator of parenting success than anything we can learn from how-to books." (from the preface of The Gifts of Imperfection)
Gulp. Strong incentive to keep on this path. Dr. Brown's words (listen to her podcasts, she is a great speaker and really brings to life the concepts she writes about) have set off many little earthquakes in my soul and this definition of love from her blog is pasted into my journal for quick reference:
"We can only love others as much as we love ourselves." I must acknowledge then a deep love for myself, as oceans of love have sprung up in my heart these past 4 years. In loving my Cowgirl, I have come to love myself. Or perhaps being loved by her has shown me the way to loving myself?
This song says it best:
How was your Monday?
I am loving my daily practice for THIS Moment:
For some reason, when I am making art, I cannot spell! And the teacher in me now sees - and cringes - Breathe when I meant Breath. Still breathing and embracing my imperfections :) I'd rather be making mistakes and risking insight than staying still and staying safe.
My polaroid muse has to be Cowgirl:
At $3 a picture, each one has to count and she matters most of all.
Making art postcards AND sending mail. Double pleasure for me. I love the ladies at the post office where I buy my stamps.
Cowgirl's explosive learning curve; she really gets the concept of sounding out the letters to read the words and every night she reads out loud to us. She is so proud of her achievement and I am thrilled for her to experience what is one of my longest passions: reading books. And now writing! She comes home with papers filled with her words and now is leaving notes for the fairies and this note which was placed by our house gnome, Fred:
It reads (translated, of course): Fred here is a piece of paper you can make a picture.
And today my copy of Brené Brown's new book The Gifts of Imperfection arrived and it is exactly what I need to be reading right now:
"How much we know and understand ourselves is critically important, but there is something that is even more essential to living a Wholehearted life: loving ourselves."
And then this kicker: "We cannot give our children what we don't have. Where we are on our journey of living and loving with our whole hearts is a much stronger indicator of parenting success than anything we can learn from how-to books." (from the preface of The Gifts of Imperfection)
Gulp. Strong incentive to keep on this path. Dr. Brown's words (listen to her podcasts, she is a great speaker and really brings to life the concepts she writes about) have set off many little earthquakes in my soul and this definition of love from her blog is pasted into my journal for quick reference:
"We can only love others as much as we love ourselves." I must acknowledge then a deep love for myself, as oceans of love have sprung up in my heart these past 4 years. In loving my Cowgirl, I have come to love myself. Or perhaps being loved by her has shown me the way to loving myself?
This song says it best:
How was your Monday?
Friday, November 26, 2010
Weekly Reflection (week 44): stories
Did you know today is StoryCorps National Day of Listening? In our home, telling stories is a favorite pass time for Cowgirl. Rides in the car, bath time, waiting in line and of course bed time provide the time and space for Cowgirl to demand "tell me a story!" Daddy's are the best stories (he does teach screenwriting after all and is slavish in his adherence to plot, character development and narrative flow) in that they are wildly creative. A current favorite is an Egyptian mummy hero called Fun King Awesome (say it really fast and you will also understand The Husband's sharp sense of humor.)
The stories I tell are not fiction, but a recounting of our family's history and fall into the domain of StoryCorps project. When Cowgirl wants details of her life, she comes to me. "Tell me about the time there was a noodle in my diaper" is one favorite (with details I believe you prefer not to read) and generally any story that involves her making a mess that we had to clean up.
Learning about the storytelling project, I am reminded of a project I've put on my "to remember" list: an art journal/scrapbook recounting the important stories from my life with Cowgirl and the things I want to tell her from my heart that right she may be too young to fully understand. A book of my wishes and wisdom if you will.
So I find myself considering What stories do I want to preserve for my daughter? And for myself?
Some of the most powerful memories and moments for me were from our first weeks as a family while in China. Those weeks were an intense and accelerated process of getting to know, understanding, trust and bond with each other. As a new and adoptive parent, each and every sign of attachment was a celebration. Mealtimes were often the settings for our greatest victories.
Now, if you have children, image taking a 23 month old out to dinner every night in a restaurant for close to three weeks. Add to that the fact that you and said child are still on unfamiliar territory: this little person is packed to the brim with well formed notions of what is acceptable and what is an affront to their very core. What will upset and what will calm them is still a mystery to you. A side complication: one adult is a vegetarian and the other a more adventurous eater while the child will spit out anything deemed offensive (and you have yet to determine which foods fall into that category.)
Taking all these factors into account, the victory of a quiet dinner with plates cleaned can be fully appreciated. One such night was a dinner in a Japanese restaurant. It was a rainy day and we decided to stay within the hotel complex for dinner. The restaurant was fairly empty and so we figured we would not be bothering any other diners should an Event occur. (One such Event ensued when I took a plastic cup emptied of cheerios away from Cowgirl - she had been chewing on it and I worried the edge of the container would cut her mouth - and she promptly erupted into shrieks that froze a full room of diners as they watched our hasty retreat.)
Cowgirl's favorite foods while we were in China were noodles and fried rice. She became something of a connoisseur of fried rice: she sampled Chinese, Thai and Japanese versions of the dish. Initially distrustful of the Japanese style - it had bigger chunks of vegetables than she was used to - I put her on my lap to try to feed her. There is nothing more comfortable and comforting than a child on your lap. Their little bodies seemed designed to slip perfectly against your torso, they heads resting against our hearts. That night, she was my snuggle puppy nestled into me and like a baby bird accepting bite full after bite full of fried rice from my chopsticks. Odd were the french fries that were part of her dish, and she conveyed her displeasure by jerking her head away from the offending items. She loved her little container of a yogurt drink and sipped carefully from the straw as I held it up to her mouth. She ended the meal with a favorite new treat: Cheerios. Essential to our well being in those days was to always have a stash of them on hand.
Towards the end of our meal, another couple was seated near our table. Occasionally I would see them stealing glances our way. As we left, the young man asked us how long we had been a family. When we told him six days, he was shocked. He went on to explain how he had told his girlfriend we must be back to celebrate the anniversary of our adoption. He had no idea how comforting his comment was and how his observation confirmed what we had been feeling: we were a family.
What stories do you cherish? What memories stir your heart and light up your soul? How do you preserve and share your history, your life? Recognize the stories we tell celebrate the value and meaning of our everyday life. Love is there, in all the glorious details.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Monday Inspiration Celebration: a family affair
This past week was filled with lots of surprises, the majority of which made me want to dance my happy dance because it seems like goodness and inspiration is swirling all around me.
First off ... and I know this is a total coincidence and not to expect goodies in the mail with any kind of regularity BUT I received 3 pieces of snail mail from some of my favorite lovelies in my art world. Two cards
and (drum roll please) to add to the community of fairies, elves and dwarfs that call my house their home, a pair of Flower Monsters of our very own!
Of course, Cowgirl's monster is blue and mine green with an orange flower head. :) Not only are we their new family, but how many people can see the birth of their very own monster? Check it out!
So wanting to showcase our new monsters, I pulled out my first pack of the new Color Shade polaroid film by The Impossible Project called PUSH. I am loving the results!
The film is somewhat unstable and eventually could/would/will turn more blue? It is advertised as being peel-able (and the only way to stabilize the color) so I decided to give it a go. Naturally, I took my pictures and then read the website and flickr discussion forum where I learned it was best to peel within 10 to 15 minutes of shooting the picture. And so there I was, flipping through the instructions online which left out the part about white and blue goo oozing out (and I am wondering if it is toxic? Of course, I sacrificed safety for Art as I fumbled onward) and then I went to peel and apparently you have to do so in one confident, authoritative pull lest you get this effect:
But I still like it ... maybe because of my memory of those frantic minutes and my perseverance under pressure?
Speaking of pressure ... I have officially past the half way mark in my Moleskine notebook that is part of The Sketchbook Project. I began the journal in August and have until January 15th to finish the second half. Which means an average of three spreads a week. I've been maintaining that pace for 2 weeks now, my hands permanently in gesso, my face flushed and eyes twitching, but I know I can do it! Two pages from this weekend (the topic assigned me is "A Day in the Life"):
Go figure a break from art journaling would be sewing! Not a time consuming project, but a new challenge that required zig zag stitching to prevent edges from unraveling and sewing in elastic ... a spanking new ironing board cover! (because when you sew, you need to iron a lot more!)
And while my mother is proud of me and my efforts to learn how to sew, I was blown away when my mother, goaded - I mean, inspired - by me, finished this amazing piece of crewel work I wrote about here.
It seemed like everyone was in the grips of creative inspiration last week. Even Cowgirl has been painting and coloring up a storm. She has a passion for scotch tape which is unparalleled. She has been creating a series of train pictures which require two if not three sheets of paper taped together. (I am now realizing she may have been inspired by BIG and my 4 to 6 panel paintings.) What I love about her art are the stories her pieces tell. Here is my favorite:
Me as an octopus wearing a pearl necklace and holding stones for my octopus's garden. Below me is a giant submarine which is labeled "Me" by Cowgirl. Her sub-self (complete with 8 propellers) saves me from a shark and we go on to rescued a family of baby eels. Overhead, an airplane and a jet fly by.
Recounting this all, it seems like I worked at a break neck pace, but in actuality I found the days full and spacious as each activity flowed into the next. There was time to sit with Cowgirl and listen to her stories; I went with my mother to a matinee; I took extra long walks with Moose to center myself. Helpful was this insight that came to me while I was sewing:
I tell my students in yoga again and again, to be sure they are breathing. Finally, the teacher heeded her own advice!
Is it me, or is the fact that I am thinking about creative inspiration on a regular basis making me more prone to finding it all around me? Do share your adventures!
First off ... and I know this is a total coincidence and not to expect goodies in the mail with any kind of regularity BUT I received 3 pieces of snail mail from some of my favorite lovelies in my art world. Two cards
and (drum roll please) to add to the community of fairies, elves and dwarfs that call my house their home, a pair of Flower Monsters of our very own!
Of course, Cowgirl's monster is blue and mine green with an orange flower head. :) Not only are we their new family, but how many people can see the birth of their very own monster? Check it out!
So wanting to showcase our new monsters, I pulled out my first pack of the new Color Shade polaroid film by The Impossible Project called PUSH. I am loving the results!
The film is somewhat unstable and eventually could/would/will turn more blue? It is advertised as being peel-able (and the only way to stabilize the color) so I decided to give it a go. Naturally, I took my pictures and then read the website and flickr discussion forum where I learned it was best to peel within 10 to 15 minutes of shooting the picture. And so there I was, flipping through the instructions online which left out the part about white and blue goo oozing out (and I am wondering if it is toxic? Of course, I sacrificed safety for Art as I fumbled onward) and then I went to peel and apparently you have to do so in one confident, authoritative pull lest you get this effect:
But I still like it ... maybe because of my memory of those frantic minutes and my perseverance under pressure?
Speaking of pressure ... I have officially past the half way mark in my Moleskine notebook that is part of The Sketchbook Project. I began the journal in August and have until January 15th to finish the second half. Which means an average of three spreads a week. I've been maintaining that pace for 2 weeks now, my hands permanently in gesso, my face flushed and eyes twitching, but I know I can do it! Two pages from this weekend (the topic assigned me is "A Day in the Life"):
Go figure a break from art journaling would be sewing! Not a time consuming project, but a new challenge that required zig zag stitching to prevent edges from unraveling and sewing in elastic ... a spanking new ironing board cover! (because when you sew, you need to iron a lot more!)
And while my mother is proud of me and my efforts to learn how to sew, I was blown away when my mother, goaded - I mean, inspired - by me, finished this amazing piece of crewel work I wrote about here.
It seemed like everyone was in the grips of creative inspiration last week. Even Cowgirl has been painting and coloring up a storm. She has a passion for scotch tape which is unparalleled. She has been creating a series of train pictures which require two if not three sheets of paper taped together. (I am now realizing she may have been inspired by BIG and my 4 to 6 panel paintings.) What I love about her art are the stories her pieces tell. Here is my favorite:
Me as an octopus wearing a pearl necklace and holding stones for my octopus's garden. Below me is a giant submarine which is labeled "Me" by Cowgirl. Her sub-self (complete with 8 propellers) saves me from a shark and we go on to rescued a family of baby eels. Overhead, an airplane and a jet fly by.
Recounting this all, it seems like I worked at a break neck pace, but in actuality I found the days full and spacious as each activity flowed into the next. There was time to sit with Cowgirl and listen to her stories; I went with my mother to a matinee; I took extra long walks with Moose to center myself. Helpful was this insight that came to me while I was sewing:
I tell my students in yoga again and again, to be sure they are breathing. Finally, the teacher heeded her own advice!
Is it me, or is the fact that I am thinking about creative inspiration on a regular basis making me more prone to finding it all around me? Do share your adventures!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Weekly Reflection (week 43): This Moment
In the spirit of THIS Moment, the ecourse I am taking with Mindy Tsonas of Wishstudio, I revisited the practice of taking a photograph every hour for one day. I am thinking of it as my mid-month mindfulness practice as it really helps me to slow down and recognize the details that one day I know I will miss and right now probably take for granted. Like bath time with Cowgirl or my morning commute.
So with little fanfare ... a few details from a typical day:
7 am: feeding Moose on a chair in an attempt to keep him from gulping his food; yes, we are still tired and blurry 
8 am: morning commute
11 am: at work (banks of slide cabinets)
2 pm: grocery shopping
4 pm: snack time
7 pm: bath timeWhile working on this blog post, I recognized a tightening in my navel center and a kind of breathlessness as I frantically tried to pull the words out of me and onto the keyboard. Realizing a griping within my body, I got up and walked away. My mind needed space to open up. My spirit needed to relax and be. I decided to put the kettle on and take a moment to have hot cocoa with my girl.
Our main task in Mindy's course is to work with daily practice pages. Each day we are to take a moment to turn to our pages as an act of grounding within our lives. The page is small and we can do whatever it is we feel called to do in that moment. The point is not about the finished page, but about the conscious choice to pause at least once in my day and notice and be. The page itself is like a snapshot - one moment of my being captured and preserved.
I've already enjoyed coming home and knowing I will have a moment when I can spill myself onto the page. After my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day (wow, that book takes on new meaning for me now!) my practice page ended up being a healing way of honoring my feelings while also letting go and moving on. I've started many a gratitude journal, but I think this practice suits me better. It is a more the flexible format, and the the practice is open to whatever I feel call to use: words, images, collage, doodles, whatever is appropriate in that moment is spilled onto the page.
Of course my mind is already jabbering away, thinking about future projects that emerge out of this: a journal with words, thoughts, wisdom for Cowgirl; a holiday journal; a Our Year scrapbook ...
Okay, I am pausing, breathing, and allowing the flow of thoughts to travel on by ...
Maybe later, but for now ... this day, a new page.
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