Ritual.

Here is a quick(-ish) synopsis of my inner stagnation and some enlightenment which has been unfolding for me over the last 2 weeks (Please forgive me if I am re-hashing the same topic. - This is much cheaper than a therapist.):

• I quit my full time job in June so that I would have time to take care of my family and to work on writing, and creating artsy stuff.
• My plan was to have a relaxing, fun summer, and then set to work in the fall.  I immensely enjoyed spending the summer with my daughter and husband, and even tackled a few big projects around the house when they were otherwise occupied.  We did have a great summer, but...
• ...I have been (mostly) unfocused and treading water ever since my daughter went back to school.
• Last Monday, Michael and I were (FINALLY - gah!) able to decide that: 1.) The basement would be the best place for my studio / office; 2.) We will move our bedroom back to the first floor master suite; 3.) We will move his office and the guest futon to the upstairs bedroom, which we are currently (and have been since our daughter was a baby) sleeping in.  Having made this long-debated decision, I was still feeling overwhelmed with the task at hand, not knowing where to start.
• The next morning, I saw a quote posted on Facebook by a friend: "Why not just begin? And then figure out step two and three after then first one’s behind you." (This was shared by the lovely and talented Carrie Babcock [of Fred Astaire Dance Studio of Upper Montclair®, NJ and Swingman and the Misfit-Mutts Band , just to name two of her many talents], who is a steady source of inspiration and food for thought.  She shared the quote from the Begin With Yes Facebook page, which has lots of great articles and blurbs.)
• I set my mind to getting started on the unfinished half of the basement, which is full of stuff that needs to be removed or organized in order to make it a useful space.  Much of it is useless junk.  I will sell what is sell-able, donate what is donate-able, organize the keeps, and toss the rest.  So I did some research and decided on the best course of action for getting rid of the garbage which is not re-usable.  I was taking action, making decisions, moving ahead. Yay!

Wish me luck.

•  Immediately after I made the decision to JUST. GET. STARTED!, an article on the Tiny Buddha website caught my eye and attention:  Create Better Days with Empowering Routines and Loving Rituals, by Debra Smouse.  Ms. Smouse's post could have been a page from my journal.  She expresses concerns and situations that are parallel to my own.  She parsed out the tiny, knotted bits of thought that I struggle with.  The article resonated with me so powerfully that 5 pages of notes poured out of me.  (There is a category on the Tiny Buddha website just for posts about Healthy Habits.  These posts are from many different contributing writers, which tells me that I am not alone in my frustration.  *whew* )

Here is a more detailed explanation of the thoughts rambling through my head as I was processing the events listed above:

I have said this before:  I did not LOVE my last full time job.  I took pride in doing a good job, I learned a lot about the business world, my abilities, what I was willing to do, and what I was NOT willing to do.  Upon reflection of my time there, I can also see now that I thrive on routine.  It may be obvious to some people that routine is a good thing.  However, I have struggled with that truth.  I am not a naturally organized person, but I am seeing that in the right environment and with the right motivation, I feel invincible, productive, creative, loving.

For a long time (most of my life, really), I have been flirting with vague, undeveloped thoughts about the importance of routine.  My family has been very fortunate that our daughter is in a stellar school district, and she has had some amazing, influential teachers who run organized, nurturing classrooms.  Their healthy habits have helped my daughter to thrive under their guidance.  I see the direct benefits of those healthy routines in my daughter's work habits and accomplishments.

Knowing the potential beneficial results of routine is one thing, but taking the next step is harder.  I have had chapters in my life during which I was convinced that routine and ritual were dull, stifling, strangling, deadly.  The article on the Tiny Buddha website helped me to realize that *perhaps* my aversion to ritual stems from the fact that many of the rituals I had adopted over the course of my life were destructive.

I am so thankful to have seen this article because, in addition to outlining the importance of ritual and routine, it also lists suggestions and examples of HEALTHY, nurturing, productive rituals that can be adopted into one's daily life.  This was key for me, and I'll tell you why:  While I am very mindful of and grateful for the countless blessings in my life, I just did not have the awareness of the skills needed to just freaking start on a healthy path.  Sadly, I needed a prompt to get me going on the work that needs to be done in order to get me to the place where I can actually be a useful and productive member of my family and society.  I want to be helpful.  Whenever possible.  But I have been so personally disorganized (in mind and action) that I have been wasting time and energy all over the place.  Spinning my wheels, and then kicking myself in the butt for not being more useful and productive. I realize this is a recurring theme for me.  My quest for organization is ongoing.

I repeat myself when I am distressed.
I repeat myself when I am distressed.

I am going to start incorporating some of the rituals suggested by Ms. Smouse, and see where it leads me.  Will I find some of the focus that I crave?  We shall see.  I will quit my belly-aching now.  Thank you for coming along for the ride. :)


xo,
Tamara

"Slow and steady..." says Apprehensive Turtle.

Request(s)?

Howdy, folks!  I wanted to take a minute to let you all know that I am currently working on a post regarding the helpfulness of ritual and routine. (Physician, heal thyself! :)  I have five pages of notes that were scribbled in a fit of inspiration the other day.  I am finally able to sit back down to muddle through my notes, trying to make a cohesive story out of it all. 

One thing which I wrote down that day, in my stream of consciousness, was the fact that I have notebooks full of ideas for blog posts, articles, short stories, novels, screenplays, art projects, home renovation & decorating, and "buckets list" missions.  Obviously, some of these ideas are more ambitious than others.  Blog posts are one of the less ambitious undertakings, and are also lots of fun for me, especially when I have a specific goal or topic in mind.

I thought I would try an experiment.  I would like to ask you all to let me know whether there are any particular topics that you would like to read my musings about.  I have a wide array of interests that I would love to take a closer look at.  I am tempted to list some of my areas of interest here, but I think for now that I will leave this open-ended and see what, if any, topics are suggested without leading it myself.

So, what would YOU like to read about in a future post?  All suggestions will be entertained.  ;)

Signage.

A few weeks ago I went to The Windmill in Penn Yan, NY for the first time.  My husband, daughter and I met my brother, sister in law, nephew, youngest sister, dad, and step-mom there on a cool, crisp, quintessential  fall day.

The ride from Fairport to Penn Yan seemed to take forever!  I was second-guessing the wisdom of making the trek out there with every mile that passed.  However, the company and the scenery were really beautiful, so I did my best to focus on that, and not be too whiny about the length of the drive.  (Ha.)

When we (FINALLY! GAH!) got to The Windmill, I was shocked at how much there was to see.  The Instagram opportunities were astounding (as I have illustrated beautifully, below).  There were hundreds of vendors  [Ok, I looked on the website after I wrote that, and it says "roughly 100 vendors", but it sure as snot seemed like more. Harumph.] of all types, including: food, arts & crafts, clothing, jewelry, tools, furniture, home decor, antiques, collectibles.  And some kick-a** old fashioned pierogies.  I actually can't wait to go back.  And take Instagram pictures.  And eat pierogies.  I may even Instagram the pierogies.

Windtamer.  Righteous!  Google it!

This pendant was at a jewelry vendor which lets you pick an oyster out of a tank (for $20) and you get to keep the pearl inside.  Turns out my kid is amazing at picking oysters with rare and valuable pearls.  Huh.  Go figure.

There were a LOT (not committing to a number this time - I learned THAT lesson) of vendors selling signs of various sizes and styles, for hanging in your home (or wherever you might want to hang a sign).

A helpful suggestion for sign placement, from http://www.kansastravel.org/hubblesrubble.htm.

Some of the types of signs:

• Hand-painted & unique
• Hand-painted, but mass produced
• Factory made & mass produced
• Antique / vintage
• Vintage reproduction 

My sister in law and I were in one of the vendor booths, looking at some very simple, mass produced signs that had different sayings on them: funny, goofy, sweet, inspirational.  She spotted one sign in particular which had the saying, "Snakes & snails & puppy dog tails / That's what little boys are made of".  It also had a simple silhouette of a truck on it.  Her son (my nephew) - 2 years old - LOVES all types of vehicles. She was saying to my sister and me how cute she thought that sign would be in her son's room.  I immediately said, "I can make you a sign like that!" and got all excited and stuff.  Painting wall hangings (of various types) has been high on my list of projects at which I would like to try my hand.  (<~That sentence made for some awkward English.)  (<~ So did that one.)

I have been struggling with getting started on projects: doubting myself, making excuses, putting it off, comparing myself to artists I admire, blah blah blah.  This was the perfect opportunity to force myself to make something.  I do my best work under pressure.  At least that is what I tell myself to excuse my procrastinational tendencies. 

Once I said those words to my sister in law, the pressure was on.  Yeehaw!  The project was in my head from that moment on.
I thought about how I would do it.
I bought some acrylic craft paint in the colors I wanted to use.
I found a simple silhouette of a truck and a cute font to use as a guidelines.
My husband, Michael, helped me find a scrap piece of pine which was just the right size in the basement.
One night I even dreamed about making it and presenting it to my sister in law, brother, and nephew.   

My haul from the trip to Michaels for supplies.  I could spend all day there.  It is physically painful to leave.

My man found me some wood in the basement.

I was anxious to start (and finish) it.  I kicked myself (metaphorically, of course, because, uh, yeah, I'm not that limber) at the end of every day that went by that I didn't at least start putting paint to wood.  I got hung up on the fact that I wanted to cut the board into two pieces.  Which meant I had to use the circular saw that we bought a few months ago.  Scary!!!  Of course, all I had to do was mention it to Michael, and he jumped up, grabbed the circular saw, put the blade in, handed the saw over to me.  (He was also anxious for me to get into a project, and quit belly-aching about being afraid to try and fail.)

My first attempt was crooked. Hesitation makes for wonky cuts.  :o/

Michael helped me get one piece straightened out, and I managed(-ish) the other one, following his example.  I sanded them both, smoothing the surface on the front, and also softened the corners and edges a bit.  Palm sanders: I can handle those.

And one became two (decidedly NOT square-cornered) pieces.

Now for the fun part:  Painting!  This was a bit daunting because it had been so long since I painted anything.  I wasn't sure how to go about it, but paint is much less scary than the potentially maiming saw, so I dove in.  I got into it pretty quickly, and relished the feel of the brush in my hand.  Aaaahhhh...  Heaven!

I winged it on the background color and border, stepping back occasionally to check for (relative) symmetry.

The hardest part was roughing in the lettering.  I wanted it to look evenly spaced and balanced, both horizontally and vertically.  The example I was looking at as a guideline used the other version of the saying, which says "Snips" instead of "Snakes", and in my intense concentration on the layout, I "Snip"ped when I wanted to "Snake".  Oops!

Trying to get the all of the letters to fit! 

It didn't come out perfectly, but I am really happy with the results, and SO relieved to finally have this under my belt.  I can't wait to give it to my nephew!!! 

Done!  (Hey!  Why is this photo out of focus?!?  Maybe I should actually READ one of the articles that I re-Pinned on Pinterest which tell one how to take good photos for one's blog.  But then I might feel pressured to use punctuation and grammar in "less creative" ways, too.  Oh, well.  You get the idea.)

Closer view of the bottom panel.  I love this truck.  :)

Getting this done has given me some confidence and momentum.  I have so many ideas and mediums which I have been wanting to play around with.  Crap, what should I do next?!?! 

XO,
T.

Cleanse.

It is Day 3 of our 3-5 day cleanse.  We are having some withdrawal symptoms, but dealing fairly well with them.  I have a headache that comes and goes.  Neither of us feels great yet, so we are going to stick it out for the full 5 days and hope for improvement.

Because of the cleanse, there is a lot more food prep going on in our house than usual, and that takes up quite a bit of time.  I can't just grab a protein bar on the run, or make a big pot of coffee to drink from all morning.  It is all fresh fruits and veggies, very limited grains, nothing processed.  We have managed to have some fun being creative with what IS allowed on this diet.

These whole foods were chopped and blended to create the "smoothie" shown in the next photo.

I will not go to the trouble of making this ever again. ;P   It looked pretty, though!

We tried quinoa for the first time.  Very bland, but I liked the texture and it was enjoyable with some cinnamon, flax seed, and finely diced apple (for me) and sliced banana (for him).

This was my favorite experiment so far. On the left: 1 hard boiled egg, 1/4 of an avocado, dash of yellow mustard, fresh ground pepper.  On the right:  Steamed kale, lemon juice, red pepper flakes.  I ended up combining the two, and it was delish!

[Disclaimer for the rest of this post:  I really don't want this to be an online diary or therapy session.  My ultimate intent is for this blog to be informative, inspirational, and entertaining.  Right now, though, I am still working on getting myself back into a creative energy groove after such a long hiatus.  So I apologize for the excessive "I"s and "me"s being used. And for the lack of a clear topic.  But there is some jumbled junk blocking my thoughts, and until I get that out and onto "paper", I can't focus on the good stuff. I am hoping that this will improve as I continue to practice, practice, practice.  If you are reading this, Thank You for being my writing practice guinea pig.]

I had a rough start this morning.  And by "rough start" I mean I was feeling sorry for myself.  And when I feel sorry for myself, I get mad at - you guessed it: myself - for being such a wuss.  I have been frustrated and disappointed.  I am stuck in a rut, un-motivated, scared, distracted, foggy-brained.

I am hoping the cleanse will help with some of the brain fog.  I have read and heard first hand from varied sources that acupuncture can be very helpful for this, as well as many other health concerns.  So, as I often do when I need information fast, I put a post on Facebook asking my friends for recommendations for an acupuncturist.  I got some really great leads, and will be contacting the suggested practitioners to find the right fit for our family.  

While I was working full time I would daydream about having time to be with my family, write, and work on creative projects.  I wondered what the heck I had done with my days before I had a full time job.  I made a solemn vow that if I got that free time back I would NEVER waste it again.  Sadly, I have broken that vow.  I need to get my motivation rolling, and practice writing and creating every day, as if it is my job.  Breaking the ice and getting into a habit is difficult for me.  And I tend to procrastinate.  A lot.  Even though I know how much better it is to just jump into something.  Even though I know I perform better when I am busy (with a reasonable amount of down time to re-charge, of course).

So, (after a heart to heart talk with my sweet husband and an hour long hike with my puppy - both of which always make me feel much better) in an attempt to introduce some direction and discipline, and I made a list of what I want to accomplish today :

• Transfer photos from my cell phone to my laptop so that I can use them in blog posts. (Done, hence the photos in this posting.)
• Write this post. (Almost done.)
• Wash at least 2 loads of laundry.  (Half way there.)
• Sweep / vacuum all floors in the house. (This will have to get moved to tomorrow's list, as the photos and writing took a helluva lot longer than I expected. Plus, you know, I am easily distracted. Ha.)
• Practice drawing stuff. (This is going to have to wait until later / tomorrow, too, because now it is time to get ready for the next item of business.)
• Get ready to go to calling hours for my mother's cousin who has passed away. :(

Enjoying a peaceful moment on our new favorite hiking trail.

Instafamous

I have an addiction to Instagram.  Like, I'm completely obsessed.



I love capturing moments in time: a running, truncated, artistic commentary on my life, and the lives of the family, friends, and artists that I follow.

Inspiration Incorporated!

I quit my job in June. 

I worked full time for two and a half years in a customer service / quasi-project manager role. I was grateful to find a job when I needed one, and at a sketchy time in our nation's economy.  I worked hard at that job and took pride in doing my best.  I worked with some really great people. I made friends that I will keep for life.  I learned a lot about the business world and even more about myself.

One of the things that I learned about myself is that I will never love the telecom business, no matter how hard I try.  And, believe me, I tried.  I was presented with opportunities to learn more and move up in the company.  It was very flattering, but instead of being excited about these opportunities, I became increasingly desperate to escape that world.  I yearned to have more time to be creative.  I spent many lunch breaks jotting down ideas for art, home decorating, and writing projects of all sorts.  In every room of the house there are notebooks and loose pieces of paper which have story ideas, drawings, and lists of projects scribbled in them.

I agonized, deliberated, prayed about the decision.  I asked friends and relatives for their honest opinion.  I worried about what people would think.  I worried about losing the income for our family.  I kept asking my husband, "Are you sure it's okay?" Almost every day I asked him the same questions, seeking reassurance, giving him the chance to change his mind.

Because *what if* I suck at writing and art and make a fool of myself?  Publicly.  *shudder*

My last day at my J.O.B. was 2 days before the end of school for my daughter.  This summer I have been focused mostly on enjoying my daughter and my husband, getting back into exercising, hiking with my dog... 

 

It has been a lot of fun, and I am ever so grateful to have the chance to do it! However, this whole time, in the back of my mind (sometimes the middle, and occasionally the front), has been the need to spend some time alone to carve away some of the residue which has clogged my brain.

Back in May (before I quit my job) I signed up for a workshop (see below), along with the lovely and talented Mary Ann Lana.  (PLEASE, for your own sake, check her out.  She is not only gorgeous and brilliant, but she is an inspired photographer, and fricken hilarious!)  I have a lot of ambitious ideas for this fall, including attending this event in a few weeks!      

 

I have been somewhat obsessively following artists that I find inspirational, and need to take action in the direction of creating my own art and writing.  I am trying to get myself organized and motivated, and doing as much as I can think of in order to get that ball rolling. 

On Monday I am going to start a detox / clean eating week which will include some of this Hay House cleansing beverage, and some of Lauren Kelly's clean eating menu.  I have caffeine and sugar addictions that need tempering.  I feel foggy and am lacking focus.  I have done clean eating before, and felt amazing after the cravings subsided, but had difficulties sticking to it.  So, this time, I convinced my sweet husband to do the cleanse with me.  Safety in numbers?  Let's hope.  

I will keep you posted.

Anyone out there struggling with motivation, clarity, and instilling healthy habits?  Suggestions, thoughts, commiserations, concerns? 

Oh, the vanity...

As a small child I had light blonde, shiny, bouncy hair.

Me (3-ish) on the left, my sister, Karen (2-ish), on the right. I had just "trimmed her bangs" that morning.  Nice.

My hair became thicker and darker as I got older. Karen and I spent our summers running around in the sun, which created some lovely natural highlights, but eventually my hair began to resist the sun more and more.

I was probably 7 or 8 here, judging from the snazzy blue spectacles.

This is me at 12, in my first padded bra (obviously a proud moment).

Dissatisfied with the changes in my appearance (and partly, I think, to assert some sort of control over my life), I began to color my hair. It started in junior high school with two streaks of hot pink semi-permanent hair color at my temples (how I wish I had a photo of this!). Through my high school years I dabbled with lemon juice, Sun-In spray, and peroxide straight from the bottle (YIKES!). I began to notice a few gray hairs during high school, but there were only a few, so I just plucked them as I noticed them. No big deal.

After high school I started using box color from the grocery store. I have quite a few natural red-heads in my family, and had always wanted that for myself, so my colors of choice were various shades of auburn. I would change the color almost every time, but generally stuck to the red / auburn / strawberry blonde colors. I felt it worked well with my fair complexion and greenish/ hazel eyes.

The Bogdon clan during my college years - dark auburn. (How did I end up in the middle?)

On my honeymoon - strawberry blonde. (WTHeck was up with that outfit??? Wow.)

In my late twenties, when I was trying to get pregnant, I stopped coloring my hair because I didn't want to use those chemicals during pregnancy.

At my baby shower, "gracefully" growing out my hair. (Still a lot of red on the lower half.

)

After my daughter, Ariel, was born I was too tired and overwhelmed to even think about coloring my hair again.  As the mommy-brain fog slowly lifted, I began to notice more and more gray hairs popping up. Too many to pluck. Time to start coloring again. I did it myself for a while, but with a toddler running around, it was difficult to carve out the 2 hours of time for myself, so most of the time it was partially grown out. I hated the way it looked, and the harsh chemicals of the cheap box color were really beginning to damage my hair. Enter: my friend Erin. She is 10 years younger than me, so when I met her I was 33 and she was 23. She was an unmarried (dating my husband's band mate at that time), no kids, beautiful, fresh, edgy/chic, smart, quick-witted wisp of a young woman. And a helluva hair dresser. After we got to know each other a bit better, she agreed to come to my home to give me a good cut and color to freshen up my style (which I have consistant difficulty with). She did an amazing job, and I was so thrilled to have that pampering again.

My favorite style by Erin.  LOVED this cut!

This continued for a couple of years, but as I got busier with Ariel's growing list of activities, and Erin's life changed around, it became harder to make the time to get my hair done. I occasionally visited her at the salon where she worked, but that was difficult, too. I gave up on treating myself to salon visits, and started (sporadically) coloring my hair by myself again. And, again, it was usually half grown out and continually more damaged by the box coloring products.

Box-o-strawberry-blonde hair damage happening here.

Then I met Kristie. Kristie is one of those people that I was immediately drawn to and wanted to get to know. She exudes beauty, light, warmth and humanity. I soon found out that she is also a fabulous hairstylist. BONUS! So after getting to know each other as friends, she finally became my hairdresser, too.

Over the last few years we have played around with lengths, thinning varying amounts of bulk from my hair, bangs of various shapes and styles, keratin treatments to help with coarseness and frizz, a plethora of colors, and occasional highlights. Her hair is similar to mine, so she "gets" it, and always made my hair look great. I am kind of (extremely) lazy about styling my hair, so for me, the more care-free the cut, the better. We also found a shade and color that is the best as far as the roots not being too horribly obvious as it grows out. There is a delicate balance between being light enough that the grays don't glare at me when they start to re-emerge, and dark enough that it doesn't look too "skunky" as it grows out.

Longer and blonde-ish, thinned out and freshly blown-out by Kristie...

Shorter and darker...

Medium-red, longer... (That's Kristie and her husband, John :)

I am, by nature, a shy person, and try to blend in as much as possible (most of the time ;).  I could easily become reclusive, if pushed too hard in that direction.  I am self-conscious about my appearance and my authenticity as a human being, and have relied on my hair as a bit of a mask for both.  I have tended to hide behind it.  As I am aging, I am becoming more self-conscious, physically and emotionally.  (Posting this many photos of myself feels very awkward and scary.)

On the emotional side, I am trying to reach out to people more, on a heart-felt level.  I am looking at my reactions to people, and trying to open myself up to letting love in, and stop judging - both myself and others.  (More on this in other posts to come...)

On the physical side, I am giving thought and consideration to letting my hair color grow out.  I have consulted with Ariel and Michael.  I paraphrase:

• Ariel says, "Color it.  The gray makes you look old."  

• Michael says, "Stop coloring it and cut it shorter.   I love the gray and want you to grow old gracefully with me." 

*sigh*  Bless their hearts.

My take on the situation:

• Keeping my hair colored and the grays covered helps me to pretend that I am still young and fresh.  
• Contrarily, keeping my hair colored and the grays covered makes me feel like a bit of a fraud. I am 41 years old.  I am most definitely NOT the 16 year old kid that still lives in my head.  

These two opposing view-points battle it out in my head, frequently doused with the hose by the part of me that says, "Oh my GOD, you are so vain!  Get over it!  It's only HAIR, fer Pete's sake!  Get a grip!  There are dogs and children starving in the streets while you agonize over your HAIR!!!  No one cares about your HAIR!!!"

I know I am not the only person to grasp at fading youth.  The beauty industry continues to boom, despite wars and recessions.  But for me, right now, I am trying to focus on living in the moment, being authentic, re-connecting with myself and my family.

So, for now, I am growing it out.  This, of course, is as subject to change as our wonderful Western New York weather...

Last week, at a party with friends.  Hair: Gray at the temples, messy, sweaty, half pulled back, in need of a trim. And me: Oh, so happy. :)

What are your thoughts and feelings about your own aging?  Do you struggle with it or embrace it, and why?  I'd love to hear other view points!

Shiny.

I have been pondering for months, actually, probably longer than that; let's say years, on a project that I would like to take on as a continuing series of postings.  

There is a LONG list of people in my life who inspire me in varied ways.  They are close friends, family members, acquaintances, strangers, and everywhere in between.  I have been yearning to sit down with these people and interview them, get to know them better, find out what makes them tick (or tic, as the case may be ;) ), and in my own little way, share them with everyone I can. 

My desire to share them with you is multifaceted: 

• Hopefully you will find them as inspiring as I do.
• Hopefully you will follow their work, buy their products or support their causes.  
• Hopefully people will connect with others that they may never have met otherwise and blossom in their own lives because of it.
• Hopefully the lives of all involved will be enriched in some way.  I know mine will be.

I made the leap today.  I reached out to someone that I barely know in "real life."  I follow her blogs, her facebook postings, her Etsy shop.  This is a woman with incredible grace, humor, talent and beauty.  She inspires me with every word she writes.  I have wanted to get to know her better for so long now, and took a chance that she might be receptive to be my interview guinea pig.  Hooray - she agreed!  We set a date to get together in the near future.  I can barely contain my excitement!  I can't wait to tell you all about her!  Stay tuned!!  :)


This is my dream:  To help others find light in themselves and each other. 
These are lofty goals.  I am going to give it my all.

Some words from Bob Lonsberry

Lonsberry

Making room.

I only have a few minutes, but wanted to post some pictures of the space that I FINALLY made for crafting, creating art, writing, and wherever else I am lead.  The photos were taken with my iPad, so they aren't very good, but you get the idea.  Pooter obviously loves the spot, though.  :)

I hope to spend some time there very soon and expound upon my journey to making this place in my home and also what I intend to do with it.  Stay tuned!

Leaping!

I am reading this book right now, and am continually struck with thoughts of how I was lead to read it.  I am so thankful.   EXACTLY what I needed right now.  <3

http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Leap-Freeing-Ourselves-Habits/dp/1590308433/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326908254&sr=8-1