Finding Water week 6

Finding Water Week 6 Check in.

I did my morning pages 7 days, took an artist date at a bead store and haven't had the walk formally although I have done a lot of walking this week.

Exercises:

5 things of beauty in my neighborhood

1. Just down the street about ½ mile a way is Phebe’s house. She has a small;l corral with 5 horses in it. They are beautiful. A special favorite to see is the Appaloosa she is spotted brown and white on her rump. I mentally say “Hi” to all the horses when I drive by.

2. The birds that hang around my house are always a site for awe. In addition to robins, magpies, turtle dove’s meadowlarks, we also see many kinds of hawks, kestrels, northern harriers. On occasion I will see a Great Horned Owl.

3. If you turn right at Phebe’s house and start the 5 mile trip to town you might get a chance at seeing the eagles. They have a favorite tree they like to perch on. Usually I just see one but on occasion I get the treat of seeing 2 eagles.

4. On a clear day you can see the Teton Mountains. They are so far away that all you see are tops. There is no mistaking the Grand Teton. I always make a mental to note to look for them. They are a spiritual place of wonder.

5. The Snake River menders all throughout Idaho and we have a pretty little spot in our town. The river has been dammed so we have a waterfall and a scenic greenbelt to walk around. It’s a gathering place for people an wildlife.


10 things to feel better

1. Get up, go outside and sit in the backyard.
2. Take a bath with lovely scents.
3. Put on some music
4. Make some tea, use a teapot not a mug
5. Call a friend to talk
6. Pick up a favorite novel, read a short passage that will take you back in
time and space.
7. Put on an essential oil that smells great.
8. Bake some cookies.
9. Get out your drum an make music for 5 minutes.
10. Pet an animal like your cat or dog.

I found this easy again. I think finding the 10 things to make me feel better was interesting, I will have to use these ideas.

One World One Heart.

I was the consolation winner at Kelli's blog.
I got her card which I think looks great. Plus all these fabrics and trims. All hand dyed. They are gorgeous, thanks Kelli.

































Quote for the Day: The Artists object is to make things not as nature makes them, but as she would make then - Raphael

An Owl's nest

I was too busy to blog yesterday. Having Sarah home is great but there is definetly a dimension added to my day. One of the planned things was to go back to market lake to see this Great Horned Owl's nest. About all you can see is the owls head. We do plan to go back and see if we can see the babies at a later date.


















We also saw this Ross goose. It looks quite like a Snow goose but it is smaller. It was all by its self so it was easy to get a picture of it.

I think I have my charm idea all set. After running to 3 bead store yesterday I now have what I need. I was short a couple beads and thought for sure I could find them locally. I went to craft stores first which was a mistake, I should of headed to the real bead store first instead of last. Anyways I hope to ghet some time to work on them and get them sent out at least by the first of the week.

Sarah goes back to college on Sunday, this time Dave will drive her so I'll skip all that driving. It reminded me of when I was up visiting her. One of the girls on the floor needed to vacuum her rugs. So here is Sarah and 2 other girls and they can't figure out how to turn the vacuum on. Now I swear she has used the vacuum before so I thought this was quite funny. They came and got me and of course I found the switch in a few seconds. I had a laugh at that. The switch was in an odd place and they didn't see it where it was normally at on a vacuum cleaner so they were stumped. Hopefully by the end of their College careers they will be able to think out of the box a little more. I like to think they would have figured it out if I hadn't been there. When I think back on it I do have to laugh.

Quote of the Day: The artist's world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep." - Paul Strand

Its one of those weeks

On Monday I started work in the garden again. I am determined to get some of it going this year. Well I proceeded plant those primroses but as you can see this planter needs way more plants in it.














I have Sarah digging up rocks for me. This is the pile she got out. These are mostly slate like rocks and I am going to make a rock wall with them.














There are also tons of little lava rocks that need to be hauled away. I must have hauled 5 or 6 wheel barrow full of stuff in the last 2 years. There is still a lot to go though. I am hoping to at least get part of this going so I can sit out there and enjoy it.

















Then I stepped on a board. The rusty screw went right through my Birkenstock's. I couldn't remember when I last had a tetanus shot. My Dr. had no record, so I called the emergency places and still no record. So I went to the doctors today to get one.

Yesterday I stopped to get some beading wire to work on my charms and when I wrote a check the lady told me that my license had expired. I couldn't believe it, but it had. I have been driving illegally for a month. So then it was on to the Drivers license place to get a new one.

Today I realized the charms I am making are not going to work. Boo hoo. I was using Mexican red clay that air dries and painting it with lumiere, but they seem to easy to break so I will have to make something else. I would love to do some of the collaged pieces with glass. Of course then I'd have to get that solder gun, some glass and have time to learn how to do them. Maybe next time. Then I thought oh I'll do something beaded, I have lots of beads. Of course I do not have 15 of anything. It is so frustrating when you have all this stuff but still you do not have what you need. GRRR... I did go to the craft store today and I have a couple ideas now. So its back to the studio to see which will work best.

Quote of the Day: "We do not stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing." Author Unknown

Some scenes from my trip

Blogger wouldn't load pic yesterday so hopefully today will work out better. Then our internet was down, its always something.














Well when I drove to Montana this time I took the long way. First I got to Jackson. I have been to Jackson Michigan, Jackson, Wyoming and Jackson Montana, There are a lot of other Jacksons in the states maybe I'll make it to more of them one day.




Then I felt I needed some of this. I always thought this was a neat name for a town. It is so small though, just a few buildings and you are done.














I stopped in Victor to go the the Redsun Labyrinth. My friend Patty Meyer owns the place. She has neat little things along the path to the Labyrinth. A sculpture out of twigs and a stone cache as examples.



























Here is the gate to the labyrinth.














This how the Labyrinth looks when you first begin.















I had a really nice walk, I got some good insights on the books I want to write. I really felt that my mom and grandparents were on the walk with me. It was a nice feeling.



















Last night I worked on the hawk picture. This is about done as it can get. I think I will try doing it again on bigger paper. I am not sure why I did this in a watercolor sketchbook it seems a waste of paper. Oh well it was a really good exercise though.

Quote of the Day: "It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters in the end." - Ursula Le Guin

Postcards from England

I got this in the mail a couple days ago. A nice greeting from Kai who is in England right now.













This is what I got at the UM bookstore. Some pens, pencils, paint and a sheet of paper. I got another copic pen and a Faber Casteel Pitt pen. I started a drawing there and needed a better pencil so I bought a new one and an eraser (not in the pic) Oh I also bought this drawing board. I got Sarah one the last time I was there and it seemed pretty nice. So this time I got one for myself. It has a clip board to hold paper in place, a rubber band holder and a handle. They come in all sizes but this seemed a practical size to me.
















This is the first stage of my drawing of hawk I only had a 2h pencil, while at the bookstore I picked up a 2b It is starting to look better. You probably can see where I used each pencil. This needs more work but I thought I would share the beginnings at least. This way you know I do some art.



















Weaving progress.

I have the loom warped, all the bobbins are filled, now all I need do is re do the tie up and I can get to weaving. It doesn't look like much yet. Here are a few pics from the studio.




































Quote of the Day: "When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college - that my job was to teach people how to draw." She stared at me, incredulous, and said, "You mean they forget?" ~Howard Ikemoto

Finding Water Week Five

Finding Water week 5 check In

I took a walk along the canal this week. It was the first time in a long time so it was very nice. Flynn had a great time. I did my morning pages every day this week.
I took an Artist date at the book store in Missoula. One of the requirements this week is to do a list of things we love so hear in mine.

What I love;

1. Looking at stars
2. The Moon
3. Strawberries and cream.
4. A walk in the moonlight
5. The songs of birds
6. Seeing crows, eagles, hawks
7. Drawing
8. Creating Art
9. Weaving
10. Spinning my own yarn
11. Dyeing fibers and fabric
12. Making something out of nothing
13. Petting a cat
14. Blue skies and sunshine 70 degrees’
15. The smell of fresh baked bread
16. A slice of fresh bread with raspberry honey butter at the State Fair
17. Fresh peaches over vanilla ice scream
18. Going out to lunch with friends
19. My family
20. The smell of freshly shorn sheep
21. Giving handmade gifts
22. Burning candles and incense
23. Camping at Teton national park
24. Going to see wolves at Yellowstone National Park
25. Playing with watercolors
26. Discovering more about myself
27. Connecting with other women
28. To hear live music
29. Listening to all kinds of music
30. Talking about hopes and dreams with others
31. The ocean
32. Walking on the beach, along the river
33. Swimming
34. Teaching others to create
35. Meeting people on the Internet
36. Working on puzzles
37. Playing board games
38. Dancing
39. quiet time alone
40. Flowers
41. A good glass of wine
42. The comfort of tea
43. Traveling to other places
44. Walking Labyrinths
45. Living in the mountains
46. Reading a good story
47. Writing
48. Going to the Utah desert
49. My new paintings
50. Learning new things

Once again I found this week easy going. Not sure what that means. We are headed in to week 6 which is halfway through the book. I realize I have never gotten this far before so it must being part of a group that helps.

On The Road Again

I am going to Missoula in the morning so I will not have time to blog then. I am heading here. I am taking a different route so I can stop in Victor and go walk the labyrinth. If you have walked a labyrinth before you know what a special thing it can be. This is one of the nicest Labyrinths I have ever seen. I have walked them in Bath, England and in Ketchum, Idaho, but this one is my favorite.

After that I'll drive the remining 40 miles to Missoula. I'll spend the night and take Sarah home for Spring Break on Friday after her classes are over. Of course I have planned in a visit to the Book Store's art department. I can't visit without doing that. I have to entertain myself thursday night since she has 3 tests the next day. I will haul a bunch of art supplies and usually end up leaving home the one thing I need. I also have until 2 on Friday to play so it will be fun. If I get bored I can always go shopping or go and sketch in town. Lots to do there.

Its Officially Spring

One world One Heart

Its time to pick the lucky recipient of the earrings I made for this giveaway. The Winner is Lisa Oceandreamer... I'll pop these in the mail as soon as I remember where I put them... I know they are on this desk somewhere... Thanks to everyone who left a comment, I loved meeting all of you and hope you'll visit again. Thanks to Lisa for organizing this, it was so much fun.


100 things about me

I saw this on my friend Sue's blog and liked the idea. So here are my 100.


1. When I was a child I was a allergic to chocolate, now I make up for lost eating time.
2. I really like white chocolate
3. I can spend hours on the Internet and not get bored.
4. I have more than one studio, one for weaving, the other for arts, crafts, sewing
5. I love books and I buy way too many of them
6. I love to dance but don’t have many opportunities
7. I love English Gardens and am building one in my backyard
8. I have 2 cats, a Siamese named Lucky and a tortoise shell named Eowyn, both strays
9. I have a border collie named Flynn
10. I have a black colored llama named Astro
11. I have 5 Shetland sheep named Emily, Gabrielle, Juno, Titan and Athena.
12. Two sheep are white, one is oatmeal colored, 1 brown and 1 black.
13. The black sheep and the black llama hang out together.
14. I have 1 daughter in college in Montana
15. I have a husband who is an Engineer
16. I live 100 miles from Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks
17. There is a potato field right across the street from me.
18. In late September I go pick free potatoes in the field, they are left behind by the big potato equipment, this is called gleaning,
19. I spin my own yarn.
20. I dye my own yarn and other fibers to sell to spinners.
21. I weave blankets towels, scarves on my own looms.
22. I like to knit sock, sweaters, hats etc.
23. I like dolphins, dragonfly’s, wolves
24. I have 2 spinning wheels and 3 looms and a roomful of yarn
25. I want to swim with dolphins someday
26. I want to retrace my Irish grand parent’s journey and write a book about it.
27. I have 2 sisters and 3 brothers who live in Michigan
28. Sometime I will start cooking something on the stove and go do something else. Then I remember I am cooking and have burnt eggs and have to start over again.
29. I don’t like the wind and I live in a windy area.
30. I like taking photographs.
31. I am interested in Astronomy.
32. I really like the moon
33. I like Sci Fi shows
34. I love birds and love to go bird watching.
35. I went to see The Two Towers and Return of the King in costume
36. I like to drink orange juice out of a wine glass.
37. I like to drink wine out of a wine glass too.
38. I have the best friends in the world.
39. I have been on a spiritual path since I was a teenager
40. I have been asked are you a witch, are you a Buddhist? But I am unclassifiable. I do some Pagan things and some Buddhist things and I go to a Unitarian church but most make my way in the spiritual world by what feels right to me.
41. I often say I am a recovering Catholic.
42. I want to write but I don’t make it my main focus so it doesn’t happen. My own fault.
43. I did write a first draft of a mystery novel last November but haven’t looked at it since.
44. The writing desire never seems to leave me.
45. Sometimes I do so many different creative things that I get overwhelmed on what should be done next or stressed because I am not doing something.
46. I have been working on balance all my life, but I am still of kilter.
47. I love living in the Mountains but someday I like to leave near the Ocean.
48. I meditate in a combination of Zen, mindfulness, Tibetan and other techniques.
49. I love music and am always looking for new kinds.
50. My daughter and I have a real close relationship.
51. I didn’t have that with my mom so I changed the family pattern.
52. I like to read mysteries.
53. I like reading Kris Radish books, I am of that age and love her characters, I always find myself somewhere in her books. They help me make sense of my own life,
54. I have met Laurie Metcalf (she was in Roseanne) and fixed her spinning wheel
55. I love flowers
56. I am starting to love photography; so I am getting a good camera soon.
57. I love going out to lunch with friends
58. I like receiving gifts.
59. I like giving gifts.
60. I learned to sew as a child and used to make my own clothes.
61. I can get really addicted to a television show. like Heroes
62. My favorite sheep Is Gabrielle, she has the sweetest face,
63. I believe in synchronicity
64. I believe there are no accidents.
65. I teach classes in spinning, weaving, dyeing, beading etc
66. My favorite color is purple with teal coming a close second.
67. I like eating breakfast food for dinner.
68. I like Celtic music
69. I grew up near Detroit Michigan
70. I have lived in Michigan, Wisconsin, Utah and Idaho
71. I have traveled to England, Scotland and France.
72. I want to go to Ireland next.
73. One of my favorite things to eat is Spaghetti noodles with butter and parmesan cheese.
74. I like my own spaghetti sauce better than any other I have tasted.
75. I make the best apple pie in the world.
76. My cheesecake is to die for too.
77. I have some friends I talk to every day.
78. I like to use essential oils for healing and well being.
79. I have a Native American style drum.
80. I like to use incense by AIRS, Most of the scents are water scents, makes sense since I am a Pisces, which is a water sign.
81. I have been painting the rooms in my house all different colors, no more white for me .
82. I love doing art.
83. I have taken classes in colored pencil, acrylic and watercolor.
84. I made myself an art studio that I really love.
85. Collage is my latest art obsession
86. I take a journal with me everywhere I go.
87. Sometime I write in journals and sometimes I draw.
88. I would like to be drawing more.
89. I have shelves of yarn that I have made.
90. I am generous with my time
91. Sometimes I think I am wise.
92. I like to sing to music while driving and I turn it up loud.
93. I can listen to some songs over and over and over
94. Sometimes I stay in Pajamas all day
95. I used to study the Course in Miracles
96. Usually I am a night person but sometimes I like to do things early in the morning.
97. When reading on a new subject I like it if the books were written by women.
98. In the winter I will take off my coat and leave my scarf on and wear it in the house, it keeps you in warmer.
99. I wish I could see my mother again
100. I wanted to be a singer but didn’t have the voice


Quote of the Day: "What we need is more people who specialize in the impossible" - Theodore Roethke

Using the New Camera

Oh I love the new camera, I am getting better pictures of the Eagles and Crows on the road to town.














Once in awhile there are two eagles on this tree right along the banks of the Snake River. They are hunting for fish when they sit there. Sarah and Dave once saw 3 eagles on this tree but I have never seen more than two. Usually there is just one and they are not there everyday. I feel lucky to glimpse them as often as I do. We get a lot of kestrels around here. Dave built a kestrel house for them, we hope one will take up residence this spring. I see lots of hawks right out my door, they are on telephone poles and fence posts on my road and then on the next road leading to town.














Here are some crows for Pam, I have become so found of them I will really miss them when they move on for the summer. I like the one with the little patch of white. Dave now calls them "My Crows".

Some of the Glitter sisters met in Yorkshire and posted a pic of their gathering. It was so great to see all the faces and see what a wonderful time they were having. We are quite a group. Makes me all the more excited about meeting Pam in September. That'll be a riot for sure. I am meeting a couple other Internet buddies next month in Baltimore and that will be a incredible time for sure. We have been writing for over ten years and it will be our first meeting. I love it.

One World One Heart

The prizes will be picked tomorrow morning. Send a comment to enter to win my earrings before then.

Quote of the Day: "Discarding doubt is a decision to connect with your original self, This is the mark of people who live self actualized lives, They think in no limit ways". - Wayne Dyer

Snow Geese

We are on one of the routes that Snow Geese migrate on. We went to Market Lake yesterday and saw thousands of birds. When they take off to go eat it is the most amazing thing. Just the sound of their voices is amazing, but to see thousands of birds at one time is incredible. Here are a few pics for your enjoyment. They will enlarge when clicked on.









































This next picture is my new toy that Dave bought me yesterday. We have been thinking about getting a real photographers type camera but I discovered just getting the camera was not enough that there are lenses to buy and more. I really like the photos that some bloggers take so I wrote them and asked about their cameras, Nina Bagly talked about how she loved her Panasonic. So I checked them out and they were pretty inexpensive. Dave thought they had them at Circuit City so yesterday we went and looked. They were 100.00 cheaper than the internet. We think they are putting out a new model so that is why it was such a good deal. Anyways he bought it for me right then. It has a 10x zoom and my camera has a 3x zoom so I think I will notice a difference right away. I can't wait to go out and take some pictures with it.











Weaving.

I got the loom threaded this weekend and I just need to tie it on to the back beam and so forth. I should be able to start weaving soon.

Trip out of town.

I just realized my daughters Spring break starts Friday. I'll drive up to Missoula Thursday night and spend the night and bring her home Friday afternoon. I decided I would take the route through Hamilton so I can stop at the Labyrinth up there and take a walk. I haven't been since last Fall so this will be great. I am really looking forward to that.

Writing

I actually did some Sunday Scribblings writings. I posted for last week and this week. It was fun to be doing that again. Links for Sunday Scribblings and my writing blog are in the sidebar. I need to do those more often, they are great exercises.

Quote for the day: "Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." - Thomas Merton

Top of the Morning to You

Happy St. Patricks Day !











Here are pictures of my Irish grandparents James and Brigid. I have another picture of my grandmother but this is the only picture of my grandfather as a young man. I am glad to at least have that.

Top of the morning to you.... and the balance of the day to yourself. That was the greeting between my mother and myself on this day all her life. I sure miss her. My daughter has gone to Butte for their St. Patrick's day festivities. I have heard its pretty wild so I hope that she will be ok.

Finding Water.

Well its week four. I had an artist date at a gallery with a photography exhibit. I have to say I was disappointed. All the pictures were either of the South Fork of the Snake River or Yellowstone. Now someone else would be delighted at the photos but it was like there is nothing new for me. So I was not really inspired.

I have done my morning pages every day. I already carry the small sketchbook everywhere. We were supposed to write a Good night prayer, her is mine. I found it worked well when I remembered it.

Dear Spirit,

I release all the cares and worries of the day.
Take them from me; I can pick them back up in the morning,
Let my sleep be peaceful and calm,
Let me have some real rest. Good Night.


I will spend time in nature today as it is lovely out with no wind. I think I will go feed the ducks and commune with the river.

Well I didn't feed the ducks because there were so many other people doing the same thing. I did sit on the river, I mean on the banks near the river and wrote in my journal, did a few small drawings and enjoyed myself thoroughly. What a beautiful day










This was my view from where I was sitting.










You can see the waterfall better from this view.










And my attempt at taking a picture of myself, not very good.


Quote for the Day: Procrastination is Great; it helps you avoid failure, judgment, growing pains, testing. It also stops you from experiencing fun, success, learning, growth,connection and pride. If you must put something off put off FAILURE, do that tomorrow, get going today.....Danny Gregory

Frida Swap

I figured I would be getting this in the mail today; but I got 2 pieces of mail from wonderful women. First the Frida swap gave me art by Ninnie, the small one and Kai the larger one. What a treat to have gotten their renditions on Frida


















I got this other lovely letter from Violette, my belated birthday card. She said it would be late since she was waiting for these cards to come. It was definetly worth the wait, the card is beautiful. She also included a magnet and a fabric transfer of the same art. Wow it was just the special thing I needed today.













The next time I need inspiration all I need to do is look on this magnet, its all there. Thanks Violette.

Weaving.

I started threaded the big loom only to discover that I made an error in my figuring. I started winding more of a certain color; then I threaded it only to figure out that I need to change my plan a bit. At this rate the threads will be way wider than the loops. Oops I have to fix that before I go any further. My color plan goes 16 of color A, 2 of color B, 4 of color, 2 color B, four color A, and then 16 color B and then onward. I decided to reduce the color block to 12 and then I think it will work out ok. I am glad I figured this out now instead of later. I hope to get the reed threaded this weekend and then get to the heddles and maybe start weaving next week. I should really be able to do all that in a day or two but sometimes life has a way of distracting you.

I have this big white board that I use to brainstorm ideas, track projects and whatever I seem to need focus on. I decided I needed to know how I am spending my time. I turned it into a big weekly calendar with squares for every hour. Sometimes I forget to fill it in but it is interesting to see what you really do in a given day. I will do it for a week or two and see how I can change things for the better.

Quote of the Day: Art Heals. - Violette

Random Thoughts

I am not sure what to write about today. I met with my friend Kate yesterday for lunch. She had news, she decided to quit her job. She has done the same thing for 17 years, realized it is not what she want so she is getting out. That takes so much courage, I applaud you Kate and good luck with whatever you decide to do.

I have been so rushed the last few days I decided to spend the day home, mostly I have just been cleaning the house. It really needed it. Its sunny and warm but still a little windy out today. I keep telling myself just get dressed and go to the Greenbelt and enjoy yourself, its probably not windy there. It makes me wonder about all the times we know we should do something but we do the opposite. In my sharing of my writing goals and fears I have heard from lots of women with the same issues. I want to say "What in the hell is wrong with all of us?" I think my issues are unique only to find there are so many other people out who struggle with the same thing. No I don't have any answers yet but I'll share if I ever do find them. Feel the fear and do it anyways keep popping up in my mind. I try to do that. Oh I was going to write something but I lost my train of thought, I hate when that happens. Oh, the I thought that would make a great visual journal page. Maybe this is how creative insight works all these random things pop in your head. You need to write them down and then take action on them or they fly off to someone else. That's enough philosophy from me today.


Quote for the Day: Follow your bliss and the Universe will open doors for you where there were only walls. - Joseph Campbell

Life Organizer

I ordered this book, The Life Organizer; A womans guide to a mindful year, before I had my epiphany on self care and it is amazing. Jennifer Louden has written a fantastic guide. I think tomorrow, the 15th will be the last day for this offer but if you buy the book from her website she throws in the DVD for free. If you are thinking of buying or have an interest its a great deal . go here to see more on the book.

Vision Boards

Monday night my women's group made vision boards. I decided to do one on this Angel book idea that I have. The whole board is just different kinds of Angels to inspire me to move forward on this. It has room, for more but its a good start.










About 15 years ago a psychic told me I would write and illustrate a children book. It kind of floored me at the time, I did not feel I had any artistic talent or writing ability either. So I have spent all this time taking art classes, exploring mediums, reading up on writing techniques but not really doing anything about it. Then I got the idea of using my daughters childhood drawing as the illustrations. Over the years I have been told by many about the book I am supposed to write. From one reading I even got some more information. I have also been told that the book has been written that I just have to let it in. Now its just conquering the fear. I don't know why I just don't write it. I was told the main character was a boy and I wanted it to be a girl so I have resisted that. I was even given an idea of what it might be about and I resisted that idea too. Th doubter in me wonders if the reader just gave her ideas and by focusing on that I am just not going anywhere. I know its a lot of blather and excuse. So I have pretty much decided this is the year I will tackle the fear and begin work on this. The vision board is the beginning.

I am trying out a new blood Pressure medicine and it hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday. It makes me so tired, I just want to sleep all the time. I hope that adjust itself to my system soon. I had another acupuncture treatment. I love how I feel so great after it, so relaxing. I go again next week and then I will wait awhile.

Quote of the Day: Only one thing is more frightening than speaking your truth and that is not speaking - Naomi Wolf

My take from the auction

This is what I bought at our church auction. Its a beaded necklace and earrings. Its old since the earrings are not pierced. I may keep as is or use the beads in another way; I haven't decided yet. My towel ended up selling for 45.00 which is really good. I usually sell them for 30.00-35.00

I have spent the day on the computer tying up loose ends, doing all those little things to work again. I got my scanner working again so I am back to scanning in my grandparents letters. I am starting to write a proposal to use when I contact the Smithsonian and other groups that I might get a grant from. I do need to do some research on what is needed and so forth. It does feel good to at least put a few words down about it.

In Carolyn See's book she suggests you start creating a mailing list for when your book is published. So I started doing that so it will be ready when I need to send all of you flyer's on it. I figure to do a few names a day and before I know it I will be done and just need to add a few names here and there as I meet new people.

I am discovering a little what self care is. I pulled out my copy of Jennifer Louden's The Womans comfort book. I do a lot of the things she mentioned but I guess not consistently enough. I have decided to make a list of things I do that are self care and things that I could do and see where I am at. Its all a new discovery now. I think of more things everyday. Just today after I worked out, I stayed and spent some time in the steam room and the hot tub. It felt so good but lately I have not been giving myself the time to even do that.

It was 66 out today, that is really warm for this time of year. I love it. It makes me want to be out working on my garden. I hope tomorrow is just as nice. I left the house with a coat and was that silly. I had no idea it was so warm out. I'd like to get those primroses planted before they all die inside. Maybe I will tackle that tomorrow.

Quote of the Day: You can live a lifetime and, at the end of it, know more about other people than you know about yourself- Beryl Markham

Look what I got in the mail

Another birthday gift arrived in the mail yesterday. Its a little artist sketchbook that came with 6 colored pencils and sketchpad, plus it is in my favorite color of course. The suede cover really feels nice. Its from my friend Julie in Napa. Thanks girlfriend. Isn't it the cutest thing.

I spent the afternoon with my friend Ginger. We watched the Secret and kept talking about the concept all afternoon. I got a lot of insights on my life that she could see and I couldn't. It was amazing. It appears that since my childhood I have been seeking love by having people take care of me and I believe they always fall short. This can be financially, physically and emotionally. I keep creating situations to give them another chance. They always fail. The only person who can take care of me is me. Duh, its seems silly when you type it out. This goes back to my childhood where that is what I was taught. So then the thought becomes if love isn't that people take care of you just what is it for me. It is as though you then need to redefine your whole existence. I think I have a lot of work to do on this issue. Of course realizing a problem is the first step in fixing it.

Finding Water

It is the day for check in. Quite a few insights this week. I did morning pages every day. Some days the words just flowed out of me and others they were a struggle. I took an artist date at a jewelry/bead store called Pandora's Baubles and beads. Its a wonderful store and I had a great time. I am not really doing a formal walk since my sciatica is preventing that. I try to do a meditation in place of it.

I wrote a note to one of my supporters, met with another to discuss my projects and got some good feedback. I have been having issues with my scanner which is holding up work on my story of my grandparents and I have been offered a friends scanner so that should speed that up a bit.

I have read so many books on authors lives that I just skipped that part. Other questions that related to avoiding projects I decided I could devote 1 hour a day to work on the Angel book. This is the first book I got the inclination to write. I have been avoiding that too long. I am going to do a collage and or a vision board on the book to get me going in the right direction.


Quote of the Day: We must be willing to get rid of the life we planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. - Joseph Campbell

The Towel is done

My church auction is tomorrow but they wanted the items today so I am glad I got this finished. I only wove 2 of the 6 possible towels. I had so many broken threads it was nuts. I am going to fix the warp before I do anymore. They are going on the back burner since I have to have this other blanket done by the end of April. It has to have priority now. The other towel will go to Judi, I have to weave in ends and such, wash and hem and then it will go out to you.

That is it for now, I have no time to blog today.

I Printed it Out

It took every piece of paper I had on hand but last night I printed out my Nanowrino novel. I skipped ahead to the Revision chapter in Carolyn See's Making a Literary LIfe and read about her revision technique. So I decided I would try it. Well I had to print out the novel first. Its only 95 pages because I took out some of the white space to free up some pages. It doesn't look very big for a manuscript but its a start. I am sure when I am done I will be adding more to it and it will be bigger. It just seemed so momentous last night to finally have done that. Its just the first step on a long road but an important one I think.

I did write Jennifer Louden to see how many spaces she has left in the writers spa, but I have not heard back from her. Right now I have the desire to go just not the funds. If I can figure a way to do that I will go. Too bad I don't have an inheritance coming in from someone.

I have to weave today I better get to it.

Quote of the Day: One of the very worst, self-murdering lies that people themselves is that they are no good and have no gift and nothing important to say - Brenda Euland

Dinner for Breakfast

I am dragging today from the acupuncture treatment. I should have something to eat but I am tired of breakfast food. I mean the kind that is simple to make. If I took the time to make crepes or something like that it would be great. I have no ambition though. So I am having goulash, or dinner for breakfast. I do like sometimes to make breakfast for dinner. waffles especially. It myn ight to cook at the mens shelter and they usually have us cook breakfast. When there is left over food we get to eat too. Since I know I will have breakfast for dinner I think it is only right that I have dinner now.

Its down to the wire so I really have to weave. I worked a little late last night and then broke 2 warp threads, crap that is so annoying. I have to have a towel ready Friday for an auction item so I do really have to get to it. Why do I always wait till the last minute...

I was reading Misty Mawn's blog this morning and she has a wonderful narrative on how she sees herself. It is a very interesting read> It made me think of the advice I took from Marianne Williamson on rearing children. When you think of a vision you have for your child all grown up think about what kind of mother would that person have had and then be that person. That was one of my philosophies when I was raising my daughter. I think it worked pretty well. Now I am at that stage where I think what kind of person do I want to be for the rest of my life. Now is the time to take those steps to become her. I want to be a creative risk taker who lives life fully. One who follows her dreams and goes for it.

I have had several people write me and say "You should go to Jennifer Louden's writers spa". My first thought is oh not this year and then but I have to submit 5 pages of writing to sign up and that would scare me to death. I have never shown anyone what I write, too afraid it will be awful. Then of course the 1570.00 cost plus expenses for getting there. Then I hear my friend Julie saying to me "never let money be a deterrent to doing something you want to do". Oh crap, could this be possible? Then if I believe the secret really works this is a minor issue. So now I am at least thinking about it and the possibility of doing it. You'll all be the first to know if I do go.

Quote of the Day: "Feel the Fear and do it anyway".

Belle Armoire Jewelry

I found this yesterday and its really awesome. Its pricey like buying a book but it is full of so much inspiration and new techniques. Its put out by Stampington who publish Belle Armoire. I am doing this charm swap and since I have never even made one before this couldn't come at a better time for me.

I am trying acupuncture for my sciatica and had my first appointment today. The practitioner was a woman from Ireland. So I ended up telling her all about my grandparents letters and the book I want to write. When I explained that my grandfather was a seventh son of a seventh son she actually knew what I was talking about. It brought the desire for this project to center stage again. I really want to do this so why do I always put it aside.

Heroes was a little distressing, they are killing off my favorite characters. I figure that Peter can just become invisible and he'll be ok. Mohinder (my favorite eye candy)on the other hand is in dire straights, stuck to a ceiling with his blood dripping to the floor. I thought Simone would make it but no such luck. Now that they have a changeling hero that sure changes things. You'll never know if you are talking to who you are talking to. Plus I have to wait till April 23rd for answers. So what is an obsessed Heroes watcher supposed to do. At least LOST is on again.


Quote for the day: Yes, risk taking is inherently failure-prone. Otherwise it would be called sure-thing-taking. Tim McMahon

Thinking about writing again

As promised what I will be giving away as part of the One World One Heart. I thought I would do something different. I am giving away five pairs of earrings that I made. I think I will add something else to this; but for now I wanted to have something to show you. To win these, just leave a comment and let me know that you want to enter. I'll choose a winner on March 21st. Check out Lisa's blog for other participants in this great giveaway.


I have been thinking I want to get back to writing again. I was perusing the net the other day and got into some writing blogs and found Pen on fire This is Barbara DemMarco-Barrett's blog; she wrote the book of the same name, I have talked about it before. This was the second blog that I had seen reference to this book by Carolyn See.












The information on revision was recommended. I found the book at our local Barnes and Noble. I love the way this woman writes. The book is great. It is really for those of us either stalled or dreaming of that book they are going to write. I highly recommend it.

This morning I listened to a telecast with Jennifer Louden and Suzanne Falter-Barnes . They hold a writers spa every year for a week in Taos and did this free telecast to give you a taste of their procedures. It was an awesome hour. Two very dynamic ladies really passionate about writing. I think they may post the interview eventually, if that happens I'll include the link here. Meanwhile you can check out their websites.

Quote of the Day: Now,is the operative word. Everything you've put in your way is just a method of putting off the hour when you could actually be doing your dream. - Barbara Sher

National Book Day

I got this lovely collaged birthday card from Kai, thank you. It really is lovely.

I haven't blogged since Thursday morning so this is late but anyways it was National Book Day on Thursday. I found this at Mrs Nesbitts place She was donating a book for every comment so I said I would give my list here. So her it is or at least what my memory can come up with. I started with just ten but decided to split fiction and non-fiction.

Fiction
Pride and Prejudiced – Jane Austen
The Lord of the Rings JRR Tolkien
Mrs. Mike - Nancy Benedict
The Golden Compass trilogy Phillip Pullman
The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver
The Shell Seekers – Rosamunde Pilcher
A Ring of Endless Light – Madeleine L’engle
The Secret Life of Bees – Sue Monk Kidd
Elegant Gathering of White Snows – Kris Radish
My brother Michael – Mary Stewart
A thief in time - Tony Hillerman

Non-fiction

Writing down the Bones – Natalie Goldberg
Seat of the Soul – Gary Zukav
The Artists Way Julia Cameron
Ask and it is given - Esther Hicks
Simple Abundance - Sarah Ban Breathnach
Return to Love – Marianne Williamson
The Course in Miracles
Wherever you go there you are - John Kabat-Zinn
The power of intention - Wayne Dyer
Conversations with God

THE CROW PAGES ARE DONE.

I guess perseverance pays off, all 22 of the crow pages are finished. They are all packaged and ready to be mailed. I spent most of Friday and some today working on them. Then I had to clean my studio, it was a real mess. That feels so good, now I can focus on other things. I wish I could show pictures but that would spoil all the fun. I have to start work on something for the giveaway this month and then the charm swap and then I have 2 secret project I need to get working on. Plus I need to weave and I'd like to get back to writing. There is just never enough time for it all.

Finding Water. – week 2

I managed to do my morning pages every day. I took an artist date to the local art museum and saw a Watercolor exhibit. Some of the work was just gorgeous They were all Idaho artists. There were several paintings that I would not mind having for myself. I spent some time in the museum gift shop. It is really pretty nice.

The exercise on writing about your life in third person was interesting. First I was I put off doing it for several day but when I decided to go through with it I found it easy to do. I realized that I have all these circles of women that I participate with. There is a knitting group, a spiritual book group, a church group and then my online buddies the GPS. All these groups help me define who I am. I hadn’t realized this so it was really an eye opener. I am loving this book.

Yesterday I got good news, my car has been making these awful noises so I took it into the Honda dealer to see if something was wrong, The problem turned out to be ice. They had to chip ice off the undercarriage and my baby was good as new. I was so happy that I didn't have this big repair bill.

I got these 2 books in the mail this week.














This is A year in Japan by Kate Williamson and it a illustrated journal the year she spent in Japan.. It is wonderful, the narrative is interesting and the drawings are wonderful.














This one is on different techniques you can use in making Artist Trading Cards. Its pretty nice. It has some things I know about, some I didn't and some things I will never use but all the samples make for great inspiration.

Quote of the Day: "Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative place is where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of intuition. You can't get there by bus, only hard work, risking and by not quite knowing what you are doing. What you'll discover will be wonderful: yourself!" - Alan Alda

Crowing along

I have been trying to finish up this crow book and it is amazing how long its taking. Last night I made copies of my design. Only to discover that the scanner cut off the bottom 1/4 of the page. So I reprinted this morning. Then I discovered the colors on the back of my page would not scan so I thought I would see if I could find enough of the paper I used to have 22 backs cut out. I found the paper and bought 4 sheets of it. I don't know why I thought that would be enough but I was short so I need to go out and get another sheet. I had bought 22 items for an embellishment and now I am one short so I now need to go out and get another one. Its these little nit picky things that are so annoying. I want to get these finished before I make something for the One World One Heart Thing. I find that I just can't change gears again. Something has to get finished.

My friends Ginger and Kay took me out last night. We went to Vina Rosa for one of their wine tasting nights. 5 glasses with a little in each to try. Then we had a Chicken/Artichoke/pesto pizza. I really don't like artichokes but this was really good. We sat and talked for a long time. It was a really nice time.

Wasn't LOST great last night. I along with many others thought of Kai right away. I think they should find some native pigments and decorate the bus now. That would be lots of fun.

Quote of the day: The minute you begin to do what you really want to do, it's really a different kind of life. - Buckminster Fuller