Looking and Documenting

It was an unusually warm day....it actually got above 60...that made it perfect for looking and documenting...fundamental daily practices of Conscious Creativity. As children we were trained to stop, look, and listen....adults need to do it too!  

This little guy was soaking in the sun!                                             

 

Schedule It

"If you talk about it, it's a dream. If you envision it, it's possible.  But if you schedule it, it's real." Anthony Robbins

One of the most life changing learning experiences I've ever had was the Consciously Creative class I took in the fall of 2017 with Philippa Stanton, better known as 5ftinf.  It was a 6 week course where we spent time learning to see things we didn't notice before, gathering things we generally disregarded, and creatively documenting what we found. I have embedded many of the creative practices into my daily life and I will forever be picking up and celebrating found objects, watching nature shrivel up on my window sill, collecting and ordering color, looking for interesting textures and appreciating mood and shadows. I see things differently because of this class.

Just before Christmas I finally got my copy of Philippa's new book, Conscious Creativity.....I've kept it my little secret all this time.  I needed to be quiet with it for a while....reconnecting with her wise words, answering thoughtful questions, and completing exercises that once again are pushing me to examine my conscious creativity. I feel like I am taking the class all over again delving deeper into the art of looking and documenting.  I will be sharing more about it in the coming weeks....because this post is about scheduling it!

My niece Holly and her family have been living in England for her work and at the beginning of March, my sister Nancy and I are going to visit.  We will spend time with Holly and her family in and around Bristol then forge out on our own spending a little time in London and a little time in Brighton, where, if all goes well, we will get to meet Philippa.  Needless to say I am beyond excited.

I follow 5ftinf on instagram so get a daily dose of her creative energy...but hadn't been on her website in a while so while I was adding the links to this post I checked things out.

I knew Philippa was offering a new Conscious Creativity course...and I will admit I was tempted to sign up, but as I read through her course description I was so excited to find that I was there.....in a way!  She used some of my feedback as a testimonial for her course....that brings me joy!

Schedule it...and it's real!  Do it...and it's life changing!

Strangest Thing

Time for a puzzle update. It may not look like it...but I've made a lot of progress...it's misleading because it's so big. It's like I have several puzzles going at the same time and I can skip from one spot to another on any side of the table when I want a new color scheme. If I get frustrated....I just shift chairs.

I have one edge all put together....all 38 inches of it.

I realized I needed to move whole sections of color to the opposite side....so I'm using my box lids again. It also frees up more space on the table to work...and that just feels better.

But this is the strangest thing I've ever come across with a puzzle.

I found two corner pieces exactly the same....they both fit perfectly.  It makes me wonder if the next puzzle off the factory cutting table is missing this piece.  I would be devastated if I did a 2000 piece puzzle only to find a corner piece missing.  I'm tempted to contact the company because I would gladly mail it anywhere if I knew someone needed it.

The Right Gift....

...at the right time!

The days since I have been home from Wisconsin have been quiet and contemplative. I've been working on my large puzzle, doing a few chores around the house....but mostly pausing.  I've enjoyed catching up on the Creative Jump Start videos I've missed the second half of this month...but I've not been creating.  I miss it.....but I've been doing what I needed to do.

A different sort of a creative jump start came in the mail today. My friend Lynn from North Carolina sent a creative care package and it was perfect timing.  She reminded me that a creative pause has been necessary....giving me and my art time to "ferment, ripen, and age."  "It will return" she reminded me "informed by this season." I know she's right.

So for today I'm going to share a bit of Lynne's comforting and creative gift.  The lovely quote tags were painted with Twinkling H2O watercolor paints that have a lovely shimmer (I think I have some...somewhere) and a thoughtful note was folded into a clever envelope.

Thanks Lynne!  Your kinds words and creative quotes were the right gift at the right time!

Gibbs Lake Road

I put new batteries in the moon lights in my kitchen window in Lexington which should take me through the rest of the winter...or at least until I'm sick of it. These sweet little lights come on automatically at 4:00 and go off at 10 and I adore them.  We are certainly in the throws of winter....so the snow people are quite happy....and I added the little Valentine heart ornament Becky just gave me.  

A few weeks ago I wrote about a project I did where I described how comforting it was when my mom waited up for me after my late night waitressing job. Paul and I drove down Gibbs Lake Road when we were in Wisconsin....and I snapped a picture at that point over the hill where you could see the farm...and the light in the dining room. You can read about it here in this post: Where Mom Was.

Cake Light

As I settle back into regular life....I'm still traveling down memory lane.  That's what happens after a family visit....and it's better than writing about laundry and house chores.  

On Christmas Eve I shared memories of going to my grandmother's house and mentioned her light fixture that looked like an upside down cake.  I had forgotten that my sister LaVonn has that fixture in her dining room now...seeing it took me right back to my grandmother's house all over again.


My brother Doug gave me this picture of the three brothers sitting in the dining room at grandma's house Christmas Eve, 1964. I can still picture the festive holiday table settings my grandmother put together and that floral wallpaper. 

And those pillows....they just ooze grandma!

Edwin, Richard and Doug

My sister Marilyn had this fun picture....my Aunt Helen on the left...my mom, and my grandmother all holding baby kittens at her house.  They look exactly how I picture them when I think of them these days.

Twenty-Something

I'm home!  It was good to spend time with family and friends....to gather, share stories and celebrate our history. But it's always good to be home.

Ben and his new wife Sarah.

While I was at my sister LaVonn's I saw one of the most impressive pieces of art I've seen in a long time.  My twenty-something nephew Ben was a Pokemon fan as a kid....and probably still is as an adult. When he was a sophomore in college he happened upon an on-line pattern for a Pokemon cross stitch and thought..."how hard can it be?"  So he took it on.

Ben graduated from college a year or so ago and just recently finished his masterpiece.  From a distance it looks like a vibrant piece of abstract art....up close you can't help but smile at the colorful and quirky characters.

This isn't even the whole thing.

The details are incredible! His million + stitches are just perfect and I think he said the pattern called for around 120 different colors of DMC floss.  

And....being a good mom my sister promised to frame it when he finished. Well....she was a bit surprised that he actually did finish...but she'll follow through and get it to the framers.

I was blown away with it and really wanted to sneak it in my suitcase.  I can't wait to see it framed!

Good job Ben!

Frozen Midwest

Here are a few more photos from the frozen midwest.  

Becky and her husband put their Christmas tree out on their deck to enjoy the rest of the winter.  It was just lovely this evening under a layer of fresh new snow.

I am getting out of Madison just in time... starting tomorrow temperatures are going to plummet and by Wednesday wind chills could reach 50 below.

Here are a few lovely photos of a lovely sunrise from my sister LaVonn's front porch a few days ago.

And finally.....my siblings.  Once there were nine...now there are six.

MaryAnn, Angie, Nancy, Marilyn, Doug, and LaVonn

We miss you Rich, Becky and Ed.

The nine of us plus cousin Cindy.  

Tea and Goodies

Another bonus of this unexpected trip to Wisconsin was getting to spend a few hours today with my goddaughter Emily and her boyfriend Keegan.  Her mom and I were treated to homemade goodies, tea,  and wonderful conversation.  And tomorrow I'll get a whole day with her mom (Becky) before I fly home on Tuesday.  Connecting with people I love = Joy.

The Bike

This is one of my favorite photographs.....my oldest brother Ed sitting tall on the bike with my three older sisters looking on.  We're guessing  Ed was around eight or nine years old...which means I wasn't born....but maybe on the way. I remember this bike....it was red....and hung around the farm for a long time.

We had a wonderful family gathering today with lots of story telling, memory sharing, and laughter. 

Odd Little Group

"The more you praise and celebrate life, the more there is in life to celebrate."   found at iHeart123 Quotes

So...did anybody else get an odd little group of tiny animals in their stocking? I did.

They've joined these happy little snow people on the window sill in Portland. Don't the snow people look like they're dancing and celebrating!

Paul and I are safely in Wisconsin. I started a draft of this post before I left home so I would have a something to share after a travel day.  Now that I'm reading it late this evening I'm thinking that all families are wonderful odd little groups...and I love mine dearly.  It will be good to gather with my family as we celebrate the life of my brother Ed.

2000

I love it when people share their joy with me.  I got an e-mail from my friend Linda after my post about my 2000 piece puzzle where she shared her recent masterpiece...and I have her permission to share it with you.

Even thought Linda said she would never do one this big again....she loved every minute of it. At the beginning she had 19 box lids filled with the 2000 sorted pieces and she had to complete it in two chunks because it wouldn't fit on her card table.

The image of colorful art supplies is so much fun!  Thanks for sharing Linda...I love everything about this!

Peace Wall

I stopped by Margie's this afternoon for a visit and she was working on a puzzle too...I'm not the only one!  And this is her 4th or 5th this month!  January IS the month of puzzles!

As I sat there visiting with her I was quite taken with the view from my chair. Margie was all cozy under her blanket with the puzzle ready to go in front of her and the room was warm and inviting. A few weeks ago we hung things in her living room and kitchen area that were meaningful to her....things that shows who she is and what she values.  Around her bookcase (which we still are going to style a bit more)  is her "Peace Wall" that we put together for her last home.

It includes Gandhi's Seven Deadly Social Sins, Martin Luther King Jr's What is your Life's Blueprint?, a Lion and the Lamb Pewter Peace tray, and my favorite poster proclaiming "It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the air force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber!" I think the blue and gray tones work well in the room and flow nicely into the kitchen where her favorite "gratitude" painting hangs along with some international treasures.  It works!

 Janet...if you're reading this you can see your kitchen cart has a perfect new home.

We are auditioning some other things in a few places including some of my art show leftovers and we'll start hanging things in the bedroom in the next couple of weeks. This apartment is starting to feel like a home....especially with a peace wall and a puzzle going on the coffee table.

Solace

It's enough to pay attention to the little things. The steam rising off that first cup of coffee. Sunlight coming through the window. There's no right answer for what's going to make you happy. There are only these little things that add up to how you spend your days & it can take a long time so see it's as simple as that. " Brian Andreas, Story People

I am reunited with my computer....and for better or worse that means I back on the blog. It's been ridiculously cold here in New England so between that and the reality of my brother's death I've given myself permission to lay low....letting myself off the hook for not accomplishing much of anything.

January seems to be the month of puzzles....and I apologize for being so boring.  But right now puzzles are my distraction...my entertainment...and now my solace.

So guess what I did with parts of the last several days in cold snowy Lexington?.....I started a crazy 2000 piece puzzle given to me by the same friend who gave me the book puzzle.

I cleared off our large dining room table leaving just enough room for two placemats at the end so there would still be room to eat dinner. I spent the first day laying out all the pieces chunking them by color.  This took a while....but I was listening to a book on tape....so all was well. This is the first time I've had all the pieces of a large puzzle on one surface....kind of fun....but also a little daunting.  

On day two I started collecting patterns and putting together chunks of solid colors....I was off and running but I could see it was going to be slow going.

Day three I kept building on those parts....it seemed to be going pretty well.  This is a pretty big chunk done...but when you look at the picture...it's a tiny part.

This is where I left it this morning....just three or four pieces in during breakfast.  I'm back in Maine for a few days now....then Paul and I fly out Friday for the funeral in Wisconsin.  So it will sit....my puzzles are good at sitting. This will most certainly be a long term project...but I'm going to stick with it hopefully getting it done by spring.  If anyone wants to come work with me and have a cup of tea...they are most certainly welcome.

Preoccupied Pause

I’m in Lexington...my computer is in Portland...and I’m a little preoccupied. It’s time to pause for a few days. Have a good weekend and I’ll be back soon.

Getting Ready

I was hoping to paint again today...but I have a hard time being creative when I'm getting ready for something. My mind is scattered and I feel a little restless....I need to work on that.

Today was about getting ready for a trip to Wisconsin for my brothers funeral next weekend.  Plans needed to be made, tickets needed to be booked, and overthinking needed to happen.  Well...overthinking never needs to happen....but until I develop better skills that just what I do.

We also hosted guests for dinner...so I got ready for that too.....cleaning, prepping, cooking....all the things you do for guests.  It was delightful.

And I finished the stamp puzzle....a calm color journey.  Thank goodness for puzzles to fill in the gaps while I'm getting ready for things.

You can see that Paul and I are having trouble letting go of our Christmas tree.  All the ornaments are off except for the snowflakes but we're still enjoying the lights. So it's going to stay for a while and I'm renaming it our winter tree. And...winter's coming....we're "getting ready" for a big snow storm here in the north east!

Life is Short

"Life is very short, so break your silly egos, forgive quickly, believe slowly, love truly, laugh loudly, and never avoid anything that makes you smile." author unknown

My niece Kay posted this quote on Facebook today...a good reminder of what's really important. Today, her dad, my oldest brother Edwin, passed away at just 69.  May he rest in peace.

I spent some time today going through the posts on Ed's Facebook page...an interesting mix of things that filled his days with delight and just helped pass the time.

There were lots of videos of recipes, comics and images that made you chuckle, cute kids and animals, and beautiful images from nature.

He also posted lots of lists like this....good reminders for us all. Thanks Ed!

"Someone once gave me a box full of darkness.  It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift."  Mary Oliver, may she also rest in peace.