there are things i want to tell you...

The drafts of blog posts are stacking up over here. And I'm making lists in my head of things I want to tell you. I thought I'd get a few out of my head and onto this page.

I want to tell you that you can take a photo that shows your messy kitchen and then share it because you need to feel seen by someone today because most people reading this have some part of their house that is messy and if their house isn't messy something else is because we all have messy and messy is okay. 

I want to tell you that sometimes being a mom is an act of forgiving yourself again and again as you move through the tough days where it feels like your three year old has been sent by the universe to teach you how to pull the tiniest pit of patience from the corners of your soul, and you find yourself failing to find that last ounce that would have stopped you from raising your voice so when you finally have seconds to yourself you whisper softly that it will all be okay because you're just going to keep showing up with love.

I want to tell you about how much I appreciate the beautiful souls I connect with over on Instagram. Thank you for you.

I want to tell you about how grateful I am for the Little Critter books + this set of beads (that has an actual lid for storage) + these reusable stickers + glitter glue for helping us to get through six days of Ellie being under the weather.

I want to tell you about how beautiful you look when you tell someone that you need a hug.

I want to tell you about how much I love my new earrings from The Noisy Plume + my earrings from Takara + my earrings from Sacred Cake. Ellie has set a rule of "Please don't wear necklaces Mama" and you can imagine how hard that one is for me but I do like cuddles more than necklaces. Thank goodness earrings and bracelets are okay. (These are on my wish list.)

I want to tell you how vulnerable + empowering it feels to put something into the world that feels like the most important work you're going to do for a while. And that even though I've shared it softly and will be back next week to share more, you can read all about it and even join in right here.

I want to tell you I know this day all about hearts and love can be hard. I want to remind you that you aren't alone over there. Let someone know if you need support. Tell someone else that they aren't alone. Reach out. Connect. 

With love and light,
Liz 

five (really) good things

1) I'm in love with these little wood slices from Kelly. She creates a little original painting just for you with your word of the year. Perfect for your altar, next to you bed so you see it each morning and evening, or even your kitchen windowsill. I keep mine in my studio. Order yours here (or the littler size right here). 

2) I had the best time chatting with Kelly Dahl for her ecourse Fulfill Your Year. We chatted about choosing a word of the year, why we're drawn to the practice, and give some insight into the ways it has worked and hasn't worked for each of us. I also had the chance to share about the sacredness I'm experiencing with my word of the year shop orders this year. Love being able to do video interviews about topics that are dear to my heart. There is still time to join Kelly. Learn more here.

3) Opening up the Spakona Personal Palette that Bridget Pilloud did for my word "wildness"was like unwrapping the best after-the-holidays gift ever. As Bridget explains, "Each palette is a personal intuitive experience where I tune into your word and identify the six words or phrases that round out the experience of that word. After I identify the words, I’ll go into my magic color pantry and pick the colors to match." This offering is just the right amount of grounded woo woo goodness that I needed to really feel supported as I begin this journey of inviting in wildness this year. And I can't wait to make a bracelet with the additional words + colors Bridget gave me. Love this offering. 

4) For the fourth year now, I'm over on Ali's blog reading the One Little Word list. You can read all the words and listen right here. (And this year I didn't go in alphabetical order so it would read even more like a poem of possibility.) If you are still hoping to find a word, reading through and listening to this list might help.

5) Lori Portka's calendars are my favorite favorite (just want to be clear on that). She has just a few left and they are on sale! Check them out here.

What five really good things have you found in your corner lately? I'd love to know.

YES to gratitude {I want to remember...}

I want to remember how excited you are to wear your rainboots so you can walk in the water and explore.

I want to remember that you asked about Millie's family and listened thoughtfully as I explained I didn't know her dog family but that Daddy and I rescued Millie from a human family that didn't want her anymore for reasons we don't know or understand. We talked about how much we love her and are glad that she's part of our family.

I want to remember the moments when I realized you know almost every word to the first stanza of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and just about every word of Of Monsters and Men's "Little Talks." I want to remember how your little voice was singing along with such joy as you painted.

I want to remember how much you love Grandma Fina's pasta sauce and often remind me that it is the best pasta sauce in the whole wide world.

I want to remember the way you talk to the little babies at school and how you gently touch them and say, "Good morning."

I want to remember the excitement you had on your face when you said, "Come on Mama and Daddy, be in a band with me!" And we got out all the instruments and played and drummed and sang and you were definitely in charge.

I want to remember how much you love making chili.

I want to remember how I found you in child's pose in your room after you'd stomped down the hall so mad because I said "no."

I want to remember that I'm trusting my intuition when it comes to so many things and modeling this for you is one of my most important moves as your mama.

I want to remember the moments when you wrap your arms around my arm as you cuddle up with me on the couch and say, "Mama, mama, mama, mama, mama, mama, I love you."

*****

"I want to remember..." is one of my favorite prompts to use here on my blog, in Project Life, and when I'm stuck (or when I think I don't have any stories left). Each statement becomes it's own access point to a story I want to tell. And, so often I find threads of gratitude woven within the memories. 

An invitation :: Get out a pen and paper and write your own list today. You might even want to leave a comment sharing an "I want to remember" story.

*****

This November, I'm exploring the idea of saying YES to gratitude in all its gorgeous, sometimes confusing, heart-expanding ways. And I'm inviting you to come along on the adventure here on my blog.

Throughout the month, there will be a practice in letting others know I'm grateful for them, a few stories, a collaboration or two, inspiration from others, some giveaways, a special Etsy sale for my newsletter subscribers, and a few other good things. 

You can find all the YES to Gratitude posts right here. 

here

here there is the push and pull of being a three year old.

here there is laughter between old friends.

here there is exhaustion stacked right next to please let this get easier.

here there is a quiet understanding.

here there is an exquisite salad of beets + goat cheese.

here there is a new haircut that feels like home.

here there is the neverending headcold of October.

here there is support and love and an ease unfolding.

here there is another layer shedding slowly but perhaps at exactly the right pace.

yes.

(because sometimes you just need to make a list to make sense of things.)

and how are things over there? i'd really love to know. 

over here

print/poster available at behappy 

Loving :: The above quote from Anne Sexton. I might actually be a bit obsessed with it. Some poetry folks considered her work to be "too confessional" and "too personal." I wonder how that criticism shaped her. I wonder how that kind of criticism shapes us all when we are holding our hearts out into the world and inviting others in. Hear her read her poem "Her Kind" on poets.org.

Reading :: I am in love with the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny. So thankful that Kyeli recommended it. I love a good mystery because it actually forces my mind to concentrate on just one thing and not multitask. I'm on Book 6 and it is my favorite so far. Louise Penny is writing more than mysteries here. Her way of describing her characters, how they move through the world, well, some paragraphs take my breath away. I should probably write a whole post about this soon. (Oh and Kyeli and I are going to reread the Harry Potter series this fall. And we're inviting you along just for fun. More details coming soon!) Also soaking up Louise Glück’s Poems.

Watching :: Continuum (interesting and kind of intense sci-fi show) and The Newsroom (which is in the midst of an odd season but I still love it. Aaron Sorkin's dialogue is one of my favorite ways to take a break and it helps ease my deep missing of The West Wing) 

Thinking about :: The Butler. Go and see it. Seriously good. 

Enjoying :: Cuddling in bed with Ellie in the mornings almost every day last week. I was trying to savor it before school began today. We are having some intense toddler moments over here sometimes, so these minutes of cuddles and giggles have been super sweet.

Dreaming about making :: A quilt like this one. These homemade poptarts. And these bracelets.

Planning :: Meals for the week. Inspired by the way Meg uses Pinterest for meal planning, I'm trying the "make a plan, go to the store and get the ingredients, and pin the menu to the corkboard in the kitchen" on Sunday method. Doing the same thing with "lunch/snack ideas" for me now that we're starting the back-to-school routine around here and I'll just have myself to think about during the day. (My biggest challenges are having trouble remembering what we have in the house and grabbing what I see for my lunch or grabbing anything when I remember to eat. And working all the way to Ellie's pick up time, not thinking about dinner, and having Jon pick up take-out on his way home. Maybe you know variations on these problems too. I think the plan is the only way to go.) Started a pinboard of "let's make dinner (for reals)" to differentiate the doable recipes from "this looks good and wow I'd love to make it but let's be real" recipes I sometimes pin.

Thinking I might need :: This mug. This t-shirt. This necklace. And these big sticky notes.

Working on :: A new collection of jewelry. I'm actually going to be changing up the shop quite a bit this fall. Sneak peeks appearing soon on Instagram. 

Gathering :: Good things for the fall retreat. Can't. Wait. (And yes, we do have just a few spots left.)

And how about you? What are you up to in your corner of the world? I'd love to know.