clementines and instax photos (and other really good things)

1) clementines. these little babies from trader joes make me smile every time i look at them waiting patiently in our vintage-inspired jadeite bowl. ellie and i shared four in a row friday evening. after taking her first bite i asked her, "what do you think?" "good!" she said as she reached for more. we are going to go through the whole bag this weekend.

2) ruffles + layers + a bit of lace...i am obsessed. obsessed in an i am using ruffle-ize as a verb sort of obsessed. and you can see evidence of this obsession over on pinterest. (not kidding. not even a little bit kidding.)

3) this post by elise about why "choose" is her one little word. (deeply inspired by this story as "choose love" is one of my current mantras.)

4) the instax mini is making me so so happy. the little photos are the perfect size to slip into the small pockets in my Project Life album. there is a bit of a learning curve in the winter when there isn't great light but i am giving myself permission to see each photo as an exercise in play. and i am so enjoying taking self-portraits with it that i can imagine an entire project around instax self-portraits. one observation: i had the camera outside when it was in the 30s and the photos seemed to really have trouble developing. (i've been told this is common with polaroids.) so i quickly put the photos in my pocket and my body heat seemed to help.

5) Alicia and Anna Maria have me dreaming about weekends spent by the fire with a needle and thread creating something gorgeous with embroidery or counting cross stitch. and it would be snowing out. and i would be wearing ruffles. and ellie would be contently playing and giggling and dancing. and jon and millie would be napping. and i think soup simmering on the stove would probably be involved. yes. that sounds like perfection. i have Alicia's Daisychain ABC's Sampler and I think it will be a good place to start. but first i have to finish that granny square scarf. yes. i must must do that first. (oh and have you seen anna maria's rugs? her fabric is always a favorite of mine...and now the patterns come in rugs? adore. big.)

hope your weekend has been full of many good things (and rest).

sending light and blessings across the miles,

Liz

five (really) good things

one bite at a time . december 9

On this Sunday evening, as Christmas music plays and necklaces are waiting to be packaged and a house is waiting to be cleaned, I feel moved to bring this old favorite blog post category of mine out for a spin again...

1) "A Very She & Him Christmas" is fantastic. Yep. I see lots of twirling in our future over here. (In fact, I could see it even inviting one to want to dance cheek to cheek with someone after some holiday cheer. Bring on the eggnog!)

2) I adore Kristin's ebook Unspiking the Holiday Punch. In this little treasure of a book, Kristin invites you to realize that you are your own best support system during the holidays. She provides beautiful, accessible practices that will serve you during this time of year (and always). As you navigate the many roles you play during the holidays, this book will become a companion and light for you. Give yourself this gift of self-care and check it out.

3) This morning while eating breakfast, I watched Sark's TEDx talk. How I adore her. Take some time to watch this video and soak up each word. Every time I hear her voice, I remember being in my little apartment in college curled up on my small loveseat listening to her message on the Inspiration Line and feeling like she was the only person who really "got me." I am 99% sure I am going to her workshop at Tea House next Spring and I am so excited about it! I've met her once at a book signing, but spending the weekend learning from her will totally be a dream come true.

4) Ellie is loving puzzles by Melissa and Doug. The safari animal puzzle is a favorite because she can stand the animals up and play with them. Her favorite game right now is "take things from this spot and move them one at a time to that spot" all over the house. So these puzzle pieces move from the ottoman to the couch (one at a time) then to the hallway and on and on. And I think the farm animal version might just have to be under the tree Christmas morning.

5) Oh and she is talking...like more than just the three words I thought she was saying talking...and she has been for a while now but I have just not been understanding her. But as she ate during the moment captured above, I realized she had been saying, "Good job" to herself when she would get a bite into her mouth. Yep. Awesome. And then this morning she said, "Good morning" and and and... So, it's time to be quiet and listen more over here.

And you? What five really good things are around you in your world? Dare you to share them right now.

five (really) good things . in this moment

1. finding two vintage suitcases at the rummage sale today. oh my goodness they make me happy. one will house a new creative project that i will be sharing at retreats and workshops (starting with your story in june). the other will just make me smile every day with its happy flower goodness.

2. the sun was shining down upon my head just a few moments ago.

3. creating a few new designs to add to the shop in the next few days. finding inspiration from a dish of jelly beans.

4. opening my eyes to see how my friends nurture me in so many (often unexpected) ways. 

5. tucking this truth inside my heart: i choose to find the beauty and my life is full and lighter because of it.

and you? tell me five really good things from your world. (dare you.)

five (really) good things

the realness of our moments . january 31

even though i am feeling a bit buried in all that is, i am taking time to notice what is so beautiful and true about this moment right now:

1) today (for the first time), i played with the timer on my camera to capture ellie jane and me. not sure why i waited this long as it was so much fun. she was captivated by the sound of the timer so most of the photos had her turning to look just as it clicked, but i love this one. letting go of the negative self-talk about how i am not wearing makeup or didn't shower or how the list goes one. instead, really loving the idea that every photo i take will become clues to ellie, jon, and me (and ellie's children if she has any and so on) about this time in our lives. every photo becomes a clue.

2) the delightful marilyn (one of my first blog world friends) has an interview series she shares at la salonnierre, and she asks the best questions! i am so happy to be answering a few this week. you can read the interview here, including my poem note about how indiana still lives in me.

3) so i was in the winter issue of Artful Blogging. seriously. i can't believe i haven't mentioned it before now because it is basically one of those creative dreams come true. [my name on a cover of a magazine. w.o.w.] last week, ellie and i went to borders and discovered they still had a few copies. (a few people have asked me where to find it, so you might check your local borders; however, the spring issue will be out soon.)

4) the beana is sitting up. just like that. she went from sitting up for seconds at a time to playing by herself for five minutes without falling over. i am kind of amazed by her every single day.

5) the sky was blue today. blue. when we took millie out, ellie and i spotted chickadees, nuthatches, so many round junkos, and a hummingbird. there are buds on the cherry tree. people ask me why they should come to the pacific northwest for a retreat in february or march? because those cherry trees will be blooming. (i think about so many of you about to be buried in snow, and i send you the hope that you can take a moment or two to soak in the beauty of wherever you are.)

*****

and how about you? tell me five (really) good things about your world. 

(dare you)

five (really) good things . where i remind myself i choose...

 

a boy and his guitar . september 2010

1. pumpkin spice lattes are back. 

2. this afternoon, i am creating several custom soul mantra necklaces, and this has me thinking about how healing it is to hammer phrases like "stand in your light" and "rest inside love" and "claim your worth" into metal.*

3. ellie has started laughing when we dance to some favorite songs. that sound, oh that sound, how it causes me to remember how beautiful life is.

4. pushing myself to own that i am brave in so many aspects of my life. honoring this is a gift i give myself. 

5. my brother and his girlfriend [who are the duo hello mtn] were here last weekend. i am still smiling when thinking about the afternoon we spent at point defiance park. they are working on a video of the song they wrote for ellie** and i had the privilege of taking some footage for them and snapping photos along the way. that day taught me so much about photography and creating and reminded me of the importance of having artist dates even in the midst of challenging times. (we must refill our soul's well and this is an important way for me.)

*i am currently taking custom soul mantra orders until this wednesday, september 15. i will be closing the shop for several weeks later this month as i focus on ellie's health needs. the next time i will be able to offer custom necklaces and lockets will probably be in november.

**the song they wrote and recorded for ellie...well...i simply cannot wait until i can share it with you later this fall. it is the most beautiful gift i have ever received. and the words, the words are healing me each time i hear them. matt gave me the okay to share a snippet of video here next week, so stay tuned for some photos from our day along with a little video clip.

*****

i make lists like these to remind myself that i can choose to find the goodness even when i am in the midst of the scariest time in my life. because even though so much of the day is filled with medication and worry of what is to come and trying to support one another while being so exhausted, i can still stop by starbucks while running errands and spend just a few seconds breathing in the "fall is on its way" smell of a pumpkin spice latte and then notice the smiling down on me through the sunroof blue of the sky and turn up the radio and sing along until i pull up in front of the house. each day, each moment, i can still choose the way i see things and who i want to be. and i always want to be the person who seeks the beauty in the moments.

and you...

what are your five (really) good things today?

i would love to hear them.