Embrace Life

I love colour ...

 
The whole text reads:

YOU are extremely perceptive and are able to grasp complex subjects. You love to learn and explore new ideas. Try not to separate youself from others in your attempt to stay centered and in control. Creating a proper balance between giving too much of yourself and becoming isolated an be a challenge. You have a strong spiritual calling and when connected to your mission in life, you can be a great healer. Your personal colour invokes peace and ease. Wearing, meditating or surrounding yourself with Aqua inspires trust and breadth of vision.

Now, I have to say, I don't often put much stock in things like this, they are just fun to do, but this one was just plain spooky.

1. Of all of the colours available, the one to which I am most drawn lately is aqua. A darker version, but the idea is the same. Maybe aqua for spring and summer? I'm excited at the prospect. My new Asics are aqua and black. Hmm.

2. I do separate myself - often. I call it turtling. I hate doing it but it is exactly what I do. It is a natural response to my world around me. Fortunately my sister calls me on it ... every time. Love you, Beth!

3. Giving too much and becoming isolated? You don't hear that combination very often. I live it every. single. day.

4. When connected with my mission in life? I know I'm not ... yet. But I'm really starting to feel my "calling" is really out there just waiting for me.

Anyway ...

What is YOUR colour? Go check it out then leave me a link and let me know if yours turned out to be accurate or not. Of all the colours in the rainbow, do you like the one chosen for you? What about the description? Did it ring true? Was yours as spooky, er, dead-on as mine?

Kindness

Kindness

Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.

Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.

— Naomi Shihab Nye —

Mama and Moe Time

(My first effort with blackberry photos. Not bad. Not good, but I'm learning!)

With active four kids it is often hard to find much one-on-one time, so I take what I can get! During a recent tournament, Claire and Caden headed back to Oakville with Louis to attend their Saturday morning commitments and it was just Chloe and me as Cole was busy with his team.

We had a wonderfully relaxed, easy paced, food filled day.

Chloe has the gift of the gab - gift might be an overstatement - and she kept me entertained with stories and ideas and plans. She is currently writing a novel and brought her black composition book and pencil everywhere. Except the pool, in which she spent hours!

We enjoyed some great meals and plenty of treats. Moe definitely has a sweet tooth and often I find myself telling her "no" to her many requests. This was a "yes" day so there were plenty of cookies, ice cream and a frappaccino! I avoided most temptations and let her indulge, but did manage a slice of carrot cake, but gathered some restraint and had a green tea rather than the fancy drink.

It was so nice to enjoy her company, away from her siblings. I'm glad we were able to find a small bit of Mama and Moe time! It is so hard to manage, but so worth all of the effort.

Wellness Wednesday: Encouragement Box

In mid-January, once all of the frantic idea-a-minute posts were read through and I sifted the do-able from the rest, I found one entry from the thoughtful and inspiring Jamie Ridler that didn't just speak to me, it shouted (nicely, of course) and I found it irresistible.

I knew it would be important to get my "box" put together quickly as mid-winter was approaching and it is one time of the year I find difficult to navigate. The days are bleak and cold and there is little motivation to be found. I'm certainly not comparing my days to anyone who might be diagnosed with SAD, but a little support is welcome.

I have been very fortunate to receive kindness here on the blog in form of comments, and often some of you take it one step further to send me an e-mail, and I have been the recipient of cards and letters in the much coveted snail mail. Taking Jamie's advice to make this simple and not a chore on my "to do" list. I printed the e-mails. I collected the notes. I screen printed the comments. YOU will keep me going through the bleak days and for that I am very grateful.

What helps you work through the winter blues? Do you have an encouragement box? Something similar?

Creative Confidence Boost

I love taking photos.

I love telling stories.

I love scrapbooking as it is the perfect combination of my two favourite things to do.

It is through the great community of scrapbookers I've learned many, many things. One of those things is to participate. This includes participating in challenges and in kind and supportive communities. Lain Ehmann's LOAD is a combination of both of those things: a challenge to create a layout a day (LOAD) for the entire month of May (and February and October) and while over on Flickr be a member of the LOAD community.

I've met so many wonderful and talented women over in the Flickr group.

It was a surprise to me one day a few weeks ago when saraintexas - who, I assume, is Sara and she lives in Texas :) - posted on the message board that this layout

was featured on Flickr "Explore". I knew something was up because the layout was being viewed and commented on by all manner of (polite and positive) members of the Flickr community and they mentioned seeing it on Explore. Being a former Windows person, I was very confused.

As it turns out, Explore, in some funky way, figures how to feature any number of photos uploaded on any given day. Neato. It had me smiling all day long to know that someone liked my layout. Many someones. Then I forgot all about it. Until ...

the layout brought another deluge of kind comments, favourites and contact requests. Which resulted in  another confidence boost and smiles!

Then one of the brilliant ladies on the LOAD board posted a link which brought me to (as of today) the nineteen, NINETEEN, layouts of mine featured in Explore! Who knew? Well, LisaInRe did and she shared :) How fun is that? Well, kinda weird, but fun, too.

Follow this link and if you key in my screen name LINARstudio you find:

And you know, I think they are some of my most favourite creations over the last year, too.

Validation is a wonderful thing.

Now, if you have a ton of time and want to see some really neat stuff, hang around at Big Huge Labs for a bit. Wow. So many ideas! So many things to create!

Focus: A Simplicity Manifesto

I am thrilled to have something to file under "serendipity"!

Over the New Year, I spent the better part of a day clearing out my Google Reader. Not a normal day, but a why can't I have more than 10 minutes to spend on any project kind of day at which point I realized my kids were still on break and it would be a while before things get back to "normal", whatever that is. Purging should take far less time; but, nonetheless, a day well spent.

I have to say it was lovely to reduce my Reader from 321 blogs to 234. I'm not quite to my target of 200, as I've added a number to my Digi and Photography categories. It really gave me a chance to purge and settle on my priorities.

I got rid of anything pretentious and difficult to understand; I purged anything that started with "I'm so sorry I've been away so long" dated from last fall; I deleted anything that made me feel uncomfortable even if it's considered popular and "edgy"; and, anything crafty but not practical, well, practical in my world. When I purged the blog with 3,813 followers I felt terrible, wondering what was wrong with me and realizing I'd love to have 3,813 followers. Imagine expressing something that many people would be interested in reading? Then again, I felt equally terrible when I purged the blog with 16 followers. (Oh, as of today, this blog has 35 followers - the now defunct Lemons2Lemonade had 138 and LINARstudio enjoyed 114).

The serendipity part?

Because of the purge, I had time to read what was left in my reader. Even among those, I have a handful of absolute favourite blogs, those that talk to my soul. On occasion, I forget and they get lost among all of the craft, design and domestic articles highlighted to be read, those that talk to the rest of me! I found this one special blog in the fall of 2008 and am thrilled with the success Leo has enjoyed. This was posted and while I was revelling in his list of accomplishments, I was struck by his new book venture, Focus. I'd only just chosen Focus as my word for 2009. Could it be that I can merge the principles of my beliefs and desire of a calm and simple existence with the craziness that is my life? 

Ah, with Leo's help, this may indeed be the year of FOCUS :)

TGIF: 11.12.09

I'm trusting I am on the right path for me and a number of upcoming choices will be made taking all important aspects, especially people, into consideration, with kindness and patience.

I'm grateful for stumbling on occasion, sometimes those there to pick me up are the perfect choice, by chance. Serendipity!

I'm inspired by the determination of my son Cole. He is so focused and driven to be the best he can be, I've been regulated to being chauffeur and cheerleader. I can learn a lot from my boy, though he says he's learned a lot from me :)

* * * * *

Why the twinkle lights? Back in mid-April 2009, the brilliant Brené Brown decided to start TGIF. According to her post:

"T.G.I.F is based on my theory on twinkle-lighting. I think twinkle lights are so universally loved because they are the perfect metaphor for joy. In our culture we're taught to believe that joy and happiness should be a constant. They're not. Joy is glorious precisely because it comes in moments - mostly ordinary moments. Most of us tend to miss out on those bursts of heart-light because we're so busy chasing down "the extraordinary light" or we're too afraid to enjoy them because we know they are fleeting. A joyful life is not a "flood light" of joy. That would eventually become unbearable. I believe a joyful life is made up of joyful moments gracefully strung together by trust, gratitude, and inspiration."

Wow. I had to join. I was compelled by such perfect words and purpose.

Do you want to participate in TGIF? If so, get the scoop over at Ordinary Courage. Even if you don't want to participate, do yourself a favour today and head over anyway. You won't regret it!