Embrace Life

#Reverb10

DATELINE: 03 December 2010 :: Oakville, Ontario, Canada

I am participating in #reverb10 for the month of December. To find my entries, please head over to my mini-blog by clicking the image above - or links to specific days and prompts below. Let me know what you're writing so I can visit you and read what you have to say!

day one | one word :: day two | writing :: day three | moment :: day four | wonder

day five | let go :: day six | make :: day seven | community

day eight | beautifully different :: day nine | party :: day ten | wisdom

day eleven | 11 things :: day twelve | body integration

day thirteen | action :: day fourteen | appreciate :: day fifteen | 5 minutes

day sixteen | friendship :: day seventeen | lesson learned :: day eighteen | try

day nineteen | healing :: day twenty | beyond avoidance

day twenty-one | future self :: day twenty-two | travel :: day twenty-three | new name

day twenty-four | everything's okay :: day twenty-five | photo

day twenty-six | soul food :: day twenty-seven | ordinary joy :: day twenty-eight | achieve

day twenty-nine | defining moment :: day thirty | gift :: day thirty-one | core story

 

DATELINE: 31 December 2010 :: Oakville, Ontario, Canada

This has been my "featured" post for the month of December. I had it at the top of my blog and added to it almost every day as I posted entries on my mini-blog. All of the prompts have some kind of response. I've enjoyed the process, for the most part. I was fully engaged and wrote about things that were challenging. I did not write if I felt the prompt was too contrived or too artsy-fartsy-attempting-deep-but-really-stupid. I'm all about digging in, but I'm not all about the bullshit wrapped in pretty bows to make it look important, deep or intellectual. Though, I did enjoy #reverb10 it enough to record it all and I'm in the process of converting my "manifest what's next" into a mini album I'll share later in the week.

What about you? Did you participate? What did you think?

2010: Ordinary Extraordinary

As far as years go, 2010 was full. Good. Not so good. Downright bad. Fantastic. We ran the gammut of emotions. I've spent the last couple of hours reading hundreds (yes, hundreds) of blog posts in my reader. Full of inspiration and reflection.

I'd love to participate but my reality right now is exhaustion. I just can't lay in my bed any longer - it's starting to hurt - but I can barely keep my eyes open. I may just have to sleep through my welcome of the new decade at midnight tonight.

The easiest way to reflect on my year is pictorially, so I quickly scanned through the photos of 2010 currently residing in my overflowing iPhoto and narrowed down the 25,000+ photos to 12. One per month:

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

I love that through my blog and my albums I am able to capture all of these ordinary extraordinary moments, and the many many moments in between. I'm learning that the "art" of it is in the edit.

To all of you I wish you all the goodness the New Year has to bring, to you and yours! Big virtual hugs to you all!

Team Up Thursday: December

Remember Team Up Thursday? That project I participate in with my uber-talented friend Shirley? Well, we've been busy, as mums of teens and almost teens, tend to be and we were waylayed by life. Hopefully we get back on track now that the busy holidays are over!

My Nutcrackers are the definition of December for me. I wish I could have taken a gentle snowy photo like the one captured by Shirley, but alas, there was little snow to record around here - she had snowfall records broken!

Check out the other diptych's on the Team Up Thursday Flickr Group.

Ripple Effect

Image found here.

Sometimes a phrase repeats. Either you hear it or see it, but once you are aware of it, you see it everywhere. Does that happen to you, too?

For me it has been a creative bombardment over the last 48 hours found in the rink, the truck, my studio, the www.

The phrase? Ripple Effect.

• At the rink one of the skating instructors was referring to the ripple effect of teaching skating to young kids and what happens when they "get it". Apparently it starts with one and it just ripples through all the students and in one single class almost every kid has it figured out. (After 20+ years of teaching she claims it is the most satisfying part of her job. I would imagine!)
• I was tidying up my studio after the holiday create-and-wrap fiesta and found some Christine Mason Miller books that I have not sent out - from 18 months ago! I'm thinking I have a post office phobia to go along with the rest of my issues! Then I read some of her words. *Sigh*
• I found a #reverb10 response post over at Carolyn Rubenstein's brilliant Ripple Effect blog. The funny part? The words from CMM's book were right there to be re-read.
• In the truck my iPod shuffle pulled up one of my most favourite songs from a couple of years ago, a bit unconventional but the words are spectacular: 

I think I found the recipe of creativity
Put all you've got, then add some heart
They fence us in to break us down
But still they can't shut us down
The walls are thin
But still we're strong
We're broken but we beat as one
blah blah blah, then the chorus
Drop me in the middle so I can make a ripple effect
Upon the ocean I'll be the moon that turns the tide
Drop me in the middle so I can make a ripple
A domino effect, falling through the sands of time

Isn't that beautiful? I've been humming it ever since I heard it yesterday.

Now what am I do do with all of these ripples? Just imagine all that I missed before I started paying attention!

I'm not quite sure, but now that I'm aware of them I'm going to have to figure it out. 

Okay, that's it for my morning mull. I must run and take Claire to the rink - she's timekeeping today! Cole's already there (sadly I miss his game vs Waterloo). Then I have to make breakfast for and then deliver our Norwegian friends to their rink. Life is good! And busy ...

2011 | DO

I'm really good at figuring out things to do - mulling, preparing, mulling, collecting, mulling, organizing, mulling, listing and then mulling some more. As much as I am attempting to embrace my imperfection, I paralyze myself with my preparation for perfect. I'm letting go and embracing my YEAR OF DO.

In 2008, my word was huh? What in the world is this word thing in blogland?

In 2009, my word was balance. Wrong word.

In 2010, my word was focus. Right word.

In 2011, my word is DO. Fingers crossed.

To me, DO is a natural extention of focus. I have spent 2010 with that single word resonating in many thoughts and deeds. I've purged a lot of things that were keeping me busy but not keeping me engaged. I have focused on those things that mean the most to me and bring the most joy. It was a year of planning and purging. Much purcolating was accomplished and plans mulled.

For 2011 I thought of words like "move", "action", "motivate", "make", "create", but in the end a very simple two letters will be my focus for the next twelve months.

There are some great articles out there in blogland that I discovered when I was focusing on my word selection for 2011. The incomparable Seth Godin had a very short article which solidified my selection. This was followed the very next day with a smart article over at Blacksburg Belle about Ideas to Change Your Life and Business. I love smart articles.

Personal DO

Move More, Eat Less is a program put together by Cathy Zielske who has impeccable timing. I'm so ready to do this, though, in my case it might be a matter of move more, eat more since my biggest problem is not eating breakfast or lunch then binging by dinner.

My preparation includes: downloading Cathy's fitness journal templates from Designer Digitals, joining the group on Flickr, loading classic books (lots of Jane Austen and Fyodor Dostoyevsky) onto my iPad and dusting off my recumbent bike. I'm even thinking of heading to the mall - not to shop (ick) but to join the seniors and walk a couple of hours each day until the weather improves.

Creative DO

As a direct result of my year for 2010: focus, I am on a number of dynamic design teams which promises to feed my need to create! In addition to Ella Publishing Company, Paper Issues and Log Your Memory, I've signed up for and plan to fully participate in:

Yesterday & Today: is a workshop lead by Ali Edwards, offered through Big Picture Classes running from December 30, 2011 ending March 30, 2011. According to BPC: the goal of Yesterday & Today is to help you meaningfully document and celebrate life by looking to the past before approaching the stories of today. Full Disclosure: this is my second year taking this course and I hope to accomplish more this time around!

One Little Word: Another Ali Edwards lead workshop offered through Big Picture Classes. It runs all year starting on January 1, 2011 ending December 31, 2011. According to BPC: the idea is to join Ali Edwards on a year-long adventure to nurture, cultivate and make your word visible in 2011. This is my third year participating in choosing a guiding word. My first "balance" was a bust; my second "focus" was brilliant; and I hope, especially with the inspiration by Ali et al, "do" will be even better.

Roots of She: *sigh* Smart women, inspiration, creativity sharing wisdom and joy. From their first post: roots of she is a safe space to talk about the wide range of experiences that we have, this is a space that will let other women know that they aren't alone, that no matter what, there is someone out there that knows what you are going through. I so enjoy learning and finding inspiration!

Embrace Imperfection: Karen Grunberg is leading this free class because, according to BPC: her goal is to help those of you who tend to shy away from preserving your stories because your scrapbooking is inherently imperfect. Since I struggle with my perfectionist tendencies, this sounds brilliant!

Log Your Memory: I realize I'm on the challenge team, but I can only encourage anyone and everyone to get in touch with and celebrate their every day. From the introductory page: Log Your Memory is all about capturing your everyday, real life memories. We welcome ALL memory keepers ... paper scrappers, digi scrappers, hybrids ... even NON-scrappers! Even if you don't jump in right away, head on over to the forum, or check out the gallery, peruse the log book. Such an incredible positive place to be.

I suppose this could all go under a "Learn DO" column, but I find the idea of creativity and learning interchangeable. Well, really, I find all of it feeds my curiosity and need to continue learning.

Social DO

I want to spend more time with my friends. Make them a priority. Let them know by my actions that they are a priority. Plan coffee, lunch, dinner, evenings out and make them important enough that the only thing that would make me cancel would involve an aneurysm or household catastrophe.

Regardless of how "famous" or how many other comments there are, I'm going to leave my two cents on blogs I admire and ignore the intimidation factor.

Spiritual DO

This may not sound in the least bit spiritual, but I find I am happier with less. Less clutter, less stuff. This year I plan to cleanse my soul by:

• going through a huge digital detox: clear out my e-mail, iPhoto, subscriptions, bookmarks, reader, downloads, etc. then organize so everything can be easily located.
• clear out my studio and storage area of all creative materials that I just won't use. Donate, donate, donate.
• purge the house of anything not used or loved - every single room.

Family DO

I hope to stay open to all of the changes and challenges my kids introduce (seemingly) daily. I would like to introduce the concept of spend less :: do more which really might cost the same, but it gives us less to pick up, reduces the clutter and has the family spend more time together to solidify their relationships. I'd far rather my kids have event memories than time spent otherwise engaged. This of course has to be balanced with a healthy dose of down time - which I think is equally valuable. We live in a busy house where we are often going in many directions at once. Everyone has an opportunity to do something they love, I have to remember that this time is about them.

Work DO

Though my work (and play) is about writing, I'd like to change things up a bit and create and ETSY shop along the lines of my studio: LINAR. What does LINAR mean? Life Is Not A Rehearsal. That is how I (try to) live my life - every day - with intention and authenticity. That's what I mean by life not being a rehearsal - it is the perpetual opening night. I want to translate that enthusiasm into product: take my love of words + photos and make things to encourage intention and authenticity in the lives of others. A big project, but one I plan to DO.

Do you have a guiding word for 2011? What is it? I'd love to know :)

December Daily: Highlight Photos :: Round 3

I am pretty surprised that I've kept up with all of the aspects of December Daily - the photos, the journaling, the all of it. I keep up with it but completely forget to post it here on the blog. Here are the photos from December 15 - 25:

December 15:

December 16:

December 17:

December 18:

December 19:

December 20:

December 21:

December 22:

December 23:

December 24:

December 25:

It was a really busy ten days with school ending, Claire's birthday and Christmas being the highlights. I'm hoping to include some of the more routine, but equally important, daily events through the month in my project. I'm liking how it's all coming together!

What about you? Have you kept up? What is the most valuable part of the process for you?

I'm hoping to keep up with the next few days. We are hosting/billeting three young (1995) hockey players from Norway through the 30th while they participate in a tournament in which Cole is a player, Claire is a timekeeper and Louis is Senior Convener. Me? I suppose that makes me chauffeur, cook, housekeeper, laundress and hopefully NOT nurse! Not much of a stretch :) The good thing is that Louis will be at their same rink for the week, so he can help out if necessary while I'm running around with my own!

Wish me luck!

With online time limited, I'll be working on my calendar, in my never-too-far-away Moleskine notebook putting together an effective (I hope!!) workflow for the next few months and in my sketch pad. If you see me come over and say "hi", I'll welcome an interuption, I'm sure.

Calm before the storm

Not a storm really, just a whirlwind of activity!

I am typing this out in anticipation of not being back here for a while. I haven't even post-dated posts. Indeed, life has snuck up on me even when I don't do anywhere near what most of you do in anticipation of the holidays!

Over the next couple of days I have a few things I must get done, many over-and-above the usual Christmas activites.

Christmas-y stuff:

• Wrap and deliver the gifts I made for my best girlfriends in anticipation of our lunch today - which, as it turns out was yesterday. (I showed up late, and empty handed. This situation must be remedied!)
• Wrap and deliver gifts to those ladies I want to wrap and deliver gifts to ... and to both hockey coaches (which may end up being New Years gifts at the rate I'm going!)
• Put together the annual Gingerbread House with the kids.
• Make freezer cookies!
• Buy/make tourtiere for Christmas Eve and pick up a Roast Beast for Christmas dinner. Organize all of the fixings!
• Make "gift card ornaments" for the kids (remember to take photos and show you!)

Non Christmas-y stuff:

• Take Cole and his teammate Sean to powerskating (if Cole's leg is better. I hope so!)
• Attend last regular season game of the 2010 year: Rangers vs Grey Bruce on Thursday evening. Make sure to bring the "easy button". Last Hound Dog game is tonight at 16 Mile and bring along the cowbells!
• Take Claire to timekeeping and her friends houses for holiday related events.
• Take Caden and Cole to the Bronte Marsh to play pond hockey. Perhaps organize a game for a group of them.
• Take truck to Louis' friend AC for service. Grr. Clarification: Grr truck, not AC.
• Keep up with #reverb10 prompts and my December Daily project.
• Keep up with AND POST Picture the Holidays over on BPC!
• Clean and organize guest room in anticipation of arrival of three (1995) hockey players from Norway who arrive on December 26th and will billet with us through the 30th for the Richard Bell Memorial Hockey Tournament.
• Plan to join Cathy Z and her Move More, Eat Less project on her blog, on Flickr and via Designer Digitals
• Create 5 layouts for various design team assignments.
• Sharpen skates every day the boys are on the pond! (Note to anyone with the romantic idea about pond skating - it's murder on blades!)
• Figure out who won the calendar offer on the blog AND GO TO THE POST OFFICE. I'm so far behind and can only apologise to anyone waiting for me to get my act together.
• Continue my digital detox before my MacBook Pro explodes.
• Follow my list and clean each room in the house. Seriously top to bottom.
• Pre-make all to-be-frozen-food in anticipation of our guests and very limited time each day to feed them.
• Parent any child who feels like I'm not loving them enough.
• Laundry
• Buy and consume wine

Sadly, I know there's a whole slew of things I've not listed - like call my family, call more family, pick up last minute XYZ, Christmas morning movie plans, head to church, make plans for the Moe, make plans for the Cade-man, I hope to be back in the swing of things before the New Year. To share my "word" for 2011. To let you know about what I've been working on. To engage you in ideas, courses and plans that might be appealing.

But, until then, I have to let go of here to deal with everything else.

Happy happy, merry merry, and I'll be back when I can. Hugs to all :)

December Daily: Photo Dilemma

Are you creating a December Daily?

I am trying to keep up with it all. Then some days there is so much stuff going on, I have to just have to shake my head! For example, this past Saturday:

The boys loaded their hockey gear into the truck. Louis was already at the rink convening - he had left at 6AM and would remain at the rink until around noon.

Caden's game started at 9AM. His team won! A wonderful thrill and surprise :) Cole and I enjoyed cheering from the stands before I took Cole to his practice.

I then brought Caden home. He was very excited when he spied these bunny tracks. They were all over the place!

Even more evidence of wildlife - do you see that white spec on the water? A swan. The same solitary swan that hangs out around here all summer. I've never seen it this late in the season. I had to snap a shot!

No photos, but it was at this point that I took the girls over to the mall to go shopping. On the busiest day of the year - the Saturday before Christmas. They're crazy!

Cole had promised Caden first thing in the morning that he'd take him over to the pond to go skating and he'd give him some lessons in hockey skills that should assist his game once he got home from practice. He came in from his own time on the ice and off-ice training, and Caden was anxiously awaiting their departure. Cole ate quickly and then they were ready to head off.

While they spent well over an hour on the frozen water I went back to the mall and collected Chloe, dropped her off at home (Claire stayed at the mall as the boy (Oskar) and his friends had shown up) and then went to pick up the boys. I can't even fathom having skates on for an hour let alone multiple hours in a one day. They're either dedicated or crazy!

We came home to make "Jamie (Oliver) Chicken" and Caden was my sous chef. He loves getting messy in the kitchen. We cranked up the Christmas tunes and started cooking. In the meantime, Louis was napping, Claire was still shopping, Cole was "chilling" and Chloe was showering.

Chloe, since receiving some balls from her Secret Santa at school, has not put them down. She is not in the least bit interested in baseball, but who knows, juggling? She stopped long enough to set the table.

While we were waiting for the chicken to roast, our sweet neighbours from across the street delivered some gorgeous (and delicious) sugar cookies! Very festive. They did not last long!

Seriously? Mr. Tough Guy.

There she is, dinner dishes have been cleared away and the computer has taken it's place on the kitchen table.

We then settled in for the night. By the glow of the tree (and this, a favourite ornament - see the hockey theme of my life?) we watched a Saturday staple: Hockey Night in Canada. I was asleep before the third period!

The dilemma? Which photo best represents our day? I'm trying to keep the album simple and uncluttered with one focus photo per day, which is working pretty well during the week - but the weekends? Chaos! Mind you, of all the things I have to worry about, I'm glad in this instance it is an abundance of things to do.

My pick? It's a toss up: the photo of my boys off to the pond or the cookies. Hmm. Right now anyway!

How is your December Daily coming along? What dilemmas have you come across?

A baby no more ...

but always my first baby!

My Claire has turned 15. She has been impatiently waiting for this day for the better part of six months and I've heard many times how terrible it is to have a birthday at the end of the year.

Claire is spirited, outspoken, opinionated, kind, and fun to be around. Evidence of her personality:

No cake for my girl, no way. It's all abou the apple pie!

Love her spirit and independence. It might just kill me, but I admire it just the same.

Here's to the next 15 years!

Twelve Days of Christmas

Did you know that the 12 days of Christmas START on Christmas Day?

I had no idea. Well I didn't until late November, when in my effort to bannish Bah and Humbug from my heart, I did some research which started over at the source of all information. I've been on a quest to find something more meaningful than the trappings of the holiday. I think I may just start with making the Twelve Days of Christmas be our focus. What do you think?

It took me a while but after reading as much as I could, I'd prefer to embrace the concept of LIGHT rather than the idea of (yet more) presents. As we all know, light takes many forms. I thought of literal lights but candles didn't make sense as beautiful as they are, so I settled on the idea of light as knowledge, understanding and hope.

Since this is our first go at this idea, I thought I'd print off these brilliant cards (pictured above) and have each of my kids, along with Louis and myself, write down our thoughts each day. Since it's hard anyone to write free-flow, I'm providing 12 prompts:

01 What was the most important thing I learned this year?
02 What was the most exciting/fun thing I did this past year?
03 What was my greatest accomplishment this year?
04 What do I like best about me?
05 What do I most want to improve about myself over the next year?
06 What was the best book I read this past year? Why?
07 What was my favourite television program to watch?
08 What meal could I eat every day?
09 If I could have only one treat, what would it be?
10 What is the best part of my personality - my gift to the world?
11 What was the hardest thing to master this year?
12 What do I most look forward to doing/seeing/learning next year?

I printed off some journaling cards and wrote on each of them Name: Looking Toward 2011 in the font that my kids like most: Claire gets Cocktail Script, Cole gets Rockwell, Chloe gets Amelie and Caden gets American Typewriter. I know it sounds silly, but these really are "their" fonts. Me? Honey Script. Louis gets Adler.

These will all be collected and stored to be opened on Christmas Day 2011. I think these will be very interesting to read next year, and in years to come!

In our lives there is always so much going on, I like the idea of us all taking some time out of the day to slow down and reflect on what happened over the year. It's also a great chance for me to gauge where my family is at and where they're going and understand the expectations of the year to come!

Celebrating Everyday Moments

is what I do. I find that when I sit down to review my year, I have almost no photos of the "big" moments: birthdays, Christmas, parties because I'm the one orchestrating those events. What I do have, between my blog and my photos, are little celebrations of the every day moments of our life.

I really thought I was alone, especially when I would see all of the wonderful tributes - in layout and mini book form - all over the www celebrating Christmas, Easter, Hallowe'en, Birthdays and more only to discover I would have to reenact events in order to capture them! I was so thrilled to find the Log Your Memory blog, book and forum this year and realized that I am not alone in my celebration of the every day! Sweet validation that my albums and memories are just as valuable in their everyday simplicity as those memories of the "big" moments.

Mid year, I submitted for inclusion in the 2011 Log Book and had one of my layouts chosen! I then got very brave and submitted to join the challenge team for 2011. Guess what? I have been chosen to join the Challenge Team for the first half of the year! The log book is an incredible tool, full to bursting with ideas and plenty of space to keep track of your memories. So many ideas to make your memory keeping simple. And done.

Head on over to Log Your Memory and meet the whole team. I'm excited to get started and work with this group of talented and inspiring women. I'm already signed up for a few assignments, I can't wait to share!

While you're over there, sign up and join the forum. What a wonderful place for encouragement, inspiration and ideas. I enjoy every visit. Hope to see you there!

Mistakes that lead to Creativity + Giveaway

I'm a great believer that there are two things that make me more creative: less choice and making mistakes.

Sounds a bit counterintuitive, but it works. For me.

This is one (of many) examples where making a mistake forced me to think and perhaps come up with something a bit more creative than originally planned. In this case it was my plan to showcase some of my many photos and create a calendar to give, to my sisters and maybe to a few friends over the holiday, in anticipation of 2011.

What a process!

I managed to narrow down the 25,000+ photos taken this year to 12; one to represent the month it was captured. The images are those that resonate the most with me, and perhaps to my family who are of very few who would recognize where some of those photos were taken.

I then went into my collection of freebie digi downloads to find a layered calendar template. I found one only to realize now, when I decided to post, that I have no idea where it is from. The original download files have no reference to it's origin. If you see it and recognize it: 1. Thank you and 2. LABEL your work so you can receive credit! (Then I realized, when searching for the reference to the freebie download, that I had PURCHASED a download which I didn't use! Gah.)

The plan was to print the finished files off:

to fit in:

Wrong. They DID NOT FIT!!

So out came the key tools to creativity: Centering ruler, jump rings, crop-o-dile, black cardstock, bone folder:

With those tools, my tape runner and my trimmer, I managed to put a few of these together:

The best part? Once I finished, I realized that using this structure, through 2011, I can print off a 5x7 print that best represents each month as it happens, write up a 5x7 piece of cardstock to record the small everyday happenings of the month and by the end of next year, voila, a mini book of memories!

My sisters do not scrapbook, but who knows, this is easy enough. I think I'll have to suggest it :)

Let me know if you want to win one of my mistakes :) I have one left to give away! I'll draw for names on Sunday, December 19th at 7PM Eastern.

December Daily: Highlight Photos :: Round 2

I've been keeping up with my daily photos as well as my daily stories for this project. It has been a lot of fun but I have to say I'm thoroughly intimidated, er, inspired by other projects being posted by other participants! Have you been over to see Melanie Louette's project? Karen Grunberg? Sharyn Carlson? Or our fearless leader & inspiration originator Ali Edwards? I don't know how these ladies, or the oodles who link up on AE's blog do it every day. Not just taking the photos and recording the stories, but making the pages, photographing them and uploading them. Holy smokes. They are all so amazing!

December 8

December 9

December 10

December 11

December 12

December 13

December 14

How about you? Are you keeping up with your December Daily? Are you printing and putting it together daily, or like me, waiting to print everything all at once? Leave a link so I can see what you've been doing!

Around here today

The Bug is a-bed with a bug of his own. Poor buddy. When he's sick he's s.i.c.k.; otherwise he's going 100km/h all over the place. He's so obviously unhappy right now - but the fever broke sometime last night, so the end is near.

And with that, I'm off to make some chicken broth and rice. Have a wonderful day!

12 of 12: December

01. I woke up to no truck in the driveway. Claire was off to timekeeping at Kinoak Arena.

02. The wind, waves and rain was wild. The photo does not do it justice, but I was hoping for a bit colder and perhaps snow! My December Daily continues to resemble April.

03. I retrieved the roses from last night (from the fridge) and proceeded to trim and put in vases. I was too pooped to do it when we got home!

04. Have you signed up for Ali Edwards new class over at BPC? I did earlier this week and printed off all of the sheets this morning. Can't wait for January 1! Do you have your word for 2011?

05. Claire was the photographer last night and she gave me her card to retrieve the photos.

06. Interesting article on religion in the morning paper. I enjoyed it with some coffee. I enjoy articles that make me think.

07. I wore my new "winter flip flops" all day long. Thanks Beth!

08. It was definitely a pajama day today.

09. Poor Bug. Sick, sick, sick for the last couple of days. He managed to make it down to my studio for company.

10. I can't believe I'm actually up-to-date with #reverb10. I am very happy with most of the prompts - and my written responses!

11. As one of the only healthy members of the household, Claire convinced her dad to take her off to Oskar's for the evening.

12. My boys spent the evening watching Christmas specials. The end to a very lazy, very sickly kind of day.

the simple things | 06

simple gifts

for years now my parents have hosted our family christmas celebration with my sisters, our spouses, and our growing collection of children on the Saturday a week or two before the "real" day. this generously accomodates for our crazy schedules, travel plans, activities and other family commitments. the stress is to buy and wrap everything well before the big day which has a away of sneaking up on you. (i know most of my friends are going silly with the christmas deadline looming - imagine getting it all done two weeks ahead?)

in order to make things more manageable, i always err on the side of simple packaging. for the party last night, i bought the kids gift cards and with claire's help, used up some of my scrapbook supplies to pretty them up and attach the pockets to big peppermint lollipops. parent gifts didn't even have wrapping - just tags and string.

making a complicated season simple with simple gifts & simple wraps.

The Pink Haters

are going to be cranky:

The colour last year was Lagoon - a beautiful turquoise - which was found in fashion, housewares, textiles, all over the place. Wonder where we'll see honeysuckle in the coming months?

What do you think? Does the colour appeal to you?

the current | two

listening to manheim steamroller on the stereo
eating crumpets with red current jelly
drinking coffee with half & half and a sugar cube
wearing green pajama bottoms, a red tank and my long black sweater, of course
feeling a bit hungover from the party last night
wanting to get some meals in the freezer in prep for the next couple of weeks
needing to move more, every day
thinking about how to re-start my 10,000 steps each day
enjoying every day as it comes, always looking for the best and often finding it
wondering how to fit it all in and enjoy the journey
creating through this month: projects, pictures , reflect & manifest
procrastinating instead of organizing to go to the post office
pondering how best to finish off the new basement bathroom
loving that with exams soon over (this week!) the olders will be less stressed!
anticipating the family christmas party tonight in toronto

idea discovered on this blog. where is your current taking you?

tgif :: december 10

I'm trusting all of the gifts that I'm making for events this weekend will actually be made - and wrapped - on time!

I'm grateful that my kids are motivated to get good marks at school and I don't have to harp on them to study hard for their exams.

I'm inspired by my boy who was put in an unfamiliar position as a forward in his Rangers hockey game last night. He held his own, and then some. The lesson in it? Sometimes when we stick with the familiar we become complacent and make the same mistakes. Taking on a challenge really changes things up, especially if, when we return to the familiar, it is approached with new energy and enthusiasm.

Getting Unstuck

A while back I signed up for Picture the Holidays and expected to really enjoy it. I was right. I do. My problem? Me! I want to capture the prompts in order. Why? Because I think the order is important - the creator of the course, in this case Tracy Clark, designed it with thoughtful deliberation. Who am I to mess things up?

We're now into week 2 and I'm stuck on Day 3. DAY 3!! Why? Hearts. I got the prompt and mulled for a while and am now stuck on the idea that I want to draw a heart, in a dusting of snow, with a shallow depth of field, while snow continues to fall. The problem? No snow! (Well, I could drive about an hour away, but wouldn't you think Mother Nature would just give me a sprinkle? Here at home? Enough for one little capture?)

It was time to get creative. Shake off the idea of the perfect plan and just get on with it. 

A while back I read something about shaping bokeh. I took some rather cryptic notes and then filed it away. I dug out those notes.

This is what I managed to do:

A 2" strip of black carstock and a circle which matched up with the diametre of my Canon 50mm 1.4 lens.

I then cut 1cm slices into the 2" wide strip of cardstock. The slices were spaced 1cm apart.

Then, on the circle previously cut, I cut out a heart shape. The original heart shape was cut out, using a paper punch, from Kraft paper. It was adhered with a glue dot to the centre of the circle and with an exacto blade, I cut out the heart shape using the paper punch as a template.

I then ran a tape runner along the 1cm slices on the 2" strip of black cardstock.

The narrow slices made it easy to adhere the strip to the disk with the heart shape. The hood now fit snugly on the lens. Now to try it out:

Whoot!

It worked!

Once I figured it out, I then went back and changed the disk. I replaced the small heart shape with a large circle. Then I made a set of small disks with hearts, butterflies and stars which I can use on future projects!

Now I can move on and finish some assignments!

December Daily: Highlight Photos

Each morning this month I look at the date with a mix of surprise and panic. I can't slow the days down!

So much to do, so many places to be, so many things to do. I didn't help matters when I took on #reverb10, Picture the Holidays as well as my original plan to make a simple December Daily. I am enjoying all three, very much. Simple, it turns out, is not easy - especially when there is lots to do.

In an effort to better use my time, I've decided to print my photos for the December Daily at the end of the month rather than printing them here at home. It is way more time- and cost-effective. Two things that are really appealing at this time of year! (I'm using the Ali Edwards 6"x8" Overlays as the basis of my album and I also bought the Layered Template Set to supplement.)

Here are my first week worth of highlight photos (5.5"x6.25") to be added to the daily overlays I already printed onto cardstock.

December 1

December 2

December 3

December 4

December 5

December 6

December 7

Fonts: Arial & Agnes

I'm keeping pretty detailed notes on our days - so far. Once I put together the layered templates with some supplemental photos I'll figure out how I'll use the information I'm collecting - or not. I find it's always better to err on too much. After all, there are plenty of stories that can be made into layouts and honoured in other ways outside of this December Daily project.

We definitely hit the month at a break-neck pace but I expect things to slow down, if only a little, through this next week of exams and hopefully we'll manage some baking, shopping and maybe finish decorating!

What about you? How are you recording your December?

The Power of the Snow Globe

Last night, Cole shared with me a new song on you tube, I was reluctant to hear it. This is me publicly apologising to my boy for not having faith in him. For those of you who know me well, do not be alarmed, I know it is Christmas music. I have not taken leave of my senses, I'm still embracing the bah but maybe not so much of the humbug. I love happy music and Shake Up Christmas is just that.

 

Well, what do you think? Not only do I love happy music, I love smart videos and not only do I LOVE the snow globe, the story is great as well as the whole tune. Warm fuzzies I had to share :)

Enjoy your Tuesday!

 

RANT :: Crumbs (and other small messes)

Do not read further if you are looking for a happy encouraging start to your day! Optimism and positivity will return tomorrow. When my house is clean.

I don't know about you, but I spent most of my weekend in a rink. Well, to be precise, I was in four rinks - from downtown Toronto to Welland. I managed close to 400km on the truck.

My weekend was a bit busier than usual, but not much. Though, with only limited time before the holidays, it did put a crimp in my plans and nothing got done around my house - except for the bomb that apparently went off in every single room.

RANT BEGINS ::

Every time I walked into the house there were again, more crumbs on the counter and inevitably on the floor, clothing on the floor as they missed the bins and a full dishwasher worth of plates, cups and bowls in the overflowing kitchen sink. Not one bed was made and not one newspaper picked up or cup put in the dishwasher - or even the sink! Maybe because it was overflowing. Not just that but someone apparently thought they wanted to break apart some corrugated boxes and then lost interest - and left me a gift of cardboard pieces to dispose scattered all over the family room floor.

Grr.

I left a list.

Hello?

Clearly that list got lost under some homework or laundry or crumbs. Goodness knows it didn't make its way into a garbage can.

Who needs a list when the mess is so obvious everywhere!

I'm exhausted with the realization that I will clean it all up. All day today.

Why?

Because I cannot wait until the end of school to have my kids figure it out and clean up. I cannot stand mess. I cannot stand sticky. I cannot stand the utter disrespect for my time or my surroundings. I am tired of lecturing the kids, encouraging the kids, begging the kids to clean up after themselves. I've tried everything.

Except, I've never just cleaned it up. I've always waited and made them clean up after themselves. Clearly there is no impact.

To save my sanity, I have to sign off for the day and grab a big garbage bag!

:: RANT ENDS Thank you for your patience!

My iPod is now charged, garbage bag collected, recycle bin is at the ready. I can start. My reward? A clean house and (fingers crossed) time to make stuff later on today.

the simple things | 05

gesture

claire is always finding something to learn: photography, writing, drawing and now it is sewing. though, i don't think when she signed up for the theatre costuming club at school that it would result in her putting a patch on her baby brother's hockey jersey, but she offered in order to get some "practice". it is the simple gestures my children make toward each other that make me so happy! what can beat curiosity, talent and kindness? nothing. that's my girl :)

4 Simple Goals | December 2010

Last August, Elsie Flannigan posted a simple and doable challenge. I really enjoyed it and best of all, I did it! I'm going to stick with what works and in an effort to keep me on track and accountable, I'm going to challenge myself to post my 4 Simple Goals each month, here on the blog.

As a refresher, the challenge guidelines are:

1. choose simple goals that will make your life richer and happier on a daily basis. choose things you may not otherwise get done, but that are not difficult to accomplish. 

2. do not choose result oriented goals, choose activity oriented goals. for example.... instead of "lose 10 pounds", choose something like "eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day". get what i'm saying? positive actions instead of just the end result! 

3. choose goals that are personal that you believe will truly make your life richer just by doing them! they can be daily, weekly or one time experiences. 

4. choose a reward for each goal as it is accomplished! it can be a small or large reward. 

5. blog your goals, each one as you achieve it and a big post when they are all finished before the new year! i'll be doing this too!

I'm adjusting these a little bit to be more monthly in nature which, I think hope will keep me more accountable. (Posting in August for accountability in December was not good for me. One of my many character flaws includes my inability to remember to do things later - if I don't do it right away, it just won't get done at all. ). I digress. Surprise! Also, I'm adjusting the "reward" component, for myself. You, if you are participating can, of course, reward yourself any way you want!

What do you think?

So, for December, the craziest of months, the one where simple might be a good thing (!!) I have a few activity oriented goals to achieve:

1. Google Calendar: update to include all plans for 2011. I have already added in all of the school dates, sporting events and vacation plans, but I need to incorporate Google Calendar into my monthly goals, my blog schedule and my creative assignments. I've learned that little gets done if I don't make time, the best way to start is to get it on the calendar.
2. Alhambra Night: plan a Mediterranean cooking night with friends. As a result of my newfound intolerance for cheese, I've been on a quest to find something to satisfy that craving. Moroccan food comes close and I have to learn how to make it. What better than to have a group of friends learn with me? I have to set up a cooking night for a group of us at a favourite local restaurant, Alhambra, for sometime in January.
3. Prepare for the Norwegians: get the details and make a plan. Our community is hosting hockey teams from all over the world participating in the Richard Bell Memorial Tournament between Christmas and New Year's. We've volunteered to have up to four young boys ('95s) from Norway stay here at the house. I'm looking forward to meeting them, feeding them and watching them play - (s)mothering them with Canadian goodness!
4. Listen to the naturopath: so many simple changes should be incorporated in our lives. It's just a matter of me getting organized and formulating a routine - automating our health choices. The ideas aren't just for Claire and her improving health, but if they 're working for her, why not everyone? I've already purged many of the things from our house and our diet, but there are so many other simple changes that really need to be ingrained into our lives. Cheers to better choices and better health!

REWARD: I do not often splurge on flowers in my house in the winter. It always seems, to me, to be too extravagant and pricey. If I accomplish my 4 Simple Goals I will buy myself a bright flowering plant after I get the groceries. I'll post it next month :)

What about you? Do you have a few activity oriented goals you'd like to meet? If so and you participate, let me know! I'd love to see what you have planned.

tgif :: december 3

Click image above to go to TGIF at Ordinary Courage

I'm trusting that sometime before the end of the month I'll get the holiday decorations displayed - inside and outside the house! If for no other reason than to take photos for my December Daily album :)

I'm grateful for my friends, all of them but three in particular. Their warmth, compassion, kindness and laughter really make my day. I should have more days with them in it.

I'm inspired by smart and engaged creative types who are not bound by the stereotype. Quite the opposite, they do all they can to burst out and encourage others to follow.

NaNoWriMo :: Coming Clean

I used to think I was disciplined and organized.

Used to because NaNoWriMo kicked me in my ample butt and showed me many things have to change if I want to ever become a "real" writer.

I did not write 50,000 words. I may have written 10% of that.

Okay.

Coming clean ... 5%.

I started off strong and positive. Alas it was not to be. There are many reasons for this failure not the least of which is commonly referred to as my life! I have to admit that writing with a gun to your head is not condusive to being your most creative. It really zaps the joy of the writing process. For me. Some might thrive in an environment of crushing creative deadlines - as I do with my scrapbooking, but not with my writing. At all.

Early on in the month I was learning about my weaknesses and through that experience I discovered a brilliant writing tool that I may just gift myself. At least it will keep me organized and it will be easier to pick up where I left off when I (inevitably) have to leave something for sometimes up to a week!

Do I feel like I failed? You betcha. By that same token it didn't stop me from learning some valuable lessons. For that alone the experience was definitely worth it. 

Sometimes we learn more from our failure than from our success.

ETA: I have not given up my keyboard! I am participating in #reverb10 and have my first entry up on my new mini-blog. Come on over and say "hi". Better yet? Join in and leave me a link to your entry!

Reverb10

I love smart women and when smart women tell me to sign up for things, I usually do.

(I like smart men too, but with very few exceptions, my reader is filled with estrogen-fueled inspiration.)

Yesterday via Twitter:

Which made me wonder about #reverb10 since I'm already signed up for (and can't wait to enjoy) #picturetheholidays of which Tracey is the lady in charge! My day got away from me and I never did investigate the #reverb10.

Thank goodness Ali Edwards posted about it today along with her December Daily update. I was thrilled for the reminder!

I went over to check it out and Reverb10 fits right in with my new creativity practice of writing daily, inspired by The Artists Way. Reverb10 takes much of it's inspiration from 750 Words which was inspired by the same book. Whew. With all that said, the idea of Reverb10 is to participate daily, based on prompts, in some creative way - photos, words, another format. What really got me was the tagline that reads: “reflect on this year & manifest what’s next.” Manifest what's next. SOLD. Count me in. I'm all signed up and have received my first (free) daily prompt.

As is my habit, I've decided to do WAY TOO MUCH STUFF this month!

December Daily
Picture the Holidays
12 Days of Christmas
Reverb10
Yesterday & Today prep work

as well as the usual hustle and bustle of the holidays, hockey, assignments (for work and for fun) and laundry. Good intentions ... good intentions ... I'll be happy to get something done, and posted for you all to see!

In the meantime, I've put together a really quick blog-ette to contain all of my Reverb10 assignments. Head on over and check them out! Well, give me a day or so to add some words :)

November in Review

Rink, rink, everywhere a rink :)

I have to say, as busy as November was, our family life-flow was much better. At least, it was more manageable. I missed a couple of events I really wanted to attend, and totally blew NaNoWriMo, but life is filled with choices and always my kids will come first. As for the flow, I have no idea why it seemed easier, but I think I'd better pay closer attention and do it again in December!

• Claire survived, barely, "hell week" at school. It is the week where all of the term assignments are due prior to exams. She was so tired that she went to bed at 8:30PM on Friday and woke up sometime Saturday afternoon. Poor baby, I remember and wish I could make it easier for her - but that's part of the ritual called "growing up".
• At school there is a Nightingale "Star of the Month" awarded in Middle School. The first of the awards for the year were distributed in October. Cole was selected with three other students. Among other honours: he made the finals of the poetry recital with his rendition of The Charge of the Light Brigade; he made the school hockey team and on it he was elected Assistant Captain; he was also made a Chapel Beacon. Busy boy.
• November marked the beginning of singing season! So much rehearsal time has been dedicated to perfecting the performances. Chloe was disappointed not to be selected for "the" solo - it was given to another alto - but she really is the consummate team player. Happy to be a leader, keeping her section on key and in sync.
• The hilight of Caden's month was, of course, the Hound Dogs win of the Nottawasaga Tournament. The lowlight? The following weekend they were spanked - SPANKED - 9-0. We live in the land of the Toronto Maple Leafs, there is nothing surprising.
• Claire and Oskar are having a regular even-keeled relationship. I suppose, from what I hear from friends, that is irregular in itself. I'm thrilled at how respectful, kind and humourous it is and hope, with effort, they maintain an easy-going and drama-free friendship.
• For me this was the month of the sistah! I enjoyed lunch with Andrea and often see her (in the rink) on Saturday mornings, Beth came to visit overnight with her daughter and I saw Bryn when we all attended the family baby shower for Natalie and her new sweet baby. LOVED every minute of it :)
• Chloe donated a bunch of hair - after months and months of growth - and we are all so very proud of her!
• We are blessed, blessed, with a pair of men, brothers, who do the home maintenance in our neighbourhood. They're both retired and love putzing around in our homes. They are the go-to men for our neighbourhood from whole home renovations to clogged toilets. In our case they renovated our basement bathroom. Just in time for our Norwegian guests expected at the end of December. One thing off the never-ending-unfinished-project list.
• Who knew she wanted to sew? Claire is taking costume design and textiles with plans to make a dress for herself. We headed over to the local fabric store and got all of the materials. What an adventure! I can't wait to see it when she's done.
• Caden lead the parent/teacher meeting at school and was really, really good. It was fun to meet his teacher in a formal-yet-informal environment. What an improvement! At least with the kids there we knew how to get around the maze they call a school. (Parents are not allowed beyond the office, yet, during PA interview days there is no indication of how to find teachers. Not a guide, not an arrow, not even breadcrumbs. For a group, collectively dedicated to control and detail, you'd think they'd have solved this little dilemma quicker.)
• This was also the month of "OMG I was published"! In a real, honest to god, publication.
• After she started working this summer it was determined that Claire would not be paid, she would receive "service hours" instead. Unlike most students in Ontario who need to accumulate 40 volunteer hours between grades 9-12, our school requires more with a specific number per school year. Though, I don't know that Claire needed the 160 hours she was rewarded! Too bad they don't carry over to next year.
• Chloe loves volleyball. Chloe knows she is not, by any stretch, an athlete. Though she gets A+ for enthusiasm! She tried out for the school volleyball team and was not chosen. By some ridiculous set of circumstances (while Chloe was on a field trip) another girl who was not selected made such a crying stink over it that the principal intervened and declared that all who tried out would make the team. What?!? Undermining? You think? Anyway, Chloe is attending practices only at our insistence - and her agreement. I've found her a summer camp and that is where she'll learn how to play and perhaps make the team next year.
• Louis continues to be actively involved in our Minor Hockey Association. Though he was unable to attend the 50th Anniversary celebration - the organization of which he was an integral part (missed due to the Bauer Tournament in Chicago), he continues to give as much time as he can spare, and often time he cannot to make sure the children have a great season.
• The naturopath has really been effective. Though, Claire needs to learn to not put herself in situations that will exacerbate her eczema and asthma, she is slowly getting control over both. Dr. Jason has been very helpful. The most interesting of her sensitivities: worry. Hmm.
• It was also the month of really getting to know the mums, dads and coaches on my both boys hockey teams. I am fortunate that, this year in particular, the boys are on teams with some really interesting characters. I'm enjoying every minute of it. Louis went with Cole to Chicago and I went with Caden to Nottawasaga. A good time had by all!
• I've been thrilled to receive requests for the "specimen art" like that piece I made for Ava and gave to my sister at her shower. I'm happy to have produced 7 pieces so far with a few more being made for Christmas!
  
• Chloe loves volleyball. Chloe knows she is not, by any stretch, an athlete. Though she gets A+ for enthusiasm! She tried out for the school team and was not chosen. By some ridiculous set of circumstances (while Chloe was on a field trip) another girl who was not selected made such a crying stink over it that the principal intervened and declared that all who tried out would make the team. What?!? Undermining? You think? Anyway, Chloe is attending practices only at our insistence - and her agreement. I've found her a summer camp and that is where she'll learn how to play and perhaps make the team next year.
• The Upper School play was fabulous. A collection of three separate skits. Claire and her friends were fabulous. I admire her poise and fearless ability to get on stage and interact with her peers.
• As always, Cole finds himself in many rinks. This month had him in a few more! His team participated in the Bauer International Tournament in Chicago at which Louis attended and the Silver Stick (minor hockey equivalent of Stanley Cup Playoffs) in Whitby. There was also the regular practices, practices and more practices. Glad he loves it! If you are ever wondering (??) what's going on, you can check out the In the Rinks button on the right sidebar.
• The Moe was off to her first seasonal performances in Mississauga. Normally I am the parent who goes to support her and her efforts. In her way she let us know that she wanted her dad to attend instead of mama. Living in a house of divide-and-conquer stinks sometimes. Chloe got her way and not only did her Dad attend, but so did her big brother. She was beaming when she got home. Me? I'm proud of my men for supporting Chloe even though it wouldn't ever have been their first choice of evening activities.
  
• Caden loves, loves, bling. He's like a magpie. At his tournament he found the biggest, tackiest, necklace with a big dragon on it. For the $10 it cost, it was worth every penny. He loves it. I tease Louis that Caden is the only member of our little collective who has channelled the bling gene. I'm thinking it does not come from my rather dour Scots/Irish side :)
• My creative goodness continued as I also participated in my first blog article over at Ella Publishing Co. which was inspired by one of the new e-books Journaling That Matters. Do you have a copy? I was really impressed with it and got a ton of ideas from the ladies who contributed.
• It was wonderful to see my parents when they came out to see Cole and the Rangers play in the Silver Stick tournament. I was so happy they took the time to join us for lunch. Where else? Grampy's favourite Swiss Chalet! Not only that but we were also joined at the game by my good friend Char with Jonah, Cole's biggest fan in tow. I never realized how long it had been since I saw them last. Life is flying by far too quickly. They all should have stayed for the second game - quadruple overtime. Crazy!

As it is almost the end of the year, I am busy trying to organize my plans for 2011: creatively, domestically, parentally. All of which are so fluid, to think I have a handle on anything - except laundry - is ridiculous!

For December? I'll be participating in my first December Daily project. I've been skeptical and I've been hesitant, but experience tells me that the Ali Edwards projects I've completed have all taught me something positive. I look forward to this one doing the same. I signed up to take the Yesterday & Today course offered by Ali Edwards through Big Picture Classes - for the second time. I can only hope that this time round I DO IT! Not only that, but I've also signed up for Tracy Clark's Picture The Holidays course in an effort to improve my December Daily project. Fingers crossed :)

Oh and there's also a big family party followed by another big family party ... and Christmas ... and a hockey tournament ... and four kids home on holiday. My cup is overflowing. Happy December to you and yours!