Embrace Life

real right now | christmas lights

Things change.

Things stay the same.

Big change: Claire was not home to help us put out the Christmas lights this year. Truly? She is usually the one in charge directing everyone and then moves in making everything "perfect" when we do not do as we're told.

Big same: [Insert any name here] well, [Caden] was not happy with the idea of going out in the freezing cold to put out the Christmas lights. He had a full-on exhasperated and angsty hormone-filled fit. Luckily his mama has "the look" down :) No, he was not dressed for the -8C temperature. Yes, he remembered all of his unfinished homework. Displeased? Totally. I suppose this year was his turn.

Is Caden simply not helping or perhaps (mama thinks, hopefully) he's taking mental notes for the years ahead when he'll be doing this job by himself?

Ah yes, the smile belies the cold fingers!

Thankfully, helpful Hanne (Cole's lovely squeeze for the last six months or so) was around to do the hard work on the uncooperative dogwood tree!

Chloé was diligent, knowing if she worked quickly it would just get done! She must have been frozen in her pajama bottoms. Yes, it was that kind of day!

Ah yes, Mr. Angst. At least he remembered how to (kind of) pose nicely for a photo.

It was very brisk outside, I was happy for the sunshine! I can't believe the youngers didn't put on heavier clothes. Sigh. We were about 10 feet away from the front door, so I suppose they would have gone inside if it were unbearable. But brr. I look at the photos and remember the cold!

Happy Season of Twinkly Lights!

Reverb 13 | Reflect & Manifest REMIX

I participated in a wonderful year-end project in 2010 and 2012.

Last year, for Reverb 2012, I curated a list of journaling prompts collected from Reverbers around the internet over the last couple of years. Once that was done and a separate blog already started, I discovered a brilliant twist on the reverb concept over at Carolyn Rubenstein's blog. The Reverb Remix. Perfect.

I loved it!

This year, I am not going to reinvent the wheel. I am taking those "Remix" prompts and using them for my project.

So, here goes:

PART ONE | REFLECT

1. ONE EVENT. Reflect on a major event that occured in 2013. Select an event that was experienced by people outside  your immediate community.

2. QUESTIONS. What questions did you ask in 2013?

3. PERSPECTIVE. What is one thing you've seen differently in 2013? How has this shift in perspective influenced you?

4. CONNECTION. Have you connected with new people in 2013, online or offline? Name five people you've connected with in 2013. And (bonus!) name five people you would like to connect with in 2013.

5. VULNERABILITY. Brené Brown writes powerfully on the topic of vulnerability. Reflect on  your vulnerability in 2013. Specifically, here are three quesions suggested by Brené to explore when thinking about your vulnerability: (1) What do I do when I feel emotionally exposed? (2) How do I behave when I'm feeling very uncomfortable and uncertain? and (3) How willing am I to take emotional risks? Think about these questions in relation to 2013 and/or 2014.

6. WELL-BEING. How was your overall well-being in 2013? You can think of your overall well-being as a composite of six domains: Interpersonal, Communal, Occupational, Physical, Psychological and Economic (I COPPE; Prilleltensky, 2011). Do you notice that your overall well-being was influenced by one of these domains more so than the others?

7. 13 IN 2013. Reflect on 13 moments in 2013. Or create a timeline and focus on one moment/experience from each month in 2013. Get creative with the number 13 and what this number means for you in 2013.

8. READING. What books have you read in 2013? What has been your favourite book (or books if you can't pick just one) that you've read this year?

9. YEAR IN REVIEW. As you reflect back on the happenings of 2013, what were your high points and what were your low points? What do you notice as you look back on the year as a whole?

10. ONE WORD | 2013. Encapsulate the year 2013 in one word. Explain why you're choosing that word.

 

PART TWO | MANIFEST

1. ONE WORD | 2014 Imagine it's one year from today, what would you like to word to be that captures 2014 for you?

2. EASE. What can you do to add ease to 2014?

3. GIVING. "The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The meaning of life is to give your gift away." (David Viscott) What is your gift to give?

4. ORDINARY SPARKING MOMENTS. Reflect on the ordinary moments that bring you joy (e.g., the tea pot whistling, the sun setting). What moments would you like to relish in the coming year.

5. CREATIVITY. What was the most creative thing you did in 2013? How do you plan to use your creativity in 2013? (Note: creative does not always mean artistic. Think outside the box here. Get creative!)

6. RITUALS. What ritual(s) would you like to introduce into your life?

7. DREAM. What crazy and wild dream would you like to become a reality (or at least begin to make a reality) in 2014?

8. VOCABULARY. If you could eliminate one word from your brain forever - what would it be? (Author: Meadow DeVor)

9. NO | YES. What will you say NO to in 2014? What will you say YES to in 2014 that you didn't say yes to in 2013?

10. CONSCIOUS ENTRY. How do you wish to be in 2014?

Be sure to go to Carolyn Rubenstein's blog and download her REMIX workbook! And stay around a while. She has some wonderful things to say.

All of my responses can be found on a separate space. Hopefully, as I did the last couple of years, I will get around to creating a keepsake album to house all of my thoughts: reflecting on 2013 and looking forward to 2014 and beyond.

What about you? Reflect? Manifest? Share!

hello monday | 95

there will be lots of this view in my near future :)

hello holiday season. it's official. outdoor decorations are up. time to finish the rest!

hello restorative yoga. i'm looking forward to exploring this further. first kundalini meditation. then reformer pilates. it seems to fit my current pattern :)

hello carol services. we have a beautiful chapel on campus at the kids' school. the christmas services are always so lovely. we even have two in a row on saturday. cole will be singing at all five!

hello g12. a while back, in a fit of stupidity, my boys broke my camera and i replaced it with one that was reputed to be "better". now that i've used it for a couple of months - better is not, in fact, better. it's just not working. out of sheer frustration i've sourced and purchased a new out-of-date g12. yay! one of the kids will be happy with the g1x.

hello pc plus card. glad to finally have a loyalty card for the store we shop at most. it won't change how i shop, but i'll take advantage of anything i can to reduce our food costs!

hello reverb13. i'm looking forward to this project in december.

hello artifact uprising. there was a flaw in a book i had sent in to be printed. i sent a photo of the problem and with no muss or fuss a new book is being produced. i truly appreciate good customer service!

hello want, need and read. yes, three christmas gifts for each of my kids. one they want. one they need. and one to read. tick. tock. i can't believe how fast november has flown by. this week i will get christmas all done! well, all but the cooking, wrapping and enjoying :)

hello one of a kind show. this year i'll be looking a bit differently - as a curator more than a customer. this should be a lot of fun.

hello monday. you are my most favourite day of the week. i love that you provide me with 52 fresh starts every year.

   

what are you saying hello to on this brand new monday?
head on over to lisa's blog and link up in the comments.

desire map | image of joy

Prompt 6:

Capture an image of joy.

An almost-six-foot Teletubby? If you can't find joy in this ...well, move on. Hard to believe this is is my baby - well, maybe not. Those of you who know him are familiar with my big goof boy. We are all very happy for that every day.

Rock on, baby.

What about you? What does "joy" mean to you?

* * * * *

One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six |

the current | thirty-three

dateline: oakville, ontario, canada @ 9:31pm on november 20, 2013
weather outside: winter is on it's way!
mood inside: frazzled and a bit out-of-sorts

drinking perrier with a slice of lemon. in a wine glass. today has been a long, lovely, day!

eating steel cut oats every morning, i prefer it with raisins and walnuts. yum. thinking about adding in some cranberries, too.

embracing new ideas. this is exciting!

enjoying the challenge involved with dreaming up a new business and plan.

cooking lots in the crock pot and bbq while waiting for delivery of the new double oven range.

trying to stay focused and avoiding the temptation to go down the technology or pinterest rabbit hole.

missing what happened to 2013. blink. it's almost gone!

feeling proud of myself for attending regular (2x) weekly reformer pilates classes. i can really feel the difference. it's great!

listening to the silence of my house. my kids are studying or sleeping.

watching our local news. oh rob ford - put the city of toronto first you narcissistic buffoon! what a nauseating display.

reading about all that is required of me as a leader of danielle laporte's desire map book club: the biggest book club ever. i can't wait to get started! what are you doing on january 7th? join in here.

wearing layers. always layers. my body is currently going through some wonky temperature fluctuations! hormones, phewy.

packing scrapers, blankets and emergency supplies into the truck. it's that time of year, for sure!

planning how to decorate for christmas this year. i'm thinking it's time to change things up a bit and have a more "grown up" feel to the house. including pretty breakables! pottery barn? crate & barrel? restoration hardware? inside? outside? big? small? whole house? living room/dining room only? i might be talking myself out of it altogether!

feeling relaxed and calm. i'm finally in a groove. just in time for the end of term! it figures. just in time for things to change up again!

stopping the habit of busy. some of the meanest people i know describe themselves as "busy". i do not want to be that.

wanting to have a fun conversation with an adult - preferably one with a deep, masculine voice who enjoys football :) caden's crackly baritone is enjoyable, but a change might be nice ;)

needing to be a bit more patient with myself on so many levels.

wishing for healthy, active and engaged days ahead.

waiting is not something i'm very good at doing. but i am trying hard to be patient and use my time constructively :)

thinking of going away with claire in february for her reading week - someplace hot and quiet. now where should we go? ideas?

enjoying learning how to use my new pendulums. this is becoming a fascinating journey and i'm learning so much!

paying for too many years sitting at a desk. i've been moving and stretching but have to realize it took years to get this creaky. it's going to take some effort to make everything move like it should!

encouraging my kids to be calm as they prepare for their upcoming exams. breathe in - 2 - 3 - out - 2 - 3 and again. and again.

celebrating how uncomplicated our lives have become. wonderful.

cultivating a practice of self-care and meditation. daily. my priorities are shifting and it's a good thing.

marveling at how quickly time flies and how my kids are growing into lovely and thoughtful young adults with lives of their own.

anticipating a lot of hard decisions ahead. on the lighter side, what creative projects will i choose? #reverb14? one little word? still life photography? desire map for life? project life 2014? week in the life? revive 12 of 12? the biggest book club, ever? keep up with the blog? join the circle of fire?

and tada, a photo from my week:

 

desire map | ideal normal

Prompt 5:

Create an "ideal normal" day plan.

What about you? What makes up your ideal day?

* * * * *

One | Two | Three | Four | Five |

hello monday | 94

 

some sage, some feathers, some fire. house is smudged. wow. what an amazing difference :D

hello out-of-comfort-zone. i will be attending my friend kenda's "swanky soiree" on wednesday evening. so not in my comfort zone, but willing to give it a go. are you coming?

hello scholarship. we got a call and cole received a scholarship for his vocal performances at the rotary burlington music festivals a couple of weeks ago.i am so very proud of him and his hard work!

hello volleyball. after years of spending time in a cold rink it is such a lovely change to be in a gym cheering on our u14 volleyball team.

hello "topic" lunches. this should be fun.

hello vocal lessons. chloé did not learn well from her last teacher. instead of having her quit singing altogether we have a new teacher. a beautiful voice should never go to waste!

hello outside decorating. our block of homes get together and decorate. it's time to locate the lights and garland. maybe even decorate inside, too!

hello reverb13. it's that time of year again. now i'm riddled with "should i"? we'll see.

hello furnace. it's been on and off for the last few weeks. now we're trying to figure out the best temperature. we've tried everything between 19c to 23c. i'm thinking 20c and then we'll leave it at that.

hello kitchen aid. slowly turning into the poster kitchen for the brand!

hello monday. you are my most favourite day of the week. i love that you provide me with 52 fresh starts every year.

   

what are you saying hello to on this brand new monday?
head on over to lisa's blog and link up in the comments.

 

anticipation | the desire map book club

Join my book club!

On Tuesday, 7 January 2014, at a venue yet to be decided in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, I’ll be leading a Desire Map book club as part of Danielle LaPorte's Worlds Biggest Book Club.

Have you heard of Danielle LaPorte? If so, you’re going to love this! If not, let me explain a little about who she is and why you’re going to LOVE her book, The Desire Map.

Danielle LaPorte is the outspoken creator of The Desire Map, author of The Fire Starter Sessions (Random House/Crown), co-creator of Your Big Beautiful Book Plan, and soon-to-be publisher of DANIELLE Magazine, launching in mid-2014. You can learn even more about her and get a taste of her creative and inspiring message on her website.

The focus of this book club event is to gather together as a group around the shared idea of desire: setting goals with soul and embracing gratitude as a practice. The group will come together and work through the core ideas presented in The Desire Map program in communion and conversation. This is an opportunity to dig a little deeper and get clear about how we want to feel in the New Year and beyond. You can find more reader information as it comes available here.

I’d love for you to join me at this event and all of those that will follow. It really wouldn’t be the same without you. Let me know you are interested and I will add you to the list and send you all of the details about the event.

Spread the word and invite your friends. This is going to be fun!

* * * * *

Lately, I have been participating in a weekly practice for creating what I want the most. Each Friday, I receive a prompt, an easy assignment to get my "soul flexing". I answer the questions here on the blog, but you can also answer on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Join the community! 10,000 Desire Mappers and growing :)

Here are my posts:

One | Two | Three | Four |

* * * * *

What about you? What do you desire?

hello monday | 93

(source)

hello reflection and respect. i am happy my children now "get" rememberance day. i do wish they were at school (it's a long weekend) to attend chapel services, but i've been assured observation of this hugely important occasion has been and will be acknowledged - in and out of school. i'm proud of my kids for understanding the significance and that they show their gratitude by wearing a poppy.

hello oprah & deepak. i'm looking forward to another round of meditation. the timing of this desire and destiny session is exactly what i need right now.

hello travel. i am not a fan of "hot" distinations, with the exception of arizona which is not very hot in april. i enjoyed this "off-season" travel list which gives me much to consider in the years to come.

hello smart habits. though the article focuses on wealth, i believe these to be the habits of all of the successful people i've had the pleasure of meeting. if you're looking for good habits, i would start with these.

hello another week of pilates. i'm learning to bring awareness to resistence. sometimes you just need to acknowledge fear. i'm happy to have embraced this fear. it's a whole new experience and it's been very good for me.

hello lessons. often the simple things bring with them big lessons. i am showing up and staying open.

hello december daily. i spent most of sunday constructing the album and i'm thrilled with the results so far. not that i'm wishing the next 19 days away, but i'm really looking forward to december this year!

hello putting plans together. imagining a store offering (hopefully) 100% domestic sourced and made product that embraces our highest good. hmm. a girl can dream :)

hello woo-hoo field trip. off today to see what appears.

hello monday. you are my most favourite day of the week. i love that you provide me with 52 fresh starts every year.

   

what are you saying hello to on this brand new monday?
head on over to lisa's blog and link up in the comments.

 

desire map | trust

Prompt 4:

Create a "what I trust" list.

* * * * *

One | Two | Three | Four |

hello monday | 92

sightlines were brutal, but our boys played a great first tournament!

hello december daily. i was so excited to receive my kit from studio calico. so much so, i made up a template for my pages and based on past projects i'm mapping out my album already! send me an email to linarstudio dot lc at email dot com and i'll send you the file. (i'd set it up for download but i have no clue how to do that!)

hello poster corrections. i really like the kinder-gentler approach taken with these posters!

hello rotary music festival. cole will be performing in burlington. i love to hear him sing. he is so good and gets better and better all the time!

hello mercury in retrograde. i am happy to have navigated through this past few weeks relatively unscathed. fascinating stuff. and very relevant. nice to know some good things happen, too.

hello kingston. so happy to spend some time with my girl!

hello cast iron skillet. i do a ton of cooking in my skillet. the same-old, same-old but yummy. now i've found more yummy stuff to cook in it. kids will be happy, happy, happy ;)

 hello canadian made. i am a big believer in the idea of "buy local", within reason, even if local happens to be the second largest (land mass) country in the world. i was happy to find this list. 

hello mcmaster volleyball. high level volleyball is so fabulous to watch. it is part art, part sport. so elegant and fierce. caden and his team are going to have a great time!

hello senior arts trip. cole and fellow students are off to the big apple for their school trip. this is his third visit in a year. i hope he learns to love new york city as much as i do!

hello monday. you are my most favourite day of the week. i love that you provide me with 52 fresh starts every year.

   

what are you saying hello to on this brand new monday?
head on over to lisa's blog and link up in the comments.

desire map | define

Prompt 3:

What's a desired feeling of yours, and how would you define it?

I have chosen my four core desire feelings:

TRUST

CONNECT

ALIGN

GRACE

Of those four desires, the most difficult for me will be GRACE. Well, they'll all be difficult but TRUST and GRACE do not come naturally to me. TRUST is something I constantly work on internally. To me, trust is more of a heart project. GRACE combines some inner work as well as some outer polishing!

Though I am a card-carrying introvert, I am not one to keep my opinion to myself should my voicing support or dissent create awareness or conversation. I am not graceful. More like a bull in a china shop - but less belligerent. I'm just awkward, at least I feel that way. I would like to be calm, poised and graceful when offering anything.

There are many definitions and quotes about grace. Believe me! Just Google it :)

My favourite, and the one for which I strive is from Eckhart Tolle:

To offer no resistance in life is to be in a

state of grace, ease and lightness.

Nothing could be further from my natural condition.

It's time to flip this coin and lean in to grace.

One | Two | Three |

 

ONE little WORD | November Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to the 10th installment of the 2013 One Little Word Blog Hop! All of the participants are so very talented. I look forward to see how they approached the monthly assignments each hop.

OCTOBER 2013 | GET MESSY

The assignment this month was to "get messy" and find the words to express how we feel about our word right now. The idea was to reflect honestly on our personal journey.

Guess what? I do not get a big fat FAIL this month - the words are there BUT I did not get messy. My life, with three consecutive big parties, was just not condusive to a big creative mess. I did the next best thing. I was messy on Photoshop Elements - which, if you know me, is often a messy process :)

(Click to enlarge)

* * * * *

Thanks so much for being here!

I'm looking forward to seeing what all the other ladies on the hop - sheduled to go live at 6AM Eastern - have to share:

Next up is: Cheri: http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com

Below is the full list of participants. In case you get "lost" you can always come back here and find your way again:

Lee: http://thelinarstudio.typepad.com/embracelife << YOU ARE HERE

 

Cheri: http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com << YOU ARE GOING HERE

Margareta: http://www.paperpilekitten.com

Melanie: http://mellybirddesigns.wordpress.com

Mrs. Wookie: http://MrsWookiesWanderings.blogspot.com

Naomi: www.poeticaperture.com

* * * * *

How do you see your word in your life?

If you like what you see us doing, it's not too late to join in! After going through the hop, if you are interested, head on over and join the One Little Word journey with us!

* * * * *

2013 One Little Word Hop FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL | MAY | JUNE | JULY | AUGUST | SEPTEMBER

Hello and welcome to the 10th installment of the 2013 One Little Word Blog Hop! All of the participants are so very talented. I look forward to see how they approached the monthly assignments each hop.

OCTOBER 2013 | GET MESSY

The assignment this month was to "get messy" and find the words to express how we feel about our word right now. The idea was to reflect honestly on our personal journey.

Guess what? I do not get a big fat FAIL this month - the words are there BUT I did not get messy. My life, with three consecutive big parties, was just not condusive to a big creative mess. I did the next best thing. I was messy on Photoshop Elements - which, if you know me, is often a messy process :)

(Click to enlarge)

* * * * *

Thanks so much for being here!

I'm looking forward to seeing what all the other ladies on the hop - sheduled to go live at 6AM Eastern - have to share:

Next up is: Cheri: http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com

Below is the full list of participants. In case you get "lost" you can always come back here and find your way again:

Lee: http://thelinarstudio.typepad.com/embracelife << YOU ARE HERE

 

Cheri: http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com << YOU ARE GOING HERE

Margareta: http://www.paperpilekitten.com

Melanie: http://mellybirddesigns.wordpress.com

Mrs. Wookie: http://MrsWookiesWanderings.blogspot.com

Naomi: www.poeticaperture.com

* * * * *

How do you see your word in your life?

If you like what you see us doing, it's not too late to join in! After going through the hop, if you are interested, head on over and join the One Little Word journey with us!

* * * * *

2013 One Little Word Hop FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL | MAY | JUNE | JULY | AUGUST | SEPTEMBER