PEACEFUL ABIDING

For a few minutes, I close my eyes and slow my pace. Whatever is happening, whatever is changing, whatever is going or not going according to my plans -- I release my hold on all of it. I leave behind who I think I am, who I want to be, what I want the world to be. I come home to the great peace of the present moment.........
~Elizabeth Lesser, Broken Open

YOGA TIME

Five Ways Yoga Helps Creativity:

1. Yoga teaches you to test your boundaries, be brave, get know yourself and express it, just like art.

2. Yoga teaches joyful discipline, and art-making/writing needs that to see the light of day.

3. Yoga is a practice of being present, and whether writing or making art or making your day artful, its helpful to be in what you’re doing fully and completely and then let go of it when you’re not (aka how to avoid burnout).

4. Yoga gets you out of your head and into your body/breath/spirit so when you get back into your head its different in there. We are way more than our minds, and we need to be experientially reminded of that. The breath is a bridge to other places.

5. Yoga reminds us to plant seeds and let go of the results. Making art is similar. You do the best you can, but have to let go a lot, too.

POOPED

I have kind of been lazy & on hiatus this week. Been a busy time for home, family, & work. 
Think I will just take the rest of the week off & return with GUSTO next week.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day & a lovely week.

See you next week.

O' CHRISTMAS TREE O' CHRISTMAS TREE

WHAT WONDERFUL MEMORIES YOUR BRANCHES GIVE ME.

May you all find.............

............and Love during this wonderful holiday season. At this time of year I always feel my heart expand and and I have so much joy and all I want is for everyone else to have that same joy in their heart.

A walk down memory TREE lane:

 Found out pregnant with RePeat in November of 2005 and rec'd this lovely ornament for the Christmas tree is December.

 RePeat made this ornament CD at his first Christmas he was in preschool in 2008.  Adorable.

 Too School for Cool.....before he was Too Cool made this at school in 2005.  He was 9.

 Last year I picked up this cool Origami set thing at the book store and Too School for Cool made a Christmas box and a couple of these trees.  So cute.

 This ornament I got in 1996.  P-Nut (aka Too School for Cool) was born in November of 1996 and I rec'd this cute little ornament his first Christmas.

 Last year we also made some clay ornaments.  RePeat did a hand print (which is hard to see with the multicolored painting) and then painted his hand.  Word to the wise...think before you make these, because this baby is HEAVY and requires a strong branch. :)

 This was made by RePeat at Preschool....I'm not sure if it was '08 or '09 (bad mommy). :)

Another had print (and not as heavy as the other).  This is another one made my Too School for Cool before he was Too Cool. It doesn't have a date on it so I'm not sure what year this one was done.


And remember:

ALL YOU NEED IS....

SPIRITUAL SUNDAY

"And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same." - Nelson Mandela
"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without" -Buddha
"My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness" -Dalai Lama
"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin" - Mother Teresa
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen - Hebrews 11:1" - The Bible