When The Teacher Appears

 I have always wanted chickens, but I just can't, for a couple of reasons.  They only lay eggs for about three years.  After that, they hang out like teenagers on summer break for up to ten years.  That's okay.  The biggest reason is it would kill me to go out in my yard and see that some other animal had gotten to the hens. I also know they get ill fairy easy. Those reasons would kill me at my heart.

My next door neighbor has chickens.  She doesn't care for eggs, so I get some from time to time.
She travels a lot and I get to take care of them.  I'm chicken aunt.  I love it.  These chickens are so entertaining and smart.  They know me and run to greet me when I'm out in my yard.

This week, the neighbor on the other side of the hens, complained.  A tall fence was built to keep the ladies out of my yard (they have NEVER gone into the complaining neighbor's yard, they can't).
I was crushed.  The hens were crushed.

Yesterday morning, the biggest and smartest of the hens, I call her Janet, was in my yard.  The day before, I had seen her pacing the fence.  She was pacing with intent.  I now know she was making her plan.  She didn't jump the mesh fence, she crawled under it.  I didn't see it, but I saw the tell tale marks of her feats.

That hen inspires me.  She teaches me things I've never thought a chicken could or would.  My lesson this time from dear Janet is this.  If there is something you want. Be it a dust bath and slugs in the neighbor's yard or whatever you want to make your life great, make a plan and follow through.
Once Janet met her goal, she never looked happier and she cooed as she kicked dust around her big red body.  She was proud.  She also left me an egg.  (Always express gratitude.)
Now that's one powerful bird.  Thing is.  We all have that power to get what we want for a good life.
If one small hen can do it...What's stopping us?
Until next week...create to feel great!

21 projects complete! 31 to go!

More Homesteading... I made butter!  So easy  and so good!
I don't think I can ever just buy butter again.   This butter is so sweet and fresh tasting.
I used heavy cream in my blender.  Got it past whipped cream, until I saw butter milk.  Rinsed it in cold tap water until it ran clear and added a bit of salt.   Butter magic!

A Page From The Silver Linings Playbook

Whew! What a week!  Almost everyone I talked to or encountered this week, had some complaint or some big crisis that came into their lives.  My week was full of stress and challenging. 
MickeyGrrrl's health took a dip, she's still hanging in.  My part-time office job was full of time sensitive projects.  It seemed like one thing after another.
It is a positive attitude coupled with my ability to create things, however small, saved my day.  In all the junk that was going on, I found small moments of bliss and relaxation.  I reached out to folks with talk of creativity and encouraging them to discover what their art is. 

On Friday, I rented the movie, The Silver Linings Playbook.  I really liked the movie and it's message of a positive attitude.  The movie's characters were so human, so flawed.  It was a perfect choice for the week I had.  MickeyGrrrl was by my side watching.

Life happens.  Sometimes it is good happenings.  Sometimes it is less than wonderful happenings. We all stand at choice to find and seek the silver lining any all of it.

Here's to creating a truly great week.

Until next week...create to feel great!
20 projects complete!  32 to go!


This week's project was to help out my boss... a fabric screen to keep his cats out of the living room and stop them from ruining the hard wood floors.

Still Figuring This One Out

This week I read and heard from several sources that the number one dream/life killer is negativity.
Yes.  This I know.  Yet what I'm still attempting to figure out is why then is there so much negativity?  Why do we gravitate to it like bees to honey?  What is it about negativity that makes it so attractive?  Why do would we ever want to kill our dreams and life with it?

Here's some of the conclusions/ my answers I'm still working on, but are my food for thought on this.
Negativity is easy.  If we stew in negativity, we don't have to do or want to do anything else.  No one really and honestly gets annoyed at negativity, because we find it so attractive. Misery loves company. So, if you are in a funk, folks sometimes will almost celebrate with you.  How sad, but I've seen it time and time again.
Here's what I do know, folks who are moving forward in their lives no matter at what pace, have little tolerance for negativity.  They usually pick up their pace to move away from it.  This why it is important to engage your creativity to assist you in moving away from negativity.  Because as attractive as negativity may be to all of us.  Creativity is even more attractive.  We are truly drawn to the creativity process, be it your own or someone else's.

Suggestion instead of allowing negativity to kill your dreams/life, allow creativity to help you build the boat (in whatever shape or form) to paddle away from it, and into the beautiful light of life.
Just a suggestion.

Until next week...create to feel great!

19 projects complete! 43 to go!

This week's project is an art doll for a swap-bot challenge.  We had to use a sewing pattern, a flower, a pen or pencil, and pieces of jewelry to create something.  I came up with an art doll.  Broadside said it looks like I'm watching way too much RuPaul's Drag Race.  Maybe, but my partner who received the doll loved it.

Full Embrace

I did a craft fair this week, and besides making a ton of fun money, my table was in a corner with two of the most creative women I've ever met. It was a small fair with only a handful of vendors.
It was a sunny day, buying traffic was light.  The three of us made the most sales (really the only sales).  Shopper kept stopping by and saying that the corner was alive with high energy, they had to stop by and see what was what.
I believe that folks were attracted the positive creative energy.   It was more than they could resist.
The lesson I learned from these two creative women was to fully embrace who you are and then find a way to fully express it in the world, and think of how it serves others.  Simple yes.  Easy, well no.
That is only because we get scared.  We start to think what others think of us is more important than what we think of our selves.  That mind set is not only deadly for artist, but for anyone wanting to live a full rich life.
Embrace who you are.  I have often said love is joyful acceptance.  Embrace, Accept,Express.   It really is that simple.  Try it for a week and see what happens.

Until next week...create to feel great!

18 projects complete!  44 to go

This week...I made sausages with casings.  I attempted to take photos, but they really didn't look that good, but they taste fabulous!  More homesteading...
I also got my additional raised beds built, filled and planted.  Stay tune for more adventures in Homesteading.