Abracadabra!

Abracadabra!  Those famous words used by stage magicians, almost seem funny or trite. Really they aren't.  The origins of the word, when translated mean "I create as I speak."  I just discovered this meaning and I'm really digging it.
I've often written about our words shape what we create in our life.  What we say to our selves is critical in creating the world we want to live in.  Words shape our thoughts or thoughts and words shape what sort of life we create.

How many times do we wake up and say..."ugh. This day is gonna suck"?  Do we really believe this or are we just having a tough time waking up and we really need our coffee or whatever to get going.  Still, we've set the tone for the day.  Our days don't have to suck.  Even when they are full of yucky challenging stuff.  I like the use of abracadabra, as it is simple and snappy.  We can change things around that quickly.
So again, we all have it in us to create magic.  Simple as abracadabra!

Until next week...create to feel great!
34 projects complete! 18 to go!

This week's project...mozzarella cheese!   So easy so quick so good!
I don't think I'll use store bought again!

 

Lemons Into Lemonade

A couple of weeks ago, my project of the week was dill pickles I was happy that I had grew the cucumber and made pickle.  Upon tasting my pickles, they were less than wonderful.  They were awful!  Mushy and the flavors were so so.  I didn't want to toss out my handy work, but I knew they'd sit on my shelf in the pantry a painful reminder of a homesteading failure.
I don't like failure.  I don't like to have the reminders of failures hanging out in my house.  It was time to engage my creativity and to stop looking at these pickles as an embarrassment.  It was time to look at them in a different way.  They became relish.  A wonderful sweet pickle relish.  That go very well with the huge batch of home made sausages that are gracing my freezer.

Mushy Pickles into Lovely Sweet Relish!

I don't think anyone enjoys failure.  It really is what we do with it that counts.  Can we turn it around to success.  I think we can. It takes looking at the situation in a different way.  What it really took for me was to move off the failure mind set and all that goes with that to the "what can I do here?" mindset.  Here's a bonus for any of you who really feel you are just not creative...by adopting the "what can I do here?" mindset, and working with the answers that come to you... you are being creative.  Wow! What a cool boost!  I suggest you give it a try.

Until next week...create to feel great

33 projects complete! 19 to go!

How Do They Do It?

This week I had an opportunity to speak with a woman whose kitty is very close to dying from kidney failure.  It came on suddenly.  She is in shock and dis-belief that it is happening.  Talking to her and hearing the story, reminded me of MickeyGrrrl's early days in dealing with kidney stuff.  I heard the same sadness mixed with confusion and craziness in this woman's voice that I know I experienced.  I had a feel that her kitty was close to the end.  I did my best to provide comfort and advice.  It is after all kidney issues in a kitty.  And I do know that it can be crappy one day and fabulous the next.  It is the true lesson from the universe on love, staying in the moment and really listening to hear.  I keep sending this woman and her kitty good thoughts and love.

I've been exploring the entire death and dying cycle.  I how it relates to life.  How to embrace a painful, yet glorious part of life.  There is as much pain in death and bringing in new life.  There is a freedom in both.  Lessons in it all. Death for me is harder to deal with as it closes a door and leaves so much behind.  But I have learned I can't bargain with death and I can't ask it to go away.  I want to believe that when a soul leaves the physical realm, we can still sense that person or being.  Because they are free they can move around more easily and assist us here while we go about our doing whatever it is that we do.
I really don't know how the people who deal with death on a daily bases cope.  I have a new found admiration for them.  Of course it might be easier because they aren't usually attached to the being who is passing.  Yet it must effect them, because it is energy coming and going. I really don't know how they do it and stay healthy.

This posting might seem odd for a creativity/positivity blog, but I don't think so.  What I'm attempting to do is to explore all the emotions.  All the thought and believes that hold us back from having a joyous time while we are here.  I know those who have passed would want us to have that freedom and joy in our life.  A friend of mine, who has seen her share of passing animals said to me one day that birth is a window that opens.  The other time that a window opens like that is at death.  Both have such wonderful beauty for us to behold, if we allow it.  I thank MickeyGrrrl everyday for allowing me to be with her on her journey.  Right now she is floating and enjoying summer. It is a blessing.  One I wish for everyone as they reach that point in their life.  Nothing to fear.  Everything to embrace and love about the moment.

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

I'm excited...I'm headed into what I call the high creative holidays!  I'm starting my engines for the up coming holiday crafting season!  Wheee!  Let's do it!

This week's project is an owl necklace.  Mod Podged on a domino. So fun.

Word Watch

My Granny use to say to watch what you say as it will always come back to you.  Words are expressions of our thoughts.  If we are thinking something, we can make it happen for real in our lives.  That sounds good to me.  Except, we often allow negative thoughts to run wild in our lives.
So guess what happens...negative stuff appears in our lives.  The root of it all is our choice of words.  Our choice of thoughts.  Thoughts really are things.  Our words can be our magic wand.
How do you talk to others in your life?  How do you talk to yourself?  It's every little thought and word that matters.  Change those...change your life.  It's easy.  It takes focus.  Be gentle on you.

Let's all try to totally talk and think positive for the next month.  Note what right now seems like it is falling apart in your life, with a change to thinking positive and speaking positive in everything, note after a month how you feel.  Maybe this thing in your life that is right now falling apart, but just be mended or on the mend.

That's powerful!  Ready to give it a try?  Let's go!

Until next week...create to feel great!
31 projects complete! 21 to go!

This week's project...Dill Pickles!  My Grandma's garlic dill pickles.  What else do you do when the cucumbers I planted in the Spring are now growing fast!  Make pickles.  My first attempt at pickles.  They turned out pretty great.

Shine! Shine! Shine!

This last Friday I witnessed first hand what happens when a creative artist stands at the helm of project, surrounded by positive, fun, creative people and sets out to tell a story to give as a gift to world.  We opened a production of Romeo and Juliet in a vineyard setting this last Friday night.  A very good friend directed the show.  It was his first.  I'm praying the first of many.  He had one concept to tell a story without all the ego.  Do to it with fun, creativity and love.  He succeeded in a large way.  Everyone including myself, who signed on, signed on embracing my friend's concept.

For me...I got to create and grow as a person on levels I never dreamed were possible.  To say I'm proud of my work, my friend and this production is a huge understatement.  My friend embodied what I'm trying to do with my Campaign.  What I witnessed is over 250 people in the audience also loving what was being set before them with almost a hunger. 

I now know people want to go to the positive.  They want to see others shine their bright lights and bring love out into the world.  Even if the story is sad and really doesn't have all that happy of an ending.  We want to learn from the story  and change our lives.  I think we get so inspired when we see such displays of other's true creative selves that we go ahead and try it on ourselves.  So true inspiration!  True love.  True life.  How cool is that?

After all these months of not stepping down from who I am.  To hold my lantern high and let the world see who I am and what I can and will create, I'm ready to not back down.  To proceed.

Join me, please.  Pick up your lantern and shine you light into the world.  We want to see it.

Until next week...create to feel great!

30 projects (plus) completed! 22 to go!

For this week's project I created an opening night gift for my dear wonderful friend.  It has
all the fabrics I used to make the costumes.  Each character is represented and even some of the trim.