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.

Even I Have Limits

Well, here I am at Week 29 of Year 4 of This Campaign. 184 projects in and I'm tapped.  Not tapped out of projects and certainly not tapped out of creativity.  Just tapped out of energy.
The last four weeks, I've been assisted with my blog writing by some very special animal friends.  They felt like they didn't have a lot to say, but turns out they really did.  I asked them to help me out because I took on a huge costume job.  I've been working like crazy on costumes for a production of Romeo and Juliet.  I've costumed this show four times.  This time I wanted to do something different and really reach. 
Well, I reached so far that I almost fell off the roof.  But I didn't.  I'm just tried.  Run out of energy. Totally.

I discovered my limit.  I wanted to post a post yesterday.  But I didn't have the energy to take a photo and write something meaningful.  I did complete a project.  Not just the Romeo and Juliet costumes, although that is a huge project complete.  I completed a project that I'm going to "cheat" and share next week.

Knowing my limit is serving me.  I discovered that in order to push to the a person's limit and beyond, one needs to be in the present moment.  I'm use to pushing myself and working hard- putting out tons of energy and effort.  I've done that mindlessly for most of my life.  Then realize that all I was was tried, un-fulfilled and cranky as hell.  With staying in the moment...I pushed. Now I listened that I just can not do any more for a bit.  Time to rest.  Take care of me.  Build my reserves back up.  I'm tired, but it's a good tired.  I'll recover.
I'm glad I pushed.  I amazed myself with what was created.  I can say I gave it my true best.  And now it's time for the world to enjoy, if they want.

Until next week...create to feel great...even a little zapped tired.

29 projects are complete. 23 to go!  Sorry no photos.

Bird Brains

Helloooo!!! I'm Janet Redhen.

I live with my three sisters next door to the meal worm lady, who usually writes this blog. She's been so busy making something, that she asked me to write this blog post.  Well, of course I said.  I have a lot to say don't you know.  A lot.  I may be a simple hen, but I'm very smart and wise.  I know a lot about being happy and achieving dreams and just living life in general.

The main thing that will be your life grand is to do something that is wonderful and astonishing.  Let the world know who you are. If you do something wonderful, like lay an egg.  Let the world know about your achievement.  An egg is a wonderful thing.  I lay 1 to 2 a day.  Can you say that?  No worries, if you can't.  I'm sure you can do something just as wonderful.  Please tell us about it.  Doing astonishing things every day will make you oh so happy.  Try it.

A word about meal worms.   They are my favorite treat.  I will do anything to get a meal worm.  I dream of meal worms.  One day I wanted meal worms and a dust bath so badly, I learned to hop the fence to get in the yard of the meal worm lady.  I took my dust bath (she also has superior dust in her yard) and waited for her to come out her back door.  Sure enough she did!  I ate my fill of meal worms.  It was a dream come true.   Dreams are important to life.  Very important to life.  They make you happy.  I will never forget the day I achieved that dream.  I felt strong and important, not to mention full of meal worms and cool and clean.  So, dream.  Dream big.

Lastly, go to bed early and get up early.  Don't worry and avoid stress.  Those eggs I lay...they will get stuck inside you if you worry and are stressed.  It happened to my little sister, Sweet Sue. It can happen to you.
That's all I know for now.  It is my bed time.  Good night.

Oh, yes...until next week...create to feel great!
28 projects complete! My that's impressive!  24 to go! 

The mealworm lady has been making lovely hats.  Don't you think these are just lovely?

MickeyGrrrl's Turn

Hello.  My friend, DeeDee, is very busy completing a costume

project.  She asked me to write her blog this week.  After all, the stinky boys I now live with have had their chance.  My post will be short, as it is summer, it is sunny and warm and I'm in the process of dying, so I don't waste time.

Yes, you heard me, I'm dying.  It's okay. We all are.  I'm just a little closer in the process than most folks.  My life is good everyday.  It has been for the last 16 years. My first 2 years were not so good. That's when I decided what I wanted my life to be fabulous and set about creating it.  It didn't matter that I lived in a shelter with 20 other cats.  That I had died twice before my first birthday and came back to life.  That there was a person in my early life who almost kicked me to death and I have lived my life with a big old lump on my beautiful tummy.(It doesn't hurt and you can't it see unless I roll on my side.)  All that didn't matter.  Why? because I was alive and as long as we are alive we can create.  We can dream and make something better.  How?  First step is to forgive.  Let the crap that is tossed at you roll off your back. It them not you.  Second step is to believe.  No matter what.  What you want your life to be is up to you.  Third, but certainly not last is to come from a place of love.  That's a tough one.  Because people always think well I'll love them if they love me.  Don't do that, please.  Love no matter what. Even if they kick you.  Love no matter what, because people who love you no matter what will come into your life.  And you life will be fabulous as you are.  My life is fabulous!  And I wish that for you.  Love is all we got.

Oh and one last thing I know...It's okay to set boundaries.  In fact you can look cute doing it.  People will love you for it and if they don't, just roll over and act like you are sleeping.  They'll get the idea.

Don't forget to nap.

Until next week...create to feel great, please.
Love MickeyGrrrl

27 projects complete 25 to go (I hope she makes it.  I might be around to see that)


Project of the week is a kitty mask for Romeo and Juliet...For the King of Cats, Tybalt.