The North Star

I was talking with a very close friend this week.  She has been part of my journey to create a lot of good things in my life.  Our conversation this week was around a creative project I've been struggling with for years.  (Struggle might too strong a word, but sometime feels like a struggle)  I've battled resistance in almost every possible form it can come in.  And I've been searching for the answer to why I'm even wanting to work on this particular creative project to begin with.  I finally hit upon my ultimate purpose for this projects creation.  It connected to a life purpose.  It almost blew my off my chair.  An amazing moment of insight.   Which I know if I don't do something with, is like hitting the snooze button on my alarm clock.

My friend suggested I put it in a star, so that only I can reach this purpose.  And that I won't allow anyone, even resistance, to take it away from me.  This is a brilliant idea.  I told her that I will hang a star in the room I'm creating this project in.  The room happens to be a room that faces north.  The north star is the star that sailors use to guide them even in the darkest of nights.  Wow!

I love the idea of putting something that is dear to us in a star.  Stars can guide us.  We make wishes on stars.  Stars are abundant.  Most folks don't try to mess with stars.

Is there something dear and special to you that you would like to put in a star?  Let it shine on you and guide you.

Until next week...create to feel great!

37 projects complete! 15 to go! wow!
                                                                        
This week's project...my star!

Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop

This week, my dear sweet Mickey Grrrl's kidney values rose a bit.  She's lost some weight and is looking old.  She's still bright and alert, but her time is growing near.  It's a very tough time for me.  I'm finding myself grieving and going through the stages of grief.  I read some articles on anticipatory grief.  Studies show that is it more powerful than grief at the time of a loss.  Almost all the articles suggest that one of the best ways to deal with this process is get creative.  They suggest a person engage in creative activities.  That's a good suggestion for any thing we are going through.  I often hear the comment that I do so much all the time.  I do. Why?  It is how I engage in life.  I'm most present when I'm creating, which most think of as me doing stuff.  I've been told I exhaust them will all I do.  I don't feel I do all that much all the time.  I have spurts.  I do have my bouts of sitting and being.  Just being.  The mix, most times is good.  With what I'm dealing with concerning MickeyGrrrl, I will confess the level of doing is a bit more intense.  The times I'm sitting, I'm sitting with her or Gus or Sam or Broadside.  Sometimes I feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. When I get over whelmed with that feeling, I get to creating.  It helps me.  It helps those I love who are in my life, watching me going through this challenging time.  I just can't sit and wait for the other shoe to drop.  I want to create something with whatever time we have left.  I know MickeyGrrrl is happy when she knows I'm creating something.  That's fine by me.

Until next week...create to feel great!

36 projects complete!  16 to go!

This week's project is my version of my Grandma's bread.  She use to call it Gluten Bread (folks these days would run for the hills at the term).  She would bake a least three loafs of this a week every week until she could no longer make bread.  I've never had much success with bread, but this is so simple and wonderful.  Now I can make sandwiches for Broadside's lunch with bread that I know what's in it.  (flour, salt, yeast, water, and some herbs- really that's it) and less than an hour of my time.  This photo is of the French bread version.  I also made a sandwich version (Broadside ate most of it before I could get a photo).  Now I can add bread maker to my list of homestead activities.

Earn The Relationship

Two months ago, I adopted a fun loving, yet serious little boy cat named Sam.  The first couple of months in Sam's  life, we don't know about.  He was rescued and taken to a small country shelter in the back of pet store in Washington State.  He stayed there for eight months.  Over looked and growing.  The owner of the shelter provided food, place to sleep, love and toys.  What more could a little guy need?
When we brought him home, after two days, he attached himself to big old loving Gus.  No issues, just love and fun.  I have to admit I was a little jealous that he didn't attach himself to me that quickly.  I tell friends that Sam makes a person earn the relationship with him.  If that's true, how did Gus get a free pass?  Well, Gus operates from a place of love.  It makes him safe.  It makes him attractive.  Heck, I love being around Gus.  So, Sam wants anyone in his life to only approach him from a place of love.  Flat out.  He returns the love with no problem, once you pass his background check.  It's a good reminder for me.  Approach everyone and everything from a place of love.  I like the fact that I've earned my relationship with Sam and the many wonderful people I have in my life.  The things we earn, we value.  The best way to keep a relationship's value is to keep approaching it from a place of love.  Pretty simple.  Thank you Sam.

Until next week...create to feel great!

35 projects complete! 17 to go!

This week's project is red work owls!  It is for a Swap-bot quilt square swap.  I'm creating a mixture of quilt squares from swappers from around the world and I'll put them in a huge quilt.  This square is going to my partner.

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.