Date with Creativity

My personal theme for 2011 is Foundations, creating a life defined by me. Part of this is being more than someone who goes to work, comes home, puts dinner on the table and then collapses in front of crazy throw-back sci-fi shows from the early 90s, as enjoyable as that is. To accomplish this, it's important to ensure that when I do have time, I use it to do something I think is fun.

And so, Sunday, I worked on a little wreath project. I have a newly developed affection for wreaths. Drama girl made me a great fall/Thanksgiving wreath. For Christmas the year before last, I made a plaid holiday wreath.

What I was missing was a winter wreath.

I believe in having a wreath for all seasons. It's a new thing.

Yesterday, I dropped Turbo off at his birthday party, and hung out at Michael's.

The ingredients to my wreath.

I wanted it to reflect that beautiful cold, glittery winter, but also capture the hint of spring that we all look for sometimes on a really cold day.

I used a moist paper towel dipped in snow tac to make the wreath all snowed-on looking.

Then, I placed all the pieces on the wreath haphazardly, in a way I thought I might like.

It looks awful tacky. But it's a good start.

Less gaudy, still too much of everything. Nothing has been glued on or weaved into the wreath yet, so I can make lots of adjustments.

By the way, nothing beats a clearance sale at a craft store.

Nothing.

This is the outcome. I only used a 14"wreath because I knew I wanted to use a lot of sparkles, blues and silvers. It sits on my door very nicely. I love the red cardinals and butterflies.

It is a bit blingy, but in the cold days of winter, bling is good.

Coffee Table chat

Literally, a chat about coffee tables.

In a large living room, they are the centerpiece. The furniture your guests can put drinks on. The place to put pretty art books and cute candles. For those with children, the place children color (preferably coloring books and not the table), climb all over and generally help create the aged, distressed look so popular nowadays.

We had one of those. We still do, hiding out in the basement until we get have a living room large enough to contain it or children old enough to not destroy it. Coffee tables. Currently, we don't have one. We use an ottoman. This way, we don't have to get angry when the children sit on it.

This is our current coffee table.

(I'm not taking a picture of YOU honey, I'm taking a picture of the ottoman.)

Mother never lies.

But for real, are those not some of the scrawniest gangliest legs ever? I think that's all he is now, scrawny chicken leg boy. There really isn't much else to him. Just bones and knees and elbows.

Anyhow. It's not just an ottoman. It's an ottoman with Purpose.

We're big Mario fans in this household. Except Super Mario Galaxy. We find that one mostly frustrating. By We I mean my Turbo Boy. Not me. I have gotten to be quite an expert at catching the bunnies and star pieces...

Anyhoo. The point is, this is our coffee table/ottoman/storage because it's the only thing that works for us.

One day I like to imagine the children will be beyond distressing our furniture.

One day we'll be able to lug the ole distressed coffee table out.

One day, I will have a blog filled with pictures of lovely living room covered in white upholstery and decorated with delicate candles and art books.

Until then, I'll have to accept that most of my household decor is faux-everything from Target, our candles are big lugs of wax that mostly no one gets hurt by and our upholstery is a washable twill that is not white.

This way, we don't have to be angry when the children distress it.

Heart of Winter

I always view January as the Heart of Winter.
It is often (where I live) the coldest month.
I always find January to be extraordinarily long.

But it's not just that it's the midst of winter, or the longest month.
It's also a time I view as sacred to the growth and energy spring brings.

It's a time to go back to the ground, back to earth. A time to stay quiet, reflect on the past seasons and prepare for the rebirth that spring brings every year. January is the time to reflect, plan, and store energy.

Soon, sooner than we think, the snows melt. The days lengthen. The winds change. Green sprouts through muddy ground. Birds sing through sunrises. Children run wild with the first scent in the air.

Now is the time to withdraw just a little within, to slow down and savor the time of solitude, using it for yourself, for your spring.

We're in the heart of winter.

Embrace it!

2011 - Building a Foundation

One of my fave friend bloggers came up with a word to define this new year, 2011.
She, the newly-stay-at-home-mother of just-turned -1-year old twins chose the word Nurture.

I loved this idea, and had to come up with one of my own. I love other people's ideas!
The past year I would best describe as react. I simply seemed to do things based on things that had happened. Nothing was really chosen by me, but by the things I needed to deal with.

This year, I'm choosing the word, the vision and the path:
My word for 2011 is Foundations.

Foundation.

This year I will set the foundation for the next 20 years, probably more, but Ilike the number 20. It took me 20 years to get where I am now, and so i'd like to focus on the next 20.

This year will be dedicated to setting up the basis for me to achieve and live the life I want to live, a life dedicated to meaningful work I choose and a life filled with time for
family, friends, husband, prosperity, happiness and the things that come when you choose your life.

So this year I work toward those goals. Of course every vision must have defined specific tasks to help reach that goal of creating a year of foundations. I have the standard life-long goals: taking care of myself healthwise, the constant battle to get in optimum shape and stay fit, to lose the eternally present 15 pounds, but for my vision, my word, Foundations, I have three major areas to work on throughout the year that will build my future, each with tangible goals I'm in the process of writing out now:

Financial improvement (notice I didn't say freedom, I don't see that happening in one year ;)

Adding creativiy daily - a focus on not only writing my novels, but incorporating the creative process of into my life every day not just writing, which is now a part of my daily existence, but taking a picture from a different angle, making a wreath. Doing something small every day that is crafty, creative, unique, and requires a sense of play.

Choosing my work -- I never wish to be marked by life's circumstances, unless those circumstances happen to be the ones I am hoping for. Sometimes, life does mark us, does create circumstances we aren't prepared for, and we have to face it and revise and adapt. But there
is much about our life we can choose and make our own, and work is often one of those. My work
will be an extension of me, a part of me. So the work I choose to do, that will pay the bills while still helping me achieve the life I want, doing the work I want, will be work that I choose.

Foundation.

I will build the rest of my life on the foundation
of the choices I make this year!

Anyone else have a word for 2011?

Bored Children Requires Project

Answer: Caterpillars and Ladybugs.

Question: What to do with two bored kids, a cold winter day and an egg carton?

2011, the year before 2012

...and the year after 2010.

I think most of us have some very strong opinions about 2010.

It wasn't exactly our best year yet.

Certainly not my best, but it wasn't the worst, and here's to hoping that 2011 is a step in the OTHER direction.

To be quite frank, to be one-hundred percent honest, the entire decade was a bit shaky for me.

So I look to 2011 as a chance to move toward a better year, a better future, a better life.

I wrote something similar on my other blog, so no need to go into details here, but I expect that 2011 is going to be a busy year for me, because I'm making it about me.

Yes.

Me.

2011 is all mine baby.

Yeah yeah the kids, I know, I'll take care of them.

There's the job, yeah, I'll show up there.

Husband, yup, I'll take care of him.

But... but there's more... there's... ME!

And 2011 is going to be all about me being me. It will make me a better worker, a better mom and a better, yes me.

I have no hard and fast goals for 2011. It's not like by 2012 I expect something concrete. No.

What I expect, is that by 2012, I'll be living a life defined by me, for me, that benefits my entire family.

Wish me luck!

....

p.s. okay I lied... I'm also going to try to blog regularly again...