sperlygirl

a little something...

it has been a long and stressful winter - we are still fighting germs around here lately and are just hoping for the day when we are all functioning at 100% healthy! in the meantime, i have been trying to focus on finishing things on my creative plate. i am working a lot with portraits from misty's class and love that its pulling me way out of some comfort zones. hopefully, i will finish some work and post here soon. i also finished this canvas this weekend with the intent simply to bring more color into our house.

 

5 months love note...

to my little one,

(ryder ~ 5 months)

be sure to seek out the wonder in the everyday. be sure to dance outside in the rain with a dear friend once. stop and listen to the wind. stand barefoot at the shoreline, marvel at the horizon, and feel your body surge with life as the tide rolls in to meet your toes. pick up a beautiful shell but do not discard the broken one next to it - as there is so much beauty to be found also in those fractured pieces. be mindful of your burdens and respectful that others carry their own too. some may be obvious and others you may never realize are there...but they are. lead with your heart in whatever it is you wish to pursue but always remember your greatest resource is the knowledge you allow for yourself. approach all living beings with kindness - including yourself. always remember (and use) your good manners - they have the ability to take you quite a ways in the world. and do not ever forget the genuineness of an unexpected handwritten note. be thoughtful, mindful, fearless, kind, and above all, be happy, my littlest one. ti amo. xx mama

on a winter's day...

filtered sunlight on a cold winter's day. that's how it has felt here lately. the sun ducking behind the clouds only to peek her glowing face out at us occasionally as if to remind us that she is still there. the air is heavy with a damp cold - just enough to hang there. staying in feels good, so does bundling up with a blanket. this must be winter's hint to me...'stay in', she says. 'FOCUS', she whispers. 'rest up', she gently reminds me. 'take good care of yourself', she says softly. ...i am listening...

**a good tune to pass a chilly winter day with**

a journey...

for a couple weeks, there has been one story that i have heard from the aftermath of the quake in haiti that has stayed present in my mind and weighed heavy upon my heart. it is that of a mother who lost four of her five children in the quake only to lose the fifth remaining child after wards. the immensity of those loses seem incomprehensible to me. when i saw the news story, i felt my heart break wide open for her. i know she isn't the only one. our donations felt futile when i thought of the magnitude of her grief. i have held my own babes a bit tighter since. so to this mother, a woman i will never meet, i send you the collective strength of all mothers and i want you to know that i carry you in my heart.

**for the on-going efforts, you can support here**

coming clean...

someone asked me the other day 'how do you find the time?' (to do all the things you want to). it got me thinking today and i wanted to come clean a bit. this blog, it's a snapshot of my world. i choose to focus here on the creative aspect of my life, to document the ordinary times in my world that to me feel extraordinary. i don't share the messy - not because it doesn't exist - but because i am able to use this blog like a filter and that is such a gift that i can direct my focus to what's meaningful to me. i know what it's like to read through blogs and become caught up in the world of others only to start to beat yourself up over what you aren't doing, or how your home should look/feel, or how more creative you should be, etc. and it's at that point when (i usually phone a friend...and then) i realize i need to back away slowly and disconnect a bit.

but the reality is this: i work full-time as a teacher which is what provides our life overseas. some days that fills me up and others it drains me. i couldn't do any of this without the love, support, guidance, friendship, inspiration and help (that word doesn't cover half of it) that j provides. he keeps me grounded and believing that i can become who i hope to creatively. i would be covered in bruises with the number of times i have caught myself comparing my life to other worlds on the blogs - or with worrying over whether i should change over kai's college savings fund to a therapy fund instead with all that comes along with mothering.

it's my tribe of incredible girlfriends that remind me to laugh, lighten-up, and nudge me along my path. and of course, my supportive family who provide just the gentle wisdom i need at the moment. and it's the slew of lovely blogs that fill my google reader that i check in with who inspire me down to my core.

the reality is that most days, i dodge piles of laundry (which is the bane of my existence) as i walk through the house. most days, i don't even bother to brush my hair. and my life isn't neat and tidy like freshly made guest bed, but rather more lived and worn like a favorite pair of sheets - and i simply choose to focus on the possibility that comes from this, here on this little blog.

a shot of inspiration...

i am always so hopeful out the gates of the new year - so much i hope to do, to try, to see, and to accomplish. then february rolls around and life's little obstacles seem to start finding their way in front of my best intentions. i know i must not be the only one who feels this way?

so i starting thinking...what we need is a little shot of inspiration, a gentle nudge -- much like how it feels when i am able to catch up with my best girlfriend for a cafe. i walk out of the bar feeling a bit taller and like the world is possible. so inspired by pixie dust's kindness swap this summer, i'd like to host a inspirational exchange - and i do hope that you will join me.

here's how it will work...simply create (3) lovely postcards, embellish them however you'd like (photos, paintings, poetry, any medium you wish) and on the backside write out an inspirational quote (words that would lift, nudge, and gently encourage another along their creative journey). mail me your (3) postcards by Feb 22 and i will sort and send them. then all who participate will receive (3) different doses of inspiration staggered in the mail. hopefully, one will land in your mailbox and provide you that boost or nudge you might need that day to continue to follow your dreams.

if you are interested, please leave me a comment, and i will email a confirmation with further details.

simple joys...

my great green hat that j gave me for the holidays

the buzz of creativity that's happening in this house

being on the verge of 100% healthy - (my running shoes & yoga mat have missed me)

the amazing online possibilities that are being launched this year

teachers like kiran bir sethi and the power of 'i can'

four, that's the magic number...

amidst coughing fits and germs around here, a very special day occurred yesterday...kai's big 4th birthday. we have been eagerly counting down on the calender every morning for the past couple weeks. and although illness postponed celebrating with our dear friends, skype provided a chance for us to share the evening with family and friends alike. the only 'must have' last night ~ banana splits! and did we ever do those up to the max - sauces, candies, sprinkles, whipped creme. pure pleasure. kai is so happy with the new status of 'big boy' that four seems to hold.

to my little man of four...may you always dream with your whole heart and then with all your courage and strength go after them, may you always find a way to selflessly help another, may you always believe in others and most importantly in yourself, may you take the time to walk out into nature to simply absorb it, may you find treasures on your way everyday, may you laugh from your belly, listen with your heart, question the world around you, defend you opinions with wit and words, cherish moments of stillness and silence, trust your voice, and most importantly...may you always feel and know that you are loved. xx mama

"None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone." ~ Ralph Waldo Emmerson

calling on the sun...

i needed some sunshine today. i needed to remind myself of the warmth of this day. this house has been hit with a variety of viruses and colds continually since september and finally, finally, they found me. i have spent the last 5 days nursing myself to a healthier state and allowing myself to be taken care of by j, who has been pretty patient and fantastic. today, i decided i needed a vacation - needed to feel the warmth of the sunshine, the calm of the seaside, the brilliant colors of the coastline - so i am posting this photo taken from our trip to amalfi last summer and it is doing wonders for my spirit. of course, there is a chubby, little baby cooing and smiling at me too from his swing, and that does wonders too. the one good thing about having a virus stop you in your tracks and slow you down a bit - is the buzz of artwork i have dived into these last couple days. oh, i know...i should be resting - did i happen to mention that i am a terrible patient this way? :)

passing it forward...

kt surprised me by passing on this kreativ blogger award, many thanks! this was a very sweet surprise. as part of the sharing, i get to select others to forward this on to. below you'll find a few (in random order) of whom i find inspiring for a variety of reasons. my list could be quite long as there are so many of you out there that bring me inspiration and i am touched (as katy and i discussed the other evening) that it is the gift of creativity that threads and connects us all - that is powerful stuff!

journeywildly

ramblings

annie lockhart

soul aperture

joyously becoming

the last part of this asks that you to share several unknown facts about yourself, so here it goes...

1. my hero, for a variety of reasons, is jane goodall

2. i get really nervous & uncomfortable in the middle of crowds and in elevators

3. the only sport i have ever enjoyed watching is the ironman on tv - because i love all the profiles of the 'everyday athletes' doing this extraordinary race

4. purple has always been my favorite color but lately i am sooooo lovin' orange

5. i have a little sun inked on my ankle - it's been there a very long time. i placed it there to remind me of the impermanence of life and the possibility that dwells within each new day (oh yeah, it's purple and orange)