Love on Sunday

I made a pot of truly awesome turkey-n-dumplings. I made two more loaves of amazing bread - wheat, oatmeal and flaxseed. I made more thank you cards. I made more holiday cards. I made art in my art journals. I made art on glass bottles. And ... I made a soap sack ...

... now I'll never waste a single sliver of handcrafted soap again!

Schmuntz

I prepped leftovers for the freezer. I napped. I bottled ale. I simmered a turkey carcass for stock. I made white russians.

Life is sweet.

A Dinner of Love

For the boy and his mom ...

... and I am grateful for the opportunity. Plus, it was freakin' delicious! 

Holy Crap - It's Win a Whimsy Wednesday!

I completely zoned!

Still - THANKfully I have this week's whimsy ready. Another piece of peace in the form of a bookmark - or whatever the receiver chooses it to be. So, to enter in this week's whimsy draw, leave a comment to this post to express one thing for which you are grateful today.

Given the US holiday tomorrow, many of you would deem this prompt appropriate. Yet, my challenge to you is this: Make every day a day of Thanks. Now read my prompt again, then - recite it to yourself every day. And - of course - leave your comment!

I'll draw the whimsy winner Thursday morning (or whenever I get around to it).

And the winner is ... AlyiceEdrich! Yay!

Bread -n- Art

I made a fresh batch of copal and sage incense. I made my list for the Thanksgiving meal to discover, much to my extreme delight, that I only need one item that will be easy to pick up tomorrow at the local IGA. I made more bread which will be enjoyed as toast with breakfast and become stuffing for Thurday's dinner.

I made art, in the form of cards, and listed them in my shop.



That's what I made today.

a break in tradition

Yesterday I made a decision. I decided to make a break from tradition. The elements that work with weather (with whether?) played a role in this decision, in this cutting away from patterns past. I will be staying put for the holiday of Thanksgiving. I will not be traveling the highways west and north. I will not be sharing this holiday with my mother. I am relieved and delighted, and I am disappointed and saddened.

Yesterday was an emotionally exhausting day for me. In it I faced a number of realizations about myself and about my relationships with those I love ... here and there. I'm still digesting this seemingly simple decision and act, just as I will be digesting the riches and richness of the upcoming celebratory food of Thanksgiving.

More later.

A Commitment

Well, I actually made the commitment a while back, but today kicked it off. Today is day #1 of The Three Week Challenge, a holistic challenge of sorts, that engages word and art, prayer and physical movement, plus the support of a dedicated buddy, not to mention a community of divine feminine power. So today I wrote morning pages, created a dream in my art journal, blessed it with a prayer and walked the dog for a full half-hour. It feels good.

And here's the bag I made yesterday from an old pair of jeans. I dig it.

That's it!

A List ...

I made a list. I made a dent in it. I made an onion pizza with lovely basil pesto and punched up ricotta cheese. It's in the oven now. I made a couple spirit chokers. I did a spirit card reading. I made a sale. I made a cool-n-funky handbag out of an old pair of jeans. I made a start on modifying a pullover into a jacket. I didn't take photos ... maybe tomorrow.

(My spouse made a treasury, it's beautiful - you should check it out and leave some love!)

Time with a Friend

Today I made time for a friend. And she made time for me too. She picked me up at my little hut and took me to her warm and cozy home. She made me tea and fed me chicken pot pie. There were even chocolate cupcakes involved! She delivered me back home safe and sound and with a full tummy and heart.

It was a grand time of simple pleasures, the kind that conjure deep gratitude. Gratitude for the sustaining and nourishing relationships in my life ... gratitude for friendships and gratitude for love of the simplest kind.

A simple prelude to thanksgiving.

Win a Whimsy Wednesday!

It's Wednesday again and time to get in on your chance to win a whimsy. If you've been following, you already know what you could win this week as well as the next couple ... a little piece of peace.

So, just leave a comment to this post and you're enter in Thursday morning's drawing.

Congratulations Dana - You won this week's whimsy!

Thanks to EVERYONE for playing!

Treasures

I made treasures today. The re-melting of the crumbly soap with a touch of added water worked out nicely ... I impatiently cut them today and I'm pleased with the outcome and the lessons learned.

I bottled 13 bottles of cranberry wine.

I made two loaves of cinnamon, cardamom, raisin bread. Yummilicious!

I finished three new ACEO pieces and listed them in my Etsy shop ...

Compassion

Mercy

Forgiveness

So many treasures! And speaking of treasures, I also snagged a Treasury for my Etsy PeaceNiKs Team. Check it out and leave us some love!

Ashe. Ashe.

Time in Garden & Kitchen

I made my way to the garden and picked the last nappa cabbage today. Tomorrow I suppose I'll make a big-ass batch of kimchi and a nice steam with garlic and ginger to have with supper. It's beautiful, isn't it?

I made two small loves of whole wheat bread. It was a nice way to heat up the little hut as the sun leaned to the west. 

And here's a bit of my imperfect, yet beautiful TLC (tangerine-lavender calendula) soap. 

I made time to do a little research and learned that crumbly soap most often indicates a too-high a lye ratio, and that feels right to me. I also learned that I can re-melt the crumbs in a crock-pot to remold, so I'll try that experiment tomorrow. The actual experience of cutting the soap taught me that a knife is not a fitting tool, despite any logic to the contrary. Even the slight wedge shape of the knife actually facilitated the crumbling. I found that my dough scraper (or whatever it's called) to be far more effective for a clean cut. I also learned, or rather was reminded of the value of friendship. I'm in debt to my dear friend Kim for turning me on this beautiful alchemy. I'm already looking forward to my next batch!

Ashe. Ashe.

Peace with Some of You

See?

I told you I would ...

The Most of this Rainy Day!

It has been an eventful week - by my standards anyway.

Monday started in sharing time with my friend Kim. She makes great cold process soap and I was blessed to witness her in action, and this experience melted away every anxiety I ever had about trying it! Plus, I called in the spirit of my spouse's paternal grandmother who I never met, but who is remembered for her homemade soaps.

Tuesday was spent with a delightful herbal student. Wednesday morning was shared with Laura Rose of The Purple Rose Healing Center for some preparation for Thursday's Discovering Nature's Spirit radio show on Reiki. Friday's mail delivered my Ambassador of Lovely package with just distracted me with great delight! And if you haven't viewed The Beckoning of Lovely yet, I hope you will now. And somewhere in the past week the boy took a stab at putting one of his whimsy pieces up for auction on eBay and there's still a day left to bid (hint, hint)! 

But it was Monday's verve that captured me all week.  In honor grandmother Elisabeth, I rendered my own tallow.

The boy made me a lovely pine form.

I made my first-ever batch of soap.

And while it's not perfect, it is lovely and I am delighted!

So now - I'm off to make the most of this misty, rainy Saturday! 

Something Lovely ...

Today I received my official notice that I have been crowned an Ambassador of Lovely ...

Will you join me? 

Win a Whimsy Wednesday!

Last night I made six simple hand-drawn bookmarks - one for me and five to share as whimsies over the coming wednesdays. This is my way of sharing a little surrender and peace as the hysteria of the holiday season descends on so many - during a natural season that contradicts such frenzy.

So ... to mark a peaceful page in your book of life simply pause now, take a deep and nourishing breath and leave a comment to this post. In doing so, you're entered in tomorrow's drawing to win one of these ...

Look familiar? 

Congratulations Mrs. B ~ You're this week's Whimsy Winner!!! 

Six Whimsies for Five Wednesdays

Heh heh heh.

I guess you'll just have to check in tomorrow to see what I made today.

Heh heh heh heh.

A Protest

I protest this day. I woke up with dull headache, something very unusual for me. The vacuum wasn’t working, which ironically sucked, because I had a student coming to a double class in less than 2-hours and needed to clean up the dog hair and craft dust from the rugs. The dog liberated herself and took off into the wilds of the neighborhood. She would not return to me. When I finally captured her, she stunk – I mean really stunk. Despite the cold, I hosed her down and dried her as well as I could and left her to dry in the cool November sun. The towels reeked. I too was wet and stinky.

I returned to the vacuum to see if I could get it working. I couldn’t, but I think I targeted the problem. I broke a fingernail, which is really no big deal for me, but it was an odd enough little nothing to snap my attention to the chaotic play of events. I still had class notes in which to center myself, and not enough time to make that happen. My wonderful, understanding student showed up to a hut and teacher in a state of flurried chaos, neither ready nor grounded nor focused on the task at hand. I put the kettle on, cleaned up and changed, said a prayer, smudged myself and eventually settled into the space I needed to be. I think. I hope. For her sake.

Several hours later, I sit with this day and make my protest against it. I light a candle, I burn some sage, I light a stick of incense, I ring the tingshas and feel myself return to myself. For the first time all day I breathe with awareness, deep and full.

In that welcome moment of breathy stillness, I honor the conditions that led me to my disapproval of the day. For in them, somewhere, are nuggets of gold. Of this I am certain and grateful.

I just hope I don’t have to wait for the coal to compress.

I'm too tired to blog today.

Decisions ... Completions

I decided to use up the old labels for my liquid smudges before finalizing a new design. I made a pot roast with garden carrots and turnips and other market veggies. I made paper beads. I completed my Peace doodle ... and now must decide what to do with it. 

Maybe cut it up to make other peaceful "peaces."

I dunno ...

Progress?

I usually have several projects going at once. It's my nature. I neither fight it nor judge it.

I witness such multi-tasking as socially demonized and maliciously labeled as attention deficit something-or-another simply by virtue of being an innate ability of the feminine brain. Women simply have more receptors from left brain to right, making big-pictures, task and mental puzzles, and multiple priorities easier for us to cope with than our masculine counterparts.  Another contemporary side-effect of patriarchy. Children seem to have a growing talent for such capacity, and many are suffering needlessly for it. Oh, I could go on. But instead I'll show you just one thing I'm working on right now:

And now ... I thumb my nose to the current patriarchy and move on to yet another project ... as I dream of progress.

Om Shanti

There are no straight lines in Peace.

Peace is dynamic.

Peace is holistic.

~

Like all things of life, in my experience anyway, Peace shifts and changes, transforms and adjusts to whatever it is ... to whatever it needs to be, in any given moment.

When we live in Peace, we find it above us, below us, before us, behind us and around us. For it is a part of us.

~

And when we seek Peace, we seek within.

For Peace resides within us.

Always. 

~

We are Peace.

We are Love.

We are all that is, was and shall be.

~

Om Shanti.

Win a Whimsy Wednesday!

No matter how you're feeling today, a cup of tea is always nice. So I'm giving away - once again - a little sample of my Love Tea, a simple blend of Ceylon tea and pink rose petals, all certified organic.

Just leave a comment, any comment at all and you're entered in today's drawing. The winner will be announced tomorrow morning. 

Congratulations Kala Pohl Studio of Kala Pohl Designs!!!

My Small Voice Matter

Dreams ...

I did things today.

I did three focused tarot card readings for myself. I recorded voice and sound and now have a footing in that new realm. I finished the new hand-drawn labels for my energetic fragrance sprays and polished the verbiage that accompanies them. I tidied my dispensary and then commenced to mess it up again. I walked the dog. I enjoyed the brisk October air.

I stirred the Cauldron of Dreaming and Doing.

Delicious Layers

I continued to make layers in the art journal. Remember these earlier layers?

And remember the black gesso I mentioned last week? I made layers on top of that, and played with a matt-finish gel, pigment and cut up pages from another art journal.

I made time to rack five gallons of ale ...

... and one gallon of rhubarb wine ... and another gallon of rhubarb mead.

I made a simply delicious pasta dinner with my classic Italian pesto of sweet basil, garlic and pignoli nuts. I made time to watch the Giants cream Dallas too.

Ah, such delicious layers of life!

Time to Divine