At last---some photos to show that I really did spend the first 3 weeks of their lives with my twin graddaughters....

What fun, and of course it was more JOY than work! [I miss you, Sophie Jane and Nina Kate!]

Things I am loving at the moment......

1. This quote from an artist-- "I tell you, the more I think, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.” — Vincent Van Gogh

2. Yoga! Here is a you tube video of my teachers conducting a class!

3. Wearing red and pink which makes me feel energized and somehow fights off the cold weather!

4. Working on my granny squares....fun and scrappy crochet!

5. Listening to Reggae music which makes me feel I am in a warm tropical climate. [Many happy memories of our daughter's wedding in Jamaica!]

6. Resting and relaxing with a good book or movie. Getting enough sleep.

7.Being mindful of each moment (as much as possible, this takes practice!). Taking care of myself, emotionally and physically.

8. Tazo organic green tea. A favorite now!

9. Dark chocolate, of course!!!! [in small amounts, eaten slowly, melting rather than chewing]

10. Being involved in my community. (Not over-committed, but connected!)

Just finished today is this bear which I "created" for a local fund-raiser. We are given a "cookie cutter" teddy bear in either red, pink or white. We are to decorate it, dress it, make it "real". [I was rather not excited when I saw the flat red bear! Once I got started, he just sort of "grew". I think many of the dolls I make do the same thing...they "grow" themselves!] These are to be auctioned off at a soup supper February 28th.

The flat red cookie cutter bear has now become "Beartrand de la Mer", French sailor extraordinaire! He has a hand knit sweater and bell bottoms. His white beret has a black grosgrain band and a bright red pompom on top. In one hand he hold a miniature eiffel tower and his name tag has an antique picture of a mermaid, of course!

Now off to get some of that rest!

*



It is Friday morning. I need to do a painting today.


Painting brings me great joy. It also brings me great fear.....of exposing myself, of failure (whatever that is), of not having $$$$$ (a recurrent theme these days!). So as I struggle with what to paint for this donation to a fund-raising charity event, I read today's Morning Reflection from Lowell Grisham, a local Episcopal priest (if we must use "labels"!).


"Fear is a terrible motivator. Maybe that is why the phrase "fear not / do not be afraid / be not afraid" occurs 365 times in the scripture, I'm told. One for every day of the week.


Jesus sought to motivate with a loving compassion that inspired hope grounded in a trust of God. His appeal was to our highest nature: Perfect love which casts out fear. The battle between fear and love is both an external and an internal struggle.


I'm reminded of the old Cherokee tale. A Cherokee elder is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil -- he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good -- he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you -- and inside every other person, too.."The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
-- Lowell" [Note: You can find Lowell's writings in"Morning Reflections" under "spiritual" with other links, on the side of my blog.]


.....so I will try to paint more and worry less! Feeding the good wolf!





"C'est Moi"....whimsical self-portrait in acrylic and collage.


* watercolor of cat and iris by Elizabeth Blackadder, one of my favorites!


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A rare film produced by Pierce Brosnan...."The Nephew"

This is a beautiful movie, made by Pierce Brosnan's production company, Irish Dreamtime Inc. Filmed in Ireland. [And yes, Pierce is in it...feast your eyes!]
If you love all things Irish and Celtic music, this is one to seek out. Read more here.

One way to find JOY....

do some collage art!*

I love this lady's smile!!!! ...... the crow is the Native American totem for my birth month.

Oranges, browns and blacks hold this all together. The art quilt designed by Susie Swan, is from a Matisse called "The Amber Necklace". Her quilts were featured in a recent Home Companion Magazine.

On the flip side of the quilt is a guide to doing a deep and healing "inner" smile from yogo teacher Lilias Folan. [ I remember the wise man in Bali telling the heroine of "Eat, Pray, Love" that the secret of meditation was easy, it was to "smile"...."smile with your liver", he said.]

* Just before bed last night I picked up a book I read from once in a while, "Spiritual Housecleaning" by Kathryn L Robyn. (subtitled, "Healing the Space Within by Beautifying the Space Around You"). The page I opened to (without "thinking") was a section called, "Alone, Not Lonely: Solitude".

She talked about spending quiet time on READING....literary novels which will help "grow" your
heart...not newspapers and magazines, technical manuals or professional journals. She also said,
"People used to make art to call upon the sacred self...Sitting alone, or even quietly in a group, carving, sculpting, painting, sewing, weaving, quilting, etc., is often the best way to take yourself to the inner place of connection.......try making a collage, cut out pictures that represent who you are deep inside. Or who you once were or dream of yet becoming. Glue them on a sheet of poster board and hang it in your bedroom. Rekindle your sacred spark!"

That was synchronicity for me! I had thought the book would say something like, "clean out the basement", organize your linen closet... ( she does indeed cover these things in the book and goes much deeper into the depths of cleaning than most of us are aware of! LOL!) but the page that opened for me last night said to make collages! So I am affirmed in my cut and paste journey!

Three current art journal pages related to (in my mind!) diet and health, creature comforts , finding direction, JOY.
I love peppermint tea, and I love peppermint stripes! We have a black cat named Shadow. [ I do all these collages with commercial images from magazines and ads, combined with water color "things" I do and interesting papers or scraps of fabric. I don't like my collages to become too thick and dense...I often tie in some extra thing...like the tea bag label here....on the spiral binding.]
This one has the healthy pink grapefruit, the cheerful robin, oriental fabric print, white daffodils, a lotus, a mannequin torso, a gateway and what I really love, A CHAIR!!!!!
the quote says: "Joy is being willing for things to be as they are." ---Charlotte Joko Beck from "Nothing Special".

Two recent ATC's remind me that even though life has its rough spots, joy and happiness prevail!

I did see the moon in its lovely, golden, just-risen state yesterday evening on the way home from Mass...as we crested a very tall hill coming east...the moon was huge, on the altered horizon caused by the the hill! ...this has always been always one of my favorite places to watch for the moon!

Thank all of you for your prayers for my daughter's family...I may still be leaving to be with them this week when my son-in-law comes home from the hospital! Off to work now!