~ Kristi Tencarre ~

Visual Journaling Workshop!

2010-12-31T21:38:00.000-07:00

newer blog

2010-12-18T12:10:00.002-07:00

for current writing please see my newer blog: www.kristi-tencarre.blogspot.com

Under the Same Moon - FREE e-book!

2010-08-19T11:42:00.003-06:00

It is with great excitement that I announce the publication of my 1st e-book! This is a free e-book / workbook. It is written for children, age 3-7 of military parents who are heading off on a deployment. It addresses the anger the child feels and has activities to help the child with his/her emotions.

My hope is that children with a military parent will be given this workbook and that it will help them process their emotions during their Mom or Dad's deployment. There is a Dad version and a Mom version of the free e-book.

You can download it from the Creativity Portal.

http://www.creativity-portal.com/prompts/tencarre/under-the-same-moon.html

miss you

2010-08-06T18:33:00.003-06:00

I MISS THIS BLOG. I miss writing for this blog. So it's not closed anymore. :-) Not yet sure what I will do with two blogs and the same amount of time!

Today we were invaded by tiny birds. They might have been starlings or swallows, I don't know. Maybe I should look up a bird book while I'm here at Chapters. The house was alive with the sound of chirping. Lovely sound. Messy deck.

I don't know where they came from, but they have decided that my newly shingled roof, the deck railings, and the electrical wire are wonderful places to sit and sing. Their shadows have darkened the windows all day. One even tried to pay us a visit inside. He quickly learned that what you cannot see can hurt you.

disclaimer

2010-06-09T12:32:00.003-06:00

After 10 mos of struggling to write consistently on here, I am taking an official break. Mommyhood is 24/7 and I am unable to keep a consistent writing time. I will continue to submit to the Creativity Portal and send out pieces to various magazines. I am working on a 2 book deal (!) with Gumboot Books writing the Prompting Creativity Companions to the World of Stories series!

I will post various writing tidbits and tips on my writing blog. Please peruse this blog for posts you have not yet read. There is 4 years worth of writing here.

Good luck on your journey! I hope it is filled with joy and gratitude!!!

Kristi

Women's Words

2010-05-18T01:30:00.003-06:00

If you'd like to attend an all women writing workshop, check out the one in Edmonton called "Women's Words". It's June 4-13, but you don't have to attend that entire time! You can register for one course only. I haven't attended, but I have heard from past participant Leanne Myggland-Carter (of 7 straight years!) it's a wonderful week of writing & learning if you can carve out the time.

Grace & Jack

2010-04-22T21:42:00.005-06:00

This picture is magical. Hard work and happiness. This wasn't the fun of cutting wood for a campfire. This was real work on a real farm. I'm sure after this they went on to more farm jobs, perhaps she killed and cooked the chicken as well as made the bread (by hand) for dinner while he fed and milked the cows.

Oh the joys of days gone by. Have the modern times really made life better for us? Now we have gadgets to save us time, but that just means that more is expected of us. We can buy anything we want at stores - no more home-made dresses or tool boxes. No more knowing exactly how the corn and beef you're eating was raised. No need to buy "Organic" because pesticides weren't in use like they are today. No environmental asthma.

We found this picture in my Nana's photo album. One photo album for a lifetime. So different from today. And now with digital cameras we don't even print off most of our photos!

My Nana is the woman in the photo. She was born and raised on a farm in Saskatchewan. I feel that the country roots never left our family, even though she moved to Vancouver after WW2 and raised her children there.

But we all longed for the country. My parents were constantly looking at homes across the bridge and outside of the city. My Mom, my sister and I used to have & ride horses and my favourite childhood summers were those spent camping. It's no wonder I lived on an island in the Pacific for 3 straight summers!

So as I stare at these smiles, will you wonder with me? I wish that I knew the story along with the old black and white photograph. I wish the margins held a journal entry of that day, hand written with an ink pen by my Nana. I wish I knew just how "everyday" or how wildly special this day had been. I wish I knew more about Jack. I wish I knew more about Grace - this young woman before Jack was killed in WW2, before she moved to BC, before she married my Papa, before she had 3 children, before her son died before he turned 1 because he had a hole in his heart and they didn't have the technology that they do today.

I wish my Nana were still alive.

(NB: writing tip: it's all in the wording. "An island in the Pacific"... are you thinking warm sunshine, coconuts, and South Pacific? Nope. NorthWest Pacific - Georgia Straight.)

out my window - day 21

2010-04-22T21:26:00.005-06:00

By George, I do believe it will rain tonight! We have had strong wind - it woke Cassie up from her nap and later startled her as she was playing! It gets so windy here, we're considering using wind energy to power our house :-) The clouds have blown in from the Pacific (or some Northern lake) and the temperature has dropped. No more mid-20s. Sigh. At least that means my car won't be an oven, what with the A/C broken.

I went outside and it smelled deliciously of summer storms! I love that sweet grass earth smell (no dude, not weed!). I have enjoyed our uninterupted 6 days of capris and sandal weather. One (of the many!) thing(s) that helped me fall in love with this place was the fact that it didn't rain as much as Vancouver. But with the ground in such need of water, I may have to start singing another tune. Soon I'll be singing in the rain! (ar, ar, ar).

Tonight as I was washing up the dishes I was looking out my window and the 2 chesnut and 1 bay horse in the back field were prancing and playing. I wondered if that was a rain dance? They say animals can feel the weather before humans can, so you just never know. While I had a great childhood in the city, Sometimes I really feel "behind" now that I live in the country. I have a healthy does of curiousity and I am constantly asking questions (mostly to myself and my good old friend "'Net"tie). But perhaps I wouldn't know the answers if I had grown up on a farm.

Well dear friends, you've been looking out my window with me for 21 days. The writing prompt was for 21 days and we have reached the end of the goal. I hope you have enjoyed the journey along with me! I chose not to post a picture every day so that you could imagine what you were seeing. Today, I again post no pictures so that the images in your mind are unmarred by what you see, similar to the way a movie wrecks a good book.

Blessings on you & yours!

ps. Ever wonder where that archaic saying "By George" comes from? I googled it and wiki answers told me this: "This is a minced oath, using George instead of Jesus. Was it Saint George or King George? Probably neither, just plain George." Huh. And I figured it was about King George. Never heard anyone ever say "By Jesus."

out my window - day 20

2010-04-21T20:07:00.003-06:00

After 6 days of glorious sunshine and mid-20s temperatures, spring is unveiling herself. Buds are out on the trees. Some are even opening. The pussy willows have sprouted into green shoot thingees. The forest is turning green. Even the green is replacing brown in the grass. It's beautiful.

out my window - day 19

2010-04-20T11:18:00.003-06:00

Saturday morning we awoke to glorious sunshine and warm breezes. The predicted thunderstorm never hit. The pussy willows are out! I went outside to capture these beauties in the faerie glen.

out my window - day 18

2010-04-20T11:12:00.004-06:00

Le printemps est arrive!!!

Spring has sprung in this part of the world! It has been amazing to watch the explosion of bloom in only 4 days. Friday was our first warm day in ages. My sister invited us out to the park, so Cassie got to experience her first trip to the park!!!

C put her sunglasses on Cassie, hence the need to capture the image!

fun photo

2010-04-15T08:15:00.003-06:00

Writing Prompt:

Get inside this Parrot's mind. What is he thinking? Write out his thoughts.
How did this Parrot end up in a teacup?
Who is taking the photo?
Write the conversation of the photographer and the parrot, or the words of the photographer and the sounds of the parrot.

photo credit: Cesar Borilla (this is an actual stontaneous photo; it is not staged!)

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/

out my window - day 17

2010-04-15T07:40:00.012-06:00

As the orange school bus rumbles past my house, I sit down to write. But first I look out my window.

The sun has arisen. Over an hour ago, I was excited to notice pink in the sunrise. It means the clouds were blown away in yesterday's winds and that perhaps the weather man might just be right with today's forecast. Sunny and 15C. Tomorrow should be 19C!!! Welcome back Spring!

Mist rises in the far field. I see the dust left behind by a car speeding down the gravel road, someone probably already late for their day's beginning. The horses are still in the barn. The gophers are still underground. Wyatt, the neighbour's coon dog is baying.

The hawks were useless yesterday. No dead gophers.

My hawk research produced these interesting facts:

In most raptor species, females are larger than males.
They fly south for winter.
By looking at pictures on the 'net, I think we have Peregrine Falcons flying over our backyard, but I totally could be wrong.
Peregrine Falcon's name means "Wanderer."
Peregrines live on all continents except Antarctica.
Peregrines became an endangered species in the US, but due to a ban on DDT, their population soared.
They can live up to 17 years!
They stun their prey with a blow from their feet and then sever the spinal cord with their talons.
They can see 8x better than humans! (they have 1 million vs. our 200,000 receptors in their eyes!)
Their dive can reach 320 km/hour!

interesting website with amazing photos: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day

photo credit: Mark Schretlen

out my window - day 16

2010-04-13T19:09:00.004-06:00

It's that time of year again. The slow moving farm vehicles are driving down the country lanes. I don't know if I'll ever get used sharing the two lane, no lines, no shoulder road with them! Every time I pass one I wonder if we're both far enough over.

The green John Deere tractors are crawling in the fields now. The hawks are out en masse. I have new research to do. Are hawks seasonal birds? I didn't see any all winter and in this last week I am seeing more and more each day. They are beautiful birds. Two were dancing over the far end of the field this afternoon in graceful spirals.

I've also been told by an experienced gardener that this is the time to clear out my flower beds and rototill my garden. I will see what my dad and husband are doing this Sat!

out my window - day 15

2010-04-13T11:17:00.002-06:00

Twenty-four hours later the only evidence of a freak snow storm was in the ditches. The wind, however, had not subsided. It picked shingles off rooves and plastic bags off the ground and deposited the bags on branches so that it looked like people were growing plastic flowers that flapped in the wind. The pictures would have made an environmentalist happy, as a warning, not to frame.

A hawk, its broad wingspan casting a shadow on the ground, circled once, twice, and dove, carrying away a tiny gopher. One down, 999 to go.

out my window - day 14

2010-04-08T18:49:00.006-06:00

6.45pm

7pm

7.15pm

7.45pm

There is a severe wind warning for my area. There is also a snow warning. In April. As I was driving home, I turned off the radio and focused all my attention on the road, both hands on the steering wheel since the wind was trying to blow my car out of its lane. When I began this post, the snow had begun sticking to all the lowlands and the dirt patches and trails. I could again clearly see the gopher and deer trails through my land. However, now the ground is completely covered in white.

I took this series of photos every 15 minutes for the last hour (okay, I missed 7.30, but I was putting my baby to bed!). 1 hour and 15 minutes ago I could see beyond the treeline and noticed the horse fence for the first time! Now I can barely see the trees and the ground is covered with snow. Let's hope this moisture permeates the ground as we really need our water levels to rise and this drought to end.

out my window - day 13

2010-03-29T21:06:00.006-06:00

My friend asked "What's your fave colour?" and I said "purple." This is what she told me: A PURPLE person is enigmatic and highly creative, with a quick perception of spiritual ideas. Purple is often preferred by those who consider themselves different and unconventional. Often generous and charming. Associated with wit, keen observation, sensitivity, vanity and moodiness. So now I'm wondering if that song: "You're so vain" is about me? :-)

I was looking out my car window as I drove (duh) in to the City on Sunday and I saw some cool things. A young man, in black baggy pants, black hoodie and tuque was playing with his two dogs in a park, running back and forth. The dogs were chasing him and then he was chasing them; it was so fun to watch!

5 gaggles of geese flew N in V formation over my car (and other cars too). It was miraculous to watch their gracefulness. I'm sorry, but they were more graceful than the Snowbirds! (Plus I wasn't worrying about a crash mid-air and loss of life). I got to see them break formation and reform in one V. Another gaggle broke formation and formed two separate ones. What struck me was that every goose had to flap its wings, even while in formation.

Although it's easier while in formation (so I've heard), they are still required to do the work. They cannot just coast on another's efforts. Each time the geese parted, I found myself drawn to the ones that straggled behind and I willed them to flap harder to get closer to their fellow-goose so that they could have an easier time flying to their destination... even if they do leave gross droppings at their beach front property! Oh man do I ever remember how they messed up the lawns at Deer Lake in Burnaby! Not to mention to the lake!

So. Back to my land. Out the window of my house. Think flames. Think big pile of burning construction debris and trees that were bobcated in order to build a pond for some rich kids to skate on in the winter (not to mention that in order to build said pond an ecosystem was destroyed! the boggy land with trees and frogs in spring and who knows what else because I haven't lived here long enough was bulldozed! The whole block were not happy campers, especially us as I used to hear the frogs at night! Oh and since we're all on wells here, that pond will be filled using water from our shared aquifer - let's hope there's enough to meet all our "needs").

Sat night we could see the smoke over the trees from the highway which is a few km away! The Fire Dept came and unfortunately didn't hose it down that night. It has been smoldering since then. This afternoon the winds picked up as we had a freak storm. You got it. The wind was so strong we were getting construction debris airborne and landing on our land. And the smoke. The smoke was whipping so fast out of that smoldering pile of peat moss and brush that it formed a solid line across our land. Then the flames kicked back up. You got it. Oxygen fans fire. Forget about the rain. It was not enough to put out said-fire.

So back come the Fire Dept. This time they used the hoses. It's not like there's another fire they were just at. It's not like there's an out-of-control brush fire in the County. It's not like they're issuing fire permits right now; it's too dry! It's not like there will be a complete fire ban come April 1. They soaked this fire with 2000 litres of good ol' H20 from their pumper truck. Yeah firemen and one firewoman!

Let's hope my neighbour wises up. I really like my land the way it is.

Out my window - day 12

2010-03-25T21:03:00.003-06:00

The cat came back.Well, actually, it never left. It wasn't a cat. It was a patch of snow.

Yesterday the hill was covered in snow and I couldn't tell where the exact spot was that I had seen the "cat." This led me to believe that it was, in fact, a cat and not a patch of snow as I had earlier decided. But today the snow has melted and the white spot is there, looking from a distance just like a cat sitting tall.

I got to see a bald eagle (why are they called "bald" when they aren't? They have white feathers on the top of their heads, which is in contrast to their black body feathers, but they're not bald!) stretch his wings while perched on the tip of an evergreen. At first I wondered how the wind was blowing two branches up in a V shape! Then I watched the branches gracefully go down and get blown back up then go back down again. It was then that my logical brain kicked in and deduced that there must be a bird at the top of the tree.

I had not yet seen any eagles out here so I was pleasantly surprised! It sure beats ravens, magpies and chickadees on the grandeur scale. But then it got me thinking... why do we value eagles? What good do they do? Is it because they rest atop the tips of trees and build nests in craggy rocks that we are unable to reach? Does it appeal to our spirit of individuality? 'Cuz I really find Magpies beautiful, even if they do eat the eggs of smaller birds. I love the look of their black & white against snow. And I love the "deedeedee" sound the Chickadees make all Spring and Summer. Plus they're so tiny, they're cute!

Hmmm. Chickadees are black and white, aren't they? I'm seeing a pattern here. Eagles, Magpies, Chickadees are all black and white (I wrote that just in case you missed the pattern). Ravens are black. I haven't seen any Doves out here (Doves are white). Now I'll have to pay attention to see if we have any birds out here that have an actual colour! Were you aware that black and white are not actual colours? I learned me that in art class.

We have frogs in my yard. They live in the faerie glen. I haven't seen them since the summer, but I know they will be there because last year when we were looking at the house, we heard a ton of frogs. Frogs are green.

out my window - day 11

2010-03-24T20:39:00.002-06:00

I played Vivaldi's 4 seasons today. It should have been called "Kristi's 3 seasons". Today is spring. The trees look like fall. The weather is winter. I was living in a snow globe all day. About 4 inches fell. Yes. On March 24. Gotta love spring weather!

The cat is no longer on my hill, but there are now numerous white patches that do not look like cats on that hill. You can hardly see the fire pit in the faerie glen due to the lovely snow layer now.

I'm thinking that I will be environmentally destructive every time I go camping and pass by a river. I want to steal some rocks. Just a few from each river. Not enough to do real damage. It's not like every tourist takes a cup of sand off the beach so that there's no beach left. Right? (You're supposed to say "right.")

I'd like to put these river rocks in my dry creek bed between the faerie glen and what will be the 2nd faerie glen after I've planted the Manitoba Maples. I don't think these Maples give off syrup but they'd sure look cute with little taps in the trunks like they do in Quebec to those Maple trees! Good thing we have no plans right now to go camping, eh.

out my window - day 10

2010-03-23T19:38:00.001-06:00

Binoculars. I am going to buy a pair. I can’t tell if the black and white lump in my back field is a cat or a small patch of snow that formed in today’s snowstorm… which melted immediately. I hope it is a cat. I want it to catch the gophers.

The coyotes were out last night. They sounded like they were in the forest out back. I freely admit that I love listening to their yipping and howling when I’m warm in my bed with hard walls all around me, but the same sounds give me the shivers if I’m sleeping in a tent while camping. It made me wonder what they were up to. Did they get a kill and were calling their mates back from the hunt? Were they playing? Was the moon full? Could they see it in a break from the clouds?

My neighbour lit a wood fire this afternoon. It smelled delicious as I pushed the stroller up and down our bumpy street for some brisk fresh air. It is still long john season, even though it is now officially spring and the sun is shining.

The County is considering a complete fire ban even though the ground has not thawed and the snow has not fully melted. It is already dry. I hope we get enough rain for the farmers to grow their produce. My land is moist; water was squishing up around my runners as I was gingerly walking around my house and patrolling the perimeter.

Earlier this morning, two gophers were running across the lawn. I desperately hoped the first would not be caught. I really do not want any more gophers running around my property in 19 days.

The white bump is still there. I have stood up from my computer numerous times while writing this to check it. It has not moved. This leads me to believe it might be a tiny snow patch. However, there is no snow anywhere on that side of the hill.

I’ll have to go buy a pair of binoculars.

out my window - day 9

2010-03-20T21:07:00.006-06:00

It snowed again while I was sleeping. Only an inch, but it was enough to fill in all the lowland so that the ground is dusted in white. The fields still look brown as there is grass and shrubby things sticking up, higher than the snow.

I like looking out to the east because I can see the field beyond my land and the horses that walk and play just beyond my treeline. A black raven flies over my land. Earlier a lone goose flew over the house, honking his song for us. The gophers are back. Yesterday there were three running from dirt mound to dirt mound. Everytime I looked outside I saw movement. I'm not sure that they realize that this means war. Or that they will lose.

I saw the resident moose!!! It only took 10 months! I didn't see him on my land, but on the gravel road leading up to it. The county has brushed the road, meaning they have cut back the trees on either side and I saw him in what I call "the swamp." He was just standing there, munching on grasses and looking at me when I returned to take this pic with my camera phone so it's not great quality. I liked staring at him, foot on the brake only and car still in gear just in case he came toward us. He was as tall as a horse and he is still just a yearling. He ran off when a truck barreled by us, the man staring at me like I was something to look at.

out my window - day 8

2010-03-18T20:15:00.004-06:00

Opening the curtains to light but no sunrise, I put on my glasses to see clearly - the drizzle was snow. After weeks of glorious sunshine and warm 10C weather, we are back to snow and chilled wind blowing down from the North. The tree trunks bore the brunt of the snowfall on one side only.

The fields that were showing their grasses are now covered once more with a thin blanket of snow. Perhaps it is true that if March blows in like a lamb, it goes out like a lion. The clouds are definitely roaring!

I look out my window and dream of how I would like to change the landscape in order to enhance its beauty. I love the lay of the land and will do nothing to change that. I merely want to plant flowers and trees to make it mine. I would even like an overgrown garden in the front!

At the garage sales this spring I will be looking for an old wooden door. If the paint is already peeling off, all the better. I will also be looking for a window frame, preferably without the glass panes. I am a big believer in entrances. Funny, I myself don't like to make them! But I like enchanted entrances into nature.

When I used to hike in Lynn Canyon in North Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada), there was a split tree trunk about 10 feet tall in the middle of the earthen path and while everyone would walk around the tree trunk, I would always squeeze through, hand in front of my face just in case there was a spider web, and pause for a breath when my body was wedged in the middle of the trunk. I could feel power there. Once I passed through the tree, I felt that I had entered the forest. It was magical.

I want that feeling for my garden. So I would like to create an entry for the kindred souls who will come to visit. A door and window rooted into a frame to withstand that strong North wind would be ideal. I might even add a few feet of fading white picket fence on either side with tall flowers that fall over the fence!

In my mind's eye I see the door as a faded green, or perhaps blue. The window white. It's too bad they burned down the hundred year old cabin/barn at the edge of the field a few km away. I could have used the wood in my garden. It was an idyllic scene to drive by the 80 acre field and see the canola or alfalfa growing tall around this barn. But now progress has burned the barn and flattened the field in order to build 33 new houses.

I am bringing more beauty to the rural because in the name of progress, we have lost touch with nature. But I will use modern tools to plant my flowers :-)

out my window - day 7

2010-03-17T20:06:00.004-06:00

The snow is steadily melting. It is amazing to watch how it melts. The left side of the hill melted before the right, yet neither are shaded by trees; it is simply how the sun hits the hill at various times through the day. We are the last acreage to lose our snow.

I am amazed at how the animals, which I rarely see, leave tracks that zigzag over the acres and even close to the house. A joy this winter has been to open the curtains in the morning and to look for new tracks. We have discovered moose, deer, and coyote tracks. It is proof that they are actually here, walking this land, tho I rarely see them. They are the spirits of the land - passing through unseen, yet leaving evidence of their presence.

And now their tracks are melting. A small hoof print slowly widens each day until it simply widens enough that it is able to melt away. The lines that have crossed the land become difficult to distinguish as tracks in the snow melt. Grass protrudes now. The lay of the land is shown more boldly than when it was covered in white, which softened the rise and fall of the hills.

Bare branches sway gently. It has been a blustery day. I wonder how long the trees have swayed in the wind and how deep are their roots? How strong must the wind be to uproot a tree? Behind the still naked trees blue inches its way down to the dark, fading the winter yellow. Soon the individual branches will become a mass of darkness as night descends.

As soothing Celtic Psalms lullaby out the door of my baby's room and down the hall to me, I wish you a Happy St Patrick's Day and leave you with two Irish blessings...

May your neighbors respect you,
Troubles neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And Heaven accept you.

May you live a long life
Full of gladness and health,
With a pocket full of gold
As the least of your wealth.
May the dreams you hold dearest,
Be those which come true,
The kindness you spread,
Keep returning to you.

out my window - day 6

2010-03-17T20:04:00.002-06:00

March 15th -

I awoke to pink light. The sunrise was bathing the earth out my window in glorious early morning pink. The colours behind the pink were cool blue and dull white-tinged-grey/blue. The sky held clouds and made me wonder if it would snow o my birthday, as it had during so many years previous. But there was no snow today. Only glorious sunshine.

out my window - day 5

2010-03-16T21:53:00.003-06:00

bathed in pink

the frozen ground,

shivering in bare patches,

pulls tight its snow cover.

out my window - day 4

2010-03-14T12:35:00.003-06:00

A loud explosion rocked the house. Not as loud as in the sandbox, but loud enough for country living and peace time. Looking out the window they saw flames. Twenty feet high into the air. Were the crazies dancing naked in a circle? Nope. Idiot buddy next door decided to burn his scrap wood with 5L of gasoline. Nice guy. Later his kids shot fireworks into the air.

Spring is here. Yesterday and today I heard the honking of returning geese. Today I saw a small V formation flying over the backyard. They were flying northwest. That's better than south! And our beloved gophers are back. I saw movement across the patch of green where the snow had melted. I saw more quick movement over the paving stones under the deck. Ah. The sound of gopher shrills will soon be heard. I do wonder what they have been up to all winter as they live underground and the ground is frozen. If they lay dormant, then they have awoken. There is still snow on the ground, but with every day and the constant sunshine, there is less and less snow and more green or brown grass showing through. Soon there will be no more white and only shades of greens on the ground!

out my window - day 3

2010-03-12T22:27:00.002-07:00

We got 53 trees! 23 lilac bushes, 20 trembling aspens, and 10 Manitoba Maples. We'll get them in May. They're seedlings, so will be small, but aspens grow quickly. I can't wait to plant them!

On a side note: DQ Dilly Bars contain soy - who knew!? which causes an INTENSE allergic reaction. Warn any friend that may be allergic to soy. I haven't had this bad a reaction to soy yet. I'm going back to bed.

out my window - day 2

2010-03-11T11:48:00.002-07:00

I love the word Jambalaya. I do not like to eat Jambalaya. I remember one time when we were eating MREs in the Sandbox and I chose the Jambalaya one thinking it would be a fun Creole, Southern meal. I forgot that I don't like seafood. Too much heat can do that to a person. Luckily one of the guys traded with me and I got to eat something else, which just happened to be a burger, which tastes quite different when it's not fried, but heated by a chemical reaction!

Friday we find out what trees we get for free! The County has funding to give out trees to small acreages... so we applied! We'd like to plant Aspen and lilacs down one side of the property - the one with the new neighbour! It will sound so pretty with the Aspen leaves blowing in the wind and smell heavenly in June! I love the smell of lilacs!

We have a faerie glen. The lay of the land shows an old creek bed flowing away from the faerie glen to a circular depression. If this was the interior of BC around the Fraser Canyon it could be the dug out remains of a First Nations home - they would dig a large circular pit and then put branches for a roof. There would be a fallen log cut with steppes to make a ladder to climb down. If you hike in the Canyon you will find all these deep depressions. They're quite large as they lived more than one family inside. When you find one you know to look for others because they lived in community. But I don't think they did that here.

So our cool idea is to plant some Willows or Manitoba Maple around the circle to create another faerie glen! I'd love to acquire some river rock and put those in the dry creek depression. Pussy willow would look cool on the edges, but I'm not yet sure what to plant. There is pussy willow in the original faerie glen, so I don't want too much of one plant. I also would like to plant daisies on the house side of the fairie glen! I think that would look very welcoming :-) I can't wait for summer!!!

out my window in 21 days - day 1

2010-03-10T23:11:00.004-07:00

The Milky Way shines bright above my house. On my back porch. Staring up. Notice that the word stare contains the word star? Hmmm. I wonder if that's a coincidence? I feel like I'm camping away from the city lights that block the star shine, but I am home. At home and at peace. Cassiopeia (my fave!), the Big Dipper and Orion are the constellations I recognize. There are a myriad others I do not.

I am challenging myself to write daily what I see out my back window. It's a writing prompt from Barbara Abercrombie's book Courage & Craft. Let me know if you'll take up the challenge and I'll visit your blog to "see" what's out your back window! It will help us to actually see what we may no longer notice. It is with new eyes that we can see the familiar. Perhaps even a faerie or too?

Interview yourself!

2010-03-02T18:10:00.003-07:00

I was looking at the pics in a magazine I don't read very often, looking for inspiration for spring decor and I began actually reading the articles. This led to a writing prompt. The next time you read an interview with someone, answer the questions yourself! You may just discover something you didn't consciously know...

For instance:

1. what do you like most about your home?

2. Describe your style.

3. Do you have a favourite colour scheme?

4. Are you a collector of anything?

5. Describe your perfect getaway.

6. What city do you find inspiring?

7. whose personal style do you admire?

8. name three people you'd love to have at a dinner party.

9. how do you define beauty?

10. finish this sentence: "I feel most comfortable when...".

(House & Home interview of Jeanne Beker, Sept.2008.)

Fly away

2010-03-02T18:06:00.002-07:00

You know one thing that impresses me? How flies can get into sealed places, like light fixtures. Obviously they're not sealed. But seriously. I wonder if scientists have done tests to discover exactly how it is that the fly crawls into a hole that the naked eye cannot see? How small does the hole have to be? I mean, are flies contortionists like mice?

Are there any PHD candidates reading my blog in need of a science project, er, thesis idea? Perhaps I could suggest a course of study for you.... Would there be any funding for something like this? They fund all sorts of ideas, no matter how crazy or (non)beneficial to society.

Food for thought.

update on baby quilt

2010-02-19T11:28:00.003-07:00

I didn't mean for my journey in fabric to become an epic one! But that's what it is becoming with the amount of time it's taking.

The sewing machine is fixed now. Now that that hurdle is overcome, I can begin sewing right? Right. Sigh. It's a matter of the next hurdle now. Fear. Somehow this art form just seems so huge a hurdle to get past! I have a total mental block toward it. I know I can take my own advice and just go for it, but it's still hard! It is opening my mind to the paralization of fear. Is paralization even a word? It's highlighted in red. But I like the sound of it. So I've put on my Webster's hat ;-P

So I'm thinking that to get over this latest block, the best thing to do is to break it down into small steps. Like laying out the fabric again. Then I can measure it and maybe even cut it? Wow. That would be the point of no return now wouldn't it!

No more write time, sleeping beauty has awoken from her nap.

would you like to be a whale?

2010-02-13T12:23:00.004-07:00

I loved this email and am getting such a good response from my close friends that I decided that I just had to share this on my blog for your amusement and encouragement!!!

Recently, in a large city in Australia,

a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared

in the window of a gym. It said,

"This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

A middle-aged woman,

whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster,

responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern,

Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious

humans.) They have an active sex life,get pregnant and have adorable baby

whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with

shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like

Patagonia, the Bering Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia .

Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs.

They are incredible creatures

and virtually have no predators, other than humans.

They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

Mermaids don't exist.

If they did exist,

they would be lining up outside the offices

of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis.

Fish or human?

They don't have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them,

not to mention how could they have sex? Just look at them ... where is IT?

Therefore, they don't have kids either.

The choice is perfectly clear to me: I want to be a whale.

(whale photo: http://www.theragens.com/photos)

Winnie the pooh and Tigger too!

2010-02-12T11:40:00.007-07:00

Wow. Has it really been 2 weeks since I last wrote? Sorry about that. Time flies when you're sleep deprived! Today I woke up to fog (outside guys, outside) and now it has lifted around the house to reveal bare brown branches covered in white. There is no sparkle though as the sun is still hid behind these clouds. There are some fresh animal tracks in the backyard, we have a moose that wanders through here as well as some deer. The coyotes were out yesterday howling at 11AM! Maybe this blockage of the sun has messed up their circadian sleep rhythms and they're thinking this is their nocturnal time? Or maybe I'm messed up and should be sleeping while babe naps?

I had a thought while nursing my babe this morn as I stared at her Tigger doll (well, truth be told, it's mine, but I'm lending it to her). I'm sure I'm not the first, but here are my thoughts:) If the Winnie the Pooh characters were real people I'm sure they'd all be in counselling or on drugs. Seriously. Tigger is ADHD and perhaps ADD as well. Pooh is slightly depressed and addicted to food (honey), But Eeyore is the really depressed one. Rabbit has an anxiety disorder. Owl is the wise one that lords it over everyone, and notice that he sits up high in his tree - symbolically similar to a wise, arrogant person who thinks they're above everyone else! I'm not sure about Piglet, but I think he's co-dependent. I think Kanga is the only normal one! And note that she's the mother figure!!! (yeah to all us mothers! :-)

Have you had any thoughts like that about characters we blindly read to our children? Don't even get me started on the Disney princesses! They are all too focused on getting the prince. I loved the scene in Shrek 3 when the women need rescuing and the princesses "assume their positions" (this meant that Sleeping Beauty laid down to wait for her kiss, etc.) and Fiona (the Ogre) yells: "No! We have to rescue ourselves!" Talk about empowering women! And besides, who actually lives "happily ever after"? I know we all hope for it, but it takes work.

Okay, off my soapbox. That came out of right field this morning! :-) Hope you're all well. The photo above is of my messy table full of my new Stampin' Up art supplies! Fun times!!!

Hope you're all well!!!

Coffee Kiss

2010-01-27T17:19:00.002-07:00

I got this picture off the website Kiss Me Daily. For those of you who have been following my blog, you'll know that I like caffeine and art and therefore this was such a perfect mix of the two that I had to post it. I like kissing too, but I don't blog about it ;-P

Women's Writing Spa

2010-01-23T20:05:00.006-07:00

I got to attend, for the 2nd time, a Writing Spa for women - a day to treat ourselves to words! It was a lot of fun. Our writing prompts focused on the visual arts. Here is a free-form poem that I wrote, inspired by the English poet Victoria Field's line: "Shivers like a wet lamb":

A dream born too soon

too tiny to exist on its own

gently laid in an incubator

with warm blankets and heat.

(g)loved hands barely stroke the delicate skin

breathing

with reminders from tubes.

The dream grows,

leaves the cocoon,

and enters the freedom of the world:

the distraction of days,

the challenges of life.

Focused on getting bigger,

the dream is nurtured, loved, held close to the heart,

and

with a few bumps and bruises

perseveres into the light of day,

& the lamps of night,

to radiate splendour when it reaches maturity

and lives on its own

and then on in the minds of those it has touched...

after

it is gone.

ostrich on speed

2010-01-23T01:27:00.004-07:00

Here are two pages out of my art journal. One is on rain. The other is an ostrich on speed.

Enjoy!

argh

2010-01-15T15:39:00.002-07:00

I knew an Athena in highschool. We didn't get along. She had no emotion. I'm a roller coaster. My sewing machine is named Athena. We are not getting along.

I'm about ready to quit I'm so frustrated. That fandangled machine! While I'm thankful that my sister lent it to me and that my mom can help me figure it out, I'm not liking the process. And something's not getting figured out!

I'm about ready to hand sew this darn quilt! Or... go buy one. [singsong voice] Oh Auntie Linda... feel like sewing Cassie's quilt in addition to Lola's? hahaha.

"Wailing filled the air"

2010-01-14T23:20:00.003-07:00

"Wailing filled the air"

It's a new decade and we have a new devastation on our earth. By now, I'm sure you've heard a lot about the 7.0 Earthquake in Haiti. I can't even begin to imagine.

This first person account in the link above made me feel sick to my stomach, but I urge you to read it. Can you imagine using your first aid skills to help the wounded because there are no doctors? Can you imagine doing this by the light of truck headlights? If you can spare some money, there are many organizations sending supplies to the people in Port-au-Prince, Haiti after this devastating earthquake. I urge you to share the abundance you have with people in need. World Vision is a humanitarian organization that I trust and support. They have been working in Haiti for 30 years and the link above to the first person account is from one of their staff on the ground. Until Feb 14, the Canadian Government will match any donations given through World Vision. This means that your money has doubled and therefore has twice the impact. I pray that the needed help would get there soon and that these people can recover from the devastation.
That the wounds of the body, soul, and mind will recover.

This earthquake and the news reports are reminding me of the Tsunami in Thailand and their long road to recovery. I traveled in Thailand 2 yrs after the Tsunami and they were still recovering. The palm trees on the beaches around Phuket were ragged or non-existent. Many store fronts looked brand new. I remember they said the best help I could give them was to spend money. I visited Bali a few years after the Kuta Bombing and they too said that tourism was the best thing that foreigners could do for them. I wonder how this will end for the Haitiians?

Cassie's Quilt

2010-01-10T19:28:00.003-07:00

One of my creative New Year's Resolutions is to finish Cassie's quilt by the end of this month. So far I have put the borrowed sewing machine (thanks Stace!) in the spare room. That's step one. It's out of the garage!

For those of you following this blog for some time, you will remember how excited I was back in June when I decided to fight my fear and sew a quilt - a dream I'd had for years, yet one in which I was paralized with uncertainty for I've never taken a sewing class in my life. Yes, I was the girl in highschool who avoided "Home Ec" like the plague.

But my poor darling does not have the quilt I want to make for her, so enough is enough. It is time to try to finish this thing.

Step 2: call my Mom and ask her to come over for coffee this week... bwahaha! She'll soon find out it's not just a pleasant coffee date. I have an alternative motive. After coffee, I will ask her how to start up this fantangled machine in my spare room - I am afraid of breaking it as I figure it out.

I am resuming blogging about this because I need the accountability. Plus, it could be a humourous read. We'll see. Wish me luck please!!! :-)

art is fun!

2010-01-01T22:21:00.008-07:00

I promised photos of our New Year's ArT nItE and here they are!

The first two are a fun (labour intensive) idea I got from Aidan. You glue images onto the bottom of clear glass pebbles (you know the kind you probably have in your Siamese Fighting fish bowl or your flower vase) and then with Diamond Glaze and ModPodge and SuperGlue, you end with a magnet and le voila, you have a tres cool personalized magnet!!!

These following three pics are the chairs that Aidan and the kids painted. They got the idea from the local art gallery. Their display featured painted chairs with painted shoes underneath. It's a pretty cool way to personalize chairs and the kids were totally into it. On the back of the chair they painted their names and added stickers.

The seat of this one reminds me of Van Gogh's "Starry Night" and it was painted by a 4 year old who I'm sure has never seen that painting. I love the freedom of kids!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2009-12-31T22:03:00.004-07:00

What better way to say goodbye to 2009 and ring in the new year than by doing art?! Aidan and I have been dabbling with art as much as we can amidst "Mommy" duty, even tho our husbands have been awesome. The kids have finished hand painting their chairs, Aidan is still working on hers and I have yet to begin. I was doing a diffferent art project with pictures under clear pebbles. Pics to follow! Crying babe - got woken up. Gotta go.

Blessings!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2009-12-23T19:03:00.002-07:00

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!!!

Check out this link to Charlie Brown's Christmas cartoon and Linus telling the reason for the season. I hope it brings back good memories! :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk9rv2hUfA

Sparkling Blessings to you & yours!

Believe

2009-12-17T13:13:00.002-07:00

I found a neat little artsy video that can offer some encouragement. Click on the link below to watch it.

Believe by Dan Zadra & Kobi Yamada

Posted using ShareThis

funny mommy stories

2009-12-04T18:56:00.002-07:00

Two Fridays ago I found myself on the other side of the babysitter/mommy divide. I was now the one giving instructions in hurried breaths in the kitchen as I applied my nailpolish on the island. It seemed like only a few short years ago I was the one listening and assuring the mom her kids would be fine while she was gone. Now I was the one worried.

The evening was great and we came home happy. The funny moment came when we were sitting on the Turkish rug playing with our still awake baby and I noticed that I had painted all my nails black, but one. My right thumb. Black is not a subtle colour either. Who knows if anyone noticed; if they did, no one said anything and I met some people for the first time that night too!

So I'm wondering... what are your funny mommy stories??? Please share. We all need a laugh!
:-)

living in a snow globe

2009-11-30T11:25:00.004-07:00

Today I am living in a swirling snow globe. I awoke to grey clouds covering the sky that said "We'll be snowing soon!" and now the ground is covered in white as tiny little flakes are swirling to earth. It looks magical. It feels like Christmas. I turned on the outside Christmas lights and the inside ones too! This weekend we got our tree up and the sparkly garland and wreath over the mantle. I bought Cassie her own stocking and now there are three stockings hanging over the mantle! It looks beautiful.

GoD and DoG bt Wendy Francisco

2009-11-27T16:37:00.002-07:00

Cool song & cute cartoons!

link if above does not work:
http://www.irememberlove.com/video/god-and-dog-by-wj-francisco

WHO DO YOU REMEMBER?

2009-11-10T22:20:00.005-07:00

Remembrance Day, November 11th, at 11AM.

A time to honour, to say thank you, to remember

the sacrifices of the living and the dead.

James Wood Milne - WWI; my great-grandfather who survived trench warfare and the 5 machine gun bullets, but died of gangrene on the ship back to Canada.
my Dad Sid who served in Vietnam, '69-70 and who made it home
to my friends who have served and made it home: Bob (Vietnam), Larry (Vietnam, 2 tours), Chad - & Theresa - (Bosnia & Afghanistan), Greg (...) Jonathan, Rick, Matt, Lisa, Ashley, Larry & the Chaplain & all the guys with whom I threw mail on base and ate with in the DFAC (Iraq)
Cpt. John R Dennison - KIA Iraq 2006
Cpt. Rhett W. Schiller - KIA Iraq 2006
Andre Durant - MIA Iraq 2006
Johann Enslin - MIA Iraq 2006
Callie Sheepers - MIA Iraq 2006
Hardus Greef - MIA Iraq 2006
and to the 5 Iraqi men who were brutally killed on their way to work at the base one morning simply because they were working with the Americans who paid more than the local places to work.

To read a previous Remembrance: click here.

Tea rituals

2009-11-07T12:08:00.003-07:00

I began drinking tea in university. My friend owned a tea store a few blocks from my house and every few weeks I would go for a visit and sample a new blend of tea. Then I would sniff the tins of tea and choose a new loose leaf to try.

When I lived overseas, I drank sweet chai. When the water boils, you add the black tea. Pods of cardamom are broken up in your hand and you add those for flavour. In little fancy glasses, reminiscent of shot glasses, you scoop in sugar to the halfway mark. Then you add the tea. I quickly learned not to stir my tea or else it would be too sweet for me to drink!

When my South African friends discovered that I liked rooibos tea, they would bring me boxes of it in bags and also loose leaf. They taught me how to make authentic rooibos. You must put the tea into boiling water in order to enhance the flavour. Milk and sugar is a necessity.

In Japan, I got to experience a tea ceremony, sitting barefoot on the bamboo mats of a teahouse in a bonsai garden in the middle of Tokyo. It was fascinating to watch the ancient grandmother in a kimono presiding over the ritual of boiling the water in a giant cauldron, folding the cloth just so, measuring the green tea, and whisking it with her bamboo into a froth that evoked memories of Paris lattes. I learned that tea is an art form.

In Argentina and Chile I tried bitter Yerba Maté once, drinking it out of the traditional small round gourd with the built in straw. While backpacking in the Canadian Rockies, all day I would I look forward to making my hot tea after dinner over the fire, knowing that it would also be the reason I would come out of the tent into the chilly morning air.

I drink tea now with my husband. He makes a pot of decaf Orange Pekoe while I put our infant daughter to bed. I drink mine with milk and sugar; he prefers only sugar. Then we sit together on the couch and talk – about our day, about our daughter, about our dreams, and about how much we enjoy our life together.

not this year

2009-11-06T07:41:00.002-07:00

I have decided to withdraw my participation in NaNoWriMo this year. It's not because I am already behind in my daily word count. It's because I want my 13 week old already teething (!)daughter to be my priority and I value my sleep.

Perhaps one year I will participate. I will keep writing; that I will never give up! But as for stressing over daily word counts and creating a 50,000 word story from scratch in only 30 days, I am going to leave for another year.

I wish all the participants Good Luck!!!

Adventure

2009-11-05T11:24:00.009-07:00

Sunday Scribblings writing prompt for last week was "adventure." Those of you who know me and have been following my blog know I live my life as one big adventure.

A few nights ago I was remembering back when I was 20 and in Quebec City on my own for the first time. I was near the Plains of Abraham and saw a line up on the grounds of this nice house. I followed the line and found that they were waiting to shake the hands of a nice looking gentleman in a grey suit. A woman, I guessed it was his wife, was beside him in a grey skirt and suit jacket with perfectly coiffed brown hair.

So I got in line. I figured that either the man or the woman must be someone important.

As we inched our way forward, I kept looking for signs as to who these people were, but there were none. When it was my turn, I extended my hand and he bowed as he took mine. He was short. He looked like a kind Grandpa. I shook his hand and that of the woman and walked away still wondering who they were.

There was a punch table set up nearby and I walked over there and asked (in French) someone who had been ahead of me and was fixing his son's backpack who those people were. He looked at me like I was an alien. They were the Governor General of Canada and his wife. Oops!

I thought it made a hilarious story! Here I am traveling and standing in line because it looks like something interesting to do and I have no idea until after what I am doing! But that's me. I like the adventure. I love surprises.

To read up on past adventures, click walks - a journey through my life.

photo: I took this photo down in Chile. Yes, it is a penguin.

365 prompts

2009-11-05T10:56:00.002-07:00

Want a picture writing prompt to inspire your creative life?

Go here.

It's my photo and writing prompt up today. If you miss it, you'll just have to wait 'til next year

:-)

(Future dates of my photo writing prompts are: Nov.21, Dec.4, Dec.19, Dec.21, and Dec.31.)

you know you live in the country when...

2009-11-01T14:35:00.004-07:00

A family walks their dark grey horse down your street.

You see two moose, a mother and a calf, on the gravel road.

A deer bounds across the highway, half a km in front of you.

Grazing cattle, horses and sheep in fields.

There's a permanent snowmobile trail beside the road.

You see open sky.

It takes more than an hour to mow your lawn (if you have grass and not wild hay!).

Coyotes wake you up at 3AM howling beside your house.

There are tracks in the snow of animals other than dogs and cats.

You go outside at night and see the Milky Way.

This is my new life AND I LOVE IT!!!!!

you know you're getting older when...

2009-10-30T10:45:00.002-06:00

This summer I got to tell my niece a "when I was a kid" story. No, it wasn't about walking uphill both ways to school in a snowstorm without shoes and a jacket. It was about watermelons. When I was a kid, watermelons had little black seeds. Seedless watermelons had not yet been invented.

What "when I was a kid" stories do you have?

a whole new world

2009-10-27T16:29:00.003-06:00

Airmiles latest email declared that the world is on sale. Say what?! But it made me think. What if the world was for sale? Who would buy it? Who would have the audacity to sell it? What would happen to the inhabitants? Food for thought on an autumn day.

Happy journaling!

a new discovery on an autumn day

2009-10-23T19:23:00.003-06:00

I have found the magazine that might just feed my art-journaling soul.

Doesn't the following page just make you want to run to your journal and create?! It does for me! So this post will be short. I think you'll understand....

yet another writing prompt!

2009-10-23T19:21:00.001-06:00

I misread a newspaper headline and read this:

Bears are Back in Church

Write a story or newspaper article with this title or subject matter! It could have hilarious results!!! And post here, please! I want to read your work :-)

pink thoughts

2009-10-22T21:33:00.007-06:00

I took this photo in Iraq, to capture fleeting beauty in the desert

pink thoughts...

little girls

and all the accessories with which you can adorn them that are pink

and how moms who say they will never dress their daughter in pink realize

how cute little girls look in that colour!!!

pony tails and jean skirts in grade 5

beauty in a foreign land - a splash of pink in a flower

pink undies under camo - hidden feminity

icing sugar on shortbread

hot tea in the evening

flushed cheeks after playing in the snow

sunset over my house the day I brought my daughter home

my cheeks when he said "kiss your bride"

my heart that is overflowing with happiness.

Estee Lauder convinced some of the countries with famous landmarks to make them go pink in October. This photo is of the Toyko Tower (looks a lot like the Eiffel Tower doesn't it!) to go pink. I got to see it and go up the tower in Spring '06 when it was its normal red & white.

This post is in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Please remember to check yourself regularly and to go for your mammogram.
I saw the idea on Christina 's blog to write "Pink Thoughts" on Thursdays this month.
Pink for October is trying to get websites to increase awareness for Breast Cancer by going pink for the month of October. "2006 (our first year) was a great start with the roughly 1500 sites that Went Pink. 2007 saw roughly 3000 sites Go Pink. 2008 was our biggest year with roughly 15,000 sites." They're hoping this year will be even bigger. I'm sure it will. There's even a forum on that site to share your story.
.
.

it's almost NaNoWriMo time again!!!

2009-10-20T18:18:00.002-06:00

Okay I feel totally inadequate. It's NaNoWriMo time again in 11 days (it begins Nov 1st) and I am going to go for it this year. For real. Not like the other years. I'm really going to do it. Or at least try! I encourage you to read the interview of Cylithria Dubois, Marine Corps novelist. If this Marine could get her novel written while on duty in Iraq, why couldn't I? Oh ya, I was depressed. But not this year!

So, to all you who have ever dreamed of writing your novel, I encourage you too to join with us NaNoWriMos and get your novel written! The goal is 50k words by Nov 30. Details here. Good luck!!!

Tuesday Word Tinkering!

2009-10-19T18:51:00.004-06:00

Take a look, especially if you haven't, at the talent displayed daily at the Creativity-Portal's 365 prompts! They can inspire you to do your own art or just be amused. Tomorrow my prompt is up so take a look! :-) In case you're new to my blog, there's a new prompt daily, so check back often if you like that site!

Edmonton Stories picked their winners. I wasn't one of them (so no Mac for me! :-) Congrats to the chosen few! I'm guessing that if you voted, you didn't win that IPod cuz I'm pretty sure you would have let me know if you had won!!! Check out the winning stories, or just read/watch the contest entries.

I have some more photo inspirations (365 Pictures Daily Photo Prompts) coming up on November 5th and 21st, December 4th, 19th, 21st and 31st so mark your calendars! :-) Only today's falls on a Tuesday so it's your writing prompt for Tuesday Word Tinkering! It's great to be a part of the 365 Pictures Daily Photo Prompts. There are a lot of neat artists featured. I hope they inspire you! There is still time to contribute, so I encourage you to go for it if you have the inkling!

Be blessed!
kt

“Somewhere north of fall”

2009-10-19T14:09:00.002-06:00

Pieces of me
Connect
In the jigsaw that is life

I drive through fall in one day
Summer’s end to winter’s beginning
Autumn leaves crunch
Rain turns to snow

Dreams come true
Slowly
As life entwines new threads in the tapestry

I stare out the window now
At beauty
With a sleeping babe beside me
And a man who loves me unconditionally

The longings of my heart
Are reality now
Tears have dried
God never left my side

“La vita è bella!”

inspired by Tumblewords' line "somewhere north of fall" in her poem here.

hats or costumes?

2009-10-18T23:01:00.005-06:00

An EARLY(!!!) Tuesday Word Tinkering! :-) This writing idea is from Marney over at Artellaland.

WRITING PROJECT OF THE WEEK: Halloween is just around the corner, but why should kids have all the fun with dressing up? Have some make-believe fun by writing a story or poem about yourself in another "costume".

2009-10-13T12:47:00.007-06:00

I have become the mom who drives the big-ass truck. I realized this a few days ago when I was enjoying a country drive between a town and my home 40 minutes apart. I also remember this every time I park in a small parking lot.

It didn't happen on purpose. My Jeep simply is not a child-friendly vehicle and I have not had time yet to trade it in for a family-friendlier one.

The first lasting snow has fallen and I have resigned myself to the fact that winter is here to stay. I knew this when I saw that the slough had not only frozen over, but that a layer of snow had settled thereon.

My baby is now 10 wks old!!! I am amazed at the exponential learning curve! I've been shocked at how much work and how all-consuming/time-consuming caring for a newborn is! I honestly thought that when she napped I'd be able to go on with my pre-baby life writing or doing art or any of those normal pre-baby time using things. I didn't know that at first when she slept I'd have two decisions: eat or sleep. When I became accustomed to the sleep deprivation my options increased to: check email/blog, clean parts of the house, or make a phone call. Errands now take at least twice as long! Yet I wouldn't exchange this new life for my previous life or any other option in the world. I love my baby and I love my new life!

I am slowly working on organizing my art room. There's only so much I can do during those short nap times :-) I did put up the playard in the art room so that she could nap or play while I work. My goal is to have it ready for the Alberta version of the BC aRt SuNdAyS!!! Except that it will be one night during the week. I'm thinking Tuesday? My sis and mom are in and I'm hoping some of my new friends from my baby group will be art tinkerers as well! I'm also thinking this could be a fun opportunity to share our creative learnings with each other.

I also want to send a KUDOS out to Elizabeth Elias, a woman I met at the Surrey International Writer's Conference last year. She told me she was writing a book (as we all were), but she actually did and published it in 2009! It's called Don't Call me Mother. I have not yet read it, but it chronicles her experience with international adoption and depression thereafter. You can read her blog here or check out the book on amazon.

Blessings!

beginnings

2009-09-22T01:06:00.004-06:00

I began sewing three days before Cassie was born. I decided my first attempt should not be the quilt. So I sewed together a nursing blanket. I did not follow a pattern; I'm more of a trial and error kind of gal. I saw one in a store and figured I could copy it. I think I did a pretty good job for an amateur! I've used it in public and it does the job. I learned a few things on it. For instance: to get nice edging you need to fold over the cloth an extra time. Thank you Mom!

I have not yet begun the quilt, but am feeling more energetic these days so plan to get started on that come October. I figure it's a good October project. I'll set myself a goal to have it done by Hallowe'en. After all, November is Nanowrimo month and seeing as I've not done it the past two years, why not attempt it this year when I have even less time!

There is joy in the journey!

Blessings to all...

kristi

sheep in stores

2009-09-20T23:40:00.005-06:00

So I was shopping for black winter boots and admired this beautiful leather purse. I didn't buy it.

Later that evening (much later, like in the middle of the night later) as I was rocking my baby to sleep, I thought of this poem, which reminds me of Shel Silverstein's style:

Thank you little tiny lamb

for giving me your skin;

I really like my brand new purse

'cuz all my stuff fits in.

caterpillars are butterflies and bears - 0 my!

2009-09-15T21:58:00.003-06:00

This poem and graphic design is by Bert Johnson. My friend Linda sent this picture to me cuz she's cool, but also cuz she knows how much I love the symbolism of the plain caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly.

I have not been posting as much due to extreme new-mom fatigue, otherwise known as sleep deprivation. I don't trust myself with words right now. I told someone today that Jeremy is spelling J e r e m o a and wondered what they were talking about when they asked for spelling clarification. (see what I mean - I typed "spelling" instead of "spelled". Believe me, you'll thank me for not posting often right now.)

the fountain of youth

2009-08-25T19:20:00.004-06:00

The proverbial "they" talk about a fountain of youth. Is it an actual tangible fountain? Many have gone in search of it. They have failed to find it. Is it an intangible reward? Perhaps it can be found in maintaining your youthful strength or beauty. In our day & age, I'd venture to say that many believe it exists in snake poison injected into their lips and face or in bottles of expensive creams or hair dyes.

My uncle says "the fountain of youth is in your children." Could it be that children keep us young? We get to see the world afresh. We get to re-discover it, through the eyes of a child, with all the knowledge that we possess, so that it is different than when we were discovering it when we were young. We get to pass on what we have learned, we get to share our experiences, we get to play again.

What's your take on this fountain of youth?

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

2009-08-11T11:50:00.001-06:00

Memoir Writing

2009-07-22T14:02:00.004-06:00

There is a memoir out there called: Another Night in Suck City. I got it out of the library because the title intrigued me. I never read it.

What do you think this memoir might be about? What has been the worst night of your life? Which night has ranked among the worst of them? Think about this - but don't think too long! - and begin writing. Remember to keep your hand moving and let it flow out unhindered. (I know, that's easier said than done).

Now flip this thought around: what has been the best night of your life? Which night has ranked among the best? Recall that night for a reader. Don't embellish the facts. Tell your truth. Memory is not always correct, but if you are truthful to your memory, then it is your truth.

Tuesday Word Tinkering

2009-07-21T08:45:00.004-06:00

I like sparkly things. I know this is really a pot hanger, but why would I want to clutter up my kitchen with dangling pots when I could have dangling crystals that sparkle rainbows!!!!

Quilt update:

I think I have all I need to get started on the baby quilt. I've even washed and dried the fabric to prevent shrinkage after it's all sewn together (see, I'm not totally clueless!!! lol). If I have energy today I'll begin, but it might have to wait for tomorrow as my E levels are not so high these past few days. I will post progress pictures and keep y'all updated!!!

Tuesday Word Tinkering:
Think about the city/town in which you live. What do you like about it? (If you can't think of anything, why do you continue to live there?). What would you write if your city sponsored a writing contest or collected stories on why people lived there?

Thank you to those of you commenting on my story up at http://www.edmontonstories.ca/ ! I really appreciate feedback on anything I write - even blog posts! I researched it a little further and if you vote you could win an IPod!!! That'd be a sweet deal for you!

Have a great sunshiney day, even if the sun is hiding behind a dark menacing grey cloud today.

xox

My Story at EdmontonStories.ca!!!!

2009-07-13T16:20:00.006-06:00

I am more than delighted to share with you my happy news that you can read my story, entitled: "Coming Home" at the Edmonton Stories website, along with one of my favourite pictures of this area.

http://www.edmontonstories.ca/story/home-city

You can leave comments at that site and if you like the story, tell your friends about it and come back after July 31st to vote for my story :-)

(The more hits and votes my story gets, means that I could win a MAC! and I hear they're great for writers and artists!!!)

Blessings,

Kristi

quilt update

2009-07-11T13:34:00.013-06:00

The fun continues!

{this is my baby's room so far}

I am still in the fabric procurement stage. I am finding it interesting how beautiful & inspiring some of the fabrics are, yet totally frustrating at not being able to find the exact colours that are in my mind! If this were a painting, I could simply keep mixing colours together to get that right shade or hue, but with fabric, sigh, you have to keep looking 'til you find the one that fits the picture in your mind, or, be flexible like me and buy things that are nice and will go together somehow!

I am a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl. Especially when it comes to making this quilt. I am beginning to wonder if I should buy a pattern, yet what I want is not a pattern to follow - the pattern is in my mind. I think this fear of patterns comes from the memories of my mom and her patterns and fabric spread out over the floor downstairs and the flimsy, thin, tissue-like brown paper that she meticulously pinned to the fabric and then cut precisely - it turned me off sewing then and I still shy away from that precision and calculated measured approach to sewing. I see its usefulness, but know it's not for me at this moment.

{My original qult idea was to have a white or cream base and three hot pink flowers appliqued on. Then it would be surrounded by bright purple shiny satin. Simple idea. Not so simple to find the fabric. This is the fabric I have found so far that is closest to this idea.}

However, that said, my aborhence to tracing a pattern has caused me to run across some funny incidents which I will now share with you. Feel free to comment on my so-called pregnancy insanity :-P I arrived at a big fabric store in the city yesterday and as I was parking, realized I had no idea as to the measurements of a crib! Heck, I don't even have a crib yet!!! :-) [the majority of cribs nowadays are convertible, meaning that the crib looks like a squished up headboard, then it converts to a giant day bed for a toddler, then it becomes a double bed. Now here's the conundrum. I do not want my 5 y/o in a double bed. Heck, I do not want my 18 y/o in a double bed! - do I sound like a mother!?!?!?! haha. Plus, what if you have a second child? Their marketing theory of that one bed following the child throughout its life doesn't make sense unless you want both your children in double beds by the time they're in Kindergarten. Call me old fashioned, I don't care, but I don't want that for my child!!!! Further, unless you have one of those brand new mansions, that bed will take up the child's entire room - where will they play? Oh right, mansions have playrooms and toyrooms and nanny's quarters. Okay, rant over :-) ]

So I walk into the fabric store not knowing how much fabric I need. I considered popping into the Walmart down the street just to get a standard crib measurement, but decided to just wing it. A crib is more than a metre long and less than a metre wide to my estimation so I figured two metres of fabric should be enough right?! Let's hope so (yes you can laugh now!).

{after finding this fabric, a second quilt idea began to take shape in my mind: This is the top and if I can find satin turquoise ribbon to frame the quilt, then it will be the quilt of my dreams! lol}

As I was driving home, now with TWO quilt ideas in my head, both requiring very different fabric, I began laughing because I realized that I had the filling, the top fabric, but not the bottom fabric!!! I still can't begin to sew this thing!!!! It's becoming a comedy of errors, but one done with so much love (& anxiety) and it's such a new art form to me that I can't help but laugh. I told Jer that if the quilt turns out a parallelogram instead of a rectangle, if anyone comments on its imperfections I will not take offense, but simply challenge them to do better. I think that's a fine way to shut them up! Unless of course they know how to quilt and then I will fall to my knees and ask for a lesson. But however imperfect this quilt is, never will there be a quilt made with more love than mine :-)

{funky fabric I just could not pass up - perhaps a funky breastfeeding blanket?}

{perhaps a burp cloth?}

Simple Things that make my heart sing

2009-07-07T18:43:00.009-06:00

Simplicity

so rare a thought in our day and age and yet...
so easy to name the simple things that bring me joy:

walking into my sister's home and the smell of homemade cooking
the laughter of my nieces
the sound of tiny bare feet on wooden floors

sunshine & cumulous clouds hanging in the blue sky

the fresh earth smell after a rainfall
colourful sunsets
sparkling dew on flowers

glittering gems of raindrops on green leaves
dancing rainbows through crystals
glassy blue seas

fields of lavender or bright yellow canola
the ripple of the breeze across a field of hay
listening to the waves crash against the shore
soft, warm sand under bare feet

warm towels out of the dryer
fragrant tea in the perfect dainty cup
the purr of my cat beside me as I fall asleep

smiles returned
smiles given
friendship

thinking of the simple things that bring me joy is much like
counting my blessings.

the list could go on
but I shall stop and
thank God for the blessings.

"Captured Kiss" photograph taken by Christina Martin - http://soulaperture.blogspot.com/

This photo means so much because it is exactly what my nieces do to my 8mo pregnant belly - hugs & kisses for the baby {and then the 6y/o tells me that my tummy has gotten bigger since the last time she saw me, which sometimes is a mere 2 days :-) }

Thoughts inspired by Christina's challenge as to the simple things in life. You can check out the blogs of all those participating, as well as read her challenge at: http://soulaperture.blogspot.com/2009/07/list-of-blogs_07.html

Enter the fun!

Kiss of JOY!

2009-07-07T17:16:00.002-06:00

Here is a post that I saved to draft, never finished and decided to publish in its unfinished form because it's just a cool blog to go visit. Enjoy!

I'm also enjoying high speed internet again!!! (woot woot!) I've been browsing around and found a new blog of photos and creative thoughts (poems): http://soulaperture.blogspot.com/.

http://www.kissmedaily.com/mother-2/comment-page-1/#comment-499

a wonderful evening to bunker in

2009-07-07T16:46:00.011-06:00

“Just living is not enough… One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”
Hans Christian Andersen

I wandered through a farmer's market this Saturday, marveling at the size of the leafy lettuce and how green it was, wondering about the lives of the farmers growing their produce and how the drought is affecting them. I enjoyed looking at the pretty artisan creatives and discovered a new beadmaker! I'm thinking Christmas presents already!

It has been raining non-stop for almost 24 hours here which is making the grass greener by the hour! We really need the rain out here as many counties have declared agricultural states of emergencies and the crops of hay/alfalfa/canola are just not high enough. Cattle breeders are worried they might have to sell off their cattle as many fields don't have enough grasses to support them! It's so sad.

I am looking out my window, splashed in rain so that the view is distorted. It is like looking through a waterfall. Degrees of grey in the sky hangs low to the ground. My meadows (which I've named Grace Meadows!) are looking more lush by the hour. The gophers are not playing above ground today, which is fine by me :-) The faery glen is radiating shades of green and the grass looks as if it's grown a few inches overnight!

I am going to cuddle up in bed with a movie after dinner and forget about unpacking for the night. I am also going to steep a cup of wild raspberry leaf tea (no wine for a few more months!) and enjoy the sound of the rain outside. I always sleep deeper when it's raining.

I took a picture to upload with this post, but I can't find my camera cord to upload it. Even with all the unpacking already done! And then I crashed my shin into a very solid wooden box which was on top of a "nice-to-run-into" cardboard box and when I had my breath back and lifted my pantleg to look, I had an immediate lump and bruise as well as a cut! Living out of boxes is a hazard - lol! So my wonderful evening is slightly off course already. Ah the freedom of living in flexibility land. I now will be curled up on the couch with an ice pack, blanket and a book I have never read: Persuasion by Jane Austen. Yes, I know. I'm 32 and have yet to read an Austen book. Missed them in all my University English classes and I figure there's no time like the present!!!

Blessings!

interesting factoid

2009-07-06T21:45:00.002-06:00

AT 5 MINUTES AND 6 SECONDS AFTER 4 A.M.

ON THE 8TH OF JULY, THIS YEAR,

THE TIME AND DATE WILL BE:

04:05:06 07-08-09

The email said that this will not happen again until the year 3009, but I know that if you want to see it again just read the date - day, month, year - and then you will see it again in August!

(I had a deep feeling that you just needed to know this)

:-)

easy poem that anyone can write

2009-06-24T10:58:00.003-06:00

Writing poems scare people. BUT! I have an idea to make this easier. The new concept, well, not so new, but this century poems are more a stream of consciousness. Forget Shakespeare and Donne and rhyming couplets and stanzas and ABBA formats. Poems do NOT have to rhyme. Poems do NOT have to be long. Poems do NOT have to be mysterious. Poems do NOT have to be so deep as to be un-understandable.

This is a fun poem that you can use to try out writing a poem OR to use as a brain warm up for your writing.

Take a month, any month (there are only 12 options here) and write about what that month means to you.

Example:

June

June is...

Allow your mind to flow freely. Sometimes having something as basic as a fill-in-the-blank poem to get started writing takes the intimidation out of the process so that you can be all about the enjoyment of writing. And it's all about the JOY!!!

Here's another idea to take the poem one step further.

Write your "Month" is... poem before the month starts and then revisit it at the end of the month to determine what your month was actually like. You might find that you used stereotypes in your beginning poem and then your after poem was your reality. It can also be a good evaluation of yourself and the world around you. If you were expecting flowers or showers, did the weather deliver? Did you write about running through sprinklers in July? Did you realize that you had not run through a sprinkler the entire summer - leaving that for children's play? Although how much fun would it be to run through a sprinkler on a hot day, no matter how old you are?!!!

Enjoy the creative process. It need not be scary or intimidating. When you start with easy prompts, you often find that you keep writing because you leap frog into the ideas that were waiting there for you in your subconscious, just waiting for you to let them take shape.

Remember: "Leap, and the net will appear!"

Happy writing!!! :-)

Best Writing Conference Around!

2009-06-15T20:59:00.007-06:00

One of the best writing conferences around is the Surrey International Writing Conference. It is held in Surrey, BC (just outside of Vancouver) in Canada. People from all over Canada, the US and even the UK attend. I've been privileged to attend twice and although I'll be missing it this year (new baby!!!), I plan to attend again in the future.

The exciting thing about this conference is that there are editors, agents, and publishers to whom you can actually pitch your idea! This is included with your registration. You can also have your work critiqued at a Blue Pencil Session by a published writer. Those two opportunities can be reason enough to attend!!!

The workshops (more than 70 workshops, panels and special events this year!) are by great authors and you can attend any of them that you like. In addition, there is a trade show where you can purchase writing books by the workshop leaders, other writing books/material and find out about new products/services in the industry.

There's also a writing contest where you could win $1000!!!! (that would cover cost of registration, hotel, food, and travel!). That kind of goes with the theme of a writing conference, doesn't it! It costs $15 per submission.

The 17th annual conference takes place October 23-25, 2009 and registration is open now online. I recommend you at least check out the website :-)

Today only!

2009-06-14T20:25:00.007-06:00

I have a painting prompt up at the Creativity Portal that will be up today, Sunday June 14th only, so if you want to see it, you must act now! If you are reading this after the 14th you can see it again... next year! :-)

Also, Molly Anderson-Childers interviewed me and you can read the interview here.

Today was a beautiful summer day. I know the summer solstice has not yet arrived, but today felt truly like summer, what with the bright sun and the +30C!!! It was a day that reminded me of the day I painted the painting above, only the fields are not as green this year.

I went for a walk in the woods, enjoying nature's beauty and the music found therein. Red breasted robins were divebombing in front of me - one so close I heard the flap of its wings too close to my head! It's an awesome sound tho! The tighly woven nest no longer holds the 3 bright azure blue robin eggs. I was happy for them that they were born, but sad for me as the broken egg shells were no where to be found. I had wanted to keep a shell piece; they were such a brilliant blue! Today I looked at the flying birds and those landing on the branches overhead and those looking for worms in the grass, but they all looked to be the same size to my uneducated-in-bird-stages eyes.

As I sat in the woods marveling at all the shades and hues of green and the shadows of the leaves above on the ground at my feet, enjoying the rustle of wind in the leaves high above, I thought of the BC painter/writer Emily Carr and how she used to go for whole summers into the woods on Vancouver Island in her caravan and paint there with her animals. My mind often thinks of her, a lone woman living in the woods with her animals (dogs and a monkey!) a hundred-ish years ago, painting the movement in the landscape, painting ancient First Nations totems. How different the land must have looked, and yet how similar.

Later, I found my mom's blender (from '73!) and made a blueberry/vanilla smoothie. It was delicious. And we didn't even taste the woodchips! (I pushed the wooden spoon down too far, thus hitting the blade which is no worse for the wear... the old wooden spoon on the other hand...!) What's that joke: "if you think I look bad, you should see the other guy!"

I hope you are having a fabulous, restful Sunday.

Hesitation...

2009-06-10T20:07:00.005-06:00

I figure it's time to 'fess up. I am scared to try out a new art form!!! I have this growing inkling of a desire to sew a quilt for my baby, but I have no sewing experience. I'm thinking a simple patchwork quilt. However, this is a very girly thing to do and in highschool I purposely chose my electives so that I would NOT have any domestic or girly type ones. Therefore, I never took Home Ec or learned to sew. My Mom has a sewing machine and used to sew us dresses a lot when we were little. My Nana made me quilts as a baby that I still cherish. I think homemade is so special - is that the hormones talking? :-) Making quilts is part of history! Why do I fear that term "girly" or "old-fashioned"? I once received a homemade blanket from a friend for Christmas and thought it was the most unique gift! I celebrated her creativity. Why am I so judgemental against myself?

My desire to create a quilt for my baby is gnawing at me everyday. I've decided to take my own advice and "just go for it"!!! I will be visiting a fabric store on Sunday.... I am looking online for ideas, although I seem to have one in mind already. Serendipity has touched me, for my sister loaned me a baby crafts book that has a quilt layout I can modify, before she knew I was harbouring this secret desire to sew a quilt. I'm thinking "keep the first one simple"!!!

My only experience with sewing is a fabric fiasco with Barbie clothes that I designed. I definitely learned that I maybe should have followed a pattern, although the internet wasn't yet invented and there were no how-to-sew-Barbie-outfits books at the library. I designed them myself and took my Mom's advice to cut them larger, but when they were all sewn, they were too small even for Barbie's tiny waist! Therefore my dream of being a fashion designer ended that summer day when I was ten. Will this fabric fiasco foreshadow a quilting catastrophe?

As I write this post, my baby is getting more active within me. I think she likes this idea. I have expressed my desire and now it is out there - "Leap, and the net will appear!" I will find a way to make this idea a reality. Any quilters out there? Any sewers? Any advice at all?

So the Wild Wednesday Writing Prompt is this: what is the frightening creative something that keeps popping into your mind? Will you join me in defeating it?
.
.

SWAT

2009-06-07T18:14:00.004-06:00

My cat is on a SWAT team.
It’s a highly elite one because normally cats aren’t allowed on those types of teams. Cats are non-conformists.

How do I know she’s a member, perhaps even a leader? First off, she dresses in black, with a little tan and white camo thrown in.
Next, she quietly stalks her prey and surprises them when she pounces.
Further, she knows the best hiding spots.
Finally, the scratches on my legs are proof enough.

Butterfly Wanderings

2009-06-02T17:47:00.001-06:00

I am sitting in the backyard listening to the wind blow through the newly grown lime green leaves of the silver birch trees. Robins are chirping down near their nest. Cirrus clouds streak across the sky.

This is the beginning of my favourite time of the year here. I love the warmth of the sun and the new life springing forth daily. My absolute favourite though is July (although this year what with the cold weather haunting us even last night when they issued a frost warning on June 1st(!) I’m sure the summer’s glory days will be pushed back to August or September!). That is the time when the new life has blossomed into its radiant splendour. Canola fields wave yellow, the green alfalfa fields are dotted with their purple flowers, the trees are abundant with their new leaves, and flowers bloom in every garden.

A gorgeous yellow and black butterfly (not a Monarch) just flitted past me. As it flew directly in front of me, I had that momentary desire to capture the fleeting moment – you know that temporary few seconds when the butterfly is directly in front of you … there is all this anticipation as you watch it flit closer and then it is beyond you and you are left longing for it to return as it flutters farther and farther away on its erratic journey. I thought of trying to capture the butterfly in my hands so that I could marvel at its beauty.

That got me thinking of butterfly nets and children racing to catch them. Do these nets harm the butterfly? If not, I’d love to buy one for each of my nieces, as there will be three wild acres across which they can chase butterflies in my new home.

I had this dream as a child of having a butterfly net and chasing flitting butterflies through fields of tall grasses in a flowing white dress. It never happened because I grew up in the city and the only place big enough to run wild would have been a city park, which was mowed regularly.

Now that I live in the country, I’ve learned that when walking through a field of tall grasses, hay or alfalfa or wild, you want to be wearing pants as those stems are quite prickly! Not to mention the bugs (gasp)!

I’m reminded of the hiking slogan: “take only pictures, leave only footprints.” I’m sure the best way to capture the beauty is through the lens of a good camera.

…Do any of you know if catching and releasing butterflies in nets is harmful to them? I’d really appreciate your comments.

writing workshop photo & prompt

2009-06-01T15:18:00.007-06:00

Tools of the Trade

Here is the table of visuals I set up at the Writing Workshop I facilitated in Vancouver. I have two of my journals - one for writing, one for art available for preview/inspiration and two examples of the types of journals I keep in my purse/bag for when inspiration strikes. I have my handouts: inspiration and resources to get started as well as a whole sheet of quotes. If you follow my blog, you'll notice that I'm a big believer in collecting quotes and I use them often as writing prompts to get me into a writing mood.

There's also an eggshell basket of Easter coloured jelly beans 'cuz we all love sugar :-) Of course there are coloured pens, a must for art journaling! The bag at the back is one that my friend Linda made for herself. I'll have to post photso of the one she made for me. It's an art journaling travel bag "Have art, will travel!" There are three pockets large enough for your journal, magazines and little pockets for all the tools of the trade, like pens, markers, scissors, gluestick, pencil sharpener, ruler, etc! This makes packing up your stuff easy for that art trip outside the house, or for when you're traveling.

Here's a quote prompt for today:

"If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive."

~ Eleonora Duse

Writing Prompt:

How is your soul alive?

another ArT sUnDaY

2009-05-31T21:03:00.006-06:00

I just love ArT sUnDaYs! I haven't had one in a loooong time so it was nice to get to do it today. It was sunny outside (I'm loving this weather!!!) and I'm always happier when the sun is shining. I did some found poetry, scanned some images for the baby room mural I plan to paint, did some brainstorming for a new writing project, and prepared my photos for my presentation tomorrow.

I'm going to be talking at the library and showing pictures of my trip to Chile tomorrow. I'll upload a picture from there as they're located in town and have highspeed! lol. I've been trying to upload a photo for this entry on dial up for 40 minutes now - sigh. I've given up and will edit this entry tomorrow. :-)

Manic Monday Update: I can't upload PDF files so I'll have to take a picture of the 2 found poems I wrote and upload them at a later date. To show you how dedicated I am tho, I'm going to upload a picture I love of cherry blossoms (and it took mere seconds on highspeed! :-). I took this photo when I was back in Vancouver, BC in April.

The presentation on Chile went well and I discovered that I enjoy presenting to seniors! That was my first time and I'd totally do it again :-)

Ciao!

another wild wednesday writing prompt!

2009-05-28T13:01:00.005-06:00

What is your favourite season? Right now I am enthralled with Spring - the new life and beauty that is blooming daily simply excites me to my core. I am so thankful for my eyesight on these sunny days when the world is springing back to life after a very long winter!

What is your favourite spring colour? Mine is lime green because of the new leaves shooting out from the tree branches.

Your Wild Wednesday Writing Prompt is thus: write a poem about your observations or feelings about your current spring. I have included mine for fun.

"the storm approacheth"

thunder, frogs, crickets, gunfire

the sounds of tonight

bright flashes streak down

out of the clouds -

grey, menacing threats that cover the blue sky

from end to end

reverse black hole

above my house

blue sky, no rain, no grey,

circling clouds threaten twisters

(this is the area for them after all).

birds are silent tonight.

gunfire ceases

crickets quiet

frogs keep croaking

I fall asleep to drums pounding across the sky.

wild wednesday writing prompt!!!

2009-05-20T21:06:00.004-06:00

My internet connection is so slow and that is why I have been too frustrated to dial up and post anything, like pictures or even writing prompts. I apologize. However, I am looking forward to in about 6 weeks time having satellite internet again which will be MUCH faster and allow me to upload frequently!!! What a technological world we live in, eh!

PS. can you believe we woke up to SNOW yesterday morning?!!! SNOW in MAY!!! I was wondering if I'd moved to the North Pole or something?! But at least it melted by dinner and today was sunny and we were all happy with 9C and windy. How is the wacky weather treating you these days? I don't believe in global WARMing as I haven't seen these warmer temps, but I sure do know something's up with our climate!

Since this is late for a "Tuesday Word Tinkering", I have created a new label for "Wild Wednesday Writing Prompt!"

Remember in elementary school how you did LA mixed with Art to make a kitschy version of your name? ... you write one adjective for each letter in your name... well, I have an adaptation for that prompt because we're all past one word adjectives. You can start with that as a warm up, but here is the challenge:

1. Using your name (it can be your first, middle or last - best of all, try all 3!) and write a sentence about yourself now. The sentence does not have to start with the letter in your name; although the letter in your name must be present in the sentence.

2. After you have completed your name and your sentences describing you in the present, project yourself into the future. These sentences can be about how you see yourself in the future or what you would like to accomplish.

As always, I'd love to read your thoughts!!!!

Happy writing! :-)

a lovely Saturday

2009-05-09T13:46:00.006-06:00

I love quiet Saturday mornings when you can sleep in as long as you want, get up slowly, make muffins and good quality coffee (thank you to the Brazilians who picked these beans!) and eat leisurely on the back patio with the sun shining and the birds chirping in the trees.

Song of the day: Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson

Writer's Workshop in Vancouver

This event went super well! I got to facilitate the writing of about a dozen ladies in Vancouver back in April and I had a blast. At first the women were hesitant to write, as most writers are at teh beginning of a workshop, but after a few prompts I loved watching their transition from hesitancy to unstoppable flow! By the last prompt I was giving them extra time to write! :-)

A few of the writers chose to share (never a requirement in my workshops and in any good ones) and I was amazed at their insight. It was a regarding experience for me and I can’t wait to facilitate another writing workshop!!!

Bali Presentation

My presentation on Bali went smoothly. The audience enjoyed seeing my photos (plus a few from my good friend Tom) and I think there just may be a few who will research trips out to Indonesia!!! Hopefully they will be able to experience first hand the beauty of Bali.

warning to a dock

2009-05-09T13:27:00.002-06:00

Some people need to grow up and live their own life, although immaturity tends to run in families, doesn't it.

These same people also need to act out what they believe, otherwise they are hypocrites. There are still Pharisees walking the earth.

Arrogance can only take a person so far; one day you will realize that it alienates you from quality people.

There is far more to life than amassing a large bank account.

Spies get found out and no one likes a prowler or a lurker.

Wise advice: Take the plank out of your own eye before you criticize the speck of dust in someone else's.

If your name is the same as a dock, or a brand of toilet, this poem's for you.
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Bali

2009-04-19T19:19:00.004-06:00

I am giving a presentation on Bali at the local library in town tomorrow night. I get to show my photos and talk about my experiences there. My friend Tom Witherly who has also been to Bali, sent me some of his photos to "fill in the gaps" of photos that I had not taken (for example, I tend to focus on landscapes whereas he gets these amazing shots of people!).

My favourite thing about Bali is the pungent aroma that wafts through the air. It is not overpowering, yet it is always present. It is incense and it is an offering to their gods. Bali is the only Hindi island in Indonesia; the rest are Muslim. It's a little bit of India in the South Pacific. Quite a treat since I love most things Indian. The only thing missing is the delicious Indian food!
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The photo above is one that Tom took. The woman is weaving offering baskets out of leaves. They will then be filled with fresh flowers, grains of rice, possibly a piece of fruit and the ever present stick of incense. They will be placed outside each shop, on the sidewalk directly in front of the shop door and tourists must pay attention in order to not trample them as they walk by or walk in! These offering baskets are also found inside some shops, restaurants, and hotel lobbies.

If you ever get a chance to visit Bali, I highly recommend it. There are many great travel guides out there to assist your research. I used the Lonely Planet one. There is also a fun read for the plane: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (in case you missed it during its time on the NY Bestseller's List!!!) in which her Love section takes place in Bali.

Please promise me you will spend a day (at least!, overnight if possible) in Ubud. This is the island's art centre. Bartering is standard practice and you can pick up some beautiful artwork - paintings and woodcarvings especially. You can also bring a photo of your favourite painting and if you find the right person (and pay the right price), they will paint you an amazing replica of that painting. Art hangs in every cafe and beer is only a buck US - quite worth the meandering.

I hope you get to visit Bali someday!!!

2009-04-10T12:33:00.004-06:00

I am on vacation in Vancouver, BC right now, enjoying the sun and even the clouds! I haven't yet been out in the rain, it only rained through one night and morning and that was the morning I got to sleep in!!! :-) So I am happy with the weather. I have some neat photos to download and then upload when I return.

In the meantime, get your creative fix from watching this 4 minute video with relaxing music of BEAUTIFUL nature shots and great inspiring quotes.

http://www.simpletruths.tv/store/videos/NATIvideo.html

Writing Prompt:
Pick one of the quotes from the video and write out your thoughts.
Further writing: Form the quotes and your thoughts into a short story.

'365 Pictures' at Creativity Portal

2009-03-30T14:52:00.005-06:00

Chris Dunmire, of Creativity Portal, has thought up a very exciting inspiration tool. There is going to be a picture a day up at the website below to inspire you! A writing prompt will be included as well. There are many different contributors and you may just get addicted to checking back daily!

Check out my prompts which will be up on:

Sunday, April 12!
Wednesday, May 13!
Sunday, June 14!

http://www.creativity-portal.com/prompts/365/pictures.html

thoughts on a snowy SPRING Sunday

2009-03-22T11:37:00.008-06:00

I'd like to register a complaint with Mother Nature if I may. I don't know what her grand intentions are, if the fields and mountains need more snow to melt for drinking water or plant irrigation, but it's the second day of Spring and it's not supposed to be snowing. I don't like living in a snow globe. I would like to say that I absolutely loved yesterday, the sunshine and balmy 8C!!! That's Spring time weather in my books!

I'd also like to mention that I hope I remember the very witty blog post I wrote while trying to fall back asleep just now. I'm working on 5 hours of sleep, which is the norm for some of you, but I went to bed at 4.30 AM; I drank chai with dinner last night. Now, I know it's my own fault; I can't have caffeine after noon and especially NOT at dinner time, but we were at this great Indian restaurant we just found in the city and I just had to enjoy some chai - it was delicious! I accepted the consequences and spent the night writing and organizing my thoughts for my upcoming writing workshop and picking photos for the PowerPoint I'm making for fun. However, being up that late, I did stop a potential burgler from breaking into the cars or garage... or I stopped a moose from finding the apples in the snow. I couldn't see in the dark even when I turned on the porch light. But the heavy crunching footsteps stopped coming toward the house when I turned on the light and when I sat back down at my computer they walked away from the house (and the fresh layer of snow has covered up the footprints so I'll never know who tried to visit in the night; werewolf or pint-sized predator). So being up late at night when all the world, except nocturnals, are quiet has its benefits!

This weekend has been amazing. The kind where all this stuff happens and all you can say is "whoa" and then be silent, because after all, what other response is there to amazement? And I'm not talking the doped up "whoa." I don't believe in coincidences, even when I've been having a lot of them. Some might say "all my ducks are in a row" or "the planets are in alignment" or "Someone's looking out for you" or whatever people say to explain the hard-to-explain, but I'm going to say that they're all "God-happenings."

Don't worry, I'm not going to launch into a sermon. I'm no preacher; if you've been following my blog, you'll know that! :-) But I did have some people speak over my life this Friday night and they were total strangers so they couldn't have known the depth of what they were saying. Some call this prophecy and it was the first time I'd experienced it. It was amazing. Suffice to say that my creativity was seen and encouraged and one person said that my dreams were coming to pass. Flip over to God-happening #2 and I'm giving a Writing Workshop in Vancouver Sat., April 4 (more details to follow!) and that is exactly what I've been dreaming of doing!!!!

Facilitating the writing workshop came to pass thru a turn of events that saw me able to leave one week early for my visit to Vancouver. That meant two whole weekends there! So I called up my friend Linda and said that our dream that had been squashed with me moving could be revived if we could quickly plan a woman's night (sorry guys!) for Sat., April 4th! and she started laughing and said that she'd already booked it and yes I could facilitate the writing part of the night!!!

Now, the event is in a small church BUT hear me out: this is the kind of church that imperfect people like me can feel welcome. It's non-denominational and there's no religion or legalism (I LOVE that!). It's Bible-based, so it's not a cult. The people are real, authentic, everyday people and you're not going to meet any phony happy people you want to slap to see if they can cry (oh come on, close your mouth, I'm not the only one who's ever met a person who is so happy I've wondered if they're real, or what happy pill they're addicted to! and how I'd like to be around them when their happy pill wears off cuz all drugs wear off within hours!). You'll meet some happy people, but they're real-happy, not phony-happy. And the pastor: here's his philosophy if you ask him what he believes: "Follow me around for two weeks and then YOU tell ME what I believe." When he "preaches" it's like listening to a wise, older friend sharing wisdom with you. It's the furthest thing from preaching I've ever heard!

So... details:

what: Lasagna Dinner, Bible study on Tabitha (a woman who was valued, loved deeply and was raised from the dead!) AND a Writing Workshop!
when: Sat., April 4th, 2009 @ 6PM
where: Vancouver, BC (email me for exact location, k!)
who: women of any age (sorry guys, this one's for the girls)
why: to learn that you matter, what you feel has value, that you can give yourself permission to write and let it out, AND to laugh & have fun!
bring: a pen and paper

Hope to see you there!!!
Kristi

ps. another non-coincidence: did you know my former stray cat that lives at my parents I named Tabitha after this woman in the Bible (9 years ago)!!! I've never heard a Bible study on her (the woman, not my cat) so I'm quite excited to hear what Linda has to say!

writing prompt: LUCK!

2009-03-16T21:46:00.003-06:00

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Writing prompt: Luck

Is the luck really with the Irish? What is luck? Are you lucky? How can you get more luck? Can you get more luck - is it something you can attain?

So go indulge in a pint of green beer, or a well-poured Guinness, and find a little luck at the end of the rainbow; you may have to buy a lottery ticket, rather than seek that famed pot o' gold :-).

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY!!!

news... & a writing prompt!

2009-03-10T14:43:00.017-06:00

Well guys, I think I'll get a little personal in this post. First off, sorry for those of you who check the blog frequently, but after reading my news, I think you'll understand my two-week hiatus.

:-)

I have moved yet again. This is a temporary move, in between homes, but it is home-for-now. No more 1945 farmhouse. But I am still in the country (and this home is much bigger)! The photo above is my backyard view and it is a moose calf that you see! My mom took that photo!

So this latest move (yes, I am a rolling stone that does not grow moss - seriously, I should buy stock in Canada Post with all the money I've given them for address change forwarding!!!) and I only have dial-up right now where I live, so I get to plan ahead my time on-line and drive into town to sit in the Starbucks at the front of Safeway and use their WiFi as I sip a steaming vanilla milk (I've had a bit of an aversion to caffeine, and therefore lattes, the last few months).

I have been teaching now for about 6 weeks and man does it ever feel good to be back! I'm still waiting for my Teacher Certification to go through between the provinces, and it should take another 6 wks or so; so I really missed out on classroom teaching this year. Where I'm currently teaching, I don't have to have my Certification in the province.

I also wanted to remind you that not only have I lived in -45C and +45C, but where I currently live, we have just hit record lows for history with the temps these last 2 days in March. It's too codl and I want spring! I am thankful for the time change so that at least it feels like spring may come, just because it's light longer. I don't like being a part of history in regards to temperatures. Or being in extreme events... like wars for that matter.

Because of all the upheaval of packing up all my belongings, yet again, I haven't had a chance to write often, or to get in the habit of daily writing. That said, I just attended a "writing spa" at the local public library Saturday morning and what a treat! It was facilitated by a writer who knows what she's doing and facilitates along the same lines as me! She used art and music as writing prompts and it was just plain wonderful to be in a room with the freedom to write and be creative and to just "let go"! I came away inspired and with a whole new slew of poems with which to work. I'm still energized and will be uploading some of my recent collages on my next visit to the high-speed world in town :-)

I've also been perusing and re-organizing my travel photos from the last few years. I may be giving a talk for a series at the local library entitled: "Armchair Travelers" on one of my trips, complete with slideshow. I'm just waiting for the call back. I'll let you know so you can come if you're in town!!!

For those of you writers out there, here's your Tuesday Word Tinkering!!!

Look out your window. Yes, your everyday scene that you've looked at 1000 times. Describe everything you see. Now that you've written a list, which is something that so many of write daily, pick one thing that pops out at you, one thing that makes your stomach breathe in, and write those words out on a new page. See where your thoughts lead you with that one idea as your prompt. As always, feel free to post your creations here! I'd love to read your writing, as would the other readers!

Be healthy!

kris

Heartwarming Help

2009-02-24T19:46:00.003-07:00

About 600 km North of St John's, in the small little town of Seal Cove, a group of 4 men broke the ice so that 3 trapped dolphins could swim free. One of them, Brandon Banks, was only 16. In his floating survival suit, he got in the freezing water and let the weaker dolphin rest on him. "...they would come up and rest their head on me and I would keep their head out of the water so they can breathe through their blowhole."

Rodney Rice, 39, said: "You'd hear them crying every night." So these men did what no government agency could do in time; they freed the dolphins. It took them 3 hours to break the ice - they would ram their fibreglass boat into the ice and then jump out and break the ice physically. A labour intensive act of love.

With all the bad news in the world, I thought you could use a heartwarming story. For more uplifting news, check out my other blog (it's a little old tho): there IS a silver lining!

Photo courtesy Vancouver Sun.

Tuesday Word Tinkering # 7

2009-02-17T10:06:00.004-07:00

Poetry. Comes easy for some writers, difficult for others. I have my Grade 8-10 (Honours)English Teacher Ms Morgan to thank for opening up that area of writing to me. She had very few rules in her class, one of which was "Poetry may not rhyme." That made sense, since it takes a lot to make a rhyming poem sound good and not like some Hallmark dribble. Actually pay attention to the rap song blaring out the radio in the car next to you and the rhymes are actually good.

So, in honour of today being the 7th Tuesday Word Tinkering, write 7 poems. Ha, ha. Just kidding. Unless you like challenges. Then I challenge you to write 7 poems! But if you hate challenges and your need for a writing prompt is the only challenge you can handle today, then simply put your nose to the grindstone (make sure it's wet first - the grindstone, not your nose!) and then sketch out a poem. And that is another good idea: to doodle first before you write. Sometimes it tricks the subconscious into releasing information to your conscious brain, which you realize as your pen sweeps the page.

Here are 3 examples of 1st draft poetry I wrote a month ago when the mice returned. You can see that I write shitty rhyming poetry. It starts off sounding like a bad imitation of Dr. Seuss! But remember that what I'm showing you here is all 1st drafts too. I do this to show you that sometimes it makes sense to just get the words out of your head so that you can sleep. You can always edit later.

#1 Rhyming

The mice are back

they creep & crawl.

I do not like them

not at all.

No stolen food

detected yet.

I don't know how

their needs are met.

My cat keeps pawing

at the door.

She wants to get them;

I want mouse traps:

"Get me more!"

#2 Free Form

Creepy Crawly

silent are they

I know they're back

by what they leave behind.

My cat paws eagerly

at the cupboard door,

seeking adventure in the chase

I let her go,

but the mouse escapes

& I am left to clean up their mess

again

#3 Haiku

black, oblong droppings

on tea towels

the mice are back

Your turn!
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Check out my prompts on Creativity Portal!

2009-02-14T18:40:00.003-07:00

I've got another Adventure Writing Prompt up on Creativity Portal if you would like some ideas to kickstart your writing or just want to look at some interesting photos!

They're all photos I took while in Thailand.

Enjoy!

oh, and since it's the 14th: Happy VD!

:-)

the value of Valentine's Day

2009-02-08T13:55:00.005-07:00

Hallmark put the value into Valentine's Day commercializing it so as to create a rebellious non-following. I know more couples that refuse to celebrate Valentine's Day because they claim they do not need a reminder to be sweet to one another. They also rebel against the rising price of roses and red flowers in the days leading up to the 14th, candy and chocolates that appear in pretty heart displays in every grocery store, and advertising that says you must buy new red lingerie.

Valentine's Day began as a way to commemorate two Christian martyrs named Valentine. In the High Middle Ages poet/writers like Geoffrey Chaucer, who were into the whole courtly love thing, made romantic love cool. Do you remember the simplicity and fun in early Elementary School when once-a-week art class in the month of February revolved around hand made heard cards, white lace doilies and shoeboxes that you decorated yourself to hold all your cards?

I'm not saying that we should not celebrate love. If you find love, you have a reason to celebrate! What I dislike is the commercialization of this (and every other holiday) as well as the expectation that you must do things out of the ordinary on this day. Now, don't get me wrong, I love being given flowers or gifts or surprises (who doesn't?!), but I don't like being told "this is how you should do it: buy a Hallmark card, buy a dozen red roses, go out to a fancy restaurant, you must wear new lingerie, etc. and it should only be on this day." Why can't we do this on other days as well?

How about this idea: pick a date that is special to you and your someone. It can be an anniversary date (and this does not have to be a wedding anniversary). On that day of each month, celebrate your love for one another! Whoever does the cooking, cook your special someone's favorite meal. The one who doesn't do the cooking, do something that your special someone loves. If you choose to go out you have many options: you can dress up if you don't do that often (think celebration) or if you are more comfortable in casual clothes pick a restaurant that you don't go to every weekend - think ethnic. Basically, make one day a month yours. Claim it as your own. Invent your own traditions.

I know a charitable organization that has a great idea for this Valentine's Day: since culture says this is the month to think in hearts and the colour red, why not support a heart transplant for a Vietnamese child whose parents cannot afford to pay for the heart transplant? This would literally save a life.

Vets with a Mission is the charitable organization. Years ago a good friend of mine helped found this organization and is on the board of this non-profit movement of reconciliation. Your funds will go to the people of Vietnam, not the pockets of already wealthy Americans. Their website is: Vets with a Mission. Cut flowers, no matter how beautifully arranged, wither and chocolate boxes get recycled, but sharing your money with another human being so that they can have life... now that is a worthy cause, something that will last longer than one day.
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Tuesday Word Tinkering # 6

2009-02-05T18:08:00.002-07:00

Late.

Think of all the times when you have been late for something. Are there any funny stories? Are there any times it actually worked out better that you were late? Maybe it was good you arrived late to the party and the annoying drunk had already passed out at the party. Or perhaps you were saved from a traffic accident because you needed more time to fix that wayward strand of hair? Or maybe your period was late...?

Begin by describing one late episode and then see where your thoughts take you. It might just lead you down a new road making you late for ... dinner?

dumb sentences

2009-02-03T20:46:00.003-07:00

Do you ever read a sentence and wonder: "did I just read that right" and re-read it and think, yes I read it correctly, but it's a DUMB SENTENCE????!!!!! I have been having a lot of these lately and I am going to start writing them down.

Read this one: "One of the primary reasons many people do not enjoy their lives is that they are not happy with the lives they have." Seriously? I'm shaking my head. Thanks for stating the obvious Sherlock. Was that worth writing? How did that not get edited? How much did that black ink cost you? Ever think of writing with lemon juice and water? It'd save you money and me time. It sure wasted space - hope your paper was recycled cuz you write TRASH!!!

Wanna share any dumb sentences with us? Really. I'd love to read them. Quickly. Then forget them.