Quote for the Day

The heart has eyes that the brain knows nothing of.

Dr Charles Henry Parkhurst (1842 - 1933)



Today's Thought

The secret of contentment is

knowing how to enjoy what you have,

and to be able to lose all desire for

things beyond your reach.

- Lin Yutang

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Thought for the Day

Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste

that they hurry past it.

- Soren Kierkegaard

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Thought for Today

What makes us discontented with our condition is

the absurdly exaggerated idea we have of

the happiness of others.

- French Proverb

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I Really Surprised Myself Today...

So, this lazy Sunday morning, i went back to Connie's FEARLESS painting site and watched the second video, "Balance".

She told me to think about Balance.  Inner Balance.
So i started thinking.

I think i'm a fairly balanced person.
I have a pretty peaceful life.
I'm fairly balanced physically, mentally, emotionally.
(This, of course, is only MY opinion...)  =-)
Anyway.

So then i started thinking, "Okay, so what do i think of when i think of someone with Inner Balance?"
Well... 

I think of a woman with a Fire in her Belly.
I think of someone with a BIG Heart.
I think of someone who tries to use her Third Eye (Inner Sight).

So then i started painting.
(Sorry, but i didn't take Process pictures.  I was too in the Zone!)

First i painted the Belly.
Then i painted the Heart.
Then i painted the outlines of the Head, the neck, shoulders, arms, and then the Body.

I am SO TICKLED with the outcome that i am almost in TEARS!
Have a look for yourself:



It took me about FIVE HOURS to do this!

When i told Kitty that, she said something like, "What the hell?!  Why?!?"

I'm sure it took so long because of the *way* i did it; first the belly, then the heart, then the body outline, then filling in the body color, then the black outline of the boobs and body, then the hair, and i did the background last, so it took a long time.

But i'm THRILLED with it!!!

Which is kinda funny, 'cause Connie says it's not about the *picture*, but about doing the painting without worrying about the outcome.  To paint like a 5-year old.  =-)  I like that. 

You know how a 5 year old will make a picture at school, and then run home with it to show it to Mom or Dad, and then leave the picture with Mom or Dad and just run to something else?  That's how we should approach our painting (the Verb) with Connie's "course".

I'll be back...

=-)



And I Did It Again!

A few weeks ago, i was "piddling" in my notebook, and i cut strips of pages of a magazine, and glued them side-by-side into my notebook.   I didn't know what i was going to do with it after that, so i just let it "sit" and ruminate/marinate.

Yesterday, i was watching Connie again, and i decided to go back into my kitchen and see what would "speak" to me in my notebooks and paints...

Well, here's what i did:



First i gesso-ed my pages (a white sort-of-watery paint).

Then i pulled my metallic purple paint and made the heart.

Then i added the back.

Then i suddenly wanted RED.

I had originally thought i'd add some white on top of the black, but the redpulled me too hard first, so i went with it.

Again, i felt REALLY GOOD while i was doing this!

I felt "free".

I felt young.

I felt somehow Empowered.

I was playing a classic Rock station too, so i was Rockin' OUT!

But yesterday was a VERY GOOD DAY for me! 

=-)

And i was having so much fun that i didn't want to stop, so the metallic gold caught my eye and i started the next page:

First i painted the gold heart, and then the black, and then i added the white.

I thought i was finished, but then the metallic green "called" me and i added the swirls in the corners.

Then i pronounced it "Done".

And i was STILL so HAPPY and feelin' GREAT!

It was a wonderful day!

=-)



And that's the double-page spread, though i really consider them two different pictures, kinda like the one from the day before.



Do i consider myself a painter?

No.

But am i happy while painting?

HELL YEAH!

Thank You Connie!

And No i haven't forgotten the rest of the pix from the Keys!  I'll get 'em up...

SOON!

=-)

My Latest Thrill (Which Surprised Me)

I  know i need to get some more pictures up from our trip to the Keys and finish telling you about that, but first i just have to let you know about something i've found.  I belong to a group called "Wild Precious", which is really cool all by itself, but i got an e-mail from Effy (she's the one who started "Wild Precious") and she linked to this site, Dirty Footprints Studio.
First, allow me to tell you emphatically that i've never been a painter.
I've never really considered myself to be a very creative or artistic person, but i've certainly never really tried to paint (other than "messin' around" with mixed media "journals").
But this lady!
This lady makes me feel like i can paint!
Actually, after watching the firsts video yesterday, i went in my kitchen and started "messin' around" with some paint in a couple of my journals, and then!
Then, today after yoga, i watched another of her videos and i got out some colors that "spoke to me", and i made this:



Let me first say  i am not a painter!
But This Lady!
This lady made me feel like i CAN go for it!
And while i was "going for it", FEARLESSly, i might add  =-)
While i was painting, i felt Fabulous!!!

And it doesn't really matter what the painting (the noun) looks like.
What truly matters is how i feel doing the painting (the verb)!

Anyway, since so many colors "spoke to me" while i was looking in my paint tube drawer, i had to do another one.  =-)

I had absolutely NO pre-conceived notions a bout what this one was going to look like when i started it.  It was just important that i use different blues.  The waters from my trip to the Keys is still on my mind...

Anyway, i'm fine with the outcome.

I'm not a Painter, and i'm totally okay with that.

BUT!

I like what came out of my hands and my heart.  =-)





I painted them in one of my "art journals".

Seriously?  I really don't know what to call these "bound mixed-media paper" things...  I seriously hesitate calling them journals, because to me, a  journal is something in which you write your words about how you feel and what you do and what's happening in your life.  So to me, this really isn't "A Journal".

But then, i don't know what to call it.  I use the word "journal" because i forget to simpy call it a notebook, and i don't know what to call it.

Anyway!

There's that.  =-)

Love it.  Hate it.  Whatever.

It makes me feel GOOD!  =-)

I'll be back "shortly" (whatever that means in my little World) to add the rest of our Keys trip pictures. 

Sending you Light and Love and Good Feelings.

=-)

And Now I Wanna Move to the Keys!

Boyfriend and i went on a vacation with some friends.  We left on July 29th and returned on August 3rd. 
We had a Blast!
We went with our neighbors, W & C, our good friend E, and a couple of his friends, Anne & Paul.  It all started at the Wine Room when Anne said she was gonna be "free" of her boys and wanted to go on vacation somewhere tropical, and we all said "We're in!"
She booked us rooms at the Lime Tree Bay Resort in Long Key, Florida.  We flew from Charlotte to Ft Lauderdale, took a 15 passenger van from Ft Lauderdale to the Keys.

First we stopped at a winery in Homestead, Fl

called Schnebleys.

The winery was a really beautiful place, seemingly in the middle of nowhere i might add.  They do weddings there and stuff.  It's *really* beautiful.
(Just as an aside, i didn't like any of their wines, but everybody else did.  They don't make *grape* wine; they use fruit such as guava, coconut, lychee, etc, and they also make an avocado wine that Boyfriend really liked.  It was interesting, but not my style...)

We got to our hotel, got checked in, and hung out at the pool for a bit, and then it was time for the sunset.

The sunset over the bay outside our room

The next day, we headed to Key West.
"The Keys" are made up of over 1000 islands at the southern tip of Florida.
I loved them all!  =-)

A tiny island we passed on our way to Key West  

We stopped at a place called "No Name Key" 'cause Anne had read about this small bar called "No Name Pub".

 No Name Key

No Name Key wasn't directly on US 1.  We had to go "off the beaten path", so to speak.  But we found it!  =-)

 No Name Pub on No Name Key

Once we got inside and sat down, and my eyes adjusted to the darkness, i was *astounded*.  The entire pub, all the ceiling, and every square inch of walls, was COVERED in dollar bills! 
I couldn't talk for looking in wonder at alllllll the dollar bills!

Dollar bills hanging from the ceiling

(Boyfriend used an SLR without a flash for this one)

It was unbelievable!

Paul and Anne pondering how they can get some of that money. 

Eric, C & W are actually paying attention to Boyfriend

for the photo.

I, however, was off-camera with my mouth wide open in disbelief.

I finally managed to pay attention for a minute;

Here's Boyfriend & me

with more dollars than i've ever seen at one time

Just in case you missed it

it's called the

No Name Pub 

It's small, and it's old, but

it's Amazing!

We finally made it to Key West!
Hard to believe, i know.  =-)
But we *were* on vacation, so some in our group had a "checklist".
E wanted to go to "every bar Hemingway went to", so that was our first goal.
(I think, technically, that was his "minimum".  I think he *really* wanted to go to *every* bar in Key West...  We didn't quite make it.  But he wasn't really disappointed.  =-)  )

Captain Tony's Saloon

It *used* to be Sloppy Joe's, where Ernest Hemingway used to hang out

but then the rent went up, so Hemingway and the bar "owner" moved

to a place around the corner.

 (Sorry, don't know why this one loaded sideways, but i can't get it to turn.)

Taken inside Capt. Tony's

This place apparently collected bras from (in my opinion)

heavily inebriated women.

Not sure why, but Boyfriend really wanted me to "donate" mine.

HA!  As if!  I had on my Good Bra!

=-)

I  also liked all the old license plates from various states hanging everywhere.

 And here is the "new" Sloppy Joe's Bar

For some reason, there are "wild" chickens everywhere in Key West.

We saw this one in the backyard of "The oldest house in Key West".

He was a beauty! 

We had lunch at Willie T's .

(Anne & Paul wandered off on their own...)

They had dollar bills *and* license plates all over the place. 

(Again, i couldn't get this one to turn right-side-up. Sorry.)

Here's E and Anne at the Hog's Breath Saloon.

Here's the "porch" of Hog's Breath.

There was a lady in there with her dog

in a baby stroller!

Mallory Square... before the sunset.

Then we sat on the balcony at The Whistle bar.

Niiice views.

Nice buzz, too.  =-) 

That's me, E, Paul, Anne, C & W.

Boyfriend was the camera man.  =-)

And here's the whole gang

at Mallory Square

just before sunset. 

Boyfriend & me at  Fogarty's

where we had supper that night.

Good times, good times.  =-)

And that was the first 2 days!
We didn't get back to our rooms 'til around midnight, and then Bunny texted me.  She was the first to wish me a Happy Birthday.  =-)  (It's the same as Harry Potter's, and she thinks that is so cool.  =-)  )

Back in a couple days to show you some *more* pictures from our vacation.
=-)

Lessons

I know i don't share much, and for that, i apologize.  So with that in mind, hold on to your britches, 'cause
i'm gettin' ready to share!

I had the strangest thing happen yesterday, and i'm still affected by it today.  So i thought i'd "write it out."  For whatever reason, i can't seem to talk it out, so i thought i'd try coming here...


I've been wanting to get a tattoo for about a year now... Actually TWO tats.  I want to have "Bunny" put on my left wrist and "Kitty" on my right.  (Those are my daughters' nicknames, and they've always gone by them.) 
Well, yesterday Kitty talked me into going to the tat studio where she and her sister go.  I went to get an appointment from the guy who has done all of Bunny's tats.  She's always spoken very highly of him and she thinks he's The Best.  So that's who i wanted.

I was in the oddest mood on the way there; kidding a LOT, smart-ass and almost giddy!  Kitty's boyfriend thought i was smoking crack or something.  I was acting and feeling Weird!

Anyway, we got there and spoke with Gabe at the front desk.
Everything okay so far.  I liked him.  Nice guy.  Cute.  Good personality.
...Then...
Then Bunny's Tat Guy came to the front desk.
I thought everything was alright...
He seemed okay...
I made the appointment and paid my $40 down-payment.
...Then...
On the way back to the car, i just didn't feel right.
I felt like i shouldn't have done that.  I shouldn't have made that appointment.  I don't know how to explain it, but i felt like i just made a mistake.

On the drive back home, i wasn't saying a word.  It was like there was a black curtain around me.  Somehow i'd just done something wrong.
And then i noticed that my stomach was tied up in knots.
I felt vulnerable, and almost like crying.  Crying or throwing up.  Or both.
I felt really really odd.  In a bad way.

By the time i got home, i had decided that i wasn't going back.
I am not going to Bunny's Tat Guy for this tattoo.

I'm not sayin' i'll never get the tats.  I'm just sayin' i'm not getting them from that guy.  And i'm not gettin' 'em from that place.

I have no idea what my problem was.
I have NO idea why i got such a horrible feeling.
All i know is i'm not gonna go against that feeling.

I also wonder why i'm still feeling so... odd today.
I *think* it may be that i've never had anything like that happen before.
Also, i don't know exactly *why* i felt the way i felt yesterday, and it's bothering me today. 
It's bothering me that i had such strong negative feelings. 
It's bothering me that i don't understand where those feelings came from.
It's bothering me that i don't understand WHY i had those feelings.

It's bothering me that it's bothering me!

I went to Yoga this morning, but i was still feeling vulnerable.  I felt like i shouldn't be there.  But since i was there, i went ahead and did my Yoga.  It's freeing and "releasing" for me.  It helps me in many ways; mentally, physically, and more. 
But i've felt vulnerable most of the day.  I tried talking with Boyfriend about it, but i couldn't quite put it in words.

Thanks for "listening".
=-)

Hi There...

You may not remember me...
It's been over a month since i last posted.  [sheepish grin]
I've been traveling and what-not.  And Life tends to get in the way of blogging, for me.
...that... and the Interwebs.
(I'm just telling the truth ,here.)

I've been doing Yoga since February of 2010, and lately, i've been wanting to "go deeper" and "do more" with my Yoga... whatever that means.
I'm not sure where it's going to take me, or where i'm going with it, but i just know i want "more".
So i've been reading a lot... 
About Yoga.

I got a "Yoga Journal" magazine from the airport on my way to NYC back in May.
And in June i spoke with my Yoga teacher about "wanting more", and she recommended a couple of books:
How Yoga Works by Geshe Michael Roach & Christie McNally
It's a very good book!  It reads like a story, but it has many messages in it.  I *will* be reading it again.  And again.  It was moving, and thought-provoking, and interesting.
The other book she recommended is
Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss, PH.D.
I've just started this one, but it's very interesting so far.  I'll probably have to read it a few times.  It's a LOT of information.

I started this blog as a place to chronicle my Quilts, and to "hold some memories", and i hope i'm not going to become too "hippie" for you (but i have been "accused" of that before, so...).
But if you elect to leave, so be it.
That is, and has always been, your choice.
After all, as i've stated before, this blog is really mostly for me.  If you get anything out of it, then... Bonus!  =-)

I'm still checking out many others' blogs, but not as often as i used to.

And i've begun writing e-mails to others.
I'm trying to listen to the "little voice inside", and to heed it when it tells me to send Love and Light to someone.

I've never really been the type to phone others (Just ask my Mother and my Sister!), but lately i've been "needing" to send e-mails to others who i think need to know that "a stranger" is thinking about them and sending them love and good wishes.

I think the World needs more of that.    Don't you?


So, before i "disappear" again, please allow me to remind you of "the simple things".
Appreciate the simple things;
the wind in your hair,
the sun on your face,
ALL the body parts you have that work so tirelessly (and thanklessly) for you,
the Day and the Night and all the precious time you have here on this Earth.

There are absolutely too many "simple things" for me to list.  I'm certain you can think of more.  Just sit there for a moment with your eyes closed, and bring to mind some of the "things" that you take for granted every day, and just
Sit in Gratitude for a bit.
...



There, now.  Don't you feel better?   =-)

photo by Bunny

I'll be back...
=-)