karenika

Note to Self – Week 28

This week’s page was for One Little Word. The prompt was about music but I decided to do mottos for myself instead. These are all notes to self. They are things I want to remember and use as mantras for myself.

Note to Self is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

Everyday Brave – Week 24

Here’s this week’s layout:

The left side here is a teapot, I don’t like how it turned out but here we are:

And the right side a crooked teacup so here we are:

And there we are. Here’s another week of practicing courage.

Fifty-two stamps is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

You Choose – Week 25

This week’s pick is about being alive. Sometimes what makes me come alive is the human touch. This week, I’m honoring and remembering and choosing the touch.

You Choose is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

A Book a Week – afterworlds

I read Afterworlds for a book club. I had read Uglies by him before and hadn’t liked it so I wasn’t sure about this book but I did finish the whole thing. I didn’t like it. It’s an unusual book with alternating chapters where one story is about a girl who’s writing a book and then the other one is the book she’s writing.

very meta.

but maybe because it tried to be gimmicky, it was just too shallow. too stereotypical. too uninteresting.

i’ve said it often i know, but gimmicks are hard to get right.

Note to Self – Week 27

This week’s page was another inspired by a Life Book lesson. But It’s just one I did when I decided I wanted to do something, anything.

Message says: Everyday has light and dark in it. Remember: there will be light tomorrow, too.

Here are a few detail shots:

Note to self: i want to remember that there’s light even in the darkest day and dark in the light days. Each day has elements of both. I want to be able to see the light in my dark days and notice that they are there. This is how life becomes magical. In always seeing the light, no matter how small it is.

Note to Self is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

Everyday Brave – Week 23

Here’s this week’s layout:

The left side here is a kitchen table:

And the right side is supposed to be a perspective drawing. these are always hard for me.

And there we are. Here’s another week of practicing courage.

Fifty-two stamps is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

A Book a Week – playing big

I read Playing Big because I’d read Tara’s blog on and off over the years and I really wanted to see what the book was about. Playing big in general is not something that seemed to call to me so I wasn’t sure I would like the book.

But I loved it.

Especially Chapter 2 which spoke to me strongly enough that it made me read the whole book in one go. That particular visualization exercise has still stayed with me and made the whole thing very worthwhile.

Note to Self – Week 26

This week’s page was another Life Book lesson. One by Tam. Sometimes the simplest ones are my favorite. I loved drawing this apple. It says “when in doubt go back to basics.”

Note to self: if you’re not sure what’s going on or what you want or how you want to proceed, go back to the basics. basics of who you care about, what you stand for, what matters most. Always go back to the basics.

Note to Self is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

Brave Girl University

Those of you who’ve visited me here for a while know that I’ve been a fan of Brave Girls for a long, long time. I’ve taken every single class Melody and Kathy have offered and every single one of them has been life changing in some way or another for me.

I’ve also been subscribed to Soul School for months now and use their classes to ensure I am reflecting, growing, stretching each month. So there was no doubt in my mind that I would be a part of this:

I can’t wait until September 1.

Click here to put yourself on the list of the first to know when registration opens.

(As an affiliate of Brave Girl University, I thank you in advance.)

Stories of Twenty-Fifteen – Week 29

Here’s this week’s story:

Title: Three Days in Coloma
Story:
David, I knew this day was coming all year but I just kept avoiding it because Coloma was going to be the first time you were away from home. And I wasn’t ready for that. But, like it or not, the day came. And we had to say goodbye.

You left with the rest of your class, teachers, and a few parent chaperones. For the next three days, I didn’t get to hear your wonderful voice. I got a few emails from your teachers and I had to be okay with just having that.

In the first few photos they sent, we couldn’t see you and that made us even more worried. But the three days passed quickly and you were back in my arms before I knew it. And the best part was that you had a total blast! You came back with wonderful memories, awe-inspiring stories, and a fantastic adventure.

I know this is the beginning of many more trips you will take on your own and while I, of course, wish you could be with me all the time, I am so happy to see you grow up and venture out into the world on your own to create your own memories, your own experiences, and to watch you grow.

David, I am so incredibly proud of you and grateful for you every single day.

Stories of Twenty Fifteen is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

A Book a Week – All joy and no fun

I read All Joy and No Fun for book club. I should really correct that. I read almost none of this book. Just a tiny tiny amount. I hate parenting books and this was no exception.

In my opinion, parenting is tough and not formulaic. Depends so much on the parent and the child and each of them come with so much baggage, emotion, filter, stories of their own that it’s impossible to reduce it to any kind of formula whatsoever.

And, personally, i think fun is overrated. But I know that’s just me.