I know it’s been a long time since I wrote a thoughts post. I had big plans for 2014 but the universe had some bigger plans for me in January. And, as always, the universe won. So I figured instead of waiting until I am ready to write a longer, more thought provoking post, I’ll give you a few small tidbits of what’s been going on here:
- Within a week of each, Nathaniel got the fifth disease, David got strep, and I got strep.
- Out of the three Sundays since I went back to work, we spent two of them in the ER.
- I was expecting work to be crazy during the month of January and in some ways it turned out to be a lot less hectic and in other ways, it turned out to be much worse. Alas, I made it through.
- This is a new mantra I use often “Next week this time, it will be over. ” or “tomorrow this time…” or “next month” whatever it takes. I just keep reminding myself that it’s all temporary and even if it feels big/bad/frustrating/painful right now, it will eventually be something of the past.
- I’ve started The Walk and I love it so far.
- I am also enjoying Life Book. Some lessons speak to me more than others but I like the challenge and variety.
- I have mixed feelings about my projects for 2014. I like that they are simpler and more manageable and still teach me new skills but I also worry that maybe the art I create is not so great looking. But, alas, that’s not the goal this year. The goal is to learn, learn, learn. And there’s always an ugly period in the middle of learning. So be it.
- I have been listening to Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch on audio for over a month now. I really love it but it’s taking forever and I wish I could buckle down and finish it soon.
- While I was really, really ill with strep, I watched Enough Said and three seasons of Damages.
- David and I started volunteering together. This has been one of my goals for a few years now and I am so grateful to finally see it come to fruition. Last week was our first visit to the assisted living home and he played monopoly while I helped out with some crafts. It was wonderful.
- I have been in so much pain and the pills are making me so nauseous that I can’t concentrate on anything at all. I’ve been going to sleep around 8pm every night.
- David’s birthday is coming up this weekend and it’s also his last basketball game for the season. I am so happy to see how much he’s flourished with basketball in the last few months.
- Nathaniel started the last semester of pre-school and when I think of next year and how he’ll be going to school for longer, I am filled with mixed emotions. Even though it makes it challenging to work, I love having him around so much and will miss him so.
- I can’t wait until I am feeling back to 100% again. Here’s to a much healthier February.
Tell me a bit about what’s going on with you.
A new month means a new intention. After January’s intentions to be calm, I thought being Deliberate would be lovely for February. My intention with being deliberate is about taking ownership and control over my life. Even though listen sounds like a passive word, like it’s something that’s happening to me, I think of it as a very active word. When I chose listen for 2014, my intent was to move into the realm of listening actively. I think the word deliberate lines up wonderfully with that overall intention.
My intention this month is to really pay attention to what and who I am listening to and be deliberate about those choices. I think that if I don’t pay attention, I won’t notice, and my hunch is that I am listening to what’s urgent (or what feels urgent) over what’s important.
So time to get deliberate.
In this week’s sketch, I used a little lovely angel for no reason whatsoever except that I liked it. I wanted her to have some shimmer so I added some stickles after I colored it. The lettering I used is from a computer font called Feel Script.
Here’s to a month of listening deliberately.
Listen with Intent is a project for 2014. You can read more about it here.
Here are photos from this week:
The boys went biking in the front of the house.
Nathaniel is still a bit wobbly and scared.
but he keeps at it anyway.
David’s a champ at this point.
he goes and goes like he’s been doing it all his life.
and i love watching.
both of them, so much.
then they played ball for a while and i went back inside to do art.
and then i got really, really sick.
the little one tried to cheer me up.
and made faces.
he also had a play date.
they played with punches and made cards.
as i lay sick home all week, he worked hard to entertain me.
and himself.
i finally started recovering and then work attacked. but yesterday we all took it easy. David typed up some cryptography python code he found.
nathaniel worked on the hour of code puzzles.
and I did art. We also tried to take photos but the light just didn’t exist. We took them anyway.
because we don’t skip weeks.
even if I have scars all over my nose from strep because they don’t matter as much as the laughter.
and those minutes we share in the chairs.
and here we go. so grateful for my life. i hope your week was lovely, too.
Weekly Diary is a project for 2013. You can read more about it here.
Nathaniel Reads to Mommy is a project for 2014 that I am doing with my 4.5-year-old son. You can read more about it here.
I pinned this doodled dress such a long time ago and I guess its time had finally come. I will say that this page took a long long time both to draw and to color. I did the coloring with watercolor pencils and then added a little water soluble markers.
The prompt says: today I know that I would never be where I am without…
And i wrote about how lucky I am for my parents’ support and generosity. and how it’s thanks to them that i am where i am. i am so very grateful. thank you mom and dad.
Today I Know is a project for 2014. You can read more about it here.
This week’s stitching also comes from urban threads but it didn’t turn out as pretty as I would have liked. I used satin stitch, french knots, chain stitch and back stitch on this one. The little word is cherish.
Stitching Circles is a project for 2014. You can read more about it here.
I am a huge Glennon fan so there was no question that I was going to read Carry On Warrior as soon as I got my hands on it.
In my opinion, Glennon has the best combination of humor and heart. She is so wonderful with her words and can make you feel things deeply. I love how she is working hard at being a good human and doing hard things. I feel like that’s my goal in life: to be the best human I can be and work regularly at doing hard things.
If I can accomplish those, I am in good shape.
She may not be your cup of tea and she can be over the top but, to me, she’s wonderful.
And so is her book.
This page says: What is it like for this person?
Yet another gem from Tara Brach.
There’s some journaling here too and it says:
Because we are conditioned to pull away from suffering, awakening a compassionate heart requires a sincere intention and a willingness to practice. It can be simple. As you move through your day and encounter different people, slow down enough to ask yourself a question. “What is life like for this person? What does this person most need?”
How is that for a reminder? I love this thought and I love how it’s serving me and others.
I am not a huge fan of how this page turned out; it’s messier than I’d like but I still love the sentiment and it’s something I need to remember. I want to remember.
In the end, that’s what matters most.
Remember This is a project for 2014. You can read more about it here.
We’re still continuing with the monthly intention of Listening Calmly. As I thought about what it means to listen calmly, I knew that one of the things I can try is the opposite of what I mentioned two weeks ago. Instead of taking a walk, I can try to be still. I can try not to move, talk, react. I can try to not even make an effort to breathe. Instead, I can just be still. I can get really quiet and be in this moment. I can listen to what my body is feeling, what thoughts are coming up, what feelings are trying to take over. I can pay attention to what’s going on and I can be curious about my “reaction.”
With being still and paying attention, I will also allow my higher thinking to kick back in and instead of judging myself for feeling a certain way, I will just be with it and, hopefully, I might be able to watch it disappear.
Being still, like with calmness in general, has never been my forte. But I know it has tremendous value. I am hoping that setting it as an intent this week will help me intentionally choose to be still more.
Let’s see how it works.
The lettering I used on this page is here somewhere and I chose to use candles because somehow I always associate being still with candlelight. I love going to other people’s houses and seeing lit candles but I never really use them in my house. Maybe it’s something else I can try this week.
Listen with Intent is a project for 2014. You can read more about it here.
I was sick on this Sunday so I will post the photos next week but I just wanted to make sure I did post our weekly family photos:
my attempts to do look serious.
Nathaniel making us laugh.
within seconds, we’re laughing.
and tickling.
and here we go. so grateful for my life. i hope your week was lovely, too.
Weekly Diary is a project for 2013. You can read more about it here.
This class is by udacity.com and it’s a math class called Introductory Algebra Review.
Learning with David is a project for 2014 that I am doing with my 9-year-old son. You can read more about it here.
This week’s page is inspired by Joanne Sharpe’s Color Love class I took a few years ago. The flowers are drawn with a Micron and then I colored them using watercolor markers. Then I went to town on the journaling.
The prompt says: Today I know that I have sacrificed a lot for
And I wrote about how it felt to choose to work from home when Nathaniel came along and I decided not to go back to the office. A lot of learning.
Today I Know is a project for 2014. You can read more about it here.
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projects for twenty twenty-five
projects for twenty twenty-four
projects for twenty twenty-three
projects for twenty twenty-two
projects for twenty twenty-one
projects for twenty nineteen
projects for twenty eighteen
projects from twenty seventeen
monthly projects from previous years
some of my previous projects
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