the Creative License

For anyone out there who has ever been inspired by life's little details, I recommend this book by Danny Gregory. He has a couple other great titles (see Everyday Matters), but The Creative License: Giving Yourself the Permission to be the Artist You Truly Are helps you see each day through a whole new set of lenses, and the possibilities begin to seem endless!

"[Danny Gregory] gently instructs us in the art of allowing ourselves to fail, giving up the expectation of perfection and opening our eyes to the beauty around us. The result is...a wild celebration of amateurism, full of humor, passion, and encouragement, sure to inspire every doodler, frustrated writer, wannabe musician, and midlife-crisising executive--in other words, the artist inside every one of us."--Hyperion Books

Excerpt from Everyday Matters:

"...Then one evening, I decided to teach myself to draw...I committed to drawing the things around me, sticking to studies of real things... my first efforts were horrible... But one quiet evening, ... Something about that drawing was different from anything I'd ever done before. I took my time, and then suddenly I zoned out. My mind went blank, my breathing slowed, and when I finally stopped to look at my page, I was amazed that I had managed to create anything so beautiful. At first, it seemed like a fluke... but then I drew the contents of our medicine cabinet (slowly, slowly), and again I saw something new...

What was different was not the drawing but the seeing. I caressed what I drew with my eyes, lingering over every curve and bump, gliding around contours and into shadows. No matter what I looked at in this way, I saw beauty and felt love. It was very weird but it happened again and again. When I slowed way down and let my mind go, I had the same incredibly sensual experience. It didn't matter what I drew. And then I discovered it didn't matter what the drawing was like. In fact, I could simply toss it away, like the skin of a banana. What mattered was the slow, careful gaze." --Danny Gregory, Everyday Matters

P.S. Click here to check out his blog

photo credit: Amazon.com

Painting is to Journaling is to Blogging

Journaling: (a.ka. blogging, sketching, painting, writing); to turn blank pages into inspiring expressions of our everyday lives...

I've always loved the idea of journaling as an outlet, and this blog (called Paper and Threads) is a delight to scroll through. I've scribbled and sketched in a few journals, myself--the contents of which I too would display on a blog if I had half as much talent as the elusive Paper and Threads.

This talented blogger is a painter and a traveler. I got lost and very inspired in this artist's water-colored commentary (I would include more specific info, but this blog doesn't include a profile--only an impressively detailed journal of experiences, along with challenges aimed toward artistic skills).

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

All images courtesy of http://www.paperandthreads.com/

Fire in Montecito

Sadly, a fire has damaged about 4 square miles (so far) of Santa Barbara's beautiful Montecito, the community where Westmont College is located. According to the news reports, over a 100 homes have been destroyed, and as of this morning there were no reports of containment.

As far as Westmont is concerned, buildings withing the Clark Hall dormitory were destroyed, as well as the Physics Building, the "old Math" building, Bauder Hall and the Quonset Huts. I've also heard that the nearby monastary was destroyed (unrelated to Westmont College). Updated reports can be found on the Westmont College website (click here). For a list of known Westmont-related residences damaged, click here (several professors lost their homes). Also, click here, and here and here for more information.

Even though Westmont is only a piece of my past, it's a nostalgic memory that is held close to my heart. Its campus and surrounding community are treasures to many people. Lets hope the worst has already passed.

A portion of Clark Hall after fire...buildings F, G, M & S were destroyed, as well as Mark the R.D.'s home.

Chapel after fire...safe.

Photos and info courtesy of happywonderer.wordpress.com, Kaiblogy.wordpress.com, and npr.org

"Is Heaven Over There?"

The kids and I had an impromptu date with Grandma today at Fort Rosecrans. (Fort Rosecrans is located in Point Loma and is a national cemetery for veterans and their families. My grandfather served in the reserves as a young man prior to his lifelong career as a journalist for the San Diego Union, and this is where he was laid to rest.) Rigel and Izzy knew we were going to Fort Rosecrans before lunch, but once we arrived, Rigel asked, "Where's Grandpa?"

Then, after Izzy discovered the flowers Grandma left for Grandpa, she asked the same question. This was a first for me, and I wasn't sure how seriously to respond. Grandma jumped in and replied that he was "in heaven." Rigel seemed to ponder this for a second before he pointed across the bay and asked, "is heaven over there?"

I told him it wasn't, that it was a very special place. Later, while we walked to a bakery for lunch in Point Loma, Rigel paused in front of an office and peered inside the window for a few seconds. "Is heaven in there?" he asked. Surprised this issue was still on his mind, I attempted to explain as carefully as possible how heaven was "a special place where people go when they are all done being with us."

How am I to discuss heaven with my son when he doesn't even understand the words "living" and "dying," and when his world doesn't extend beyond the people and places he has visited? Well, I kind of blew it. In the car on the way home, he asked me, "Can we see Grandpa?" And, I too seriously replied, "No. When somebody goes to heaven, you can't see them anymore." Uh-oh. The finality of that answer--why did I go there? Rigel then inquired, "How come you can't see your family in heaven?" Darn. Now what was I supposed to say? I'd already said too much. I ended up keeping it simple and then changing the subject: "When somebody goes to heaven, they see all the other people in the family who are already there. Hey, do you want to listen to the train song?"

I have got to better prepare for these "deep" conversations, because this is only the beginning... in just a few more years, I'll have to be ready to tackle the "birds and the bees." Yikes.

P.S. Happy Veteran's Day

Photo: Rigel and Izzy's Great-Grandfather (Charles).

Giving Ideas

Soule Mama has developed an awesome new site called Mama to Mama, which "seeks to find ways to connect handcrafters with mothers, children and families in need of a little bit of handmade love." Isn't this brilliant? I know we don't always have a lot of time on our hands, but it seems that somehow this is something for which we can make time.

There are a lot of wonderful free patterns available all over the Internet (Check out Purlbee's project journals). Here is a free mitten pattern (from STC Craft).
Photo courtesy of STC Craft.

A Piece of My Past

I never finished college. The second semester of my junior year, I left the campus. I didn't return until a couple years later--on a motorcycle run up the coast highway. I wandered the campus for about an hour with my riding partner (Ron, a family friend), and left feeling incomplete.
I still dream about school, and usually it involves familiar feelings of insecurity combined with nostalgia. The pressure I feel in those dreams always revolves around a deadline I have allowed to lapse, and a yearning for completion. The details of dorm life, the beautiful campus, Sunday evening Vespers, chapel requirements, and even the dining commons all flood my memory banks when I reminisce about Westmont.

I even miss some things: friendships with roommates and fellow resident advisers, endless hours of class in the English department, and exploring Santa Barbara. The world was at my fingertips when I was living on that campus, and I didn't even know it.
I had everything I needed within walking distance: a 3 story library, an after hours "cafe," serene landscape and beautiful architecture, a theater, a pool, 2 chapels, a P.O. box, a shuttle service, lectures and discussion on every type of writing imaginable, fascinating professors, small classrooms, spiritual guidance, weekly guest speakers, and a social life. I often wonder what life would be like today had I seen this through to the end. I know I certainly was a different person way back when, with a lot of maturing to do and a soft outer shell. If I could do it all again as the "me" I am today, would I?

Heck, yes! Just let me take my babies with me on campus, or provide me with a qualified nanny to follow me around from class to class. There's enough grassy areas, foliage, footpaths and the occasional fountain or pond to keep them entertained all day long. We could picnic together at lunch time, and I'd hit the library after their bed time. Definitely do-able.


Why all this talk about college? I discovered a former roommate's blog. She was my first roommate in the Clark Hall dorm my freshman year, and we were worlds apart on the maturity scale. We stayed in touch, and have probably broken some phone tag records--it can go a year or two before we get back to each other. Voice mails have been our primary form of communication, in which we are informed of marriages, babies, etc. As I have just discovered her blog, our level of communication has been instantaneously upgraded. We have not seen each other since college. One of these days, perhaps...? Until then, I am loving her extraordinary writing.



Also, I got a chai latte at Starbucks (first time in a long time). There was a quote on that paper cup by a Noah benShea, author of Jacob the Baker and The Word (both excellent books). I met him during a Jewish Lit course with Professor Cook (one of my favorite professors). I remember hanging out after class with another student in the tiny English department "lobby," discussing with Mr. benShea his journey as a writer. He answered all our questions and signed our copies of his books. That was just one of the unique experiences that college provided.

All Westmont campus photos courtesy of google.com

Great Green Blog

Our Green Nest
Here is a great blog for families interested in a green lifestyle. The site includes lots of info and resources on green living, recycling, natural homes and gardens, and raising babies "green".

http://ourgreennest.blogspot.com/

... And now maybe someday we'll ask: Where were you on this day?

Tonight was one of the few times I have ever cried while watching CNN--only this time, they were happy tears (the last time was on 9/11). I didn't really follow the election as closely as I would have liked, but even so, both McCain's and Obama's speeches tonight were powerful. I was especially moved by how encouraging McCain's words were as he put all pride aside and looked to the future. Watching Obama's family standing before a victorious audience was exciting. I'm looking forward to calling him our President.

Love this blog...Want this life (for our family)

photos courtesy of SouleMama's blog

There is a particular blog that I love to peek at every time I update the Fox Den. It is called SouleMama, and is created by a very crafty, resourceful and talented mother from Portland, Maine. She is definitely a nature mama who is teaching her kids about the joys and wonders of the simpler side of life.... knitting, sewing, canning, baking, gardening, hiking, etc. I must confess, I want this mamma's life (with my own family included, of course). Oh, if I could magically transport the life and land portrayed in her blog out west to San Diego, CA--then there would be no more need to subscribe to Country Living magazine, because I would already be an expert.

What is it about boys and guns?

Today Rigel caught me off guard with a pretty serious conversation for a 3 year old. Based on the question, I thought the conversation was going the same direction as a recent topic, "Mommy, do police cars have strings on the back...so they can pull over the bad cars?" Not quite, I was soon to find out. While playing at the train table, he asked, "Mommy, do robots have guns?" I responded carefully (yet casually, so as to not call attention to my alarm) in a way that downplayed the significance of guns and emphasized the idea of "good guys" that help people. That didn't seem to satisfy Rigel's curiosity. Again, he inquires, "do robots have guns so they can shoot at the bad guys?...They shoot them and then throw 'em in the trash can." First of all, where did he hear about guns? I just had this conversation with another mom regarding shielding her 3 year old from the reality of guns. Kids figure things out faster than we want them to, that's for sure.

I decided to ask Rigel where he saw or heard about guns and what they were, and got no response (too much interrogation for his age level). Then, I deducted that Rigel and Daddy watch TV together from time to time in Mommy and Daddy's room at the end of a long day, and Daddy loves the history channel. "Did you see guns on TV?" I asked. Rigel lit up and began to talk and gesture faster than he could articulate full sentences. "Yeah, and they were shooting at the bad guys (sound effect), and (sound effect), and then (sound effect)... and the guns shoot all the bad guys and make them broken." I nodded, confirmed that "yep, guns make them broken all right." Time to keep it simple. "Only policemen and soldiers (our word for military personnel he sees on base every time we hit the commissary) have guns because they went to a special school to learn how to use it (more emphasis on good guys who help people)..." By then, I had already lost his attention, and decided not to push the issue. Daddy and Mommy will have to readdress this with Rigel more as the issue arises.

Regarding "throwing 'em in the trash can:" That in Rigel's imagination is the ultimate demise. When he came home from his first day of preschool, he claimed the teacher threw him in the trash can (to let us know he didn't like her), and on another occasion when a play ground kid pushed him down, he cried to me to "throw that boy in the trash can right now, Mamma." Perhaps all innocence is not lost, or do I need to re-examine things a bit?

P.S. Rigel woke up when Daddy got home late tonight, and the two of them lay next to each other talking as I wrote this. I listened in via baby monitor, and guess what I overheared Rigel recapping to Daddy? "...The robots shoot the bad guys (sound effect)...with their arrows (sound effect)...like this (sound effect)...and their heads fall off and they shoot their arms (sound effect) and their arms fall off and and... and their legs come off in pieces--so they can keep people safe from the bad guys." Um, I think I addressed the issue of guns pretty well, right...?

Creative Mom Project

Murals for the kids' rooms... made of their own recycled outfits...depicting their favorite stories... custom-made by Mom (from a kit soon to be available from Sugar City)...
Hhmmmm.... as great as this kit sounds, perhaps it can be accomplished from scratch? Believe it or not, I have a box full of all my favorite outgrown kiddo outfits, set aside to cut and stitch into a quilt one of these days. This mural idea is another alternative to recycling that fabric.

If I Could I Would (...make skirts like this for my baby girl)

This is a child's skirt made from a vintage apron. Stylishly sweet! Just another bit of inspiration to break out the sewing machine and attempt the impossible...

P.S. Photo courtesy of This Mama Makes Stuff, another fun blog

Patterns and Garments

Since one of my blogdreams is to sew clothing for my kids (and occasionally myself...not sure if my husband was serious when he suggested "70's style peacock print, button-up, huge-collared shirt" for himself), I love looking at fun patterns.

oliver + s has a great site that sells patterns as well as provides referrals to "talented sewers that make and sell individual, handcrafted garments" from their patterns.

Click here for sewing instructions for a "lazy days skirt," provided from the oliver + s blog for free, no pattern required.

Sew Cool!

I found this nostalgic ad in my grandma's magazines. Isn't it inspiring? All the unique fabric and great patterns from PurlSoho make me want to break out the sewing machine… and attempt to thread a needle (check out their blog for instructions). Can I even remember how to do that? I've sewn 2 quilts in my lifetime and that is the extent of my sewing experience. Shall I dare tackle clothing? My grandmother made all my mom's outfits, and still sews all her own table cloths, curtains, and outdoor furniture upholstry. She also performed a same-day rescue for Rigel's pillow incident. Grandma is a mere 10 minutes away should I need her expertise...Hmmm, this may be do-able.

Can't wait to get started. Where there's a will, there's a way, right?