check out Sprout!

Amanda of Persistent Green has just launched her very first issue of the new online magazine Sprout

This issue is all about celebration. Asking what would happen if we faced each day with a spirit of celebration.

The details: awesome contributors, 60 pages of goodness, hand painted backgrounds, art, photography, poetry, essays, creative prompts and a fantastic artist interview.

At only $6 an issue, this magazine is well worth it.

To purchase click the SPROUT button on my right sidebar.

I was also so happy to get to be a part of Amanda's awesome endeavour and have a small piece featured in this issue.

Check it out friends!

fog

Its been a weird week.

Month maybe. I have been unable to focus. Its been so busy with the harvest that there was no time to think. Just to do.

I'm so looking forward to thinking again.

I've been wanting to not just create, but to think about creation. The act of doing it. The feel. How making a batch of wine or binding a book or painting a painting for me all come from the same place. All stem from the same desire.

My mood changes quickly, but luckily the jolting sadness I have felt before is no longer in the rotation.

So much is still unknown, and I suppose always will be, but right now with changes at the vineyard and possibly my employment status it is more tangible.

I am waiting, but I am not sure what for.

I am tiered of it, and maybe there is no need anyway.

The one thing I am sure of though, is that it will all be ok.

Oh yeah.

~S

the light on this morning's drive to work and a reasons to be happy list for this Thursday in September

Reasons to be happy list

the fact that cameras exist, that my office is on top of a hill in a beautiful vineyard, my cat bugging me to wake up in the morning, my vacuum, Target (yes I mean the store), living an hour and 20 minutes from the ocean, the feeling of writing with a really good pen, color, coffee, pink toe nail polish, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, my otter fur bracelet, a toasted everything bagel with cream cheese, my very old and very awesome (and very dirty) Toyota Camry, playing music loud while cleaning the house, the big green tomato's that are ripening on my tomato plant, and mail.

a lovely rainy weekend

This weekend I spent a fantastically rainy two days at the beach. It honestly poured the entire time, but it was somehow perfect, and very soothing. I got to spend time with M as well as have a nice Saturday night to myself while he went to work. I took a hot bath, read, wrote, watched a movie and listened to the rain in the dark.

Somehow the rain seems to have washed away something.

What was so unclear for these past months is becoming clear again. And it is such a relief.

I have always tended to make things harder then they needed to be, and lately has been no exception. But at least for right now I don't feel a need for perfection. I can see the beauty in the mess and find joy in it. At least for right now I can let go and not hold myself or the world to some crazy standard and expectation that should never have even entered my head in the first place.

Right now I see possibility and good things in the future for all of us.

Have an awesome Monday chickadees. ~S

loving the process

Its been a moody week dears, and I am not terribly proud of it. But I do think I am on the right track to making next week slightly less so.

Tonight I am off to the beach for a night or two and then home for a nice relaxing Sunday at home. Hope you all enjoy your last weekend in August.

the universe

found HERE

give

found here

Hello birds! Though I love the idea of luck I also don't like when it begins to overshadow the beauty and value of some good hard work and thinking of others.
Things are good and I think they are gonna stay good.
Happy Tuesday to all you lovely sweet peas of the world.

a good morning

Here is why today is already pretty awesome and its only 8:07 AM.

1. I am wearing an outfit that makes me happy. My favorite Sanuk flip flops that are even better because I bought them in Hawaii, cut off denim capris, a grey flowery tank top with a black cardie, my blue leather clutch and my noisy plume "I love your soul" tote. Also my toe nails are hot pink.

2. When I opened my door this morning someone had left me a very small and very fantastic antler. Over the weekend M had brought me an antler he had found in his travels the week before and it spent quite a bit of the weekend outside in the sun bleaching away some of the stains it picked up while laying in the woods. I can only assume that someone saw me out there with it and figured I like antlers. Whoever they are, I think they are wonderful.

3. I got a mocha and chocolate chip scone for breakfast.

4. This weekend will be spent camping at the beach. And its going to be sunny. :)

With a morning like that how can the rest of the day not be good?

on alone time

Hello lovelies.

Well, since recently moving out of my parents house after living there for about a year after my divorce I find myself doing a couple of things. First of all I am reveling in the freedom of it, of being able to decorate and cook and lay around and basically do just exactly what I want when I want (within reason of course). Its fantastic and I have missed it. But I also find myself feeling a bit lonely.

I have lived alone before (while separated from my ex, for about a year) and I loved it. I know that I will love it again. But I am having to relearn certain things about it.

Now, of course I know I am not REALLY alone. I have friends and family who are wonderful, a man in my life whom I adore (though he is gone pretty much every Mon-Fri for work), and an adorable kitty to keep me company.

This new place where I live is about 40 minutes from most of my friends in Portland proper and I worry that it will soon start to feel like too much effort to drive to see each other. I worry that I wont feel like making the drive for a random Tuesday night dinner with a girlfriend. But those things are important! And I don't want to miss out on them. So I will just have to make the effort and not let them slip through the cracks.

Living alone can be really fantastic, but just like anything else you have to learn how to do it right. How to take advantage of the good things and not mind the slightly negative ones.

I am working on it.

A thought: Its harder to remember that I know I am wonderful when I'm not surrounded constantly by people who also think so.

Also I think its important to appreciate those random connections you make with people. The conversation I had this morning with the lady who was repairing the printer about riding a train from Portland to San Diego and her fear of flying. I will try my best to not forget to see the value in those.

Now I bet most of you have already seen this, but go to www.andreadorfman.com/film.html and click on the first thumbnail photo to watch her how to be alone video.

its awesome.

Sorry to only post the link, I am having some computer difficulties this morning...

a few things...

1. I love those moments when maybe you are feeling a little lonely or a little sad and suddenly you read something or find something or get something in the mail that makes you feel a whole lot less that way.

2. The move this weekend was successful! Yay! That is not to say however, that I am all unpacked. But I am well on my way. Decorating and rediscovering things I forgot I had is a good time.

3. Awesome quote via etsy's facebook:

To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. SO DO IT.

-Kurt Vonnegut

Hope your weekends were lovely and full of lots less work and heavy lifting then mine was. ~s

a-ok

This has already been a busy (bordering on frantic at times) week and its only Tuesday.

But, today I am getting organized and I know everything is going to be fine. Things tend to work out eventually.

I will figure out how to fix my car and find someone to do it, hopefully it wont cost too much money, I will get packed, I will get moved this weekend, I will settle into the new place, I will get things done at work, and I will survive a week or two on my own.

Also

last night I somehow ended up parked on the street in front of a house dropping off a friend in the just about the same spot where I had been dropping off the same friend many years ago, and in that odd and interesting moment when we realized this, we also happened to see a coyote in the street just ahead of us. He sat and looked at us for a good minute and then turned and ran. Lots of cultures think that this is good luck, so in the words of my friend, it looks like we might just be on fate's good side.

a happy thought for a Monday morning

found via facebook

your journey

Found here

letting go of the plan

Well. Today I found myself freaking out just a little about something and it started me thinking about why I was REALLY freaking out and that got me thinking about my recently acquired awareness of my need to try to control things.

So I started thinking about plans.

I love to plan. I am good at it. But I am also very aware that almost always, plans change. Often times more then once. I know that I will do better and be happier with life in general if I try to just relinquish control a little bit and instead just relax.

Its like I have a certain plan in my head, and then if things don't go the way I expected them to, for quite a while I kick and claw and fight and do everything I can to fix it. And to fix it means to get it back to my original plan. To make whatever the reality is fit into whatever I plan I had created.

But, usually I cant fix it.

Not being able to fix it usually infuriates me.

But, if I can just somehow let go of that plan and accept things as they are, then I am suddenly about to see the beauty in the current situation. To see that sometimes it is even better then what I planned. Then suddenly I can enjoy where I am and relax and once again feel surrounded by good things, even though nothing about the actual reality of the situation changed at all.

Sometimes I go through this whole process very quickly. Maybe in the course of 20 minutes lets say.

But sometimes it takes longer.

Lots longer.

But, I am working on speeding the whole thing up.

Have a wonderful weekend chickadees!

PS. Happy lucky Friday the 13th!

hope and random (but happy) thoughts

Found here.

Random thoughts:

*There are certain very foggy mornings when you just need a mocha (with whipped creme) and a bagel for breakfast. And yes I did say need.

*On my mind lately has been the idea of honesty and authenticity vs appropriateness. I will admit that there are times when its better to keep your mouth shut, especially when you are not terribly tied in any important way to the topic or person you are keeping your mouth shut too. But when that tie is there, my general conclusion is this:

screw appropriateness.

If you are a person who is important to me, then I want you to really and truly know me. How can I expect you to do that if I keep important things to myself?

* I have also discovered, quite happily, that I am no longer someone who can be pushed or bullied into something. At the first sign of the possibility of feeling this way I completely rebel, and quite frankly, freak out. Though I do sort of thing the freak out part is unnecessary, I am glad to find that I wont be bullied.

*I found an old pair of corduroy pants in a drawer over the weekend and happily they still fit like a glove. I had forgotten how much I love cords.

*Right now I am in love with the idea that nothing will ever be perfect the first time. No one can sit down in front of a canvas or work bench or computer and instantly produce something beautiful and meaningful and amazing that says exactly the thing that they wanted to say. Everyone, no matter how lovely or talented, has to practice. To revise. To try again and again and probably go through a whole lot of failed attempts before they get to the version they were going for in the first place.

So there is no need to stress out about that first attempt. Its almost certainly going to be terrible. And that is a-ok. Just go ahead and start, take a crack at that first draft because otherwise you wont ever get to the good version.

*Also, sometime even when its cold out, you still need to wear flip flops so your hot pink toe nails will show.

aceo love and chasing the upswing

I am an interesting combination

of positive and negative.

*

In one way I am eternally optimistic, which sometimes makes it nearly impossible for me to fully give up on something. But I also have occasional strong doses of depressive tendencies mixed in with that very stubborn persistence. That makes for some pretty wild mood swings.

*

At least it keeps things interesting :)

***

But I am happy to say that

I am learning the art of control and balance

and that right now

I am on a lovely upswing.

***

This is partially due to some good friends and their kind gestures, some amazing family, a night of watercolors, many cups of coffee, my sweet kitty, and the unending rainfall yesterday.

I hope you have

a beautiful Wednesday.

ACEO's will be posted in

THE SHOP

throughout the day.

*

PS. Sometimes our confidence may get a little wobbly.

But then fate or a friend steps in and it comes back again.

And all is well.

Giveaway!

Ok, as far as giveaways go,

this is a really good one.

Here's why:

First of all with this giveaway you get to be introduced to 3 quite remarkable women artists and bloggers.

My Dear Candace is the one hosting said giveaway in

honor of her 3 year blogger anniversary.

Happy Anniversary friend!

I cannot say enough good things about this woman or her blog.

Just head on over there and see what I mean.

*

Secondly, there are some very good prizes.

Below you will find a painted beach stone created by

UmberDove

All I can really say about this stone is

I. need. it.

Really.

I already have one in my possession and have been dreaming about owning another one.

This girl is hoping.

*

Thirdly comes our Dear Plume.

I have been happily reading her blog and wearing her jewelry for quite a while now and I can honestly tell you that both are an absolute delight.
This particular giveaway features a lovely pair of Specimen earrings.

Amazing.

*

These three blogs and the women behind them are well worth looking into if you haven't already.

Check them out!

And thank you Candace for putting this on for your faithful readers.

and have a

fabulous

Tuesday!

loving the questions

I don't think I could ever read

this too many times.

***

reminder