over here

print/poster available at behappy 

Loving :: The above quote from Anne Sexton. I might actually be a bit obsessed with it. Some poetry folks considered her work to be "too confessional" and "too personal." I wonder how that criticism shaped her. I wonder how that kind of criticism shapes us all when we are holding our hearts out into the world and inviting others in. Hear her read her poem "Her Kind" on poets.org.

Reading :: I am in love with the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny. So thankful that Kyeli recommended it. I love a good mystery because it actually forces my mind to concentrate on just one thing and not multitask. I'm on Book 6 and it is my favorite so far. Louise Penny is writing more than mysteries here. Her way of describing her characters, how they move through the world, well, some paragraphs take my breath away. I should probably write a whole post about this soon. (Oh and Kyeli and I are going to reread the Harry Potter series this fall. And we're inviting you along just for fun. More details coming soon!) Also soaking up Louise Glück’s Poems.

Watching :: Continuum (interesting and kind of intense sci-fi show) and The Newsroom (which is in the midst of an odd season but I still love it. Aaron Sorkin's dialogue is one of my favorite ways to take a break and it helps ease my deep missing of The West Wing) 

Thinking about :: The Butler. Go and see it. Seriously good. 

Enjoying :: Cuddling in bed with Ellie in the mornings almost every day last week. I was trying to savor it before school began today. We are having some intense toddler moments over here sometimes, so these minutes of cuddles and giggles have been super sweet.

Dreaming about making :: A quilt like this one. These homemade poptarts. And these bracelets.

Planning :: Meals for the week. Inspired by the way Meg uses Pinterest for meal planning, I'm trying the "make a plan, go to the store and get the ingredients, and pin the menu to the corkboard in the kitchen" on Sunday method. Doing the same thing with "lunch/snack ideas" for me now that we're starting the back-to-school routine around here and I'll just have myself to think about during the day. (My biggest challenges are having trouble remembering what we have in the house and grabbing what I see for my lunch or grabbing anything when I remember to eat. And working all the way to Ellie's pick up time, not thinking about dinner, and having Jon pick up take-out on his way home. Maybe you know variations on these problems too. I think the plan is the only way to go.) Started a pinboard of "let's make dinner (for reals)" to differentiate the doable recipes from "this looks good and wow I'd love to make it but let's be real" recipes I sometimes pin.

Thinking I might need :: This mug. This t-shirt. This necklace. And these big sticky notes.

Working on :: A new collection of jewelry. I'm actually going to be changing up the shop quite a bit this fall. Sneak peeks appearing soon on Instagram. 

Gathering :: Good things for the fall retreat. Can't. Wait. (And yes, we do have just a few spots left.)

And how about you? What are you up to in your corner of the world? I'd love to know.

five (really) good things

1. Another Chickadee Road Chat! Join Kelly and me for brunch/lunch on Tuesday, July 30 at 9AM PST/12PM EST for a chat all about finding your kindreds. (Actually I'm calling it "finding (and keeping) your kindreds" when I think about it because when you find those special people who feel like home, you will continually uncover new things about yourself that will push you to know you have to work a bit to stay connected in this crazy, awesome world. Yes.) On Tuesday, just join us right here over on Spreecast.

2. I read through Donald Miler's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story in about two days. As in I read through naptimes and until midnight. I saw him speak at WDS and I kind of swooned. (Not really kidding.) His blend of honesty + storytelling + self-deprecating humor had me actually looking to see if he was wearing a ring. (He's engaged. And I'm, you know, married.) As a dear friend said to me, "As if a ring is the biggest obstacle between you." Ha! That still makes me laugh out loud. But seriously, I was deeply moved by his talk and by this book. I hope you will read it because I'd actually love to chat with a few people about the concepts in it - identifying what makes a good story and then deciding to live a better story. I could go on and on. Find out more about him here.

3. And here is something kind of awesome: Earlier this week, I mentioned that maybe I could paint as my practice during the Chickadee Road :: Studio Sessions this August and a few days later, here I am joining in with Pixie Campbell's Visual Quest class. I can't wait! 

4. Love Viv's "Dear 35" post and this idea of writing a letter to yourself right around your birthday to thank the year you're leaving. A new session of Viv's Be Your Own Beloved self-portrait ecourse begins next week. Check it out here. (Highly recommend.)

5. And since I seem to be in a confessional sort of mood as I write this in the middle of the night (see #2), I might as well share that I'm slowly but surely becoming obsessed with unicorns. Never was much of a unicorn, rainbows, my little pony kind of girl. Was more into pretending pretty much all the time that I was Laura Ingalls and lived on the prairie.

(As in I pretended that for a LONG time and still miss the mid- to late-80s long soft buttons up the front denim skirt with layered "petticoat" my mom found for me. That I wore. A lot. To school. After school. You get the point.)

Anyway, I'm kind of blaming this new love for unicorns on Kelly. And this. So Wednesday evening, we might have found ourselves in Barnes and Noble buying a couple of these (and by a couple I mean two that had totally different box designs but then when I got in the car and realized that the unicorn inside was a "surprise" and not the one shown on the front of the box, my husband might have had to go back inside Barnes and Noble to buy a few more...for me...while my three year old and I waited in the car...said three year old in the backseat content with her new BOOK...me needing just "the right" small plastic unicorn figurine). 

Anyway, an idea for a fun project appeared in the wind, so watch for these little guys to appear here and there (probably mostly here). And they are available at Barnes and Noble stores (near the board games section), but not in their online store. And doing this middle of the night post might have led me to seeing that they are a bit like Beanie Babies circa 1996 where the "hard to find ones" are "worth" a lot and all I can say is let that one go right now honey and just buy the "blind" box for $6 something at Barnes and Noble and love what you get. Or just get this because dude she is CUTE!

Oh and a post about unicorns would not be complete without this. (Obviously.)

Have a beautiful weekend over in your corner. I'm writing a post about envy that I hope to share over the weekend or Monday...because WOW what a topic that is.

Blessings,
Liz 

five (really) good things

 

1. She did it! Ellie went down the big slide at the zoo yesterday. She's been wanting to do it all summer and tries each time we go. It has been incredible to watch her. She started earlier this summer by climbing the steps first with one of us, then alone, and then she would stand at the top and watch the other kids push past her. She came close twice but decided she wasn't ready. We've had a lot of conversations about what it means to be brave, how you can do things even when you are a little afraid, and how it is okay to wait until you are ready too. She seems to really be excited about the idea that you can be brave and still be a little afraid at the same time. (YES!)

Yesterday, she decided she was ready so we took a special trip to the zoo. When we got to the slide, she climbed right up the steps, sat right down, and away she went. It was awesome!

2. The recording of our Chickadee Chat is available for viewing right here! LOVED circling in this new way and am so thankful to those of you who gathered with Kelly and me last evening. More chats to come! 

3. Speaking of chats, I keep meaning to tell you that I had the incredible experience of being part of one of Alana Sheeren's Transformation Talks a few weeks ago. Alana creates a beautiful space for people to share about the ways life has cracked them open and how they've filled the cracks. We talked about how my creative practices helped me during times of grief. Honestly, this feels like one of the most important conversations I've had about the work I put in the world and how this work is really how I live my life. (Thank you Alana.) You can watch the video or download the audio here.  

4. And last month I spent the day with Pace and Kyeli in their new home in Portland! Oh these two are so delightful. I was an in-person guest on their Wild Crazy Meaningful Life podcast and we talked all about "Living an Instagrammed Life." I blogged about this idea here (and have a few more posts in the works about this topic) and it was great to continue this conversation with Pace and Kyeli.

5. Shop news: My Etsy shop Soul Mantras and Other Stories now has a Facebook page! I'll be sharing a few fun things over there including FB only discount codes and other good things.

I've just added this new turquoise feather love necklace to the So I Fly Collection. My hope is that it will remind you that you can look up at the sky above you and make the choice to fly even on the days when you aren't sure of the next step. Yes. (Turquoise always reminds me of my grandmother. After she died we realized she was wearing shades of turquoise in almost every photo taken of her during the last 20 years of her life. Gosh I miss her.)

And how about over in your corner. What are five really good things in your world? I'd love to know.

Blessings,
Liz 

make a list

Thank you blue sky.
Thank you rumbling waves.
Thank you sand between my toes.
Thank you laughter drifting through the air.
Thank you new friendships.
Thank you bravery that surrounds us all.
Thank you trusting what I know.
Thank you stories.
Thank you food that nourishes.
Thank you breath.
Thank you.

Yes.

***

Over here I'm beginning to navigate that unique time that is re-entry after one of my retreats. The Your Story Retreat was truly incredible. I suppose I say some form of that after each one, but this one, yes, this one, it was some kind of magical. 

Sending light and love to your corner of the world. Tell me what is happening over in your corner. I'd love to know.

Blessings,

Liz

PS If you're feeling disconnected today, make a list of "Thank you." It gets you back in touch with what you know. 

creative fun with my (almost) three year old

 

Ellie and I have been diving into the world of crafty fun lately.

And before I tell you all about it, I want to confess something: Sometimes I really struggle with activities to do with her. She’s our only child, I haven’t been around a lot of other kids, and I’m not so much into reading parenting books (mostly because they didn't apply to us for the first two years because of her heart surgery and our experiences). So I don't have a list of "things an almost three year old should be doing each day" that I turn to when we are embarking on a day together.

That said, I’m continually being reminded by Ellie that trusting my intuition and listening to her is the best way to know what to do next. I share this to gently remind you I'm not an expert, but I do enjoy sharing what works for us because I know I'm not the only mom out there like me. 

Right now, Ellie is really interested in what I’m up to in my studio and says things like, “I want to make necklaces” and “Can we work in my art journal now?” and “I want to paint today!” Her curiosity gives us a lot to do in a day. And I'm able to really listen and follow her lead when I'm also taking care of my needs (translation: not skipping breakfast, not worrying about emails that need to be answered, letting go of the to-do list as much as possible, and so on).

Because I always appreciate lists of ideas from other parents, I thought I would share a few of the creative things we are really enjoying together.

1) Making necklaces: We made necklaces with big wooden beads for her grandmothers for Mother’s Day. And Ellie loved it! She was very clear on who would get what colors, and she had fun sorting the beads into colors and sizes. We used these wooden beads, string, and sorted them into something like this (which is what I use for my beads in my studio). She was very excited to be making necklaces like Mama. And my heart more than melted when she said, "We have to make one for you now Mama" after we finished the Mother's Day gifts. I'm wearing it almost daily around here.

2) Stickers: For several months, playing with stickers was all about piling them on top of each other. Just a big pile of stickers. But lately, she’s started getting into decorating her coloring pages. We have this reusable sticker book and it really helped her see that if she piles them, she doesn’t get to see them all (plus we can easily unpile them and they don't rip). I’ve also started having her help me use letter stickers to form words for labeling her toy storage and even for Project Life stuff.  

3) Painting: She’s been using watercolors for about a year, but she is just now really getting into how she can use the water in different ways to affect the way the colors look. We LOVE this easel from Ikea.

I want to get some tempura paint for her to use, and I realize most people probably don’t start their kids off with watercolors, but it’s working for us (as evidenced by the video above about our painting collaboration). 

4) Art journaling: She has a few different notebooks/journals that she plays in. When I called one of my Smash journals an art journal, she immediately began to call all her notebooks art journals too. I LOVE this!! We use: 

• One big inexpensive sketchbook full of thick paper for coloring, painting, and stickers. It is so fun to look through because Jon, Bonnie (our babysitter), and I have all played in it with Ellie, and I love how it gives such a snapshot of the last 10 months or so. There are notes from each of us next to Ellie’s drawings, “This is Millie,” “This painting is for Grandma Fina,” and so on. 
• A few little Moleskines that I can easily throw in my purse to give her something to color in when we are out and about (they are awesome on the plane and at restaurants).
• A Smash journal (I shared more about how we are using it in a guest post over at Alisa's blog).

5) Playing with the Instax mini: Last month, I started a new project where every now and then I bring the Instax mini with us on our adventures to the park and have Ellie take a few photos. She really loves to use it, and it becomes a bit of a lesson in detachment for me as I try not to control the moment and just let her play.  

As I've mentioned, I’m learning that explaining beforehand is a very good thing for her personality. So during the drive to the park, we talk about how we are going to take some photos and I remind her that she is borrowing my camera (we've been talking a lot of borrowing and sharing these days because there is a bit of "this is mine!" going on). We talk about how excited we are to watch the photos develop etc. Then as we walk, we talk about what we might want to take photos of. This way she is less likely to just grab the camera from me and yell at me as I say things like, “BUT wait! Let’s talk....hold on...okay there went two photos of the ground...” 

Going in, I have to just know that we are going to waste some film. But this feels okay to me because we are also going to get at least one awesome photo that she is going to feel excited about (though truth be told, she's excited about all of them). Last month, she took one of my favorite photos ever of my mom when she was visiting.

I'm thinking about using a Project Life mini album to document our Instax project and will share more as we find our way with this project. And one idea: If you are taking a few people on an Instax adventure, I suggest bringing a Sharpie along so you can quickly put initials on the back so everyone knows whose photo is whose.

Over on Pinterest, I have a board called "Creative Fun with EJ" where I'm collecting ideas, especially for things to do this summer when all three of us are home for several weeks together. 

In the Comments 

I’d love to hear about the crafty fun you are having with or without kids in your corner of the world. What’s on your studio (or kitchen) table? What do you hope to create this summer? How are you having creative fun with your kids?

***

If you are a toddler mama who needs some gentle reminders about ways to practice self-care in the midst of all that is being present for a toddler (or two or three), come along this June for a 10-day journey with other toddler mamas.

There will be daily photography prompts, writing + self-care prompts, stories from my own experiences in the toddler mama trenches, plus we'll be gathering in a private Facebook community that will continue after the course. 

Register and learn more here. We begin June 5.

And please pass this course along if you know a toddler mama who might want to join us. Thank you.

a few delightful things

1) Oh Skype I've been loving you for a few years now because you keep me connected with my kindreds, but this week, you've become a life saver. This is the first time we've been away when Ellie has really be in touch with that "I miss Daddy" feeling, so we've been calling almost every night and Jon's been reading to her (he usually reads to her every night at home). It has been awesome. And with the time change, if we can't talk at night, we've been able to talk before he goes to work. She loves it.

If you aren't on Skype, this is your direct invitation. Because honey the future is here and parts of it (like this) are super awesome.

2) Because I haven't had my laptop with me (just using my iPad + my dad's laptop every other day for about 20 minutes), I'm getting back in touch with my love of pens + paper. I've already mentioned my beloved Smash book I picked up at Target (like this one). I'm also really loving these Sharpie pens in all these happy colors.

Oh and on Instagram and Facebook I received a few questions about Smash books. Here's a link to my posts where I profess my love and share a few ways I use them. Other than the happy colors + quotes throughout, I really love the thick paper + the happy pages that aren't intimidatingly blank. (Green one is my all-time favorite.)

3) I'm reading Daring Greatly by Brene Brown and simply, profoundly loving it. I find myself just nodding and underlining and nodding some more. So grateful for this woman's work. She was on Oprah's Soul Sunday this past weekend and will be on again this coming Sunday. You can watch the first episode here. And it is a must. As in this is your homework. For reals. Yes.

4) I keep coming back to this quote. I think it is going to be my theme this Spring. Yes. Yes. Yes.

5) On the surface, this one is not so delightful: I am officially two months behind with Project Life. I think I'm going to go with what I did last year when I got behind: Print out the photos and get them in without worrying about what day what happened or grouping things by the exact week. February and March might just be two months of photos in whatever configuration makes sense based on the photos I decide to use. Going to get one big batch of iphone photos printed and then add in a few from the big camera. And planning to just start anew with the first week of April, which will be Jon's spring break and feels like good timing. (Reading this over on Ali's blog was very helpful too.) The delightful part is where I'm just going with the flow. Not beating myself up. Not worrying about perfection. Just committing to printing out some photos and putting in a few notes here and there. 

here

oh this face :: Millie, my daily companion for the last eight years (she's 12)

enjoying :: apples + peanut butter, coconut milk creamer, hearing Millie snore in the middle of the day (always, always)

listening :: I found my long lost iPod nano last month (lost since 2007), so playlists made circa 2006 are in the air around here. Like this one. Feels like yesterday and 20 years ago all at once.

seeing :: Spending more time with the mirror meditation...giving myself space to notice the truth, beauty, realness of showing up as me when I just look myself in the eyes and breathe. (And feeling moved to ask you to join me. More on that next week.)

reading :: This month's Sprout magazine is all about friendship. And Kelly and I have a little piece about how two little Indiana girls found their way to become friends and how it took one of them moving across the country for them to find one another. There is some really lovely poetry in this month's issue too.

loving :: My new Texture mini comfy skirts. I'm wearing them over yoga pants, and the pocket is perfect for my phone and the length is great for doing yoga (and, well, everyday living). I've been wearing Texture for about seven years now and so glad I decided to try this length. Almost didn't because the word "mini" seems counterintuative to someone who wears an XL, but really this length is great over pants (or even another skirt).

watching :: House of Cards (new Netflix series that is so darn good) + this incredibly hilarious video from Ophira Eisenberg's appearance on the Late Late Show (thanks to Jen for sending it over! Ophira is part of Jen's incredible Telling Your Story curriculum) + introducing my studio assistant (aka Ellie's babysitter) to Alias while we packaged this week (I remembered that first episode being like a mini movie but oh.my.goodness it was fun to watch with someone who had no idea what would happen next. oh and hello bradley cooper!)

trusting :: Trying to clear some distractions so I can trust what I hear in the space where the quiet and my intuition mingle. 

noticing :: Spring is returning. Yes. From the buds on the cherry tree to the green crocus shoots appearing, she is finding her way again.

things i keep meaning to tell you...

how I'm feeling these days
(plus a new soul mantra in the heart.full collection in my shop)

If we were settling in for a long conversation over a pot of tea, these are a few of the silly, serious, everyday things that might come up today:

1) Earlier this month we saw Fabio at the grocery store. Yes. That Fabio. He was there promoting something. There were a lot of women waiting to meet him. They were putting on lipgloss. We were just buying lunch.

2) I finally bought a huge calendar for my studio wall and am planning to use Elise's sticky note method to keep track of blog posts/projects so that my content will be more consistent over here. My schedule has felt upside down since the holidays, but I'm craving a rhythm again. Small movements each day to get back to this rhythm are helping. (Revisiting the wisdom in Zen & the art of being a work-at-home mama is helping too.)

3) Several loved ones are having some health issues right now, and almost each day, we've been lighting a candle with the specific intention of sending them love and light and healing. I share this because this simple practice helps me feel like I am doing something when it feels like there is little I can do from far away. 

4) My retainer broke. Yes, my retainer. The one that has been on the back of my front lower teeth for 23 years. Twenty-three years. I haven't felt the back of those teeth since I was in 8th grade. Wow. It is awesome. Except for the glue/cement stuff poking me that will be there until I can get in to the dentist. Still, flossing is like my new favorite past time these days.

5) In the last few months, I've become one of the top 25 most followed Pinterest users in the world. I know. It is crazy. So crazy that I have struggled trying to talk about it over here because it was so unexpected. For a few months now, Pinterest has recommended boards to new users based on a few pins they choose. My "YES" board is one of those recommended boards. I say again, crazy.

So far it has meant a few interesting opportunities, like being one of the first users of Luvocracy and being asked review things. (Yes, I would be delighted to review this new chocolate [post coming soon] because who turns down chocolate. No, I don't need new car mats or want to do a giveaway for them.) It has meant a slight increase in traffic over here on the blog. (Yes, it is really fun to be connecting with a new audience. No, it doesn't mean I now have millions of readers here or thousands of customers for my offerings.) I look forward to sharing more about this wacky, fun new path of seeing myself as a curator. And connect with me over on Pinterest. I'm having a lot of fun and will be sharing more about how I use Pinterest for inspiration and other good things here on my blog.

6) Feeling deeply called to gather with women in person. Teaching, sharing stories, creating together. Spending time thinking about how that could happen. Knowing in my bones that this is my path. Hosting my retreats fills me up but I'm only able to organize a small handful a year. So I'm hoping to be invited to teach other places...to visit you in your corner of the world and help you create a safe space where your kindreds can connect. Also dreaming about holding "retreats for one" here in my corner (where women would come for a personal retreat with me as their guide). 

7) The part where "they" tell you to be careful what you say around kids when they start talking is true. I know you know that. But each time I swear and Ellie repeats whatever fantastic phrase I've said in a sing songy voice while dancing...well, those moments are equal parts awesome and oh my goodness please don't say that in front of Grandma. 

Now, it's your turn. What would you share over tea today?

Blessings,
Liz