Friday, May 27, 2011

Looking for order...

as I move through the messiness of daily life.  Not 'bad messy' necessarily, just the stuff that life is made of.  I'm thinking about Einstein's Three Rules of Work:
1. Out of clutter, find simplicity.
2.  From discord, find harmony.
3. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

Seems pretty simple when you put it like that.  Smart guy, that Einstein.








Thursday, May 19, 2011

February Retreat Workshops!

The info for the 4th Artful Journey Retreat is up on the website—check it out here!  I'm so excited to have such a remarkable group of instructors joining in next year.  You can't go wrong with any of them, that's for sure!  Now the fun really begins—scheming, dreaming and creating things to make it a very special time for everyone.  Registration opens on July 12 at noon, Pacific time; mark your calendars!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

A teaser...

My webmaster has assured me that the workshops for the February 2012 retreat will be posted on the website for viewing this week, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  Like many of us, she's had some unforeseen family issues come up, but I'm hopeful!  She's done a wonderful job for me as she juggles a full-time job, new baby and family life.


 You can look forward to spending 4 nights up at the Presentation Center in the redwoods of northern CA, and 3 full days with one instructor, just soaking up the creativity.  The retreat will be held February 23-27, with registration opening online on July 12.  Just look what you have awaiting you!



 Sumptuous Papers--Albie Smith

 Nourishing the Creative Heart--Katie Kendrick

 Santos Sensations--Tory Brokenshire

 The Ultimate Art Book--DJ Pettitt

Bloom True!--Flora Bowley

Once again, I'm so honored to be hosting such talented instructors—it's the combination of instructors, attendees, and the sensational venue that makes An Artful Journey so magical.  I'm working on other fun details and dreaming up some inspiration, so stay tuned.  I'll post again as soon as the classes are up!

(and oh YES...we'll be doing the Prayer Flag project again!)

Monday, May 9, 2011

Mom Love

I'll admit it—Mother's Day is my favorite day of the year--better than my birthday.  Way better.  Being a mom is the toughest, most challenging, and most rewarding thing I'll ever do in my life, so why not celebrate it?  Since both of my sons are now grown men with their own lives, it's harder for us to coordinate our calendars.  Of course, we get together on the holidays, but there are always so many distractions then with the big meals, the gifts, meeting the needs of other family/friend obligations, etc. 

 Mother's Day is different--the focus is on us just being together, my sons and I (along with the girlfriend, guest doggy and grandgirlies this year).  No fancy gifts needed, no dress-up brunch or dinner.  Just give me some laughs with my guys and I'm good.  My older son, Ryan, always comes up for Mother's Day, no matter what.  He's never missed one, even though he's lived down south ever since he left high school for college. I love him for that.  

 meeting uncle ryan's plane

And for the weekend, Forrest somehow manages to juggle the drama and keep the peace among the four females in his life—not an easy task, believe me!  He and Ryan go out of their way to make me feel appreciated, and this year was so good that it was almost more than I could take.  The care, the love, the sweetness they showed me was beyond description.  It was the little things that I'll remember the most, among them the gift of the most heartfelt, tenderly written words from the soul of a poet.

We've had our struggles and our ups and downs, but we've always been there for each other--no matter what.  I know I can count on them, and they can count on me.  I'm enormously grateful, and am so, so proud of each of them.  I only wish my own mother was still here to enjoy them...in spirit, yes she is.


My guys are very different, and yet they are similar in the ways that truly matter—they are kind, they are wise, they are loyal, they are love.  To all you young moms out there struggling with the growing-up years of a colicky baby, or a fussy toddler, or the difficult teen years—just hold on.  The best is yet to come...

 (and don't even get me started on the grandgirlies--I'm one very blessed mom and grand mom)