I know

I don't believe I know, Carl Jung

Well that's interesting.

After feeling lax because I hadn't been reading my Simple Abundance book I came to read it tonight, and above was tonight's quote.

Things I know.

I know I am blessed to have amazing friends. One of whom (Andrea) I have spent the last several days with. I've had a blast! From getting some gym workouts in, to creating new things, to razzing each other about the Olympics, she's truly a friend I am blessed to have. That's us above eating our Canada VS US cake.

I know I am very proud of Canada and all it's done through and for the Olympics. I am stoked about tomorrow hockey game and hope we kick some US butts! BUT if we do not at least we get silver!

I know I am thank full the Tsunami did less damage than expected today. I am thank full all is well at home.

All in all a lot of what I know is good things! And that I am thank full for too.

You know it's spring

You know its spring when the grape hyacinths start coming up and Andrea and Whitt have some in their front garden already poking their heads out. They are some of my favorite flowers.

I am learning to etch copper today, hoping to make some buttons and charms and maybe some bracelet components. It's so much fun to spend time with Andrea, always something new and exciting in the works!

Andrea and I went to Shelton today. We had lunch with Patty Frantz at Alderbrook, crab mac and cheese YUM! Then went to Double Helix, I was really impressed, what a set up! There is a lot of technical stuff involved in making silvered glass and holy cow was it interesting to hear about! Then on to Frantz Art glass. On the way back to Pt Townsend we saw a large herd of elk on the side of the highway!

I fixed my phone!

I've had problems with my Iphone, and am NOT very technical. My phone guy thinks I am a complete idiot I'm sure. I couldn't even figure out how to turn it off when I got it! I've had some email problems and just fixed it myself! I am pretty darn proud of myself!

I'm spending a couple days in Pt Townsend with Andrea, looking forward to some relaxing and fun!

Maybe being oneself is always and acquired taste. Patricia Hampel

With the Olympics going on right across the water being oneself for me right now is being a very proud Canadian. I am so impressed with Vancouver and Canada in general. I am a bit bummed we didn't get tickets to go see any of the events. I was in Calgary for the 88 Olympics and there is nothing to compare to the energy at the Olympics.

Today I had a fantastic ride on Indy, he's settled down and is behaving a bit more like himself. His rehab is steadily going ahead, all though I have to say his breathing concerns me a bit. I expected him to have better wind than he does. I may try him on some lung herbs and see if that helps.

The weather was gorgeous again here today, I got my garden top dressed and got my herb and flower beds weeded!

One little crocus is poking it's head up. The cherry trees had bloomed a bit by later afternoon today, it's amazing how quickly things bloom when the sun comes out.

Feels like spring!

Today felt like spring, in fact I had a t-shirt on for most of it!

I hoped to get my veggie garden weeded this weekend and get the mushroom manure on it. WELL I got it all weeded today! I may not be able to walk tomorrow but it's weeded!

Snoopy our cat and best buddy enjoyed the sunshine with me. He doesn't get in the garden much because usually the scarecrow is on to shoot water at the bunnies, it's off right now so he came up to spend some time with me.

He spent about 30 min exploring a long drain pipe we have down the side of the garden, I was actually a bit surprised he went in it at all.

Then he lounged in the sun for a bit, right beside the catnip plant!

Then on to scaling the garden fence.

Then yet another nap in the sun.

Success! My weeded and turned garden!

We cannot kindle when we will

The fire that in the heart resides

The spirit bloweth and is still

In mystery our soul abides

Matthew Arnold

We live many lives in our one life. How's that for a statement? Child, adolescent, adult, mother, wife etc etc .........

Spring tends to bring out the child in me, the bright bulbs popping their happy faces up. While shopping for mushroom manure (what IS that anyways?) today at Home Depot I saw the most amazing array of colors in their primroses. Unfortunately primroses are the one flower I can kill fairly easily so I didn't buy any but boy was I tempted!

The bright colors carried me through to the pharmacy where I bought some bright orange nail polish, painted my toes! Happy feet!! Childish happy feet!

Lonely?

The heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill. Fiona MacLeod

The safari of self and spirit can be lonely. Or is it? Enjoying ones own company is something well worth pursuing. It's hard though to have a lot of fun by yourself? Or is it? My Iphone has a ton of tunes on it now and I find if I feel a bit lonely I just play a upbeat song and it lifts my spirits, kinda like a cheap concert!

Indy spends a lot of time alone, being a alpha horse he doesn't always play nice with others. He gets a weekly play with his little brother but other than that spends his time solitary. But look at his morning ritual. He naps pretty much every morning unless it's pouring rain. Even then he can often be found snoozing in his stall.

Pat Haight won my OWOH necklace! Congrats Pat I hope you like it!

Illusion

I am really liking these new beads, I love encasing everything with clear I think it really magnifies the depth. These beads allow me to play with it in a totally different way. Clear gives the illusion that there is endless depth to the bead which I love.

Play date

Weekends are often play dates for the horses. I try and turn Indy and Redman out together in the ring so they can burn off some steam. They love it, well Redman loves it for sure. Indy I often wonder if he gets tired of amusing his little brother.

Redman does a lot of what we call "fly bys". He trots and canters past Indy often giving him a poke to try and get him to play. Who say's 1/4 horses can't be hunters? Redman's lovely long and low trot shows in this photo.

Eventually this happens, and they both burn about for a while. Indy is a short burst kinda guy, he can dig in a let er rip but it doesn't last long. After a few good laps of the ring he just prances about with his tail up like an arab!

Spiritual energy

Reading the Artists Way has not gone well for me. I've picked it up and put it down several times now. But one thing that Julia Cameron speaks of is switching on your spiritual energy. This seems to be a sporadic thing for me, not something I can control "yet".

I am channeling myself better, putting aside time for inner growth and spiritual travels. I think sometimes switching on spiritual anything is like

herding cats. It waxes and wanes and often wand

ers off where it wants to.

I find nature is often a spiritual guide for me, the turtles in Mexico really had me awe struck. I find myself thinking about them when my mind wanders, how serene they seemed to swim. The slow gentle movements, and the wash of colors in their shells.

Maybe there is a bead in those thoughts, maybe not. I do know when I think of them my breathing slows down, colors look richer and sounds become more crisp. Maybe turtles are my spiritual guide?

Perfect, well not quite as planned

It's a funny thing about life, if you refuse to accept anything but the best you often get it. Somerset Maugham

Hummm ...... I am didn't start out todays beadmaking session planning for my best beads. In fact I started out planning to make some new ideas I'd been mulling over, and play with my new mandrel spinner. Well that did not go as planned at all! I need new mandrels, the spinner does not work with bent mandrels, and my new idea needs a LOT more work.

What I wound up making was a bunch of daisy beads. I've been making these for a couple years now, they started in a garden bracelet and now I make a lot of pairs for earrings as well. They are a lot of fun, turn out perfect most of the time and make me smile!

A fresh canvas

Another real thing! I am not dead yet! I can still call forth a piece of soul and set it down in color, fixed forever. Keri Hulme

Well I am not sure if my happy mojo is back, but positive thinking HAS to return. I just can't focus with negativity around.

I have been trying to think of myself as a canvas, a work in progress. But every 24 hours I wake up to a new day, with new possibilities and new things in the mix.

Sticking with my journaling and working on my discovery journal seems to keep me focused and on track, so I'm sticking with it even if some days are harder than others.

Tonights goal? To go through all the wonderful magazines I've been gifted and tear em up! I am going to rip out pages I like and start a pile for my discovery journal!

What's your plan for this evening?

Happy mojo

My happy mojo is on vacation today. My positivity has run off. I'm negative, in a negative world. Meh, sometimes I guess it just happens. It'll pass .................. it WILL pass right?

SO I'm not sure if this is a good decision or not I'm taking a break for my simple abundance journey today, giving it a breather. Allowing myself to just be, in a state of lacking happy mojo.

What I mean by living to one's self is living in the world, as in it, not of it. William Hazlitt

It's hard to silence the outside world and live in your world. With the hum of traffic, the barking of dogs, the hustle of work it can be exhausting to try and live! Especially when you add trying to live in your world, and live with abundance. Live with abundance, when the economy still seems to be on a downward spiral?

It find myself falling back to the little things again, the sun was out today. My beads went ok for trying some new colors and techniques. I think I made 3 perfect buttons to go on a sweater I found on sale (we'll see for sure when they come out of the kiln), my family and myself are healthy. SO today is a good day, even though I thought otherwise at a couple points. I even got some sheet glass in preparation for my stained glass class starting monday (Thanks Karen!).

Love thyself

To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance - Oscar Wilde

I don't know if I love myself. For some reason that brings to mind arrogance. I do like myself a lot, and am try to treat myself better, I mean really who isn't entitled to some pampering every now and then?

We all find fault in ourselves, I try and embrace it and work on it. I am short tempered, especially in the mornings. So I try and avoid direct contact with humans until I've been up for an hour, horse seem to be ok! I tend to do too many things at once, lately I am annoyed I don't sit down and have a "real" dinner anymore. I haven't managed to resolve that issue yet, but I'm aware of it.

But all in all I like who I am, and myself a lot. We all need work but accepting your short comings sure makes life a lot easier.

Turquoise is the IT color for 2010

According to Pantone Turquoise is the IT color for 2010. YAY! I love turquoise, I have a decent sized collection of turquoise stones and beads. I am hoping to get a semi permanent silver smithing area set up so I can work on some rings and pendants. I have an idea for a equestrian themed line of jewelry.

In the meantime I have plenty of turquoise colored beads and a ring in my etsy!

What you love

Perhaps loving something is the only starting place is the only starting place there is for making your life your own, Alice Koller.

I know what I love. I love the nicker of the horses in the morning. In fact its the only morning conversation I welcome! I love the smell of hay, even though I am allergic. I love coming in the house to warm up after a cold winters ride. Something about the joy of a crisp, fun ride then enveloping yourself in warmth after makes me grin.

I love bright happy floral prints. Purple is one of my favorite colors, all though orange seems to be popping up it's head every now and then. I am working on getting more color into my studio. Adding some bright prints and lots of positive, happy clipping on my cork board. Which reminds me I need a bigger cork board!

What do you love?

Creative Excursions

I celebrate myself, and sing myself. I loafe myself and invite my soul ...... Walt Whitman

My goodness where did Jan go?

Time flies, it seems there is never enough time for everything. I am going to take a creative excursion this week. By myself, making time for the most important person in my life ME! I haven't decided what I'm going to do. Maybe a coffee and muffin at my favorite coffee shop, maybe window shopping, maybe an art supply for some inspiration for my gratitude journal or a book store.

Any suggestions?