To Shine or Not to Shine...

 Nothing in life is taken for granted as much as the knowledge that the sun will shine again... Oh, that sounds deep (feel free to quote me on that).  

It would seem that the sun has been having some sort of internal struggle lately (to shine or not to shine). All winter we cling to the knowledge that spring will someday appear.  Now that spring has sprung, it is a natural assumption that the sun will shine and it will be wonderful.  However, while the sun has made a few appearances here and there, so far our spring calender has been a bit grey.  A day or two of sunshine is really only a tease; enough to keep us hoping, dreaming. While the sun seems happy today, there are dark clouds edging their way in every once and a while, and a rather cold breeze still lingers (my neighbour is outside in a toque).  This is a sharp contrast to only a week ago when we were feeling a great deal of humidity and expecting thunder storms.

I suppose in some ways, my expectations of spring are nothing more than 'ideals'.  The problem with clinging to ideals is that such practice only leads to continued disappointment, as they can never really be obtained. Ideals are goals, ambitions, something to be strive toward.  It is no secret -spring has utterly failed to meet my expectations so far.  This thought does, however, lead me to deeper ones.  What other ideals am I clinging to that are only creating blocks in my thinking or experiencing life to the fullest?

Hum...I guess I'll have to pull up a seat in the sun (while it's shining) and think a little more on it

Miss 'E' Turns 5 with a Garden Party....indoors.

As you may recall, April was the month of my little Miss 'E's fifth birthday.  I will be the first to admit that my 'green'-ness wasn't what I had hoped, but I did make an effort to, at very least, use items that will have future uses.

Invitations were little seed packets I made on the computer and cut and assembled myself.  They contained sunflower seeds for the guests to plant this summer (and are also safe, should any of them try to eat them rather than plant the seeds).

I'm not a big fan of balloons, so it was no real heartbreak to not have any.  Instead, I purchased in-expensive paper lanterns. My daughter rarely has nice weather for her birthday (there is usually still snow), so an indoor party is always to be expected (this year was no exception- children were being dropped off in hail, snow, and freezing rain).The nice thing about these lanterns is not only that they could be used again, but also that they could be hung in my daughters room following her birthday, if she so chooses (which she will).

To vary the height of the lanterns, I used regular household string.  I purchased pre-cut paper flowers, which my children coloured, and I poked holes in them so that they could be threaded on the string as well. I also made garlands out of flower leis I cut apart and re-strung.  These, too, can be re-used.  In the garland I wove butterfly and dragonfly mini-lights.  I made another garland out of the same flowers and paper letters I printed and cut out by hand. This will also be re-used in future years.

In addition to this, I used dried raspberry branches to make the dining table centre piece.  These branches are from my back yard.  I then hot-glued on flowers from old silk flowers I had kicking around...and by 'old' I mean I've had them for 15 years and too cheap to throw them out.  The secret with this is to glue them where you see a bud on the branches.

Yes- I used a plastic table cloth.  The guests were 4 and 5 years old.  I re-use these many times, and then re-purpose again...so while not ideal, this particular sheet of plastic will be used for years before meeting it's demise.

On top of the table I sprinkled fabric flower pedals, which we've saved to re-use for future crafts.  These plastic plates you see have been in use since my daughter's 1st birthday, and come out every year- because pink is always a safe bet with her!  I kept the pink cutlery, too.  The cups are paper, and not waxy, so should break down well.  The paper plates I used for dessert were biodegradable and made from recycled paper.

I hung  (fabric) flower leis on the backs of the chairs for each guest to keep, and instead of a loot bag full of dinky toys, each girl took home a little garden kit- including gardening gloves, clay pots, seeds, soil and  small birdhouses that we decorated together after the cake.

We have a long way to go, I know.  However, when it came time to clean up, there was no real 'waste' from the party other than the paper cups and biodegradable plates.  All tissue and wrapping has been kept for future use, and the packaging from Miss E's gifts were recycled...so, even with some faults, I still think we did a pretty good job. The only real casualty of the party- my electric mixer, which died whilst I was making icing.

Next time....the recycled doll house.

Okay!

The sun is shining, a welcome change. I could not resist getting out and (finally) cleaning the flower beds.  Needless to say, I'm sore everywhere and can't help wondering- if I'm this sore after just cleaning the beds, how bad will I be once I extend them and put in a vegetable garden?! Of course, I utter the same sentiment every year.

This spring/summer holds a variety of outdoor projects for me, since this past winter seemed exceedingly hard on our poor ol' house.  While I was examining the yard, I suddenly remembered that I need to buy a new lawn mower.  A fact I thought of only as I realised that I will need to start cutting the grass by next weekend.  [For those of you who may remember, my push mower echoed shades of Steven King's 'Christine' last summer (see my earliest post for more details).  The result was me insisting that my ex-husband be the one to cut the front grass with it (I use a rider in the back).  Luckily, the man is a good sport and took pity on me.]

As for my art, I'm busy with commissions. I always love commissions, and not just because I get paid to paint.  I love being able to feel other people's energy, and relay messages to them.  People are always so appreciative and happy with what I tell them.  It makes me happy to be able to make others happy- even better is the fact that it is my job! How great is that?!

With the children away for the night, I also have the opportunity to get some things around here organised.  Organised, as defined by our family, is the ability to walk through the house and not trip on any of my daughter's things.  God love her, she leaves a trail where ever she goes.  It's part of her charm.  It also creates chaos.  Added to this is the fact that my large Newfoundland dog [see previous posts] is shedding.  By all accounts she really should be bald by now.  I brushed her for 45 minutes the other day, filling a small kitchen garbage bag with her loose hair...only to find clumps of it on the living room floor not an hour later. *sigh* I'm not sure how this is even possible.

THIS ALL SAID, I would rather have a messy house and a happy family than a clean house and no one to share it with.  So, I typically adopt the attitude that while I am here by myself I take the time to enjoy the quiet and the cleanliness.  When my children are home I take the time to enjoy their company, and make messes together.

I was hoping to get more up this week, by way of some of my green endeavours...however, that clearly did not happen.  More to come....Stay tuned.

IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK!

It's been ages since I've been able to get the time to blog....poor, poor, blog.  SO, over the next week I fully intend to get some photos up and slowly fill you in on the happenings here.  Be patient with me, people.

Recently I've been running a swap over on Milliande's Art Community for Women entitled, 'My Soul Sings'.  It is a 1 for 1 swap, meaning  that for every painting I receive, I send one back.  I've been painting like a mad woman for nearly two months, and happily waved good-bye to a majority of the paintings over the past couple of weeks.

Aside from that, I have had some commissions to work on, and also, smack in the middle of it all, celebrated my daughter's 5th birthday.  The goal was to keep things as 'green' as possible- a difficult task in a culture inundated with plastic party favours, cartoon characters, and a general expectation to spend more than required on one-time use decorations and toys that children don't need or even want.  In spite of this, for a first serious attempt at being more environmentally friendly, I think we did fairly well.  Later this week I'll share some pics and projects on my "Green" page.  

What else has happened?  Good question...it's been crazy around here and I've totally lost track of time.  Hopefully these artsy photos will appease the masses for now.  Until tomorrow, folks!

SWAP PHOTOS

These are some of the paintings I have sent to participants of the 'My Soul Sings Swap'

Wooden Bead Runes for Divination

Those of you who have read my previous posts may recall that I purchased a bag of wooden beads at a thrift store a while back with no intended purpose.  For those of you who didn't read my previous post- I purchased a bag of wooden beads at a thrift store a while back with no intended purpose.  Now that everyone is up to speed...

I decided to use some of the beads to make my own set of Runes.  I've always been curious about reading runes, but for some reason found them a bit intimidating.  Today, for no particular reason, I felt compelled to give them a go.  I had been reading about Earth Centred activities to do as a family, and the book I was reading suggested using dried Lima beans.  Due to an unfortunate kindergarten arts and craft incident a few years back (which resulted in taking my son to a children's hospital to get one removed from his nose), I tend not to keep dried beans in the house...but I did have this big ol' bag of wooden beads (too large for nostrils and well out of reach)!

Making Runes requires 25 beads (or beans, stones, wood chips, whatever you are using).  I then used a permanent marker to draw on the various symbols.  I used a dark bead for the blank Rune (Mystery).  Rune symbols and meanings can be found readily on the Internet, should you find yourself interested in this activity. You may wish to lightly sand the surface of the bead.  If my wood burner was working (*sigh) I would have burned the symbols into the wood.

Because I am unfamiliar with the symbols, I wrote their meaning on the back as well.  I consider this my 'starter' set.  You then put them in a bag of some kind, shake them gently as thinking of a question, and reach in.  Mix them up a bit, and draw 3 Runes.  These will give you the same as a 3 card Tarot spread.  Past- Present-Future.

My three Runes were exactly what I've been getting in Tarot spreads and messages through meditation and dreams.  I was delighted, and took it as a sign that I did everything correctly.

I should point out, the beads have been stored in my work room- which I smudge regularly.  Before you use your Runes, I suggest you 'cleanse' them of energy.  Place them in the sun for a few hours, or in a window sill for a full moon.  If you are using stones, you could rinse them in salt water- but you will have to let them dry before writing on them (obviously).  You could also smudge them using the smoke from incense, dried sage, lavender, etc..

Another suggestion for using divination tools (any kind), is to be mindful of how you are wording your questions.  Cut and dried questions don't really work well.  You are best to ask questions like "what do I need to know about...." "what information can help me...." .  This is much more 'open' to receiving answers through divination tools such as Runes or Tarot.  Save your yes and no questions for a pendulum.

So give them a try!

Blessings,

Nina