Ole-Talk

It's My Turn

This week it is my turn to post my first challenge over on the Scrap Weekly in 2010 blog.  I have been having so much fun scrapping 6 x12 for the album that I am doing for Shimelle's "Something from Almost Nothing" class that I decided to make the challenge to scrap a size that you would not normally scrap.  I also decided to throw in a little extra twist and challenged you to use only cardstock (no patterned paper) on your layout.  Check out the Challenge Blog for some of the design details for this layout an while you are there check out some of the past challenges from this talented group of ladies.

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March Book Update:

If you read my post on my reading list for March , I mentioned that I wold most likely need to get another audio book for my commute and indeed I finished listening to "Hot Rocks" by Nora Roberts during the first week of March.  So my new audio book is "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon.  It is the first in a seven book series and I am seriously thinking of continuing to listen to the series on my ipod.

My Happy Week!

So another week has come and gone and its time to share my happiness as part of The Next Chapter - The Happy Book Mail Around with Jamie Ridler.  It was a pretty good week so here is a list of all the happy that it brought me.

• I won an awesome handmade gift from Summer Fullerton as part of a blog crawl that I did last weekend.
• Had lunch with two friends and then we went for Gelato (half chocolate, half chocolate chip) and a Kiss*ss cupcake - yum!
• Recovered from the stomach bug and eating solid food once more.
• Gift card to Barnes and Noble as a thank you for a project that I worked on.
• Sunshine and warmer temperatures, at least for part of the week.
• LEGO houses.
• A successful dentist visit - no cavities - YES!
• Keeping up with the online scrapbook class I am doing and actually getting some pages completed (more on that in tomorrow's post).

So what made you happy this week?

My Reading List for March

Here are my reading plans for this month. Check in on April 1 to see how I do.

On my Kindle:  Just finishing up “The Magicians” by Lev Grossman and plan to read “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle and “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett if i can fit in another before the month is up.

By my bedside: I am about half way through the second book in the Sookie Stackhouse series “Living Dead in Dallas” by Charlaine Harris but think I will take a break from the series and read “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson. It is the first in a three part series that I got from my sister for Christmas. Thanks sis!

In my scrap room: I usually have my "Real Simple" magazine and sometimes a scrapbook magazine near me in my scraproom but I also want to start doing some writing so I plan to pull out "The Playful Way to Serious Writing" by Robert Allen and "A Pocket Muse" by Monica Wood.

On my iPod: I have an hour long commute (longer if the traffic is bad) so to keep sane I listen to audio books. Currently I am listening to “Hot Rocks” by Nora Roberts but will need something new before the end of the month.  Not quite sure what I will get as yet but I'll post something about it as soon as I decide.

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On another note March is National Craft Month. I will be making an extra effort this month to get more crafty projects completed and will share some of them here with you. I am also hoping to join in on some of the crafty fun around the internet. Do you have any plans to celebrate the month?

If you're happy and you know it...

One would think that with the weather here not being able to decide if to rain or snow, with little to no sun, and with the migraine that I was battling for a couple days that finally won on Friday that there would not be much for me to be happy about this week.  But surprisingly (or maybe not) there was happiness in my week.

My awesomely good bath washes from The Body Shop arrived on Monday - the grapefruit is to die for.

My awesome sister who I love so much redesigned my blog for me... and it is beautiful.  Don't you agree.  Thanks sis.

My awesome hubby suggested that we take a mini stay-cation in Boston during the week that the students go on spring break.  Love you honey.

I went to lunch with one of friends at The Cottage and had a yummy crab melt sandwich and awesome conversation.

Found out about a Gelato place that also sells Kiss*ss Cupcakes - what a perfect combination.  I have yet to go but I will be visiting very very soon.

Chatted a couple times with my mommy on the phone and on yahoo messenger.

Saw new pictures of my oh so cute nephew who is growing like a weed.  Can't wait to meet him hopefully in the fall of this year.

So you see I had quite a lot to be happy for this week.  What about you?  What was your happy this past week.

(This is part of The Next Chapter: The Happiness Book Mail Around)

If it makes you happy

It's the end of the week and time to check in with the Happy Book on The Next Chapter.  Here's my happy list for this past week:

Tuesday was Sheldon's birthday and I made him a 12x12 card and seeing his face when he opened it was awesome.  We also did take out for dinner and how can you not be happy when you someone else does the cooking.

Be Well Challenge has started back at work and it has been fun being motivated by my team members

We have found Fraggle Rock on Netflix instant watch and it has been awesome reliving my childhood days..."The trash heap has spoken, nah!!

I have been posting random status messages on my Facebook page just to see the reactions from my friends.

Of course my kitties always make me smile with their crazy antics.

I took a day off from eating "healthy" and had a tomato, mozzarella and pesto panini with sweet potato fries and an oatmeal raisin cookie - freaking awesome.

My sister bought me the cutest apron for my birthday (thanks Franny) ...just waiting for it to arrive in the mail.  

What made you happy this week?

Friday is Happy Day

I know I am a day late with this post but as they say better late than never.  Friday is happy day as part of  Jamie Ridler's The Next Chapter - The Happy Book mail around. 

Here's something that makes me laugh every time I see it!!

Hope you had a happy week!!!

The Joy Diet: Truth

"Ironically, the things we refuse to know are by definition things we know already - that's how we know we don't want to know them, y'know?" ~ Martha Beck, The Joy Diet (pg28)

This week for the Next Chapter we moved onto the second ingredient in The Joy Diet: Truth.

Truth be told this was a bad week for me.  I still have not mastered the art of doing nothing and as Martha Beck says in the Truth chapter you are not ready for Truth if you cannot do nothing.

I did as the book suggested and pondered why I was avoiding stillness and if I am being honest with myself it is because I think that if I take those 15 minutes to just be still and try to clear my mind that I will miss out on something; that I will miss the opportunity to be doing something on my never ending to-do list; that I will discover something in my deep subconscious that I won't like or want to acknowledge.

Maybe I am afraid to succeed in doing nothing as then I will have to face the answers to the questions that I am supposed to ask myself at least once a day as the minimum requirements for Truth:

What am I feeling?

What hurts?

What is the painful story I'm telling?

Can I be sure my painful story is true?

Is my painful story working?

Can I think of another story that might work better?

Whatever the reason I will not give up.  This is a new week and I will be working harder at Nothing and I will face my Truths as we move onto ingredient three - Desire.

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

 ~ Rumi ~

Next week for The Next Chapter: Nothing + Truth + Desire

The Joy Diet: Nothing

Martha Beck writes, "...doing nothing is the most productive activity you will ever under take." (pg9 The Joy Diet)

I am going to be completely honest...doing nothing is really really hard.  Who knew that finding 15 min a day to do absolutely nothing would be so hard.  Seriously!  It took me until Wednesday to get into this and I only achieved it because I ended up walking on my treadmill in my basement with no one around.  So it was really not even a conscious effort on my part...it just happened.  And even when doing that my mind just would not shut up...so I just let my thoughts go.

I will continue on my journey to find the time to do nothing because I am not one who gives up easily...failure is not an option.  I wonder if my facial appointment this morning constitutes nothing...after all I was just laying there for an hour...hummm!!

we join spokes together in a wheel

but it is the center hole

that makes the wagon move

we shape clay into a pot

but it is the emptiness inside

that holds whatever we want

we hammer wood for a house

but it is the inner space

that makes it livable

We work with being

but non-being is what we use

~Loa Tzu, Father of Taoism

 

Next week for The Next Chapter: Nothing + Truth!

 

The Next Chapter: The Joy Diet

 

 

Yesterday began the newest journey in Jamie Ridler's book blogging series The Next Chapter.  We will be reading and blogging about The Joy Diet: Ten Practices for a Happier Life by Martha Beck.

So far I have only read the introduction and looked at the different "menu items" (chapter titles) but from what I have read so far this will be a journey filled with excitement and challenges. 

The first  chapter is "Nothing" and is exactly what it says. The challenge is to do nothing for a set period of time each day.  Sounds simple enough but I am sure it will not be as easy as it sounds.

Jamie has also made the great suggestion in her welcome video to create a vision card for each week that is a visual representation of what that week's menu item means to us.

So check back each week as I make my way through this wonderful journey!

Inspiration Cards

I love spending time in book stores just browsing as you never know what treasures you will find.  A few weeks ago I was in Barnes & Noble and came across this book in their bargain section: It's Never Too Late...172 simple acts to change your life by Patrick Lindsay.  I liked the ideas that were in it and decided to grab a copy.  When I got home I had the great idea of using some of them to make these cards for Sheldon so that whenever he need that extra push he could flip through them and draw inspiration from the simple yet oh so powerful statements.

Here are just a few of the cards.

 

I used a deck of playing cards and painted them with gesso then with Making Memories acrylic paint and decorated with an assortment of rub-ons. The phrases were printed on a vellum type paper and then torn out and the edges inked.

I have been trying to read one of these acts myself everyday as each one is also accompanied by some words of encouragement from the author and also a proverb or quote related to the act.

Where do you find your inspiration each day?