2009::in pictures

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the poems.

i've been loving them lately. simple ones like haiku and cinquain. counting syllables. tasting sounds.

(and, i know. i've become quite a tease about this quilting project. it's almost done, i promise.)

i am the proud possessor...

of the coolest lunch box ever. picnic, anyone?

close-ups.

today, i've been sitting.

sitting with the light - soft sunshine and candlelight. sitting with words. with what is real. sitting with fabric and colors...and with good Christmas coffee.

oh. and i did a little stacking, too.

she's our Christmas dog.

she came just in time for Christmas, that first year. she left on Christmas eve. and her last comforting blanket was a Christmas sweater.

(she brought much joy on all her Christmases, including this one. i hope yours is filled with joy, as well!)

views::wrist strap and self portrait

{the camera strap - my sewing project of this morning - is quite largely inspired by these beautiful longer ones}

hi. :)

i hadn't thought i would be here at home this morning, getting to talk to you! i thought i would be in a crowded van with my family on our way up (the even more crowded) interstate 95. i planned to tell you so last night - that i would be missing in (blog) action for a few days. but, here i am. it's the right place to be.

would you all pray for my mom? she's on her way right now to have an MRI done. we're not sure what will come after that, but God knows, and we trust Him to hold that unknown.

since we already had "our" Christmas - within our immediate family, that is, we're looking forward to a few quiet, cozy days snuggling up close together. while we wait, and rest. and, quite frankly, i think those are the best kind of days. i plan to make lots of good memories. *smile*

for right now, i'm off to a little quiet sewing. for me. (there is quite a lot to be said for having *all* the Christmas prep done early!)

any guesses?

raindrop reflections.

{photo taken by diana}

i saw the stars tonight.

shining soft from a
bed of blue - glowing in sleep
'round clear crescent light.

morning light.

inside::layers of quilts and flannel.
outside::lacings of crystal and cold.

it's hard to say goodbye.

on the page.

support.

This currently holds a spot as my favorite stretch. I do it when I've done all of my normal poses, once my breathing has settled into a steady rhythm of strength. That's when I crouch down and press my fingertips and palms into the sticky mat so that they can support my whole body. Hovering over my hands, I feel that slow strong rhythm built into the support of a rooted balance and stability. It only lasts a few seconds, but it makes me smile every time.

.words :: listening, and waiting.

i have some words that need to be said out loud. not necessarily for you. but for me. i need to hear myself say these things, i think, even though i'm not entirely sure what some of them are. i can feel them, waiting. waiting to be given a voice. so, will you listen? even though we're doing this december views thing, which is kind of all about the photos. see, i even have one (above) to prove my point. the nice thing about december views, though, is that there are no rules. (it says so in the explanation.) words, therefore, still count. i'm glad for that, and for you who so kindly listen. thanks for that. really.

something i've been thinking about in the past few days is a word for 2010. just one word. something that embodies my hopes and prayers for the year and anticipates the next steps in my journey. it's kind of like a goal, but better. it's an incentive, an inspiration.

i never had an official word for 2009. i had some ideas, but i never narrowed it down. as i've been contemplating words in these recent days, i didn't recall the exact ones i had put in my wordle, but i did look over my year. what struck me from the past twelve months was release. (inconsequently, this isn't one of the words i brainstormed a year ago.)

release, in the sense that a bird is loosed from its cage. released to fly freely. this time last year, i really didn't realize quite the extent to which i was bound by darkness (although i was beginning to). i suppose that ignorance was actually part of my prison. but now (thank God!) my soul is free. released to the fullness of my identity in Him. released to express that identity freely and openly, without fear.

release also came in the sense of learning to let go. because i'm someone who holds on by nature. with a death grip. and while holding in is all well and good, sometimes we just have to let go. and feel the release. that happened this year, too, in many ways.

so that was 2009. i don't know about 2010. it will be a busy year, full of new classes and (maybe, hopefully!) a trip to canada, and a brother (most probably!) joining me at college, and a crazy fall semester of practicum (the precursor to student teaching). 2010 definitely needs a word full of purpose, and i'm not yet sure what word that is. a few seeds of thought are beginning to swell, but they haven't quite sprouted. soon. they'll come soon. wait with me, would you?

many hands make light work.

there was an {exceptionally} stunning sky.

me & my mom.

 

modeling hats. being pampered. drinking frappachinos. having an all-around awesome time. (thanks mom! you're the best.)

in which people appear. (along with some "cinnamon sugar.")

 

 

 

more december views.

 

 

my afternoon: a little crafting. a clean house. a scrumptious dinner (one lovely to prepare, as well). and a twinkling room.

now, for some leisurely reading.

Unphotographed.

The knock of a police officer on our door immediately upon our arrival home from church - apparently he was alerted by a motion sensor on our alarm system. Nothing like sunglasses and badges to liven up an afternoon. (All is well - we think a door must have moved when the heat came on.)

Passing a beeping countdown between our circled seats in the livingroom after lunch and trying to be the team to guess words the fastest. (Mom and Dad beat Michael and I. Again. It was close. Again.)

Washing dishes by hand because our new water heater has confused the delicate temperment of our dishwasher - and rendered it disfunctional. There's something about the slowness of cleaning each dish that is comforting.

And reacquainting my fingers and the piano keys with the help of glowing Christmas tree lights and friendly carol books. (I think they've missed each other - the fingers and the keys.)

No photos today. But there are still moments which are frozen in time.

Resettling.

As I worked in my room this evening I tried to think of how to describe my actions. I didn't clean my room (although I did dust and vacuum), nor did I organize  (although I did sort through various school papers and craft supplies and put them in their respective places) or decorate it (although I did carefully place some festooning touches).Instead, I performed strategic changes in the make-up of my room: I moved my wooden gardener's box from my bedside to my desk. The crate full of creative-works-in-progress now resides on the bottom shelf of my bookshelf instead of a corner of the floor. My most current project now makes its home in said gardener's box on my desk, along with my current book (and a few other things). I put away some things that I won't be using in the near future, and got out a few that have been in hibernation. In short, I re-situated my room so that it perfectly fits the life I am living right now, this very moment, day, and month. Even shorter (the description I eventually arrived at as the most perfect for my actions tonight), I resettled my room.

I must say, it's very cozy. Also, I may have to put the top on my Christmas candle; it has released its scent quite effectively without being burned! 

R&R.

This business of Christmas break is hard work, don't you know. (Also, I'm talking [or writing, if you prefer to be technical] like the characters in my current book...)

habit forming.

 

both the pom-pom making and the running - they're addictive. in the best way possible. *grin*

feathers and fluff.

my view of the world.

thinking about this daily december thing. mostly, i'm inspired by the "views" part of it. i missed my camera a bit in november. also - this, this, and this (they build on each other) make me want to craft pom poms. those flowers in the vase and on the gift wrapping nearly send me into hyperventilation. (yes. i also occasionally enjoy exaggeration. *ahem*)

anyway...happy first day of december!

treasured words.

over on my other "blog" - the one that is a journal just for me - i have a column in the sidebar full of things people have said to me or written to me. wonderful things.

some of the quotes are the ways my family has told me they love me. others are encouragement from friends - or just acquaintances. there are a few things that kids have said, even. (how is it that a child can tell you that you're beautiful in a way that you can't possibly doubt?) sprinkled in are several verses - ones that tell how amazingly God loves me.

the column is titled, "hear this." and i'll be honest - some days i forget the words are even there, or i catch a glimpse of them and smile (that's what prompted this post, actually). but other days come when i really need to be reminded by someone else of the truth about myself; it's on those days that i scroll down to find the quotes and read through each and every one. i soak them in, breathe my body and spirit full of them. and then, i end up feeling as though i could fly.

so, thanks for your words. they are powerful, i tell you. every time i read the ones that you all have given me, i am reminded to spread encouraging words myself.

who knows? someone else might be collecting them, too.

Captivating Colors of Creation

"And God said, Let the earth put forth [tender] vegetation: plants yielding seed and fruit trees yielding fruit whose seed is in itself, each according to its kind, upon the earth. And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed according to their own kinds and trees bearing fruit in which was their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good (suitable, admirable) and He approved it. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day." -Genesis 1:11-13, Amplified Bible

random.

so it's the 28th day of nablopomo. i don't really know what to write, and yet i'm feeling ramblish at the same time. so do you want to come sit on the sofa with me and just chat? i said i wasn't going to show up for this football game, but the cheering was irresistable. and here i am.

earlier today i set up the (artificial) tree here in the living room. now the warm white lights are glowing. there's a quiet comfort and anticipation in their light. i'm so glad to be looking forward to Christmas, settling into the spirit of the holiday.

i told you i was feeling ramblish, right? that means little bits of things with little to no connection. here's the next bit: i was at the library the other day just browsing around, and a book titled quotations for kids caught my eye. (naturally. i love quotations.) it's a pretty cool concept - the quotes are arranged by subject, including everything from "accomplishment" to "zoos." here's one on "music:"

"even after a big bell is silent you can put your hand on the metal and feel the last tingle of vibrations, as though it were still singing to itself, private music of its own which we can't hear." -Peter Dickinson

and one about "names:"

"names are strange and special gifts. there are names you give to yourself and names you show to the world, names that stay for a short while and names that remain with you forever, names that come from things you do and names that you receive as presents from other people." -Michael Dorris

aren't those good? the book is really enjoyable to flip through - you always find something new! (oh, look - now i'm rhyming. *grin*)

oh - one more thing - i've been thinking about what happens after november ends. i've really loved writing consistently here. it takes away the "should i write?" question. i just write. and i like the routine-ness of that. every day might be a bit much, though. so i've been considering maybe something like monday-wednesday-friday posting. that way there would be some days that i wouldn't have an option (which is a big part of what has made nablopomo so effective) - and i could do more if i want to. best of both words, right?!

alrighty. enough rambling. thanks for listening...and have a happy saturday night!

On the day after Thanksgiving...

On the day after Thanksgiving, I had a wonderful time spontaneously crafting with my mom - and creating the first card in I-don't-know-how-long! (That's a long time!)

On the day after Thanksgiving, I fed and loved on and romped with a chocolate lab - and remembered how great big dogs are. So sweet. (This is totally not a put-down of my family's own small dog!)

On the day after Thanksgiving, I lit my last autumn candle and let it glow until the wick sputtered out at the end of the wax - and basked in that quiet, slow light. (Now I've soaked in my last bit of autumn and can light the Christmas candles with full abandon!)

On the day after Thanksgiving.

Grateful.

My heart is full tonight. I'm sitting here on the floor, typing with one hand and petting the sweet, snuggly dog with the other. I really don't know what to say. Where to begin.

I have been richly blessed. I look at this life I am living, and I am truly awed by how God has worked and what He has given.

You know the poem I linked to yesterday? Four of the lines capture my gratefulness: "Yet far beyond full knowing / There's a strong unsleeping Light / That reaches round to hold me / Through the watches of the night." It's that Light - that Presence - that fills my heart to bursting and opens my eyes to the beauty surrounding my life - the beauty that comes from seeing imperfect things illuminated by His light.

I am grateful. For Light. For unseen arms holding me. And, for the growth of being guided through scary night watches.

{today} through the senses

touch

lovely soft wool winding its way into a pattern beneath my fingers.

see

more bulb growth. watching these beauties truly is mesmerizing.

hear

rustling leaves underfoot. i believe there are now more leaves on the ground than in the trees - making for delightful autumn noises.

taste

mexican dip for supper. *so* yummy in my tummy (to borrow the phrase from some of my favorite little friends!).

smell

apple pies fresh from the oven and ready for a festive feast tomorrow. be it known that the creation of pretty pie crusts is a wonderful creative outlet. *smile*

here's one for you! go listen to these lovely words read in the most delightful irish lilt. beautiful in the truest of ways.