because i love lists, no. 2

or, where i am finding the intentional process of creativity (otherwise known as art).

1. getting dressed in the morning. seriously, putting on something special makes me feel like a work of art. and on some days, a hoodie is the most lovely thing in the world, too.
2. the combination of words that catch my breath with vintage postcards - for the past month or so whenever a phrase or paragraph has stopped my heart in its tracks i have copied it onto one of these beautiful cards (the actual ones i have are not shown) and now i have a stack through which i love to sort.
3. all the little things that make up a home. (these may be more or less intentional, but the cumulative effect is telling.)
4. honey & jam's 365 photo project. (gorgeous, i tell you. not to mention inspiring.)
5. "tiny" works of art - handmade cards, a row of knitting, a twist of hair.
6. the simple grace of three tulips in a glass. (and yes, if you look at the photo stream in #4, you will see one reason why i have been craving tulips so.)
7. the ways we show love.

(i think this list thing could get addictive. like, really.)

because i love lists, no. 1

or, what to have on hand for the perfect home-bound weekend.

1.  firewood. a stockpile of candles to fill the fireplace is also sufficiently cozy.
2. quilts. for layering.
3. a good read.
4. tulips. (yay!)
5. a knitting project. or two. (to be supplemented with other enterprises such as watercoloring or cross-stitching.)
6. food. the snacky kind that's fun to eat. (lots of it. even though it's healthier otherwise.)
7. a hoodie and sweatpants. also, striped socks.

(it's a series. more to come. {unless, of course, i'm in the mood for something else tomorrow!})

on creativity.

i am making up a knitting pattern. it's just a simple scarf, but the creative process involved is *so* satisfying. one of my education classes this semester is all about encouraging the exploration of art and creativity in children...and so after discussing what a broad scope art really encompasses, i am seeing artistry everywhere.  (not just in my knitting.)

for instance, i know someone who does art with hair (hi, katherine!) see? ribbon, twists, and twirls. (it's a valentine's day hair-do brainstorm. turned out well, don't you think?!)

find a way to be creative - to be an artist - today. (hint: problem solving is creativity at its best. maybe not the most enjoyable for us...but think of it as creating a solution.) happy wednesday, all.

waxing...circular.

::i began writing this blog post in my head while washing the dishes. and looking at my reflection in the window that faces the sink. i figured i should get one of those "written in my head" posts out into tangible words.::

i don't know why, but i've found myself recently sighing for the days when life was simple. this only satisfies for a moment until i really think about the days...and there doesn't seem to be any simplicity about them. (and then i really think about my perception of the past and realize it will forever be skewed by something called "hindsight bias" - or, looking at things differently because you know where they led. so maybe, in times past, things did seem simple (and i can't see that because i'm looking back at them)...and maybe they weren't even simple at the time. and, maybe, it was both. confusing, huh? [please tell me that i'm not the only one who analyzes things around in circles like this.])

i was looking for a particular word the other day that describes how God is everywhere. it's omnipresent. omnipresent means that God is in my past. and in my future. and here with me right now. it's a fact i've been aware of for as long as i can remember. (translation of "aware of" being that i could have rattled off the fact to you. and mentally processed it.) maybe it's because of the familiarity that this concept of omnipresence seems easier to comprehend than the question of whether my previous years were simple or not. because, really...think about it. God wasn't always the companion i chose in the past. and yet...He is there. how does that work? my past doesn't change because of His Presence. what happened has still happened. (whether it was simple or not.) but somehow...His being there...His being with me...does make a difference. my past is redeemed. and i'm not talking about any specific thing here. i'm talking about all of it. incredible, huh?

this thought process may or may not have a defined conclusion (aside from the fact that God is awesome and i can't begin to comprehend His ways). it's just my brain tumbling around philosophical questions. (quite imperfectly, i might add.) and it's done now. thanks for listening. *smile*

this page makes me happy.

from my watercolor journal, a school project.

Author and Finisher.

i have stories to tell. stories of how part of my last college class of the week was spent making a model bobsleigh with three other girls. (out of a crayon box and popsicle sticks.)

stories of an outing with a friend.

stories of holding a precious little woman in my arms, when she was two-days-old.

stories of how i love tulips and have been craving them for the past few days, and of how i've been so busy that the blog posts sitting in my reader have skyrocketed into the triple digits. (it's not that i subscribe to that many blogs, just that the posts have piled up.)

stories of the people i know and care about.

stories of how the plot lines of home, work, and school intertwine to create this book that is my life.

and the story of how glad i am, to know that "my" book has already been written. and it has a glorious ending.

one hundred {and one} lovely things.

see if you can find them all. (click on the picture so you can see it big, and good luck!) and if you just want me to post the actual list so you're sure you're not missing anything lovely, let me know.  *wink*

have a lovely wednesday!

image made at wordle.net

lovely rambles.

can you tell that school has started? i am sitting at the printer waiting for it to warm up and then subsequently spit out my assignment for tomorrow. thought i'd just write to say that...well, that i'm here. *smile*

i've had a list open on my computer for days now. it's a list of all sorts seemingly little lovely things. (really, those little things are quite big.) eventually, that list will make itself into a wordle and find its way into this space. (not really. not by itself, at least. conservation of matter and all that. but, there will be a wordle. someday! soon.)

the printer is not cooperating. (or maybe it's my computer. something.)

didn't i tell you waybackwhen that you were going to have to listen to me ramble? you didn't think i meant it, did you. i'm here to assure you that i was most sincere. (only, i didn't know it.)

it seems that when i come here just so i don't forget how to open out into the space, when i come just to say "hello," this is what you're going to get. rambles.

just pretend it's a lovely rolling field, and the glowing afternoon light is brushing our faces. rambling doesn't seem so bad then. actually, it has a lovely feeling to it.

tell me, what is lovely to you?

you have to see this.

seeing other blossoms open to the day makes me want that, too. come boldly face the light with me?

quiet.

"courage doesn't always roar. sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying 'i will try again tomorrow.'" -mary anne radmacher

there's this cool guy i know.

and i just have to say, he turned 18 today.

happy birthday, bro.

something to say.

i must say it feels rather strange to have posted here so infrequently this week. (or, maybe it's strange that after posting almost every day for the past two months, i now think of three blog posts in a week as "infrequent." i can't decide which. you choose.)

whether it feels strange or is strange, here i am.

i don't really have anything to say.

except, i've been reading joseph's story this week - you know, the joseph who was sold into slavery and interpreted pharaoh's dream and oversaw egypt's production...that joseph - and it was awesome to me that pharaoh put joseph in charge of everything because there was no man that was equal to joseph, because the Spirit of the Lord was in Him. *abiding* in joseph's heart. making him unlike any other man in egypt. pretty amazing, huh?

i don't really have anything to say, but i did capture another handmade...this one was *so* much fun.

 

i don't really have anything to say, oh! except that sweet kaitlyn over at i stand redeemed has tagged me so kindly, and you really must go over and see. (i'm not going to tag anyone so i won't put it on my blog, but i am quite tickled to be tagged - thanks, kaitlyn!)

so that's the end. i suppose i had a few things to say, after all. :)

show and tell.

i thought maybe you all would like to see this before i took it down! i know this garland doesn't have to be strictly "Christmas" and i could have kept it up through january...but i realized last night that my room was feeling cluttered (even though it wasn't - messy, that is) and this was a big part of it. it's really amazing how much bigger - more open - my room feels once i disassembled my twinkling winter wonderland. (i'm sure it will make a reappearance in the future. i really did enjoy those little glowing lights.)

i made the "banner" garland by cutting triangles from various pretty papers and sewing them to a length of ribbon - adding in a few felt snowflakes for interest. very easy.

i really enjoyed making this lovely. (it's this pattern - made with worsted weight yarn and size 9 needles.) the scarf grew quite quickly with the larger sized materials, which is great because it was needed to wish a special friend a happy birthday and safe travels.

and here is the big picture of my most recent project which has been featured here in rather little pieces. ;) it's quite small, just the right size to go under my laptop on my desk. i pieced the tiny squares in a color gradient using this technique. (and some interfacing made especially for the purpose with a pre-printed grid, thanks to my sister who had some in her stash! i highly recommend this method of sewing tiny squares together - takes all the headache out of keeping rows straight and matching points...) i kind of winged this desk mat with the excuse of trying out freehand machine quilting before attempting it on a more traditionally sized quilt (i got a jelly roll for Christmas and am formulating plans). turns out that as a "little brown bird," winging things is right up my alley! (*cough*)

that's all for now...there may be another show and tell installment soon, but i make no promises! we'll see if i can bribe some people for pictures of already gifted handmades. until then, you'll just have to listen to me ramble. horrors. :)

written words::abiding

"spring" cleaning.

because it's "spring" to me. even though it was 36 degrees outside during my run today. (yes, i know, i'm one step away from crazy. which is...obsessed. wait. no. passionate.)

i think this "spring" thing has to do with the school year. because it's the spring semester that will be starting in a week and a half. this shortchanging of winter may also have something to do with the new year. it makes me dust off the old things for a final review, clean up forgotten corners (both literally and figuratively), and dream of fresh possibilities. the new year is all about beginning again. which, coincidentally, is also something decidedly "springy."

anyway. i think we've established the fact that in the ideological side of my mind, this is spring.

i've been doing my cleaning. today, it took the form of wrapping up the loose ends of a few projects. namely, the tiny "quilt" desk mat. the ten-year cross-stitch (it's #12 on the list). and, the little knitted skirt (the loose ends were quite literal in this instance). i finished reading second corinthians. oh, and my blog got a face lift, too. perhaps you noticed.

it's all under the guise of spring.

abide.

for days i have tried to envision my dreams for this new year. i must admit i've come up rather blank, because (the truth is) i have an immensely hard time imagining anything more...perfect...than 2009. i don't mean picture perfect. i just mean *right* perfect.

i've stopped trying to make a "wish list" for 2010. i'm just along for the ride. after all - even if i can't find the words (or even the comprehension) for it - what i really want for this year is whatever He wants. so here i am, walking into a new world of possibility, listening for His Voice so i can follow. so i can be with Him. abiding.

(it's my word.)