happy birthday lil sis

today is my lil sis's birthday..  i remember before she was born, i would put my head on mum's stomach and have long conversations with her.. i was just shy of 4 years old.. who knows what kind of things 4 year old me what telling her, but yet i felt i knew her.. it felt like i missed her.. 

oddly enough, we looked so much alike at birth that even mum couldn't tell us apart in baby photos.. we both weighed in at the same wee bit of 5 lbs 5 oz.. i often wondered if we were twins born 4 years apart.. maybe that is why i missed her.. we've always has a strong bond.. we have often had the same dreams on the same night.. ah, there are many seemingly unexplained connections between us.. anyway.. 

                       HAPPY UTERINE EVACUATION DAY CHICKY!

neurographic art - 2nd attempt

 

last night, i sat up late, in my living room.. the fella had long been asleep, i could hear his snoring thrumming thru the house.. i turned the television off and sat doodling with just a clip on book light attached to my art pad..

the negative emotion i  had clinging to me was "disappointed".. in what? well, i was actually disappointed in myself over the 1st attempt at neurographic art.. i know, i am hard on myself and how is it anyone could be a perfectionist with something as transformative as art? but all artists out there hold themselves to their own standard.. the first attempt was fun as all hell, but i didn't like that the finished piece didn't FLOW to me.. it looked so pieced together.. 

this piece, my 2nd attempt.. i thought about my disappointment, and as i doodled, swirled and spun, i felt that negative emotion leave me thru way of my fingertips.. what a therapeutic exercise.. somewhere around midnight i was calm and really happy with this piece.. i decided to leave it without colour.. oh, i know i'll be exploring this type of art more.. 

first time trying neurographic art

neurographic art - first piece - watercolour paint

so i was curious about a type of art that has been coined as neurographic.. it's an interesting enough concept.. how i understand it is that when you create in this way, it opens up new neural pathways and can be used to relieve stress, anxiety or fear.. i'm always interested in anything that combines creativity and wellness, so i gave it a try..

it was a beautiful weather day today, sunny but not too warm.. so i grabbed my art stuffs and such and went out on my porch.. being out in nature is always therapeutic for me.. before i started, i wrote on the back of the paper, a word that represented a thought/worry, that i wanted to release.. then with my non-dominant hand [left] i used a permanent copic marker and free flowed/ scribbled on the paper.. adding some circles and such, then everywhere the lines intersect, i rounded them out.. taking out any sharp edges.. lastly, paint.. i started with shades of green, then purples and ended with the blue spectrum.. [just the initial squiggles were with my left hand] 

maybe it works on calming my thoughts and maybe it's placebo effect, either way, it felt good.. of course i think the setting has a lot to do with that.. painting while deer walk by, birds sing, honeybees flutter and foxes come near.. it's already a wonderous setting [for me]

i already love painting and find it calming, so to concentrate on releasing a specific stress/anxiety is very much Law Of Attraction inspired.. what we focus on, we create.. 

all day rain

it has been an all day rain today.. it's entering dusk and it's still raining.. it's good if you are a flower or a frog in a flower pot.. so what do i do when it rains? i enjoy some rain, of course..  i also made a pot of soup for my fella, snuggled the kitty when it thundered & started a new book.. if i stick with it & finish it, i will share.. now maybe i'll indulge in some guilty pleasure & get my true crime fix with some lazy, rainy night tv..  

frog in the flower pot

 

when walking by the corner of my porch, i spotted eyes down in the greenery.. i leaned in and saw this big frog sitting in my cast iron flower pot.. there is a pond on my property, but i think this guy has the right idea.. no competition and right above him is a bright solar light, so i bet he gets lots of bugs that are attracted to it at night..

my green plump garden gnome..

vegan chili

 

dinner tonight - vegan chili.. i make these giant cauldrons of food and eat off it for 3-4 days.. freezing some up for when i have a lazy day or want options.. chili seems to be my favourite go-to dish.. i have a very restricted diet & i'll explain that in a different post, but my point is that chili has so much of everything i need & like.. it's packed with goodness.. 

i never follow recipes, just make them up on the fly with whatever i have handy.. this batch has the usual suspects of different beans, onions, tomatoes & peppers.. the variables in this one are lentils, barley, spinach, sweet potato & corn.. also, i love using a can of refried to thicken up the sauce.. the surprise ingredient was some mashed carrots i had left over in the fridge.. 

for spices, i sometimes use a low sodium starter packet & then go crazy from my spice box.. [onion, garlic, smoked paprika, cayenne, cumin, curry].. i added nutritional yeast on top before eating, not for flavour, but for the health benefits of it.. 

this chili has no meat, no dairy, no sugar, low salt, no fat/oils.. even the 'not at all vegan'  fella, loves it..  bon appetit!

a bit of my nightly routine

my evenings have fallen into a routine.. my fella & i hang out in separate rooms.. we like to spend our winding down time differently.. at 6p, he goes into the bedroom to watch the news.. then for him, it's usually sports, right now, baseball.. and he's a CNN junkie.. and i can't do news before bed.. it gets me up on my toes.. my kind of tv is true crime and paranormal.. when i am watching something on tv, i don't like to be interrupted.. i like to immerse myself in a show and it gets all my attention.. i am not one to leave a tv running for background noise.. i prefer silence, or my own thoughts or binaural beats.. so for a couple hours each night, i get some ME TV.. and now i'm winding down.. i open the computer and create a photo/quote image to send to my sister in the morning.. i thoroughly enjoy this part of my day.. it uplifts me to search for the perfect photo and join it to the affirmation or quote that calls out to me.. i am a font junkie, so scrolling thru hundreds of fonts is an odd pleasure for me..  after i am done with my blogging and computer work, i go into the bedroom and curl up in bed.. the fella is 2 cocktails into his own grogginess.. sometimes i meditate till sleep happens.. sometimes i read with my kindle on soft light.. 

does any of this have anything to do with the photo? well sure.. all of this is part of me creating my most joyful life.. i truly enjoy the majority of my days and nights.. 

creating my most happy life.. 

 

the bones of tired trees

there is something about a fallen tree that gets to me.. something so powerful & strong.. did it just give up? was it coaxed down by the wind? perhaps it was a sacrifice, for this downed tree has become a refuge for so many critters.. it has become its own eco-system.. the deer shelter from the wind, the foxes perch on top for a better view, the woodpeckers have their lunches here, mushrooms & moss have taken up the shady side.. from tree frogs to turkeys.. it's a gift for them.. 

i wish i could've heard it fall.. trees cracking as they give up their posture, is a sound like nothing else.. the very bones breaking and the tiny earthquake that follows..  it's almost an eerie feeling.. 

be the reason someone smiles today

 

just this.. nothing more..

this is the beginning of loving yourself

 i never know what i will title my blog posts until i'm done writing, because i never know what i'm going to ramble on about.. i open the laptop & start rambling.. letting my thoughts flow down to my fingers without any bumper rails.. 

i made this picture earlier with some flowers that grow wild along my drive way.. i love this quote.. if anyone stumbles across my blog, even if you don't make it thru my ramblings, i know that you'll at least see & hopefully read my talking photos.. self-love, self-care is so important.. how can we give anything to others if we don't start with ourselves.. 

repeat after me.. I LOVE MYSELF.. I LOVE MYSELF.. I REALLY DO LOVE MYSELF..  feel it.. then pass it on..  💚