Paint Party Friday Seven years!

March 30th is my seventh year blogversary! When I started blogging it was to hone my writing skills by forming  a twenty one day habit! The first few years I tried to blog daily, the last few years waned with random posts here and there. Today I post weekly, freeing time to create!

 

Digital enhancements of a  very small acrylic I did

  I never imagined I would meet so many amazing people along the way!  It took me on the most unexpected journey that fills me with daily inspiration and gratitude! 

Short daily or bi-weekly posts would probably be a better idea,  but for now this works best for me!  Even then the weeks seem to flow quickly together!!

My very first 2006 post that nobody read is posted below! 
 It could now be entitled " Who I used to be", at least until I turned 50!  The photo    during a mock marriage ceremony where a few of us took a vow  to be true to ourselves, by loving and honoring our creative selves. There was even an article in the local paper about the four of us who married ourselves!

Inspired by a Heartbeat!

I am homemade apple pie in a purple kitchen
A crocheted blanket strewn across a cozy couch
I am chocolate chip banana nut bread
Warm and funny, and I laugh a lot
I feed many appetites belly and soul
A scrumptious meal served with a pinch of sympathy,
And frank honesty
I am a pierced nose at forty to free creativity
A mosaic of mystery in a magenta living room,
Inviting to wounded spirits, I mend hearts
With gentle stitches of love
I am a bag full of brownies to the hungry child’s heart
I hear their sorrows with empathy; celebrate their joys with jubilation
I care too much, feel too much, eat too much, I am larger than life
I am moons and stars and the nighttime calm
I am cautious, careful and creative in existence
An eggplant bedroom is my sanctuary for solace
Books, Music, scrabble, politics and procrastination
Quiet in some crowds and not in others
Loved by some, respected by others, I walk alone,
Sleep alone, but I am not lonely
I am courage, compassion and conviction
Tragedy has touched me; I’ve grieved and gone on
A massive head of tousled chestnut hair I am proud, patient
And profoundly present as a mother to all

This is me on my last Birthday!

 I am a  budding artist in a gypsy pink living room
still full of sugar and spice, I try to be nice 
Married to Art and Words
 A fire burns to create 

what my spirit presents
I revel in solace and thought
of lessons learned, life gone by, 
and issues at hand

 Vibrant colors  feed my soul
in ways I could never explain!
I am addicted to their essence
 But I love Black clothes and cars too!

My mind is  busier than my body
 my phone is now smarter than me
  I relinquish  my torch of  duties 
 Out of necessity, 
  I count my blessing daily  and look for the good in all!
   Laughter is my medicine
for life's ills!
I love to learn
New things!
I am a sage mama
in a peaceful haze
 of joy!

Easter is a time for renewal! 

Is there something you have been wanting to renew?

Paint Party Friday to visit other wonderful artists!!

Paint Party Friday Remembering my Dad!

 For Paint Party Friday I'm sharing a few very basic pieces I painted then digitally played with as I was experimenting with my new android phone! 


My dad passed away on St Patrick's day 1986 twenty seven years ago, six weeks after my daughter cupcake, his  first grandchild was born.... What better way to keep his gentle spirit alive than to remember him on my blog! Dad was a menial man with a big heart!  At fifteen,  brothers by his side he kicked his father out of the house for striking their mother!

True love is Special

A bit of a wild child  dad started smoking at seven and quit school at eight! Twenty five years later he built his own house from a book!!! A very nice home it was. He  built me a  sweet little  playhouse with a dutch doors then  painted it white and pink to match our house! I was daddies girl.  I always knew he loved and understood me!

Mom, Dad and Me in the 60's

A wonderful  ballroom dancer,  Dad would serenade as he swept across the floor! Even after he died women approached me to express what a great dancer he was! There was no doubt he loved my mother, even when she was crabby he was kind.   Such a gentle spirit, his only vice was liquor. A quiet man could become argumentative and belligerent when he drank too much. It was the only time my parents  fought, still he never swore at mom. Sober he was the best guy and a great dad!

 True Love is Messy

As perfect as that all sounds there were times when liquor got in the way!! It seemed the nights mom made  the nicest dinners dad would go to the bar for a few games of shuffleboard and beer! Or if by chance she declared her love the previous night! Her ire esculated when he didn't call to warn he'd be wouldn't be home for dinner! My feisty mother would stew all evening. No measure of talking could calm her furious spirit! Instead moms little five foot frame would lunge at him as he came through the door. One time ripping the buttons right  off his shirt ! Knowing full well she'd be sewing them back the next day! Feeling no pain dad would hold up his hands to protect himself. One time she was waiting outside with the hose and soaked him from head to toe!!  It was all  pretty traumatic until years later when we all laughed about it!

Dad and I

Mom was always worrying about him driving impaired. Once she had me drive her to the bar to get his keys! She waltzed her five foot self into the bar alone, walked up to his table of three people, grabbed his keys,  knocked all the beers off the table, kicked him in the shins and  walked out!! That scene is forever in my head as I chuckle to myself!! She was so mad she couldn't even speak!!

 True Love is Passionate

 It was hard to witness as a child and I vowed to never put my cupcake through that!! Some may feel it's disloyal to expose your family on a blog. Of course ugly is only part of the story. My dad loved my mom implicitly, and he tolerated a lot too!! The moral of this story is that they loved each other deeply and we always knew it! Even though he never bought her pretty things, he did a lot of nice everyday things for her!  Mom died five  years after him at the exact same age. Even though it was cancer that took her, I'm pretty sure it was a broken heart she died of!   She was a good woman and he saw past all her faults and stuck through the tough times as did she!  They had loads in common and had lots  of fun together playing cards, golfing, bowling, gardening, dancing and  partying with family! 

Mom and Dad after 36 years of marriage. Look at her squeezing his hand!

As I watch couples have a revolving door of partners, I feel sad that they will never know the longevity  of true love in all it's messy reality! Their kids, my kid will never know the security of two parents who love and enjoy each other through all the ugly tough parts! It's a learning curve many will never experience today! True love in all it's ups and downs is complex and needs to be explained that way!!

True Love is Worth it!!

Were you able to witness or experience the longevity of true love?

Mom and Dad on his 65th birthday 16 months before he died!

 Be sure to take lots of photos of your loved ones! 

I have very few, this is the last good one of my parents together!

Years ago it was time consuming and expensive to develop photos, there is no excuse now with digital technology!

For more about my dad go here, here, and here!

You are amazing!! Paint Party Friday!!

How can women birth  and raise children, help friends,balance budgets, run a business, a family,a home, work full time, volunteer, facilitate large functions and celebrations, coordinate Christmas, Easter, Hanuka, baptisms,and birthdays and then doubt their own creativity?

Every waking moment our brains are in constant motion of what needs to be done!! Plagued with obligations, laden with guilt about all the things left undone! For calls and emails not returned,  for neglecting friends and family in lieu of necessities that take precedence! Wishing days would stretch and time would stop to fit it all in!! Women are human miracle workers! Still they doubt their god given talents, harshly judging their phenomenal abilities!! Why?

Lately I have witnessed such talented women question their own creativity! It saddens me to see an admired Licensed artist feel she doesn't measure up to her peers, in fact I see many artists  that way. While another feels depressed because her inner gremlin talks crap in her ear. I was shocked to hear a few family members admit their inner doubts about their personal talents. Wow this makes me so sad!!

Throw up your arms ladies.....Stretch yourself, shake off the gremlins and take those creative chances!!! Some will love it, some won't, but that's okay! Art is like ice-cream, we don't all like the same flavours!! It doesn't mean you're a failure.....

I am the lucky one....I create because I have to. It feeds my soul. It's irrelevant if someone likes it or not, but I love it when they do because it's something I have to do.  I have been coloring since childhood and never understood my desire for color, to be honest I still don't .....then I started decorating my homes crazy colors.... 

My whole life I've spent any free moment creating something,
either writing, crocheting or baking...because I loved it!! It's a bonus when anyone likes what I do, but not a necessity because I'm a budding self taught artist...who until a few years ago choked on that title!! I am taking baby steps and enjoying every moment along the way!!

All you creative superstars....please embrace your artistic abilities with verve!! Never let your inner gremlin take hold, because you are amazing!! So many of you at paint party Friday inspire me so much!! I bow to all of you who put yourself out there with such passion and I praise your diverse styles and tenacity!! Enjoy the process because all of you have something very important to share!! Thanks for being you!!

 A prayer by Macrina Wiederkhr

  "O God,help me to believe the truth about myself

no matter how beautiful it is. Amen"

I hope you can find some humor and wisdom
 in this poem I wrote in 2007!!

Mental Pause Mama

She’s a Mental Pause Mama

Forgot her keys today
She thought she plucked her chin hairs
But more came out to play

She should have worn her glasses
To see the ones she missed
Of course she’d misplaced them
They vanished with her list

Mental pause Mama
Wondering if she’s sane
Today she felt grumpy
Yelled at the dog again

Poor thing didn’t move an inch
Laid quiet, an took the blame
He didn’t bother to react
She’d forgot his name

Mental pause Mama
Is trying to find her muse
It did not arrive today
So she called upon the booze

Stifled thoughts many years
Being everything to all
Now in the dusk of life
She hears her muses call

They say “you go girl”
Grab your bliss and run
Favors canceled, kitchens closed,
Time to have some fun

Mental pause mama
Found herself today
She bought a bumper sticker
Says “I’M DEAF….. NOW GO AWAY”

What do you need to let go of to free up more time? 

I'm trying to stop being a co-dependent to people who tend to create their own problems!! 

 Please visit my friends at Paint Party Friday! 

International Woman's Day 2013 Paint Party Friday

Today is International Woman's Day!

 

The Theme this year is

A Promise is a Promise

Time for action to end violence against Women!

Sorry about the font it is typed in low case but is coming up capitals and all different sizes

 ......darn blogger!!  

  I wrote this poem for International Woman's Day 2006 and I try to post it yearly but it doesn't always happen! This time I'm filtering in my Paint Party Friday art work to make it visually more interesting!

 Treat yourself well today!

Mother, daughter, Sister, Lover

I am a woman, and I cry when no one can hear
I have huge dreams, I never share
I have fantasies, I dare not reveal
I have unrequited love, that is never recognized

 I am the white noise in the home 

Persistently preparing, repairing and doing at all times 

I love deeply, with vision, constant hope, pride and joy 

I have a relentless faith, in life, in god, in family, in future

 

I carry the burdens and secrets of others 

Hold guilt to my heart, where empathy, 

 Forgiveness and optimism obstinately reside 

Often suppressing passion, and creativity

 

I do my duties without fail, or resentment

  I stand alone in my failures and regrets 

I give, even when there is but a pittance  

I get less, expect less, and take less, 

feeling like I am less

 

 I am taken for granted, heard with rare acceptance 

I am courageous, beyond my expectations 

I am the unpaid teacher, waitress, homemaker, and psychologist 

I am the solver of problems, and scarcely put first

 

I have thoughts, I feel ashamed to share 

I have wants, I will never reveal 

I have needs that no one will heed 

I have a lonely soul, which I can not seem to feed 

I am a woman, and I cry alone, about what isn’t 

What will never be, what is lost, forgotten, not forgiven 

Not recognized, or realized, or capitalized, I cry about 

Poverty, and love forlorn, for loved ones, and love forgotten

 

I am a woman, resilient in majestic proportions

 I am a woman, of maternal magnificence 

I am a woman, with imperial abilities 

I am a unique woman, the queen of my family 

And heart of my home!

Written for March 8th 2009

Today is International Woman’s Day albeit we have come a long way in North America woman in less developed parts of the world are still suppressed. We're the lucky ones, with many opportunities at our feet, yet our own inhibitions can hold us back from being our true selves. Whether it’s voices of our family, from the media or judgment from our peers, we often suppress development of hidden talents, or unique skills because of insecurity or obligation to others. Sadly becoming our own worst enemy!

There are covert ways society has suppressed woman. Woman's Liberation in actuality cost women dearly. Instead of just taking on the home front, raising children and maintaining the home,with time left for a few self endeavors, women were freed to juggle a job, children, extended family while still keeping the house maintained. Making it difficult to pursue dreams with those mandatory obligations pounding at our front door. Families are now dependent on that second wage, and life in many ways has run amok.

I just heard on the news men embody the largest unemployed in North America, forcing some women to hold down the financial fort completely. It’s sad really. While some men can easily slide in the homemaker role, many men are feeling displaced in these tough economic times, while many women are feeling overwhelmed.  

Now I ask, what are we really teaching our children? Do you see overwhelmed women in your circles? What about the men are they adapting to their new role? Is life better for Women? How many women share in wage parity with men?