Self Respect Paint Party Friday

Paint Party Friday

Show your face Friday

Summer of Color

  I made these icads (index card a day) way ahead of any thought of this post!  They were done completely separately at different times with different trains of thought! I had no idea how well they would marry with my words! A very interesting process!

Icad 26 Fitness

I was married young. I left my home with a brand new television as a wedding gift, and the clothes on my back. Later down the road I was given my piano!  Everything else I earned! 
As a child it was a privilege to have a second hand bike, each night it was carefully put away. We valued the little we had and nothing was left out! Every car I've owned I valued, keeping it clean inside and out!! Which got harder once a child came into the picture!!  Still I have always respected what I am blessed to have.

Icad 28 effortless style

I said a prayer of thanks everyday as I walked through the door of  dream kitchen in my former home! I revered it and kept it clean and tidy!  I felt so extremely fortunate that I could own something so beautiful! Many meals were prepared with love. Meals that were not always appreciated the way they should have been. To this day  I am sure to thank anyone who serves me several times, so they know how their love, thought, and hard work preparing is appreciated! 

 One of my least favourite Icads 23 Aura

I separated my laundry  so it was washed properly because I valued our clothing and how we looked. I kept my house and yard nice because I respected what I was so fortunate to own. Kept my clothes folded and hung up because I respected my space and my clothes! I valued the homes that  kept a roof over our heads... we were careful not to chip walls, or carelessly damage any part of it. However accidents do happen, and if so we'd repair and forgive ourselves because we knew our intention towards our dear home  was always good!

When I first bought this place as a single mom I sat in the living room for hours so grateful I had a nice place to finish raising my child. So many thoughts of gratitude abounded as I planned a colour for the walls! 

As things broke down that I couldn't  afford to fix I  was sure to feel grateful for what I did have! Keeping it the best I could. Daily we hear of people put out of their homes due to floods, fire, hurricanes. Each time I feel extreme sadness for them, I also feel extreme gratitude for what I  do have!

Surround yourself with good!! Summer of Color week #3

When friends visited  I put out my best. Cleaning and preparing to show it's best side before they arrived! It's always been a  joy to let my friends know how much I loved and respected them! To really feel the love of my space with my friends in it!

However the one thing I probably never respected enough was myself. Over the years I  often replaced work and serving others, with sleep. I developed early and was always a big looking kid even though I am only 5 feet 4 inches! I was never as big as I thought I was, until I was bigger than I thought I was!! For so many years my wear your feelings on your sleeve were anesthetized with a good meal, or  a doughnut.

Icad #24 escape your past

At ten the day after  I was molested by a distant relative,  I bought the biggest ice cream cone on the menu and ate it all!  When I didn't properly grieve my fathers death because my baby was only six weeks old a layer of bulge  went on!  When I didn't properly grieve the demise of my marriage because it was ugly and scary and my ten year old studied my face with  precision for constant cues that everything would be okay! Another layer was added! I didn't grieve the too many ugly incidents to count, when life was just a mess and my young daughter was at my side. Instead I pushed the pain down and looked to the positive! Layers upon layers of life I squished down now holds me captive. 

Icad 27 Conquer your own storm

I long for the days when I could carry around the weight and all the pressures of keeping up a home. I long for the old me who could still show my home how much I value it! I long for the girl with a strong hip that didn't hurt daily. I long for the young me who should have respected my body and my emotions as much as my house and my job! I should have got mad more, I should have refrained from rewarding my pain, and hard work with food. I should have felt my feelings head on, confronted them and respected them as okay..... 

For the last seven days of this really healthy eating cleanse some of the old greif is bubbling up.... I guess in order to properly release the toxins.... some of the pain will have to be felt too!  

Icad #29 escape shame!

I am not a compulsive eater that gorges, I have had to eat more food now than I have ever been used to. I just have terrible eating habits time wise. Sometimes I  never eat until mid afternoon...and grab whatever is closest in the fridge. Now I start  the morning with a green monster courtesy of Cupcake who makes us all one, and brings it to me.  I continue on with only healthy choices.  It's been great! This is not about weight, it's about health!  Any weight loss will be a bonus!! I am respecting the process...and my support team!

What drastic changes have you made in your life over the years? 



This is a hilarious video that proves art is sometimes 
more effective and powerful
than words!! You won't be disappointed!!
If Animals ate junk food!!

  

Random bits

Paint Party Friday

Show your face Friday

Inspired by love Icad  #15 summer of color week 2

 My post are usually quite heavy so this week I thought maybe 

I'd just toss out a few random thoughts along with my

  #icad2015 index card challengeinstead! You too can join

 in any time. It always takes me on a new path. A few 

years ago I  did  a shoe theme, then made this video 

at the end of it! 

This time I cut thin cardboard to the size of index cards since

 I detest how thin the paper is. I search  the paint for images...

and magazines, for words to piece together. It's a little like 

word association!! I'm really enjoying the process! 

It's also a bit of a challenge for me to work smaller!

Listen for a message Day icad  #12

  I love Lees work at "All about Me and Art" but she has recently changed her blog  and now it's harder to find! Her style is full of colour and whimsy!  I love Lees happy artwork, her posts are short, sweet, and she posts often! Check her blog here, and  her instagram here!

Always Hope  Day icad #13

 I also wanted to share a couple of my favourite Instagram artists. Annie Belamy's characters crack me up! She  writes phonetically with an accent as they speak so it's often like a puzzle to figure out what they're saying! Hope you love her as much as I do!

Shine On  icad #14  

I am also a huge fan of Lizabethannart she's doing faces at the moment but it's her big eyed children that I am in love with in all their many cute poses!

Humans of New york has been a favourite since I first started instagram, it's extremely heartfelt and I love it!   

I have an instagram guilty pleasure, hes an internet sensation that I'm afraid might not appeal to my readers so I'm not sharing it...many probably have him on your feed....however if you don't mind  swearing and want to know who it is, just email me...  he  makes me laugh daily! Can anyone guess who it is?

 Imagine Love Icad #14 I really don't like this one...but it works for soc too!

 A couple of months ago I was bleaching some white cloths with just a touch of bleach. I accidentally tossed in  Beardos really nice, light blue shirt with yellow polka-dots before thinking twice! I loved that shirt so much, he did too...and sadly the bleach took out the blue. I was so upset I bought him a new shirt. In the meantime Cupcake got on her tye dying kick and decided to take the ruined shirt and give it a shot! The results were wonderful and now he has a  Tye dye dress shirt that is all the envy of his workmates! Phew...now it's one of his new favourites!! The best part, he wasn't even mad at me, instead he kept laughing because I was so upset!

New Miracle Icad #16

I bought my own clothes with baby sitting money from the age of 13 on. I had a top I just loved!  It went missing. I looked high and low for my favourite top to no avail!  I asked my mom several times if she had seen it! After days of whining about my shirt...mom, snickering to herself,  finally pulled the shirt from her hiding place.  It had shrunk to the size of a dolls top, she was afraid to tell me....I was so angry.... but in retrospect it was pretty funny.  

Dream Play Icade #17

A couple of weeks back when I posted about my friends phenomenal memory about dates, likening her talent to a savant.....Well lo and behold my dear friend reads my blog and signed my Birthday Card....From the Savant...Oh my goodness did we have a good laugh!!
Thankfully she has the most amazing sense of humour and reminds me a lot of my blog friend Traceyfletcherking!

Dazzle your mind Icad #18

I'm on day four of a cleanse with Beardo and Cupcake! Basically we have omitted, dairy, sugar, white flour and all goodies in the free world....the kind I love. A while back I stopped using an artificial sweetner in my coffee.... Truth be told Beardo kindly weaned me off it! So life is very full of veggies which it always was, only now I have to eat way more often than I ever have before!! Doing it as a family is a lot easier!!

Dare to Bare your art! Icad 19

Day one I took a sip of the  recommended shake Cupcake made following the recipe perfectly...and thought....Yeah, I CAN'T do this....
then I tried a few more sips, chased with my coffee.... it was okay...Proudly I drank three quarters of the shake, then went to take another sip and gagged so bad...yeah NEVER drinking that again.. Cupcake managed to get  them down, three days in a row, then opted to make her own version,  a tastier one. She is the best drink maker ever!! Beardo didn't like the recommended version either, but managed two days before he switched too a tastier one! ! It filled us up...just tasted like poo....well not poo....I've never had poo...but it was bitter and how I imagine poo to taste... I think it was the cranberries and chia seeds... not sure..
. thankfully I now have a few fresh berries instead.

Rich in Fun Icad  #20

Both my daughter and I are very good cooks, and Beardo is excellent at the two B's
 Baking and Barbequing, oh and he makes a mean fancy grilled cheese! Darn why did I say grilled cheese.....I want cheese....
We all like tasty food!! Thankfully Cupcake knows how to make all the cleanse food tasty. After the ten days I'm pretty sure we will adopt some of these good habits!! I do miss my potato covered in junk though....and pasta...but that's it..... I CAN DO THIS!!   No one is weighing themselves...we are just gauging things by how our body feels. I'm going to eat my chicken salad now..... Have a great week!!

What is your least favourite food? 
Mine is beef stew..please don't tell me how you make the best stew in the world  with beef tenderloin and I would love it... I have detested it since I went to bed hungry at three...and have not eaten it since...Apparently even I can make a good beef stew....but after I divorced I vowed to never make it again... and I never will... I despise  the smell of beef simmering... that's why it repulses me.  Doesn't matter how good that stew is....I plead vegetarian on that front... I'm NOT eating it!!

Appreciating the Light Paint Party Friday

 Paint Party Friday

 Art it Friday -Show your face

Icad 2015

Art Journal Journey

Icad #11

Life has ups and downs as we all know.Sadly the dark days are not always predictable and  often difficult to get through. At the moment we think how will this every get better!! Yet it does!! The grief lightens in time and the good memories push through, blocking out the hard memories! It's human nature to want to remember the good and happy things over nastiness! It's easier on the soul!

Summer of Colour!

 Unfortunately it's the dark memories that teach us the most!! The dark moments remind us just how good the light can feel. It teaches us to appreciate good health, laughter, and love in a way nothing else can! It teaches us to appreciate the here and now! Unfortunately, or is it fortunately, I got to learn those lessons young!

I have made many mistakes in my lifetime. I've been boisterous and  unforgiving at times! Now that the whole picture is laid out in front of me, I have more clarity to know some of my choices weren't always the best, but they brought me to a life of peace and  wisdom I have today! Much of which I wouldn't change.

Everything I've struggled through has made me stronger, more loving, more appreciative, more grateful, more humble and less petty! It's difficult for me to stand by and to watch any woman go through a difficult time and not want to share my wisdom of my experience!

Masculine Profile Face

Mix it Monthly

These are a few things I would say to women going through a difficult divorce.

1. Keep yourself safe, it's a vulnerable time, when people are losing their family it's possible for even the nicest person to snap and become threatening!
2. Copy and send a dated sealed envelope of all your most important papers to a trusted friend or relative. You never know if you might have to bolt! Make and hide an extra set of keys too!
3.Keep a secret diary of every disturbing incident that occurs. 
4.People act in ways during divorce that you can never imagine....no matter what is done to you...always stay civil... it gives you the edge!
5. Try whenever possible to be amicable...it will save you tons of money! Don't be surprised if it's impossible though!
 6. You will NEVER say," Gee I wish I'd stayed in that bad marriage longer!

 Icad #10 New True Love " ART"

Things I would say to someone who lost their career.

1. There is something wonderful and different down the pike!
2 Trust that you have a vessel of internal gifts yet to be discovered and developed
3 Something new is waiting to be hatched!
4  Scale down if you must and ask yourself," what do I really NEED to be happy?" Its surprising how little that can be.

Icad #8 Art Changed my life!

Lastly what I'd say to someone facing grief

1. Give into the pain in small intervals
2. Make peace with your loss... write it out, draw it out, commemorate it some way!
3. Find a diversion and change up your routines
2. Find something new to dwell on, a hobby, a person, a home....others less fortunate!
3. Be kind to yourself. That means doing more of what you love!
4. Change some of your normal traditions for a bit
5. Get through the first year with the support of friends and family! Accept all invitations!

Icad #7 Create your OWN lifestyle!

 Icad #9 Home is Love

What dark moment changed your life in a good way?

Nuances Paint Party Friday!

Paint Party Friday

 Art it Friday - Show your face

Art Journal Journey

#Icad2015

Icad #6 Feminine

Paint Party Friday

Whether you divorce or someone dies,  the first year can be so difficult as you pass through each season of celebrations alone. When Beth recounted on her blog the nuances she misses about her husband I was reminded about all those little things that run through my mind daily left unexpressed!!

Masculine

Last weeks at lunch with my friend  I kept thinking her hair is so pretty and she looks so healthy and beautiful... (earlier this year she had an operation) finally I said something to her! She never thinks that way about herself but she really was so beautiful  in that moment!! 

I love the way Beardos  hair falls in a curl over his forehead when he's speaking to me. The way his musicians hands move ever  so gently for a big guy. The way he folds laundry so perfectly like his mom, a mother of ten children! 

A few weeks ago I had lunch with Gypsy Goddess she has the most beautiful mop of long blond curls...she could let it go gray, still it would be glorious. That day it looked particularly pretty, and I said so! She asked me why.. it took me back as I stalled to ponder why it looked so gorgeous. That's when I noticed she had some natural roots, I said it looks soft and beautifully natural! It really did!!

Four years ago on her 50th birthday we had an art party for her!

Sometimes we just don't know why someone looks more beautiful one day than the other!!  Sometimes her hair is  more unruly and wild and I still love it!  I think I would grieve her hair if she ever  cut it!! I am so used to it being her signature hair added to my  great memories of everything we've done together! It's ultimately my favorite kind of hair...and I used to perm my mane in curls like hers!  One of Cupcakes fondest  memories from years ago was watching us together on the amusement park ride the scrambler,  our long  curls interlocking as we screamed and laughed with glee trying not to slide around  on our seat!

Icad #4

After work both kids change into cozy clothes... Cupcake wears these adorable capri length black tights and tee shirt with her hair in a bun. She looks and moves like a little dancer, even though she's not. I just love that silly outfit and  the  bare calf of her legs... when she was a toddler I loved them showing too... those simple little nuances make me happy...silly really, but they do..

Icad #5

When Cupcake is cooking or makes us all amazing green monster drinks her excitement makes already delicious cuisine taste  even better!! The love she puts into everything is so appealing to watch!

Some days when she arrives  home from work  I think...wow she looks so stunning... hair glistening wearing colours that make my heart skip a beat! Maybe it's just our soul shining through that makes us more beautiful one day than the other, and maybe it's just a darn good sleep the night before!!

Icad #2

Cupcake gets so excited, acting like a school girl whose just  been asked to prom, when she receives a free coupon item or a free t-shirt for Beardo that says" who needs pants."  The squeals of joy are infectious and even though I have nothing to do with it, it makes me feel so joyful!

When Beardo chimes in a melodic "Hello" or "Hellur" as he opens the front door, and I meet his sound with a goofy greeting of a stretched out  HELLLUUR....like  Madia does in the Tyler Perry movies! He knows it's my term of endearment....which he will mimic back on occasion! I feel pure love for my son-in-law!!

Icad #3 Masculine

Mix it Monthly 

I love that we always wait to eat together almost every night, and that we ask each other how our day was every single day and we know the answers! I love that every single time they leave the house or on their way home they both ask if I need anything, more than willing to stop off and get it, not thinking twice. Ninety nine percent of the time my answer is no, I don't need anything, yet they still ask! Even when I tell them not to buy me a Slurpee even though I love them, they still ask if I want one!!

I am meeting with a dear friend  for lunch, she remembers dates like a savant.  I love that about her! When we reminisce she always remembers the exact date and year of every fun event! ! I love it, and it's a natural part of who she is!! I can't wait! I'm going to tell her how much I love that part of her this weekend!!

Not all nuances about people are nice, some can annoy us too! Personally I choose to focus on the good ones, they are way more joyful!!

Icad #1

How about you, what are the little things in your brain that you think about your loved ones that you forget to express!

The following story made me cry!

This is why," In the end, only kindness matters!

 Cupcake wrote this on her instagram with this photo:

On my way to work this morning I offered a man that seemed like he was in pain my seat on the very busy Skytrain. He said no, I said are you sure, sit I don't mind. He refused, said he was off in 2 stops and leaned against the door. As he got off the train he put something in my hand... It startled me... (to be honest I was a little nervous at first ) He said that's for offering your seat. Thank you and have a great day. Before I could look at it and say thank you he was gone. Not sure if he made it (by the looks of his hands, he may have)

On her facebook Jessica wrote : That is an Indian carving and a great token of respect and wisdom. Cherish that for life and know that your heart is pure. Thats what i love about you pepper


I love non destructive, tasteful graffiti! Look at what these old folks are doing to banish ageism!