Juicy!

I grew up amongst some of the most creative people you could ever meet. Not only are the members of my immediate family extravagantly creative and inventive, so also are the members of my extended family most of whom I have been very close to most of my lifetime. My mother was always creating. And whilst she was creating, she was surrounded by other women who were also always creating and inventing and decorating and reinventing. My father also is incredibly creative and inventive and by trade also was with creative and inventive people. I pretty much grew up under that shadow of brilliant creativity. I knew I was always creative. How could I NOT be? I mean simply by power of association I should have been a creating machine! But somehow I couldn't seem to get my own juices flowing.

Over the last few years it has really started to bother me. Once upon a time I thought perhaps I would love to create greeting cards. That didn't really go anywhere except into my boxes full of card stock, snip-its, scribbles, buttons and sequins and magazine clippings... you get the idea, no?

Last month I received an invitation to decorate Christmas cards in order to raise money for the Outreach Pantry at the church we attend. I volunteered under the guise that my kids would be decorating the cards. I sat down and created 20 cards in a weekend. I didn't allow my kids to touch them. It all came right after Jeff Crabtree came to JCC to speak to us about creativity and pray for us "creatives" to get unstuck and to get our juices flowing. So to speak. Eventually I pulled out additional card stock for my kids and we all went at it with glue and glitter and stickers and, and, and... it was a lot of fun and I have since asked if I could make even more cards to sell for the Pantry. I think I might have got unstuck... at the very least, inspired! YAY!!!

Whirlwind Adventure!

"Shrek & Donkey on another whirlwind adventure!"

That's how I frequently feel in this marriage of mine. Not sure if I'm Shrek or Donkey... but whoever I am, Nathan is the other! My husband, like most I'm sure, is a man on the hunt, on the move, in search, on a quest... the great wild man at heart. It manifests itself in some interesting ways at times. I tend to be the "realistic" and "rational" one which really means the one toting the ammo and firing down the dreams and mighty acts that my husband would like to accomplish. He is so unrealistic! It has been my journey to learn to stash the ammo and use it against the enemy, not my lover. I am STILL learning to live in the eye of the storm, as it were.

This post comes, not surprisingly, as a result of another adventure in the works. I am restricting my tongue from speaking anything "realistic" - Realistic words get the red light! (and anyway, how many truly successful, happy, fulfilled people are realists???) Dream on, husband of mine. Take us on another whirlwind adventure!

Citified

This is no joke. I was walking to my car today with my girls after a lunch outing and some window shopping at a very fancy outdoor shopping mall when I heard myself say, "Ew! This sidewalk is not paved, it's so dirty!"

And then I burst out laughing as I realized, "I have become sooo city-fied."

I have to laugh, otherwise I'll cry. ;)

I Own a Mom Suit

I do. I own a "mom suit" now. That's not be confused with a "birthday suit". No. Definitely not. It's to COVER the birthday suit.

Let me explain: I've been taking the girls to the pool somewhat regularly but haven't been able to bring myself to get into the water. It's not our own private pool. I am usually fully clothed when we go downstairs. Sometimes I wear my bathing suit, but I usually cover it up with a dress. And then I sit at a table and try to read or pay some bills or take photos of the girls or listen to my ipod. They have a blast. I sweat. And I don't dare get into that pool unless no one else is around OR their back is turned to me. And can I just tell you the true reason? It's my body image. Yeah. It's still that. I have the same fabulous bikini that I wore on my honeymoon. I hadn't purchased a bathing suit since. My sister gave me a "tankini" hand me down about four years ago. I think that was the summer that my bikini stopped fitting me (after Mateja was born - nine months after I initially wore that sexy little number). Oh anyway... I finally broke down and bought a one piece "mom suit." The "Mom Suit" is what I call it because that's all that I ever remember my mom wearing. And now, here I am in her suit. (well, not really) I have to be honest though, you'll find me in the pool these days!

Our Love.

He's the man who makes me smile. Really smile. The times keep getting better. Our time gets better, we learn more about each other, we enjoy each other more and more. I love saying that. Simply love it. Love him. We are lovers.