Better than therapy.

Clockwise: Thomas. Ambrose. Asher. Stephanie.

Ambrose and Asher love this song (Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri)...

and it cracks me up.

Ambrose knows about 90% of the ultra dramatic lyrics and sings them with feeling. He frequently requests it in the car and we drive around the 'aina quite a bit... lots of practice time.

"You're gonna catch a cooooold..." You really should hear him.

That last, grand crescendo in all it's glory... oh man, you really should hear me.

I sing it out to every one of my worries. Telling them right off.

I hope I'm not secretly on that show where they put a video camera in the dashboard to capture all the karaoke humiliation. In my mind I give this gal a run for her money.

But boy does this song, full blast, full-out, full of every frustration of the day feel just right. Like a good cry. HA! Goodnight.

A pile.

I have to grade all these. I should have days ago. I will by time I go to bed tonight. I will. Even if it makes me sick. And it will.

My life feels like this pile right now.

Lots of to-dos
grading
projects
intentions
people waiting on me
committments

cute little faces that are way more important than all of that needing lots from me too

a husband who doesn't demand much, but deserves a lot

health

sanity

spirituality

all feeling like a distant but important goal too

...

a big, messy pile. I think I'll make a master list with a great playlist as my companion tonight and fight the good fight...

so I can get back to those cute little faces and that husband who waits. Health, sanity and spirituality will follow.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

The boys now sleep in a big kid bunk-bed arrangement:

It's a set-up from the original Robertson children and just about everybody has had a turn sleeping in these beds, so it's fun to have my kids be a part of the tradition.

Ambrose and Asher had their first dentist appointments yesterday. Ambrose was an apprehensive champ and Ash barely let the dentist look at his teeth. Both mouths look fine though and the boys were pleased with their prizes from the treasure chest! Woot!


I got called to be the First Counselor in the Relief Society Presidency and I am just as shocked as you. I know. Odd choice. They probably didn't know I dressed as Madonna for my birthday.... a modest Madonna though. Or that I dress as Amy Winehouse for fun... a modest Amy Winehouse. HA! Anyway, I went from preparing a lesson every other week to every spare minute I have being filled with something. I had no idea the First Counselor did so much! I have new respect for sure and am learning a lot. It's actually really fun once I stop being shocked and terrified that they asked someone as silly as me (or thinking that just people in my mom's age group do stuff like this....).

I guess that's it for now. I'll leave you with some pictures from the day Ash and I tagged along on Ambrose's preschool fieldtrip. It was great day!

Creative Collective goal time!

We had a fun time at our first meeting. Everyone (somewhat reluctantly) admitted what they wanted to do with their hopes and passions and then we made goals to get started over the month of November.

What do you want to do? Write it down. Admit it to yourself. Make a realistic plan to get it accomplished. Tell us what it is! You'll be a little more accountable that way and more likely to get it done.

I am committing to finally sewing the seven bags I cut out for a future etsy shop. It's a big goal for the month of November, but I can do it!

Some people are starting handmade Christmas gifts, selling at craft fairs, baking or creating a Pinterest project for every two pins they put up, getting things up on their walls to make their house a home, honing their photography skills, simplifying their work schedules to spend more time with their children, stocking up on handmade cards to have on hand for special occasions, and looking into a dream business idea.

Pretty fantastic right? I was bubbling with excitement and inspiration just being in the presence of so many great ideas.

You can do cool stuff too so let's work together! Comment on what you want to accomplish in the month of November and I'll check in with you by the next meeting and maybe even post your progress on the blog if you'll let me! We can do the things we have always wanted to do because now we all have a creative support team!

Next meeting: Saturday Dec 3rd @8PM-- my house.

Bring what you've accomplished or an update on it. Come to get inspired! Come to plan and scheme. Come to hang-out with cool, creative people. Come for a foodie demo by someone I haven't asked yet, but am hoping she will do it because she's seriously amazing!
I'll even give her one of these if she'll do it. :)

Let's do this!

Jack-o-lanterns

Ambrose's fierce Jack:

Daddy's scary Jack:

Mommy's lame Jack: (I obviously spent 75% of my time cleaning and roasting pumpkin seeds and hmmmm maybe less than 25% on design...)

Asher's Jack Skellington:

(Can you believe Asher made that himself? He's so advanced and perfect. We're way proud.)
Have a spooooooooky Halloween everyone!

I gave all my students out-of-class assignments for today so I wouldn't miss one minute of Halloween fun with these shaggy haired Jack-o-lanterns!


HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Writing

"Writing is not for someone with a weak heart. It takes courage to keep going back to the written word and asking it if it has said what you want it to say, if it has spoken from the heart and from the truth of what you, the author, understand."

-Phyllis Barber

Saturday it is!

Seems like Saturday works best for most who commented on here or talked to me about it in person.

What: First Creative Collective meet up!
When: Saturday 10/29/11
Time: 8PM or whenever your kids are in bed...etc. -- I know my kids get down around 7:30 so this will give me time to clean my house before you all come over!
Place: My house


What to bring: Any ideas you have or desires to take your passions to the next level- let's talk about it and create plans to make things happen! Bring a little notebook if you can get/find one. This will be a really great tool for you when planning or inspiration strikes if you aren't obsessively keeping one already like most of us!

You can also bring a snack to share if you want, but no pressure. Bring any artsy, foodie, crafty, writer-y, photo-y...etc. types you want to join in. Try and come together since parking can get tricky.

I am so excited! I started one of my goals/hopes this week and I can't wait to share and get suggestions for some other ideas.

See you Saturday!
(All images from the ever-inspiring Anthropologie.com.)

Don't get it twisted.

Ambrose: "Mom I want to be a ray for Halloween."
Me: "What's that?"
Ambrose: "A tight-rope walker."
Me: "Oh yeah..." ??? "Wait, I thought you were gonna be a shark. Bruce from Nemo right?"

Ambrose: "Oh yeah that's right except I'm not Bruce-- I'm the other shark that eats Nemo's mom. That one's more mean and doesn't know how to talk. Yeah, I'm that one."

Let's get started then.

I have so many ideas that are just babies or little bits of something that should/could be much bigger. But I let "stuff" hold me back. I really hate "stuff"... don't you?

I have some secret hopes that I wish would happen, but I am afraid of taking things to the next level and failing. And other people KNOWING I failed.

I am afraid of rejection.

I don't have a lot of free time to dedicate to anything that doesn't involve caring for and spending time with my family, the job I already have and love, and maintaining my health and sanity.

I am insecure about my talents and abilities because I feel like there are so many people who are better writers, crafters, designers, cooks...etc than insignificant me.

I am not competitive at all and sometimes going for it and succeeding requires a little bit of a competitive spirit. I would rather give up from the start if it means I can avoid competing with someone else. It's not that I'm so great and nice or anything, but competitiveness usually means comparing yourself to others and that never ends well or trying to beat out someone and I never feel good about that. So I just usually try and keep competitive people at arms length because have you met a competitive person? They are usually really hard to get along with. You can never win with them.

So.... all these reasons and more hold me back from going for it with my passions in my life. I am sure some of this "stuff" may be familiar and holding you back as well.

I am going to look at that list boldly in the face and say, "Yeah, so?" and try and march forward anyway and go for it!

If you are ready to go for it too- let's meet up! I think we could all benefit from sitting in a room together and admitting what we want to do with our passions and brainstorming how to take these hopes to the next level together. If you live across the sea from us, let's do it via the comments section or email or over the phone!

Every good group should have a name so I am calling us "The Creative Collective" and that'll do for now.

This is a productive, supportive, and honest group. We are going to help each other and cheer each other on. We are going to brainstorm, create, and make great things happen in our lives. I hope this group will not take away from what's most important in our already busy worlds, but enhance and bless it.

So I think Ash had a good idea to make it a monthly meet up and for the first one I say we just all come with a goal in mind of what you want to do with your particular passion(s). You have to admit it to yourself. For example:

I want to finally get organized with editing and publishing, but I just need to bounce ideas off people before I make my plan of attack.

I have all the stuff cut out and needing to be sewn for this etsy shop I planned to open last summer, but I just need to go for it and I want to talk to other etsy shop owners before I start.

I want to make more things for my family and home and I like to talk to crafty types about these things.

I want to get a few freezer meals made for busy weeks and I wonder where to start.

I want to look for more opportunities to attend artistic events with my family or just with a few artsy friends.

I have a million of these ideas and I want a creative collective to brainstorm with and to lend advice or encouragement to others.

Let's do it! Does Friday 10/28 or Sat 10/29 at 8PM work better? The most votes wins. Let's make this happen!

Wanted: Creative cohorts

Tonight I'm craving a close-knit clan of creatives.

Someone who just licked their lips with the aliteration in that last sentence. Because it's tasty.

Artists, foodies, crafters, writers, photographers, poets, bloggers, musicians, chefs, designers-you know, those types and more.

I've been reading about writing.

I've been watching shows about baking and art.

I've been blown-away with inspiration on the Internet.

I've been keeping obsessive notebooks all over my house collecting strands of promise or whim.

I've been bubbling and crackling and snapping away in my mind over concepts and unborn free-form sparks.

............

I've been wondering if you spend more time reading about creating than actually executing the ideas that are screaming to get out?

Because I have.

The sewing society was fun last year, but this time around I feel like we can all take it further.

I want kindred souls to share and encourage the process. I want a band of geniuses reaching toward something more than an occasional night of arts and crafts.

I have writing ideas and sewing concepts and baking questions and art hopes and photography projects to explore and I'm excited.

And I want it to mean something and matter.

Anyone feel the same?