After the first blizzard on December 30th...
...the porch was pretty snowy...
...and you could see where the wind had popped up the tacked down carpeting on the balcony and made these interesting clumpy tracks.
I am always surprised at how much snow makes it thru the screen. I shouldn't be. It is windy up here. ;)
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After a short break, we had a second blizzard on New Year's Eve. I made a quick little video to show you how it had drifted in the parking lot. I had to stand on a stool to aim from the top of my window because there was so much snow plastered on the windowpane and screen below.
Took a few snapshots. Do they call them that anymore?
There is glare ice under the snow and this person had been trying to get into their garage, I take it--gave up, and left the car sitting kittywompus. Possibly out celebrating the new year?
Our snowplow mound of snow between that set of garages is already above the top of the garage doors...
...and, with all the drifting, the sidewalk to the main door is developing snow walls. :)
Yesterday I finished the thank you cards. I guess I made a dozen and not 10. Got carried away stamping the bare trees and had to make a couple more bases--hehe!
Was fun adding the white Flowersoft snow on the tree branches. :)
About 11pm I sat and wrote in my newly dedicated spiritual journal (have had it for a few years).
Red leather--and refillable! Feels like a new beginning, so this will be called my spiritual journal number one--and not a continuation of the "Angel Books".
I had already gathered up all my "stuff" in the afternoon--as I have been doing for several years now.
New Year's is a perfect time to dust and clean everything off and kind of recharge them all with good energy. :)
My Tibetan bowl~chime~pendulums (the wooden one has some of the monk's sand inside)~crystals~stones...
...tingshaws~more crystals clusters...
...an oil candle this year~the inlaid box Dagan bought me in Turkey filled with stones (the brown one is from Sedona)~Tibetan bell...
...purple glass pyramid box with a rose quartz stone inside (for love)~three rock and crystal spheres~ couple of little white angels...
...the glorious red angel (from Lynnette)~the huge crystal rock (gift from GA-long story)...
...the red crystal ball~the green angel of roses (from Lynnette)~the amber jar with the silver lid (under the red glass ball) filled with the blessed sand from the Tibetan monks destroyed sand painting mandala...
...the two cloth pouches that have two different sets of rune stones~and they all sit on the square brightly-colored quilted cloth made by Tibetan monks.
After I wrote in my spiritual journal for a while I put on MTDI and had a great meditation/energy work session. I suppose I should have a name for these sessions now, too. Maybe Soul Comfort sessions? (I just went and changed that on my goal list.) Anyways, was a very peaceful, special New Year's Eve night--safe and warm against the storm. Saying goodbye to the old year and greeting the new. :):)
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After that (being a little energized) I went and drug a box from my bedroom closet floor--the one with the old angel books stored away. This one says "Angel Book 37", but I actually found 38.
I haven't been in here at all except to throw another calendar in here for...well, I can't remember the last time I read anything in here. My guess is a decade or more!
These three stacks are the Angel Books. Kind of like chaotic diaries written to GA that I started after I turned my life over in 1993 (or was trying to--hehe!).
There was also a stack of calendars from my refillable old red suede--what would you call it? holder?--that I bought when I moved up here and started college. Yup! I counted--11 years I've been up here now. Levenger quit making the calendar refills last year, so that's why the top one looks different. I found a Barnes & Noble one that fits in the old holder. The folded pages sitting on top is a copy of the "Soul Comfort" sheet I handed out to people I did energy work years ago.
And I found a stack of steno notebooks I used to keep by my bed and write dreams in at one time! Seven of them, I think. Don't want to get up and look. ;)
Oh--I think I can see in this next picture--looks like seven of them down in the front stack there of everything on the table.
And I found five more spiral notebooks that I had used back when I was doing Morning Pages, too.
I should have had the flash on--but I got all the Angel Books in order and stuck them on the bookcase shelf last night--for now.
I couldn't resist reading the first one before I went to bed and had a really good laugh. Remember I said my brain was always going 90mph? Well, I think it has slowed down over the last 17 years--ROFL!! I was just throwing things out questions and ideas all over the place...and sooo very impatient! *she giggles*
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Oh--and I made out my Goal List for 2011, too. Last year's was much more detailed. I never finish half of the things on my goal lists, but I love having them nearby. Now that I have my new Mind-Body-Spirit weekly checklist that I started in December--well, I have a lot more of the very specific goals on that list, like for certain books to read, spiritual CDs to listen to, kits with workbooks, etc. Anyways--shorter list this year.
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Goals for 2011
- Keep up with youtube videos for both accounts
- Keep up with the Mind-Body-Soul weekly checklist
- Keep up with the Art blog
- Keep up with the new spiritual journal
- Bookbinding--make a journal with the 90 lb. paper
- CBP--finish bird and flower paintings
- CBP--try gongbi
- Watercolors--wildflowers and botanicals
- Watercolors--paint paper for journal and bookcard covers
- EDM--sketchbooks
- Polymer Clay-finish the rose bouquet
- Handmade Paper--set of red Christmas cards with white snowflakes
- Handmade Paper--try new techniques
- Cards--set of birthday cards
- Cards--set of Christmas cards
- Cards--do some sewing on cards
- Cards--learn how to use copic markers
- Cards--try some new techniques from StampTV
- Bookcards--make some with handmade paper covers
- Bookcards--make some with painted watercolor paper covers
- Soulcomfort--establish a regular practice
- Sacred Circle--at least once a month
- Organize the two bookcases in bedroom and living room
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I guess that's it from frigid Fargo for now.
Happy New Year Everybody!! :):)
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"Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach."
Tom Robbins
16 comments:
That is an amazing amount of snow that you are dealing with.
Journaling is such an important part of life. You seem to make the most out of everything you have and do.
Happy New Year and good luck with those wonderful resolutions. I quit making them quite a few years ago. My only resolution now-a-days is to be the best I can be!
Yep, that's a lot of snow. The drifting sure took over that one car and pickup truck. I wouldn't want to have to shovel them out.
Your writing is a big part of you and makes up who you are. I'll be interested in reading more.
Good luck with the goals you have made for yourself. I should try that one of these days. :)
Loved that quote.
Wow now that is alot of snow you have there I guess you look at snow all winter long up there eh? Thats quite a todo list you have there, Im not good with those lol I love how you have saved up all those journals, that is definitely something for you to look back on one day and maybe read them sometime. I could never keep up with a journal I wish I had though. My daughter does she is an avid journal writer, I actually got her 3 today that are very pretty that will be valentines gift for her :o) Happy New Year and stay warm, hugs!
Happy New Year!
YIKES on the snow!!! So glad we aren't dealing with that right now. It's been very cold though.
I wish you a happy, blessed and productive 2011!!
Deanna--Journaling helps me sort things thru and get in touch with what I really feel deep down, etc. Kept me sane since I was nine--hehe! Wish I had all those old journals now.
I can't think of them as resolutions. Gave that up years ago. I have to just think of them as a list of goals--or a kind of "hopefully to do" list--hehe! :)
AliceKay--Sadly, those two vehicles that were the most buried...that's the handicapped parking over there by the door.
That's true about the writing. How cool that you know that. I am better at expressing myself on paper than in any other way. Maybe because I have used it to dig down to the soul level. Thanks! :)
Lynn--I can totally relate to your daughter with her journaling. I bet she'll love getting new journals!!
Yes--we have snow all winter up here. On rare occasions we've had February thaws that briefly melt a lot of snow, but the snowbanks are still around even if it would melt the snow on the lawns. Snowbanks are like man-made mini glaciers--hehe! So it's not all gone till the snowbanks are gone. :):)
Jeannie--I hope you and yours have a wonderful new year, too! It's 13 below (F) at the moment up here. Now doesn't that make you feel warmer? ;)
I've really, really enjoyed your last few posts. They've got me pondering ALOT about life, purpose....all those minor things ;-)
Someone once told me..if you don't have goals, you don't have direction. I've not really been one to set "goals" (or resolutions) for myself - but pondering how much of my life is behind me ~ and how much may be in front of me ~ I know there are things I want to accomplish before I move on and if I want to get them done - I best set me some goals and pick a direction!!
Loved your snow pictures. Honeybunny's family lives a bit north of you - near Grand Forks - and I've been thinking about you all.
Stay Warm!!!
Your energy "stuff" as you call it - is so bright and colorful! It must be uplifting to just look at it shine in the brilliant snow-enhanced daylight.
The snow here is mostly gone and will be by the end of the day. What remains is muddy and dreary - but somehow I think I'll just take it over waist high drifts of snow.
:)
And I really like those tree cards! Will any of them be in Etsy?
Donna--Hehe! Funny how we forget about those minor things. ;)
My goal list has been more of a wish list the past few years, but it's nice to have. Direction--yes--that's a good term for it. It helps me with direction. :)
Yup! I'd guess that Grand Forks is a bit cold and snowy, too--hehe! Never been up there--yet. :)
Iggy--Ha! You read my mind! I couldn't put it all away because it is so cheerful. I'll have to by Tuesday because Dagan and Leah are planning to come over. ;)
I'd take the snowbanks and sunshine over the mud and dark days, of course--hehe!
Sorry--they're all spoken for. Maybe I can make some more later for etsy.
I'm glad one of us got more snow at least. ;)
Good luck with keeping up your lists/resolutions. They are good plans to have, so I hope you manage to stick to them.
I destroyed all my old journals when I lost my sight, because if I couldn't read them any longer then I didn't want anyone else to either. I'd kept a journal of my thoughts since I was a pre-teen, and had a book with me at all times, writing down ideas for stories, ideas for poems, thoughts, feelings, dreams, questions I had for the universe, etc. But they were for my eyes only, so when I could no longer read them I sat there and shredded every single page of every single book. It took me the best part of a week to achieve.
I always have good intentions of keeping a journal but don't follow through. I have sketchbooks and notebooks with lots of notes from when I take an art or bookbinding class, but that's as close as I come.
We have had the Tibetan monks come here for performances and to do a sand painting, then I was shocked a week later, when they swept it all up and poured it into the river to send it back to where it came from, I would never have thought about getting some of the sand from them.
I have several crystals and s stones as well but your crystals are much larger.
Hope you are staying well.
Sue
Tori--I have always been happy to get half of the things on my goal list done--hehe! ;)
In my teens I had finally become brave enough not to destroy what I wrote. I had a suitcase full of spiral notebooks by the time I was about 20 and a boyfriend I broke up with got ahold of them (a disgruntled roommate in that apartment in Anoka who didn't like the commune effect of me feeding people and people sleeping on the floor gave them to him). He saw I had things written about my first boyfriend--made a bonfire out of them in his parent's driveway. I always wrote, but I didn't keep anything again until the Angel Books, etc. And they are just for me, too. I can understand how you feel. I'm actually surprised I hadn't destroyed these years ago. ;)
Sue--The sketch journals or collage journals that I see so many people making online--now those are something I could see keeping and not destroying. There's a lot more art than pouring your heart out in them. ;)
Yes--that's what they had at Concordia College in Moorhead while I was attending. I used to go sit quietly and watch them building the sand mandala for days. At the end of their visit they had a ceremony here where they scraped the beautiful mandala into a pile of mixed colored sand--to show that nothing is permanent in life. They gave away over half the sand in little packets after the destruction ceremony. After that they had a final ceremony to pour the sand into nearby water (a pond with a fountain on the property). They explained that the healing energy will travel around in the water cycle of evaporation and rain or snow and that the winds will blow that energy across the earth.
They were the most loving people I have ever met. So gentle, but with an inner strength that resonated. So glad I got to meet several of them. Amazing people. :):)
Well, I think I'd still have all mine if I had the ability to read them still. But, like I said, if I couldn't read them, then nobody else was going to either. It was only that fact that made me destroy them.
It's a shame I didn't know you then, because I got rid of loads and loads of card making stuff you probably would have loved... Sscissors and hole punch type things that cut shapes, different types of pens, and all kinds of little bows, shapes, and little bits and pieces that could be added on to cards for decoration. I gave the stuff to my sister-in-law, because she was starting to show an interest in card making... She's hardly made a single card since. Had I known you, I'd have shipped it all to you, where I know it would have been used (and very much appreciated too, I'm sure).
Tori--I don't blame you. There are journals that aren't meant for anyone else to read. That's why, since my originals were all burned anyways, I tend to destroy mine.
That's so sweet of you. Leah and I do have plenty of card making stuff, tho. Never fear--hehe! I know how you feel, tho--when you give something to somebody and then they don't use it. Such is life, eh? ;)
*Nods in agreement*
I can almost feel the chill in the air looking at those snow pics.
Your Thank You cards look great...LOVE the tree!
I'm envious of all your crystals. I love that green angel....beautiful!
I think you have me beat on journals.
I have a dream journal too although I've been pretty lax at writing my dreams down for some time now.
Wonderful goal list, Rita!
Serena--You can come back and look at the pics and videos when it is hot and humid this winter for you down there--hehe! ;)
I haven't written in a dream journal for maybe a decade or thereabouts. Hadn't written in an angel book since 2006--and there were lapses with those for years at a time. Consistency has never been a virtue of mine--hehe!
I think I love the red angel most of all. Just because you never think of an angel and bright red! She's so powerful to me.
Glad you liked the tree cards. :):)
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