I should be working but instead I am sitting by the Christmas tree watching Christmas ads and short films that I adore. Bear is beside me as I am still working in the main room until I find time to get an office set up. He is snoring like usual. He was our Christmas puppy last year and he loves the tree as much as me.
I took the boys to the big mall in Kelowna tonight and we walked around but came home with hardly anything. It really is not about stuff anymore. We have very little room in heART house and none of us really want anything special. We bought one gift for Noah and it was under $10 so it looks like our plans to bake and make will be what we stick to.
Back to those films and commercials, my Mom and Dad are Polish and came here as children. I grew up with very Polish grandparents and loved it. It was about food and family and fun despite the men all arguing away often around the table about things I could only make partial sense of with the language barrier. My one Babcia called me Kero not Kerry to the day she died and Noah was Novah. My other Babcia was famous for her baking and never quite mastered the english word cake so I will never forget her calling out: "Who vants cock?" There were so many hilarious words and pronunciations this lovely film made me weep missing them. They came here with nothing and worked so hard and did everything for us growing up. They never pretended to be perfect and they never stopped trying. I come by my loopy nature and stubborn spirit from my Polish roots, I have no doubt about that and I am so grateful for those gifts.
Now I need to stop crying and get back to work but watch this and enjoy...
We are being called to come together as a people of a new time, with wise hearts and an inclusive and united vision for the future. Our strength and our unity lies in our diversity.
We have our voices, we have our creativity and we have our sensitivity. These are powerful agents for change.
Powerful words from Mystic Mamma. I was born under the Cancer zodiac sign and am definitely a child of the moon and affected by the moon cycles. I no longer dread the restless nights or emotional crashes, I try to learn from them. So much happened recently in our world. The US election results were terrifying and devastating. It doesn't have to be a terrible thing though. It is a great thing to learn from and grow as a society. fr I have had a busy ten days with the kiddos but I wanted to quickly share all of this Mystic Mamma piece. I found it very inspiring and comforting, and I see so many of you writing on Facebook how this is the worst year ever, or you cannot sleep or just general struggles.
Hope you enjoy and let's all embrace this November moon. Trump is a petty tyrant and we have the power to do great things from a place of love and acceptance.
oxo
We are being called to come together as a people of a new time, with wise hearts and an inclusive and united vision for the future. Our strength and our unity lies in our diversity.
We have our voices, we have our creativity and we have our sensitivity. These are powerful agents for change.
The pangs of animosity and division we have been witnessing and experiencing in the outer world have been rattling.
Know that this is our collective rattle/shaker, made from the bones of our ancestors and from the roots and crystals of the Earth. It’s awakening us, reverberating through our collective energy fields, shaking us loose from our indifference.
Let us now on this exceptional FULL MOON SuperMoon in Taurus, ground into our knowing and remember the feeling of belonging that Mother Earth offers us.
Spend time in places where the land is untouched and wild and you can align your heartbeat with that of Mother Earth. Allow her energy to soothe our souls, ground us and remind us of what is eternal and true.
We all belong. There is work ahead, but we are in this together.
We are the bridge, and we must each individually and collectively continue to work on healing the divides.
Here are the MYSTIC MAMMA Astral Insights from our beloved featured astrologers. First from LEAH WHITEHORSE from her LUA Astrology:
“This Moon is a supermoon and is the closest the Moon has been to Earth for 68 years.
“The close proximity of our satellite seems to highlight its energies, magnifying them, so that we can get up close and personal to this tactile Taurus Moon…”
“During this Full Moon, it’s time to consider what you hold most dear, what really matters to you.
“Even with the opposing Sun in Scorpio spotlighting the profound transformation we are going through, this is a time when we can relinquish control and simply surrender to the moment, especially as the Moon is trine to Pluto.
“We’re empowered when we enjoy the present, neither mourning the past nor dreading the future.
“We’re stronger when we let go of the toxic need to be drawn into intrigues and power plays.
“This Moon is a leveller that brings us home to ourselves and our physical body. The world out there can wait says Taurus. Be patient. Reconnect with Mother Earth.
“Black Moon Lilith is conjunct the Sun which means there are still old ghosts stirring in the psyche. The Taurus Moon can see them but isn’t going to get scared off the playing field.
“This Moon knows that the more grounded we are in reality, the easier it is to deal with our fears, turning them into raw, creative potential…”
“Taurus reminds us that the Earth is abundant…make the effort to appreciate what we have. Gratitude is key to our evolution as Venus trines the North Node…”
“Gemstones and crystals are created deep within the Earth, in darkness, under pressure.
“This Full Moon in Taurus, gives us a chance to appreciate the treasures gained from difficult circumstances, the beauty that is born from the Scorpionic depths of death and despair.
“Each life trauma unearths a jewel for the rich crown of wisdom.”
“There is a purging taking place. Release what no longer serves you.
“Be open to new opportunities. There is great reward now for your effort to transform. There is a strong healing energy with this Moon. Allow the energy to heal and empower you.
“The Taurus energy encourages you to align with your True Values. Make right choices. Create choices that support you…
“Get clear with what you want. Focus your intention on what matters to you…What needs to change for you? What does your heart desire?”
And from astrologer PAT LILES from The Power Path.com:
“Let’s look to some bigger cycles here…
“Saturn has been in Sagittarius since the election season of the USA began in fall 2015. Many of our lessons have come through that lens.
“Sag brings up issues of moral and ethical behavior and ideals. What is the truth?
“… Big lessons about who we are, what we stand for and a transformative time in our identity.
“Some deep soul searching, trolling of our shadow as a nation and huge power struggles are taking place.
“One can’t emphasize enough how important it is to hold the vision or shoot the arrow of the Sagittarian archer’s bow in the direction you want it to lead us…”
“Slow-moving Neptune’s Piscean energy is so strong now as it joins the South Node just days after Full Moon. It is readying to move direct after five months of retrograde…
“Letting go of deep sorrow, blame and victimhood buried deep within the unconscious parts of ourselves is our true work.
“Forgiveness, compassion, service have always been Neptune/Pisces’ most powerful tools.
“Our reward is greater access to our creativity, imagination and profound intuitive abilities.
“Clearing those vestiges from the past allows the opening of channels leading directly to the spiritual realms where you begin to work in tandem with all the help of Spirit.
“Do not underestimate the negative pole of Neptune: illusion, denial, escapism, and deceit. They will try to block you from your true relationship to Spirit and your own essence. Neptune conjunct South Node is a rare and powerful occurrence! Also a mandate!
“Asteroid Psyche also sits exactly at this 9º Pisces point bringing in the element of testing to burnish the soul so it can be worthy of the unity of love.
“It’s the elevating of the mortal to the immortal of the feminine soul in all of us. The dance of the masculine and feminine continues as the feminine awakens and evolves in the spiral of life.”
“The ruler of this lunation is Venus who just moved into Capricorn…”
“Venus in Capricorn is a grounding influence- so that the revolution (within and without) is not a flash in the pan but isdeeply grounded in our being.
“Now is the time to set the foundation for big changes coming in!”
“….When we look at the Dark Goddess we see her ALL OVER the chart…With the fierce Dark Feminine who shines a Light on the shit and shadow and sees through the darkness conjunct the lower will (Mars) and Higher Will (Pluto) we are challenged to raise her frequency up to the Highest level.
“Steering clear of power/control dynamics, playing the victim or the tyrant, being manipulative and/or controlling, and/or hiding in the dark for fear of being witch-hunted for speaking the Truth is so key.
“There’s a lot of powerful energy in the Dark Goddess archetype and she must be honored and channeled wisely.
“With Black Moon Lilith in Scorpio on the Sun as well- this Full Moon is a veritable Dark Goddess lunation!”
“I leave you with Ellias Lonsdale’s Star Sparks meditation for 23 Taurus…”
“The kundalini flames. Sparking that which will never go out once it is truly and firmly lit.
“An overwhelming sensation coming out through every pore that the creative fires are stoked, the situation is crucial, everything is gathering toward the need to embody what lives within in everything we say and do.
“A destiny imperative to acknowledge and honor and sustain the inner flames in outward life, whatever this takes, even if we have to make up for lost time and do it all now.
“A dominating force. Taking through us the earth’s call to awaken to ourselves as her most active and forthcoming power of evolving beyond previous limitations.
“Yet prone to excess, susceptible to ego aggrandizement, tempted by every variant on the theme of becoming self-important and buying into the sheer dynamism of earth existence, without rightful discernment and tapping the well-springs of deeper wisdom.
“The inflation of the archetype. The dazzling opportunity to bring into ourselves and through ourselves the will of the whole.
“How we deal with this kind of power is so very decisivefor the future.
“It is crucial for us to learn the lesson that the spirit flame is itself a threshold presence, a force from beyond, which we must express through us without getting stuck on our vision of our own special magnitude.
“Sometimes it is very subtle, the distinction between this self and all that we carry into the whole.
“And we are often here absorbed in grosser, more dramatic factors.
“The juggernaut of collective cycles and personal cycles converging and gathering momentum toward breakthroughs, breakdowns, whatever needs to happen, so that the fire in earth’s belly comes alive.”
Copyright 2016 Ellias Lonsdale All rights reserved.
And speaking of the the Earth’s call to awaken, if you live in the US it’s time to show our numbers and physically show up in solidarity with our brothers and sisters and elders who have been on the front lines at Standing Rock protecting our Mother Earth and our sacred waters.
On Tuesday, November 15th, join a massive day of action in solidarity with those atStanding Rock, and demand the Federal government and the Army Corps reject this pipeline. This is a movement-led day of action, taking leadership from indigenous groups active in the Standing Rock struggle including Indigenous Environmental Network and Honor the Earth. FIND OUT WHERE TO GO
*SUPER MOON* Blessings of love and light to all~~~
I awoke this morning in the gold light turning this way and that thinking for a moment it was one day like any other.
But the veil had gone from my darkened heart and I thought
it must have been the quiet candlelight that filled my room, it must have been the first easy rhythm with which I breathed myself to sleep, it must have been the prayer I said speaking to the otherness of the night.
And I thought, this is the good day you could meet your love, this is the gray day someone close to you could die. This is the day you realize how easily the thread is broken between this world and the next and I found myself sitting up in the quiet pathway of light, the tawny close grained cedar burning round me like fire and all the angels of this housely heaven ascending through the first roof of light the sun had made.
This is the bright home in which I live, this is where I ask my friends to come, this is where I want to love all the things it has taken me so long to learn to love.
This is the temple of my adult aloneness and I belong to that aloneness as I belong to my life.
Not my words or image, I just wanted to share because it was such a beautiful poem and powerful photograph. As I settle into heART house and the reality of it being home sets in I am so happy, it is my own house of belonging.
David Whyte has a facebook page you can follow his work. https://www.facebook.com/PoetDavidWhyte/?fref=ts
oxo
Luckily we have had some sunshine, I have had some wonderful photo clients this week and my boys are back for 12 days so I feel pretty lucky.
On my birthday a mentor and stunning, wise lady stopped in and shared a book with me that I have been reading since. I have read it slowly letting some things soak in, re-reading sections I really felt resonate in me. I always enjoy Pema Chodrons musings, but this book was what I needed to hear. I mentioned in my last post waaaay back when (sorry, insert embarrassed face) but today is a big day for me and I awoke to another message from this friend I felt compelled to share.
Oh how I love the idea of this...letting there be room. Allowing feelings, being real. Everything happens for a reason. All that we go through is a lesson and makes us stronger. I have had to say goodbye to a lot and none of it was easy or something I wanted to part with but things changed. Life shifted and I had to protect my heart and stay on path and let go of anything that threatened that. I had to keep looking ahead and know that every step forward would be something to empower authenticity in myself and my boys. I have made heaps of mistakes but everything I do is for those three little men and to try and show them to follow their hearts.
Cancer is my zodiac sign and it is me through and through to a T. If you are on Pinterest and a Cancer as well follow my Zodiac Love board and be amazed.
I LOVE being home and making a nice home for my family. Saying goodbye to every home we moved from over the years has been difficult for me because home means so much to me. Renting since 2014 has been hard, it makes me insecure and afraid. The ambiguity of not having control over things makes me uneasy as a Momma Bear. Today something very very exciting is happening after months of rather complicated arrangements...I am signing the papers to MY OWN HOME!!!!
It is tiny and old but it is surrounded by lovely trees and I knew from the first time I saw it wearing my jammies and a toque after dropping the boys at school that it was right. Before I even stepped inside my heart started shouting out "YES". It felt right. Like I said, it was complicated and is definitely going to be a project fixing it up but I am beyond excited and proud.
So, off to the lawyers I go to empty my bank account and sign on the dotted line and stay tuned for the images of my new to me nest and endless DIY projects to come.
Luv ya friends, your support on this journey is something that fills me up and keeps me moving forward always. I would love to have you all over for a house warming but it will have to be outdoors because the biggest challenge of my new abode is that it is tiny. Full of possibility but not without entertaining challenges for sure.
I am blown away almost daily by the art and brutally honest work my Noah is producing, he shares some on his page Accounts of a Flailing Mind.
It is moving, witty, edgy and emotionally stirring; especially for a Momma who worries constantly and feels helpless in his journey. Please support him. I am deeply passionate about with some of my volley work now in Mental Health. Awareness, openness and unconditional love is the only way our society is going to beat the ugly disease of mental illness that afflicts us all to some extent.
I share Noah`s dry, cynical sense of humour and this made me giggle this morning.
Driving to school in the mornings this NO song by Meghan Trainor is always playing and I sing it to the boys...although Noah probably wouldn't agree I think it pairs nicely with this. Girl view vs boy view. There is a huge difference between asking something authentically and just trying to hook up, everything about the bar scene culture scares me. I don't often go out but I joined some friends late Saturday night for a band at a bar and had a few fun dances and laughs with people yet I kept hearing this song in my head and I am pretty sure that was my heart protecting me. Love it. Wish somehow I could protect my boys hearts too.
Before I get back to tackling Monday's huge to do list I wanted to share another couple of Noah's pieces as I am so proud.
This is so powerful and true...there is a little devil in our heads. It makes our head overpower our heart and can mess everything up.
He just did this recently and captioned it: When you are trying to be a fish but it ain't working out...
So awesome.
Have a great Monday friends, thank you for your support,
A lot is going on in my little world right now, and like many other people I am having an emotionally heavy week. Nothing tragic or traumatic and I am beyond grateful for that, but still I am worried.
When my mind is racing and my tummy is churning with the unknown I turn to happy music for comfort. When I get a few minutes to sneak out in the garden I hear this tune in my head...sun, birds, spring, sweet love...little things to believe in.
Enjoy friends, sending love & light to those struggling everywhere,
Everyone loves Lego...it has been the longest loved toy with all my boys for the past 17 years. In 2014 I hosted a Lego party for Ry at Birch Hill and did this post, which is still heavily visited:
Here is an image from that post as a wee reminder...
It was a great party, and although I tried to keep it simple and inexpensive it was still a fair bit of work, but worth it to me at the time.
Well, this year Ry's birthday was the day after we returned from spring break and was passionate about another Lego party and lucky for me we found the perfect option at our local toy store Vernon Teach and Learn. They recently added a huge Lego collection and an amazing Lego themed birthday room. Now, I have never paid before to have one of my boys parties somewhere, I love hosting and planning but the Lego room at Vernon Teach and Learn and their party packages made it impossible to say no. Ry was literally vibrating with excitement after we did the tour.
He had six class friends and we were able to do it after school one day which made it easy for everyone.
The room was big and the boys were allowed to be as excited and noisy as they liked.
Everything IS Awesome!!!
The Teach and Learn team have done an amazing job putting together a museum downstairs with lots of Lego themed displays. There was a challenge to find the one Lego thing that didn't fit in each zone...the boys enjoyed that. The whoops of joy were so fun especially as they saw rare and very valuable sets put together like the Star Wars Death Star with all the ships. Everyone was calling out to me: "Take a picture for my Dad!!!" Sorry Dads, you will have to go, I couldn't capture it all.
They had hot dogs and juice and fresh popped popcorn and kept busy building cars to race for the ramp and exploring.
Instead of doing goody bags which I tend to spend a lot on we got the party package where they got to create their own mini figure to take home. The boys were so happy with this and worked a very long time creating their figures from a big selection of heads and bodies and hats.
Oh my, there is something so beautiful to my Momma eyes to see Lego so perfectly sorted.
Instead of a traditional cake their package included a visit to the ice cream bar upstairs in Teach and Learn, they serve Marble Slab Creamery ice cream.
The had any flavour they liked and made sundaes...the shop even topped them with chocolate mini figures. No one even noticed their wasn't cake.
What 9 year old boy would miss cake when there was a sprinkle assortment like this he could use as he pleased?
Awesome work Vernon Teach and Learn! Ry was so thrilled and thanked me so much and every one of the boys that attended said they wanted their next birthday party there...that is a big thumbs up all round if you ask me. To be honest I actually spent less than I would hosting myself and had no worries at all except a parking ticket when we finished because no one wanted to leave. The store also gave the birthday boy a nice gift card he got to spend to pick something from the awesome Lego collection upstairs in the store.
Signing off with just a few of the mini figures the boys made to take as their party favour; if you have a Lego lover in your clan whether they be young or old they are sure to love the Lego paradise at Vernon Teach and Learn.
"To invent you need a good imagination and a pile of stuff."
Soon the boys and I are leaving to spend spring break with my parents in Nayarit Mexico and I am getting so excited. My folks left in October so the family time will be wonderful for all. We didn't get there last winter and I have had a serious case of unfulfilled Wanderlust for over a year now. Until then every time the sun starts shining and I hear the birds singing I am slipping outside for walks and bits of garden clean up and just soaking up spring.
Winter is beautiful in many ways but there is nothing lovely about this grey, dirty transition to spring and I am done with hibernating.
As for Wanderlust I have a few places near my folks this year I will bussing to and exploring for inspiration and perspective. I have spent many a depressing winter nights lately exploring Pinterest and filling my Adventure Love board with places I feel desperately drawn to. If you want to share your favourite place you have ever visited and why I would love to hear all about it. Have you ever travelled alone? Tell me all about it friends. Work is falling into place and I am making choices to open up a work related travel option in the near future and value your expertise.
It is just Noah and I, with music and coffee and he is making a collage in my studio while I catch up on some projects and tidy from a fun gathering of friends last night. We have places to be soon but we decided to start the day off quietly.
Sunday is the first day of the week and it is nice to start the week this way, slowly and intentionally. Life can be too full and I feel like a lot of people just get stuck in routines that may not always lead to happiness. I want to make different choices and stay true on my path as best as I can. Over the last forty or so years I have learned it takes a bit of work to create the moments, hours, days, weeks, months, years and ultimately the life you want.
Here is a really good piece from mbg, mindbodygreen about setting intentions.
Happy Sunday friends, enjoy and I hope you have a moment to set some intentions for the coming week.
oxo
10 Intentions To Set For Your Most Authentic Life
Intentions are the fuel to manifesting your goals and visions. An intention will help create more clarity in your life, especially when the seed is planted right before you start your meditation.
Setting an intention is like drawing a map of where you wish to go — it becomes the driving force of your higher consciousness. Without an intention there is no map, and you're just driving down a road with no destination in mind.
That said, an intention cannot be forced. It's a seed that you have to sow and then let reap on its own. You can't set an intention that you don't believe in. If it's done forcefully, the purpose of the intention is ruined.
Here are 10 clear intentions to consider, as you move toward your goals and dreams:
I intend to manifest happiness naturally.
I intend to respond first, and then react.
I intend to witness Divinity in everyone.
I intend to lead by example.
I intend to be open to success and abundance.
I intend to stop taking things personally.
I intend to forgive others, and myself.
I intend to love unconditionally.
I intend to make meditation a more important part of my lifestyle.
I intend to make someone smile every day.
If you have another intention in mind that isn't listed above, go for it! Just remember to keep these three important points in mind as you set your intention:
Slowly but surely I am rebranding my work life. Snickerdoodles and Birch Hill Photography are all going to be run under the business name heART key studio. The process has been a bit more complicated and costly than I thought it would. It also seems life keeps me distracted, so like most of my blog work I have been moving forward with baby steps.
The heart key name is really special to me and it was a huge process finding something that felt just right. It works well with everything from my photography and social media consulting to my art work and art lessons. A while back I got an impulsive tattoo and because I have always loved skeleton keys it is a key with a heart opening. Read about it here with the Ink Love post I did at the time. My tattoo was done on a whim yet it still has a lot of meaning to me. Since that time I have received a lot of special key related keepsakes. My new little rental house also has old crystal door knobs with skeleton keys and that makes it feel like it is where I need to be right now.
So, when another business opened locally with the Birch Hill name and I was motivated to rebrand I definitely wanted to use a key as part of my logo. I am trying to follow my heart in all I pursue from here on in, and also have an fine art degree and want to get back into making art for arts sake so heart key just came to me. I worked in the beginning with a great local designer but unfortunately she had to leave the project so I went ahead and found my ideal font and drew up what I was thinking. A friend and SUP amigo Kevin who happens to be a graphics whiz made it come to life in illustrator for me within an hour of our computer pow wow.
So that is the start friends. I have yet to make a couple small colour changes or design a card but this was a huge step.
My first photography clients to have this watermark on their images happened to be utterly adorable babies.
Oh yes...they are twins. Daniel and Rachel were a joy to capture even though it is a tricky age with all the head bobbing and not quite being able to sit up.
There is lots more to come with the playful new watermark and logo and I also did a soft opening of a new facebook business page under the heART key studio brand so please take a visit and join that sharing space.
I am hoping by the summer all 1040 fans of the Snickerdoodles facebook page move over to the heART key page so I can wean my shares down to one business page. I am so grateful for the Snickerdoodles following and all the social media support I have had. You all are the best!
This twins image received over 1772 views on the Snickerdoodles facebook page and a recent share is almost at 11 000 views. Being in the social media business that is not an easy task these days. Facebook controls so much over who sees what and when. So I am keeping my fingers crossed I can keep all my lovely loyal readers through this transition. I will try my bestest not to nag too much.
