8 AM

Not a terrible morning.

I was sad to leave.

Nice, slow and green

Walks around the neighborhood at the beach with friend M. She teaches me how to reproduce succulents and rosemary and how to use rosemary to make a liver cleansing infusion. We pick eucalyptus buttons to save and to boil in the winter. She teaches me so many things about plants and herbs and natural cosmetic. She even gives me 5 drops of cannabis oil! Makes me want to try and make more plants for home and collect more natural bits, herbs and flowers to store and to use. There’s so much abundance in only one block.

Morning walks at the beach are religious. A few more days....I see my face on the pics and I’m surprised at how relaxed I look. And no, it’s not from the oil :-P

Last bits of summertime

 A few more days of extra simplified life at the beach before the yearly strict schedule begins. I drive with the kids. They help me unpack. We play tutti-frutti. We eat simple things.

My portable studio travels with me once more. This time I only bring jewelry materials and deliberately leave the dolls at home. If I bring the dolls I just want to play with them all day and I don’t work much and now I do need to work!

The Trees

The trees are here!

With foliage removable crowns... the trees are here!

Where fashion meets nature...the trees!

And I have to humbly ask you to try and see them in a computer screen since they're packed with little rich details that will travel through the eyes to the soul!. Oh well! :)

For lunch avocado with lemon,

For dessert apples and nuts.

Who ever needs more than that?!

I hope you like them! 

Sand

I must document the many great sand constructions at the beach this year. Mostly by Theo who spent hours building forts, towns and kingdoms. 

T. loves sand and rocks very much. At some point his fascination and collections were so big that I gave him the name of "Theo the geologist"

I remember his first encounter with sand when he was 6 or 7 months old. He was truly fascinated and let sand run through his little hands for the longest time.

Time has flown like sand between the fingers I could say! :)

Yesterday at dinner with family from abroad I could see how well my boys are doing. They are open, serene, connected, they are smart, they are centered, they can listen.

Proud mama cape for myself ;-)

Valentine-y

Trying to catch a Valentine-y vibe for tomorrow :-)

Botanical inaccuracy

I have botanical inaccuracy of four different kinds!
It’s fun and more fun is coming!

And if you think the only thing I do all day is drawing little leaves, you’re wrong! Between yesterday and today I’ve managed seven full laundry loads. (Old fashion sun drying style!!)
I’m recruiting the boys for a family fold up session.
We’ll see how it goes!

Art and Vacations

Except for time at the beach and a very yellow day trip I spend most of my vacation days making dolls. It's one of those times! I take my computer and jewelry working materials with me but I don't use them at all. Not even once. I'm not one who procrastinates but the calling for making these dolls is so strong! I decide to pile orders up for my return.
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I struggle with some structures that I want to add to the dolls. I visit 3 hardware stores until I find the right wire. I try to build what I have in mind unsuccessfully. I sweat frustration as the wire won't work as in my vision.

Until I finally find the right construction technique! A victory! But it's time to go to the beach so together with towels, water bottles and sunscreen I pack a plier and VERY long pieces of wire that I later bend and twist while sitting on the sand.

Another little story: I spend the best part of a day cutting and drawing about one hundred little leaves.

When they're finished I carefully pack them in a paper napkin...only to find out, the next day, that the napkin is nowhere! (very likely thrown to the garbage which is gone already)

Aghhh! The horror!

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This is lovely

Doing these while on vacations is absolutely delightful.
And the best part is yet to come. Stay tuned :)

Doll Making continues

Time and growth

Wild Flowers

Playing with wild flowers picked at the little forest.

I make spontaneous arrangements.

The vases are ugly but I enjoy this exercise so much!

Dilemma

Keep painting or make dinner?

Doll Making

Time to make new dolls! This is 100% play zone. I'm so grateful for having time and space to play!
Egg cartons in water are blended and strained and I have paper pulp. And with it, I make bodies.

They're drying on the kitchen counter by the potatoes. Can you tell which is which? :-)

And when they're completely dry (sometimes I get impatient and put them in a very soft oven for a while) it's time for a drywall coat. I like this "white stage"

And later I sand. which is very pleasurable.

But I leave some beautiful imperfections where the paint will overlay.

And while I do all this I may try a couple fun ideas :-)

Can I not go anywhere? Can I stay home and play with these all day? Pleaseeeeeee.

Serenity Now and the Inner Smile

SERENITY NOW!!!

If you know what I mean, you know what I mean ;-)

Often when I’m in the middle of ten things to do and have another twenty more to go and very little time and feeling stressed I humor myself saying aloud -Serenity Now! And I smile and feel better!

There was a time back in 2015 when we were going through a rough patch. A mix of PTSD, early cataracts,  and a couple other things. I was so worried that I used to wake up in the middle of the night almost every night. I would walk downstairs very silently, sit in my chair and watch an episode of Seinfeld or two to soothe myself back into sleep. It always worked! I love Seinfeld because it’s so good and also because it helped me that way. Like some sort of antidepressant. Now we’re watching it with the kids. So funny!

The power of laugh and smile!

I’ll tell you about a Qi Gong practice called the “Inner Smile” 

It consists of sitting quietly and as relaxed as you can and lovingly “smile” to your organs and glands. You smile to them, you talk to them lovingly as if they were your best friends, and thank them for all their hard work, that keeps you alive. Each part of the bodymind has consciousness of its own and likes to be acknowledged and treated with love and gratitude. You can go very very far caring for your organs and glands and fortifying them with your intention. There's such power within us!

Another way to say it is: we can use our mental energy, that is usually directed to plan and shape our outer world, in a different way. We can direct it inwardly, inside of our body, to benefit our health and wellbeing. A creative way to use mental energy that opens up universes within! Isn’t that a cool adventure?

I know well that we can’t control everything in the health domain and no matter how much we do, we need to learn to dance with uncertainty, but some inner voyages are so rich and fulfilling that they're a reward in themselves!

Want to try something that will make you feel awesome?
Taoist practice of Qi Gong.

(Free advice! Who doesn't love it? :)
No, seriously, you should go for it!)