Summer Fun

by Staci Louise Smith

Same old same old here, busy having summertime fun and working.  Between creating beads and jewelry for shows, and spending time with the family, there is not much time left for anything else.  Balancing work and summer fun can be pretty difficult.

Last weekend we headed up to North Central PA to the Grand Canyon of PA, for a long weekend.  It was amazing and refreshing.  So very needed.  We went with my parents, and my best friend and her family...who really is more like family.  Her oldest son is my youngest sons age, and it warmed my heart to see what great friends they are becoming! 

grand canyon of PA lookout

We were barely unpacked and the kids were in the water.  I mean, how could you not be?

 left to right, my youngest collin, my BFF's oldest Nicky

beers for us, creek for the kids

There was lots of fishing

 sr. fisherman

Jr. fisherman.
Yuuummmy dinner

some hiking

and lots of playing in the beautiful Pine Creek.

The kids took tubes, and we all got to have some fun tubing down the creek a little bit. 

I really had nothing prepared for a post, other then sharing the importance of taking time to enjoy life.  It was truly a beautiful weekend.  Even more then that, there was very little phone or internet, and it was good for the soul to just be in the moment, in the very place I was.  I did not want to come home.  I could easily move into one of those cabins for good.

fun with Gram on the porch swing

However, I am back, and I feel much more centered and prepared for the work that lies ahead. 

BFF selfie the last day they were there

Summer is hard for me.  The kids are home, and for them, its vacation, but for me, its a very busy time.  Trying to balance that is hard most days.  Taking time away, like last weekend, keeps me sane, and creates wonderful memories.  Not to mention the beauty of the tree's

and water and the appeal of the little old towns and building

really inspired me.

We came home tuckered out with happy hearts.

Now I am off to make beads and run some errands.  Typical summer day here at home, at the office.

Anyone else work from home?  Isn't summer difficult to find that balance of summer enjoyment and work?  

embracing change

mary jane dodd

 

'release' mjd 2013

releasing can be critical to your ability to rebound. 

metal work is shelved for me right now - 

so i decided to focus a bit

upon my use of fibers. 

a basket for wearing mjd 2013

to allow myself to explore things more fully

that i had wished to try before. 

soft summer whites mjd 2013

finding ways to make the knotting, weaving and threading 

from my youth

a bit more grown up.

grow mjd 2013

thinking of ways to make bits of this and that into something

a designer might like to work with. 

if you are attracted to using fibers in your work,

i encourage you to always think about the strength of your material

and how it will wear over time as it rubs against metal.

how it can support the weight of your pendant or other components.

i personally love using waxed irish linen thread 

for its strength and knotting abilities. 

if you're new to fibers and are looking for some inspiration, 

take a look at 

bohemian-inspired jewelry

a book created around the use of fibers in jewelry. 

i think i speak for most of us when i say 

that making/creating/exploring is not just something 

we like to do, 

but something 

we have to do.

if you find your life turned upside down, 

be open to new ways

of expressing yourself.

then give yourself permission

to sink into them. 

not only will you be learning

a new skill,

but you will begin to heal

in ways

that modern medicine cannot fix you.

it will be the balm 

that soothes your spirit. 

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reminders

mary jane dodd

'nature is an infinite sphere 

whose center is everywhere 

and whose circumference is nowhere.'

~ blaise pascal

on the east coast this week we are being reminded of the power, the reach, the wonder of the natural world... (mother nature is equitable, we all get turns)

and so i grew quiet and became attentive... 

i know that the brilliance of autumn is just around the corner...

and that, as always, balance is key... 

from the depths of your experience

mary jane dodd

life is bitter sweet - a beautiful struggle... and it seems to be intensified by the holidays... i have been musing upon this, needing to put my hands on these words to fully embrace both sides... cutting antique paper that has been touched by others... finding the balance... 


it is our humanity that is universal - we share these things... one year may be filled with more of one than the other, but it evens out over time... for one, for all... 


so if it is more of a struggle year for you, a wish to find some of the beauty is being sent your way - it is there, just stay open... 

'only from the heart

can you touch the sky.'

~ rumi

Balance

by Patty Lakinsmith

Mary Jane and Mary Ann's posts on this topic have gotten me thinking about this too, but it's not the first time. I went back to my blog archives and found seven posts with this theme. Maybe it's my Libran heritage, maybe not, but it's my holy grail to achieve that perfect attentional mix to all of the things that capture my desire and attention. It'll probably only last a moment if and when I achieve it, and then return to chaos, but at least I will have had the moment.
No, I haven't found the magic formula, but what does help me is to make lists. I am very easily distracted, and very unproductive when I've got lots to do and no idea where to start. Lots of lists of things I hope to accomplish, grouped by category: personal, art business, work, etc. Then, next to each one I put a priority number from 1 to 3, with 1 being the most important, and 3 being the least. I do this in an Excel spreadsheet, so then I can sort the lists from high to low priority. The trick then is to try to ignore the 2's and 3's while I work on the 1's until they're done. Nothing new in this, but at least the act of making the lists helps me to gain just a little ability to focus.

So what's it mean this Christmas? Well, our grown family has never really been into super extravagant gifts, and many of us have agreed to keep it low key, which is nice. Some years when I'm able I like to give charitable donation gifts, like animals to third world recipients through Heifer International. Then the choices are easy - does Aunt Mary want me to give a duck or a chicken, or maybe a rabbit would be better? Heifer makes it easy with online gift cards you can customize and print or send from their site.

But I do like to plan out a bunch of nice meals when we've got family gatherings, so there are menus to plan and grocery lists to make, and cleaning and decorating yet to do, and... Looks like the cards may not make it out this year after all. Oh well. Maybe an email would be just as nice, and maybe greener. Either way I'm not going to stress it.

the challenge of the season...

is not in finding the perfect gift, but rather in finding balance...


please know that i too am struggling with this - so it is not being spoken in a preachy manner...  and as with all things it is how you approach it that matters... 

'to many people holidays are not voyages of discovery, 

but a ritual of reassurance.'

~ philip andrew adams