Five Minute Friday - Friend

I did actually do this on Friday but had already posted the four-letter word so I thought I would give you all a break and save this little blurb for today.  Hope your weekend was fabulous.

The rules are still the same - five minutes, no overthinking, no backtracking, no editing, the theme is 'friend'.  If you want to join in, head on over to Lisa-Jo Baker's site and throw yourself into it.

GO

I have so many thoughts bursting about 'friend', I'm pretty sure this is going to be rambly.  :)

My first thought is how wonderful I have found bloggyland to be.  So many wonderful people around every corner wanting to help, and to share, and to inspire.  I have never been involved with such a positive, passionate, caring group before and I cherish each of the friendships that have developed from it.  There are some gals that I only know through the blog connection who I would scale a wall for (and trust me when I tell ya, I don't really do the scaling wall thing).

The next thought that popped into my head was how much my family members have become my friends. Not all of them, lol, but (tempted to backspace here,..struggling) a few who have jumped up in my times of need, stood beside me, and shared their hearts with me.  I feel so incredibly blessed to have them in my life and I know that I would chose them as friends even if we weren't related.

(I warned you, rambly).

The last thought that popped into my head was the friendship with myself that I have been nurturing lately.  I have felt an incredible peace settle over me in the last month as I have been making effort to quiet my inner critics, listen to my wise self (a SARKism), and generally be more of a friend to myself.  There are other benefits I've noticed:  I'm more creative (I can hardly stop the ideas from rushing into my head), I'm more patient, happier, spontaneous, less angry and irritated.

STOP

Right now SARK (Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy) has a free (free!) video series on Awakening and Activating Your Personal Power.  I have watched the first two videos and love them both.  She has a charisma about her that stems from a very genuine place inside of her.  I couldn't take my eyes off of her.  Definitely recommend.

The Bird is the Word

Gloria over at New End Studio suggested that every 4th Friday of the month we do a post based on a four-letter word. Gloria mentions that your creation can be anything,...art, a short story, a poem, a painting.  Whatever.  So, my four-letter word for this month is BIRD.

That's right,...the bird is the word (do you know that song? or the Family Guy episode?)  Check out this video if you don't.  You'll be sooooooo happy that this song is embedded into your brain.  :)

Okay, that really isn't my four-letter word contribution though.  I took a shot at a painting tutorial by Marc Charles.  Never mind that I love his accent and would listen to him read the dictionary, lol.  He does a great job taking you through the beginner silhouette painting instructions, makes it so easy.  Here is my first attempt:

I really had a lot of fun doing this.  Can anyone guess what I used to paint this on?  If you want to participate, head on over to Gloria's site.

New End Studio

Five Minute Friday - Jump

I can't tell you how glad I am that today is Friday.  I know, I know, that's not a terribly original thought.  I'm just really feeling it this week.  This week's Five Minute Friday theme is 'jump'.  If you want to join in, head on over to Lisa-Jo Baker's site and get in on the fun.

For now, no over-thinking, no backtracking, no editing.  Here goes:

GO

Funny but the first thing that came to my mind when I read this week's theme was that old Pointer sisters song, "Jump".  Jump, jump, for my love.  Are you all singing it now?  I should be sorry, but that kind of cracks me up.

Anyway, (I want to hit backspace, fought the urge),.....the temperature here has been jumping around.  The last two days have been super warm (70s) though today is full of wind and rain and muddy paws.  I'm trying to enjoy it because tomorrow we might have snow.  Yikes.  I don't know if this is global warming or what, but I don't remember having seasons like this when I was a kid.

We had winters that were vicious and piled high with snow but they started in December and ended in March.  Now, who knows.  It's April and I don't know what to plan to wear to my niece's first communion tomorrow.  Are snow pants appropriate? Okay, it's not that bad.

It just feels that bad sometimes.  I planted some cool weather seeds (kale, lettuce, spinach, chard) the other day and my mother-in-law laughed at me.  She is skeptical but the little seed packets said, "as soon as the ground can be worked".  Do you think the seed packet isn't aware that we are getting snow weeks after the soil has become workable?  I'm not sure.  I'll keep you posted on whether anything comes up or not.  I checked yesterday and did notice that there are some tiny little weedlings coming up.  Buggers.  

STOP

Hmmm,...not happy with this week's attempt but I'm going to abide by the rules and leave it up there.  Has anyone else been experiencing crazy weather and a spring that just won't come?  

Tomorrow, as I mentioned, we are going to my niece's first communion celebration and dropping Libby off at daycare for the first time.  I wonder if I'll be one of those doggie mommas in tears at the doorway?  Wish me luck.  What are you up to this weekend?

Five Minute Friday - Here

Friday already.  Time for our frantic five minutes of writing.  No over-thinking, no editing, no backtracking (though you know I'm going to go back and fix typos - it's just who I am).  This week's theme is "Here".

If you want to join in, head on over to Lisa-Jo Baker's site:

 

 GO

The rain is cold and almost more of a mist.  I can feel Libby’s hot breath on my leg, hear her snort as she shifts position, burrowing her nose deeper into my thigh.  I have had to pee for some time but I can’t bear to move her or to lose this closeness.  She doesn’t cuddle as much now that she’s older, always on the go, and I miss her warmth.

Right now, I just want to be here, listening to the soft patter of the rain against the windows, watching her legs twitch, wondering if she’s chasing a cat or falling upon a littermate, wrestling the afternoon away.

I’ve forgotten how wild she was just an hour ago, racing through the house, a tornado of messes in her wake.  Crying cats and grumbling adults, tired of her grabbing their cuffs and forcing some play.  Forgotten how she grabbed up the bathroom rug, eyeing me the while, and then ripped out a big bite, laughing with her eyes as I scolded her.

Forgetting everything but how wonderful it feels to snuggle up, right here with my Little Miss Libby.

STOP

This weekend promises to remain coldish and rainy for us here so I'm thinking of heading over to doggie gym on Saturday morning.  Letting Little Miss burn off some energy.  On Sunday, I'll be enjoying the fabulous cooking of mom and Gary for my brother's birthday. Super win!!

What are you plans for this weekend? And if you're going to have some warmth or sunshine, please do share.  :)

Another Stack of Books

Look what the Amazon angels brought me.  Woohoo.

I still haven't finished the last stack, but you can never have too many books waiting in the wings, can you?  Maybe you can, but nothing beats that giddy feeling when you break open the box and pull out a pile of new adventures.

I picked out most of these books after reading Leonie Dawson's post "Top 10 Self Help Books".  I'll keep you posted on how I like them.

So far I have finished The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.  I loved the message of the four agreements and feel that they are truly life-changing.  It was an easy and fast read (I had it done in less than two days) but a little repetitive, so I ended up doing a bit of skimming here and there.

Amazon

Here are some of my favourite lines:

"Personal importance, or taking things personally, is the maximum expression of selfishness because we make the assumption that everything is about me."

"The problem with making assumptions is that we believe they are the truth."

"We make an assumption, we misunderstand, we take it personally, and we end up creating a whole big drama for nothing."

"If you always do your best there is no way you can judge yourself.  And if you don't judge yourself, there is no way you are going to suffer from guilt, blame, and self-punishment."

"If you break an agreement, begin again tomorrow, and again the next day."

I have started in on The Celestine Prophecy but am just a chapter in.  Has anyone read it?  I'm still working on The Forgotten Garden (loving it) and The 21-Day Conscious Cleanse (it's a tougher read for me but still liking it).  What are you reading?

Five Minute Friday - After

How did it get to be Friday so quickly this week?  I guess I shouldn't complain, right!

Time for Five Minute Friday.  If you want to join in, this week's theme is "After" and here is the link.

Lisa-Jo Baker