July 30, 2010

good is....


kind
beneficent
friendly
honorable
worthy
genuine
sound
valid
admirable
righteous
virtuous
proper
pure
reliable
dependable
obedient
healthful
beneficial
cheerful
optimistic
amiable
agreeable
pleasant
intimate
skillful
fertile
rich
loyal


- cultivate good -

July 23, 2010

stones of inspiration

tradition is important to me as a mom.
my children count on and look forward to certain things from year to year.
one of those things is jennie lake in the grand teton nation park.
it was formed by melting glaciers over 60,000 years ago.
each year our family hikes around the lake 
and up to "hidden falls"... an amazing 80 ft. high waterfall.
then we take the shuttle boat back to the other side of the lake 
and eat ice cream.
simple, but oh so important on the agenda.
this year i couldn.t make the hike, 
so this little munchkin volunteered to stay with me.
this is miss micah gabrielle.
my art buddy.   my actress.  my free spirit.
we decided to find some nice boulders next to the lake to sit on
then we got out our art journals and drew what we could see.
it was hard when "this" was our view.
we started talking about the beauty that was around us 
how we wished we could share it with everyone we knew.
share how it made us feel.
then i had an idea.  we gathered several small stones...
and "wrote" our sentiments.  little encouragements for others.
...then we headed for the nearest trail.
and surreptitiously stationed our "messages" for others to find along their way.
on rocks
on fallen logs
on bridges
in unused homes {hopefully}
on crispy branches
right in the heart of the path
tucked in wooden coves
on blankets of evergreen
on hewn down timber
from our hands we delivered our little nuggets of inspiration
and 
a new tradition was born.


what would you encourage others to
 do.  feel.  take notice of.   be.
if you created your own stones of influence?


-cultivate the art of inspiring others-

July 21, 2010

somethings missing...


oh, it was me!
i.ve missed you guys!
funny how you can miss the very friends you.ve never met before...
{well, most of you!}

i.m back and catching up on all of the loveliness that you spread through... 
your art.
your words.
your photographs.
your jewelry.
your stitches.

your creativity abounds!
 what a blessing you all are in my life!

July 16, 2010

sidewalk art...

there is nothing like a grandpa to lift the wings of two budding artists...
me and my little creative sidekick...aka...my 10 yr. old daughter micah...
took our painting skills outside while the weather is nice here in utah.
we layed out a huge roll of paper across my dad.s front walkway and had at it.
we only had to contend with a few ants, several spiders
 and a small furry critter who paused on his way to see what we were up to.
the land here is as green as i.ve ever seen it 
and the colors jumping off the flower beds are radiant.
it wasn.t hard to find inspiration all around. 
i love how micah wanted to know the names of all the flowers she painted.
 i, on the other hand was quite happy making up my own names for things.
my little mind figured that if they don.t have real names,
 then it.s easier to paint them because they can be whatever
you want them to be and it will never look wrong.

that.s one of the beauties of art...



{notice how i snuck in some of my art work..see..i told you i was going to set sail again}

July 7, 2010

...exhale

there is something about leaving the vastness of the desert
where 110 degrees is not uncommon on a summer day
and landing in the succor of mountain arms.
 magestic.  rugged.  cool.  green.  peaceful.
where a short boat ride across a lake and an easy mile hike
leads to powerful rushing waters.  loud and thunderous.
the grand teton in the jackson hole valley of wyoming
 rises 13,770 feet into the sky.
even in july the remnants of the winter snows scatter across it.s peaks.
for as long as i can remember, this beautiful country
is where i have played many of my summer days away.
catching frogs.  tubing down streams.  looking for moose.  misquito bites.

i feel so grateful that i have been able to pass this tradition
onto my own five children. 
to watch their awe and wonder and love for this land grow as mine did.
to know that they can recognize an aspen tree
and stand still long enough to hear it.s leaves quaking in the wind.
i love that they are imprinting their admiration of this town..this land
onto everyday movements in their lives.
i feel something so spiritual when i am here.
it is proof to me of my firm belief in a loving creator.
i feel so blessed.
i feel home.
i can breath.
i exhale.


{i am still on vacation, but wanted to share a peek of my recent world with my friends}