Progress and Beauty................

PROGRESS:
1. Dolls in progress and I am energized by them; incorporating some new twists.............no surprise there..........right? That's how "I roll". Always something new to make my life interesting and exciting.

2. Lightening the load.................almost every closet and drawer has now been gone over with a discerning eye; what do I need, what do I love, what will I use in the next year! Wow........trip after trip to the second-hand store; most intentional donations..........a few not intentional-but you know there must be some very happy warm person who now dons my heavy winter coat saying thank you! I have to say that my children were instrumental in helping me to see that it is time to clean out and trim down "things". They remind me to be my best self I need to give away what I don't need.

3. Creative endeavors are increasing. Public Do's are a good way for me to use my creative energies. Allowing my creative ideas to be shared in hopes of becoming a better problem solver myself and sharing that along the way. I believe it is also a way to allow mistakes to happen and the practice of not sweating over it! Live it wear it share it!!!

BEAUTY:

It's everywhere! I just have to allow myself to relax enough to see it...........that's easier some days than others but that too, is a work in progress. Right outside my back door, the icicles are forming as the warmth of the day hits the snow everywhere! Beauty IS everywhere if I take a moment to look up.
Two very different shots.................both, in my mind..............beautiful! Taken within minutes of each other, same day!

I hope that you enjoy them too. Off to create beauty my way...........................isn't that a song?

The Fog Lifted !

Good Morning!
The frost was so thick early this morning that I could barely see the Aging Venus or the trees. In fact, it was thick and very foggy..............when the fog "burned off"as they say in the Valley, this is what I found! I wanted to share it with you. Today, is an inside day, a creative day. I hope that you have that too.
Enjoy,
EC

Just So You Know,

This coming week I expect to update intentionalbeauty.etsy.com It has been a long time coming, I know but I am in process with new material. So, please be patient and check in late next week.

I have had so much fun on vacation it has been difficult to get back to work...............I can't remember when I last took a vacation. It was great fun!

Thanks,
EC

Before Evening.......................

After seeing the picture in the post and seeing the responses I went back in to "auto-correct" the shot so that you could all see what it looked like during the day............not when the sun was setting. To the right is what we lived yesterday. I
think my home looks like a boat on the open sea.



Take a look at the road on the approach to the house [just north].......................looks a little bleak. Bet you're happy you are not here! It's cold! It's hard to see how beautiful this place really is in a storm like this. And tonight..........there is a full moon!
See Ya,
EC

IT'S WINTER!

Get a load of this........It is still winter and we can prove it! This was yesterday evening as I returned home from taking my neighbors home from school and having a visit. It snowed ALL day long; a simple steady soft snow. This sky looks dark because it was evening but all day it was like a white-out! The best thing was that it was so gentle and lovely with no wind to speak of and the constant falling of snow was easy to be in.

Anyway,,,,,,,, as you can see we still have winter in the San Luis Valley and we love it! We just returned from a long vacation in Phoenix and Los Angeles! Phoenix was sunny and warm and LA was chilly and rainy but not as cold as here! It is great to have time to vacation but it is good to be getting back to a routine.............never thought I would say that but it is true! Work is good.............

So to all of you who check in...........have a great week and enjoy this time of year. You never really know, at least here in the Valley, if the snow will fly or the sun will shine!

Have some fun!
EC

New Year's Eve Wish

It's January 2010 TOMORROW!

Wishing all of you a happy and healthy New Year! Celebrate safely, put out good energy, laugh with your friends, and plot a good steady course for 2010!


Wishes do come true; a great partner, wonderful children, great place to live, decent health, water! It's true. Wishing the same for all of you!

Love,
Ell

........not in my 20's anymore..........what happened?

The Holiday is almost over and as the year 2010 rapidly approaches I am forced to think about that walk.........the journey to today. WOW...........how did that happen so quickly? How did I get here?

That is the question I seem to ask myself these days. Twenty Ten! I thought turning 50 was amazing; a number that I never allowed in prior to the day. But 2010 that's a big deal. I was born in the 50's and it was different for sure. We, the five of us, would walk all over the neighborhood anytime of the day. There were not the worries about kids walking off or being snatched as there are today. We had tons of fun growing up in a neighborhood with lots of kids. It seemed almost every family had at least two kids but up to thirteen and five was the average. So, playing kick the can took a long time on a summer evening but no one worried about us being in the dark of night without supervision. I would think of that as I watched my children in the backyard playing. Of course we lived in a country setting and the freedom to romp and play seemed more safe than in the suburbs of a major city.
My husband and I just spent the holiday with our 'adult' children who, actually in their twenties, have lives they have designed for themselves. They are not following traditional paths. They are living lives of "their design". I use that term with my work and have heard people say more than once.............."do you actually say that, use those words?" Watching the two of them I can say "yes, I do", they seem to prove the point. It is amazing to sit back and see that these young people do what works for them not what they think they "should be doing". They approach their lives with confidence and wonder. At least that is the way it looks to me. Things are not always what they appear to be..........right? Maybe the only thing that may appear to be similar to the way we, the parents, live is that the they just don't "go with the flow".
I know that I have written about being happy in my recent posts and I can say one more time............life is good! Christmas was great with everyone home, weather not too harsh. There were no set backs time-wise, no one stranded at an airport or on a highway! Whew! We lucked into that and lots of laughs this year. The struggles of youth were not there between the kids. Not like when I used to go home as a young adult; I would find myself becoming that person I was before going out on my own; always seeking approval, not being able to make choices without a look over my shoulder to see if my parents and sibs approved. WOW, I would think to myself as I watched my children move about in "our" space as independent thinkers. Heck, they re-arranged the furniture to accommodate a tree and a new TV. How do they do that? Does it matter? I am thrilled that they make choices that are different from mine, choices that they alone make. I just have to "stay out of it!" I am sure that both kids and my man would say............that is a challenge for me. I catch myself moving in and then slam, I shut my mouth! At least that is what is going on in my head. They might disagree.
Anyway...............I see myself as a work in progress! And progress it is........moving forward in good ways, slow but sure. Finding more quiet moments to reflect and to agree with the move. I welcome this new year 2010 and embrace the opportunities to fine tune my own life, a life that works for me, my way!

Happy New Year to you all. I wish for you the same things I wish for myself;
Peace, Love, and lots of Laughs!

Live With Intention, Create Beauty, Embrace the Positive, Let the Rest Go

ECH