dangling purple

hello monday !!!

hello friends...

i hope you had a restful, peaceful, restorative weekend.

we had two beautiful sun filled days which we spent:

getting plenty of exercise (there was not one but two advance step class offered and i couldn't resist- now my legs are practically jello from exhaustion), 

playing soccer, 

brunching, and checking out a new vietnamese pho place,

reading (my library copy of andre alexis' fifteen dogs came in), 

knitting, 

and walking the neighbourhood and taking in all the lingering christmas ornaments (soooooon to be replaced by cherry blossoms).

check out the purple danglers !!!

i am up early (almost done my mug of coffee)...and i am excited for the day.

it is going to be a busy and challenging week 

(with a dratted root canal right in the middle of it.. UGH !!!)

but i'm in a good head/heart space and think i'm ready for it -

 ALL OF IT.

wishing you all a wonderful start to your week !

erica

xoxo

evening of dance

you have to love

dancing to stick to it.

it gives you nothing back,

no manuscripts to store away,

no painting to show on walls

and maybe hang in museums,

no poems to be printed and sold,

nothing but that single fleeting

moment when you

feel alive.

                                - merce cunningham

our local high school just hosted two spectacular evenings of dance

it was heartwarming and so inspiring to watch 

these beautiful spirits give life and movement to music.

many of our community came (two full packed houses) to cheer our dancers on.

bravo to everyone...

erica

xoxo

thrifted threads: winter hellebore

last time i checked...it is still winter.

but the mild temperatures have returned to the west coast

and the hellebores are in full bloom.

it reached 10 degrees celsius in victoria yesterday !!

harlow and i walked to do some errands mid day.  

all i wore were a couple of under layers and my thrifted green sweater.

i usually don't venture out, this time of the year, without lots of extra warm clothing, 

but found my brave after watching several joggers 

pass by our house in their t-shirts and shorts.

 we stopped several times to admire all the winter hellebores.

these deer resistant beauties seem to be a favourite in everyone's garden.

poor deer:  "go on...help yourself to all the little tulips 

but these gorgeous hellebores are all ours to enjoy !"

wishing you all a wonderful wednesday

erica

xoxo

joining lindsey for 'what i wore ' wednesday

fun stuff: more khaki

my khaki scrap blanket is growing.

i pick it up and work the needles many times during my day.

here it is photographed with the vessel that inspired it.

khaki and blue - who knew?

yes...i'm really enjoying john lanchester's capital.

the little room of rachell left a comment last week about how 

the BBC has produced a three part series based on this book.

toby jones (my favourite truman capote) plays the banker

...so i'm sure it will be worth watching.

also, i found a used, clean copy of cheryl richardson's the art of extreme self-care 

in one of the little free libraries during my walk around the hood yesterday.

i have a feeling that the universe is trying to tell me something !!!

what are you knitting? reading?

care to share?

erica

xoxo
p.s.  thank you so much to all who sent healing energy to help me 
get rid of that nasty nasty cold...it worked!!!

 joining frontier dreams and small things

happy on purpose

if you want to be happy

you have to be happy on purpose.

when you wake up,

you can't just wait to see 

what kind of day you'll have.

you have to decide what kind of

day you'll have.

                                   

                                      - joel osteen

today i am going to do happy things...
i am going to make and enjoy creamy, steamy, dark, happy coffee (at least twice today).
i am going to walk my happy, waggly-tail dog.
i am going to fill my cart with beautiful, healthy, delicious (expensive- yikes!!) fruit and veggies and maybe some chocolates (why not - right?).
i am visiting the library to pick up my holds and see what other inspiring reading i can find.
i am viewing several assisted living accommodations for my mom-in-love.
i am going to dance my worries away (advance step is on this afternoon --- hip hip hooray!!)
i am going to make a big, fat, healthy, happy salad for dinner.
i am going to knit while listening to a mindful meditation audio recording.
i am going to paint my toes happy, baby blue. 

yup...it's going to happen !!!

wishing you all a happy monday folks

erica

xoxo

aha !!!

the day you decide that

you are more interested in

being aware of your thoughts

than you are in the thoughts themselves

- that is the day

you will find your way out.

                                                      - michael singer

there is something i just clued in on...that i'm eager to share.

i had one of those aha moments where i found out i've been doing something totally wrong FOREVER. 
one of those revelations when someone/something finally points it out to you, that it takes everything to stop yourself from hitting your head to make sure it was working properly because you're wondering how it took so long to clue in on the first place!!!

OK...here it is:
positive thinking and forcing yourself to think positive thoughts is NOT a solution to help someone who is caught in a downward negative spiral of depression.

someone suffering from depression can actually become MORE depressed by the fact that they are unable to switch their negative thought patterns to more pleasant/happier/sunnier ones.  
this is because feelings of inadequacy may arise that can pull them further down the downward negative spiral.

isn't that mind blowing???? but, now, it makes so much sense.

i've always been a control your thought-control you mind-control your life kind of person.
if i'm feeling down, i change my environment, i exercise, i dance, i bombard my head with creative, positive thoughts.   
thinking positive thoughts is/was always my strongest defense against the dark forces.

BUT...the key note here is that my positive thinking strategy works for me because i have not really ever been (seriously/severely/chronically) depressed.

when someone is struggling (emotionally) and they come to me, i was always the first to try and persuade them to look at some positive/ brighter aspects of their lives.
so many people are struggling with mental health issues in our little community (there has been some very recent suicides...especially after the holidays), and now i realize that i and my positive-thinking-is-the-solution self did not help one bit.

how did i miss this important information?...clearly i had totally missed the memo!!! .

a better way is through mindfulness meditation - by practicing and getting the skills to face those negative thoughts and make some space around them.  
yup...making space and practicing gentleness and kindness and patience for ourselves as we face our difficult emotions.

here is a great book i found that explains things much better than i can...

sooooo much hard work....let's do it!!!

erica

xoxo

thrifted threads: purple and mystery artist

welcome to another 'what i wore' wednesday.

i'm linking up with lindsey and the ladies for some fashion fun.

i don't know why, but i'm back to wearing and surrounding myself 

with a lot of purple again lately.

purple...purple...purple everywhere !!

purple t-shirts, purple sweaters, purple bed sheets, even purple original art.

the purple outfit was thrifted (like 99.999% of my clothing)

i live in easy, comfortable, pieces that i can wear in layers

 because of our west coast climate.

here in victoria b.c., there is always such a large change in temperature from the start of the any day compared to late afternoons...so layering is key !!!

this beautiful acrilic painting on canvas and all its purple tones was also thrifted.

i spotted it in one of my favourite thrift shops before holidays 

and fell instantly in love with it.

ian and the kids surprised me with it for christmas.

there is no signature on the piece and the ladies working the shop 

couldn't tell me more about it's previous owner...

so the artist remains a mystery.

so if you have any clue of who the artist is 

or have any similar pieces...let me know.

wishing you a beautiful wednesday!!!

erica

xoxo