Quiet and Rest

Quiet and rest have been my themes of the week.

For those of you who don't follow me on facebook or twitter, my temp job came to an abrupt end last Friday, three weeks before I expected it to end.

It's a bit bittersweet in that I could definitely use the income.  But it was an incredibly negative work environment, one which I'd ask my friends just the night before it ended, to pray that I would have wisdom to continue navigating.

And so, after two weeks of being quite ill and over three months of working in a tough environment full-time, the themes of this week have been quiet and rest.

I've been spending time in the kitchen, trying new recipes and creating.

I've been putting on television and movies that make me smile, and curling up with some knitting.

I've been browsing pinterest, hunting for inspiration, and gathering supplies and tackling some projects.  (I made the first attempt at some very cute earrings that use paperclips as a base yesterday - with a little tweaking, I'm going to love them!)

Yesterday a friend from house church and I hung out and spent the afternoon catching up, and baking at a leisurely pace, making some decadent treats that I will deliver tonight to the social services agency where my brother works with teenagers who a part of live-in program to help manage their severe mental illnesses and emotional problems.  My brother has challenged me in his work there, in the way he has loved on these kids who quite literally don't have anyone else to love them.  When he texted me a few weeks ago and asked if I'd be interested in doing a bit of baking for a Christmas dinner that the staff provide for the kids and some of their family members, and that they wanted to make it a really special dinner, one that might truly be a once in a lifetime opportunity for these kids, I jumped at the chance, and corralled some friends from church who also love to bake.  So, yesterday we baked, and tonight I'll go with my dad to drop off the results.  There are plans under way for my friends and I to bake regularly for these kids in the coming year - providing special treats.

There's something about a chance to minister in that sort of way that makes my heart sing in a way that using my many administrative skills never has.  Yes, I'm good at office work.  I'm quick, efficient, and skilled.  But I don't love it.  It doesn't make me come alive the way creating, caring for people, and feeding anyone who wants to eat does.  And so today, as I continue to rest, enjoy quiet, and create, I'm pondering that, and what it looks like for my future...

"If..." Take 5

"If you were to name the most creative outlet that you have, what would it be?"
(from "If... Questions for the Soul" by Evelyn McFarlane & James Saywell)

It seems pretty cliche to say so in this space, but blogging is definitely my most creative outlet.  It's the place where my heart gets left on the page.  Where I share what I'm thinking about and feeling.  Where you can come to find the things that are inspiring me, the things that are making me laugh, and the things that are making my heart ache.

Journaling is a close second, though I do less of it these days.  Or less of it in really traditional, write with a pen in a book, on paper, type forms.

Email falls into the same category as blogging, too, especially with my closest friends who are far away.

And then, if I was going to name other creative outlets, I'd have to include cooking and baking, photography, pinterest, reading, scrapbooking, and even my clothing some days.

What about you?  What's your greatest creative outlet right now?  What are ways you express the creativity of your soul?

Her Morning Elegance

From what I know, this video has been out for quite a while, but I just saw it for the first time the other day and thought it so creative that I simply had to share it.  I've also included a short "the making of" video, since I found it very interesting as well.

Totally Random

I really, really want to buy these.

Because how fun is it that they can be used in the middle of a page, instead of just on an edge like a normal punch?  The options for making cards would be endless!

Grey

After writing this morning about the morning posts full of random information seem to clear my head and make space for inspiration, I feel like I should be showing up here this afternoon with something profound to say.

The truth is this:  It's been snowing all day, I'm still not feeling well, coffee with my friend is likely off so he doesn't have to trek across the entire city in rush hour traffice and snowy roads, and these things combined, are leaving me less than inspired.

It is windy and snowy and wet outside, and in about an hour I'll make the 15 or so minute walk through that weather to the train.  I'll take the usual two trains to get to mom and dad's house, pick up my car, and head for the mall, wherein I'll be finding something that seems palatable as a supper option, and getting my hair done.

And somehow, in this grey weather, I'm okay with uninspired. 

I'll get pampered a little at the hair salon.

I'll find something I really enjoy to eat, even if I can't manage to eat very much of it.

I'll probably play with my new phone (I'm on a mission to update the calendar and contacts in it, and also to find a "to do list app" that I'll like and be able to use easily.)

I might read a bit more of Sara Miles' "Jesus Freak".

And I'll rest.

Because inspiration seems a stretch on a day like this, but rest and finding joy in some little things despite the greyness seems somehow attainable.

Crafty - Patsy Clairmont

This one made me laugh.  Because I tend to own crafts, rather than, umm, doing them, too.  Unless I'm in a particular mood.  Then I can bust out some basic jewelry or some great scrapbook pages.  But mostly, I tend to collect supplies, finding them inspiring in the Michaels aisle, and then stacking them on a shelf or in a box when I get home.

Stuff I'm Thinking About

I have a whole mish-mash of thoughts running through my head today, on a wide variety of issues, ideas and plans.

I'm definitely going to buy the stuff and try my hand at making one of these - how pretty is that?

I live in a dark basement where no plants can survive, but I've become a houseplant evangelist overnight, and as soon as I move to someplace that has light again, I'm going to buy a whole bunch.  In fact, I'm going to start by getting several for my office.  Why, you ask?  I read this article last night, that informed me that sometimes the air inside of the building is more toxic than the air outside, and that houseplants, and in particular certain plants, do an incredible job of removing those toxins from the air.  Very cool.

And, since I've been all about finding ways to live simply and "green" lately, as soon as I have a place of my own again, I'm going to give making my own household cleaners a try too.  I have some friends who have started doing that lately, and had good results, so I think I'll give it a shot.  I was always doubtful that you could properly clean something without chemicals, but it seems like investing in having less toxins in the air is probably good, not only for the environment in general, but for me, since I tend to be a bit chemically sensitive.  I found an article here with recipes for a bunch of basic homemade cleaning products, and I'm going to give it a shot.

I'm amazed by this story about how a volcanic erruption in Iceland is wreaking havoc on European air travel, and I'm thinking about a friend who flew through Heathrow the other day, and will be coming back through next week.

I'm scheming about ways to save money on groceries for a little while, and still eat healthy and I think I'm going to attempt to buy minimally and really use up the stuff I've collected in the pantry and freezer.  As best I can figure, I should really only have to buy some fresh veggies and fruit, and maybe some bread and chicken (just to break up the monotony of beef and pork that's in my freezer) for a while.  Maybe even a month or two.  Sweet.

I'm pondering how much harder it has been to keep up the habits of eating healthy since moving into Grandma's house because of the poorly equipped kitchen and the general lack of motivation to cook while being closely watched by my rather nosy Grandmother, and I'm trying to come up with ways around that, since I've definitely noticed the difference in how well I feel as my healthier habits have taken a nosedive.  I'm remembering how well it worked to cook two meals at once earlier this week and just stash them in the fridge for the remainder of the week, and I'm considering the merits of batch cooking and freezing a whole bunch of individual meals for myself.  If any of you are in Calgary and are interested in getting together some Saturday to cook several meals for freezing and easy access later, let me know, I'd love to cook with you!

Living in what has been an extremely challenging, and often toxic environment for the last nearly two months has left me thinking a lot again about what I want when I finally manage to have a home of my own.  Simple, and as enviromentally friendly as possible are what I'm leaning towards.

Also, I want to garden.  I want to grow herbs, and maybe some of my own vegetables, or check into Community Supported Agriculture, or at least patronize the Farmer's Market more regularly again.  That last one should be easier to do soon.  I'm within a week of having a car that is driveable again.

And with that, I'd better dive back into the many things demanding my attention.

Daily 5 - Day 157

I know I started this morning by saying I was pondering some good thoughts, and I'd likely be back later to share them.

Oops.

I had the best kind of Saturday.  A little bit of time with my family.  A few successful errands.  A lot of quiet time alone in the house (I actually really needed that after the week I've had.)  Some reading.  Some creative stuff.  It was good.

I'm still pondering those good thoughts.  Maybe I'll write about them tomorrow.  We'll see.  I want to let them settle within me for a while and make themselves at home before I share them with the world.

So, in the meantime, here's today's daily 5:

1. Got the oil in George changed.  My brother J. is out of work at the moment and agreed to change the oil for me for what I normally pay my mechanic.  It thrilled me to have that item off of my to do list.
2. Hung out with T for a while.  Fun to talk with him, and then with our dad and J. as well about our lives and changes coming for us.
3. Love dollar days at Sobeys.  Contrary to popular belief, I actually don't hate grocery shopping, I just have a strong dislike for the store that we shop at on a weekly basis.  Sobeys has a much better atmosphere, and they had a sale this week.  Things like 3lbs of bacon for the price of one.  Sweet deal.  I went this morning and stocked up on a number of items.
4. I very consciously spent about 40 minutes reading this afternoon.  Lately, reading for me has been in kind of snatched moments here and there (I actually do a lot of reading in the bathroom!)  It was nice to spend 40 straight minutes working through a book I'm trying to finish.  It was better still that God was speaking and encouraging my heart in what I was reading.
5. I spent a good chunk of the afternoon clipping words, pictures, articles and recipes out of magazines so that I could recycle everything I don't need from the magazines.  It was so relaxing to sit and clip things, and sort of enlightening, too, to consider which words and phrases are catching my attention right now, and to consider how those reflect shifts in how I'm dealing with life, and the desires of my heart for the coming year and beyond.
6. I woke up this morning with this spot running through my mind.  I heard about it in an audio book I'm working my way through, and think that this is a place I'd really love to visit.  Anyone want to make a trip to Turkey with me?
7. the color pink
8. oil burner with lavender and lavender scented candles lit all around my house today.
9. organic dried pineapple - tasty!
10. playing a few games online... fun way to turn my brain off for a bit.