Nature's Heart

Nature's Heart

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Appreciation


Happy Administrative Professionals Day!!!
Every day this week has opened or closed with a special surprise.
On Monday I walked into my office and was met with an adorable elephant "pillow pet" and a thoughtful Massage Envy gift card!!! Yay!!!! I can't wait to put that to good use!

Doesn't this pillow just make you want to cuddle up with it for a nap!?! I wonder if my job is encouraging me sleep on the job!?! hahaha just kidding! 

Tuesday produced a beautiful and colorful bouquet that totally amps up the cheerful factor when walking into my office! 
Ahhhh, they smell as good as they look too!

To finish off an amazing week of appreciation, I joined my fellow support staff co-workers for a long lunch at Anthony's along the waterfront at Point Defiance in Tacoma.


So I started the week feeling a bit like this:
And after a fantastic week of surprises, fabulous food, amazing friends and and amazing week of feeling appreciated I think I can end the week feeling a bit more like this:

 And to...

How blessed I am to work where I do! Alright...it's back to work I go.


Wednesday, April 18, 2012

A Weekend Away

I finally uploaded pictures from an amazing long weekend that I took in October of last year. I used this trip as an excellent excuse to test out my new Canon EOS Rebel T2i camera (not that I really needed an excuse). I decided that my sister and her family would make for the perfect test subjects whilst I undertook the challenge of playing with/figuring out a lot of the features on my camera. What a beautiful autumn weekend it was!! Here is part I (and an extremely reduced/select few photos from over 1100 pictures...yea I might have gotten a little carried away haha!) of what I think best captures the heart of this experience/trip.

 Conner, adorable as always!


 My little nephew enjoying a cozy spot in the sun...
A time to fly...



High in the sky!!!!





Wheeeeeee!!!



A few fabulous moments that I was fortunate enought to capture. How blessed I am!!!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

A Work in Progress

Well last month was…hectic to say the least…what with the BIG move (and adjustment) from my apartment and into my new home (Yay!!!), the passing of my step-mother as well has almost losing one of my closest art friends….my plate was a little full…but, I’m back and still plugging away! Now I have all sorts of projects I’m working on or about to tackle at home as well as physically/emotionally/spiritually.
A couple of years ago I started the “Day Zero Project” also known as the “101 things in a 1001 days project" which is an idea about writing down goals that you want to accomplish. There is something about the process of writing down these goals and giving yourself a time limit that motivates and keeps you more accountable to pursuing and accomplishing them. There are no limits to what you want on your list...you can put things on there that you can achieve in one session or projects that might take more time (More information can be found at: http://dayzeroproject.com/ ). I can’t believe that my time limit will be up THIS July!!! I am over halfway done but am feeling the time crunch…ironically (and this is soooo unlike me) I am totally fine with seeing what I get done and I am not going to worry too much or beat myself up if I don’t complete this list…This alone shows tremendous growth and I am satisfied with all that I have accomplished both on and in addition to this list as well!
Anyway, I thought I would share where I am so far with my list. The numbering is not in order because when I originally wrote down my 101 things, I realized that there were categories that I could put them under so I just kept their originally assigned number…here it goes!
Operation: Spice up Your Life…101 Things in 1001 Days
Start Date: Oct 22nd, 2009        End Date: July 19th, 2012
73/101 Things completed!!!
Still to do
In the Process
Completed
The Artist in Me
1. Push myself/ improve as a vocalist and performer “Santa Baby” Christmas 12/16/12
3. Finish any projects for people aka Alex’s Tigger costume, Katies curtains
4. Get a collection/series together for an art show 7/24/10 “Art Walk of the Decade” with my “Wind Forms” 3 panel series
20. Pick up my violin again
26. Sketch something once a day for (at least) a month (30/30)1/1/11-1/31/11
33. Practice/improve my calligraphy
34. Record a song November 13th 2011 – Once Upon a Christmas Night album
35. Get a solo at NWRS 11/5/09 Role “Jesus” in the Cherry Tree Carol for Dec. Concert
36. Sell another (3rd) painting/piece of work/ photography or cards/collage/craft.7/30/11 “Orchid” sold to Jaimie B.
52. Organize/start those scraps for a “Smash Book”: 1/15/12
57. Learn a new type of art (papermaking, book/journal making, clay jewelry?) soldering class with Katie???
62. Decorate a piece of furniture or create a piece with a mosaic
79. Learn new scrap booking technique 11/6/09-11/7/09 CKC Seattle
91. Make some of my own earrings 7/17/11
98. Crochet new dish cloths/wash rags 8/16/10 two white dishrags!
99. Sew an article of clothingcardigan in oct pajamas for Shawna and Rob Nov/Dec 2011
Mind, Body, Soul
8. Swim 3 miles nonstop (108 laps or 216 lengths)
10. Cut out buying/eating junk food for 1 months (20/30) St Dt: 8/1/10 end:8/31/10
11. Read at least 50 books during this project (50/50) 1/18/11
15. Finish reading the Bible from cover to cover  8/31/10
21. 31 day spending fast 1/1/12-1/31/12
56. Take a true risk and don’t feel guilty if I fail 11/1/10 didn’t get the solo for lost in the night with NWRS
30. Do 50 consecutive (male) pushups 4/16/12

60. Do the Swedish Summer Run (7/25/10 for 5K in about 25 min!)
73. Say/write/think 1 postive thing about myself at the beginning of each morning for 7 days (start the day off right!) ½/10-1/8/10
81. Get more sleep on average/go to bed earlier for at least a week (0/7) 12/19/09 -12/27/09
85. Don’t buy/eat ramen for a month (30/30) Since Dec 19th Est. end date 1/18/09         
87. Don’t eat after 8:00 PM for at least 1 month (20/30) 8/1/10-8/31/10
88. Try something new athletically 12/9/11 Spinning class at LA Fitness
14. The Daniel Fast 2/1/12-2/21/12
$$$
7. Pay off car loan 7/8/2011
17. Save for a down payment for a house 2/27/12
84. Pay off credit card(s) (Regular & VS) B of A paid off12/31/09!!! VS: 1/6/10!!!
90. Find a house! 2/27/12 525 S. 59th St. Tacoma WA 98408
101. Return all library material on time for a year!!!! NO MORE LATE FEES 7/19/11
Commune with Nature/For My World
6. Go camping/vision quest by myself at Olympic N. Rainforest 9/2/10-9/4/10
25. Don’t charge my phone overnight/save energy
38. Go backpacking/snowshoeing with Trish or hiking with someone
46. Donate 100,000 grains of rice to/on www.freerice.com (100,200/100,000)2/11/11
63. Deconstruct/Upcycle at least 5 pieces of clothing/items to wear/things to use in some way: #1. Picture frame into a dry-erase board, 2. 8/9/11–crochet hook holder out of dish towels, 3.picture frame turned into an earring rack-1/15/12, 4. old skirt into a sewing machine cover-1/15/12 5.
69. No TV/Movies for a week: start date: 9/26/10-9/2/10
70. No Phone for a day 11/9/09
74. Sell some of my handmade cards
 Travel
13. Visit Angela C 2/14/09-2/20/09
22. Go to the Grand Canyon and/or the Four Corners
23. Go on a cruise
24. Go to Hawaii
76. Go to the Portland Oregon Farmer’s Market with Aunt Teddie 8/27/11
Just Because/ Why Not
5. Find/buy a nice quality piece of jewelry 4/18/12 a ring of my Sandala’s!

18. Do something anonymously for someone
27. Collect and create a list of 50 favorite, inspiring, humorous quotes (50/50)7/30/10
28. Go a week without Myspace or Facebook 4 times for a year last week 9/20/10
32. Write clearly with my left hand
44. Start a blog 1/30/12 –hollyspocket.blogspot.com
45. Do the 5000 question survey (5000/5000) 11/5/09
53. Do the, “Wreck This Journal” project or make my own version 2/28/10
54. Do the “today in my life:” One week in the life project 5/19/10-5/25/10
78. Give someone flowers: Shawna’s Shower!! 1/22/11
80. Place flowers on someone’s grave that I don’t know 11/1/09
100. Feed the ducks at the park 1/18/10
Family
9. STP-Seattle to Portland at least once (with or without dad but for him)7/9/11-7/10/11
61. Write letters to three people that I am close to about what I admire about them
65. Visit mom/do something special on all of her anniversary dates (5/6)
67. Visit/hang out with my sister at least 12 times during this project (12/12)1/22/11
77. Treat dad to a father-daughter date2/27/10 lunch at the hub
82. Figure out a way to bind, preserve, display writings from mom and give to (Shhhh it's a secret)
95. Start/finish scrap booking dad’s album 1/22/12
47. Treat Shawna to go see a ballet (Nov 12th 2011- PNB – Love Stories on our weekend for CKC)
Just For Me- A Splurge or Two
19. Have a seaweed/mud body wrap
68. Get an elephant ear at the fair9/14/10

72. Buy a cactus 7/28/11
86. Find the perfect “anti-black” dress 2/20/10 Jen’s bride’s maid dress soft purple/lilac 5/9/10 a navy blue for performance!!!
93. Buy myself a meaningful piece of jewelry2/7/12 Amazima beaded necklace
Food Whimsies
2. Bake bread from scratch (so it rises and no bread machine) 9/6/10 w/t Shawna!
29. Go to 10 different restaurants that I haven’t been to before (10/10) finished on 2/19/10
39. Make mom’s recipe for caramel corn 10/31/10 over at Shawna’s
49. Make my own lollipops2/14/11 for Chanay’s bake sale fundraiser
50. Make my own popsiclesSummer 2011
59. Bake a pumpkin pie from scratch 11/26/09
64. Take a cooking class/learn from someone homemade/authentic tamales with Jaimie
71. Eat a new meal 2/15/10 Mooncake foods, NY a noodle, salad, prawn bowl
75. Go blueberry picking locally
96. Make Lisa’s recipe for Ratatouille (Borrow Dad’s crock-pot)
97. Make rice crispy treats 1/11/10
37. Go to a vineyard/winery 8/13/10 Chateau St. Michelle Winery Chris Isaak concert
I’ve Been Meaning To
12. Finish sewing my star quilt
31. Brush up on my German: Katzenjammer!!!
48. Organize art/craft/scrapbook Room 1/22/12
51. Make journal entry at least once a week for a year
58. Learn to identify at least 10 different constellations
89. Finish my Mojave dog Scrapbook/photo album 8/9/10
94. Get license plate frames for car 11/14/09
My Haven
16. Get new living room furniture or a few favorite pieces that I LOVE3/13/10 (bookshelf from Ikea, hope-chest and white recliner wingback chair)
66. Find a new apartment for a small increase to current rent moved in 2/7/10
83. Find/make curtains for apartment 3/13/10 IKEA curtains
92. Make couch cushion/pillow covers
A Cultural Excursion/Undertaking
40. Go to an Opera that I haven’t seen before
41. Go to an educational lecture about an unfamiliar topic 5/21/10 PTSD
42. Go to a symphony 10/24/09
43. Go to see a comedian or a comedy show
55. Learn to say “please” and “thank you” in 10 languages