Patience Donkey

(Custom Portrait by Lindsey of Out of Alabaster) 

The truth is, I am a tough gal to love. I come with benefits of loving deeply, but also with a wheelbarrow...no truck...no it is more like a shopping mall full of baggage. My baggage is not tidy enough to fit into one single parcel, it can be found in its different forms through each door that is entered and can be quite a heavy load to carry, yet this mall does not come equipped with carts, only hearts, and that is where things become tricky.

In this journey of love I am lucky to have a guy who can enter through those doors, make his purchases, find out they are not what he was expecting, yet love them anyway, a man who is patient when I am huffing and puffing away like an enraged bull and also when I am found slumped into a nook, crying like a scared child.

Unfortunate for him, it is hard for that child...that girl...this woman...me...to accept love, to fully embrace it and believe it, even when it is right in front of me. Luckily, that guy who can handle a charging bull can also handle working alongside me to figure it out. While not yet married, we have been together nearly four years, and the more time goes by the more doors are opened, but it is not a bad thing that this is happening. In fact, by opening these doors in each other we are realizing what it takes to love one another more deeply and to show it in a way that the other understands and is able to digest. We have begun our own sort of pre-marital work to make sure this partnership continues to grow and develop in a way that it can support the weight of our baggage rather than come crumbling down. We hope to put forth the work so we may become spouses, but also remain best friends as the years continue to tick away. We hope to build a relationship so strong that even when we face challenges and obstacles, we will be strong enough to surpass them hand in hand.

This journey is all new to us, but exciting, and over time I will share what I learn. Relationships are hard work, they are not easy, but rather than becoming stagnant in our love and lives, we want to be active participants who are growing each day. 

Do you have any things you do to keep your relationship strong and growing? What do you find important for keeping love alive even when the baggage becomes heavy?

Growing in Love,

Sara

A Very Creative Christmas

Christmas has come and gone and I think we did pretty well with keeping it low-key and low-stress. 

We still have my siblings to celebrate with, but so far as the actual holiday, we kept it pretty mellow. Also, while gifts are not the object of most importance, the ones I received were so fitting for my love of being creative and crafty, and for that I am thankful.

E was so sweet in his gifting me a quality set of water color paints and a pair of hand-crafted earrings created by Daphne Olive. Her pieces are inspired by nature and so entirely beautiful.

His parents (the future in-laws) gifted me with a quilting book, a printmaking book, and a Bias Tape Maker, along with his grandmother gifting me with a generous gift card to a Jo-Anns. It looks like I have quite a bit of crafting and art-making to tend to, something I don't mind one bit. In fact, I am very thankful to have the time and ability to do so.

These kinds of gifts mean a lot to me as they will continue adding fuel to my creative fire and keep me heading down the path I want to be traveling.
Also, rather than standard gifts, my Mom is going to get tickets for me, E, and herself to see a theatre show together, another love of mine.


Of course, most importantly, we were all able to spend time together and with our families, which we did plenty of.


Now, if only we could figure out how to have 3-day weekends together every week.


Did you have an enjoyable Christmas, if it is a holiday you celebrate? Did you receive any creative gifts?


Creativity-Fueled Christmas,
Sara

Liquid Therapy

Today I partook in a dose of liquid therapy, but not the sort you may imagine, for today my boots took me to the river to be soothed and comforted in a way that only she is capable of.

With each lap against the shore the have-tos and clutter were pulled from the junk drawers of my mind and set afloat with the current. My worries were slowly washed away as the wind brought the rivers cool breathes to my cheeks and her murmurs to my ears. If for only a short time, on her bank, I found peace.

In all my life, nature is the only one who has always known how to work its way into my soul, to break down my walls,  and to help me find peace.

Worries Washed Away,

Sara

Sculpture Park Adventures

This weekend was so much fun. For once I succeeded in having a relatively low-stress Christmas, 

but we will talk about that later because today E took me on a wonderful artistic adventure to Laumeier Sculpture Park and I would like to share some photos.

We are lucky to live in a city with so many wonderful parks, museums, attractions, and places to view art. I definitely do not take the fact that most of them are free to visit for granted.

Somehow I had not managed to go to this particular park before, but E decided today would be the day, and for that I am thankful.

This was part of the area which an artist has created to cater to canines. We were not sure if dogs could come, but we will definitely be bringing Lilly May and Jasper next time. Over and over I kept going on about how Much L-May would love the place, so I know she needs to take a visit. The fact that it is such a dog friendly place is a huge bonus.

This piece is the remains of a tree covered with hammered aluminum. The texture is fantastic to feel and it is wonderful to know that even while the tree continues to rot away, the sculpture will remain.

The brains behind this adventure. We are working on falling even more in love with each passing day and have definitely succeeded in doing so this past week. 

There were plaques here and there with some very fine quotes, this being one of them.

A sculpture park is such a nice change of pace from being inside museum walls. My love for museums will never fade away, but there is definitely something special about art you can interact with on a larger scale and I enjoyed experiencing more of that today.

Now the fella and I are lounging with bellies full of home-made vegan chicken and rice soup while rain pitter patters on the roof and a fire crackles in the corner. I will enjoy this rare moment of perfection before another dog wrestling match begins or someone vomits on the carpet.

Have you ever been to a sculpture park?

Such a Fine Day,

Sara

Elfy Christmas

Mrrrrowww Happy Holidays Mrreow

Hey guys hey!
Roxy here to talk to you about my favorite thing about the holidays. My brother is so smart thinking up this idea.


Hands down, no question about it, my favorite part of this time of the year is that Mama and Papa always put up a tree just for me, with all sorts of toys on it for me to play with. I used to live outside so they must know I miss running through the pine trees. This tree is even better though because it is covered up with strings of bright things and all sorts of toys of different shapes and sizes for me to attack and knock around. Sometimes I can even get the entire tree to shake and move, but Mama doesn't seem to like that, even if she laughs while telling me to stop, such a hard one to read that mama.


Well, I need to get back to playing and making sure all these dogs are behaving themselves. It's hard work keeping them all in line, but somebody has to do it.


Is the tree your favorite part of the holidays too? Do you have a favorite toy you put on it for your cats?


So Many Toys For Me,
Roxy

Holiday Time with Mama

Ugghhh...my annoying brother Jasper had some big plan that all of us kids should share our favorite part of the holidays with all of Mama's friends who live in the computer. It all seems kind of weird to me, but in my old age I'm starting to appreciate Mama more, so here I am. Don't get any crazy ideas that you'll be seeing me around here too often, crazy Jasper is the obnoxious one of the group, so I'll leave that to him.


So anyway, we're supposed to tell you about our favorite part of the holidays, right? Well, that's easy, my favorite thing about the holidays is extra time with Mom and Dad at home. This is my seventh year of Christmas and I'm over the toys and cookies. For me it's all about hanging out with my parents and seeing Grandma a little extra. Jasper is always stealing all the toys and Leroy likes to pig out on the cookies, but I know Mama always tucks some away for me, so while they are busy acting like fools I am soaking up extra time with Mom. Shows what they now.


Are you wise like me in realizing family is most important? 
Mama tries to keep that in mind, but I see her running around trying to make sure everyone else is happy, so I'll keep trying to teach her.


Cuddles With Mama,
Lilly


p.s. Jasper had no trouble convincing that runt Roxanne to stop by tomorrow. They are equally crazy, so I can't even imagine what she'll have to say.

Mmmm Holiday Treats For Me

Hello internet people. I usually like to keep to myself, but my brother Jasper is quite the social guy and somehow convinced me we should hijack Mama's blog to talk about the holidays. Since it has to do with Mama I agreed, but this is the only time I plan on listening to my big lug of a brother.


I haven't lived with my family for long, just over a year actually. Before coming here I didn't know what Christmas was, but when we celebrated last year I saw what it was all about and have to say that I am a fan, but my very favorite part is the food! I know the internet is filled with food lovers. I see Mama looking at food-filled blogs all the time and wish I had a computer of my own to drool over the pictures all day too, but really I would rather be eating!


Last year I realized Mama has a tradition of baking trays and trays of cookies every Christmas. The best part is that they are all cookies for dogs! Can you believe it? How did I get so lucky to come to live at a cookie factory? She is busy cooking up a big batch right now, so I better run so I can watch for falling crumbs. I like to help out by keeping the floor clean of any scraps, you know, just trying to help where I can.


What is your favorite food? Do you like PB cookies too? They're my very favorite.


Cookies For Me,
Leroy


P.S. I can hear the big lug pestering Lilly now. He's a brave man. I actually think he has her convinced to type something up tomorrow, but there might be bribes involved. Don't tell Mom!

Woof Happy Holidays Woof

Hey guys, Jasper here. My Mama has been so busy being a Christmas elf, so I thought I would come and tell you all about my favorite part of the holidays.

TOYS! 

That is my favorite part. I loooove to chew on things and like to keep a toy or two on me at all times.

The other day I heard a delivery man drop a box on the porch and later I caught a peak inside while Mama was opening it up.

I know I wasn't supposed to see, but there were so many toys in that big brown box!

Can you believe it? So many toys for me and my siblings.

Christmas morning can't come soon enough guys.

What is your favorite part? Is it toys too?

Chew Chew Chew,

Jasper

p.s. I think I have convinced my other furry siblings to steal Mama's blog to tell about their favorites too, so keep your eyes out for those!

DIY: Felt Cat Ornaments

Some friends and I were going to do an ornament exchange, but due to late planning and scheduling conflicts we are going to start up that tradition next year. Although there was going to be no party, I was still looking forward to making an ornament or two, so I went ahead and did so for a couple of my close friends, who are also sisters, and cat fanatics.

We met up for a night of Thai food and games and I gladly gifted them a felt ornament each of their cats Pumpkin and Dori.

All you need to make some of your own is:

-Felt to match fur and accent colors

-Needle

-Thread and/or embroidery floss

-Batting or Polyfill for dimension (I used batting)

-Ribbon for hanging

-Paper and pen for template making

I simply made a template of a typical cat head and cut out two pieces of the main color for each cat.

After that I cut out triangles and circles for eyes and ears and hand-stitched them on the front panel, following up with stitching a little kitty-style mouth below each nose.

I also went ahead and stitched each cats name and the year on the back panel to make them more personal.

After that it is just a matter of putting a little batting or filling between the two layers and stitching them together using a matching or accenting thread, being sure to add a piece of folded ribbon between the ears before stitching that portion together.

These were really fun to make and the recipients loved them, stating that they are going to be hung up in their workplaces throughout the year.

Other options are adding buttons for eyes, adding whiskers, or stitching on stripes or patches for more multi-colored cats. I look forward to making more and mixing it up.

Have you made any personalized felt ornaments this season?

Felt Cats and Holiday Crafts,

Sara

Sticker Charts: Sara Style

Last Wednesday I posted about needing help with balance, structure, and motivation.

With everyone's great advice in mind and with some help from E, I now have a Sara style sticker chart.

This thing is huge and will last me a little over six months.

Currently I have 8 things listed that I would like to attempt almost all days. Of course there are other things that fill my days, but by focusing on working these tasks into each one I think I will be able to get back on track to feeling happier and more productive, which will allow for me to do more of the bigger things that need doing.

Look at that thing, huge!

And of course, I will use a rewards system, but I am still figuring that part out.

For the first 100 stickers earned I think I will finally purchase the Jo Totes camera bag I have been eyeing up, and then choose more experience-related rewards from there on out, but those are yet to be determined.

Lately, with the holidays, I have been feeling pretty down. I  am trying so hard to be in the holiday spirit, but am more in the mindset of just getting through. Efforts will be made to remedy this, but if no remedy comes, at least I will have my chart and my goals for becoming more awesome every day. That is something.


Do you use any similar charts or rewards systems?
Any ideas for rewards?

Stickers For All,

Sara

Winter DIY: Glitter Menagerie

Some time ago, I saw this diy over on Janee's blog and although glitter puts the fear in me, I knew I would have to give it a try. 

Be forewarned, glitter never leaves. You will find glitter in your bathroom, on your front porch, and in other places you would never imagine being greeted by a shiny sparkle, but even with that knowledge in mind, I dove in to the glitter pot to create my own glitter menagerie.

I started with 5 animals from the dollar store and a couple of pots of glitter from Michaels.

Following the how-to from Janee I covered each one with glitter and modge podge, and did a second touch-up coat on those that needed it before letting them dry and sealing them with a clear spray.

I think the hippo and giraffe are my favorites, but I had fun making them all, despite the glitter explosion. I tried to be clean about it, but eventually I just gave in and let the glitter lead the way.

It was worth it to have this glittery crew who can come out to visit each year, bringing a little sparkle to the season.

If you have any glittery crafts or winter DIY's to share, or if you make your own glitter crew, please leave a link in the comments so I can see.

Glitter All Over,

Sara

Finding Balance and Structure: In Need of Tips

Now that the semester is complete, I am left with little structure to my days.

There are no classes or job to go to, but plenty of things that need doing.

My problem is finding balance and structure in these wide-open days. It seems the more structured responsibilities I have in place the better I use my free time and the more I get done overall, so when time is wide-open it is something I look forward to, but fear a bit at the same time. All of those things that need doing are easily pushed to the next day and then the next and, well, you get the picture.

My question to you is how do I find a balance in this free time?

Do you have any tips, e-books, or plans for structuring your time and responsibilities when you have no deadlines or time clocks helping you along the way?

Please share any and all tips because I would hate to see this next month go by without making use of all of this time. 

I would very much appreciate your insight.

In Need of Tips,

Sara

Room to Breathe

I am happy to say that as of 1:30 pm today my semester is complete. Technically it ends on Saturday, but all of my assignments are in and all of my scantrons have been bubbled in, so I consider myself a free lady until January 17th.

It is not all so simple, for I have an internship to gather documents and references for, and probably an interview for such as well, but I will definitely take time to celebrate my success of another completed semester throughout the next week or two. I have a lot to be proud of and through my celebration it is important for me to look back at my successes and what steps I took to get there. I look forward to that. Plus, now I will have much more time for my personal writing projects and I have plans to share more on those goals as well, goals to help me provide some accountability to myself for something I love, so that I may grow.

But tonight I will lounge on the couch with my guy with no homework or tests occupying my mind.

Are you wrapping up a semester or any other activities or projects for the year?

How do you celebrate your success?

Sweet Endings,

Sara 

Winter DIY: Felt Snowflake Garland

I prefer my decorations to be seasonal rather than holiday-specific, so with Winter fast approaching, I knew it was time to tuck away the felt leaf garland and replace it with something a little more wintery.

I went for felt snowflake garland:

Determined to use things I already had on hand, I went about collecting the following:

-4 or 5 sheets each of white and grey felt

-Sharp scissors

-A black marker for tracing

-A snowflake shaped item for tracing as well as a larger circle for the backgrounds. I used THIS cookie image for my snowflake shape.

-Glue (I ended up using Elmers Glue All, but any felt appropriate glue will work)

-Yarn for stringing

-A large needle for stringing

The rest is pretty self-explanatory. Cut out your templates, trace your shapes and cut out your desired number. If you have large circle and snowflake cookie cutters you may be able to streamline this tracing process quite a bit.

Next, glue the snowflakes to the center of your circles.

Then, using your yarn and needle string them into garland.

I would recommend allowing your glue to fully dry before stringing. I allowed mine to sit overnight, but an hour or so would probably be enough.

Tada, pretty snowflake garland!

I hung a long strand across our front window and one in the opening between our kitchen and living room.

The snowflakes take a bit of time to cut out, but are well worth the effort to create a winter decoration that will last more than one season.

Let me know if you make any for yourself.

Love and Winter,

Sara

Flashback Friday

Three photos of me in high school. Ten or so years ago. 

Strange.

Short hair, braces, favorite cargo pants, favorite flame flip flops. Track shirt and tan from all those activities.

A friend and I did Habitat for Humanity for fun. I think we got the idea from Seventh Heaven, really. Once a ginormous dildo was found while cleaning the sites, along with a dead dog in a bag, and stray appliances. Stay classy St. Louis.

And then there were the cones. And very pink shirts, apparently. There is something to be said for good clean fun, if you know what that something is let me know.

Looking Back,

Sara

Weekly features will be back in a couple weeks. Now? Now I'm going to study and write a final paper in between niece cuddling and dog wrangling.

Room In the Inn?

I think there is room for at least three chihuahuas in there...

...but usually it is more like one chihuahua, one sassy cat, and one big guy who wishes he was still cat size so he could join the party. 

Sorry Armadilly, not gonna happen.

Only a Little Crazy,

Sara

p.s. I will be back later with some thoughts on soap and in a week or so this semester will be a thing of the past and I plan on redirecting some of that energy in this direction.

Also, if you have some snow, could you send me some? Thanks.

10 Goals for December

*Brainstorm and Set Goals for 2012*

*Secure An Internship for Spring - My Final Semester*

*Enjoy a Simplified Economical Christmas*

*Organize Shoe Area in Bottom of Closet*

*Get Back to the Gym*

*Successfully Tie up the Semester - Power Through Finals*

*Finish Painting Dining Room*

*Stain and Seal Bookshelf in Dining Room*

*Create an Embroidery Project*

*Love on Eric Lots*

Just 10 attainable goals for this last month of 2011.

Some fun mixed with some necessary, but all for the greater good of making this life awesome!

Are you doing anything special to wrap up the year?

Love and Lists,

Sara

Insta-Thoughts: My Weekend

Only 9 more days folks. 216 or so hours until I can call this semester complete.

This weekend was mostly filled with this:

Researching and writing and mostly going crazy trying to get it all done.

Snack breaks of gluten free pb cookies and my first taste of soy nog. Still not sure how I feel about the stuff, but I have the rest of the carton to decide.

Not nearly enough time spent in our monster bed with these three goobers. Post-semester there will be way more of this.

Sunday I could not take my eyes off this handsome fella, I swear. So glad he is mine. I am I am.

Then it was right back to business, diving head first into my research project. That handsome guy even kept my mug full of hot tea to help me along. Told you that one is a keeper!

My Inch by Inch frame helped me along for the first time, reminding me to just start my project and to take it one sentence at a time. It gives good advice.

Wishing for Endings to Allow for New Beginnings,

Sara