It's NEW YEARS EVE!!

hello friends!

Here we are, already on the heels of a new year.
I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season.
Here's a little update on what i've been busy with
these past few weeks.

Visited my brother in the USA for Christmas,
and brought my dad & his dog along.
We did what most people do during the holidays here...
eat too much, drink too much, sleep in too late. ;-)
(Some would say that's what the holidays are all about!)

This may not look appetizing to all,

but to most Acadians, it's heaven. :-)

Some day soon, i'll explain how these "poutine râpée" are made,

but for now, the short version is basically potatoes (cooked & raw)

mixed together with meat in the middle and formed in a ball.

Mmmmmm...

it's a huge Christmas tradition around here.

That, and meat pies (also shown here!)

Breakfast of Champions. ;-)

Had a wonderful time with my brother & his family,

but a not so wonderful time getting there, nor coming home.

A 10 hour drive in the middle of winter is not my idea of a good time.

Saw a few accidents along the way,

there was snow, freezing rain, cars off the highway...

Certainly not ideal travelling conditions.

 aaaah.... home.

Welcome to New Brunswick... 

and brace yourself for a shitload of snow.

(still, it's home)

My dad's dog, Fluffy, in the back seat of the car,
not a worry in the world.

 This was taken a few days ago, the day after we got home.
Our shed, seemingly buried deep in the snow.

 In 10 days, we've had 5 snowstorms.
My husband, clearing out the driveway.

One of our extra nice neighbors, helping out. 

backyard view...

 back of the house view.

This was taken this morning, on our way to town for coffee.
Isn't it beautiful - the blue sky & snow in the trees?

And yes, a few nights ago, there was even a little bit of art.
I can't tell you how good it was
to come back to the little studio
and pick up the paints again
even if i wasn't inspired to paint anything fabulous.

 I could not wait to be surrounded again
with books and paints and paper and good music.

While i was gone, i missed blogging,
and painting
and my books & journals.
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder
and i believe this goes for life in general (not just for lovers!)

When i sat myself down the blue room,

i felt home again.

Not just "home" in the sense of a house,

but home in the sense of being where i belong.

The other day, my son saw something on TV

where they were fighting in Syria,

and he asked "why don't they just leave and go somewhere else?"

First of all, some may not be able to leave, i replied,

and more importantly: because it's their HOME.

Some may want to leave, but most (i'm willing to bet) 

would rather stay and work towards a resolution to peace.

Home is home, no matter where you are on the planet.

So yeah, this is most likely the ugliest painting i've ever done

but it doesn't matter much to me.

It's supposed to be curly lightbulb (like the one below)

but it kinda looks like a dying snake,

or a noodle. ;-)

Thank you all for being here with me

during this past year (and the years before!)

There is magic in connecting with others,

whether it be in person or on-line,

and don't fool yourself into thinking

that an on-line connection is any less important than a personal one.

In this past year, I've been inspired by many people through my monitor,

and through words on a page.

I have formed many friendships on-line that will last a long, long time.

The more we realize we are a global community,

the more we realize how alike we all are, deep down inside -

even if our cultures or races or traditions are very different -

the more compassion we have for one another.

You are all very important to me

and i am so grateful to have been touched by so many of you

and look forward to continued connections in the coming year!

Love and peace to all for 2014!

xox

merry christmas everyone...

Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought,
doesn't come from a store.
- Dr. Seuss

Well, the season is upon us once again...

Here in eastern Canada,
it is snow...

 snow...

 snow...

 and even fake snow! :)

I'm in a dry spell (creatively)
so kinda looking forward to down time
between Christmas and New Year.
Always a favorite time for me.

Feeling a little more disorganized this holiday season...
cards are on the stairs instead of hanging on the wall,
some gifts still unwrapped...

opted for the more simple decorations this year...

the ones with more meaning.

the ones that make me smile...

and after another storm,

it's clean up time on the back porch.

Welcome to winter in the Maritimes.

A mixture of snow, beauty, freezing temperatures

and people complaining about the weather. ;-)

With all the comings & goings of the holiday season,

i doubt that i'll have time to blog again before the new year,

so i want to wish you ALL

a wonderful, healthy, happy Christmas!

thanks for being here with me during the past year.

I hope we all get to share together again in the year ahead!

Here's to an incredible 2014!!

xox

jitter free coffee please...

It always seems impossible

until it's done.

- Nelson Mandela

i'm flying by the seat of my pants today
but i'm posting anyway.

i have no one thing in particular to share

but several things,

in no particular order,

so strap yourselves in folks...

here we go!

Books, books, and more books.
Some women can't have enough shoes,
for me, it's books.
There's a second hand place near my home
where you can get great books at great prices.

The Anne Frank book was $2.00
My kinda shopping...

i bought these books on Amazon.
Merry Early Christmas to me. ;-)

and when i read these words in the Seth Godin book,
my heart felt at home.
i love breaking rules,
so this fits right into my master plan. ;-)

a little bit of art. 
very little.
i alternate between painting and writing
only these days,
i seem to be reading more than anything.

Course, there's Christmas too.
i never get stressed out about that,
but i have started preparing, here and there.
Some women have everything done like in October.
i say women, because most men are never that anal.
At least not the men i know.
i wait till the first sign of a snowflake
before i even think of Christmas.
If ever i live in the South,
where there is no snow at all,
i'll be screwed.

 the mess on my table in the studio this morning...

another mess, on another table...

i ordered this book. Love Austin Kleon

and i loved his book STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST.

If you're not familiar with him,

check him out.

some of his blackout poetry
which i love as well.

and of course, this was written JUST for me. 
(i'm writing it, i'm writing it!) ;-)

love this (by Caroline Paul)

Reading some of Susan Sontag's journals as well...

Love her writing....

and her art...

i try to fill my time with things that fill me.
i avoid energy drainers
like facebook or Pinterest
or too much TV (especially the news)
or toxic people
or blogs that are just too shiny & sparkly
and make me feel
like my life is crap
whenever i visit them.

i need to be reminded now and then
that we're all tainted.
We're all broken
in one way or another,
no matter how hard some people
try to pretend that they're not.

What are your energy drainers?
Can you identify some of them?
With the new year around the corner,
maybe it's a good time
to think about getting rid of some of them...
even if only slowly at first.
Better slow than not at all.
Susannah Conway has a free workbook called
unravelling the year ahead 2014

You might want to check it out

and brace yourself for a good year.

Love & lollipops!

xox

small art is still better than no art

i read this quote in my SOUL PANCAKE book.

Savage and beautiful life...

yes, that's exactly what it is.

It is both,

and anytime we expect it to be ALL beautiful -

we get derailed, don't we?

(pencil on paper)

It is not all beautiful,

but nor is it all savage.

Living my life in a way that i see both

really matters to me.

I don't want to stay stuck in happiness

anymore than i want to stay stuck in pain

because neither would be an honest life.

So as hard as it is sometimes

to understand why some lives are cut so short,

like the four young men near here a few days ago...

that's all part of the mystery, isn't it?

My mother would say

some things just happen

and aren't meant to be understood.

(watercolor on paper)

Whenever my heart feels heavy,
i usually end up making small art.

it's like i don't want to commit to anything too big,
just in case i throw in the towel halfway through.
i guess maybe that explains
why i'm not married either. ;-)

i have some old business cards

that i no longer use

so i use the back of the cards for doodling.

I started this one with a scribble in red marker
and then added color & detail
when i thought a saw a woman...
ok, she's a Picasso-like woman,
but still - a woman. (wink wink)

thanks for being here.
Here's a video of one of my favorite songs of the season,
by the beautiful Sarah McLaughlin...
another proud Canadian girl. I hope you like it.
xox