Wishcast Wednesday: what do you wish for your home?

this is my magic ornament by Laini Taylor, it reminds me magic is real!

Hello my fellow wishers and dreamers, today is Wednesday and over at Jamie Ridler Studios it's a day to share our wishes and dreams.

Today's wish prompt is:  What do you wish for your home?

What I wish for my home:

I wish my home to be a place of peace
where you rest your head safely at night
I wish my home to be a place of love
where you share your heart with another
I wish my home to be a place of trust
where you are always true to yourself
I wish my home to be a place of warmth
where you welcome all with open arms
I wish my home to be a place of laughter
where you sing aloud while dancing
I wish my home to be a place of hope
where you know each day you belong

What do you wish for your home?  As you wish for yourself, so I wish for you also.

Namaste,
Karen

Tuesday's Tunes

I Heart this woman BIG TIME.  Love her spirit, her words and her style.  This song "Rolling in the Deep" off her new album, "21" is part funky, part disco and  part gospel.

Adele - Rolling in the Deep Lyrics


There’s a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch, it’s bringing me out the dark
Finally I can see you crystal clear
Go head and sell me out and I’ll lay your shit bare

See how I leave with every piece of you
Don’t underestimate the things that I will do

There’s a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch
And its bring me out the dark

The scars of your love remind me of us
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all
The scars of your love they leave me breathless
I can’t help feeling
We could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart and soul
And you played it
To the beat
Baby I have no story to be told
But I’ve heard one of you
And I’m gonna make your head burn
Think of me in the depths of your despair
Making a home down there
It Reminds you of the home we shared

The scars of your love remind me of us
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all
The scars of your love they leave me breathless
I can’t help feeling
We could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart and soul
And you played it
To the beat

Throw your soul through every open door
Count your blessings to find what you look for
Turned my sorrow into treasured gold
You pay me back in kind and reap just what you sow

We could have had it all
We could have had it all
It all, it all it all,
We could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart and soul
And you played it
To the beat

She sings for all of us who may have been burned by this kind of a relationship.  Enjoy and have a great day.

Namaste,
Karen

Monday Morning Musings

To add some fun to my Mondays I am going to do a musing post, just thoughts on whatever.   This is just a way to get me to write and to pep up my Mondays!  Since these posts will just be random thoughts I give fair warning that they may not have much structure.



Just when you thought it was safe to start day dreaming of spring we wake up to 4+ inches of snow, I guess winter's not quite ready to exit stage left!

I just found out that I was Vitamin D deficient and by the looks of the above picture I am sure you can see why, so I am on a nutritional quest to add more Vitamin D to my diet via natural food and supplements.  At least now I know why I am so darn tired lately. 

I dream of working in a field that combines art and healing, but does not require going back to school for a million years, maybe I will pioneer a new field, but alas first I must get back to creating which has gone by the wayside these past months.  Winter has had a hold on me and my creative juices froze a bit.  But people I can tell you I am feeling the thaw despite the snow around here.

Have a beautiful Monday and check out my friend Lisa (Dandelion Seeds and Dreams) for some Monday inspiration, she is my inspiration for this Monday!

Namaste,

Karen



Haiku Friday



taken with camera phone

 I happened on to this Haiku prompt over at Corazon blog through a new classmate (Deb) over at Vivienne McMaster's Muse class.  I love any poetry prompts so I am jumping right in.

she held on to faith

for she knew it to be true

her heart opened wide

T.G.I.F friends.

Namaste,

Karen

Wishcast Wednesday

Hi my fellow wishers and dreamers, today is Wednesday and over at Jamie Ridler's Studio it's a day to share wishes.

The wish prompt for today is:  What aspect of your personality do you wish to express more of?

As some of you know the end of December and all of January have been tough for me, the good news is that I am feeling the spark of spring in my spirit and it's leading me out of the darkness and back to the light.  Together the darkness and the light teach us so many things about ourselves, for me I am still processing this time of darkness but I do know I am stronger for going through it.

So back to the wish prompt, the aspects of my personality that I wish to express more of are those of freedom, lightness, creativity and whole heartedness.   The image I hold in my mind when I think of these aspects is that of the 20 something year old me who wore indian skirts and ran barefoot through the grass, singing and dancing to the Grateful Dead (see one of my favorite songs above), during that time of my life I fully embraced those aspects of my personality that I wish to reclaim.

I am slowly getting back to creating and believe it or not my iphone is getting me back into it.  I LOVE my new phone.  The below is a slideshow of my instagram app pictures, this app allows you to take photos and then add different filters to the picture.



As you wish for yourself so I wish for you also.

Namaste,
Karen

Self Portrait February 11, 2011

Dreaming of Spring and taking a much needed sunbreak at work.

I am slowly emerging from the darkness of winter.  This year the darkness hit me hard, mind, body and spririt.  I've been going with the flow over here even when it doesn't feel so flowy, if you know what I mean.

Yesterday I felt that spark of lightness and hope, I KNOW Spring is right around the corner, I can feel it and I am ready for it.

Today I took a sunbreak at work and soaked in the rays that have been so sparse here these last few weeks.
May you always know that when the darkness comes the light isn't far behind, they both make us who we are and there are lessons to be learned within both.

Namaste friends,
Karen

Pieces of Me

Mirror fence at Storm King

I feel like I'm in pieces
scattered around the floor
trying to pick one up
and then another falls
holding on to hope
I let go and let them be
curious to see what's to become
of these pieces of me


I am trying to process through words, the way I have been feeling, with the hope that i will pull myself up and out of this stuck place I have been in...no energy for classes or comments.  I am here checking in and roaming around the web sending you love, trying to find my way back to myself, rooting and grounding as I go.

May this day find you well.

Namaste,
KAren

Wishcast Wednesday:What burden do you wish to put down?

Hi.  Today over at Jamie Ridler's Studios the wish prompt is:  What burden do you wish to put down?

I wish to put down the burden of worrying what the future holds, it keeps me from living in the moment.

What you wish for yourself, so I wish for you also.

Namaste,

Karen

Soulful Sunday

these things have been on my mind........

faith

courage

compassion

love

yes these things have been on my mind....

Soulful Sunday............

light through the dark



I am willing

to love and to be loved

I am willing

to heal and to be healed

I am willing

to forgive and to be forgiven

I am willing

to trust and to be trusted

I am willing

to see and to be seen

I am willing

to hear and to be heard

I am willing

to give and to be given

I am willing

Songs for your Saturday

So confession time:  I am a GLEEK... love GLEE and dancing and singing in general as a rule!

Here are some Glee songs for your Saturday..

Namaste friends
Karen

Self Portrait Jan 20, 2011 SAD

not many words today

this picture tells the story

of a heart slowly breaking

yet still willing to hold on to hope

Namaste

Karen

Stuck: Trying to find my balance

I have lost my center, my balance.  My mind, spirit and body have been off balance for such an extended time that I finally realize I need to take some time to find my center again.

I don't know what that entails but I am working that out, the end of 2010 beginning of 2011 has brought this loss of balance to the forefront.  I have been so overwhelmed by emotional breakthroughs, health issues and lack of faith and trust that I feel a bit lost.  The blogosphere has been at times a blessing due to the connections to like minded souls and the true community feeling I have found here yet on the flip side there is a feeling of overwhelm in  information,  feelings of inadequacy, competition, comparison, and the critical voice.

I have been frozen in creative inertia and lack of general purpose, just stuck overall in my life.  I am going to be gentle with myself at this time.  I will be posting  pics as I take them and sharing some links around here for awhile until I get my feet back under me.

Today I am enjoying the sketches and thoughts on fear and hope over at Kristin Noelle's place and this is my choice for Lisa's (dandelion seeds and dreams) Monday Inspiration today.

I am sending you all love and best wishes for today and all your tomorrows.

Namaste,
Karen

Tuesday's Tunes

I was reminded of this song while watching the show "Parenthood" tonight, and I remembered how much I love it.

This is a great version and the lyrics scroll on the screen as the song is playing..  my favorite lines in the song:
"May you always do for others and let others do for you"
"May your heart always be joyful and May your song always be sung"

Enjoy and be well..

Today's Thoughts:Some tender parts of my story

I have been hearing many people talk about being authentic, standing in your truth and being vulnerable and it has left me wondering do people really want to hear my truth or will they judge it or me?  I wonder if my post is not upbeat or informational or inspiration and creative will anyone want to read it or should I really even care if anyone wants to read it?

2011 has started off a bit rockier than I hoped it would but I am trying to roll with it and go with the flow.  I really can't imagine why I thought when the clock struck 12:01 January 1,2011 that everything would magically change for the better, it's all the New Year's hype, I bought into it.  The only thing  I can do is state my intentions and start living my truth.  And part of that truth is that I don't know my whole story, I am in the process of unravelling and learning it day by day.


Here is some of my story:

I grew up in a family filled with anxiety and depression, a father in a job that was at times dangerous to himself and to us and a Mother who was not treated right and did not quite know how to nurture and show her love.  My parents both did the best they could  and I love them both dearly, but there are some truths there that I can't hide from anymore.

I married a man who does not know how to fully commit himself in a relationship so I wake everyday wondering where I stand and will this be the day he decides to leave.  He has been unsure of his feelings for the last 5 years of our marriage of 17 years, though he added he has been feeling this way for much longer.  and I wait....................for him to love me or love me not.

I have problems with intimacy due to some past traumas in my life parts of which still remain unknown to me.  What I do know is that those experiences have left me with a lack of faith and trust that I am struggling to regain.

I know the path to healing for me will lay in the creative arts, I have touched on it from time to time yet I still don't fully immerse in it because part of me is afraid to heal, what would life look like then, who will I become?

I know that I only have to look within to find the love and acceptance I long for YET I continue to look for it externally and that only leads to disappointment.

I have just shared some of my story with you, will you share some of yours with me?  Feel free to leave comments, because the one TRUTH I am SURE of is that we are not alone, we are more connected than we know and all our stories matter..

My intention for 2011 is to love and accept myself for who I am and to embrace and share my story as it unfolds.

Namaste and thanks for listening,

Karen

Self Portrait Jan 10, 2011 letting humour diffuse a bad mood

Hi friends.

Did you ever have one of those days when you just felt like ranting and pulling your hair out, well that was my day today.  I decided to diffuse this mood with some self portrait humour, and it really helped. (thanks for the reminder Liz that sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself.)

So today over at Lis' Dandelion Seeds and Dreams it is Inspirational Monday, and I am being inspired by laughing today and how it can instantly diffuse a bad mood!

I am just going to have to let go and let my pace be what it is, things will get done or not and if they don't it won't be the end of the world.  I am starting to realize there is only so much you can do before you just start shutting down.

May you be enjoying your day wherever you may be.

Namaste,

KAren

Self Portrait January 9th.. the mood around here

As I am sure many of you can relate to I have had a love/hate relationship with my hair for as long as I can remember.  It seems like the only days I like my hair are the days that I am going for a hair cut, funny huh!

I have been feeling a wee bit overwhelmed here and I needed to laugh so I started  playing with my video camera and trying different hairstyles out..I call this one the modified Cousin It.

Today I am trying to organize my life all in one short day and as you can see I am distracting myself with the internet.. oh well, in the immortal words of Scarlett O'Hara, "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow"!"

Enjoy your day and may you take some time to laugh today!

Namaste,
Karen

Self Portrait Jan. 7, 2011 - Snowy Day

Today's self portrait was fun, cold and wet!  I must say it's darn hard looking up into snow that is falling down.  The big fat wet flakes were coming at a steady pace at this point.

Have a wonderful day wherever you may be.

Namaste,

Karen

Self Portrait Jan 6, 2011: Mirror Board

I am joining the brave ranks of  Hippy Urban Girl, Vivienne McMaster, Liz Lamoreux, Susannah Conway, Bella and Lisa Hoffman  and taking on my own self-portrait challenge.  My intention is by taking these self portraits I will be connecting to the moment I am in as well as becoming more comfortable in my own skin.

Today I took my reflection in mirror board paper which I will be using to complete my Sketchbook Project book which is only due in a week, hey there's nothing like waiting until the last minute to get the blood flowing!

Happy Thursday to all,

Namaste,
Karen

Word for 2011 and Wishcast Wednesday

Hi my fellow wishers and dreamers. Today over at Jamie Ridler Studios the wish prompt is: "What do you wish to say YES to?"

I was so determined to start 2011 with a calm and focused mind but alas that is not what is happening. I am overwhelmed with thoughts on what I would like to accomplish for the New Year and work picking back up at the same time. (I work at an accounting office)

While reading others blogs, tweets, facebook posts on their intentions for the New Year, their wrap up of 2010 and their words for 2011 I have become overloaded with information, thoughts, ecourses that are starting up, projects I want to start or finish, etc. This has left me with the feeling that I have not had a chance to stop and catch my breath between this year and last.

Everything seems to travel at the speed of light out here in the blogosphere, if you miss a day or heck an hour or two you are already out of the loop. I wonder do others work full time jobs and if so how do they manage their work, online time and family/household time, this leads me to this weeks wish prompt.

What I would like to say YES to is my word for 2011, which is EMBRACE, this word found me as It was not even one of my top choices, I kept seeing it everywhere and it just started to resonate with me in a way that no other words had.

Definition of EMBRACE From Merriam webster
transitive verb
1a : to clasp in the arms : hug b : cherish, love
2: encircle, enclose
3a : to take up especially readily or gladly b : to avail oneself of : welcome
4a : to take in or include as a part, item, or element of a more inclusive whole

For 2011 I would like to EMBRACE the following:

* My own pace, be it slow or fast on any given day, I won't always be able to keep up with the group and that is ok!
* My own schedule, I am an organizing geek and this is at odds with my creative side at times but I work much better with some sort of rhythm (thanks for that clarification Joy!) to my day.
* My imperfections, they are what make me unique.
* My desire to create, to heal, to love.
* Nourishing my mind/body/soul with the things that will bring joy and peace.
* My loved ones just as they are, this goes for self also.
* My Community both online and offline.
* Change, I spend alot of time resisiting change, instead I would like to Embrace it.
* Chaos, sometimes all you can do when there is chaos in your life is to Embace it.

Above are some examples of what I would like to EMBRACE this year but the biggest thing I would like to EMBRACE is the unknown. I get caught up in the need to KNOW everything so instead I would like to EMBRACE the mystery of life, living each moment just as it is.

The Picture above was one I took while shooting into the sun, the resulting sunflare produced a red figure like object EMBRACING the sun.

As you wish for yourself, so I wish for you also.

Namaste,
Karen