Random Post-Easter Post

Hello all!! I have been enjoying the world now that the sun has begun to shine again. 

(In case you forgot what that was.)

When spring comes, I'm usually really active with tons of small projects. Like this awesome-quick purple and quartz crystal bracelet.  

Or any one of the many quick sketches that happen when I need some art in my day!

Whatever you're encouraged to create or inspired to try, take advantage of whatever moves you and DO IT!!!

Even when you make mistakes, you learn!

Much love!

~MythicalMagpie

Prioritizing

Is one of my biggest personal flaws. I over schedule, under-rest and in the few spare moments I do find, I sit with a laptop and space out with Facebook.

I have been so busy lately that my personal life and faith have taken a back seat. That makes me very sad. This summer has been more packed than most. With weddings, baby showers, travel and reunions and just trying to get back into the swing of life after our own wedding...I have had little down time. To make matters worse, I don't often know what to do with my free time when I have a little of it. So I usually end up wasting time looking at arts sites or Facebook when I could be making art and spending time with friends.

There is a lot to be said for slowing down. And I have no idea HOW to. I'm willing to take suggestions!!!

Also, I've been gaming a lot. A LOT a lot. And I really need to cut back. I think today I'll try to work on a Rhea Day poem to break back into the liturgical mindset.

I'll happily take recommendations on how people unwind.

Garden Elves

...built this while I was at mom's.




And by garden elves, I mean very macho ones. Named Joe.

In the three hours I was at mom's he bought paving stones and put them up as well as the fence and garden gate we picked out last night.

I am so in love I can't put words to it!! And despite the late planting and late frost this year, we have veggies coming up inside!!

All in all, it's a lovely day!

The Little Things

So, I am a huge fan of finding joy in the little things.

And here is the newest little thing that brings me joy. My tiny desk orchids are budding! I keep looking at them every day, anxiously awaiting their bloom and I am so thankful that I still am able to find awe in such simple things!!

What is your simple joy today?

I am now wedded

Yes I know, you've all been *dying* to read all about it!

On May fourteenth, around 4:30, I married my best friend. It was a beautiful day, a moving ceremony and a great opportunity to share our love with those closest to us. I won't give a complete play-by-play, but I'm happy to give a condensed version!

We got to bed late after the rehearsal dinner and care package stuffing we did the night before, so it was almost midnight when he got me to my mom's. I was sad to not see him until the wedding, but I wanted to stay somewhere else the night before our wedding. So we said our goodbyes and I tried like crazy to get to sleep despite the lists and details I kept checking and re-checking I did.

I woke up early, before seven, too excited to sleep. It was like the morning of a summer vacation! Despite the massive amount of details and pressure, and mostly in thanks to my mom and now mother and sister-in-law, the day was pretty calm for me. I got up early at my mother's house and finished making my fascinator. (Which I will post about later) And then spent the next three hours with my sisters getting our hair done. It was a very nice and calm time for us to just spend some time joking and goofing off. I was very thankful for it.

Then we rushed off, grabbed our dresses and ran to the wedding site to finish getting ready. That's when things started to get "real". I wasn't really in love with my wedding dress, instead letting my mom and mother-in-law pick it for me. But with my hair done, shoes on, makeup finished, I put on the fascinator...and started crying. It wasn't until that moment that I really and truly felt like a bride. It was happily overwhelming.

Then we ran outside, while the boys were nestled away inside, one of the few traditional vestiges in our day. And we had our pictures taken before the rain started. I was cloistered away in the small ladies' room which had no air conditioning and was rather stifling and had no chairs. So every time one of my female guests went inside, there I was!!



It wasn't until everyone was moved to the dining tables inside and the altar, flowers and arch were moved, did I really start feeling nervous. Moving the wedding inside meant the women had to travel down a very steep, but picturesque stairway to get to the ceremony. No pressure, right?

But our entrance music started, and I heard Joe was standing there. The song changed to an instrumental version of "He'll Make Me Happy" from the Muppets Take Manhattan. That alone was enough to almost make the whole bridal party sob! My dad took my arm, whispering "I don't know how you can be so calm right now." To which I responded, "Nothing else to be, there's nothing else to really worry about except the stairs."



One by one we made our way down the stairs and my dad passed the torch, symbolically and there I was, looking into the eyes of my best friend, who would soon be my husband.



I could write a whole separate entry on the ceremony, which was a "druish" one, celebrated by our friend and reverend, Michael J Dangler. But suffice it to say, I ended up "enflam[ing] this union with a kiss" and we were married!



After all the stress and worry leading up to the wedding, it was a beautiful service and I really am so fortunate that we got the wedding we wanted and shared it with as many as we could. It was such a relief to have it all done. (You can totally see it in our faces too!)


I can't wait to start the next chapter of our lives together!

~ <3, husband!

An Award!

So I got a peer award today from Caroline, over at Wandering the Numinous Wilds.
Her blog is filled with recipes for healthy meals, amazing art and musings on her
faith. It is worth checking out!

She nominated me and three others and I'm terribly tickled. So, I want to pass on the love.

The Rules:
If you are tagged...

Thank the person who gave you the award
Share 7 random bits about yourself
Pass the award on to a few of your favorite blogs
(And don't forget to let them know!)

About Me:

1. I pick up worms in peril, and place them in the grass.
2. I love nature.
3. I hate extreme temperatures (yes, it is ironic when you combine this and #2).
4. I love brightly colored decorations.
   
5. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
6. I wish I made my own clothes.
   
7. I want to always continue to see the world with excitement and wonder.
   

The Blogs I choose:

1. Nikki, over at BohemianGirl. Featuring crocheting, theatre and life. (<3 Ya' girl!)
   
2. Crystal at Mused. A blog about inspiring, creating and living life. It has truly been an inspiration to me. (Thanks darlin')
3. Dandelionlady at Dandelionlady. Vintage crafts and tutorials, recipes and gorgeous art, this is a blog of many colors and worth saying I love!
4. Stephanie over at Scribbler to Scribe. Anything you could possibly want to know about the art of writing. Interviews of various persons in the writing industry, contests and tips. Great for the writers in your life!
5. Jillian at Return of the Girl: Her blog covers crafting, writing and being ridiculously clever and insightful about life in general. I wish I had words flow out of me the way she did.
   

So there you go, the fie blogs I read most often! Check them out and have a fantastic Thursday!!!

(TWO DAYS!)

Meraki

meraki [may-rah-kee] (adjective)

This is a word that modern Greeks often use to describe doing something with soul, creativity, or love — when you put "something of yourself" into what you're doing, whatever it may be. Meraki is often used to describe cooking or preparing a meal, but it can also mean arranging a room, choosing decorations, or setting an elegant table.

(Hephaestos, Greek God of metalworking, masonry and sculpting.)

I came upon this word today, stumbling across it then finding a definition.

I think this is a great word. I know lots of people who find joy in art, but everyone has something they find pleasure in creating. Be it a clean house, happy children, putting your heart and soul into something you create or do.

So my question is, what do you do with meraki?

There will be a surprise for the respondents!!!

How does this happen?

I fully intend to journal and keep progress of every step of my Paleo Challenge and Wedding...but then the actuality of the things I'm doing get in the way and I just don't get around to it.

So, I shall endeavor to try to discuss the most recent goings-on. That said, we are now officially (runs to check www.tinyurl.com/Joe-Traci) thirty-eight days from nuptials. I have a dress...Joe has a tux and the wedding party is coming along. We have met with J's mom and discussed menus for the reception and cocktail hour and it sounds delicious!

We met with Rev. Dangler and discussed the ceremony which should be sweet, but not too long, but still representative of our faith. The reception, I hope will be great food and a great party!!!

Don't get me wrong, I am stressing over every detail...I am just getting past each checkpoint and feeling better the more I can enjoy the process. That being said, the R.S.V.P. cards are coming back and that makes it so much more real!


During this time, I've also gotten into Paleo eating and taking care of myself. Getting used to eating mostly animal protein and veggies really has been a shock initially. It's no secret I was addicted to not just carbs, but pretty much anything that was terrible for my body.

Changing your attitude about how you want to live your life takes a lot of dedication. At first I only did it because it seemed to work well for J. But really coming around to what my body needs and not what I think will make my life feel happier at that moment has really taken a bit to wrap my brain around.

That being as it is, I wanted to keep photographic evidence of my progress. Oddly enough, when it came time to find "before" and "current" pictures, there were not many pictures of me before. I hate getting my picture taken and this is why.

January 12th, 2011 (23 lbs lighter) April 6th, 2011

So it's not terribly drastic yet, but I know I feel better!!!

I will write more later!!!

See you all soon!

Life, fun and nights off.

I've been busy the last two weeks. I started going back to the gym after we had our engagement pictures taken. I have been slowly feeding my depression and it certainly showed in the pictures.

While they are sweet and a good marker of where J and I are at this point in our lives, they are not where I want to be. So I have made the choice to get our gym memberships back. I feel really good about that decision.

I went to my youngest sister's voice recital. I was super proud. She's completely her own woman. Funny side note, she sang one of the songs I sang MANY years ago in my senior recital for High School. It was a treat to be there for this moment in her life. She has so much potential and unlike her big sis, isn't to scared to give her dreams a shot!


Also, the boy got me a purple violin for Yule and 4 free lessons!! I had my first this past Sunday...I LOVE it so much!!!


Also, I had an evening to myself while J hung out with his buddy. It's funny, I can remember a time not too long ago, when the thought of a night to myself would have sent me to panic.

I went to the gym, practiced my violin (who I have named Roxanne), did dishes and worked on some new ATC art. I feel really good about the whole thing. As well as how far I've come personally.

It's funny what someone loving you and giving you a safe environment to learn to love yourself can do for the spirit. I highly recommend it to everyone!

Another lovely crafternoon!

So in the holiday vacation, I was lazing around the house, when my mother called and asked me to go spend our well-earned JoAnn's gift certificates. I was, of course willing to oblige.

We had a lovely lunch and spent lots of time pouring over wonderful craft supplies. After using up the gift cards, I headed home. But not before calling Bohemiangrrl and inviting her over for hangouts, dinner, movies and crafting.

We crafted, devoured burritos and watched Thirst (totally gory/R-rated vampire movie, btw) and since it was so messed up, we watched The Neverending Story. I found out that the movie I loved when I was little is still pretty awesome!

In the middle we did some crafting, mostly me trying to pick a pattern for a new project while Bohemiangrrl did some actual crocheting and Joe was fashioning some awesome costume parts.

I have to say, it was pretty great!! Now I have to make tons of stuff tomorrow!

Happy crafting all!


<3 ~Magpie

Decem-brrrrrrrr

November and December are the busiest months of the year.

Preparing for holidays, traveling and making gifts. On top of it all, we had to move back our wedding date 5 months! So we just lost 5 months of planning!! EEK!

So I'm just trying to make it through the holidays. In the meantime, I have been making more necklaces and Mary Jane Slippers for gifts.

You might also notice a new crochet pattern on the right hand side of the blog. I painstakingly re-created a pattern from a 30 year old stocking, who's designer was long lost. I really loved the process though despite it taking several months, and I am interested in making some of my very own designs. Please feel free to support my site and download the pdf for your own holiday creations!

And keep coming back, and I promise to try to keep up with the posts!

Catching up

Sorry I've been absent for a while. With J's sister's wedding and getting sick, it's been a real struggle for time this week.

I did want to celebrate my second etsy sale! Wewt!!! I'd love to get more stuff on the site to sell more!!!

Also, in case anyone thought their boss was awesome, here is what mine brought for me today!!!

In case you can't tell, that little silver thing is a ruler! This is a foot and a half of twizzle-joy!!!

It's gonna be a good week, I think!

My Joe

This is my Joe.

(Pretty handsome, huh?)

Most people may not know, but he's a pretty amazing guy.

He's clever and witty and isn't afraid of being downright silly.

(Dressed as a ballerina for Halloween)

He is the slayer of insects and the defender of our home from drunk guys trying to do yardwork against our will.

He cooks way better than anyone I know and has a close, personal relationship with Alton Brown.

(Ouch.)


He is the man who teaches me, questions me and is the one who knows how to put my pieces back together when I fall apart.

If I ask him a question he doesn't know, he goes to find out the answer because he likes learning as much as I do.

He is an amazing (if not occasionally frustrating) master of debate.

He doesn't mind my insatiable thirst to be something greater, to learn something better and to go experience more things in life with the stupid awe of a kid.

He doesn't mind me taking pictures of him cooking, spelunking, opening presents, making books, hundreds and hundreds of pictures.

When I wake up from the middle of a nightmare, he tells me I need to go back to sleep because he was just about to come save me. He makes me feel safe.

No matter what happens, I know he is my partner, in every sense of the word.

(I love you)

Changing Perspectives

So, the other day, I got in my car and sprayed sunscreen on my arms before the blazing ride home from work.

I realized I had smeared some on my windshield. So I got a napkin and proceeded to wipe it off. But, when I started in the middle and saw the sides were all blurry, I couldn't bring myself to clean it.


It looked all dreamy and neat and so I left it that way...now the a-holes behind me on the freeway seem all dreamy and that makes them less annoying.

Pears!!

So I'm super excited about the pear tree in the back yard. When we went on vacation 2 weeks ago, most of the pears either fell and rotted or were stolen by the neighborhood squirrels.

But, after taking a second glance, I was able to salvage these beauties!!!



NOM!

On finding my path.

So after a lot of things that have been going on in the last few weeks, I think i have some small epiphany to discuss.

I have been feeling low. Unnaturally so for the summer, when my mood is elevated and I am generally manic. I've been praying, reading, contemplating and ignoring at times. But I was speaking with J and it seems to me, that I am most at peace when I am following what I believe is my life's purpose.

What is that purpose? You might ask. Well, I'm not exactly sure. Hence a lot of feelings of being incomplete, unfulfilled, unhappy. What I do know is I love helping people, I love acting/singing and I love crafting. I have absolutely no idea how those things go together to make my path. But I know that when I think about trying, it makes me feel happier.

In the conversation I had with the boy, I related it to choir. When I was in choir, there were times when my ears and my body would hum. I don't know what it's called, but when you are in almost perfect unison with another voice, there is something about your inner ear and your head that seems to "hum" or "buzz". It was a rare feeling, but it was always somehow magical.

I told J that it was this feeling, or a close approximation, that I was looking for. When I do something that uses my skills and am able to give this energy to someone else, my soul "hums". It's a wonderful experience that I have far too rarely.

But I'm like a junkie for it. And when I don't feel it, I get depressed. I question my purpose in life, I feel that I am not living the life I was meant to live.

I am not sure what all of this means, but I do know that when I sit for hours at home on the computer, I feel lonely, sad, depressed. I feel that I've wasted another day I could be trying to bring a little bit of joy to someone. Time I could have been making a sculpture, or performing a monologue or sewing a garment.

I am going to try and spend at least an hour a day creating. I don't really care what it is, or particularly what it looks like when finished. I just need to sing and write and create.

Maybe I might end up with something that brings joy into someone's life.

(P.S. Thanks to Jim Henson, even though you're gone, to remind me it takes "Just One Person".)

Okay, so I'm an adult now....

I just squeed when the furniture company's truck arrived.

After waiting over a month, our couches were here!!!

I have to admit, I was pretty bemused that I was so excited about couches, but now, kicked back in my half of the cushiony reclining couch, I feel danged good.

Being an adult can be fun (and comfy).






Now, do I continue crocheting my fishnet gloves, or stat on the Eva shawl?!? Decisions, decisions!!

(Puppy ,enjoying his new rocking, reclining loveseat.)




(The boys checking out the couch)

Happiness is a warm puppy

I promise I will have my new barrettes to post here soon, but until then...
sleepy puppy is sleepy.

Grown up joys

So occasionally, something will happen that I want to post about here that isn't craft related.

This is one of those days.

I won't go into egregious detail, but I wanted to celebrate the first sign that my finances are turning around. For the first time in my adult life, I received a bonus from work. I don't have to use it for debt, I didn't have to use it for emergency repairs.

What I did, was made the first major purchase of my life. I feel so silly getting excited about this, but here is what I purchased with my bonus.

Now we opted to not get the dark leather, due to the white puppy and his claws. So it will be in a kind of khaki color, but it was pretty rad, had all the features I wanted and it was almost half off at Front Room Furnishings due to their big sale.

So for the price of one piece, I got the couch and loveseat, with cash to spare.

It may seem silly, but I am totally jazzed.

I finally feel like things are getting on track.

Totally unfair...

That this is outside....
and I am stuck inside.

This window is like torture! At least I HAVE a window at this job!