CoraNation

Creative Cravings 01.24.11

2012-01-24T22:03:00.000-08:00

I have failed to cite my sources for the inspiration behind these postings. A Cup of Jo, Making It Lovely and Dooce all do lovely weekly collections of links and inspired me to do the same.

On to it -

(via Neatorama)

I cannot wait to watch this (via Neatorama)

January is Braille Literacy Month (via Neatorama)

Much classier than tagging (via Neatorama)

Hi to you too! (via Neatorama)

Trip Plan #1 (via Neatorama)

Trip Plan #2 (via Visual News)

Wish this explained why I am unemployed (again) (via Visual News)

My friend, Heather, did this (via Visual News)

Visualizing autism

Toodles!

Douchebag Merit Badges

2012-01-23T16:56:00.001-08:00

Happiest of Mondays! We finally made it home after being stuck* on the Westside for over a week.

*By stuck, I mean lounging about watching cable, being cooked delicious meals, free babysitting and multiple Target clearance rack runs. Wait, why did I come home? Oh right, Jason and the four legged kiddos. And my bed - I love sleeping in my own bed.

Okay, on to the douchebaggery... (via Laughing Squid)

I am proud to say, I have only earned two of these - bad parking and tanning. I am a reformed take-shirt-off-at-inappropriate-timer. Jason wears Axe...and I like it! So maybe I actually have three.

The A Team 01.20.11

2012-01-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

I'm totally copying Erin's template for blogging updates about her babe.

+ got her first hair cut

+ built her first snowmen (Papa and Baby)

+ after growing weary of me telling her to be polite, shouted, "Polite!!!"

+ pretends to leave ("Buh-bye, Mama") and then returns with big hugs ("Mama!")

+ when her sister cries, says "ah-goo, ah-goo" to her

+ hangs out for hours in nothing but her diaper

+ rejected a princess doll in favor of a race car

+ now does multiple roll-overs to move across the floor

+ if she knows I'm around, she'll cry until I come back into her sight

+ loves eating spaghetti

+ will occasionally sleep past 7 am

+ growled at her uncle one morning

+ roars when we roar or say "Arrrrr"

+ both are adored by their aunt, uncle, cousins, grandpa and grandma

+ both really miss their papa (we've been stuck in Camas for a week due to the weather)

Making art out of nothing at all

2012-01-20T09:27:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last Creative Cravings post, I subscribed to a few new blogs. Several of the posts I bookmarked featured art made using new mediums, so I decided to create a post dedicated solely to those them. My brain gets so jazzed when I see someone use an object in a manner entirely different from its usual function.

via Making it Lovely

Junk as art

More junk as fine art

Painting with date stamps

A fitting tribute

Typewriter art (via Nicole Balch on Babble)

Typewriter as paint brush (via Making it Lovely)

Bullets as paint

Creative Cravings 01.18.11

2012-01-18T07:58:00.001-08:00

I subscribed to a few new blogs (Neatorama, Laughing Squid, Visual News and All My Faves ) and am awash in things to share!

via Neatorama

Foreclosure Quilts (via Neatorama)

Perhaps this is my dad's influence, but these shoes are way cool (via Neatorama)

My dream coffee table (via Neatorama)

Who knew Leonardo Da Vinci was also a purse designer? (via Neatorama)

Exposed: Big Bird

Not what I expected

Can you spare a boom box, brother?

Love me some random acts of kindness

I'd love to live like a Hobbit!

For Lovey (and those with a competitive nature)

The Visual Resume

Toodles!

Tired

2012-01-18T07:58:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, as a parent, I get tired. I get tired of changing diapers. I tire of being screamed and whined at. I tire of having to repeat myself. I tire of the meals I make being rejected. I tire of having to pack everything but the kitchen sink when we go somewhere. I tire of not knowing how long we can be out and about. I tire of being puked on. I tire of wiping noses. I tire of looking for bears and pacifiers. I get tired of doing so much laundry. I tire of having my hair pulled, my neck scratched, my finger bit and my gums poked. I tire of being tired.

To quote Pearl Bailey (isn't she fab?!), I am tired.

But, sometimes, I grow less tired. Receiving kisses, hearing "Mama!", watching Aggie soothe her sister, making the girls giggle, having my kisses soothe pains, being asked to dance, having my hair stroked, seeing Mimi's smile spread, hearing people marvel over them - those things energize, soothe the angry, resentful, tired beast in my chest.

Receiving

2012-01-17T21:42:00.000-08:00

I subscribe to a parenting e-newsletter, Daily Groove. Today's newsletter, entitled Get In a Receiving Mode, felt particularly relevant to me, in light of my letter to the universe. The premise is that to start getting what you want you have to leave the asking mode and get into a receiving mode; if you just keep asking, all you'll get is more questions. So, I'm trying to get into a receiving mode, to receive the gifts the universe is sending me.

Here's the gift I received today - while watching What Not to Wear, the hosts, Stacy and Clinton, talked to the subject about focusing on making her self proud and not anyone else. A light bulb went off. At almost 35 years old, I am still trying to make others proud of me - my parents, my spouse, my friends, etc. But, as Wayne Dyer said, "What other people think of you is none of your business." I too need to focus on making myself proud, doing things and making choices that I feel good about. Sure, I already do this to a certain extent - probably way more than I admit to myself. But, I want (one of) my first considerations to be, does doing this make me proud of myself? Considering others and how my actions impact them, that is something I always want to do, but I think I should come first or pretty darn near the top in my conscious.

Loving all the parts

2012-01-16T22:21:00.001-08:00

So, I am passive-aggressive. I come by it honestly; I come from a long line of P-Aers. A grand tradition, if you will.

Over the past few months, it has come to my attention just how P-A I am. I want to change. Part of that change, I believe, is to learn to understand and ultimately embrace my P-A. But all I want to do is kick my P-A, yell at it and shun it. Right now, I hate it, hate that I do it. I am reluctant to even acknowledge it. Grrr...

Any suggestions on how to embrace the thorny?

Update: I've realized two benefits of P-A:

I can recognize when others are doing it;
When I recognize myself doing it, it alerts me that I am not comfortable sharing my feelings openly and to figure out why.

The A Team 01.13.11

2012-01-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

The switch to part-time daycare is going well. I pick them up just after their lunch, then we go home and they go directly down for a nap (okay, me too). After they wake up, we do a variety of things - color, cook (both pretend and for real), take walks, etc. And lots of RAWRing:

Yesterday, Aggie came home with a cold and spent the afternoon doing this:

She's actually awake and watching Wallace & Grommit.

No pics of Mimi this week, but if we're friends on Facebook, check out the video of her getting up on her hands and knees - she is getting close to crawling! I think once she does, she and Aggie are going to become really great play pals. We had a play date with a 1 year old earlier this week, someone the girls hadn't met, and Aggie just walked up to her, took her hand and led her off to play. It was so cute.

Overall, things are great with the girls. BUT, there is one issue we're struggling with - after months of going to bed like a champ, Aggie no longer wants to go to bed. Nap times, no problem. Come bed time, there is no getting her to stay in bed. We lead, plead, fight, lay down with her, all for a couple of hours - usually until 10:30 pm, then she finally falls asleep. And it's been waking up Mimi, so I have two wakeful girls at a time I would really like to be sleeping. My new plan is to put her and Mimi to bed at the same time (Ags has been going to bed a couple hours after Mimi) - pajamas, stories, songs, all together. We'll see how that works. If you have any suggestions, please share!

Another Surprise Finding

2012-01-12T13:55:00.000-08:00

This song stands the test of time.

The video, however, with its abundance of spandex, does not.

Weightloss

2012-01-12T11:25:00.000-08:00

Oh, how I have avoided writing about this topic but also mentally drafted several postings on it. Here goes.

Since May 2011, I have lost 40 pounds. Here's the how - nursing Mimi and eating lots of low fat protein and vegetables. It's that simple and that boring. I followed, sometimes loosely, the Dukan Diet and the Paleo diet. 'Nuff said about that.

Two things have surprised me about losing weight - First, that I now look in the mirror and see the body I expect to see. For years, I've looked in the mirror and been surprised to see that my body was bigger than I anticipated. The incongruousness of that would leave me shocked, sad and negative. Now, I look in the mirror and see what I expect to see and it feels good - I'm happy with what I see. I look how my brain thinks I look. The outside matches the inside, so to speak.

Second, because of the afore mentioned contentedness, I don't really feel like losing those last 10 pounds. I'm giving it a go, but by February 15th, I'm going to call it good and start the maintenance phase of the diet. I'd like to be a size 10, but not something I deem necessary or am willing to strive for.

I want to emphasize that I lost the weight because I wanted to. I didn't feel I had to or needed to (though one could argue that our culture ingrains this in women - and that would most likely be the case for me). I wanted to see what would happen if I did shed some weight, specifically 50 lbs. I did not anticipate the results. I thought I'd lose the weight and want to lose more, be more critical of my body. I didn't expect acceptance, but I will most certainly take it and celebrate it.

Creative Cravings 01.11.12

2012-01-11T09:24:00.000-08:00

I read a lot of blogs and many of my Facebook friends share really cool stuff, so I thought I'd start a little series - Creative Cravings - to share some of the things that really excite/inspire/tickle me.

A lovely tribute to paper books

Not your father's horoscope

Also, not your grandmother's emroidery - 365 Lucky Days - and she has a shop!

Move over Hot Yoga, now there's Xen Strength - yoga with weights

Google honors Nicolas Steno

I wasn't going to make any resolutions this year until I saw this - thanks, Erin!

Art as cookie or cookie as art? via Marvelous Kiddo

My favorite new blog, The Dainty Squid

Speaking of new blogs, I've updated my list to the right - ready, set, explore! And please, share your favorites with me.

Toodles!

Impatiently Terrified

2012-01-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all the great feedback on my letter to the universe. I *think* the universe has sent me a couple messages. I think so because two opportunities that popped up terrify me, in a good way. Both are ways for me to earn money doing my dream job. One is self-created, the other a job at a company. I'm being all cryptic, I know, but I don't want to jinx either, to be honest. Oh, whatever, here's what they are:

1) Become a Blogger, with a capital B. It seems to me to be the easiest, most fun way to get paid for being myself. This is a life long dream of mine - to be paid for just being who I am. Given that I am inherently pretty lazy, being easy needs to be part of it. And being a Blogger also seems fun. What I have realized that the inspiration to just sit down and blog is not going to arrive - I'll need to just sit down everyday and do it. Or, as Aunty Ruu reminded me, "Fake it 'til you make it."

2) A position with a regionally renowned philanthropic foundation has opened up, a good position. I'm going to apply - fingers triple crossed! I did an internship with a philanthropic foundation and loved it - I find the theories and politics and practices of granting funds very interesting. And I love the premise of nonprofits - joining together to do good for others - so having a job where I could help a wide variety of nonprofits is also very intriguing.

There's also a few jobs open with an adoption agency which also seem very interesting. I'd like to delve more into the realm of adoption - the ins and outs, pluses and minuses, etc. So, we'll see about that as well.

Originally, the title of this post was how I was feeling about my whole letter to the universe, but I'm feeling much different after writing this post - enthusiastically hopeful.

Dear Universe,

2011-12-23T10:03:00.000-08:00

*Note: this is something I've been meaning to do, write a letter to the Universe, and thought I'd share it with you all. In case you don't know, last week I rejoined the ranks of the unemployed. So, it's time for a little soul searching or universe searching in this case. I'm a big believer that if you make room in your life, the universe will send what you need/what you were meant to have your way. It holds true for me - it's how Jason, Aggie and Mimi all came in to my life. So, without further ado...

Dear Universe,

How are you? Okay, I'm stalling. I've been stalling for more than a week - actually for more than 18 months. I'm scared and I don't know why. You've sent me all kinds of goodness - nay, greatness. When I have opened up my life, cleared out the unessential, you have sent me the most wonderful of gifts. Thank you. Maybe this should be a thank you note - my life is tremendous. Thank you.

However, given the past 18 months of my life - career opportunities not working out - I am beginning to suspect that you are sending me a message. That you have something you'd like to give me, if I'd just open up my life, my heart, and let it in.

I guess I'm afraid that I'll fail again. Or I won't like what you send me. Or I don't know what. But I'm afraid. Perhaps what I'm really afraid of is that this it - I do have a great life and I need to accept it as it is, despite wanting more.

But, this past week, you sent me another gift - affordable, part-time day care for the girls at our beloved day care. And it's a win for all parties involved. I am so grateful - thank you.

So, I suspect your bounty is endless and that it's okay to ask for more - the worse you could say is nothing at all.

I love my family dearly (immediate, extended and created), but I want more than just them in my life. I want work that is meaningful beyond my small sphere. I want work that fills me up, serves a purpose in the lives of others, that challenges and inspires me. I want work that allows me ample quality time with my family and doesn't ask me to choose between the two, because the family will always come first.

Truly, that is all I have ever wanted, from the time I was a young girl - a family and work that I love. The family part I've got and will continue to nurture. Now, I ask for the work part.

As my Freewill Astrology horoscope said this week:

In 2012, Taurus... The coming months will be prime time for you to lay the foundations for a worthy project that will captivate your imagination for a long time -- and perhaps even take you decades to complete.

That sounds amazing. Please, send that.

Thank you.

All the love in the universe,

Cora

Liebste Iris,

2011-12-05T13:07:00.001-08:00

Wir wunschen Dir ein schoes Geburtstag. Viel Glueck, Spass und Gesund zum nachstem Jahr.

Deine,

Cora, Jason, Aggie & Mimi

Squeeee!!!!

2011-12-02T11:02:00.001-08:00

From the title, you may have guessed - things are going so much better! Wheeeeeeeeeee! I am a tad giddy.

The happiness feels a touch fragile. I note this only in hopes of reminding myself that should something troubling come up that my happiness wasn't a fluke or a lie, just on ground that has not yet hardened.

And to learn from my current state - for it's my opinion I should learn from the positive and the negative - here's what I think is contributing to it:

Mimi has been sleeping through the night; hence, so have I - at least two nights this week!
I'm back on my protein and veggie diet, which seems to help me have more stable moods and energy.
I've taken time to relax each evening after the girls go to bed and before I go to bed (mainly by watching Clean House - love that show!).
Someone is out on vacation for this week (and next!).
I had a lovely, relaxing weekend with Aunty Ruu (thanks, Aunty Ruu!).
When my anger has flared, 85% of the time I've remembered to breathe deeply.
The girls have been so super cute and fun.
The weather hasn't been too cold and it's been sunny.
I've found a ton of new blogs to read.
I'm reading The Happiness Project and found a kindred spirit in the author.
I'm trying not to apologize for little things.
I made another friend date for Sunday, and my house will be full on friends on Saturday for Mandarin Day (Observed) party.

About the girls - Mimi's top two front teeth are coming in and they're so cute! And Aggie has started speaking in full sentences occassionally. Generally when chocolate milk is involved. Last night, she asked, "Hey! What happened to the chocolate milk?" (actually sounded like: "Hey! Dawt apen doklet nilk?") I replied, "That's right! I'll go make some." "Awesome!" The cuteness made me fall over.

I also made a big break through on the walk to the car the other night. I struggle when people are upset with me. I work very hard, mentally, to figure out how to change that. I remind myself that people have a right to their feelings, but that's not the real issue. The real issue is I need to be okay that they are upset with me - that I struggle with. That slight shift in perspective shot straight to my core and I realized that is where the issue lies. I need to learn to be okay that people are mad at or unhappy with or sad about (etc.) me. That I don't actually have to care or change that feeling, but I do have to live with it.

Happy Day!

More Messages from the Universe

2011-11-28T15:52:00.001-08:00

Below is my for this week horoscope from Free Will Astrology:

In Woody Allen's film Midnight in Paris, the Ernest Hemingway character says, "All cowardice comes from not loving, or not loving well enough." Given the state of your current astrological omens, Taurus, that is an excellent piece of advice. I suspect you are going to be asked to call on previously untapped reserves of courage in the coming weeks -- not because you'll have to face physical danger but rather because you will have a chance to get to the bottom of mysteries that can only be explored if you have more courage than you've had up until now. And the single best way to summon the valor you'll need is to love like a god or goddess loves.

On the right path...

2011-11-28T10:27:00.001-08:00

I just had to share this, given last night's post.

Everyday, I receive a Daily Thought in my inbox from Real Simple. This is the quote I received this morning:

"To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first." - William Shakespeare

Should the universe be sending me a message, I think it's now telling me I'm on the right path.

Intentions

2011-11-27T21:44:00.001-08:00

My dearest friend, Ms. Heather, talked to me about articulating intentions, that by doing so, you aid in accomplishing them.

Here are my intentions for this week:

get out of bed Monday through Friday at 5:40 am
be in bed by 8:45 pm each night (except Saturday)
read chapter 1 of The Happiness Project
when I feel angry, take a deep cleansing breath
write and send one thank you note

The Climb

2011-11-27T21:26:00.001-08:00

Things are...okay. Fragile and tender. What I have realized is that it's time to put my big girl panties on. To take my big girl pill. For the past 16 years, I've been trying to get by on auto-pilot, on good enough. And good enough just ain't cuttin' it anymore. This is the message I'm hearing recently, again and again. It's time to grow up and beyond.

And part of me really doesn't want to. This part of me is angry, stamping its feet, pouting, clinging desperately to the status quo.

But another part of me knows that if I keep going as I have, then I will lose things that are very important to me, that mean the world to me. And no part of of me wants that to happen.

It's time to switch drivers, to start listening to other voices in my head, to push up and out, beyond this hard shell of lethargy, fear and vanity. What's inside has beauty and shadow, blood and guts, blossoms and decay. Part of this growth is accepting that I am a mixture of positive, negative and neutral, black, white and gray. That the positive is not always positive, same with the negative and neutral - it's all in flux, needed at different times, for different occasions. That just as the bad shall pass ("...and this too shall pass..."), so will the positive, that it all flows. At this point, it's about averages, the middle ground, the balancing point.

At the start of my yoga class today, the teacher talked about how yoga (and, ostensibly life) is like climbing a mountain. To get to the top, you have to make the climb, keep going, adjusting to altitude, building muscles, resting and acclimating. If you try to fly to the top and then survive, you can't because you haven't prepared. But if you make the climb, put in the work, the effort, the sacrifice and the strain, then you can reach the top, you can stay and survive.

I have a mountain to climb. I have to stop trying to find my ride to the top. It's time to put in the work. It's time to endure the pain, remembering that is when strength is built.

The dog days are over; the dog days are done. Can you hear the horses? 'Cause here they come.

Theme Song

2011-11-27T20:41:00.001-08:00

Happiness, hit her like a train on a track
Coming towards her, stuck still no turning back
She hid around corners and she hid under beds
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled
With every bubble she sank with a drink
And washed it away down the kitchen sink

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming
So you better run

Run fast for your mother run fast for your father
Run for your children for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind you
Can't carry it with you if you want to survive

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses
'Cause here they come

And I never wanted anything from you
Except everything you had
And what was left after that too. oh.

Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back
Struck from a great height
By someone who should know better than that

The dog days are over
The dog days are gone
Can you hear the horses
'Cause here they come

By Florence + the Machine

A friend date

2011-11-21T21:49:00.001-08:00

On Sunday, I met up with a co-worker and went for a walk. It was so great to get out of the house and move and chat. Just an hour and a half and I felt so energized.

Plus, her two kids are 5 and 7 and you could converse with them. It made me excited for the girls and I to talk someday.

I've also signed up to do The Happiness Project and bought the book by Gretchen Rubin. It's about training yourself to be happier by creating your own happiness plan.

For Thanksgiving, we're having dinner with friends and their family. Then Saturday, I'll make a solo trip to Portland for a baby shower and Heather time. We plan to go to a sauna, eat Thai food, watch Love, Actually and go to yoga. Relaxing and rejuvenating.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A Colorful Blog

2011-11-17T09:56:00.001-08:00

Found via another blog I read. Thought some of my crafty readers might enjoy:

The Color Issue

And, she's doing a fabulous giveaway (fingers crossed that I win!):

http://colorissue.blogspot.com/2011/11/thanksgiveaway-2.html

Thanks, Aarean!

Photo Card

2011-11-15T20:17:00.001-08:00

Big Cubes Tangerine Baby Announcements

Graduation invitations and announcements by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Photos by Aunty Ruu (aka Heather Binns) - thank you!!!