Embracing 2014

           Happy New Year!

2014 has arrived.
I am ready to embrace all it has to offer. There will be challenges to complete, courses to do, art to create, stories to be written, books to be read.

I created a new canvas for my word of the year.

The vision board I created for winter will carry me through to spring. (Check here to see the list of what i plan to embrace the next 3 months.)

I am beginning several (free!)  challenges this week and I encourage you to check them out.

The Daisy Yellow Creative Experiments Challenge

Journal 52

Saying Good-Bye to 2013

This year began with choosing my word for the year - JOY. It was a good word - as I needed to seek out joy. It appeared in many small moments throughout the year. I created, I wrote, I explored new things.
Joy filled my art literally:

2013 was the year that I retired, after 36 years of education. It was the right decision but it was still a very difficult one to make. I am still adjusting to the changes.
I have been following reverb and have been looking back on the year. It is good to see where you have gone and what you have done.
But...
As the year ends, I know I am looking forward to new beginnings, new adventures and new challenges.

A new quote showed up on facebook today:

Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book.
 Write a good one.

Yes, a very good motto, one I am aiming for.

May everyone have a wonderful New Year's celebration tonight!

Shadow Shot Sunday

I may not have been posting shadows lately, but the obsession is still there to seek them out. Here are some from the past few weeks:

Our back walkway after an inch of new snow.

Cedar hedges with ice and snow.

Be sure to check here for for wonderful shadows from around the world.

Photo Challenges

This past weekend Southern Ontario was hit by an ice storm.. Throughout the region thousands of people lost power and there are still many who have no power 4 days later. What a way to spend Christmas.Hydro workers have been working overtime to remedy the situation. The major problem was the ice on the trees -thousands of trees have lost limbs or worse, resulting in so many lines down.

There was much beauty though in these trees, sparkling in the sunshine., against the blue sky on Monday.

Be sure to check here for wonderful skies from around the world.


Messy Little Details
After the storm, we drove around to see some of the devastation - there were so many limbs down just in our neighbourhood alone.

Be sure to visit here for other "messy little  details".

Sunday Weekly Wrap-Up

It has been several weeks since I have posted a Sunday weekly wrap-up, so thought i would share some work from the past week.

One Word/ Winter Intentions Vision board
Yesterday was the first day of winter and I created a vision board for the winter season. It also focuses on my word for 2014:   EMBRACE

Collages
For Inspiration Avenue and OLW:  Magic of Christmas

Paper Traders: laugh every day

ATCs

Zens

Spread the Joy

Read Down the House

i have to admit that I did not read any of the books from my list altho I did try. Instead I actually bought(!) several books and read them!  Hopefully in the new year I will do better.

I had read about 2 books that were written in response to the Sandy Hook tragedy, and as a teacher I had to read them. One was a picture book and it really was lovely:

Snowflakes Fall  By Patricia MacLachlan; illustrated by Steven Kellogg

The other was written by Scarlett Lewis, who lost her son Jesse: "Nurturing Healing Love". I was very moved by it.

I also read "Starry Night" by Debbie Macomber.

Linking with:

Creative Every Day

Inspire Me Monday

First Day of Winter - Winter Intentions

It is the first day of winter - the longest night of the year. It is only four days until Christmas so I thought I would share our snowy nativity in our front yard.

Each new season for the past few years I have crated an intentions vision board for the coming three months. I also share my new word - for 2014 it will be embrace.

I broke it down into 4 areas with an embrace and activities for each area. They are as follows:

SPIRITUAL 

Embrace joy and faith

Gratitude journal

 Prayer journal 

Bible study 

RAOK

 Simplify

 CREATIVE/INTELLECTUAL     

 Embrace creativity and learning

Project 365 

Write daily 

 Quote cards 

Courses 

Read 

  

HEALTH    

Embrace healthy living

Move daily

 Laugh 

Healthy eating

SOCIAL

Embrace love and friendship

Connect 

Weekly date  

Volunteer

New Collages

The Magic of Christmas

At Inspiration Avenue the the theme this week was Christmas and at OLW (One Little Word)  magic was the word to focus on. For me, Christmas has always been a magic time. This quote said it all. I loved these stickers from the Lung Association from 1979 - created by children. Magical!

This is the final life word prompt at Paper Traders. Laugh every day was the prompt and when I looked up quotes I could not choose just one. Here were my favourites, with a photo of my daughter many years ago enjoying herself.