A Deck of You!

First of all I would like to say Happy Valentines Day!

For those of you who really know me you know that I love to create and craft stuff. Lately I have been really out of sync with myself and have been struggling to find that niche again. But through a process of random events I stumbled across a super cool idea and I wanted to share it with you guys. I am going to do it and think it would be fun for anyone else to participate and we can encourage and watch each other as we go. Please feel free to encourage anyone else to join the journey. I will not take credit for any of this idea. I read about it on someone elses blog. Maybe you have heard of it before in fact. But here is the main jest. We will create 'a deck of you'; an art journal on a deck of cards - one card to be used for every week of the year. all you need is a deck of cards (i am going to use funky pink and purple ones in target for around $4), and a desire to give yourself this gift - you can join in anytime. Whether you have done an art journal before or not I highly recommend doing this with me. I promise it will be worth it!

This woman taught a class on it and she said : in my class we spent most of the time creating bases or backgrounds to then add journalling and other fun things to each week. if you have time and energy one day - bust out the paint or patterned paper and start layering some fun stuff onto the blank cards. you don't need to do them all at once, but maybe have a few 'ready' for when you want to create on top.

here is my little stash of cards waiting for the fun stuff to be added each week!we also made little pouches from felt and fabric to hold the art journal cards in, carry it around in your bag and pull it out when inspiration strikes or is needed!

so each week i will post a prompt for you to use if you need it. but anything goes! won't it be fun in a year to have this fat wad of color and personality, this little snapshot of you right now? please post if you have any questions, and if you feel comfortable link to an image of your card that week, so we can all get inspired and enjoy from one another! art journal journeys are the best when taken together :)

I will post pictures of my cards as we go along. I hope you will too!

So this week we will work on finding the deck of cards and getting the base and backgrounds painted for a majority of them so they will be dry and handy each week. Here are some pictures of the women's who's idea I am borrowing. Feel free to check out the site. I hope it provides some inspiration!

Here are pictures of the "deck of you" done by the super talented lady I am borrowing these images and ideas from.

Sleep

I hate the smell of sleep but boy do I like to do it. Ever since my Sophomore/Junior year in College I have had a very difficult time waking up in the morning. Before my sophomore year I had a difficult time waking up early but now I am talking about a VERY difficult time waking up. For awhile I thought something was wrong with me. Maybe I was depressed, stressed.....who knows. But I don't think there is anything wrong with me. I think I like to stay up late at night and sleep late in the morning. If I can get a good 9-11 hours of sleep each night I feel refreshed and energized for the day. Wow! That's a lot! Some of you maybe be thinking. But let me help you along with this process. I have accepted it, that's just who I am and how I function. You should accept it too. Because I am not stressed, I'm not depressed and I'm not sick. I just really really enjoy my bed, pillow, blankets and dreams. Plus, there will come a day when I wont be able to get as much sleep so maybe I am just making up for that time now, or I guess for the past 5 years.

Whatever. I have learned and will continue to learn who I am of the rest of my life. And things go a lot better if I accept it instead of try to super analyse why I do everything that I do.

Today

The last two winter breaks we have had we have spent them traveling, as I'm sure you know. While doing this we get addicted to Coke and Chocolate. I also get addicted to oreos. So now that we are back home we are trying to get back into shape and away from the sweets. So here are my goals. Maybe if I post them on here I will be more accountable....

1. Go on at least a 15 min. walk every day
2. Run/walk 2 miles 2 times a week
3. Do 3 hour long yoga sessions per week
4. One day a week I can enjoy sweets and junk food
5. Do at least 15 mins. of any activity on the non-run/walk days

I don't think these will be that hard for me. But it will get me refocused and that's what I need. I love love love yoga. Its something I can do by myself that relaxes me and makes me feel better about myself. I have found out the love of yoga has planted itself in some of my other friends so I love talking to them about it. Hopefully, as I stay consistent on my goals, we can trade ideas and experiences. I really enjoy sharing ideas with others.

Peace, Happiness and Joy

Everyone longs for that feeling of peace, happiness and joy. But its seems so few find it on a daily basis. I try to seek it each day but its so hard. There are so many obstacles in the way. I think about people who are happy all the time, or seem joyous every time I hear from them or talk to them, and I wonder how they do that. I know all the spiritual rules and recommendations. I have heard it and tried it many times, but I seem to fall short a lot, the majority of the time. I hate getting out of bed in the morning, I have moments where I worry enough for 10 people. This isn't a pity party. I'm not trying to make people feel sorry for me. Just expressing my feelings most days.

But I am happy. I look at my life, what I've done and what I have and know that I am blessed more than I deserve. My husband, family, friends- they are all wonderful and bring happiness to my life. However, all these blessing and joys cant be enjoyed to the fullest. Why is it so difficult to find joy in every circumstance, in every minute. Why do I do what I don't want to do, why do I say things and look back with such regret in my heart for the words that ended up hurting people.

My heart has been in a 6 year drought. I have felt so empty and alone despite all the joys in my life. I finally figured it out. Bitterness. Bitterness has robbed me of the joy I should be experiencing each day. Bitterness has taken the kindness I desire to show and replaced it with hurtful actions and words towards those I love. Worst yet, its uncontrollable. Things happen to fast and then I experience remorse the rest of the day for what I've done. This bitterness started after a couple people I was very close to wronged me. Instead of forgiving them and moving on the situation consumed my heart and my soul. I held on to the hurt and pain. Slowly for the past six or seven years I have let the bitterness creep in. Letting a little in has allowed more bitterness from more recent events envelop my heart even more.

So now I need to fix this, I need to de-bitter my heart and soul. Because I know that when I do, peace, happiness and joy will flood my life again. And if I don't, well, I will be come someone I never want to be.

Mask and Earplugs

All my life I have been a very light sleeper. The smallest noise or light would wake me up instantly. I usually sleep with a fan on and that helps drown out the smaller noises that would usually wake me. Last year one of the girls on our team teaching here in China- Janella, would bring her eye mask and ear plugs on every trip we went on. I honestly thought it was silly but still marvelled at how well she slept amidst the bright lights on the train and the people talking rather loudly, no matter what hour. She would wake up and feel so refreshed while I sat there frustrated that the joint between the cars kept me awake ALL night. The first time I saw her use them I seriously doubted they could be so helpful in drowning out the noise, and I thought it would be very annoying to sleep with something strapped to my head. But after endless nights and trips of watching her wake up so rested, I had to try it. So last summer while were were back in the states I stopped by good 'ol Wal-Mart and got me a "sleep pretty in pink" mask and ear plugs. I may look silly when I sleep but I have sleep on more trips and more nights than I ever would had I not given in to my suspicions and tried those silly things. Planes, trains, hostels and even in some hotel rooms I put the mask on, shove those little things in my ears and I almost sleep as well as Curtis does each night.

During the Lunar New Year here in China, fire crackers go off from 6 in the morning (when the sun comes up) till a couple hours after mid-night on the days surrounding the festival. The majority of these fire crackers are strictly for the noise. There is lights or colored fire that shoots up into the air, no - just loud continuous bangs, one right after another. I wish everyone could see and experience this, annoying as it is sometimes, it truly is amazing. The things they set off are sometimes so huge it scares me to walk by them. They really know how to bring in the new year here in China. And even though my ear plugs can block out all of the bangs, at least they make them softer so I eventually drift off to sleep...