pinned it. did it. {with meg}

Meg is back with another DIY she found on Pinterest. Ellie would love this! And I think it would appeal to the science teacher in Jon. Might be a perfect thing for them to do this weekend. Thanks Meg!

*****

The cold January weather has brought us the most lovely snow flurries this morning. When we look out the window, it looks like a snow globe in our neighborhood. It’s a comforting type of snow. Not a run out to the grocery store and stock up on staples type of snow. And with the windchill outside, it’s too cold to take my son out to play. So we pulled up my Pinterest board where I pin Kid Crafts and Activities and picked a fun indoor activity. I’ve been eyeing various homemade play dough recipes and we settled on a no-cook version that uses our essential oils.  

A perk to using a no-cook method, was that my son, Julian, was able to help measure and pour (all except the boiling water). This recipe requires few ingredients that are all non-toxic and chemical free. 

 

I split our dough into three portions so that we could have three different scents of dough. We are really loving using essential oils in our house and I love the therapeutic qualities it adds to an already therapeutic and soothing activity. We used Wild Orange, Lemon, and Eucalyptus. I used food-grade gel food coloring (which left a tiny reminder of our adventure behind on my hands - perhaps rubber gloves for that part in the future?). And we substituted coconut oil for the vegetable oil since that’s what we have in the house. The texture of this dough is so soft and silky which I love. I was worried that the use of salt would make it gritty but it ended up so soft and smooth like the store-bought versions. 

 

My summer-born baby is an outdoorsy boy and I always struggle through the coldest parts of the winter to keep him inside. We venture out when we can, but it’s days like today that I’m so thankful for the Pinterest goodness of toddler activities and ideas galore. How fun it is to scroll through my board together and select an activity for the day. 

What type of winter day activities are filling your days? We’d love to hear about how you are spending your cold, winter days and if you are using Pinterest for ideas. Tell us about them in the comments below.

Meg Brothers is an artist, photographer, mama, and dreamer. She loves cooking, tattoos, and sporadic dance parties in the kitchen. She prefers dark chocolate, black coffee, and flip flops when weather permits. She is a lover of Pinterest and truly believes in integrating ideas and inspiration - big or small - into normal life. Meg lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, Dustin and son, Julian. Meg writes about photography, family, and creative inspiration at megbrothers.com. Find her on Pinterest here and on Twitter here. 

***

Note from Liz: Over here in my corner, I'm trying to "use Pinterest for good." I really see it as a community of people trying to see the beauty and possibility in their lives. I'm adding a few new features here on my blog inspired by or directly about Pinterest as a way to invite others to look for this beauty within a social media community. Connect with me on Pinterest here. Read other "Pinned it. Did it." columns here.

just show up as you.

I sent this note out to my newsletter kindreds last week and as I continue to open my heart up toward connection over here, I thought I'd share it with you in case you too need these words.

At the retreats I host, I watch a special magic unfold over the first evening and then into the first day we spend together. I watch women shed the labels of their everyday lives and begin to just show up as them. They release their grip on being identified as the roles they play - mother, wife, daughter of someone who is ill, woman going through a divorce, a person unsure of her next step, someone feeling stuck - and they settle into their chosen spot in the circle. As they listen to the stories of others, they begin to realize they are not alone in it all as a quiet chorus of "me too, me too" echoes in our circle.

For these five days, they don't have to be the strong one, the one who has it all together, the one who knows exactly what to do. They can just be themselves in the circle. They can listen and hold space for another. They can share a secret dream and not worry about judgment. They can be the quiet observer. They can even instigate a dance party after lunch. 

I watch these incredible women make the choice to open up their hearts and let out pieces of their true essence. And when they do this, the others around them so often say with words and actions, "I see you. You are beautiful. You have so much to offer this world. You are not alone. I'm here beside you."

We all need a space where we can just be us. A space where we aren't in charge. Where we feel safe enough to unearth this true essence inside us. A space to be the quiet one or the one who gives the biggest hugs or the one who invites others to dance or the one who simply nods and listens murmuring "yes." A space where we can connect with other like-minded souls.

Over here in my corner, the truth is that I'm longing for a space like this here in my own community. A space where I can just be me while surrounded by kindred spirits. A few weeks ago, I discovered a "new-to-me" yoga studio that seems very much in alignment with that essence inside me. A few times a week, I visit their website. I look at the class descriptions. I come up with another reason why I probably can't go this week. And then I find myself alone in the quiet wishing for that space to show up as me.

Are you nodding over there and thinking "me too" as you read my words and come up with reasons why you can't find this space in your corner of the world? If yes, I'm wondering if you might want to join me in taking one step toward finding that space for yourself. 

This one move might look like going to a yoga class or signing up for an art workshop or asking that other mother at daycare to get coffee this weekend or reaching out to an online friend you met in an ecourse and saying "Can we Skype?"

But most importantly, this move is going to look like practicing showing up as you. That's the only way you're going to know if it is the right space for you. 

I'll be over here working toward making my small move and cheering you on as you make yours. Let me know how it goes or share what's stopping you. Know that you aren't alone over there.

*****

If you've been feeling called to take time away from your day-to-day life to practice showing up as you and deeply connecting with others, consider coming along to the March Your Story Retreat. Due to cancellations, there are a few more spots available.

Join Elise Blaha Cripe, Kelly Barton, and me and a circle of kindreds as we share our stories, play with paint, write, walk on the beach, and laugh late into the night. 

We will also look at how our dreams can inform our stories and dive into the topic of how to embrace the everyday joys and the messy parts of daily life. 

Learn more about the Your Story Retreat here. And please just reply with any questions. (Note that there will not be a five-day summer retreat this year, and this will more than likely be the only Oregon Coast retreat in 2014.)

a list of stories.

Over here I have a lot of stories humming about inside me. Stories I want to share with you. Stories I want to write into a journal. Stories that are almost begging to be put inside an art journal that is patiently waiting for me to dive into. Stories that need to be put down because they are getting too heavy to carry.

When I feel full to overflowing like I do today and know that I won't be able to get to these stories right now, I have to literally make a list of them so I don't forget. The truth is that they can kind of escape when the overflowing happens. The lines and ideas that are weaving there way around my mind and heart might escape through a side door and find someone else. So I have to get something onto a page.

Sometimes I add to the list in my green Smash journal. Sometimes I literally make a list on the bathroom mirror. Sometimes I just grab any paper I can find and start writing and then tape that paper to the wall of my studio (I've learned that I must tape it up or it will get lost.)

Most importantly I remind myself over and over again that it is okay to tell the true stories. The uncertainty around this can come up when the list writing begins. I find myself pausing and thinking, "Oh not that one. I can't write about that one." 

But this is the magic of the list. It is just ideas onto the page. It is a space to hold the stories until you can unpack them into more details and into another container that will gather the details. That next container might be a blog post, a story for my newsletter, an ecourse, a story I want to tell at one of my retreats, or even pieces of a new book.

What do you do when the stories are overflowing inside? Do you make a list? Do you ignore them? Do you pretend that you don't really want to tell them? Do you just start writing, creating, painting, playing?

true stories pocket talisman in the shop

My hope for you is that you seek out the spaces where you feel safe to tell the true stories: a journal, with a friend, on a stage, on your blog, in a private community, and how the list goes on. You deserve to tell your true stories honey.

Yes.

PS Updating this to add that I love Glennon Doyle Melton's take on letting the idea go when your hands are full. So if you suddenly have a story idea appear while you are in the middle of something in your life that needs you more than the story does, it's okay to let it go into the wind. Maybe it will come back to you; maybe it will move on. Believing in abundance is a very good thing.

a certain kind of morning

It's a taking five deep breaths in the midst of the fog kind of morning.

A Hall & Oats followed by The Cars on the "Oldies" station kind of morning.

The sort of morning where you drop your daughter off at preschool and see her run up to her teacher and her friends and tell them all about her weekend and you think about how every single person in her life is shaping her in the best kinds of ways.

The sort of morning where you realize there isn't a lot of space for the guilt when you really pay attention.

The sort of morning where you make the choice to feel compassion toward the person driving a car full of bumper stickers that are everything you are not that just pulled out in front of you causing you to quickly brake.

It's that kind of morning.

The kind where you feel the blessings deep into your bones when you think about the work you get to share with the world.

Where you stand in the intersection of all that you know and all that is possible and treat yourself to a chai tea latte + chocolate croissant.

Where you know you have to pause to write it all down so you can remind yourself that these mornings exist on those days when nothing seems to go right.

Yes.

It is exactly that kind of morning.

love this :: everyday outfits (january)

In the last few years, I've begun to realize that I want to invest more in clothing and shoes that I love love love, that will last, that invite me to feel the most like me, and that really look great on me.

This has meant fewer trips to Target and Old Navy to buy five (or more) inexpensive new items a few times a year because I hope they will make me feel better about myself only to realize they don't really fit all that great after I've worn them a few times. And I've instead saved money over a few months to buy a few items that will be in my closet for a long time. I'm also doing a lot more handwashing when it comes to things like shirts from Anthropologie because the fabric usually needs that extra care. And this doesn't mean I'm not buying clothes from Old Navy and Target. I'm just being a bit pickier and looking for staples that are made well and fit great.

Today, I'm sharing one of my current daily uniforms (see past everyday outfit posts here).

1. The Ansonia Pullover from Anthropologie is soft and comfortable and comes in several colors. I usually wear one of these tanks from Target underneath.

2. The Lapis Mala of Intuition from Tiny Devotions that a friend gifted to me when she felt like it was ready to move on to a new home. (I know, I am totally lucky.) And when I wore it yesterday, the most beautiful day of listening to my gut unfolded. For real.

3. The Dreamer jeans from Old Navy. This boot cut style is super flattering with the "tummy taming" panel (their wording) in the front. I really like the slight boot cut and the regular length isn't too long on me (I'm 5'5"). And if you are reading this thinking, "I never find jeans," I dare you to go to Old Navy and try on every single style in your size and one size below and above. I'll be cheering you on. You deserve jeans that fit honey. (And if you are ready to invest in just one pair of awesome jeans, I really recommend NYDJ. They are my ultimate favorite and worth the investment. And if you go to Nordstrom, you can have someone help you with all the styles and sizes. Worth it. I should write a whole post about this.)

4. Headbands continue to make me happy. This one is from Flipside hats. Also love this one.

5. I'm usually wearing my word of the year "wildness" necklace. Love having this silver-toned option now.

6. The Ugg Grandle boot is comfortable and provides enough support as I stand in my studio hammering. And they have a shearling lining, which makes me happy. (And the buckles make me feel a wee bit badass. Yes, I just said that "out loud.")

Have you seen Kelly Rae's Wear Your Joy Project? Totally behind that practice 100%. 

Hope you have a beautiful weekend in your corner of the world! 

Quick note: Some links are affiliates, which means I receive a small commission when you purchase from that online store.

pinned it. did it. {with meg}

I'm delighted that Meg is sharing about a group of creative kindreds she gathered with over the weekend to just have some girl time. And lucky for us, she's sharing about the bread she made for the occasion. She finds the best recipe pins!

*****

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to gather with some friends who I knew/made while Jen Lee was in town touring with her documentary, Indie Kindred. These ladies, in a few short get-togethers, have become very dear to me as kindred spirits and fellow creatives. We sat and ate delicious “brunchy” foods and pulled out knitting needles and crochet hooks (most of us had to work just to remember what to do with them because it had been so long since the last time we’d picked them up). But just the act of gathering together feels so sacred and so special. We love to chat and scheme about how we are going to collaborate or plan our dream events and who we can meet along the way. Having this community is invaluable. We even scheduled our next “knitty brunch” date before we left so another one is already in the works. Magic, I tell you.

I have a whole breakfast board on Pinterest filled with decadent and delicious ideas for such a brunch. But I’d seen a pin that stuck out in my mind and knew it was the one I wanted to make to take with me to our get together. A huge perk to baking it was that it would satisfy quite a few different diet restrictions (gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free). 

This bread is delicious. And smothered in chocolate. But to warn you, it is quite rich. The use of peanut butter and chocolate chips make it perhaps more dessert-like than breakfast-like. I think you could cut way back on the chocolate chips or replace many/all of them with nuts or dried fruit for a different take on it. But I went full-force on the chocolate chips (I used these) and found it decadent and wonderful. 

The batter is very thick but it bakes up beautifully. A few tricks I learned while making this bread: 1) add a few tablespoons of water while blending to get a wetter batter, 2) let it cool completely before turning it out of the pan or it will fall apart, 3) use two small loaf pans OR one large loaf pan, and 4) have a beverage nearby when eating it. It’s a bit dense and all that peanut butter will make you thirsty!

So many good things coming from my Pinterest boards lately. Have you been doing anything from your Pinterest boards? Share about your Pinterest inspirations in the comments or leave a link for us to see. 

Meg Brothers is an artist, photographer, mama, and dreamer. She loves cooking, tattoos, and sporadic dance parties in the kitchen. She prefers dark chocolate, black coffee, and flip flops when weather permits. She is a lover of Pinterest and truly believes in integrating ideas and inspiration - big or small - into normal life. Meg lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, Dustin and son, Julian. Meg writes about photography, family, and creative inspiration at megbrothers.com. Find her on Pinterest here and on Twitter here. 

***

Note from Liz: Over here in my corner, I'm trying to "use Pinterest for good." I really see it as a community of people trying to see the beauty and possibility in their lives. I'm adding a few new features here on my blog inspired by or directly about Pinterest as a way to invite others to look for this beauty within a social media community. Connect with me on Pinterest here. Read other "Pinned it. Did it." columns here.

letting it be simple

This illustration by Kristin Noelle arrived in my inbox during her Santa Pause course in December. It was a whispered gift of understanding, and I'm thankful that she is letting me share it with you today along with why it meant so much to me.

My uncle died unexpectedly before Thanksgiving. And in the days after the holiday, when family had left and the house was quiet again, I had trouble sleeping. I would wake up after about three hours and my mind would suddenly remember and my heart felt so confused in that deep grief of knowing we wouldn't ever talk again. I would think about the postcard on my studio table that I'd written him but hadn't sent. I would try to remember what we talked about when I saw him for the last time almost five years ago. And I'd tried to hear his voice inside the memories of childhood joy.

Sometimes I would stay in bed, trying to sleep. More often I would read or get up. The days that followed felt thick with sadness and exhaustion. Grief sat next to me on the couch and quietly walked behind me when I would get up to go to the studio. It would catch me unaware in the lines of a Christmas song. And it would consistently wake me up.

One night while getting ready to crawl into bed, I picked up Jeero, a stuffed animal that sits on my bedside table. He's flat and kind of like a small pillow. I got into bed, pulled the covers up to my ears, turned on my side, and cuddled him to my chest. And I slept all night.

And it worked again the next night and the one after that. I've slept with him almost every night since.

I couldn't put into words why it was working until Kristin's email came with this illustration.

It helped me see that in the confusion of grief I just needed something to hold on to. I just needed something simple that wasn't about sharing my feelings or worrying I was grieving too much or bringing up all the other stacked up complicated feelings that can happen when someone dies.

Jeero the stuffed animal just shows up. He doesn't make it about him. He's just there, like a warm hug, letting me be me. And the truth is, in hugging him, I was giving myself the gift of taking care of me and listening to what I most needed.

I'm so grateful to Kristin for putting her stories and illustrations into the world so that others can recognize themselves and feel less alone. And for giving me permission to know it is okay to be a grown-up and to just want things to be as simple as a hug from a stuffed animal sometimes. 

****

Kristin Noelle is a Los Angeles-based illustrator. She creates soulful art that fosters a worldview of trust. Find her at www.kristinnoelle.com and be sure to check out Blessings - a 10-day series of inspired, illustrated blessings. Blessings is your chance to taste, for free, the work that Kristin will be offering the world all year through themed series of illustrations - on love, relationships, grief, parenting, money, and more.

the choice to be right here

Last night she curled up in bed with me and put her cheek against mine, using my face almost like a pillow, because she said she just couldn't get close enough to me. "You're just so cuddly Mama Kitty. I love how cuddly you are."

And I made the choice to just stay right there, listening to her breathing, feeling her body snug against mine. 

She should have been sleeping. Her bed time was 90 minutes before this moment. She's in a phase of not wanting to go to bed. Each night she tries on various techniques all with the purpose of spending more time with us. Writing it out like that, it sounds so sweet. But it has been intense. And I keep trying on different ways to be a parent. And some nights I feel my patience and Jon's thin as we crave even just five minutes to ask each other "How are you?" and have the space to answer with adult words.

Last night, as I made that choice to just hold her closer as we were then nose to nose, our heads sharing a pillow, I said, "You can stay until Daddy comes to bed. Then you have to go sleep in your bed." I made the choice knowing tonight she will more than likely try to say she must cuddle with me or she won't be able to sleep and how the list of three-year-old excuses will go on.

But I did it anyway. 

Looking into her blue eyes. Watching the way they slowly began to close even though she insisted she wasn't tired. Feeling her arms come around my neck as she kept saying, "I just love how cuddly you are Mama." Soaking it up because she is usually on the move and so rarely wants to cuddle. Letting myself be right there, imprinting it inside me so the me of 15 years from now will be able to unpack it and hold it close on the days I'll most need it.

I've found that often just being right here is the best parenting move I've got.

(And no, that photo isn't connected to the story in this post. It is from a few weeks ago when we made another choice to just be right here and soak up a day without rain even though it was cold and there were lots of orders for me to work on and a house to clean before visitors and things on the to-do list. But this moment was such a gift. I so rarely remember to take my big camera with me these days. This photo is to remind me to keep doing it. And to keep getting them outside because we all need it so much.)