As I said one year ago yesterday...Happy New Year! Goodness, I never meant to hide my head under a teacup and be away from blogging this long. I've continually had so many 'brilliant' ideas that I thought I would post throughout the past year, but alas...life kept taking over, in extreme ways...and actually, it has been extremely taking over for the past eight years...yes, eight.
To be perfectly honest, the past eight years have been so emotionally taxing that I think it all finally caught up to me, and every spark of creative energy I could muster up had to go into my work and art, which turned out to be enough of a challenge in itself. The funny thing is, blogging and my work/art are two of my greatest joys and bring true happiness (I'm smiling this very moment as I write this). Why is it that what is most nourishing and beneficial to us, always seems to take the brunt of it during trying times (think sleep, nutrition, exercise, etc...)?
(One of my greatest joys...)
(Tip: Never have anyone say 'Nebula' before taking a picture, it produces a startled fly in the mouth look...'cheese' works much better!)
Despite the continual chaos though, 2014 did have some wonderful moments of joy and adventure. Early in the year, I got to meet the amazing Elizabeth Rose Stanton at the Seattle launch for her darling first book 'Henny'. It was such a thrill to meet her and share in her joy, and actually, the experience was supposed to be my first post of 2014...needless to say that didn't happen...so after 'a year and a day', here we are.
(Elizabeth Rose Stanton)
(Henny even signed a book for me!)
A most special 'joy' of 2014 was the birth of our darling little niece Ingrid Joy! She tried very hard to show up way before her time as she just couldn't wait to meet everyone, but as you can imagine, her early bird shenanigans caused quite a bit of worry and consternation, and her poor mama had to try everything possible to keep little Ingrid tucked away, which was very tricky considering there were two little/big-brothers-to-be that needed attention as well. But praise God...both mama and baby made it to the end, and the sweet pea came out healthy, and oh so perfect (on her daddy's birthday no less). She has definitely lived up to her name, bringing so much Joy to all...such a beautiful blessing!
(Ingrid Joy)
Then then there were the usual, joyful, adventurous field trips that I take throughout the year with my amazing students...which despite having a host of ribs and an elbow dislocated (it wasn't just my wrist it turns out...please see previous post), and a heart and that wasn't very happy about being smushed because of it all...ended up being great fun! (I have an amazing doctor by the way that has me all ship-shape now, only going in once a month or so for tune-ups...another amazing blessing, very thankful for him!)
There were adventurous outer space excursions in search of new Galaxies...
Which we found by the way...
And lovely Nebula Nurseries...where the baby stars and planets are nurtured and fed every thousand light years or so, in between naps of course.
We also made a made a very special discovery and learned that, no matter what planet we visited...
Ice Cream is loved the whole Universe over!!!
There were also adventurous voyages to experience...
With new lands and seas to be discovered....
Fantastical places to explore...
And great treasures to be found!!!
Dangerous treasures mind you...
But great none the less!
Thank goodness the sweet mermaids helped us in out noble quests.
And last but not least, for now...I give you Miss. Ginger, who is still with us and lovely as ever at 17. Here she is on Halloween, donning her holiday best and preparing to charm all the trick-or-treaters, which she did of course, splendidly. She sleeps quite a bit now but still loves her walks, where she actually hop/runs the whole way. Spending every second possible with her is a top priority...and also one of the top 'Joys'...of not just 2014, but of all time.
I hope that everyone's 2014 had a little, or even better, a lot, of joyful adventure in it, even if there were choppy seas and a few monsters to tackle...but most of all, I hope and pray that this New Year, 2015, will be filled to the brim not only joy filled adventures, but many blessings of health, happiness, and peace for all!
PS~ A special thank you to my some of my bloggy friends, and family, who inspired me to take up the 'key' again...off we go!
♥
(Image 1: Pinterest , Artwork in Images 11 & 12: students...rest of the images and artwork are mine.)
(Image 1: Pinterest , Artwork in Images 11 & 12: students...rest of the images and artwork are mine.)
20 comments:
Good Morning Jessica
What a delightful surprise to see your post this morning. It was well worth waiting for and as the song says: "if it takes forever we will wait for you, for a 1,000 summers, we will wait for you" (Bad singing voice here)
I am so happy you met the Elizabeth Rose Stanton and Henny. I have a copy of Henny but not met the author yet!
I hope you plan on releasing a book too, the art work you featured and your descriptive and poetic words need to be shared with the world.
Sorry to hear of the less happy moments of 2014 and thank God you are healed.
Miss Ginger looks gracious and I love her determination. Did she meet Biffy when you and Deborah Peterson Milne got together? Please give a big hug to Ingrid Joy when next you meet her.
Wishing you joy, good health, creativity and adventure in 2015.
Fondest wishes
Helen xx
Boy oh boy I can't tell you how delighted I was to see you back in the 'saddle'!! It was a few weeks before Christmas that I visited your blog and saw that you too hadn't posted. I feel a sense of sadness that so many of my favorite writers/ipeople have stopped. I hope so only temporary and I understand that life gets in the way. When life gets hard I don't find my voice any longer. Well I do..but it wouldn't be kind to inflict that on the world!! Ha! I am so grateful that you are healed (what a lot to go through) and that you had the great blessing of adorable Joy joining your family. Nothing is more precious than life! How I wish Miss Ginger could while away the hours with Buffy. I could picture them laying in the sun sharing old tales. Well, I lam off to help G finish laying the flooring. We're on day 3! I'm getting to 'auld' for this stuff! Keep writing, keep inspiring all those magnificent artists (their art is just amazing!), and I like what Helen said; I too must encourage you to take leap of faith & write a book. You are the perfect person to do so. So, I leave you with that thought too and wishing you nothing (and I mean nothing) but the BEST for 2015! Hugs to you my dear friend & a snuggle from Buffy! xoxox
Wonderful to see a blog post from you! I keep telling myself...blogging is only fun if I don't feel as if it is a chore or a job. Once I adopted that philosophy, I was able to let go of any blogging expectations or schedule and just enjoy it as a part of me...not all of me. Is that your artwork? If it is, it is spectacular...I love it!
Dearest Jessica,
We are absentees too...
So good to see you back at the Blogface.
Wishing you a joyful and peaceful New Year.
J and L xx
Helen~ Oh the joy of blogging again, connecting in this special way with kindred spirits is wonderful, and very special...I've truly missed everyone!
It was so fun to meet Elizabeth, even though it was very brief as she had a line of people a mile long waiting to meet her as well. I almost didn't go as it was that evening when I started realizing there was more wrong with me and I wasn't feeling well at all, but I was so happy that I went, it was so fun to meet her. She also signed a book for my nephews and niece to be, Ingrid, which was very sweet, I'm only sorry it's taken me a year to post about it!
It's funny, my mother has been telling me for years to write a book, and she just called after reading your comment to tell me that she was right all along and that she wasn't the only one that thought so! You've fanned the flames of motherly fandom Helen, and it's making my cheeks hurt from smiling so much about it! I haven't a clue as to how to write a book, what it would be about, or how to even start...divine intervention would be very much needed for that idea to become a reality, but you never know,crazier things have happened! I do appreciate your thinking that I could even attempt such a feat though, that's so very kind.
Calling Miss. Ginger 'gracious' was such a nice way of putting it, she such a trooper. Last year she was a princess in a pink tutu, the Santa suit was a bit warmer, though not as sparkly. Sadly, Buffy and she never got to meet, I think they would have gotten along very well, but there's still time (hint-hint to Deb)! :)
Thank you again Helen, for the encouragement and also for the wonderful good wishes, the very same to you and Spice Girl in 2015!!
xoxo J~
Dumbwit Teller~ So fun to chat at each other this way again! It's been difficult for me to sit at the computer and write, I need a laptop as I was pretty achy after yesterday's writing marathon, but it was worth it.
I too 'lose my voice' when life is behaving badly, I've always wanted my blog to be a happy place to visit, even if the discussion was about something not so nice...but I have to feel right on the inside (and outside) to do so, I hope I'm a bit more settled now and that it will continue, the emotional life roller coaster thing has gotten very old!
To see Ginger and Buffy laying in a sun patch together would be so cute, though due to cataracts, Ginger needs sunglass now as she can't handle brightness anymore, which is so sad because she loved the sun, now we shade her from it. Thank goodness she lives in Seattle...cloudy days are her friend now.
I see that you are in cahoots with Helen and my mom about writing a book...it might just be the marvelous excuse I need to get that laptop! ;)
I just saw our Bloomsbury girl Lisa's post about her new book, such an accomplishment, so proud of her...where would I even begin?? House, art, Doxie's...such a whirlwind of ideas, but I thank you as well for thinking that I even could, it warms my heart and keeps the smile going!
I can't wait to see the floors and the rest of your flat, it looks amazing so far, what a project! Hope you were able to finally finish them...time for massages now!
Hugs and snuggles back to you and Buffy, btw, how is she doing with all the house happenings? I'm betting she's a great helper!
xoxo J~
Sarah~ I was thrilled to see that you stopped by, yours is one of the blogs I've really missed, always inspired me in so many ways. Have you come out with a cookbook yet? I'll have to find out!
I love your take on blogging...not being pressured about it and not having it be a chore is a very smart way to approach it...the fun of it all has to be there, that's when the best posts materialize.
And thanks for the reminder about the artwork, I completely forgot to post image credits. Yes, most of the artwork is mine, though a few are from my students, they're incredibly fun to do, I'm so glad you've enjoyed them.
Happy New Year to you and your wonderful family...I'll see you over at Thyme!
xo J~
Dear Jane & Lance~ I've missed you! As Deb pointed out, so many of us have stopped posting, and it is sad, but completely understandable, we all need recharging and the time table for that is so different for everyone.
Maybe a return to the grand old glory days of blogging will return for us all and we'll once again be insync with our inner inspirations...it really wasn't that long ago where this was the case...there is yet hope!
All the best and every blessing to you both in the New Year!!!
xoxo J~
Hello there! First of all, I'm still blogging:). For better or worse, I guess. Second, many people are on Instagram, where the need for organized words is way lower. Third, that picture you posted once of a Pacific Northwest native American salmon, is my most popular pin ever on Pinterest:). So, you do have something unique. I wish you all the best!
Jessica, I only just today found your comment on my blog. What a joyous surprise!
And you are an artist! I am an erstwhile one, though I do have a few creative outlets. My 2014 was a very difficult one and a weak year for blogging as well, 4 or 5 posts was all I had to offer.
If you are on Facebook, you can find me using my last names Pearce Mathers. Hugs from afar!
Lisa~ I was glad to see that you were still blogging...that's definitely a better! I fear facebook has also taken the place of word crafting...hopefully the two can learn to coexist together and blogging won't become extinct. I think everyone will return...especially if one wants to have a home cooked meal instead of fast food all the time.
And I know exactly which salmon you speak of...he was from my Northwest Summer Camp post, how wonderful that he's so popular...who knew he'd be so famous! Your comment was very nice and has given me hope that continuing might be a worth while endeavor...thank you!
xo J~
Lauri~ I am beyond happy to see you here...and I've already followed you on facebook after reading your blog, just now popped over though and left you a message.
It's obvious from your beautiful (and so smart!) way with words that you have a creative spirit, so it doesn't surprise me that you're an artist as well, how wonderful. I wonder if we did crafty things together when we were young...my memory is so poor, maybe we can spark each others memories and find out, I do remember watching Speed Racer with you though, at your house...that's something! ;)
I'm so sorry 2014 was difficult for you...hoping and praying 2015 will be a more peaceful one for the both of us. Our situation is a bit precarious at the moment, but I'm keeping the faith!
Be in touch soon...and hugs back to you! xo
Good to see you :)))))))))))))
Happy New Year and almost a month! :)
Glad to see you! I've been "here and there"...trying to get back to blog land as well! Miss all the wonderful inspiration!
Happy Weekend Jessica!
Ivy
Hello Jessica,
I wonder, how are you? I didn't hear from you from a long time. Greetings from Geri. From the Bronte blog, do you remember and the watercolours.
XXXXX Geri
Linnea & Ivy...hello eight months later! I loved seeing your comments and just checked in with you both, miss everyone, and yes, the inspiration, very much. I hope life will settle down soon, if not, I hope to figure out a way to continue with blogging, despite it's craziness! Hugs to both...J~
Geri, so wonderful to hear from you, of course I know who you are, and I miss you and the Bronte's terribly! I'm still here, just not 'here' very much...I thought I would be, but I've been continually overwhelmed with life and haven't had the heart to blog very much, even though I desperately want to, which is such an oxymoron. Anyway, thank you for reaching out...and I am going to visit you ASAP!
xoxoxoxox Jessica
Thinking of you today Jessica! Have a GREEEAAATTT day!
xo,
Ivy
Majority of corn that we observe emanates from Brazil. We are amazed to view the quantity of corn brought in to your region recently. An incredibly amazing short article. We're genuinely happy for ones short article. location voiture agadir Aéroport
I agree with you very much, and I also like your content. From now on, I will continue to follow your articles.
By the way,I like custom body pillow
Post a Comment