be present, be here

a new home.

2009-08-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

hello,

thank you so much for finding your way to be present, be here. this spot has been a beautiful home for the last (almost) four years. however, with some new projects on the horizon, i have decided to move to a new home that has a bit more room for all that is to come...

i am so blessed to have connected with you in this space for these years, and i hope you will find your way to my new home by visiting: www.lizlamoreux.com.

this new site now houses my blog and the archives for this blog...i hope you will subscribe to this blog's new space, be present, be here, in your feedreader, so that we can continue to stay in touch.

thanks again...

blessings,

liz

nine {with christina of soul aperture}

2009-08-25T21:52:00.000-07:00

Today's interview is with the inspiring Christina of Soul Aperture. Christina invites me to pause, notice, and take a deep breath, and for this, I am so thankful. Spending time with her at her blog is truly like stopping in for tea with a friend. If her spot in this blog world isn't already a daily pause for you, I encourage you to wind your way there and stay for awhile. She will invite you to notice the simple things and drink up the goodness of your life.

Enjoy these glimpses into Christina's world...

*****

Question 1: Who are you?

Question 2: What do you love about where you live?

Question 3: What might your perfect afternoon look like?

Question 4: If you had an hour alone in your studio/creative space, what would you do?

Question 5: Right now, what are some of your favorite things?

Question 6: What foods nourish your soul?

Question 7: When you need to simply take a breath and reground yourself, what do you do?

Question 8: How do you nurture your creative dreams?

Question 9: Does your heart have a secret wish you want to share?

Christina is a personal chef, photographer, and believer. She lives in the city of Milwaukee, with her husband, two kids, and dog Miles. She believes in...making cupcakes on Wednesdays, following butterflies, allowing life to burst through her camera lens, releasing balloons into the sky, and writing from her soul. She places memories of her Jamaican breezes along side her heart for safe keeping.

(All photos copyright Christina)

*****

quick shop note

2009-08-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

a couple of natasha aprons, a natasha (everyday) bag, several soul mantra necklaces, a scarf or two, and a few other things are listed in the shop. additionally, i just listed summer bags at 25-30% off sale prices.

also, if you have been thinking about your current mantra and would like to have it dangle from your neck as a whispered reminder of where you are (and want to be) on your path, note that i am currently taking custom soul mantra necklace orders until (at least) the end of the month. please just send me an email or etsy conversation and we will work together on something just for you (or someone special in your world).

note: i would like to extend free shipping to those of you going to squam. because i don't have a vendor table this year, i am happy to bring your item with me to save you on the shipping! just let me know in the notes to seller and i will refund you the shipping after you make your purchase. makes me so happy to think about connecting with so many blog world beauties in the woods of NH in just a few weeks!

*****

after a few days of feeling a bit, well, lost at times...in that way the heavy lifting that is your life can invite...i had the most delightful weekend and can't wait to share more very very soon.

hope things are beautiful in your world on this day...

blessings,
liz

PS head over to Jenica's blog, the one little one, later today for a giveaway that involves a pillow and necklace from my little shop.

now.

2009-08-23T08:06:00.000-07:00

playing with the lensbaby composer . pt defiance park . august 22, 2009
i get up.

i breathe in.

i breathe out.

i look myself in the eye.

i choose.

i begin.

yes.

i begin.

be here. one.

2009-08-21T05:15:00.000-07:00

mount rainier national park, grove of the patriarchs

a letter (to you).

2009-08-20T06:05:00.000-07:00

let go.

2009-08-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

how are you? really.
how. are. you?
(let it out.)

(and know that anonymously is okay too.)

notes for the journey (august 18, 2009)

2009-08-18T12:58:00.000-07:00

cake for two . chocolate cafe, south bend, indiana . july 2009

if you were here today and we were meeting up for tea and chocolate cake for two, these are a few of the things i would tell you about as we talked the afternoon away...

jenna's post about envy. wow. this is a must read. a must. (i keep thinking about it and so want to discuss.)

dar's "on the go" project and description of said project is simply fantastic. (oh and her new hippy urban girl space makes me smile...)

maddie's ecourse, "Bones of a Poet ~ photography and the wonder of seeing" sounds so wonderful. this phrase from the class description, the course "will teach you how to encounter the world with all of your being," speaks right to the guts of me. yes. hope you will think about joining in on this beautiful experience. (and be sure to check out maddie's new internet home.)

jennifer's poetry in motion fills my heart with joy.

jonatha. saw her live again friday night. swoon. the triple door is a perfect venue. we had the best meal and then the best time listening (read singing along) to jonatha sing those songs we love. and it was such sweetness to be able to connect with her afterward. the works continues to play pretty constantly around these parts. yep. simply put: her music is part of my life soundtrack.

this movie. even if the nuances and poetry of the book were not completely captured, i can't stop thinking about this beautiful story. seeing it on the big screen yesterday was a gift in the midst of lots of doing (even if some of the doing involves procrastinating). am planning to reread the book very soon (want to join me?).

home. a beautiful new flickr group.

anything that you would share if we met for tea + cake?
do tell...

sunday, august 16.

2009-08-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

6:30 AM foggy mind gives way to "i can't sleep" and i decide to make the long aprons i have been saying i will make for months...visualizing new pattern ideas...reversible perhaps...

6:45ish fall back asleep

8:35 wake up, must take shower first to push away foggy mind

8:52 blog reading in bed for a bit before breakfast

9:00 read maddie's sunday post. sigh with contentment and a wee bit of a wish i was there feeling

9:02 click over to this video of a vermont lake

9:02:10 decide the day's plans suddenly changed. must be in nature today

9:10 invite jonny to join me

9:40 picnic + three cameras + one blackberry + one flip + binoculars & bird book + lizzy & jonny get into the bug and head to the mountain

10:18 car dance party to michael franti begins (a must as coffee and breakfast have not yet been consumed)

10:31 starbucks drive through

11:10 enter the park and nature commences...

11:11 on was a bit like this...

6:10 PM time to head north yet again

6:18 a little donna summer concert in the car takes us home...

a perfect day really.

a mirror at 121.

2009-08-13T20:12:00.001-07:00

my brother . me :: april, 2009

this morning, for the first time in more than forty years, it is possible that someone else woke up and padded into the bathroom first thing to find himself looking into this mirror. this person would find himself looking into this mirror that is on the wall in a bathroom in his new home.

i know that feeling that might have come up when sleepy eyes adjusted to new surroundings, that "oh my goodness we bought our first house and today we woke in our new home" feeling. it is a beautiful, embarking on a new journey that is your life, your real life, sort of feeling.

i sit here in this moment and give myself permission to sift through my own feelings that come up as my heart reaches toward another coast, toward this home and this mirror and the memories of so much time spent with my grandparents in this home that now belongs to someone else.

i sift through the ache and the sadness and the joy of the blessing that was a friendship, a real friendship, with my grandmother. i sift through the echoes of my grandfather's last words to me the day before he died. i sift through the feelings that cause me to simply sit with confusion about how a person's life just ends one day.

my brother said to me recently as he sifted through his own feelings after just learning that a friend his age had died quite suddenly...he said, "you know liz, we can just die at any moment."

this simple truth is one that we seldom think about. we rush about our lives and worry about so much. we focus on so many things that do not matter. we forget to simply be present and experience and instead worry about missing a television program or why someone hasn't emailed us back quickly enough or if people even like us.

jon and i were driving a few weeks ago and i was telling him some story about my childhood and i suddenly stopped and said something like, "if we only understood that we would want to remember every second." i wish i could tell my five-year-old self to breathe in a moment spent by lake edwin johnson learning to skip rocks. what were the sounds? the smells? how did my grandfather's hand feel when he touched my head to tell me i was doing great? i wish i could ask my five-year-old self to tell me about every second of that afternoon.

for a project i am working on, i have been spending time looking at old photos of my family. while doing this, i have been closing my eyes and trying to remember pieces of the moments captured and then writing about what i remember or what comes up as i look at the photo. such a beautiful exercise this is as i do believe so much is tucked inside this brain and heart i carry around with me. i do believe that even though we don't remember every second, we do remember so much. and these photos of our past, even before we came to be, make up pieces that make up us. i am going to share a few of these writings paired with photos every now and then (like i did here)...maybe you will want to join me with your own photos and memories...

and in this moment, as i sift through feelings and allow myself to sit in the quiet, i think about that first day of waking up in your new home feeling and i feel my face relax and my shoulders settle into my body and my heart opens just a bit. someone else's life is beginning. another couple has a story to tell and lives to live and perhaps even create. it is beautiful. it is the cycle of life.

(a little about the photos above. when we were in south carolina in april, i took a lot of photos inside and outside my grandparents' home. at some point, my brother picked up my camera and took a few. when i returned home, i found that we had both taken photos in this mirror in my grandparents' bathroom. i love this.)

senses view: one tree

2009-08-11T21:31:00.000-07:00

{see}

{touch}

{taste}

{smell}

{hear}

{and know}

*****

who :: liz . jon

where :: maple tree at owens beach in point defiance park

when :: august 11, 2009

senses view is a collaboration series.

home.

2009-08-11T19:36:00.000-07:00

lake michigan view (photo by jonny) . august 2009

as i settle slowly back into the routine that is my life, my heart feels somewhat heavy as i wrap my mind around being so far across the country from my family yet again. yet, this is home. here. in washington with the tall tall evergreens and the cool august air and the backyard lavender and the tender sighs of millie. this is home. and i know, in my heart, that this distance is what has invited our time to be sweeter and, perhaps, a bit more open and full of light.ness. yes, the time is indeed sweeter. time with my dad and anne was full of laughter and sunsets and good food and late night miniature golf. time with my mom was short...just a few hours...but we had a delightful brunch and did a bit of shopping, and even though she has been through a bit these last few weeks as she has been the caregiver to her significant other after his sudden heart surgery, she still seemed lighter than i have seen in her in a long time, which made my heart happy.

after we said goodbye to my dad and anne when they dropped us off where we were staying in chicago and then again the next day after we said goodbye to my mom in the middle of water tower place, i turned to jon and leaned again his chest and started crying as i found myself inside feelings that seemed like a mixing bowl full of nostalgia and missing. now, as i settle back in, i realize that what i felt toward the end of this trip that seemed like nostalgia was really love.

in this realization, i find myself standing here, in this spot, in this moment, and i take a breath and find my footing. and i see that i am twirling inside the laughter and the listening and the light and the love and the heart that is open in the midst of it all.

yes, this is me.

(moving pictures) postcard from chicago (august 9, 2009)

2009-08-09T19:51:00.000-07:00

{front}

{back}

breathe in
breathe out

postcard from chicago (august 8, 2009)

2009-08-08T11:58:00.000-07:00

(front)
Windows tiled for miles seen through sunbeamed air you could ring out over the sink.

(back)
unexpected missing
(heart open)
wishing
i knew how
(to tell you)

i just keep going.

postcard from michigan (august 6, 2009)

2009-08-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

{front}

{back}

you can look behind you

and own what you see

(all of it)

especially when you find your own reflection

postcard from michigan (august 4, 2009)

2009-08-04T13:21:00.000-07:00

{front}
a stack of dusty, tattered-edged rescued postcards wrapped with string that encases whispered missings of long ago...

{back}
a moment to breathe in the quiet
a decision to dance in your life
a belief in you
a bouquet of hope
a smile reflected
a heart open to the world

this is what i wish for you.

postcard from michigan (august 3, 2009)

2009-08-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

(front)
Sunshine orange happy susans perfect mountain pose amidst droplets of drink.

(back)
avenue
just
town
quiet
why
hamlet

on the board they went until we ran out of letters and his usual eeyore luck changed as he placed the "x" spelling "ox".

postcard from michigan (august 2, 2009)

2009-08-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

(front)
Brown hair in two braids, head tipped back, you can almost hear the laughter as the little girl finds glee standing ankle deep in the midst of the colors and noise and bodies at the beach.

(back)
The rhythm of his breath
The wind winds through oaks
Car whips past, now two
Fan turns turns turns
My foot slips through blue sheets
A voice outside, now two
He turns away from the light
Quiet...
Finding me now
Inhale
Exhale
The rhythm of this life

postcard from michigan (august 1, 2009)

2009-08-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

(front)

Sliver of bright burning fuschia sneaks through grey plus white puffy, thick pillows as the lake tosses and trips below.

(back)

The wind pushed through me today as I stood atop the bluff. Pushed and threw me as I watched the gulls float instead of fly even though they pushed to move through; the wind pushed back as they soared in one place. Like me with feet planted, no grounded as I soar with each push and pull, as I float while grounded.

postcard from indiana (july 31, 2009)

2009-07-31T19:50:00.000-07:00

{front}

sunbeams dancing through summer-heavy oak leaves dripping from reaching branches

{back}

they say you can never go home

again

but in this moment,

i believe,

you can find yourself

relaxing inside comfort and laughter

and breathing in the unexpected moments

of being the you

you never thought you might be

in this home.

know.

2009-07-29T04:56:00.000-07:00

south carolina coast long ago.

i want to know this person smiling right at me. i want to hear her laughter as she looks toward someone she loves who has managed to snap this moment of perfect joy.

i want to know her.
this is what i said each time we watched this and came to this photo.
i want to know her, i would say to jon.
and sometimes tears would knock at the back of my eyes as my mind would catch up with my words.

what is she thinking in this moment? who surrounds her? she is not quite two and on the south carolina coast. more than thirty years ago. thirty years. she did not know that more than three decades later she would wish that she had memorized every second of this moment. we never realize how much we will want to remember each sound, touch, breath.

i see hope and a heart open to all that is to come. i see love. i see a little girl who already knows love.

i want to know her.

she is a teacher this one. she is a teacher and those around her on this day know this truth. yes. they do know as they look at her wide open heart taking in each moment, each sound, each touch, each breath. in the quiet places where they are safe being themselves, they know she is here to teach them to open their hearts even if only for one breath. open up, she whispers as the wind blows and she smiles with love on her face.

i want to know her.

i want to reach my hand through this photo and touch that soft cheek and say, please tell me all you know. please tell me what it feels like to love with such a softness, with such hope.

i want to know her.

and the tears tap at the backs of my eyes as my mind catches up with the truth,

and the wisdom within whispers...

nine {with stephanie lee}

2009-07-27T17:49:00.001-07:00

Today's interview is with the radiant soul who is Stephanie Lee. She is an incredible artist, a beautiful woman, mother, and friend, and she has a way of inspiring others through the written word. Get to know her a bit more through her blog Semiprecious Salvage. Stephanie and I seem to cross paths when we most need to, and I honor that she is a true seeker on her journey. Today, we are lucky to be able to see pieces of what she finds on her path...

*****

Question 1: Who are you?

Question 2: What do you love about where you live?

Question 3: What might your perfect afternoon look like?

Question 4: If you had an hour alone in your studio/creative space, what would you do?

Question 5: Right now, what are some of your favorite things?

Question 6: What foods nourish your soul?

Question 7: When you need to simply take a breath and reground yourself, what do you do?

Question 8: How do you nurture your creative dreams?

Question 9: Does your heart have a secret wish you want to share?

Stephanie writes: I'm a seeker and a finder, an asker and a listener, a poet and a mute. I try my best to live consciously. I live for the biggest little things - for wide skies, staying up late, getting up early to see the sun rise, my girls' laughter, my man's faith in me, and for learning. Learning, learning, learning. I love sewing, cooking, making things for friends, generally being domestic, reading and writing and writing about what I'm reading. I eat peaches over the sink, my insides like to boogie while my outsides keep a cool front. I love green shoes and wearing them while perhaps driving a little too fast because I like the way my stomach tickles when I go over that one little hill.....

(All photos copyright Stephanie Lee)

*****

ask yourself.

2009-07-26T23:27:00.000-07:00

florida sunset . many years ago

The simplest questions are the most profound. Where were you born? Where is your home? Where are you going? What are you doing? Think about these once in a while and watch your answers change.

Richard Bach

finding my way...

2009-07-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

cooling off in the evening during the heat of last week . back porch, july 2009

life whirls and breaths and laughs and cracks me open.

yes.
this is where i am.
whirling
breathing
laughing
cracking open

life is full, much fuller than it has been in years. it is full of good things. it is full of things that are, to be honest, work. good work. the work of dreams being lived into reality, but work all the same.

which finds me walking the path labeled balance. finding my way, sitting to rest, and looking up and wondering "how the hell did i get here?" and laughing at myself as i realize i made my way here. to this moment. yes, i did. finding my way and seeking shade and then in the next moment standing in the light with my face turned up as i smile into the truth. finding my way and realizing that asking for help is part of the path labeled balance. finding my way and knowing that collaborating brings the goodness. finding my way and realizing that finding my breath is the way to the path that is balance.

yes. it is good. breathe in. breathe out. open. whirl. laugh. breathe.

how are things in your world? i would love to know...

senses view: a moment alone

2009-07-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

{touch}

{see}

{smell}

{taste}

{hear}

{and know}

*****

who :: kirsten michelle . liz

where :: park . front stoop (and kitchen)

when :: a july afternoon . a july morning

senses view is a collaboration series.

yes.

2009-07-14T23:21:00.000-07:00

pike place market singer . june, 2009

Every day we slaughter our finest impulses. That is why we get a heartache when we read those lines written by the hand of a master and recognize them as our own, as the tender shoots which we stifled because we lacked the faith to believe in our own powers, our own criterion of truth and beauty. Every man, when he gets quiet, when he gets desperately honest with himself, is capable of uttering profound truths. We all derive from the same source. There is no mystery about the origin of things. We are all part of creation, all kings, all poets, all musicians; we have only to open up to discover what is already there.

Henry Miller

take a moment. remember.

2009-07-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

we watched "sunday morning" this morning.

the opinion piece by martha gillis is something we all should watch...even though it is hard to sit in the quiet and listen to this woman's words, i believe, this is something we all need to see. something we all need to remember.

the words are found here.
you can scroll down and click on the video in the left column of that page (or click here).

blessings and peace,
liz

senses. a ballard beach afternoon.

2009-07-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

{taste}

{hear}

{smell}

{touch}

{see}

{and know}

this day.

2009-07-10T12:52:00.001-07:00

this morning, i almost forgot me for a bit

life is full in this moment....which can be oh so very beautiful...

but also an invitation for overwhelm

and a current project had me in a full-on stop. start. stop. what is going on? start. stop.

so i took myself outside

and found yellow + wishes

and remembered

simple things (on this day)

2009-07-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

a pause at metropolitan market . july 8, 2009

christina has invited another day of "the simple things." i am bit late to the party, but i do so want to play along...especially because this was a day when i needed the reminder to gather the simple things close to me, to breathe them in, and to know that this is the good stuff that makes up this life.

we must remind ourselves of the simple goodness that makes up this journey.

my list...

happy skirts . tiny turner sings "better be good to me" into my ear and i dance in my seat at the cafe . the opportunity to make someone smile . the leaf atop my vanilla soy latte . momentum, when it chooses to visit . my husband's one day growth of beard . the visit to the dentist today that resulted in the words i have never heard before "you have no cavities" (took 33 years) . a friend who nods in understanding . a friend who holds the space for me . striped socks . owning that this is me . possibility that is each day . when someone says "yes" . that quilt, yes, that one . when the planted seed begins to stretch . the rhythm of each breath .

(thank you christina. this has really been the perfect bookend to this day.)

(and you reading this, you should go check out the links to all souls playing along today. go on...take a few minutes and read a few...then make your own list.)

an earth mermaid {in moving pictures}

2009-07-07T17:03:00.000-07:00

*****

there is actually so much i want to say about this video...about the experience of making it, about the joy that is iMovie and the other tools we used to make it, about how collaborating with jon is really bringing some play and fun into our lives...

but right now, in this moment of a full day, i really just so want to share the movie with you. so, i will come back to this topic of what this movie means to me in another post later this week...

oh and i also want to let you know that the words and the subject are directly inspired by this post, a response to self-portrait challenge, that i wrote just about two years ago...

emerge. (yes.)

2009-07-06T23:19:00.000-07:00

The only way I have ever understood, broken free, emerged, healed, forgiven, flourished, and grown powerful is by asking the hardest questions and then living into the answers through opening up to my own terror and transmuting it into creativity. I have gotten nowhere by retreating into hand-me-down sureties or resisting the tensions that truth ignited.

Sue Monk Kid

nine {with goddess leonie}

2009-07-05T20:59:00.000-07:00

Nine is an interview series with creative folks that began in the Spring of 2009; the interviewees are asked to respond to the interview questions in photographs (or video). You can scroll through all the interviews here.

Today's interview is with the marvelous Goddess Leonie. It was through a post Leonie made on Sark's Message Board that I found myself in blog world several years ago. Since then, her energy and positive force of goodness have been apparent to me as I peek in on her blog and her art and connect with her across the earth in this incredible world that is the Internet. I imagine that her kind spirit and welcoming, open-hearted nature have probably sheparded many a woman into the magical world of blogging. And I think that anyone who comes across her path will find herself wanting to pursue the dreams of her heart...

Enjoy this insight into pieces of Leonie's world through her answers....

*****

Question 1: Who are you?

Question 2: What do you love about where you live?

Question 3: What might your perfect afternoon look like?

Question 4: If you had an hour alone in your studio/creative space, what would you do?

Question 5: Right now, what are some of your favorite things?

Question 6: What foods nourish your soul?

Question 7: When you need to simply take a breath and reground yourself, what do you do?

Question 8: How do you nurture your creative dreams?

Question 9: Does your heart have a secret wish you want to share?

Goddess Leonie helps women discover the creative, joyful, and spiritual Goddess inside them through e-courses and coaching. Check out her website and blog at www.goddessguidebook.com and see her latest e-course at www.decluttergoddesses.com.

(all photos copyright Goddess Leonie)

scenes from an impromptu eve of the fourth picnic.

2009-07-03T23:17:00.000-07:00

brave. know. love.

2009-07-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

breathing in . alki beach self-portrait

i am the tumbled dusty pink scallop shell

i am the whispering knee-high indiana fields

know, a new soul mantra in the shop

i am the tucked inside your pocket talisman

i am the moment she said yes

i am the sunset-streaked wave

this is me . alki beach . photo by jon

i am resting inside truth

i am walking through laughter

i am twirling inside what my heart knows

i am . brave, a new soul mantra in the shop

i am brave

i am hope

i am love

love, a new soul mantra in the shop

*****

these phrases are whispering, no, singing inside my heart on this day.

i am hope. i am brave. i am twirling inside what i know. i am love. i am...

in this moment...who are you?

i'd love to know...

good things.

2009-07-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

pike place market peonies . june 2009

The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large.

Confucius

nine {with jen goff}

2009-06-29T18:35:00.000-07:00

Nine is an interview series with creative folks that began in the Spring of 2009; the interviewees are asked to respond to the interview questions in photographs (or video). You can scroll through all the interviews here.

Today's interview is with the beautiful spirit Jen Goff. I met Jen last fall and then was lucky enough to spend a week at the Oregon coast with her (and some other soulfull ladies) earlier this year. Jen teaches me about living my life with an open heart and to listen to the whispers of my intuition. And, I am so excited to be teaching an evening class, Recipes for Self Care, at Art and Soul with her in October.

Enjoy getting to know Jen through these glimpses into her world...

*****

Question 1: Who are you?

Question 2: What do you love about where you live?

Question 3: What might your perfect afternoon look like?

Question 4: If you had an hour alone in your studio/creative space, what would you do?

Question 5: Right now, what are some of your favorite things?

Question 6: What foods nourish your soul?

Question 7: When you need to simply take a breath and reground yourself, what do you do?

Question 8: How do you nurture your creative dreams?

Question 9: Does your heart have a secret wish you want to share?

Jen Goff is a jewelry designer and mixed media artist living in Portland, Oregon. She finds her inspiration in old worn fibers, dream-like photographs, and things collected on walks in the woods. Currently, she is working on a body of work that includes a lichen coat and a seed pod dress. Her hope is that this entire collection will be shown in an open field with live cello music and birds flying overhead. You can see more of what Jen is up to at her blog, Unravel, and view her jewelry at her website, Paper Wings.

(All photos + video copyright Jen Goff)

notes...winners...a sale

2009-06-28T14:48:00.000-07:00

found heart, alki beach . june 25, 2009

the blue sky is smiling down on us here in the south part of puget sound. summer is in the air as we grilled burgers for lunch and wished for a picnic or an evening with twinkle lights and buckets of beer and laughter of friends far away.

today, i am probably going to head to a favorite cafe for a bit. i am working on a few inspiring projects lately and that is a really good thing. my brain seems to find a sort of flow when drinking a vanilla soy latte surrounded by other people lost in their books, laptops, conversation, one another. oh and i am falling in love with squarespace and creating my own little corner of the web (along with a new, improved corner for the be present retreats...both sites coming soon).

*****

as my path meanders here and there and takes me into new adventures, i have decided to do a few different things with my etsy shop. these changes will probably be implemented over the next few months...and are just a few new things rolling around in this brain of mine.

the first change is that starting next month, about four soul mantra necklaces will be available per month. this will include (about) two new designs and two "old favorites." those will probably be the only necklaces available at any given time. i want to see how this new idea works for a bit...i will still be adding "all dressed up" necklaces from time to time.

so, this means that all the current "old favorite" soul mantras (except a "to be determined" two) will not be available in the shop starting july 1...

so...

i have decided to have a SALE!

this means all soul mantra necklaces in the shop (like the four above and others) are $18!

so if you have your eye on one, get it now before it takes a break from the shop!

also, just for fun, all current "all dressed up" necklaces are 20% off.

(the prices do not reflect the savings. the easiest way i have found with etsy when having a sale is to refund the difference in the sale price after purchase. this will be done promptly after a purchase is made.)

oh and i did add a few summery bags to the shop (simple selma totes, a few library pocket totes, and two maude bags). i plan to take my yellow library tote literally to the library later this week...makes me smile.

*****

the winners of the CD giveaway from the bubbleville post are:

Vanessa (comment #15)

and

Anna-Marie Still (comment #4)

congratulations! please send me an email at waywardtulip(@)gmail(dot)com with your address and i will send them off to you!!

and thank you all for your kind comments about our video. jon and i plan to make a few more. we actually spent an afternoon at the mandolin cafe dreaming up new ideas. so. much. fun.

*****

tune in tomorrow afternoon for the next nine interview.

and i hope wherever you are in the world you are feeling the sun shine upon you...

.in this moment.

2009-06-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

photo by jon

in this moment
find your breath

find the rhythm
inhale
notice how your body moves
exhale
notice how your mind settles

inhale

exhale

seek the space around your heart

inhale

exhale

inhale

exhale

inhale
begin to allow peace to fill this space

exhale
let this peace settle over you

inhale

exhale

inhale
breathe in this peace

exhale
begin to send peace
to someone
who needs this peace
in this moment

inhale

exhale

inhale

exhale

inhale
breathe this peace in

exhale
let it settle over you

inhale
feel this space around your heart

exhale
rest inside this peace within you

namaste

senses view: an afternoon pause (a new series)

2009-06-25T07:30:00.000-07:00

Since very early on here at be present, be here, I have been inspired by the senses as a creative prompt for both writing and photography. Earlier this month, I invited Jon to join me on a senses photography artist date; we each then created a series of photos that represented the senses (including a sixth sense of "know" that I include in my own exercises). I have written about this experience over at the Wish Studio; you can check out the essay "Through Their Lens" here (I hope you will...Mindy's site is a wonderful source of inspiration and full of goodness from so many delightful contributors).

When Mindy asked me to be her guest, I decided to write about perspective. As I thought about this topic, I began to focus on the idea of bringing in another person's perspective into our creative world. I also thought about how we might be able to see a similar experience through the photos taken by someone else, which prompted me to invite Jon to join me.

Last week, I was telling Kristen about all this and in the way that so often happens when two friends get excited about something, a new creative idea was born. I mentioned something like, "I think I might like to do exercises like this, with someone else's perspective on the senses in photographs...maybe more with Jon...maybe my friends when I get together with them..." Then we started brainstorming and suddenly it became very clear that not only could I invite people along on senses artist dates in person, but I could, of course, invite someone along in a long-distance sort of way. Which is, for me, a very good thing as I have just a handful of folks near me who might want to join me on such an adventure.

Oh how thankful I am for brainstorming sessions like this one (thank you my dear friend).

Kristen agreed to take part in the first "senses view" diptych collaboration. With each long-distance collaboration, there will be a theme that will serve as a prompt for each of us. In-person collaborations (like the one Jon and I did, see those photos here), will more than likely simply have the surrounding environment as the prompt. Also, we chose our photos without discussing, so they are paired according to each sense the photographer assigned.

This series theme is "afternoon pause." We hope you enjoy...

*******

{hear}

{see}

{smell}

{touch}

{taste}

{and know}

(Kristen on the left, Liz on the right)

visit bubbleville (a moving pictures afternoon)

2009-06-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

we are finding our way and leaning into moments of joy, play, silliness, and love.

come visit bubbleville...

PS a giveaway: the song in this video is "something to chase" by daytime volume, a band my brother* is in. i am giving away two CDs that include this song and some other great tunes. just leave a comment to be entered to win a CD. the giveaway will be open until friday evening. i will announce the winners this weekend.

*oh and my brother is on tour with martha davis (of the motels) this summer. check out their tour schedule here just in case you might be able to go. jon and i plan to be at the portland show next month!

. light & shadow: registration has begun .

2009-06-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Who gets up early to discover the moment the light begins?

Rumi

Registration for Light & Shadow, the February 2010 Be Present Retreat, has begun!

We will gather in the beautiful small beachside town of Manzanita, Oregon to explore the theme of light and shadow, experience community, dive into play with paint and words and cameras, and give ourselves permission to be present while in a nurturing, meditative environment.

Workshops include:

discover light (play in the shadows)

with Misty Mawn

create light (honor the shadows)

with Darlene Kreutzer

breathe in light (dance in the shadows)

with Liz Lamoreux

Find out more about these workshops and the retreat details here.

(mosaic credits: journal by misty, photos on left by darlene, photo on lower right by me)

five (really) good things. on a friday evening.

2009-06-19T22:15:00.000-07:00

a soft place to land . olympic national forest (april 2009)

one :: creating my very first video+music+photographs+poetry {i}movie. i anticipate many more in my future. (though, i sure do hope i can figure out how to load them to youtube a bit faster...is this just how it works? takes hours?)

two :: week two of our new organic fruit+veggies local delivery. the strawberries look perfect and will be eaten in the morning. and it has been cool here, so imagine soup might be to come as well. oh and kale chips. yep. gonna try those.

three :: a little bookish necklace (link to come) that arrived today that had me smiling and dancing around the kitchen as i opened the package that contained this gift. (it is a sign of good things to come i think.)

four :: soul aperture . christina's blog is beautiful. loving the ways she looks at the world and reminds herself and her readers to pause for the little things. (start here, then here, and oh this one too)

five :: feeling very excited that registration for the february 2010 be present retreat begins monday (june 22). more information about the workshops will be up then too (though if you check sunday, you might get a sneak peek as i am loading it).

what are five really good things in your world?

please share.

dare you.

*****

five (really) good things is a series of posts that began on this day, and then continued on a day when i simply needed to find five good things in my world. now, i post them to remind myself that i can always find five things, no matter the day. read more posts from this series here.

because this is what it is really all about.

2009-06-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

market flowers . april 2009

Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next-door neighbor. Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.

Mother Teresa

(i would add, in that second sentence, give love to yourself)

this day.

2009-06-16T23:05:00.000-07:00

oregon blue sky lightness . may 2009
i've been standing in the light today
soaking up the goodness
of love
friendship
truth
understanding
hope
dreams lived into reality
and some other really good things

pushing toward doing and pushing away procrastinating and self-loathing

i so often wanted to stop back here to this place in the last few days
but life
it just captured me
with a project taking longer than i planned
and long talks with jon about the stuff that is important to a partnership
and daydreaming
and major computer drama that turned out to be time consuming but then minor (in the sense that no files were lost)
and a wee bit of life drama
and some really good conversations with friends who listen and challenge and honor me and show me the way when i think i am in the dark (thank you)
and an artist date for two (more on that soon)
and a purchase that has me dancing a jig
and how the list goes on...

but today, after thinking a bit about that wee bit of life drama, i found myself coming back to how much i want to stand in the light. how i have a choice. how i choose to stand in the light.

and i remember. i am so blessed.
i am so very lucky to be living this life.
i am so lucky to understand that standing in the light is where i need to be.

OH!!!! and i want to let you know who won the giveaway! random.org choose the number 10. so stephanie (writer of the tenth comment), you are the winner of the custom apron! contact me (wayward tulip @ gmail dot com) for more info. thank you to all of you for your incredible list of blogs!!! i am having so much fun visiting them...

hope things are beautiful in your corner of the world...

it was...

2009-06-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

south carolina azalea . march 29, 2009

6/10

it was the hash browns. the chopped green pepper with onion and potatoes with a bit of ketchup. the sucker-punch in the form of a wave arrived. as i blinked back tears, i wondered where this came from as i suddenly imagined myself climbing into the passenger seat of a silver buick to ride along to the trash dump. (a word i so do not enjoy, but did we call it something else? i doubt it.) we would turn onto one of those named after a flowering southern tree streets and suddenly the air would be filled with, "you picked a fine time to leave me Lucille." and i would start to giggle, and then you would say, "i can sing better than that guy. what's his name again?" and i would laugh harder and playfully roll my eyes (well, depending on my age in this memory of this often-played game) and say, "Grandpa, you know it's Kenny Rogers." sometimes i would join in for a chorus of the next song "ohhhhh Ruuuuuuubbbbbyyyyyyyy...don't take your love to town," but mostly it was all about Lucille and i would listen to you and giggle.

in this moment of this memory, i wish i remembered more. trips to visit you were so often about her. well, you, you who would answer the tan rotary phone on the wall in the kitchen and upon hearing my voice say, "hold on, let me get your grandma," you know this. you understand perhaps more than anyone that she and i were friends. i guess i want to believe that i helped make things softer in your world by being her friend. i tried. in this moment, as i sit in this restaurant after hash browns and eggs, i wish i remembered every single moment of each moment spent in that house, with you, with both of you.

6/12

tonight, as i try to wrap my brain around confusion over something else entirely, i suddenly find myself coming back to tears while eating hash browns two days ago. the truth that bubbles up tonight that i tried to will aside while eating breakfast two days ago, the truth that bubbles up in this moment: because i didn't visit after visiting every year for my whole life, because i didn't visit you after she died and while i was not visiting, you were becoming a shadow of you, i just didn't wrap my brain or rather my brain refused to wrap around the truth that it was really, truly you i spent time with those days in april in south carolina a few weeks ago.

yet, i know, my brain knows that i actually spent quite a bit of time whispering to you and brushing your hair down in places and gently, barely touching the top of your hand. my brain knows it was you. so maybe it is my heart. yes, it must be my heart that refuses to wrap itself around the truth that i did not visit you one time after she died. except for after she died. but i am not counting that. because you know that i mean really visit. me, who had spent many most-loved memories that rest inside this heart of mine with you, i did not visit you when she was no longer there.

i did not drive up and see you standing in her spot at the kitchen window as the curtain fluttered just before you walked out to greet me and to say, "so you found it okay" and i will say "yes" while smiling to myself thinking but of course i did as i have been coming here every year at least once for my entire life and then you will ask if i am hungry because you made sloppy joes just like she used to do and it will be very easy to warm them right up in the saucepan and you have some cranberry juice because you know i like that just like she did and even though i will think about how odd that combination might be, i instead say, "that sounds perfect" but no i won't let you carry my suitcase up the steps and to my room that was her room and after i put the suitcase down i will stand in that room and breathe in the few remaining pieces of her and then smile as i hear you in the kitchen as you open the cupboard for the saucepan so you can heat up the sloppy joes and i will touch the blanket on her bed with my fingertips and say, "it's okay, we've got him now" and i will walk down the hall and through the family room to sit at the kitchen table and tell you all about the drive and the rain through the smokies and how i sang my way through the curves of the mountains and then listened to lewis grizzard after i hit the north carolina border.

tonight, this body that houses this heart full of those most-loved memories stands knee- no neck-deep in this truth. this truth that i did not visit you. and i cannot breathe. i wonder how it is that anyone expects me to be someone else, that i am expected to be my best self for someone else, when i stand neck deep in this truth. i am so sorry that i didn't get on a plane sooner than the saturday morning of the day you died. and i know that you know the love. yes, i do know this as i hear your voice saying one of the last sentences you ever said as you said i love you over the phone to me. my heart holds this truth, but i stand neck deep in another truth, the truth of knowing that i won't ever again start my day waking up to the sounds of you in the kitchen with leftover potatoes that will become our breakfast.

in this moment, as i hear the distant sound of a plane and millie settle onto the floor at my feet and my husband get ready for bed and the rhythm of the fan that turns the air around me, in this moment, i close my eyes and hear distant sounds of a cubs game and a rocking chair and pencil on a crossword puzzle and you look up at me and say "cubs win! cubs win! want to go for a ride?" and i say "yes !"and we turn the corner and your voice fills the air, "you picked a fine time to leave me lucille," i reach for your hand and say, "i love you too gramps" and you know and i know. and it is okay. i am okay and here breathing in and out and doing the best that i can. and i know that you know that too.

nine {with Vivienne McMaster}

2009-06-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

Nine is an interview series with creative folks that began in the Spring of 2009; the interviewees are asked to respond to the questions in photographs. You can scroll through all the interviews here.

Today's interview is with Vivienne McMaster. Her glorious photographs caught my eye this Spring. Her self-portraits are simply divine and a real source of inspiration for me right now.

Settle in and enjoy these pieces of Miss Vivienne's world...

*****

Question 1: Who are you?

Question 2: What do you love about where you live?

Question 3: What might your perfect afternoon look like?

Question 4: If you had an hour alone in your studio/creative space, what would you do?

Question 5: Right now, what are some of your favorite things?

Question 6: What foods nourish your soul?

Question 7: When you need to simply take a breath and reground yourself, what do you do?

Question 8: How do you nurture your creative dreams?

Question 9: Does your heart have a secret wish you want to share?

Vivienne McMaster is a Photographer and Postpartum Doula based in the beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. She has a great love for lensflare, golden light, striped socks, vintage cameras, belly laughs, and her feline sidekicks. She's been blogging for many years now at http://www.ladyvivienne.blogspot.com/ but now has a brand new website which houses both her photography portfolio, blog, and much more at http://www.viviennemcmaster.com/.

(All photos copyright Vivienne McMaster)

i'll tumble for ya...

2009-06-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

patchwork in progress . june 6 2009

been having some fun with patchwork lately...thinking this is going to be my first "quilt" in the form of a blanket to take on the picnics i have planned in my head for this summer. might even try my hand at seam binding for the first time. also thinking about making some patchwork aprons as i have been having fun with a custom apron (that the dear customer ordered so many months ago...thank goodness for the kind patience of others) that includes some happy patchwork.

this evening, i realized that i forgot to mention that i will keep the giveaway post comments open until friday morning. i am having so much fun exploring the blogs you all have been sharing in those comments. thanks for all the great links!

so the title of this post. yep. can't get that culture club song out of my head because i started a new tumblr blog and everytime i log into the site, that song (or should i say the chorus of that song as i know no other lines) just starts playing on repeat in my brain.

in the last couple of weeks, i noticed a couple of craft bloggers mentioning tumblr, so i went to check out the site. i suddenly found myself starting one as i have been wanting a spot to simply hold all the goodness i find as i travel here and there on the internet. i had been using notepad documents but then i would forget which one had which link i wanted. tumblr makes posting so very easy and fast (would be a perfect first blog for someone who is not so much web/computer savvy), so i found that i couldn't resist. it will be interesting to see how this works and if it is as easy as it seems. so far so good...

i have decided to call this new spot bring on the joy...it is a place for links to blogs, photographs, people inspiring me, fashiony things, quotes, and so on. might be some cross-posting over here as this will probably be a placeholder for some notes for the journey and a few (really) good things. i will also post photos of what i am up to in the studio and of other things inspiring me in my world that for whatever reason might not quite make their way over here.

okay, that's all for tonight...tune in tomorrow for another nine interview...

i have some singing and dancing to do now...

thirty-three. freedom. fabric. (oh and a giveaway because why not)

2009-06-07T21:20:00.000-07:00

pausing in kopachuck state park . june 7, 2009

the thirty-three candles have been blown out and i am happily wearing my wedding-day tiara this evening (because what other day can you wear it?) after have a really, really good day.

when the blue sky arrived in the early evening, i took jonny to my new favorite spot over in gig harbor where we walked through the woods and arrived at the water where we sat and watched the sun glisten off the sound. it was nice to just breathe and be for a few moments. we talked about the adventures we hope to take this summer. and i resisted the urge to just kick off my shoes and walk straight into the water and twirl. i knew that the dream of that moment was a bit more beautiful than the actual experience would be. still, it was fun to think about.

*****
i started off this morning enjoying a doughnut (or two) and watching "sunday morning." (oh how i love that show.) this morning, there was a segment about rosie*. one of the girls who participates in her broadway kids program said this, "performing just lets me express everything i've been shutting up all day. coming here. it's like freedom."

and as i nodded while listening, i suddenly had this thought: this is why i have a blog.

because coming here is like freedom.

and in this place and through the connections i have made, i have found my way back to myself.

this is a beautiful realization on this day.

and on this day, i want to say thank you to you reading these words. you have invited me, with your kindness and validation and nodding and extension of friendship, you have invited me to show up as me. you have enabled me to unearth this gift of freedom.

*****
yesterday, i spent the day in the little room. i haven't played with fabric in...sigh...months. and it was so much fun to begin to create a new group of natasha aprons. i sang and danced a bit as i cut fabric and chose pockets and pulled out some trims.

natasha aprons in progress . june 2009

one thing i have learned in the last year is that creating custom orders stresses me out more than i wish i did. (i really do feel so bad about that.) i think it is the deadlines. i really just have a hard time with deadlines for fabric items as i fit in my full-time job and working on the be present retreats and other things and, you know, living.

having said that though, i had this idea last evening: what if i did a giveaway every now and then for a custom fabric creation? i could let go of the very specific timeline this way while still experiencing the fun of focusing on someone while creating something for that person.

which leads me to this: i would love to giveaway a custom natasha (reversible) apron!

past natasha aprons

to enter this giveaway, please leave a comment that shares a link to a blog that is currently inspiring you and briefly explain why you find inspiration there. i would love to visit some new blogs and think it would be fun for anyone who stops by here to invite a bit more inspiration in this way...

and thanks again for just being you out there living in your lives.

big smooches to you,
liz

{update: comments are now closed as the giveaway has ended. thanks for playing alone!!}

*watching the tap dancing (aka time steps) during the segment about rosie made me totally want to start tapping again. i think i am going to find myself some tap shoes and maybe take a class this year. yes, i think i am going to dare myself to do this.

five (really) good things (in the last few hours)

2009-06-04T22:35:00.000-07:00

endless pacific . manzanita . may 2009

1. cooler air has moved in (to this land of no air conditioning) and there is a breeze coming in through the windows. still feels like summer...but summer with a breeze.

2. walking by my studio and peeking in at the fabric i am determined to play with this weekend.

3. leaning my head against jonny's shoulder as we sat in the cool movie theater together this afternoon (and smiling in this moment thinking about how we are heading back there to watch this on sunday as that is one of the things i want to do on the day i turn three-three).

4. freshly brewed strawberry osmanthus iced tea (oh so very good).

5. finally feeling better...like really better...not perfect...but more like me.

what five really good things are part of your world right now?
share them.
i dare you.

one foot, then the other.

2009-06-03T11:04:00.000-07:00

finding my way . olympic peninsula (april 2009)

To the questions of your life you are the answer, and to the problems of your life you are the solution.

Joe Cordare

(thank you for your kind words on my last post. thank you for getting it and listening and being out there. i am so blessed.)

a post that began one way...and turned into something else entirely.

2009-06-01T10:27:00.001-07:00

saturday, jon got me out of the house for a bit. a short trip to point defiance park to get outside into the fresh air. even though we weren't there for very long, it was much needed. hopefully many a summer afternoon will be spent just like this...though maybe with a picnic and a stack of books and a journal or two and fresh markers and how the list goes on...

i am still sick. the weekend was filled with steam showers and lots of hot drinks and frequent use of the inhalers and making my way through season three of the west wing and reading my way through the harry potter series yet again...

and here is where is want to write something wise. i want to write about how i am finding answers in the all this quiet. about how my heart feels open as the sun shines in through the blinds and my mind is so full of ideas that i am dancing my favorite dance inside possibility. but, the truth is, my grandpa died two months ago and i am very sad about it. i am sad that i will never again visit the house where my grandparents lived. i am sad that they aren't going to show up and take me to the beach as the antidote to this illness as they did almost thirty years ago when i had a neverending bout of bronchitis. i am sad that i didn't get to my grandfather's side before he died. i am sad that there seems to be some kind of belief that a person shouldn't grieve deeply for grandparents...that a person should get "over" a death and "move on," especially when the person who died was "old." i would love to write something that might inspire but the truth is my head is throbbing as my brain seems to rattle each time i cough today and i just want to crawl back into bed. but i can't sleep because i keep coughing (not to mention i need to work).

i guess this is why i haven't been showing up here as much as i want to. i am trying so hard to push away the negative as i am on the cusp of a major pity party and i know it. even though there are also some really good things going on in my world that i look forward to sharing on another day, i am on the cusp of giving into the tears. but if i start crying, i won't be able to breathe. i know this is true. for a while now, when a thought comes up about my grandparents, i actually imagine pulling it out of my mind like dumbledore pulls out a memory in the world of harry potter...i imagine pulling it out and putting it into a box. i don't have the energy to grieve. does that make sense? i don't have the energy to give into the need for a good cry. i won't be able to breathe. and, these last two plus weeks have taught me that i really really need to be able to breathe.

(insert deep breath)

thanks for letting me ramble. it feels a bit like i just want someone to know where i am in this moment. so here i am, letting you know. and maybe i will come back tomorrow and let you know again. and the next day. because i think there is some comfort in knowing that someone knows a little piece of where i am.

i am okay. yes, i know this is true. i am okay. this is life. this is what it is. breathe in. breathe out. this is how we become.

(oh and i am behind on emails and returning phone calls and other good stuff. because of the coughing and asthma-like spells i am having, talking on the phone just isn't really possible right now. as much as i would so like to catch up with people on the phone, especially because i spend so much darn time alone, i am mostly trying to just be quiet. my etsy shop is open with a few happy summery necklaces, but i am not making any new soul mantra necklaces or any new fabric items at this time. hopefully soon i will be back in my studio sewing and hammering away. thanks for understanding.)

notes for the journey {5.27.09}

2009-05-27T07:39:00.000-07:00

on the shores of lake max . culver, indiana . may 2009

day three of being back home in washington, and i am mending. still exhausted with a voice that isn't quite 100% and a cough that wants to hang around and a body insisting on east coast time, but i am mending.

i am leaning back toward me.

getting sick sometimes pushes moments of reflection in as the quiet of hours resting will do. my brain isn't racing as usual, so i am not being forced to keep up with myself i guess. and, as this slowing down forces more breathing (to, at times, literally relax enough to find my breath) and less doing/brainstorming/plotting/dreaming/creating, i have had several whispered reminders of what is important...whispered reminders of what i want to surround myself with in this life...of where i want to be when i look up from my path...here are a few:

be gentle: maya stein's "instructions upon waking" deeply spoke to me earlier this month. i read it again today for a much-needed breath of truth.

dare to wish: jen gray's whirlwish video has filled up my soul since yesterday evening when jonny and i sat together and watched it several times. so much goodness here.

create the happy: this peek into elsie's studio makes me grin.

surround yourself with lovely: this "floral lineup" photo on oh joy! made me inhale deeply. love the simple, intriguing white vases with the gorgeous summery blooms. (oh joy! is full of eye-candy inspiration daily...loving this blog).

do what you love: geek girl's clementines in the sun photo series (i want to reach through the screen and eat one); this girl is making it happen with her camera.

be present: karen's mindful day post. i didn't keep up with many blogs while i was dozing on a couch in indiana last week, but i read karen's daily. she simply gets it.

bring in the joy: dancing mermaid's make your life beautiful video has me thinking about simple acts of joy that can make a life more fully lived.

find the gratitude: ali's so very thankful post makes me think of possibility and love. such beauty here.

this morning, visiting all these sites again, i wish i could invite these women for tea today. we could all wear pajamas and eat strawberries and talk about what we know to be real and true. yes. i wish i could invite you, yes you, to come over for tea today. we could remind one another that we already know what we want to surround ourselves with in this life. we could remind each other that we just need to look up now and then and breathe it all in. we could remind each other that we already know; we just need to sometimes sit in the quiet to hear the answers that whisper within...

i wish you could come over for tea today...i wish for you that you will remember...

blessings,
liz

scenes from an indiana evening

2009-05-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

an evening at dad's . may 2009

tell me something really good.

2009-05-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

miss maggie may (my dad's cockapoo) . may 2009

i am still in indiana. i came to attend my high school reunion (i had the best time!) and after the reunion ended, my body seemed to give a sigh of relief that it could give into the illness that had been clearly hanging on for a bit.

asthmatic bronchitis. two inhalers. a big dose of antibiotics. trying to sleep in between what seem to be asthma-like attacks. (which, by the way, are more than a bit scary. those of you with asthma know. scary to wake up with no breath available.) this is the second time i have had something like this in six months. hmmm. i am not enjoying this one bit. (and wondering what is up with this second bout.)

was supposed to fly home yesterday but the doctor gave that a no go. hopefully friday. i am not doing all that great in this moment. i wish i was home in my own bed. i miss jonny and millie. but my dad and his girlfriend are being great, as is my mom. i feel loved, even though i feel like crapola. and even if i don't have my favorite sweater i wear when i am sick, i do have one of my dad's to wear, which is almost as good (insert very weak smile here). and even though i don't have millie curled up against my leg, i do have the companionship of the sweet, soft, and silly cockapoo pictured above. maggie. she is some kind of cute. and, in the way that dogs often do, she seems to get i am not feeling well and is staying pretty close to my side.

so, all this leads me to say this: tell me something good about your world. tell me a funny story. what made you happy today? last week? who/what is inspiring you? what are you reading? what flowers are blooming (or what color are the leaves outside your window)?

tell me something really good. i need to soak up the goodness...

(thank you)

nine {with susan tuttle}

2009-05-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

Nine is an interview series with creative folks; the interviewees are asked to respond to the questions in photographs.

Today's interview is with the kindred spirit Susan Tuttle. I was lucky enough to meet Susan last year at Squam, and her writing and photography have captivated me ever since.

*****

Question 1: Who are you?

Question 2: What do you love about where you live?

Question 3: What might your perfect afternoon look like?

Question 4: If you had an hour alone in your studio/creative space, what would you do?

Question 5: Right now, what are some of your favorite things?

Question 6: What foods nourish your soul?

Question 7: When you need to simply take a breath and reground yourself, what do you do?

Question 8: How do you nurture your creative dreams?

Question 9: Does your heart have a secret wish you want to share?

Susan Tuttle is a mixed-media and digital artist who resides in the Midcoast region of Maine with her husband and two young children. Her first book, Exhibition 36: Mixed-Media Demonstrations and Explorations, was released by North Light Books in November 2008. Her second book, which is a technique-based publication about digital art, will be released by North Light Books in April of 2010. Susan is a frequent contributor to Stampington and Company publications and a variety of other mixed-media art books. You can visit her web site at http://www.ilkasattic.com/ and her blog at http://www.ilkasattic.blogspot.com/.

(All photos copyright Susan Tuttle)

five (really) good things on a monday

2009-05-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

seaview blooms . may 10, 2009

1) the last of the blooming trees are smiling down on us here in the pacific northwest. i have been simply swooning this year at the blooms. for the last week i keep saying to jon, those pink trees are pregnant with blooms. it is true. i can't seem to stop saying that. hmmm...

2) speaking of pregnant, i am beyond excited that later this week i will be spending time with some dear friends who spent time in the world of pregnancy last year and this year...and i will be meeting their beautiful babes. it is going to be a real joy to look into the faces of these friends who are now mothers and then to hold the babies they have brought into this world.

3) i bought some new clothes and stuff to take with me on this trip and i have to rave about two etsy purchases. the first is the shell collector dress from gaia conceptions. oh. my. goodness. i adore this dress (i bought it in purple.) when i saw jen wearing it last month in portland, i knew it had to be mine. this dress is so well made and so soft and flattering. another item i bought is this pouch in chartreuse by yorktown road...and it is delightful in person! loving carol's etsy shop and her flickr photos.

4) taking a quick trip to the coast this weekend with jonny was so good for the soul. driving and talking and singing (jon even joined in with this song [this video is fantastic fun!], which has become a new favorite of mine...a perfect driving song really) and connecting with people in manzanita (as i continue to work on the details of upcoming retreats and plan new ones). having these moments of goodness to add to the mix, well, i am very thankful for these moments.

5) the new jewelry at l'essence du monde. jen has reopened her shop, and these necklaces make me think of a summer evening party in the backyard with lanterns hanging and a white t-shirt and fun below-the-knee skirt with a happy pattern and orange flip flops and friends and laughter and good food and lemon drops and how the list goes on. these earrings are my current everyday favorites (i have them in brass). and i love wearing one of these necklaces with my soul mantra necklaces as some days i just have to layer necklace upon necklace.

oh but wait, one more really good thing i have to share:
the new star trek movie. loved it. i am a big (BIG) star trek TNG fan. my brother and i might have gone to a convention back in the 90s. my husband (then boyfriend) might have begun to fall in love with me when he realized i knew who brent spiner is. separate from all that (since i am guessing you probably have no idea what i am talking about), this is just really a good movie. you should go see it. seriously.

what are five really good things in your world?
i dare you to name them.
right.
now.

living it.

2009-05-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

manzanita view . may 9, 2009

Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.

Buddha

because {love thursday}

2009-05-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

a photo that appeared in jonny's flickr photostream last evening.

he took it in our front yard when we had a brief break in the rain.

i gave him that frog about seven years ago.

sigh. there goes my heart.

because you seem to never mind when i sing my heart out in the car

because you embrace who i am (even when i haven't showered)

because you make sure i eat every night

because you annoy me until i remember to stop taking things so seriously

because you spent your spring break in the midst of a movie that might rival elizabethtown

because you say things like whatever you need to do when i ask you if i should get a nose ring, or a tatoo, or how the list goes on

because you send me emails in the middle of the day so i feel less alone

because you believe i can

because you remembered

these are (some of) the reasons

i adore you.

(happy love thursday)

this day.

2009-05-06T11:32:00.000-07:00

forest exploring, olympic peninsula . april, 2009

give yourself permission
to let this moment
this moment
right now
be just for you

find your breath

notice your next inhale...
then the exhale that follows

let your mind rest
inside the movement
of your breath
in your body

find the rhythm of this movement

inhale
chest opens
exhale
shoulders relax
inhale
heart opens
exhale
feel the space inside you

when you are ready
to return
to what is to happen next
know this:

you have all the tools you need for this day
and the next
and the next

namaste.

thoughts on a rainy monday night.

2009-05-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

new all dressed up necklaces in the shop

i am so thankful that yesterday included sunshine so i could take photos of my new creations...before the (supposed) ten days of rain began today. ten days of rain. i am hoping the sun will decide to show up in the midst of it all as spring just doesn't quite seem like spring without some sun peppered in here and there.

lately, i have been realizing (or maybe a better word is acknowledging) that this crazy, wonderful life i lead needs some more organization. more than just the house stuff i am always in the midst of (or...ahem...ignoring). organization in the "to do" today/this week/this month sort of way. i need to be able to check things off.

i am wondering, do any of you use an online organizer? or do you find the binder organizers are a better way to go? i use the computer so much with all the job hats i wear, that an online organizer seems to make sense (and [she writes as she rolls her eyes at herself] i fear i might misplace a binder in the chaos that is the messy.ness of this home).

and since i am asking questions, i would also love to know what you are listening to these days. i am heading across the country in a week and would love some new tunes (or books or podcasts) to download to my iPod.

hope things are beautiful in your corner of the world...

today.

2009-05-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

i am happiest when my heart stays open
i am hoping to let go of even more clutter
i am reaching farther
i am twirling inside words and possibility
i am walking a path of deep joy and moments of deep sadness
i am finally understanding pieces of why i might be right here
i am being gentle with myself on days when sinking seems tangible
i am taking dance breaks to nourish me
i am realizing connections can take more forms than i thought possible
i am seeking the brave moments
i am honoring the deeply creative minutes
i am nurturing the truth i see
i am embracing this reflection

*****

i am wondering where you are...

wondering what your "i am" statement might be in this moment...

(this post was directly inspired by this self-reflection post by kelly b.)

nine {with madelyn mulvaney}

2009-04-30T18:18:00.000-07:00

welcome to a new series at be present, be here. i am calling it "nine" as it is a series of nine questions posed to an artist/blogger/creative person who will answer these questions in photographs (or video).

the first interviewee is the inspiring, delight.full madelyn mulvaney who writes at the blog persisting stars.

maddie, thank you for taking us along with you on an adventure with your beautiful responses....

*****

Question 1: Who are you?

Question 2: What do you love about where you live?

Question 3: What might your perfect afternoon look like?

Question 4: If you had an hour alone in your studio/creative space, what would you do?

Question 5: Right now, what are some of your favorite things?

Question 6: What foods nourish your soul?

Question 7: When you simply need to take a breath and reground yourself, what do you do?

Question 8: How do you nurture your creative dreams?

Question 9: Does your heart have a secret wish you want to share?

Madelyn Mulvaney is a mother, lover, writer, and photographer living in her "sea to sky" city of Vancouver, British Columbia.

She adores morning coffee and cuddles, vinyl records, reading books curled up on the front porch in the spring rain, vintage polaroid camera's, indian summers, thrift shops, peonies, telescopes, scribbling in notebooks, long drives, dreaming up possible things, and saying "yes!"

All photographs copyright Madelyn Mulvaney

Question 1 cinematographer David Pohl

forward (don't be afraid)

2009-04-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

One can go back toward safety or forward toward growth.
Abraham Maslow

*****

I am happy to announce that the giveaway winner (chosen by random.org) is comment #15 from Amy (anonymous). Amy, please get in touch so I can send you the "hope.full" soul mantra necklace (just see my blogger profile for my email).

soak it all up baby girl

2009-04-25T10:44:00.001-07:00

backyard tulips . april 2009

my heart is full today...full of friendship and goodness. full of what is real. i soak this up knowing that each day does not always unfold quite this way. i soak it up and tuck it into an inner pocket so that i can twirl inside it on the days that unfold into something else. i soak it up so i can remind myself on another day that i am simply not alone on this journey.

we must allow ourselves to soak up the goodness and the friendship and what is real.
we are simply not alone.
(thank you)

*****

dear ones, your whispers of hope have made me smile widely.
thank you.
thank you.

(i am keeping the comments of the giveaway post open until sunday evening and will choose a random winner and announce early next week.)

a sale, a giveaway, a little hope

2009-04-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

I thought I would have a little spring cleaning sale over in my etsy shop, the little room.

Everything is 20% off the listed price for the next few days. After you buy something through etsy, just wait to pay until you receive a revised invoice from me through paypal that reflects the sale price.

This morning, the grey and the rain came back to visit; I found myself sighing thinking it would stay all day. I sent out a little whisper of hope that the sun would push through the clouds a bit, just for a while. This evening, the blue sky peeked out from behind the grey and we have the windows open again to all that spring has brought us. It astounds me sometimes what a little blue sky and the windows open can do for a person, can do for an outlook, can do for a heart.

Tonight, I feel hope blooming a bit as the sun shines through the window. As I walk this current path on my journey, this path of grief mixed with beautiful happiness, this path of life, I find letting hope bloom to be a little gift I can give myself.

I thought it might be fun to share some of that hope through a giveaway today:

A new soul mantra necklace "hope.full" (spelled in that SARK-inspired sort of way).

To win this necklace, just leave a comment sharing a piece of hope you have in your heart, in your world...

updated 4/27: comments are now closed. thank you for all your incredible pieces of hope....

bits of the last few days.

2009-04-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

backyard bloom . april 20, 2009

millie snoring beside me . windows wide open . sun . wisdom from a dear friend . the words "yes, i have time to talk" . emails full of excitement . cuddled up in quilts . a really great movie (watched at the theatre to prevent multitasking tendencies) . laughter . tears . deep missing . dreams being lived into reality . flip flops . dresses over skirts . strawberries . tulips smelling like honey . truth . deep, wide hugs . possibility . thinking about what's next . an almost soldout fall retreat . a backyard full of blooming color . picnics on the couch . a tall glass of water . a hint of summer in the air . having someone really listen . reminders that i am not alone . pizza . a crisis averted . an understanding . confusion about friendship and what is real . a whisper of knowledge within . daffodils smiling . a certainty about love . mugs of jasmine tea . poems written . the clicking of typewriter keys . out loud laughter until tears fall . child's pose . thinking about rereading all the harry potter novels . naps . lots of doing . garden planning . sounds that signal it is time for bed

. unearth: registration has begun .

2009-04-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Unearth

(a be present retreat)

October 14-18, 2009

Registration for the Fall 2009 Be Present Retreat has begun!

This October, we will gather in Manzanita, Oregon and spend three days exploring the theme of unearth through workshops that will include painting and creating with mixed media, photography, writing, and yoga.

Workshops:

Unearthing Your Most Precious Hidden Layers

with Andrea Scher

Unearthing Your Messy, Creative, Painterly Self

with Kelly Rae Roberts

Unearthing This Moment: Body, Mind, Heart

with Liz Lamoreux

*****

There is so much I want to say about this theme and the classes we have dreamed up for this fall. While Kelly, Andrea, and I were brainstorming this theme, I sent them a paragraph of an image that kept coming to me. I wrote...

When thinking about our theme of "unearth," this image comes to mind: My grandmother had a ritual of walking around her backyard in the early morning. Closing my eyes, I see her at different times of the year: Pushing aside the dead leaves of winter to look for any new growth. Peeking under the huge pine tree to see if the lily of the valley or trilliums were blooming yet. Leaning over in the small wooded area to pick violets to put in a jelly jar on the kitchen windowsill. Snipping off the wilted blooms so that new blooms could grow. When I would visit my grandparents as a teenager and then as a college student, she would push me to join her. There was often such a bite in the early morning air and heavy dew on the grass, so I was sometimes resistent, just wanting breakfast or to go back to bed or how the list goes on. I didn't realize at the time that she was letting me in on her personal practice. As spring has started arriving this year, I have thought about the unearthing she was doing during these walks as she would literally look for new growth and discard the "dead stuff" but also as she would give herself the space to look inward without distractions during this time alone where she seemed to feel most at home with herself.

In this fall retreat, we will explore tools to add to our personal and creative practices as we unearth our authentic voices. We will discover our core values, begin to listen to the whispers that say we are creative beings, and seek a balance within as we let go of distractions and connect.

We hope you will join us on this adventure! Find out more at the be present retreats site.

Many blessings,

Liz

it is possible.

2009-04-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

falling . april 3, 2009

Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserve, but have never been able to reach. Check the road and the nature of your battle.
The world you desire can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.

Ayn Rand

define.

2009-04-15T00:10:00.000-07:00

little forest, olympic national park . april 2009

When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself.

Wayne Dyer

tuesday truths (a guest post from geek girl)

2009-04-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

photo by geek girl

it is tuesday
and newly fallen snow is
slowly beginning to melt
again...

when liz asked me to guest blog,
i did a little dance of "me? me...someone-wants-me-??"

this is a familiar dance
for me.

and it makes me wonder why...
why can't i see the value in what i have to offer
when i can see it so readily in anyone else?

i have a photo show happening right now
as we speak
and i downplay it to anyone who asks...
"oh, it's just..."
"it's only..."
"it's nothing really..."

i don't want to make money from photography.

i just want to be known for something...
that's all. i want to be thought of as artistic in some way...
and yet, i can't accept it when it is given to me.

does anyone else ever feel this way...
struggling so hard to be good at something
but then,
not sure if you will ever know when you are being good
at something...

will i ever be good enough for me?

*****

AG is a reader, a writer, a picture taker and card maker. She is a
lover of words, a collector of phrases and desperately wants
a treehouse. You can often find her on the side of the road,
if the light is right, taking pictures of weeds...totally oblivious to
oncoming traffic. You can also find her at two of her familiar haunts:
her blog, geek ink, where this month she is attempting a poem a day and flickr.

love.

2009-04-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

spring returns . march 29, 2009

The only thing we can never get enough of is love. And the only thing we can never give enough of is love.

Henry Miller

(thank you)

scenes from a saturday adventure (of lizzy and jonny)

2009-04-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

five (really) really good things (a guest post from kelly b)

2009-04-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

clancy and kelly sporting new sharpie tatts, photo by kelly

I thought of doing a cheer to introduce myself, but I wasn’t a cheerleader. Maybe a sorority song...sorry GDI all the way...or maybe a Buddhist style chant, well as much as I like to think I am, I really am not that enlightened. So I will stick with what I know and just give it to you straight:

I am the next guest blogger for my dear sweet miss liz. I have slowly gotten to know liz over the past couple of years, via our blogz and last year I was blessed when I got to finally meet up with her at squam. To say the least I have fallen in love with the girl. I wear her aprons, scarves and mantra necklaces and when I do, they make me feel like I can conquer the world.

Where liz is soft and kind, I am a bit loud and silly. Liz is studious [she edits], I am not! liz drives a bug and I drive a vue. But we meet in the middle sharing our love of vintage finds, pretty necklaces, giggling, a deep love for our grandparents and our home state of Indiana. One day we are going to sneak off and rent a beach house on the ocean..right girlie!!

Since it is good Friday – how about five really REALLY good things:

1) if you haven’t heard of jeremy sweet – his name says it all. he is one sweet artist. Check out his new screen prints and other art work. sueno is one of my favorites…

2) don’t forget to submit your artwork for the squam art show! if you attended last September, then please submit. liz and susan are working so hard to make this happen for us. Plus you get to show in a real gallery…seriously – get off your duff and do it!

3) Looking for something black and white – check out my new find: megan auman. Her jewelry and sculpture objects can be found on etsy. They are bitchin’.

4) Have you seen the little terrariums at made by mavis? The greens of the moss make me drool.

5) …and my last really good thing is not a link. It just a shout out to each of the chicks who rock my everyday. I am so blessed that I get to hang with you whether it is, taking out the tandem road bike, belly laughing through lunch, watching you hold your new great niece, catching up on the phone because I am in the Midwest and well, you aren’t, or just keeping in touch through the blog lines.

On this good Friday, so much goodness in my life! peace. out.

(we would love to hear about your really good things. please share one or two or five in the comments)

*****

Kelly Barton has a warped .crazy .colorful mind, is happiest when she is creating in her attic studio, and truly believes in world peace. She dreams one day of living in warmer lands, listening to the crashing waves, as the sun beams down upon her face. She blogs over at camp indigo and her shop is the happy girl over at etsy. She would love for you to come visit…..seriously – anytime.

a photo series (a guest post from jonny)

2009-04-09T08:03:00.000-07:00

for the last few months, jon has been taking photos using his "not so young" cell phone. he turned off the flash and the results are often surprising. they look like old photos taken with a larger camera, perhaps even a polaroid...

here are a few from his ongoing series:

evening sky, photo by jon

diffuse, photo by jon

space needle, photo by jon

march eve, photo by jon

wax moon, photo by jon

Jon says: Since the cell phone is with me most of the time, it is a convenient tool for capturing spontaneous pictures. At first I was disappointed in the resolution of the photos, but then I realized that they have their own sort of charm. I have found myself thinking more about the look of my surroundings when considering picture subjects.

*****

Jon is a teacher and likes to ponder the mysteries of the Universe… He lives in a little house in the Pacific NW with his wife (Liz) and their dog Millie.

See more of Jon's photos (including some "blasts from his childhood past") on his flickr.

notes for the journey (a guest post from kristen)

2009-04-07T07:37:00.000-07:00

away, photo by kristen perman

Hello all, sweet Liz has graciously bestowed the honor of guest posting here while she's away. I've always loved Liz's Notes for the Journey. I find some great links and almost always find my wallet a little lighter because of some yummy etsy store or website that I can't resist. Wink.

Liz and I have been reading one another's blogs for awhile now. We share a lot of blogs in our readers and we also have blogs that neither of us visit. It's my intention to either remind you of familiar friends, or introduce you to someone or something you might not have seen yet.

Without further ado...

My crack online, the selby. I love the side links most of all.

Luzie is here in the States for a year from Berlin as a Fulbright scholar teaching at Gettysburg college. Her time here is ending soon; in this beautiful post, she writes about living in the moment.

I'm not much of a cook despite my small love affair with chefs and cookbooks and cooking blogs. The Wednesday Chef is one of those blogs. I bounce a little in my chair when there's a new post in my reader and I plan recipes for the week from the recipe index. Tonight when I go to Whole Foods, I'll pick up the ingredients for gingerbread.

My friend Jen is a bit of a superhero. After years of helping the homeless find housing, her little family of three sold off most of their worldly possessions and packed the car to move to Belize. Her blog posts are compelling and thoughtful and for me, a bit awe-inspiring because I know I could never be that girl.

It wouldn't be proper for me to leave here without a little enabling, I mean a glimpse at a few of my favorites over at Etsy.

These bags are beautifully constructed with a fun interior fabric. Divine. These polka dots would be perfect on top of these coasters, don't you think?

Thank you Liz for allowing me to visit here,

Kristen

*****

Kristen Perman is a coffee-drinking, tea-loving, mama, acupuncturist, and herbalist in love with photography and polaroid, trying to find her way in a suburban oasis. Read more from her at her blog, Sticking to the Point, and visit her etsy shop, Abishag, to see more of her photography.

gramps

2009-04-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

my grandfather died on march 28 as jon and i were on a plane flying across the country to south carolina to see him. we spent the last week with my family. i was able to stay in my grandparents' home.

it was a gift to stay in that home for six nights as family came and went. it was a gift to take down a mug from the cupboard for tea . to sit on my grandfather's bed and lay my head on his pillow . to walk around the yard in the morning chill and see the lily of the valley peeking out and hear the neighborhood children's laughter....

it was a gift to show my family the family tree she had shown me the last day i saw her in 2004 . to hear my uncles talk . to hear the glass of the china cabinet rattle and remember hearing it as a child when i would walk through the living room hoping not to get caught but then suddenly that noise would fill the house and i would scurry out before she found me and then to share that very same memory with my cousin...

it was a gift to stand before him and tell him how much their love shaped me and how i would share that love for all my days . to listen to my great-aunt tell the stories and the tall tales and the snippets of truths i did not know . to hold jon's hand when i struggled and to always know he was there as a constant source of grounding for us . to feel my mom's arms around me when i crumbled when the surrealness gave way to truth . to share moments of what is real with my brother...

it was a gift to walk through the house and soak up every corner and breathe in the smells and take in every texture and open my heart to memories . to hear my uncle sing a song grandpa sang to us all and in that moment to be able to hear his voice fill that kitchen and remember that it always lives within me, within us, and know that the energy surrounds us if we are still enough to feel it...

gramps and me . at the beach . probably 1978

it was a gift that my mother held the phone up to his ear that night before so that i could say i love you and to then hear him rally for a moment and recognize my voice and tell me he would see me soon and to hear him say i love you and then repeat those words again as she took the phone away . it was a gift to have those last words be the last words i would hear and to know he was saying them to me . it was a gift to see the photo of him with me and take it home in the frame so that i could have a little piece of him, of us . it was a gift that today, as i am back in my home now, that i easily found the poem he wrote a few years back and emailed me...it is a gift to find that poem today and hold him in the space around my heart...

In my room on a chest

sets a picture, one of those I like the best.

A man and a child walk along in the sand,

He looks down at her as he holds her hand,

she's looking back at someone and seems to say,

don't worry, I'm with my grandpa today.

*****

i'm going to take some time away from here for a bit. and i know, in the way things go, i will most likely be in and out with notes to share, but for a couple of weeks, starting tomorrow, some friends have agreed to step in and share some words and posts and links and really good things with you here in this space.

thank you for reading and being out there in the world...

blessings,

liz

upcoming be present retreats

2009-03-25T14:59:00.001-07:00

view from back patio of The Lodge . Gearhart, Oregon

I am very excited to announce the teachers and themes for the next two Be Present Retreats:

Fall 2009
Unearth
October 14-17
Northern Oregon Coast

Join Kelly Rae Roberts, Andrea Scher, and me and explore the idea of unearthing where we are in our creative and inward journeys.
More information about this retreat is coming soon.
Registration will begin mid-April.

Winter 2010
Light & Shadow
February 2-7
Northern Oregon Coast

Join Misty Mawn, Darlene Kreutzer, and me and examine how we stand in the light and honor the shadows as we walk through our lives. We will explore this theme through painting, photography, writing, and video.
More information about this retreat is coming soon.
Registration will begin mid-June.

Registration is still open for the June 2009 Retreat, Self-Portrait Excavation. Read more about the June Retreat here.

If you have questions or would like more information, don't hesitate to email me at waywardtulip[at]gmail[dot]com.

five (really) good things

2009-03-21T15:21:00.000-07:00

*****

jonny and i spent the morning at a rummage sale i wait all year to attend. these are just a few of my treasures...

it always about the stories for me...the stories...

would love to see or hear about your five really good things.
please share...

i dare you.

nothing to do with that...

2009-03-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

having fun with color (stand in the light . new necklace in the shop)

i started a ninety-day poetry exchange today. i started writing one poem a day for ninety days today and i needed some words. i needed some words so that i could find a starting place to write a poem a day for ninety days*. i found this starting place by walking to the bookshelf and pulling down a well read favorite and gathering some words. i gathered some words today and thought you might want to comb through them and pour a few into your creative well...

mystery

elusive

ordain

harp

hurricane

bitter

goddess

cherry tree

rapid

flood

baptism

texture

ambiguous

witness
trap
chemistry

struggle

fudge

execute

synchronicity

emerge

naive

shrine

double

incessant

refuge

simple

laundry

pew

sigh

immediate

lament

pillow

vial

mannequin

seraphim

peasant

adopt

precise

sage

gift

tongue

vine

ground

artery

encounter

bike

catalog

intertwine

*to avoid freaking out

the feelings, always the feelings.

2009-03-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

cannon beach light . july, 2007

a couple of years ago, i posted about a poem by sharon olds that made me exclaim "oh shit" right as i finished reading it. this "oh shit" had to do with the mirror the poet lifted in front of my life as i read her words.

i thought of this yesterday, as i sat in the mandolin cafe reading thunder and lightning by natalie goldberg. i thought of this as i found myself grabbing a sticky note and writing "holy shit!" with big arrows toward two sentences in back-to-back paragraphs on page 65:

In all the years I was writing I had never imagined this response.
I learned I can't control people's reactions.

she was specifically talking about her ex-husband's reaction to her novel Banana Rose and how the book mirrored some of her own experiences, including their break-up. as the reader (and having read the book), i had my own assumptions about how he would react...about how "family" always reacts. but then goldberg writes that when he called her to tell her he had read it, his reaction surprised her and they had the best and deepest conversation they had had since the divorce. she writes:

I learned I can't control people's reactions. My job is to work with my writing and make it the best I can.

to this i nod and say yes yes (even as i stare at my notebook and cross something out worried that a member of my family might read it if i suddenly died and my notebooks were found and read and misunderstood).

but the way my mind was working in the moment i read those words had me jumping to another thought: i simply have to let people have their feelings.

there is a need inside me to protect the feelings of others. yes, i smile, this is what i tell myself. i want to protect them from the truth i want to share or from feeling bad because i need to set a boundary or from misunderstanding me. i twist and turn possibilities in my mind in this attempt to protect. how should i say this? how can i tell the truth? what will they think if i write that? what if i said, "what you just said deeply hurt me" or "what you said last summer was like a sucker punch"? what would happen if i just said "no"? the twisting and turning in my mind has begun to make me nauseated. it is as though i am at disney quest in chicago with my brother in the late nineties and we are inside that red spinning rollercoaster-like machine and i just want out.

here is the truth i so do not want to admit...to me...to you...to this white space in front of me. i convince myself that i am protecting people's feelings, when in reality i am simply afraid they won't like me. that they will reject me. that they will see me for who i really am. that they won't love me.

that is the simple and real and wide truth.

and this is indeed a lesson i have sifted through before, written about before. but this is another layer to the lesson. i don't see growth as part of a checklist. there is not space for, "oh good. glad i got that one over with. time to move onto the next one." each day, we learn another piece, perhaps repeating a lesson in a new way (or an old way). again, we fall into the hole in the sidewalk, but realize we know the way out.

for me, in this moment, taking a breath and simply inviting myself to let people have their feelings is another layer to this deep understanding that i am only in charge of my reaction. and i cannot stop others from having their reactions. it might be obvious, but that doesn't mean it is easy.

this is what i am focusing on right now: as do my best to i come from a place of truth and love as i walk in my life, i am only in charge of me.

it all is, again, another opportunity to step into the light.
to step into the light and see.
to then stand in the light and open my mind and heart to what i already know.
to stand in the light and be open to whatever will happen next.

this and a little of that

2009-03-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

(some of my ever-growing) vintage button collection . march 2009

Today is one of those days where I am finally catching up on a few things I really want to share:

I am (beyond) excited to share that Jen Goff and I will be team teaching a workshop this fall at Art and Soul in Portland. The class is an evening class about self-nurturing and is called "Recipes for Self-Care." (You can read more about it here.)

(The beautiful spirit who is) Glenny (and company) has created quite a fantastic lineup for this fall's retreat. There are so many great teachers at this event! Jen is also teaching a self-portrait class, Stephanie will be there and Judy and Katie and LK and Misty and Lisa and Carla and oh how the list goes on!!

Registration began yesterday and I encourage you to check it out at the Art and Soul website. Portland is one of my favorite cities and if you haven't visited, I hope you will think about coming and playing and connecting at this event this fall.

******

Attention Squamettes:

The first annual Squam Art Show: A Vision of Squam is taking submissions! This is going to be an incredible art show full of the energy and creations that represent this amazing event and the beautiful experience participants had last year. Liz Kalloch dreamed this idea into reality, and Susan Schwake is hosting the event at ArtStream.

I have been thinking about all I want to say about this and why you should submit for a while now, but then I read Kelly's post and then Jenica's post and, well, those two just say it all. In a nutshell: Squamettes, just do it!

There is a lot more information about the show here. (Note that you have to have attended the 2008 Squam Art Workshops to submit.)

And if you are thinking about going to Squam, well, I think you should. It is going to be all kinds of fun. (Read more about the June and September workshops here.)

*****

Today's soundtrack has gone from rain rain rain to a lunch break with the golden girls to the birds chirping as though insisting to mother nature that they want spring to settle in. The sun is peeking out a bit and I am amazed at how much that lifts my spirits. I feel so blessed to be resting inside possibility again these days. Blessed to have friends who support me and push me and see me. Blessed to be learning. Blessed to be open to what is to come.

I honor that attending art retreats like Artfest, Art and Soul, and Squam have invited me to see what being in community with open-hearted, real people can bring into my life. I honor that these events are part of the inspiration behind my decision to follow my dreams and create the Be Present Retreats. And as people register for the Summer retreat and as I work on the Fall and Winter retreats, I hold what I have learned in my heart and am thankful.

Hope things are beautiful in your corner of the world today...

i am

2009-03-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

frontyard, looking up . march 9, 2009

breath
space
holding on
heart
cracking open
seeking
beauty
twirling
thought
endless
hope
grasping
truth

nine. (written down as they arrived throughout the day)

2009-03-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

front-yard dusting . march 9, 2009

this morning i awoke to snow on the crocuses. snow on the crocuses. i think this might be a delightful name for a blog or a poem. i should write that poem. perhaps i will. (if you decide to write it though, please share.)

the west wing and mash are my two favorite television shows of all time. all time.

i don't often find myself being pulled back to indiana. but when the show falls, as it is doing now, and i see the birds flitting about hoping to get a quick bite before the temperature drops, i think about the house on oak road and suddenly i am eleven. i am eleven and the snow is falling at that house and i am looking out the kitchen window at the acres of woods and seeing the trees sway and watching the birds at the feeders, and i am believing that i am okay, that all of us in that house will be okay.

several times today i wished for a cup of coffee...and i almost made one. let me try again, i almost got into my car and went to the drive-through starbucks in my pajamas. instead, i settled for hot cocoa around 4 and was quite happy about that choice.

i really enjoy listening to books on tape...hmmm...i really enjoy listening to books on my ipod although i still call them books on tape. my favorites are mysteries. i love it when the person reading the book acts out each character, assigning a specific voice to each person. my favorites right now, because it is truly like listening to an old radio show, except for the part where it probably isn't as i have probably not really heard "an old radio show" before so let's instead say that it is kind of like what i imagine listening to an old radio show would be minus the sound effects and with a few more gruesome details about the crime scenes and other fun things...my favorites right now are the "In Death" series by JD Robb. I feel pretty okay that I can go from listening to Billy Collins on my iPod to listening to Kenny Rogers sing about a warm summer's eve to reading a (beautiful and deeply meaningful) book by Christina Baldwin to pulling down Kate Chopin's The Awakening to find that one specific passage knocking on my memory to listening to Promises in Death...all in one day. yep. that is a good day in my world.

the nice thing about listening to mystery books while i sew or crochet is that my mind is forced to quiet a bit. sometimes i just can't hush those whirring, swirling thoughts even as i try to let myself relax into the rhythm of creating. a good mystery book captures my attention and gives me the space me to sink into another world while trying to figure out who might have "done it."

i also love listening to memoirs, especially if they are read by the author. (do you have a favorite memoir? would love to add it to my list.)

my hair is long again. i feel like me.

sometimes i think i might be crazy to be trying out this new adventure in the midst of this economy. but then the core of who i am whispers to me and i remember why i am following this dream wherever it might take me...

what thoughts are on your mind in this moment? where are you?

all dressed up...

2009-03-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

betty models the new (all dressed up) soul mantra necklaces

i have been having fun with vintage beads lately and am introducing a new line of soul mantra necklaces to the shop. because of the sparkles added to them, i am calling this the "all dressed up" soul mantra line.

a new day, (an all dressed up) soul mantra necklace

each necklace includes a soul mantra pendant along with a gathering of a few vintage baubles. the colors of these beads are making me so happy. i had such fun while taking product photographs in different ways.

have faith, (an all dressed up) soul mantra necklace

the truth is that product photos are so important on etsy, and i have often struggled with them. but lately, i have been thinking of other ways to bring interest to the photos, so that someone will take that step and "click" to investigate more. we so often fail to discuss the marketing side of our little shops. i know it might feel uncomfortable to admit that we are hoping someone will click and investigate what we have made. yet, isn't that what we are hoping for? i think it is safe to simply admit that yes, this is true.

while taking these new photos, i realized i could capture the pieces of these necklaces that make me so happy: the colors, the shapes of the beads, the words...

be, (an all dressed up) soul mantra necklace

and even though i was freezing (snow on the crocuses this weekend), it felt good to push myself and play. it is a gift to again be invited to look at the lesson that reminds me that it is when our hearts are the most open, when a smile tugs at our mouths, when we can stand back and say, "yes. love this," that this is when we know we are really doing it. this is when we understand why we were lead on our path to this moment.

and even though sometimes the path is so full of tangled thorny brush, i am grateful that the path brings me to a day in march where the sun shines on my head and i can take photos of what i have created and i can smile and just breathe it all in.

the blue.

2009-03-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

gearhart, oregon . february, 2009

the blue sky peeks in at me as i sit here, still in blue flannel pajamas, collar softly brushing my neck, and thick socks; a quilt someone's someone made years ago tucked around me. the childhood taste of cheerios and milk still resting in my mouth and the smell of both in the air. the "letting go" candle burns on the table beside me as millie sleeps to the sound of the heater kicking on and blowing its whirring warm air around us. i stare back at the sky through the slits. i stare back at the reaching toward the blue pine and let the whirring thoughts rest for a moment. the thoughts rest for just a moment as i breathe in and try to focus only on the way the breath moves around my heart and through my body from my toes to my crown. i focus on this breath and the blue and i close my eyes. i close my eyes as the salted water arrives and i try to hold onto the space. with each breath, i try to hold onto the space.

i wait all year for this day

2009-03-04T21:22:00.000-08:00

seven

2009-03-01T20:34:00.000-08:00

the april bag...story to come

lucky to have a husband who takes care of me, of us

blessed to have friends who give me space to be me

happy (really really happy) to be playing (to be finally playing) with fabric and thread and putting that pedal to the floor

content to hear the dripping on the roof and the wind rustling the trees

owning that i choose how to respond in each moment (even if i want to pretend that isn't the truth sometimes)

grounded while listening to jakob dylan

open to what is to come

(what is going on in your world?)

my sacred life

notes for the journey . february twenty-sixth

2009-02-26T17:59:00.000-08:00

where i am . gearhart, oregon . 2.21.09

i have been collecting links to several photographers lately...
here are a few that have me gasping out loud:

the photography of elle moss. some of my favorites in her shop include this and this and this one. (and today, i just discovered that she has a blog...love that.)

kristybee photography. these two have me calling on spring to quicken her steps.

the photography of cig harvey. this portfolio collection has me swooning. literally. (via the delightful gypsy girl alex whose shop houses another current fav of mine.)

this (wow!) photograph by john and fish (via creature comforts). i could spend hours looking at these photographs.

every day this month, when i turn on my computer, i have felt the love while looking at this photo on my desktop (via the photo at the end of this post - thank you susannah for this daily reminder). and whenever i look at this photo in susannah's shop, i just want to step inside my computer screen.

and finally...do you know about habit? (you should. this blog will remind you to bring awareness into each moment.)

*****

thank you so much for your support about my dream that is becoming that is the be present retreats. i have deeply appreciated the comments and emails sent my way.

registration for the june retreat, self-portrait excavation, began this week and i am so delighted that we have some people who have already decided to join judy, jen, and me on this adventure.

hope you are breathing deeply and taking care of you wherever you are in the world...wherever you are in this moment.

blessings,
liz

kinda like this...

2009-02-23T17:25:00.000-08:00

we spent the weekend on the oregon coast.

my senses sing when at the coast.

on saturday, just before sunset, as the rain persistently fell, i was captivated by scurrying sandpipers (i am pretty sure they are sandpipers). i found myself just watching them run and pause to eat with their little tailfeathers up in the air and run again and again. rapid zigzagging feathered beings.

oh they just filled me with joy.

seriously.

i love them.

i caught a couple on film. if you turn up the sound, you can hear me talking to myself above the wind and the waves. i forgot the sound captures me if i talk to myself. and. ahem. it does. so there i was, standing, camera out in the rain, by myself, and giggling like no one would be listening.

so yes, spending time with me, sometimes...well, it is kinda like this...

Sunday Morning at the Pacific Way Bakery

2009-02-22T17:23:00.000-08:00

That was before Uncle Henry came back from the war.
It was?
Yes. Remember, we took the trip across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. All of us…six of us in Dad's Buick.

The first one.
A few years ago? Ocean's Eleven? We saw that one.
No. The one with Frank Sinatra. Frank. He knew how to do it. Those young kids just…

Sit here.
Noooo. I want Mommy to sit here.
But I want to sit next to you.
You do?
(furious nodding)
Oh.

A pause. Quiet envelopes the room. Everyone taking a bite, a sip, a breath.
A couple reads the paper at the circular table in the midst of everything. He in his gray windbreaker; she in her bright yellow slicker. He turns the page with a snap, and it begins again.

Have you been across the new bridge?
Why do they remake the good ones?
Can you believe they are getting along this morning?

Sitting in the corner with my chocolate croissant and vanilla soy latte, I soak it in. The little four year old in me, with the big brown eyes, pulling it all toward me.

When the rain stops, we grab my coffee, his tea and walk outside as the steam lifts the sea and the crocuses and the daffodils and the pavement toward me. I suddenly hear myself, It smells like Spring in South Carolina.

And it does
And you are here
I breathe deeply knowing it has happened again
The eve of Spring whispers her song
Returning you to me

a new adventure: the be present retreats

2009-02-16T19:44:00.000-08:00

When we open ourselves to the light and listen to the truth within us, we find possibility. Through this new understanding, we find our center, we find our breath, we find our path.

For a few years now, a dream has been living inside me. At first, it was a whisper and I would hear it and honor that I heard it, but just keep going. But, sometimes I would allow myself to imagine what this dream might look like if it was a true part of my life. Slowly, it became something I would write about in my idea journal...possibility began to take form. Then it became a dream told to a few people over tea and phone calls across the miles. And finally, finally this dream that was once a whisper that became possibility became a tangible page of this journey.

This dream is about people gathering in community where they can create and share and be together. This dream is about people taking time away from their daily lives to begin to hear their own whispering dreams. This dream is about the connection between yoga and living a creative life. This dream is about sitting around the fire at the end of the day, taking a deep breath and looking inward, playing with art supplies and words, and growing more into yourself.

I am beyond excited to be sharing this with you...you reading this who support me in this space and listen to me as I share pieces of me...I am so excited to be sharing this new adventure with you...

The Be Present Retreats

The Be Present Retreats were born from the belief that creating is a meditation of the soul. Each retreat is an invitation to pause in your life and gather in a supportive environment filled with like-minded individuals in a creative, playful, and meditative atmosphere.

June 2009 brings Self-Portrait Excavation, a retreat centered around the journey that is the self-portrait. We will gather on the coast in Gearhart, Oregon and immerse ourselves in paint, words, photography, and the beauty of our surroundings under the guidance of Judy Wise, Jen Goff, and me.

I hope you will take some time to explore the Be Present Retreats blog (and join me in a little dance around the room).

fear.less

2009-02-15T12:18:00.000-08:00

our friends' new puppy sydney . february 2009

On Friday evening, Jon and I spent time with some dear friends and their puppy. It was so refreshing to be around that bundle of energy and to watch the curiosity with which he explored and took in the world around him.

I took several photos of him, and although this one might not be the best in the "true" sense of what the best might mean to some, I love how it captures the fearlessness as he jumped up and put his paws on my knees so he could balance while investigating the camera in front of my face. And although his eyes might almost appear sad to some, what you don't see is the smile that I observed as he tried to figure it out what the heck I was doing with that big thing that made funny noises and flashed.

Our dog, Millie, tends to look at me with a "you've got to be kidding, that thing again; I hate that thing" look on her face when I try to take her photo. Most photos of her I have shared are the best one of lots and lots and lots taken trying to get her to look my way. She hates the camera. There is no need to check out what it is as she seems to feel about it the same way she feels about the vacuum. She is clearly pretty overwhelmed by the vacuum, but because being around her person makes her feel the safest, she experiences a major conundrum during any cleaning around here: how to stay right next to the very source of safety that is moving the very thing she fears toward her.

Writing that, I can't help but look up at her in this moment and say, "I totally get you kid."

It is funny how we stick with what isn't working because it feels safe...because it feels like we are not in control, even though all we would have to do to take control is walk out of the room. But we don't because sometimes it seems easier to just do what we know.

During the last few weeks, I have been honest with myself about a few things that haven't been working. Oh, I guess I have been "honest" in the past, but I hadn't done anything about them. However, something shifted. Something shifted through truth and love in my life.

I have removed the blinders that I have been wearing on and off for a while now. Putting them on each morning had become a habit. I would put them on just after I would get up so that I didn't have to really take in how our house was more mess than home or the nest I so wanted it to be. I would put on the blinders so that I could get through another day spent entirely in this house as I work from here and live here.

The shift of realizing that the amount of energy I was spending in self-loathing about the mess and the blinders and the way they both were hindering many creative dreams I have and that Jon and I have together...in realizing this...momentum began to build. I started to be honest with myself in a new way. This new energy has begun to birth several unexpected shifts.

A sense of fearlessness has taken over...a sense of "why wait?" And a sense of deep understanding that I can do more than I ever thought I could do.

Our home is still a bit messy, but in that lived in sort of way. There are still things that need to be done, but no blinders are needed. I feel a new peace inside me. We are in the process of making our home feel like a nest, a retreat for us and anyone who comes to visit. My studio space, the (new) little room, is beautiful and light-filled. Many creative dreams are hatching in this space...one of which I plan to share tomorrow.

Moving into fearlessness...into light...into possibility with more than just words...
I am moving into fearlessnes, light, and possibility with actions, with beliefs, with confidence, with a deep knowledge of my truth.
Yes.
This is where I am today.

Where are you?

in this moment . know this truth

2009-02-09T23:13:00.001-08:00

it is good to be reminded
it is good to be reminded that i am not alone
it is good to be reminded
there is deep, true connection in my life
i can look myself in the eye and know that this is truth
i am not alone
i am not alone

(you are not alone)
(remember this)
(reach out to someone in your world)
(invite love in)

i send you blessings and peace on this day
i send you blessings and peace for this moment in your journey
remember
in this moment
you are not alone

the light.

2009-02-08T16:11:00.000-08:00

sunset, bandon, oregon . january 2009

finding the light...
breathing deeply into connection and hope
spending time doing instead of just wishing
an opening of the heart
a letting go
a hope
a moving forward

how have you let some light in today?

today.

2009-02-06T16:58:00.000-08:00

this morning was full of darkness.
literally because i somehow found myself sitting with one light on and no blinds open as i worked on a document that was pretty thick (which is my personal "editor-speak" for a bit over my head and difficult to read).
i found myself not opening the blinds and pouting a bit.
missing my friends.
wishing for a different sort of day.
i felt silly that my video blog posted yesterday was me in the darkness...in a witness protection sort of lighting. and i kind of wanted to take it down, even though the message i shared is very important to me.
but i mean seriously. how silly of me to post me in almost darkness.
so then in my pouting i just sat in mostly darkness.
i mean it was grey out anyway, so it wasn't like opening the blinds would matter.
but clearly, coming close to pitching a tent in that darkness was not going to be a good idea.
and a friend insisted via email that opening the blinds was a must.

so i did.

which helped for a few minutes.

and then a bit later i took millie out.

and noticed.

and was reminded.

and while standing outside, a hummingbird swooped in right next to me.

and then later, just before dusk, the blue made an appearance.

though i am still feeling a bit pouty...a bit stuck in some feelings of missing and wishing...i am trying to just sit inside the feeling and notice.

and i forgive myself for needing to just be me inside these feelings. i forgive myself and feel the light begin to fill the space around my heart.

with each breath, i feel the light.

and i give myself permission to be here.

an afternoon chat (that is more like an evening podcast)

2009-02-05T18:18:00.000-08:00

(so...this video post...
well...it is more like a podcast.
yes, that's it.
treat it like a podcast [in two parts].
or pretend you are sitting in the evening light with me and listening to me ramble [even though this was the middle of the day].
my little camera cannot handle these grey days.
and the lighting seemed fine on the camera.
but that did not translate when uploaded.
and well, i wanted to share these words.
thanks for putting up with me.)

did you take my dare from last week?
did you?
did you do something that surprised yourself? something outside your comfort zone?
did you take a step forward?

i would love to hear all about it...

(and thanks for putting up with the dark video. remember, just pretend it is a podcast.)

PS and jon and i just had a little talk about back lighting. yeah. guess i need to be aware of that. harumph.

notes for the journey . february 4

2009-02-04T21:02:00.000-08:00

a moment on the coast . bandon, oregon . january 2009

this post by heather ross. beautifully written and connecting the dots about so many things that resonate deeply with me. one of my favorite blog posts ever. seriously.

a field journal. a newly discovered blog. gorgeous.

a painting. the one at the top of that blog post. takes my breath away.

hearts. the story that birthed these creations makes me so darn happy. love creations that have a story.

podcasts. specifically the podcasts of this incredible woman.

steeping inside possibility. yes. this is what i feel in this moment.

***updated***

the heather ross link is now correct (thanks maria!)

five {really} good things.

2009-02-02T16:35:00.001-08:00

another photo from bandon, oregon . january 2009

1. apple + peanut butter
2. friends + truth
3. curled up + a (doesn't require too much heavy thinking) book
4. dreams + do
5. this song + hips moving

what five (really) good things are going on in your world?
i would love to know.

an evening chat and a dare.

2009-01-29T21:31:00.000-08:00

if you knocked on the front door tonight. if you knocked on my front door any night with your mug of tea because we lived right down the street from each other...well...if you did that very thing, you would find me looking kinda like this. in my flannel pjs and no make-up and so on. you would find me, kinda like this...