Respect- It's easy!

Well, I didn't want to end my "a day late" run, so here we are...Word Wednesday... on Thursday!

I'll let my word of the day speak for itself. It's an easy one.

Respect

re·spect  (

tr.v. re·spect·ed, re·spect·ing, re·spects

1. To feel or show deferential regard for; esteem.

2. To avoid violation of or interference with: respect the speed limit.

3. To relate or refer to; concern.

n.

1. A feeling of appreciative, often deferential regard; esteem. See Synonyms at regard.

2. The state of being regarded with honor or esteem.

3. Willingness to show consideration or appreciation.

4. respects Polite expressions of consideration or deference: pay one's respects.

5. A particular aspect, feature, or detail: In many respects this is an important decision.

6. Usage Problem Relation; reference. See Usage Note at r

*freeonlinedictionary.com


And just a few thoughts on respect:

Terrific Tuesday - aka Merry Monday

Okee Dokee- Merry Monday turned into Terrific Tuesday (thanks for the suggestion, M.T.!), at least for this week. So here we go....!

Another giveaway is making me merry, for sure.  This one is for my original oil painting  "Three's a Crowd". Just go to the Olive and Ash Facebook page and like and share the giveaway post.  A winner will be chosen on June 5th. Good luck!

Getting a Memorial Day phone call from Eddie. AND a picture! We're missing our boy and so thankful for and proud of the work that he's doing.

Spending time with family on Saturday, playing homemade mini golf in my brother's backyard. The man on the right is my great uncle, P. He'll be 95 years old this year and was holding his own with the rest of us, playing mini golf. Artistic inspiration abounds in this family. P. still creates stained glass pieces, his daughter is a ceramic artist and my brother creates beautiful wooden furniture, toys and games. I love it!.

Time spent on the front porch with a pile of books and magazines and a cup of tea. Always awesome!

Finally finishing my painting of Peanut. After realizing that his nose, mouth and ear were too low and that his face was too narrow, I practically had to start over (or so it seemed!). But, the fix was totally worth it because now it actually looks like Peanut. And I just love that little face :)

Shopping for a new easel. I've had the same one, given to me by my painting instructor at Maryville University, since 1998. It's okay. But it's metal and kind of an eyesore. So, I decided to splurge on a new one. Of course, after reading reviews, I ended up deciding on the Mabef, one of the most expensive ones since it's made in Italy.  But, I want it to last, so I'll be waiting for a sale at the art supply store before taking the plunge.

I'm also still trying to decide on the model I want. The one above holds larger canvas sizes, but this one has a built in paint box and is portable. Since I've always wanted to try my hand at plein-air painting, I'm leaning towards this one.

And getting inspiration and ideas from these books. Thanks to some information about a fiber works show from a friend and co-worker of mine (again, thanks M.T.!), I'll be really focusing on getting a few fiber pieces done this summer. Right now, I'm thinking larger scale, nudes, painting and stitching combined. But, we'll see what the show requirements are and go from there. I'm ready for a challenge!



So, there it is. My day-late Merry Monday. But before I go, a special thanks to M.T., the person mentioned several times in this post. She is not only a wonderful friend and co-worker, she also promotes this blog, the Olive and Ash Facebook page and the Olive and Ash Etsy shop. She participates in every giveaway and is really one of the most encouraging and helpful people that I know.  Please check out her blog, Facebook page and website, M.K. Designs and Photography. She's a fantastic photographer!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/MK-Designs-Photography-Fine-Art-and-Portrait/155049274546029
http://mkdesignsphoto.blogspot.com/2013/05/letting-go-moving-forward.html
http://mkdesignsphoto.weebly.com/

I hope you're having a wonderful day :)   Juli

Word 'Thursday'- Loquacious

So, today's word is kind of an ironic one, considering that Word Wednesday is now Word Thursday because yesterday, I had NO words. I mean, really, NO words. My mind was completely blank. Any word that I came up with seemed totally lame. 

So, today, I asked my husband to throw out a word for me to ponder. His word- "Sesquipedalian". I know, right?!! It cracks me up how he just comes up with these words! Actually, he's reading a book right now (The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester) and the chapter that he just started this morning opens with the definition of this word. It basically means " a long word" or "the use of long words". Okay. But how am I going to make an interesting post about a long word which basically means long word?! So, as I was looking up and reading about this word, the phrase "long winded" came up, which led me to the word "locquacious".


loquacious [lɒˈkweɪʃəs]adj characterized by or showing a tendency to talk a great deal.

*from freeonlinedictionary.com


Now, this is something I know about because I happen to have a very loquacious middle child. Yes, our Eddie was an early talker and from a very early age, loved to tell stories. Very long stories. With lots and lots of detail. So much detail, in fact, that it was pretty common for people to start drifting about half way through. But, again, even from that very early age, he could tell if you weren't listening. He may have been half way through a story or maybe even very near the end, but if he sensed that you weren't listening, he would grab your face with his two little hands (one on each cheek) and force you to look at him straight in the eyes. Then.... he would start the story over- from the very beginning. Oh, my! Looking back on it, it's hilarious. At the time, though, you would be thinking "Nooooooo!!! He's not starting over, is he?!"

Well, things haven't changed much. He's 25 years old now and still quite the story teller. It sounds kind of  bad, but at this point, if his story is too long, I just tell him, "hey, you lost me about 10 minutes ago". And he's okay with it. He doesn't feel the need to start over. Well, at least not from the VERY beginning.

Eddie, in his little overalls, at just about the age when the story telling began :)

He has an incredible memory for details, a booming voice and a sense of humor. So, you can imagine how much we miss him (and his stories) when he's away. He's been gone for more military training for five weeks now and at this point I'm pretty sure I would beg him to start one of his stories- over and over and over again. 

Still missing my kiddos on this Word 'Thursday'. I hope you're having a wonderful end to your week :)  Juli

Word Wednesday is wordless

Oh, my. I think I must be brain dead from all of the grading and testing at school. I honestly cannot get my thoughts together for Word Wednesday. So... I'll be back tomorrow with a word AND another giveaway!

Until then, I'll leave you with a few Iphone photos from my yard. I love perennials. I haven't had the time to do anything in the yard yet and these just seemed to pop up out of nowhere this week :)

Merry Monday

My Merry Monday:

Getting a 38 minute phone and two texts from this boy :) And booking our rooms for his graduation from military police training in early July. That means it's getting closer!

Watching Little Man graduate from high school. Which is a merry thing, I know, but I'm not gonna lie, it made me sad. I've taken this kid to school with me every single day for the last seven years and I already miss him terribly.

Celebrating our Peanut's second birthday. He was such a trooper, as we combined an impromptu graduation party with his birthday party, so it started late and ended late. But no crabbiness whatsoever from this happy birthday boy :)

Feeling caught up at work and knowing that I only have 4 more regular work days left before I get 2 1/2 months off. I'll be the first to admit, I kinda need an attitude adjustment and I think a summer vacation is just what I need for that negative mindset of mine to shift back over to positive.

My plans for the summer include, hopefully, packing up this house and moving into a place that will be much more simple and easy to maintain (we're still waiting to hear if our offer was accepted). And...

A couple of short trips to this wonderfully relaxing place.

A complete overhaul of my Etsy shop- more daily paintings and more fiber designs (think naturally dyed and batiked and/or embroidered pillows, bags, etc.!). And figuring out how to market the hankies. Maybe selling them as sets? Or maybe turning them into something other than just hankies? We'll see. Obviously, still thinking on this one!

I'll leave you with a couple of pics (below) that tell you where my mind has been the last few weeks. Yep. Reminiscing.  On the top, Little Man's first day of kindergarten. On the bottom, his last day of high school. Oh, my. I'm a mess!!

I better get back to that attitude adjustment! Have a merry Monday!  Juli

Word Wednesday- Lovely

Wednesday's word is "lovely". There is nothing better than when a person looks at you and says, in all sincerity, "You are lovely". My husband was the first person to ever say this to me and I'm telling you what, that was it. He had me at "lovely", for sure. It was very sweet. 
Well, that was nine years ago, and it doesn't happen nearly as often anymore. But every so often he'll say it again, out of the blue- even when I'm crabby or just waking up (and not looking so lovely, that's for sure!) - and it makes my day every time.

And here's why:

love·ly  

adj. love·li·er, love·li·est

1. Full of love; loving.

2. Inspiring love or affection.

3. Having beauty that appeals to the emotions as well as to the eye. See Synonyms at beautiful.

4. Enjoyable; delightful.

n. pl. love·lies

1. A beautiful person, especially a woman.

2. A lovely object.

 

It's just a sweet, simple word.

 

 

Sweet. Simple. Lovely.

 

 

In the past, the only time I had used the word or heard anyone using the word lovely was in a very sarcastic way- as in, " Oh, lovely!!" when something disappointing happened. Never in the way it really should be used, to let someone know how special they are.

 

Lovely. It's one of those words with no double meaning; it's all good. 

 

Lovely. It's even a lovely word to say; it kind of just rolls off of your tongue and out of your mouth. 

 

And just using it in a very simple, sincere way could really make someone's day. And that is a very lovely thing :)

 

Juli

Merry Monday

So, the day after Mother's Day makes for a very merry Monday for this momma! I feel so privileged to have these three wonderful kids of mine call me "Mom" and now, my little Peanut  almost getting out the word "Bibi" (which means Grandma in Swahili!). That in itself is a gift to me every single day, so the bought kind are never needed. But, of course, it happens anyway. And it is kinda fun!!

So here is my Merry Monday : 

Mother's Day flowers, from my husband, delivered to work on Friday

More flowers, hand delivered to me Sunday morning by Little Man.

And the most thoughtful cards and gifts from Sister, Eddie, my mom and my sister.

 

 

It was a good day- I'm so thankful for all of them :)

Merry Monday!  Juli

Word Wednesday- Heirloom

Today's word is heirloom. I've been writing recently about things I'm letting go of, but this post is about things that I am happy and  honored to be keeping. Things that will be passed down to my children and grandchildren. 

So...heirloom, defined.

heir·loom  

n.

1. A valued possession passed down in a family through succeeding generations.

2. An article of personal property included in an inherited estate.

3. A cultivar of a vegetable or fruit that is open-pollinated and is not grown widely for commercial purposes. An heirloom often exhibits a distinctive characteristic such as superior flavor or unusual coloration.

(I like that even the definition applying to 'heirloom fruit or vegetables' conveys the feeling of privilege for having something "superior" or "unusual", something that isn't found every day.)

A few of my heirlooms....

The marbles my dad won from his friends during recess in elementary school. They are inside my great grandmother's pitcher. She lived on a farm in Kentucky and I can just see her filling this pitcher with fresh milk or sweet tea.

On the left: the afghan made by my grandmother and given to me for a Christmas gift. It now resides in Asher's room :)  Top right: I watched my mother-in-law make this from her yarn scraps while we watched "Days of Our Lives"together. And bottom right: I was a December baby and came home from the hospital on Christmas Day. This apron belonged to my grandmother- whose house was the "first stop" on my way home that day.

These are things that are definitely in the "keeper" pile as we start to weed through our possessions. You are probably wondering why I'm keeping these things and not, for example, that "beautiful" (haha) chicken and rooster set. Well, the things that I'm choosing to keep are things that can be used. My thinking is that if an item can be used, it isn't frivolous to keep. And using something that you know was used by your great grandparents is really pretty cool. Don't you think?

I'm sure I'll discover more heirlooms during our cleaning out process .And they will probably become the topics of future posts. Because the really cool thing about heirlooms is that they all have a story. And the stories are what make them the "keepers".

Have a wonderful Wednesday evening :)  Juli 

Merry, merry Monday

Oh, Monday. You have been very merry! Lots of good things today, or so it seems. It's probably because the weekend was so dreary, today seems exceptionally bright and upbeat. Good times, for sure!

So...here we are. My Merry Monday makers :)

Hearing the news that Little Man finished 2nd out of 50 players at the sectional golf tournament, which means he moves on to compete at the state competition next week.

Seeing him in a tux for his Senior Prom, which is the first time he's been in a tux since Sister's wedding in 2008. He was just a little chubbier then :)

And having time (due to my computer free Sunday!) to get a second coat of color on the painting of Peanut I've been working on. 

I also had time to work on my journals yesterday, which is very therapeutic to me, especially when I'm needing to feel inspired to start new projects. I have pictures of a few of those journal pages, but my computer (or  Blogger) isn't wanting to upload them for some reason. So, there will probably be another bonus post sometime this week when I get that figured out. So I'll leave you now with another quote- one that led me to my computer-free Sundays :)

I hope you're having a wonderful, merry Monday~ Juli

"If you can learn to be happy with what you have and who you are, you no longer need constant external affirmation. This translates into less time spent on Facebook, twitter and all of the other social networks that have come to take up so much of our time –work and down- and have such an influence on our daily moods."
* See more at: http://www.drfranklipman.com/workplace-zen/#sthash.wWFN3DKV.dpuf

Simplifying

Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough. ~Charles Warner


Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying.  The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.  ~Elise Boulding


Everything we possess that is not necessary for life or happiness becomes a burden, and scarcely a day passes that we do not add to it.  ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com

Illustration by Nick Dewar and available here

Simplifying has really been on my mind lately. Many people who know me, don't know that we are in the beginning stages of moving. We've kept it kind of quiet since we are dealing with a "short sale" situation, but we are fairly confident that it will go through. And if it doesn't, we have pretty much made up our minds that we will continue looking, as we think it's the best thing for us at this point. It will be a much longer commute to work, but we'll have the conveniences of living in town and near my children and my parents. 

 We will be moving into a townhouse so that  means we will need to start sorting through our possessions and parting with a LOT of them. Although it's a daunting thought, I'm so looking forward to it. I'm pretty good about getting rid of clothing and everyday items that I no longer use, but I'm not very good at letting go of items that I'm emotionally attached to. But, I think I've figured out a way to make this easier.  For example,  I recently decided to let go of my grandmother's ceramic rooster and hen set.  It was hard to do, but I decided to treat them as a still life, photograph them and use them for a future painting project. I think my grandma would be happy with that.  So, that's what I've decided to do with more of those "emotionally charged" possessions. Treat them as a still life, photograph them and let them go. This will be my summer project, as we're hoping to be moved by the end of the summer.  


*Just a warning,  some of my posts will consist of updates on the simplifying process. I'll try not to make it too boring!


Another challenge will be finding space for my art supplies in the townhouse. I've been scouring Pinterest and various  blogs for ideas on how to integrate an art studio into a small home, but I haven't come up with a solution yet.  I would love some ideas if any of you out there have any suggestions!


And one more way I've been trying to simplify - making Sunday a computer-free day. It's amazing what I get done when I limit my computer time. And Sunday is a perfect day to do this because it will inevitably give me many things to be merry about for my Merry Monday posts :)

Word Wednesday- Shenanigans

While I was sorting through my list of words that I've been compiling, I thought I would have a really hard time choosing one today. A LOT of "stuff" has been going on around here and emotions are running high, so many of the words applied. But, actually, the first one that I landed on, "shenanigans"  fit the bill perfectly. Once again, it's a word with mixed meanings.

shenanigans  plural of she·nan·i·gans (Noun)

Noun

1. Secret or dishonest activity or maneuvering.
2. Silly or high-spirited behavior; mischief

*from Merriam Webster free online dictionary


Again, the meaning could be good or it could be bad.

Honestly, I don't want anything to do with the bad "shenanigans", referred to in definition #1. Coincidentally, the "stuff" that has been going on around here revolves around someone pulling the bad type of "shenanigans" on us.  Not fun AT ALL.

No, I want the fun kind of shenanigans referred to in definition #2. Those who know me well, know that "shenanigans" are not typically part of my everyday activity. (Yeah, I can be pretty boring!) But right about now, I really think I need some silliness and high-spirited behavior. Not so much "mischief", because the thought of "getting in trouble" really freaks me out. Just some general, light-hearted, worry-free, guilt-free (that's a biggie for me!) goofiness. In the past, that would require time spent with my kids (really the only people who ever see me or have seen me act silly). But now I have my little Peanut. He'll be here overnight on Friday, so I think some shenanigans are in order. The good kind, of course!
After that, maybe some vacation shenanigans! Oh, my. That sounds so nice!

As a final thought on "shenanigans", the best use of the word, in my opinion,  was in the movie Juno, when Juno says "Nah... I mean, I'm already pregnant, so what other kind of shenanigans could I get into?"

 
 As Little Man would say, "Classic!"


I hope you're having a wonderful Wednesday. I'll leave you with some pics of some of the things that were making me merry on Monday; then, again, on Tuesday; and wouldn't you know it, they are still making me merry today!

Finally getting to see the "new" stadium (I believe it was finished in 2006).  I'm not a huge baseball fan, though, so the St. Louis skyline was getting much more of my attention!

Being able to watch my daughter be a mother. She's a natural and SO good at it.*photo by S. Woehlke

Getting a kick out of Peanut walking beside his stroller for almost five straight hours at the zoo, watching the wheels go around. This was more thrilling to him than the animals!*photo by C. Woehlke

Having former students stop by with their kids and leaving me with a souvenir from their visit :)

And watching Little Man thrive during his last year of high school. So proud!*photo by C. Woehlke