... first steps ...

i'm participating in the 3 week challenge over at http://3weekchallenge.ning.com ... it's such a wonderful group of women ... and i have the best buddy ever over there ... she made me think of this song ...

'cuz you gotta start somewhere ...

xoxo

hmm ... go figure :)

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

... she let go ...

“She let go.

Without a thought or a word, she let go.

She let go of the fear.

She let go of the judgments.

She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around in her head.

She let go of the committee of indecision within her.

She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons.

Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.

She didn’t ask anyone for advice.

She didn’t read a book on how to let go.

She didn’t search the scriptures.

She just let go.

She let go of all of the memories that held her back.

She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward.

She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.

She didn’t promise to let go.

She didn’t journal about it.

She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer.

She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper.

She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope.

She just let go.

She didn’t analyze whether she should let go.

She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter.

She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment.

She didn’t call the prayer line.

She didn’t utter one word.

She just let go.

No one was around when it happened.

There was no applause or congratulations.

No one thanked her or praised her.

No one noticed a thing.

Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.

There was no effort.

There was no struggle.

It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad.

It was what it was, and it is just that.

In the space of letting go, she let it all be.

A small smile came over her face.

A light breeze blew through her.

And the sun and the moon shone on her.”

~Earnest Holmes

ally turns 2 ...

alexandria turned two years old in late august ... my gorgeous purring leo grandbaby is growing into a stunningly beautiful smart creative strong capable little girl ...


this is my dad with ledger, ally's 8 month old brother ... ally and ledger are my dad's first great grandchildren ... & ledger is a blazing ray of dimpled sunshine ...

my grandma ramey ...

My Grandma Ramey

Above is a photo of my grandmother. She will be 93 on October 21. I consider myself extremely fortunate to still have her with me. I'm grateful for her, me, my mother, my children and my new granddaughter, Alexandria … who Grandma Remy's first great-great grandchild. Had she died at the average age of 76 or so, we all would have missed a great deal, indeed. No one has any guarantees, but I believe we'll be able to enjoy each others company for some years to come.

My Grandma's 93, but doesn't fit the stereotype of what 93 should be … she's totally engaged in life, reads voraciously, travels, is totally committed to her faith, her family and her friends … and she still takes an aerobics class three times a week.

I wanted to tell you about her just because I think she's great, plus I think she's an example of how lifestyle can perhaps affect how well we age. I don't mean we will all live to be 100 or even to 90. But I mean most of us can live better, healthier and longer lives if we make a few simple changes in our lives.

My Grandma Ramey hasn't had an easy life. Born in 1915, her mother died when she was very young. She was a teenager during much of the Depression. She married my grandfather and had eleven children - three died as children and two have died as adults of today's top killer, cancer. My Grandfather died – from a heart defect - when their youngest baby, my Aunt Rebbeca, was only nine months old.

She has experienced periods of being poor and she has always had to work hard to provide for and take care of her family. Two more husbands and numerous friends and relatives have passed away.

So what has she done that I believe has helped her live a long and healthy life?

Until she was in her 80s and moved to a condo to be closer to her daughters, Grandma Ramey always kept a huge garden, which supplied much of what she ate. She's been a vegetarian for many decades … eating much of her food raw … even nibbling straight from the garden (which I thought was such great fun as a kid!) … she no longer has her own garden, but is still vegetarian with a love for fresh fruits and veggies … She's always been very physically active, too.

One time, she was visiting us when she was in her late 70s ... When I woke up I couldn't find her. I looked all over the house. Finally, I went outside and found her … she had taken an early morning miles long hike through the huge state park behind our house and then climbed one of our trees to bird watch. By the time I found her, it was only 8 am … she'd headed out when the sun came up and she was still having fun at that evening's party around the bon fire.

I think being vegetarian and being active are both very important for good health and I think both have helped my Grandma greatly in being well for the majority of her life. But I think there's even more to it …

I've always known my Grandma Ramey to be an optimist. She's suffered losses and grieved, but has always, always been grateful for everything and been very happy with her life no matter what it brought her … I don't think she's ever had a meal without first giving thanks … or ever spent much time feeling sorry for herself, even when she may have had very real reasons to feel down … she's always looked on the bright side of her life and the lives of others …

For example … my cousin was having chemotherapy treatment which caused her hair to fall out. My Grandma told me, "Oh, Beth has SUCH a BEAUTIFUL wig!" She didn't focus on the hair loss at all, but how good she looked in the wig.

And she loves being around people. She's always had an active social life and gladly attends any party, luncheon or get together to which she's been invited. She still has a very active social life, with lunch dates and shopping trips and traveling.

My Grandma has always been able to find the nugget of joy in any situation … whether that be the taste of an ear of corn eaten raw and fresh in a sunny garden, doing physical work and play or deeply sharing her life with others … through births, lives and deaths …

Yes, we're all better off if we eat healthy – which means mostly vegan - and get regular exercise. Most people know that even if they may not practice it … But maybe finding those nuggets of joy, and reaching out towards everything life has to offer, is just as important as anything else.

xoxo

A Watercolor Study

this is a watercolor by my friend yixiazi ... he's very good ... xoxo

bird in the hand ...

this is a video of a painting i did this past spring ... around that time, a starling got trapped in my bedroom wall, of all places ... so i cut a hole to let him out ... i wondered if he would take his escape or stay where he believed he was safe ...

... he flew ... :)

xoxo

moons & melons ...

it's almost the first quarter moon ... this is what i was able to photograph earlier this evening ... just before dark and then after dark ... when the moon was the most gorgeous vivid orange ...



and i'm totally loving the garden ... check out those juicy melons! ...

xoxo

2 girls, 1 shirt

what do you do when you wake up early and it's just a little bit chilly? ... you share a shirt!

(wow, we both have some serious bed head ... lol)

xoxo

green smoothies

this is my granddaughter alexandria, who is almost two, with a green smoothie mustache ...

allie stayed with me last night and i made green smoothies for us ... i used the juice of 1 orange and 1 grapefruit, about a pound of greens from the garden, 1 banana & about 3/4 of a pound of frozen mango ... they were so good ... and allie agreed ...

i think it's a myth that we have to trick small children into eating what's good for them ... i've seen again and again that allie, if given a choice of a variety of foods, will choose the fresh, juicy fruits and veggies every time ...

my daughter and son-in-law aren't vegetarian (yet! ... i'm working on them!) ... but i've even seen allie ignore fast food french fries in favor of watermelon and strawberries ...

so here's to beautiful granddaughters & green smoothies!

xoxo

my exciting life

i started my *official* 100 day raw food challenge yesterday ... i'm really committed to it ... yummy food, too ... i've had watermelon tomato soup, macadamia nut cheese (it's kind of like cream cheese), green smoothies, lots of bananas, cucumber soup, raw strawberry pie ... and i've got a big batch of raw onion "bread" in the dehydrator ...

i got wood ... yes, i did ... i got a bunch of 1x3s today so i'll be making canvases tomorrow ... using power tools ... wish me luck (power saws freak me out just a bit) ... i'll be making some big canvases ... at least 3'x4' or 3'x5' ...

AND, i have some lovely printmaking and silk screening supplies coming soon ... yay ... i have lots of ideas for all ...

below is a list of the books i'm reading this week ... yes, i'm a total book geek ...

101 prints; the history and techniques of printmaking ~ Eppink, Norman R
Anatomy of the cell.~ Afzelius, Bjorn
Authentic happiness : using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment ~ Seligman, Martin E. P.
The biology of belief : unleashing the power of consciousness, matter and miracles ~ Lipton, Bruce H.
Molecular biology of the cell ~ Alberts, Bruce
The sex life of flowers ~ Meeuse, Bastiaan
Sex, lies, and handwriting : a top expert reveals the secrets hidden in your handwriting ~ Dresbold, Michelle
The wisdom of yoga : a seeker's guide to extraordinary living ~ Cope, Stephen
The wisdom paradox : how your mind can grow stronger as your brain grows older ~ Goldberg, Elkhonon
Your favorite Seuss : 13 stories written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss with 13 introductory essays

listening to nina simone ...

that's about it ... my exciting life lol ...

xoxo
lisa

why i love youtube ...

youtuber portraits ...

i've been doing some portraits lately ... many of them of people on youtube ... i need the practice ... plus, for a long time, i didn't put faces in my paintings ... or if i did, they had their eyes shut ... (it was a thing) ...

since i usually do first then think later ... my original plan was to do these portraits and then donate them to be auctioned ...

then i realized i can't just donate someone else's image like that ... i mean, i suppose i could, but it's just not nice for several different reasons ...

SO ...

instead, i'm still doing portraits for a while (at least until my new canvas gets here and i can build some frames) ... and will donate something else ...

so, what i love about youtube today is it let's me make mistakes in front so many people ... and realize that's ok ... and no one's perfect ...

ok, maybe ann spade is perfect ... but ... you know what i mean ...

xoxo