Second Chance

I definitely have regrets as a Mother. There are things that I should have done differently, done better ... didn't do at all. I didn't bake with my kids. Actually, I didn't bake consistently, period. If I did it, it was a rush job - no time for slow hands & a bigger clean up. Their involvement was soley to lick the beaters and the bowl. With four kids, a mess of critters and a full time 'plus' job, there was no time to involve them in any creative process. I was always in 'Get 'er done' mode.

Fast foward a couple decades and I have been blessed with another chance. I'm older, wiser, still rushing around too much, but not at the pace of a young mother. Getting to spend time with a child is no longer just an ordinary day to be taken for granted. I cuddle and snuggle more, I listen better; I nurture and celebrate their creative spirit and I even patiently turn the entire baking process over to a four year old.

Lauren and I had a 'Nan Day' today - we did it all. We even had time to watch a movie together. Well sort of ... she watched. I napped.

Snowy Owl

Okay ... I know that this is not technically a Snowy Owl ... but it is an Owl and it was Snowy!

I was SO excited to see this fella just outside our window yesterday afternoon. I LOVE owls - they fascinate me. I collected them back in the 70's ... owl EVERYTHING.

In my entire life, I have only seen two live owls in the 'wilds'. In 1974, we had a tiny, wee, white owl sitting on our window sill in the city - and then yesterday, this guy. I took this from the house & then went outside to try and get a better shot, but he was gone.

Thirty five years between sightings.

Retreating

There is nothing that nourishes the soul quite like time spent with creative women. What fun we had at our winter Creativity Retreat at the Ecology Retreat Centre in Orangeville. Nestled in the beautiful Hockley Valley, it was the perfect place to be on a gorgeous frosty winter weekend. The setting was magical, the women were wonderful, the food was fantastic and the creative energy sizzled. A crackling wood stove, pajamas & wine, meditation & conversation ... inspiration in abundance.

Left Vs Right

I seem to be a little slow at getting a start on the Creative part of my life this year. I have not left the pre-requisite 'Purge and Edit' mode - an annual necessity for one who has accumulated as much EVERYTHING as I have, in every single area of my life. Thank goodness for the New Year. I make myself sort & re-organize and put everything back so I can get tooled up to work again. When I get busy with my fall line, a tornado inhabits the energy field & strews materials from one end of this house to another. And then Christmas comes and I stuff everything in sight into boxes & hampers & bins - all mooshed together.

The real problem is that I can't use both sides of my brain at once. At the moment, I'm exercising the LEFT side - sorting, filing, organizing, planning. It's getting pretty over-taxed as it's not used consistently enough. I can feel it starting to weaken. RIGHT side is hollering - 'HEY- what about ME!'. Left Side says 'NOT until you accomplish what you NEED to - then you get to do what you WANT to.' We're losing patience with Lefty - he's not not producing results quickly enough. Righty & I are about to mutiny. We're giving him only a few more days and then SHE and I are going to over-rule and get on with our own agenda.

We did sneak in a photo shoot of this sweet babe who was born on Christmas Eve. Because BOTH sides know, that newborn babes just do NOT wait. Those precious moments are fleeting. Remember that poem -

Scrubbing and cleaning can wait for tomorrow

For babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep.

I'm rocking my baby, cause babies don't keep.

Amen.