transitions

We’ve been struggling with anxiety here. The transition that middle school brought on proved to be a tough one. I couldn’t see my girl anymore and she was right in front of me. (You know what I mean?) It has been really horrible and scary.


But we have been working really, really hard and with some extra help, she is coming back to me. Progress is being made. Tears are less frequent and smiles are more frequent.

Sometimes life can get really serious.

Dear Fellow Visiting Teachers,

Feel free to use this for your own visiting teaching pleasure

I know. I used to get these out at the beginning of the month. But I have to congratulate myself for getting them done at all. I hope “better late than never” is good enough for now.


This month the message is about nurturing children and youth. I feel like I have examples all around me. I am constantly amazed by my friends and family and their different ways of nurturing whether it is their children, their nieces and nephews, or the youth they teach at church or school. You inspire me. Thank you for teaching me that we all have different strengths in this area and not one of them should be taken for granted. I am constantly asking for guidance in my quest to figure out this thing called motherhood and I always come up full.

This weekend we have the opportunity to watch/see/hear General Conference. I look forward to what I will learn. Our assignment for Visiting Teaching next month is to come up with our own message depending on how the spirit guides us during Conference. (That is always SO hard to choose!!)

Have a great month!

Love,
Brittany


If you are interested in having these handouts sent directly to your inbox, let me know and I’ll put you on my VT email list.

For more information about what Visiting Teaching is, click here.

Squammishness

Deep End Road, taken with iphone, hipstamatic app (lettin' you know now, because so many people have been emailing me to see how I get these rad effects;)

I have been starving ever since I left Squam Lake and my personal army of chefs. Right now my stomach is yelling at me “Go to the buffet!” it says. It’s hard explaining logistics to such a demanding organ.



Dear Tummy,

I know. It was so, SOOO good, but there isn’t food that has already been prepared here. I actually have to think of what to make and then prepare it. (And then clean it up too! The horror!) I know you are insatiable and spoiled now, but there are no pastries sitting on a table. There are no eggs and sausage piled high, no eggs Benedict sitting neatly in rows. I have to go grocery shopping and actually BUY the melon and chop it up now. I know you’re hungry. I’m missing all the fish and the wraps and the salad bars. Don’t get me started on the desserts; remember those macaroons and that fresh hot waffle with peanut butter and ice cream on it? Wow.

Oh, sorry. I’m making things worse.

I just wanted you to know that I’m sorry that I’ve been ignoring you. But it is better this way in the long run. If we kept it up that way I’d have to get one of those motorized chairs to roll me around where ever I need to go.  And that just would spoil things, wouldn't it?

Sincerely,

Me




I don’t want to report.



6:30am, the first morning, out my cabin window, taken with iphone


I don’t want to tell you that all my teachers rocked the Kasbah. I don’t want to tell you how the dock was right outside my cabin and how I watched the sunrise and sunset over the water each day, or tell you how much I loved my cabin mates. I don’t want to talk about swimming in the lake or walking along wooded paths talking heart to heart with kindreds.


Beatrice Peltre, food stylist and photographer, taught Sweet and Savory Tartletts.  Yum.


Gus Harper during Diving In.  (taken with iphone, hipstamatic app)He was having us do a painting an hour!  Crackin' the whip, I tell you.  Go check out this time lapse youtube video of him painting, so so cool.


Flora Bowley taught Bloom True.  taken with iphone

These canvases are the largest ones I've ever purchased or painted on.  It was FUN!  It was only a three hour class, so we painted fast and furious.


taken with iphone

I don't want to report because it makes me Squam-sick.


sunrise on my dock, taken with iphone, hipstamatic app

There was nothing negative. There was no stress.

Just paint and good company and nature. Can it get any better?

the dock at squam lake: where I want to be right now

contented.  completely.  taken with iphone

During Squam Art Workshops my good friend (oh, my soul) asked, "What's your stress level right now? Zero to ten?"

Can you guess what I said?

I'll give you a hint: I said zero.

When I grow up I'm going to live on a lake where I can watch the sunrise and sunset on my dock every morning and night.



It is its own meditation.  It exudes peace. So much so that just being there my soul reaps joy and contentment.


The water drew me in and I had to jump into its lapping hypnotics.  As I floated there, my heartbeat and breathing were magnified and the sounds of self became soothing.  The birds flew in clusters against a canvas of changing clouds above me and I knew I was in the right place.

morning thoughts

I think I dreamt about poop all night last night. Poop. What does that mean?

My mom has been here all week and we’ve been having fun.



Routine is slow in coming but I get to go to the woods this week with a bunch of artists and do my thang, so the routine can just wait a week longer. I'm excited for my time in the woods.

The air has changed. It turned all crisp and my body is relieved. Thank you, Autumn. I love you.

The light is changing. It is filling me up with inspiration and the need to create.



My Beloved made a campfire in the back yard so we could roast marshmallows. But not before he made the most mouthwatering scrumptious dinner.



Yep, I’m one lucky girl.

(Except for the poop part.)

summer rules

Today I looked at the fridge and realized that the paper I wrote out the summer rules on at the beginning of summer was covered up with a drawing and I almost went to hang it where the kids could see it when I realized that summer is over. I can take down the summer rules. I could throw it away. Just like that.

But just throwing it in the trash seems so sad right now. I guess I’m mourning summer.


I wrote this spur of the moment on one of the first days of summer thinking I would revise it and make it cute and fix the run on backwards sentence structure, but it was one of the many things I meant to do.

I didn’t get it all in! I made a bunch of good recipes and even took pictures of a few of them and never put one on here! I meant to, so maybe I’ll go find the pictures and do it anyway. Someday. Maybe I will someday.

I meant to take the kids on all these great hikes. It didn’t happen. But we did go to the beach a lot. And we did have some play-dates. And we did go to Cape Cod with my mom. And my sister did come visit. And I'm sure we did some other fun stuff but I can't think of what right this second.



Jake had a birthday and I meant to write this great post about how awesome he is. I didn’t do it. But I did make him a cake and throw him a party. (And just so you know, he’s awesome.)


School has started and our lives are now full of schedules and homework. The bus comes BEFORE 7:00am. That’s just insane. Who thought that was an appropriate time to send our kids to school?


1st day of 6th


1st day of 3rd


1st day of 1st

These were taken before the transition nightmare that is the first week of school.  Which I am trying to learn from and then forget about because there is no good reason to remember a week like that.