Beginnings: Baby Steps

When we strive to make changes in our lives, whether it be simplifying, getting things in order, or redecorating a room we need to be cautious of not taking on too much. In magazines the order and decor looks all glossy and neat. It looks like a morning project. The real test comes when a person takes on the task. I am reminded to take baby steps. Getting overwhelmed is not going to help the cause. I will take baby steps and break down the tasks. I will keep you posted how it goes!

Simplicity

“Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity.” – Plato

Beginnings: Putting Order to Things

" When I cannot bear outer pressures anymore, I begin to put order in my belongings... As if unable to orgainze and control my life, I seek to exert this on the world of objects." Anais Nin

The first time I saw this quote I must have been in one of my pressure cooker times, because I cut it out and filed it for later. This quote was written for me. When I can't manage a to-do list I orgainze my recipes. My banking gets put into order when I have a stack of papers from school to read. When I start reoganizing cupboards or junk drawers....  a crisis on the rise.

This quote spoke to me. It reminded me of a desire I have for control in my life. When I can't manage the end of quarter grading, tax time, or Christmas to-do lists I put objects in order. Sometimes I don't even put things in order, but fantasize how it might be, only to further avoid the pressure cooker at hand. When I tackle putting online photo albums in order.... look out for a full blown catastophe or a photo on my blog post showing a kitchen  like the one above.

Beginnings: Ask Me

Ask Me

Some time when the river is ice ask me
mistakes I have made. Ask me whether
what I have done is my life. Others
have come in their slow way into
my thought, and some have tried to help
or to hurt: ask me what difference
their strongest love or hate has made.

I will listen to what you say.
You and I can turn and look
at the silent river and wait. We know
the current is there, hidden; and there
are comings and goings from miles away
that hold the stillness exactly before us.
What the river says, that is what I say.
William Stafford

Today I am celebrating my birthday. I found this poem a few days ago and pulled it back out today as a way of reflecting on my life. Stafford reminds me that I need to remember patience. My life has been full of people who helped and people who hurt. I also need to sort out the lovers and haters and move forward from the haters. 

Yes, on my birthday is a good time to take stock and figure out what I move ahead with and what I leave behind.

The photo above is a winter picture of Sherman Creek by Highway 20, Inchelium Highway, Washington state. 

Beginnings: Creating a Space for Inspiration

"Space is important to writers. They need to carve out space and time to be creative. For many writers, where they create is as important to their process as the words they use to create the images and stories they tell." anon.

 I have a small guest room that I have turned into my home office. I thought I knew a few years ago how I wanted it to look.  I wanted books, files, craft supplies, tables, boxes, bulletin boards, candles, photos, and storage tubs shoved into this room.What has happened is the room is in chaos. It is much too busy. I am distracted by the "stuff". I am always trying to reorganize what I thought was an orgainzed room. The room above looks so clean and serene to me. That is what I am striving for.... I think.

I am to the point I hardly use my home office. I feel like Tina Fey in this American Express ad without a baby! One priority for me is to recreate this room. I want it pretty, yet peaceful. I want it organized, yet useful.

 

I want my own space for inspiration. I want a place to write, create, think, and write some more. Thanks to Pinterest I have found a few ideas. I don't want to spend much money, but want to reuse what I already have a freshen it up with paint or fabric. I am going to continue to research and plan. I did pick up paint samples yesterday

I am drawn to the room here. Both the rooms are from the blog decorologyhere.I don't know what draws me to these rooms. Perhaps the colors, the light, the clean lines, the orgainzation, the space. What works for you in your room design? Any ideas?      

Beginnings: Photography 101

I love to take photographs. I did much  pointing and shooting with my first digital camera. To get photos I was happy with I usually needed to take fifteen or more of the same subject! Then I began reading more about photography and was fortunate to upgrade to an even better camera last year. I am still learning how to use all the features. 

Everything I have read about photography says to use a tripod for effective photos. Today my brother gifted me with my first tripod. I now look forward to experimenting with different shots with this new tool. As I have mentioned many times, I live in a place that provides images of beauty each and every day. I live close to spectacular mountains, a scenic lake, woods that provide ample images for photos, and sunrises and sunsets that fill the sky with beauty.

As I begin this year, I have a goal of learning even more about photography. Before the new tripod today my brother gifted me with a book Why Photographs Work by George Barr for Christmas. I am already learning more about this favorite hobby.

The photo above was taken on Sherman Pass between Kettle Falls and Republic.