Nearly September? Really?

Wow how this year has flown!  I'm gearing up for a busy autumn.  Now that we are home from our super spectacular vacation to the fabulous city of Olympia, Washington, it is time to return to full-time status at Day Job.  And of course there is Halloween decorating to do!  I start as soon as the calendar strikes September!

It's my favorite holiday!

And then of course Thanksgiving and Christmas are right on Jack Skellington's heels.  Christmas means shopping.  Lots of shopping.  I always think it would be fun to make gifts and cards.  But autumn is the busiest time of year at Day Job, and I've never been organized enough to make it happen.  This year, I think I'm going to try to at least buy handmade for most people.

I'm getting two major projects going at Day Job.  They always seem Scary Monumental in the planning stages.  I always wonder how on earth I'll get everything done by deadline.  I try to take comfort in the fact that it always happens somehow-- even though it's never as perfect as I would like.  That never really helps though.  The Committee of Monsters is always there, whispering in my ear that this project is it.  This is my Waterloo, the one that will expose me for the Big Fat Fraud that I am.  Everyone will discover that I've been Beyond Incompetent this whole time, and they will point and laugh and throw things at me.  And DOOM!  DOOM!  DOOM!

It's their job.  They are very good at it.  I'm learning a lot about monsters from Havi and Selma at Fluent Self.

I notice that I'm totally rambling now, so I'll stop.

Have a sparkly day!

Wishcasting Wednesday 8.11.10

It's Wishcasting Wednesday again, and this week Jamie asks, "Where do you wish to send some love?"

This has been a hard one for me -- hence the not posting until almost 8pm.  I'm not sure why. 

I've finally come to the conclusion that it is okay to go with my first instinct on this, even at risk of this blog becoming a broken record.  See, right now, I'm just all about clearing space in my house.  I have space clearing on the brain.  This evening, LOML and I filled a hey-oooge bag with clothes to take to Goodwill.  And as we get all of the laundry caught up, I'm sure there will be more.

So my answer this week -- I wish to send love to my home, to the possessions that we truly care about (most of which need a good dusting), to our relationship (which will be more harmonious when the clutter is gone), and to the creative vision that I'm making space for.

What are you wishing for this week?

Weekly Intention 8.9.10

Oh, wow!  Will you look at the date -- all 8, 9, 10 right there in a row!  Coolness!

Anywho!  Today is Monday, and Monday is the day we do Weekly Intention at ABCcreativity!

Last week's intention of creating space for new dreams is going well albeit slowly.  Sorting through layers upon layers of "stuff" and deciding what to keep and what to release.  I have a reusable grocery bag full of books for the used bookstore.  Again.  And another little pile for Goodwill. 

One big sticking point so far has been guilt.  I have quite a few of those community cookbooks -- you know the ones -- everyone at church or in a club or whatever contributes recipes and they have it published and sell them as a fundraiser.  I don't use them.  I don't love them.  The only one I actually want to keep I want to keep not because of the recipes but because it was my grandmother's.  But they were gifts from my mom.  What I would like to do is send them off to work with LOML as a gift for his co-worker who collects cookbooks.  So far, mother's voice is in my head, guilting me into keeping them.

So, my intention for this week is Releasing.  Releasing more stuff, releasing inappropriate emotions, releasing.

Pics from Zen Thursday

I said I would take my camera to Day Job to get some pics of my newly happy desk.  And here they are.

This is the top of the filing cabinet to the left of the desk.  Under the fabric, that's the ugliest lamp in the history of the universe, but with the "modifications" I get tons of compliments on it.

Here is the desk itself.  It looks like I have no space left to work, but the desk is pretty deep, and my arms are short.  If I weren't using the space as living quarters for my assistants, I'd just have boring stuff like the stapler there.  That stuff can (and does) go in a drawer. 

A better view of Edgar's side of the desk.  The cup is turned funny, but it has The Scream on it, with the addition of a bright yellow thought bubble that says, "It's only a job, it's only a job, it's only a job."  A great reminder on those days when I'm losing my mind!

Edgar close up

Here is a shot of the velcro that attaches the detachable raven.  Pardon my Friday nailpolish.

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore!"

And this is LOML (love of my life) Drew.  I made the frame using instructions in Paint It Black by Voltaire.  I also made the big pink flower pushpins on the bulletin board.

 If I can figure out how to do static pages, I'll add a page that introduces my assistants.

So there is my workspace.  I'd love to see/hear how you cheer up your space.

Zen Thursday 8.5.2010

This is my first week participating in Zen Your Life at Goddess Leonie's blog.  Our mission is to get rid of everything on our desks that we don't use daily.

Now, I freely confess that my entire workspace at Day Job needs Zenning, but the top of the desk seems a doable project -- esp. since I had to clear it off just a few weeks ago when I was issued a new laptop.  The desk at home is another matter entirely, but I'll think about that when I get home.

I also confess that I expanded the definition of "use daily" to include things that make me smile daily.  Like my stuffed Edgar Allan Poe doll!  With detachable raven!

And I was unable to move my phone off my desk because the cord isn't long enough.  Oh well.

A bit of reorganization/redecorating has made the space feel fresh, and beginning my next set of projects in a few weeks seems more doable.

Onward and upward to the rest of the space.

Wishcasting Wednesday 8.4.10

This week, Jamie asks, "What do you wish for your creativity?"

Continuing this week's theme -- I wish for my creativity to have space to flourish.

When I did my Weekly Intention on Monday, I talked about clearing space in my home for new dreams.  Yesterday, Drew and I worked on the dining room.  Now, I'm sure this confession will deeply disappoint Mark Brunetz if he ever sees it, but I have no intention of  "restoring its function as a dining room" -- sorry!

We just aren't eat-dinner-at-the-table people.  We never have been.  Ever.  And since we have no human children to teach table manners, well, so be it.  (That should go on my Dammit List -- We don't use the dining table for eating dinner, and that's okay, dammit!)

It is however a large and lovely flat surface to use for art!  When it's free of other clutter.  And it is located near a large bookshelf that could be reclaimed for art books and supplies.

*rubs hands together gleefully*  I love it when a plan comes together!

Weekly Intention 8.2.10

Squee!  I just saw on FaceBook that Andrea has added a new weekly feature to ABCcreativity -- a weekly intention.  Read about it here -- http://networkedblogs.com/6ruxT

It combines nicely with an idea that Jill Badonsky posted on her Kaizen-Muse page -- that our goals should sound FUN.

My discovery from this?  Sometimes it's all about the wording!  I need, need, need, to clean and declutter my home.  Does that sound fun?  No, clearly not.  Yet it is my goal, and it is something I want to do.  True, there is also an element of SHOULD and an element of social expectation and my mother's voice in my head saying, "This place is filthy!"  (For perspective -- my mother is a bit obsessive.  No matter how clean a room is, in her eyes, if she hasn't personally cleaned it, it's filthy.)

But I want to do it because I want space to pursue new dreams.  Right now, our home has no space for new dreams.  It is too packed with "stuff" for the energy to flow.  We have been slowly, gradually chipping away at the problem, but we have miles to go before we sleep in a clutter-free home.

Sooooo.....I present to you my Weekly Intention -- to create a vacuum so my dreams can whoosh in!

I dream of

• art space
• an organized office area for writing
• a kitchen I can easily make healthy meals in
• a living room where it is easy to exercise
• a relaxing bedroom where it is easy to get a good night's sleep
• a master bath that is a temple to Radical Self-Care  (see http://www.owningpink.com if you need the scoop!)
• a home that supports my soul

This week, it is my intention to work toward that vision.