...friday thoughts

... i can hardly believe another year has come and gone.  

it seems the older i get, 

the quicker the time goes and the more i am trying to 

hold on to each little, tender moment.

this is a time of reflection for me (as i know it is for most of us)... looking back, remembering, 

writing down intentions for the upcoming year, 

things i want to release and let go of, 

focusing on that which i want to bring into my life.

my dear friend Londa posted a question today ... 

asking for ONE word to define this past year ... 

so tell me, what's yours??  

What is your ONE word to sum up 2011??

peaceandlove always ... 

blessings upon the new year ahead ... 

let us keep seeking the good and striving for the better.

kolleen

...winter solstice RELEASE!!!

it isn't too late ... 

to create bundles of all that you may want

 TO RELEASE...TO LET GO OF...

TO NO LONGER CARRY...

 during the winter solstice. 

(and if you don't want to create a bundle...

write it on a slip of paper ... and release it...burn it...let it go)

the amazing, intuitive, keeper of ceremony, earth mama, 

wise beyond her years, Pixie Campbell 

(who is a gift to me in so many ways)

is heading up 

"The Mother of All Releasings Ceremony" ... 

the video below is pure magic ... 

women circling together is so powerful, so necessary...

and even more so, releasing all that we carry

that is just far too heavy and unnecessary

to let it weigh us down any longer.

It is time to 

RELEASE IT...DROP IT...LET IT GO.

thank you Pixie, thank you ... for the gift that is YOU.

(i adore you.)

Mother of All Releasings Ceremony: Winter Solstice, 2012 from Pixie Campbell on Vimeo.

....friday thought

(Sydnie on her 9th birthday)

"WHERE THERE IS MUCH LIGHT, 

THE SHADOW IS DEEP."

                              -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

wishing you all a beautifully 

magical weekend.

peaceandlove

kolleen

say whaaaaaat wednesday??

(my work in progress ... more to come)

Gathering:  an assembly or meeting,

to cause to come together; convene;

to bring together into one group, collection or place

today i have been sitting here thinking 

about the beauty of "gathering"...
the necessity of it

gathering around a table to break bread 

and share laughter, tears, conversation, friendship;

gathering around a campfire to tell stories and sing;

gathering around a friend that may 

need to be lifted up, supported, heard, held;

gathering with my littles to show them 

love and comfort and safety;

gathering in a circle to look at one another,

pray, send out positive vibes, embrace;

gathering with others to share dreams and aspirations;

gathering with family and loved ones to 

create traditions and make memories.

what is a way in which you love to gather??


would love to hear...
peaceandlove,
kolleen

....fly

"LEAP AND THE NET WILL APPEAR."

                       - Zen Saying




so...who's going to jump???!!




peaceandlove,
kolleen

...the heART exchange

(handmade wrapping paper!!)

i have had so much fun participating in 

The heART Exchange 

sponsored by the oh so lovely Louise Gale.

i am such a lover of all things handmade 

and making something from my heart to someone else's ...

well,

its the best!

And what was even better was that my 

sweet scarf sister Kate is my partner in this exchange!!

I had so much fun packing up her goodies....

and shipping them off to her!!

I hope they arrive safely from my heart to hers!!

Happy Monday friends and here's a song for

Monday Music....such talent...gives me the goosebumps.

"and i'll fall on my knees."

ooxx
peaceandlove
kolleen

i believe....say whaaaaaaat???

i believe in truth.

i believe in being kind and treating others 

as you would want to be treated.

i believe there is extraordinary in the ordinary.

i believe there is beauty EVERYWHERE...

STOP.  RIGHT NOW.  LOOK.  
(you found it, didn't you?!?!)

i believe art, creating, music are healing and 

the best therapy there is.

i believe in community and connection.

i believe in honesty and compassion and non judgment.

i believe in surrendering to all that is beyond our control.  

(and i believe this is easier said than done)

i believe in God ... He is IN everyone and everything.

i believe we ALL matter.

i believe in light breaking through any darkness there is.

i believe in dreams.

i believe in showing ourselves kindness and 

giving ourselves a break.

i believe guilt and shame are powerful if you LET them be.

i believe in service to others.

i believe each and every one of us has a calling on our lives.

i believe in soul whispers.

i believe in heart whispers.

i believe children are AMAZING teachers.


i believe in miracles.

i believe YOU are enough.

i believe LOVE IS THE ANSWER.

and i believe this list is no where near being finished!!

so tell me...

what do you believe in??


peaceandlove
kolleen

....say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat???

i grabbed a book yesterday from the Spiritual Center 

and have barely been able to put it down.

i have SO many pages ear marked to make notes about 

and it has me thinking about so many things.

one of which is something i would love to

get feedback about...

here is an excerpt from the book that 

i am trying to process and digest:  

"Because I don't live in either my past or my future.  

I'm interested only in the present.  

If you can concentrate always on the present, 

you'll be a happy man.  

You'll see that there is life in the desert, 

that there are stars in the heavens, 

and that tribesmen fight because they 

are part of the human race.  

Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, 

because life is the moment we're living right now."

i can say that i agree completely with this passage 

but am not sure how to even begin to 

really live my life that way ... 

I am genuinely seeking it out and was wondering ...

how do you think it is possible to truly live in the 

present moment ... 

to not let past or future thoughts enter 

into your mind or your decision making??

what is the secret??

thoughts...anyone??

peaceandlove,

kolleen

ps...this book is AMAZING!  

totally worth the read

...today's sentiment

what steps have you been taking???

peaceandlove,

kolleen

ooh...almost forgot...

Flora Bowley's class was AAA-MAZING...

working on a post dedicated to

all things from that workshop!

hi

just poppin in to say "hi friends!"

i am off to a MUCH MUCH MUCH NEEDED 

art retreat with the oh so fabulous Flora Bowley.   

I have been in such a creative funk ... 

i need her magic!!  

i love her vision and her art is so vibrant .... 

pure eye candy ... 

feeling blessed to be able to learn from her!

wishing you all a wonderful love filled weekend!!

and remember...

“When we engage in what we are naturally suited to do, 

our work takes on the quality of play and 

it is play that stimulates creativity.” 

                  –  Linda Naiman

peaceandlove,

kolleen

...pondering

are you living free??

peaceandlove,

kolleen

...a little messy

so... things have been a little messy over here lately.

many unanswered questions, frustrations and concerns.

as i sit with the "not knowing",  i am trying to 

remind myself of all i have to be grateful for.

i just took this picture right before i posted as a reminder ... 

and realized there are pictures i could take around every single corner of things to be grateful for.

i also have been busy at the hospital volunteering in the 

ART FOR HEALING program.  

I feel beyond blessed to be a part of this ... 

as i truly believe in all that it stands for.

it is putting SO many things into perspective for me.  

It has me taking a closer look 

at how I spend my time, just how much service work means, 

and how we all just want to be

 seen, heard, paid attention to.  

I am learning this through the patients I visit 

and the children I see in the surgery waiting rooms, 

awaiting mom or dad to get out of surgery ... 

seeing the smiles when I hand them 

crayons and pages to color...

THEY ARE SEEN.

yes...

life gets messy sometimes ... 

but i am learning that is when we have 

to really pay attention to all the goodness that is around us ... change our focus a bit ... readjust the lenses.

it seems to me that sometimes 

we need to embrace the messy 

to appreciate the clean.

peaceandlove,

kolleen

...a quote and a song

beautifully haunting ....

peaceandlove,

kolleen

...a little place called harmony

earlier this week i was blessed enough to spend two nights in Cambria, CA with two of my girlfriends ... it was much needed girl time for all three of us.  

we had more fun that i can put into words ... 

i wanted to share in this first post about a 

sweet little town called Harmony.  

I believe the photos will speak for themselves ... 

i hope you all enjoy!

(and one more thing that makes this place 

that much sweeter, is that my friend Lisa was married here.)

happy weekend friends

peaceandlove,

kolleen

...a little project

So I have been having fun lately creating "PenART" ...  

here are a few of the t-shirts i have done....

this is the latest that i made for my littlest little ....  it is something i feel we all should believe in ... and a message i try

to instill in my children.  

it simply says "YOU

 CAN" on the front side 

(bleach prior to rinsing out and washing)

(syd modeling)

and "the end." on the back side.   

i am working on ordering some t-shirts 

to create more and list them in my etsy shop.  

hope you all like them ... they sure were fun to make!!

peaceandlove,

kolleen

...say whaaaaaaat wednesday , to bare or not to bare..???

here i am ... baring it all (so to speak).

naked face.

hair pulled back in a pony.

(which is how i wear it more than anything ... or in a hat)

i truly debated putting this picture out there ... 

but these two gorjuss friends of mine ... Liv...

read her post HERE and Kelly...

read her post HERE... 

beautiful beyond words ... INSPIRED me ... 

as they do in COUNTLESS ways.

so i thought ... what the hell...

i have realized as i edge closer and closer to 40 

how bittersweet it is ... 

this whole getting older thing.

(after all i still feel like i am 20!)

how i notice more and more 

the wrinkles on my face,

gray hairs, 

gray eyebrows (yes, younger girls ... THAT happens) ... 

the fact that i cut bangs last summer 

to cover all the wrinkles on my forehead ... after all, 

it is MUCH cheaper (let alone less painful) than botox!!!

the fact that if i am not careful my butt will start 

to become part of my legs ...

so daily walks are now becoming more of a necessity!!

but also the beauty in aging ... 

of how i become more and more 

comfortable in my own skin ... 

as i continually work on myself, 

expand my horizons and my mind.  

how much more i realize "stripped down",

in the sense of taking off all masks, being REAL ... 

is becoming more and more appealing to me.  

i am more and more drawn to authentic relationships ... 

they are actually becoming the ONLY kind i want in my life ... 

the kind i can put my heart into ... 

the kind i can invest in.

the more and more i don't worry so much 

about what "everyone else thinks".  

the more i realize it IS the little things in life ... 

the heart moments i share with my children, my husband,

my friends, my family... 

that are the beauty i want to see everyday...

take note of ... (not the wrinkles on my face)  

so...how do you all feel...

to bare or not to bare...

can you embrace the perfectly imperfect you?

(as said By the LOVELY LIV)

peaceandlove

kolleen