...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

...friday thought

"LOVE IS NOT BLIND;

IT SIMPLY ENABLES ONE TO 

SEE THINGS

OTHERS FAIL TO SEE."                  

                              -anonymous

wishing you all happy and safe weekend!

peaceandlove,

kolleen