wreckage~ week 5

First of all, thank you to those who left some words of encouragement and support last week! It really helped!!

This week was full of creative energy. I was pulled out of my funk slowly but surely. My youngest daughter, Kari, has been begging to help in my journal since I started and I figured what better way to get back into the groove than to do it with a ball of energy that is Kari? Certainly only good things can come from that, right? I know!

So we started off by having Emily, my oldest, stand on a chair (she is tall) and drop the journal from high up! I barely got the shot but I think it turned out really cool! So do my girls, so that's all that matters! ;o)

I'm not sure if Kari was hungry or what but when I flipped to "chew on this page" I was repulsed and the hairs on my arms stood straight up as if I was back in third grade again when the chalk scraped down the board, I said THERE IS NO WAY I'M DOING THIS ONE...Kari quickly said "I WILL!!!"...ICK. EWW. ICK. EWWW!! Have at it babycakes! Just yuck.



Then we drew pretty flowers together and I didn't even get a bit uptight when she scribbled over her side at the end.....cringed a little but didn't get uptight. ha!



Then she was my friend that destroyed a page...

As you can clearly see, she enjoyed every bit of that too. Ever since she was in the womb, she has been my "chaos maker" child. She is notorious for reeking havoc. I finally caught her in the act. *snicker* Although, I think she was a little baffled by the fact that I was allowing her to be destructive without consequences!! LOL


Ok, she got sidetracked by our new kitten so I was on my own for a bit. And it is good that I was because I got a little serious with the project. Burn this page? Seriously? You want me to play with fire? I'm too scared!!! It is my biggest fear. Well, aside from something happening to my loved ones. Fire. Yep, it really makes my stomach hurt. I think it may have something to do with getting severely burned as a toddler by a pot full of boiling water. Right, no direct fire but still produces the same results...burn.

So, I got a bowl of water ready to throw the paper/book in as I went along because, well, I was petrified that I would burn my house down. I knew I didn't want to burn the actual page while it was still in the book. That was too much for my nervous system to handle! And I'm not kidding! So instead, I tore out part of the page and wrote some really negative, self-deprecating things that have lived in my soul for so long and then I burned it up! VERY cathartic!! Wow...let me just tell you that things got very emotional as I watched those words, the words that I have believed and lived for so long, go up in flames.








Then we had to wash away all the fears, hang ups from the previous week. Shower time!




Over all, a very productive, creative week!! Yay!

Berry-Lemon Sparklers

Something refreshing on those hot summer days... enjoy!

* 8 Servings
* Prep 10 minIngredients:

* 1 1/2 pints raspberries or blackberries, plus more for garnish
* 1 1/3 cups sugar
* 2 cups lemon juice (from 8 lemons)
* Ice
* Seltzer
* Mint sprigs, for garnish

Directions:

1.In a medium bowl, mash the 1 1/2 pints berries with the sugar; let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup water, then strain into a large pitcher, pressing with a spoon to extract any juice. Stir in the lemon juice and 2 1/2 cups more water.
2.Fill 8 pint glasses halfway with ice. Pour about 3/4 cup berry-lemon mixture into each glass, top with a splash of seltzer and stir to combine. Garnish with berries and a mint sprig.

Recipe courtesy of Rachel Ray.

wreckage ~ week 4

Not much to say today.

Can you believe that I did not wreck at all this week? Life was really busy and I just didn't make the time for my creative self to come out and play. And I am having just a wee bit of trouble with letting go of trying to be a little clean with my wrecking. I know I need to get passed the "why are you destroying this book that is full of your thoughts/creations?" in order to keep wrecking. I noticed on other blogs that the books are all tattered and torn and really really wrecked. Uh, mine still looks fairly new. Such a shame that I hold onto some sort of idea that I can't shake. I will though. I know it! There is so much inspiration out there for me that I know I will be able to get ugly with my book and...*gulp*...destroy it.

But....seriously...what about all the pretty creations inside it? They'll all be ruined. That's the point though, right?

Here's to more insane wrecking in the upcoming weeks!

wreckage~ week 3

This week was hard for me because I was not feeling well both physically (hello mother nature) and emotionally. Well, of course, with mother nature making herself known, emotions are sure to be out of whack.

And out of sorts was I.

But sometimes being so unbalanced is a great jumping off point to spark creative energy. While I would not call these next set of pages any real works of art, they truly did capsulize the emotive week I have had this time around.

Through all the ups and downs of emotions...my husband was right there and because of that.. I believe:


Some of my favorite four letter words!!


Funny. This one. Who knew I grabbed some pens that do not smear that well? Ha!


Crazy. Whack-a-do day. Sigh. Not creative in the least. I wanted to do a masterpiece of fun but simplistic, unoriginal, normal is all that came out. Can't win them all, I suppose.


Lastly, I had a bottle of nailpolish on my desk, so I mindlessly let it drip and was pleasantly surprised when I opened the book. I immediately saw a little butterfly. Aww..Nice way to end the week, on a bright note. Soar, she says. Soar!

w.r.e.c.k.a.g.e. = soul liberation

Wow.

Three little letters sitting next to each other combine my initial reaction as I began the destruction on my journal. My clean, pretty, little journal...is no more.

I giggled. I cried. I swooned. (Yes I did. You'll read why later.) I panicked. I rolled my eyes. I questioned Keri Smith... "You want me to do WHAT???" "Did I just read the word "POO" in this book?" Oh. Here it comes....

Wait for it...


WOW!!

Completely letting go. Without abandon. Going for it. Releasing things that I didn't even know needed released.

Yes. So far, this project of wrecking has equaled soul liberation. Woot Woot! All Aboard!

Ok. So let's get to the goodies, shall we? I will share only a handful because, well, I was having F.U.N!! and didn't realize just how much I was doing to my journal. I must pace myself.

Hold on, my soulsisters...It's a crazy ride!

First, let's think about just one intention, one word that makes sense in doing this book wrecking. One of my favorite words of all time... INSPIRE. And so it is there, on the side of the book to always remind me to inspire and be inspired.


Next... grab a nail file. What feeling is your soul most connected to right now? LOVE!! So scratch it OUT LOUD!! Ok then!!


What's for lunch? Mmmm.. Triple Chocolate brownie & garden veggie soup from Panera. Oh so yummy...can't ya tell? ;o)


Got coffee? Uh huh. Panera caramel latte. Here, have some! Delish!


Remember the swooning? Oh, wait a second... *dreamy sigh* ... ok.. this page? smells like my fabulous husband. It is liberally infused with Drakkar, his choice in cologne. Or is it my choice in cologne for him? Either way, YUM! SWOON! DREAMY SIGH! And I wanted to be a part of the yum factor, so I drew a funky self portrait..although, I look nothing like that. haha!! and the lips? She musta had injections! *snicker*


One continuous line? Ok, but I must infuse COLOR! Thank you! Squiggle. Squiggle. And she squiggled away!


And for the final share this week... Tear out the page and accept the loss? Huh? You're kidding, right? Seriously? Well ok. *deep breath* ... RIP! And I scribbled "it's ok" on the remaining part of the page. I didn't want to totally let the page go. I am all for compassion. Yes I am.


All in all...a very amazing week of wreckage! Thanks for life!

Be blessed.

Be free.

Liberate your soul!

Wreck This Journal: Week One

So today begins a new creative journey. Our inet book club: The Next Chapter with Jamie Ridler is delving into "Wreck This Journal" by Keri Smith. I am beyond excited for this summer project as I have had it on my Amazon wishlist forever and a day! When the box arrived in the mail, I opened it like a little girl on Christmas morning. Once the book was in my hands, I got this smile on my face that started somewhere deep inside! It is going to be great fun and a much needed source of creative energy.

I have been going through some very personal struggles lately and I know this is the is going to be one of those projects that help me forget about those struggles for even a moment. I have to admit, that I was almost too embarrassed to sign up for the next chapter because I failed miserably at the last chapter. Something happened that made me miss posting one time and that one time led to me not finishing the project. But I had to forgive myself for that and just enjoy what I did get out of participating in the chapters that I did. So here I am. I am going to need your support, my fellow club sisters. I surrender to the fact that in this journal, I truly might need some pushes along the way. But I know I cannot wait to jump inside the book and begin this fun project. Too bad we all couldn't meet somewhere together, aside from the internet, to do this project but I will take it!

Here's to new friendships and getting MESSY!!!!