mindful monday

                                          {an image, a quote, a thought, a focus to our week}

" Everything you add to your plate dilutes your ability to accomplish the amazing. Simplify."

                                                             -Kat @ Inspired to Action

Blur

The end of October and all of November were a blur of activity.

:: We celebrated Halloween with Waldo,a Minecraft dude,a greek goddess,an adorable panda, Harry  
  Potter and ET dressed as a ghost.
:: played with A LOT of pumpkins
:: received,as a surprise,some pre-decorated pumpkins. Zombies! My favorite.
:: celebrated my birthday with a visit at a knitting group, a yummy lunch and then visited some local yarn        
  stores we're I got to pick out some birthday yarn. All activites were enjoyed with the lovely Nancy.          
  Perfect,I tell you.
:: thanksgiving came and we feasted.
:: so many sniffles and coughs,several doctor visits and lots of resting with Little House on the Praire.


Then there was December. December was full.

:: family, and some more family
:: adopted cousins
:: sugar
:: a Nutcracker performance
:: Daddy home for two weeks!
:: presents
:: sugar
:: lots of Avatar
:: special nut bread
:: staying up late
:: sugar

Now we are all a bit grumpy. Daddy had to go back to work, the sugar rush has finally worn off and there is a lot of laundry to do.I am feeling the need for a little focus.

pause

 Being a stay-at-home, homeschooling mama is quite hard and finding time to recharge is not always easy. Since March, I've had the privilege of coming to a studio to think and create. When my husband offered this time and space to me, I jumped at the idea. Then, I was able to invite a friend to join me and we shared the space. We came up with the idea to join forces and share with others our love of creating and Studio Time was born. 

The lease on our current studio is ending in December, but I want Studio Time to continue since it is such an amazing time for Eva and I to recharge and engage in something that we are both passionate about. So, my husband and I brainstormed options and came up with a pretty different idea.

 We live in a 2-story house that has 4 rooms upstairs. Two are used as bedrooms, one is used as my husband's home office and one was primarily not used. We are turning our downstairs open living room, dining room and kitchen area into The Studio. 

Part of the transformation is already complete, our original living room furniture is upstairs in the unused room which is now called the den, our dining table is now in the center of the living room, it is used daily as our main table for dining and will be used for classes as a work table. I purchased a used sofa and new rug and paired them with some furniture we had to create a comfortable spot in the living area for us and for students. That was one of the kids main requests, that we have a comfortable space to lounge downstairs. In the kitchen where we normally have our dining table, I've divided the space in half one side for me and one side for Eva. I have a work table for crafting, sewing and drawing and two storage racks with counter space for painting set-up.  

I am excited about having the studio in my home. The new possibilities that are opened up are exciting. We will be able to have larger classes, include children, offer babysitting and there is access to a kitchen for meals or cooking classes. Anyone know a chef ? 

For now, we will be pausing to regroup, plan for the new year and enjoy the holidays with our families. I will be sharing sneak peek photos of the "new" studio until then.

 HaPPy HOLidayS!

more painting

Lots of painting is going on at home lately. 

Let's see, I painted a room, 4 chairs, and a table this week. The kids worked on lightsabers and their own artwork and I still need to add more layers to my works in progress.

I guess we are in a painting mood. 

I have a few posts up at emerald lane, one is on the progress of my paintings for my class I'm taking and the other is about how art can be therapeutic at my house. 

Follow the links to read more.

de-lurker giveaway

"I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose."

Woody Allen

De-lurk and come out and play! We have this super-festive banner to giveaway this month and another planned for December. Can you say cute cuddly teddy bear?  Oh, you will love it!

Join in on the fun and enter to win this banner by filling out the form below.

Good luck and have fun sharing!

What are you thankful for?